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Rep. Keith Ellison: We Should Support the Egyptian People
As violent clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters in Egypt have become the leading images of the country’s conflict, eyes are also on President Barack Obama. Publicly, his administration has taken the broad view that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak should transition to a new government, but officials are reportedly working behind the scenes to persuade…
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Where Are the Green Jobs?
Proclaiming it “Innovation Week” at the White House, President Obama has ramped up his clean-energy agenda recently. From the Monday launch of a program designed to spark entrepreneurship in high-growth industries, to Thursday’s tour of labs at Penn State where researchers are developing more energy-efficient buildings, the president keeps talking the good talk on investing…
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North Carolina's Bizarre Backslide to Segregated Schools
First Lady Michelle Obama announced Tuesday that the 2012 Democratic National Convention will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Charlotte is a city marked by its southern charm, warm hospitality, and an ‘up by the bootstraps’ mentality that has propelled the city forward as one of the fastest-growing in the South,” Mrs. Obama wrote in…
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How Much Does the Florida Health Care Ruling Matter?
So … is health care reform over now? Going by some reactions to a Florida federal judge’s recent decision, you might think something like that. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson declared the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional based on the individual mandate requiring most Americans to buy insurance starting in 2014. But hours…
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Arne Duncan Wants YOU as a New Recruit
In a blinked-and-you-missed-it moment of President Obama’s State of the Union speech last week, while discussing the dismal education system, he encouraged young people to choose teaching careers. “To every young person listening tonight who’s contemplating their career choice,” he said fervently, “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation,…
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A Teen on the Fuel-Efficient Fast Track
Not many teenagers get to sit in the first lady’s box during the State of the Union address. Then again, not many teenagers build electric cars after school. Brandon Ford, 18, is a member of Hybrid X, a student organization at West Philadelphia High School dedicated to innovative car engineering. When President Barack Obama said,…
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Obama Responds to Unrest in Egypt
Amid protests in Egypt demanding the ouster of the country’s longtime authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak, and violent clashes between demonstrators and police, on Friday night President Obama delivered a statement on the situation. Although Mubarak ordered his Cabinet ministers to resign, he has vowed to remain in power. In carefully chosen words Obama said that…
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Staff Shakeup at the White House
The times are a’changing at the White House, with more than a dozen new staffing changes announced on Thursday. Jay Carney, communications director for Vice President Biden and a former Time magazine reporter, will replace Robert Gibbs as White House press secretary. Carney was one of several names swirling around the Beltway for the past…
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Striking a Balance on the National Debt
Just about everyone in Washington these days is busying themselves talking about America’s debt, plugging their ideas as the surefire solution to trim the deficit. In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama offered belt-tightening proposals based on the recommendations of his bipartisan fiscal commission. Last week, House Republicans introduced a bill to sharply…
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Obama to Break His Silence on Gun Control
In the days and weeks following the Tucson shooting, lawmakers and activists have viewed the tragedy as an opportunity for reviving debate around gun control. New York Representative Carolyn McCarthy, for example, introduced a bill prohibiting high-capacity ammunition magazines. Activists who have long organized around the toll of gun violence in urban black communities, such…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
