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Head of Judiciary Committee Wants to Speed Up Jeff Sessions Confirmation Hearing
The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that he wants to move quickly on the hearing to confirm Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as U.S. attorney general. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that he plans to schedule the hearing before the inauguration, and noted that the hearings for Eric Holder and John Ashcroft also…
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Report: Open and Unabashed Harassment and Intimidation After Trump's Election
The United States is no stranger to hate crimes and racial or ethnic harassment; after all, this is a country that was built on the genocide of indigenous people, the enslavement of black people, and the systemic and institutionalized oppression that keeps one group ahead of all the rest. For the most part, bigots and…
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#NoDAPL: ND Governor Issues Executive Order for Evacuation of Resistance Camp
Just days after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told water protectors that they had to vacate the #NoDAPL campsite by Dec. 5 or risk being arrested for trespassing, the governor of North Dakota issued an executive order Monday calling for the emergency evacuation of the area. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, signed Executive Order…
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Betsy DeVos, Religion and Taxpayer Dollars for Private School Education
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that billionaire philanthropist Betsy DeVos was his choice for education secretary. DeVos, a conservative activist, has no professional experience in schools, and she is known politically for pushing private school voucher programs—which, as the Washington Post describes, is a controversial position within public school circles. DeVos has spent millions of…
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#NoDAPL: Protester Hit With Police Concussion Grenade Faces Arm Amputation
A water protector who was present during the recent violent police response to protesters at Standing Rock in North Dakota is facing arm amputation after a concussion grenade thrown by police reportedly hit her left arm Sunday, Indian Country Today Media Network reports. Sophia Wilansky, 21, of New York City, was headed to bring water to…
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Baton Rouge, La., Settles Lawsuit With BLM Protesters for $100,000
Black Lives Matter protesters who were arrested in July while demonstrating after the shooting death of Alton Sterling will receive a monetary settlement from the city of Baton Rouge, La. As part of the settlement the Baton Rouge Metro Council approved on Tuesday, four agencies will pay activist DeRay Mckesson and his fellow plaintiffs $100,000.…
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President Obama Issues the Last Turkey Pardon of His Presidency
On the eve of President Barack Obama’s last Thanksgiving in the White House, he carried on the time-honored tradition of pardoning a turkey before the holiday. Nephews Austin and Aaron Robinson were on hand to watch their Uncle President in the pardon of the National Thanksgiving Turkey ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White…
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Justice Department Settles Discrimination Claim Against Denver Sheriff's Department
The U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement Tuesday resolving a claim that the Denver Sheriff’s Department discriminated against immigrants in its hiring policies, a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). An investigation by the Justice Department found that from approximately Jan. 1, 2015, until approximately March 23, 2016, the Denver Sheriff’s Department…
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NC Gov. Pat McCrory Refuses to Concede, Demands Recount
North Carolina’s incumbent governor has dug in his heels and is not going out without a fight. Two weeks after the election, Pat McCrory, a Republican, officially asked for a recount Tuesday. Roy Cooper, McCrory’s Democratic challenger, claimed victory election night with a 4,000-vote lead out of 4.2 million votes cast, and as the Washington…
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Obama Administration's Overtime Expansion Rule Blocked by Federal Judge in Texas
A federal judge in Texas blocked an Obama administration expansion of the overtime rule on Tuesday, just days before it was set to take effect. The Labor Department measure, which would have gone into effect Dec. 1, would have expanded which employees were eligible for overtime pay by doubling the salary level at which…