-
Why Black Folks Should Care About the President’s 2016 Budget
In case you missed it, friends, it’s that time of the year again: when the dramatic unveiling of the president’s $4 trillion federal budget is—real talk—worthy of a cable miniseries or, at the very least, a House of Cards director’s cut. This particular year is important because it’s the second-to-last fiscal cycle during which President Barack Obama will…
-
How Day Care Costs Are Killing America’s Family Budgets
You’d think that, as stressed out as parents are over child care, the exorbitant cost might be one of those things Congress jumps all over. But even after an encouraging head nod from President Obama in his State of the Union two weeks ago, legislators are back to business as usual, tripping over campaign donor…
-
How Exactly Do We Get Rid of Boko Haram?
The closer we get to Nigeria’s upcoming presidential elections, set to take place Feb. 14, the worse it gets as Boko Haram is emboldened. What started off as a raggedy outlaw movement accessorizing Qurans is now a headlining existential threat to the African continent’s largest economy. If you thought Boko Haram could do no worse…
-
5 Political Reasons Obama Seems Soft on Race When He’s Not
Everyone wants skin in a State of the Union; every interest group kneels down and prays it’ll get a slice or a nod in what is arguably the most important political speech of any year. So it came as no surprise this week to find aggrieved schools of thought convinced that President Barack Obama wasn’t pushy…
-
5 Takeaways From the President’s Muscle-Flexing SOTU
In his next-to-last State of the Union, a revived and unmistakably ultradefiant President Barack Obama let loose a post-midterm-election liberation song on a chamber of fattened Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Even with the somewhat humbled plea for “better politics” by the end of an hourlong speech, seemingly dire political realities were ignored for…
-
Congressional Black Caucus’ Trip to Ferguson Shrouded in Hope and Uncertainty
The photo optics will be rich and the weekend will be full of symbolism. Eyes will be on Ferguson, Mo., when a 10-strong delegation of Congressional Black Caucus members stops through the troubled St. Louis suburb this weekend in a bid to spotlight growing tensions and a bubbling social-justice movement that has been going viral…
-
Free Community College Sounds Hot. But How Do HBCUs Feel About That?
Philosophically, President Obama would give us all four free years of a college education if he could. Politically, however, he can only come up with two. And while it’s not the whole-nine-yard four, two free years of community college is not a half-bad proposition. Looking at a cost of more than $60 billion over 10…
-
Kamala Harris: Are We Looking at the Next US Senator From Calif.?
You might be dreading 2016 because it will be the last year of the first black president. But all is not lost, fam. Chances are you’ll get your first African-American female senator in over 15 years. With Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) retiring, history is about to make another run. The Golden State’s attorney general, Kamala…
-
4 Reasons Nigeria Is Getting Rocked by Boko Haram
For a while it might have appeared that things were quiet or somewhat contained in the raging civil war between the Nigerian government and the violent extremists Boko Haram. But in one hellacious weekend, Islamist-wannabe-front Boko Haram tuned up its horror show and killed 2,000 people during an ugly purge through nearly 20 northeastern Nigerian…
-
New Year, New GOP-Controlled Congress: Here Are the Issues You Should Keep Your Eye On
It’s not only a brand-new year; it’s also a brand-spanking-new 114th Congress: Fasten your seat belts, fam, because the legislative ride could get very rough. Republicans not only grew their majority in the House of Representatives—perhaps solidifying it for another decade or more—but also managed to grab back control of the Senate with a comfortable…
