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Can Black Candidates Survive Sex Scandals?
(The Root) — On Sunday night the typically slow summer political news cycle was given a surprise gift. Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in disgrace after being linked to a prostitution scandal, announced that he’s running for office again. In his quest to become New York City comptroller, Spitzer is now the…
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Michelle Obama: More Laura Than Hillary?
(The Root) — Although her husband generated most of the headlines during the first family’s trip to Africa, Michelle Obama recently generated some of her own. Last week she joined her predecessor, Laura Bush, at a Summit for African First Ladies, hosted by the George W. Bush Foundation. Obama’s remarks there stirred some controversy when…
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Black College Students in Trouble
(The Root) — Without a miracle intervention from Congress — which is looking increasingly unlikely with each passing hour — interest rates for student loans from the federal government will double as of July 1. This means that after today, a student seeking a loan will no longer enjoy a 3.4 percent interest rate; instead…
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Mike Bloomberg Pulls a Paula Deen
(The Root) — New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is known for his willingness to take controversial positions, say controversial things and shrug off criticism for doing both. From New York City’s smoking ban to its ban on large, sugary drinks to his aggressive national campaign for gun control, he has earned critics and fans…
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Rove: Bush Was Skeptical of Voting Rights Act
(The Root) — During a Q&A at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Karl Rove, the most prominent Republican strategist in the country, admitted that the Grand Old Party will be unlikely to reclaim the White House if it does not find a way to expand support among minority voters. But he also applauded the Supreme Court’s…
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Clarence Thomas: Race Traitor?
(The Root) — One of the most destructive epidemics plaguing the black community for years is the notion that there is a specific way to “act black” versus “acting white.” The destructive part is the idea that acting white is synonymous with speaking grammatically correct English and having high academic achievement, while “acting black” is…
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Can Affirmative Action Be Fixed?
(The Root) — Now that the Supreme Court has kicked Fisher v. University of Texas, its first major affirmative action case in a decade, back to the lower court, the outcome is still up on the air. But something that experts interviewed by The Root appear to be in agreement on is that regardless of what…
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Why I Love Serena Williams and Michelle Obama
(The Root) — I once wrote of the comparisons between tennis legend Arthur Ashe, known for his grace and quiet temperament on and off of the court, and President Obama, who, like Ashe, has been criticized for not being emotional or angry enough at times. What I didn’t write then is that part of why…
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The Most Influential Black Designer?
(The Root) — First lady Michelle Obama is credited with turning relatively unknown designers into superstars, the most famous being Jason Wu, who became a household name after she selected his dress to wear to her husband’s first inaugural ball. But she has also helped America rediscover superstars. In 2010 she wore a pantsuit by Stephen Burrows,…
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SCOTUS' Surprise Prostitution Ruling
(The Root) — While upcoming rulings on same-sex marriage, voting rights and affirmative action have captured most of the Supreme Court-related headlines, one of the court’s most newsworthy rulings has nothing to do with those cases at all. In a blow to the Obama administration, on Friday the nation’s highest court struck down a federal…
Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude
