-
How This Black Church Went Green
Florida Avenue Baptist Church, a historic black institution in Washington, D.C.’s LeDroit Park neighborhood, seems ordinary at first glance. But walking past the curly CFL light bulbs dotting its hallways, and a flat-screen monitor reporting the congregation’s carbon footprint in real time, you suspect that something’s a little different. That difference is on the roof.…
-
No Holds Barred in Republican Debate
The Republican contenders for president gathered at Iowa State University Thursday night, going toe-to-toe in the latest Fox News debate. Coming at the tail end of what has been labeled the worst period of the Barack Obama presidency — record-low approval ratings, an S&P credit-rating downgrade, stock market hysteria and the death of 30 U.S.…
-
Any Blacks on the Super Committee?
UPDATE: Yes, there is an African-American legislator — and a Latino lawmaker — on the “super committee.” On Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi announced her picks. They are Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Xavier Beccera of California and (as The Root suggested below) James Clyburn of South Carolina. Now that Congress has avoided a…
-
What Happens After the Credit Downgrade?
On Friday the U.S. ratings agency Standard & Poor’s slapped the United States with a downgrade, demoting the country from a top-notch AAA credit rating to AA+. Although the nation’s other two major agencies, Moody’s Investor Service and Fitch Ratings, reaffirmed the United States’ AAA credit rating, S&P’s move triggered fear through the stock market,…
-
Birth Control, No Co-Pays: Why Hysteria?
This week the Department of Health and Human Services announced that health insurers will be required to cover preventive care without charging a co-payment, co-insurance or a deductible. The new guidelines, which expand on preventive care already covered under the Affordable Care Act, comprise a range of services for women. These include screening for gestational…
-
Debt-Ceiling Deadline Diary: The Latest
Tuesday, Aug. 3, 5:50 p.m. President Obama signed into law the debt-ceiling bill – formally called the Budget Control Act – shortly after his speech. later in the day he took the next step with a message to the U.S. Congress. With less than seven hours left before the nation faced taking drastic measures to…
-
Obama: 'Plenty of Ways Out of This Mess'
The morning after House Republican leaders delayed a vote on Speaker John Boehner’s debt-ceiling bill due to a lack of support, President Barack Obama delivered a statement on Friday, pushing Congress to craft a bill that actually stands a chance of becoming law. “Any solution to avoid default must be bipartisan,” said Obama, speaking from…
-
No Money for National Black Museum?
Earlier this year, The Root asked, Will White People Go to the National Black Museum? These days the more immediate question is, Will the national black museum get built? Years ago, Congress authorized funding for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, slated to open in 2015. But that commitment may…
-
DNC Chair: How to Stop Voter-ID Laws
In a speech this week during his organization’s annual convention, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous railed against restrictive state voting laws, likening their rise across the country to the days of Jim Crow. “Our voting rights are under attack because we had a great breakthrough — the election of a black president,” said Jealous to…
-
Scrambling for Debt Ceiling Backup Plan
In June, I compiled a guide of nine things to know about the debt ceiling. Back then, Congress and the White House had eight weeks to reach an agreement before the Aug. 2 federal-government-defaults-on-its-loans deadline, a stretch that seems luxurious by today’s standards. Now we’re one week away from so-called Debt Armageddon! After House Speaker…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
