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Obama: All US Troops Will Leave Iraq
On the 2008 campaign trail, then-Sen. Barack Obama differentiated himself from the competition by claiming that he never would have voted to go to war in Iraq, opposed that war from the beginning — and vowed to end it if elected president. On Friday, President Obama fulfilled his campaign promise with the announcement that he…
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What Has Obama Done for Poor People?
Anger and disillusionment over the widening wealth gap may have reached a national tipping point, as evidenced by the Occupy Wall Street movement. Yet leading politicians rarely mention poor folks. “It’s almost as if poverty is a dirty word,” economist Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women, told The Root. “Joe Biden is leading…
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Anita Hill Defends Her Legacy
Anita Hill just wants everyone to be clear. A few seconds into my question about her “allegations” concerning Clarence Thomas during his 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings, she politely, but firmly, interjects. “When you say ‘allegations,’ it suggests that I was bringing some kind of claim against someone,” she says, apologizing for the interruption. “That…
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The Trouble With Transportation Jobs
A recent Senate vote may have blocked President Obama’s $447 billion American Jobs Act, but the fight is not over yet for the White House and congressional Democrats. They plan to salvage other parts of the plan by reintroducing them as smaller pieces of legislation. “Tonight’s vote is by no means the end of this…
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MLK Memorial Rite Hails Today's Fight
About 20 minutes before he gave remarks at the long-awaited dedication ceremony for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial today, President Barack Obama received a private tour of the monument. Walking hand in hand with daughters Sasha and Malia, he scaled the length of the memorial’s curved inscription wall, reading quotes from some…
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King Memorial Dedication, Take 2
After a historic buildup to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication last August — a week of poignant events, and numerous reflections on the 15 years of work that went into it — the plan was scrapped in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Rescheduled for the morning of Oct. 16, the new dedication day…
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Charles Rangel on Supporting Occupy Wall Street
This month Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) was the first member of Congress to visit the Occupy Wall Street protest — but contrary to some reports, he says that he was not booed out of the place. The jeers from the crowd, Rangel told The Root, were directed instead at a lone heckler who interrupted his…
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Live Tweet Tonight: GOP Debate
We’re settling in for the Republican debate tonight, this time brought to us by the Washington Post and Bloomberg. The theme of the debate, which airs at 8 p.m. ET on Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg.com, is strictly the economy — so we can probably rule out questions on the racially charged name of Rick Perry’s…
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Is Solar Energy Viable?
Another hot topic at President Obama’s news conference this week, despite his best efforts to focus on the jobs bill, was solar panel manufacturer Solyndra. Last month the company, which in 2009 received a $535 million federal loan, declared bankruptcy. Yet the president had emphatically lauded Solyndra as a model for government investment in clean…
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Obama Weighs In on Occupy Wall Street
President Obama again pushed for his jobs bill during a news conference on Thursday, challenging lawmakers who vote against it to explain that decision to American voters. But reporters wanted to know what the president had to say to people who are out of work, foreclosed on or barely above water — particularly those who…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
