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The Phrase 'White Nationalist' Cut From Measure Designed to Screen for White Nationalists in the Military
A measure in the National Defense Authorization Act designed to allow for better screening of white nationalism in military enlistees has had the word ‘white nationalist’ removed. That, uh, makes sense, right? Huffington Post writes that after initially passing in the House, the language of the measure was altered to “extremist and gang-related activity,” after…
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Federal Study Confirms Racial Bias in Facial-Recognition Systems. Which, Yeah, We Know
A federal study released Thursday shows that facial recognition technology used by law enforcement misidentified people of color more often than white people. In other news, water is indeed wet. The Washington Post reports that a study conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the federal lab that develops standards for emerging technology,…
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Phoenix PD Ordered to Pay $1.6 Million for Illegal Body-Cavity Search
On Wednesday, the Phoenix City Council approved a payment of $1.6 million to Erica Reynolds, a 37-year-old woman illegally body-cavity searched as a part of a drug investigation. AZ Central reports that the payment was passed by a 7-2 vote with councilmen Sal DiCiccio and Jim Warning voting no. DiCiccio, while conceding that the officer…
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Sean Urbanski Found Guilty of First Degree Murder in Richard Collins Trial
On Wednesday, Sean Urbanski was found guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Army 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III in May 2017 at the University of Maryland, reports WTOP. On Tuesday, The Root reported that the judge had dropped the hate crime charge against Urbanski. Nevertheless, the prosecution still argued on the final…
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BREAKING: House Votes to Impeach Trump
The House of Representatives has voted 230-197 to impeach President Donald Trump on the grounds of Article 1-Abuse of Power and 229-198 on Article II-Obstruction of Congress, reports NBC News. After eight hours of debate, including a rousing speech by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) the House finally came to a vote on Wednesday night. The…
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Legislation Introduced to Help Curb Rising Black Teen Suicide Rates
On Tuesday, Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) introduced legislation to help address rising suicide rates in black teens. CBS News reports that The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 seeks to invest over a billion dollars into improving mental health care conditions for black youth. This comes on the heels of a report…
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Court Rules Obamacare Mandate Unconstitutional
The battle for affordable healthcare continues as a federal appeals court has ruled that the law’s individual mandate is unconstitutional but did not invalidate the entire law. Politico reports that the court has sent the case to a lower court judge to determine whether or not any of the law can survive. This decision continues…
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Digital Bootleg Men Indicted in Federal Court
If you’re of a certain age you may remember the bootleg man being the staple of many a black barbershop. Typically running a four-for-$20 deal, he’d allow you to see all the latest movies for the price of a ticket and some popcorn. In recent years the services of the bootleg man have been rendered…
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Now in Things White People Say Aren't Racist: Swastikas. Yup.
There are certain symbols that when seen in public make you go “Oh, they racist-racist.” At the top of that list would probably be the swastika and the confederate flag—symbols made popular by groups whose whole M.O was killing in the name of white supremacy. Apparently though, we’ve had it all wrong. At least, that…
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Hate Crime Charges Dropped in Richard Collins Murder Trial
On Tuesday, a judge announced that a hate crime charge has been dropped in a case involving the fatal stabbing of U.S Army Lt. Richard Collins, III, reports WJZ-TV. Sean Urbanski is on trial after killing Collins during a bus stop altercation in May 2017 outside the University of Maryland. The prosecution argued that Urbanski’s…
