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Michigan's Ban on Race in College Admissions Ruled Illegal
A federal appeals court has struck down Michigan’s ban on the consideration of race or gender in college admissions, upending a 2006 law that forced the University of Michigan and other public schools to change admissions policies, the Associated Press reports. In a 2-1 decision, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals said the law burdened…
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Arenas Aims to Block 'Basketball Wives'
Gilbert Arenas and his legal team are hoping to shut down the upcoming L.os Angeles spinoff of Basketball Wives, claiming that ex-wife Laura Govan’s role on the show will exploit him and damage his image. The Orlando Magic guard has reportedly asked a judge to issue an injunction against the show, claiming that although there…
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VIDEO: Protesters in Morocco Call for Greater Reforms
Trying to head off the kind of “Arab Spring” uprising that has swept through countries throughout the Middle East and Africa, Morocco’s King Mohammed recently handed over some of his powers to elected officials in a referendum on Friday. Although 98.5 percent of voters endorsed the referendum, thousands of protesters in Morocco are saying it…
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Coalition Calls for CBS Grammy Boycott, Considers Legal Action
The Recording Academy’s decision to drop 31 categories from the Grammy Awards, including many ethnic music categories, has led an entertainment-industry coalition to call for a boycott of CBS and hire a lawyer to explore legal action, the Associated Press reports. “We will ask people to stop watching CBS, boycott their sponsors and then write…
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Freedom for Man Who Shot Cop in Racially Charged Mistake
After being imprisoned for 10 years for shooting and killing a police officer who raided his home on a bad tip, and who he thought was in intruder, 30-year-old Cory Maye has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in his second trial. He’s been sentenced to time he’s already served and will be released within days. From…
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Justice: Crack-Sentencing Reform Applies to Old Convictions, and More
Justice: crack-sentencing reform applies to old convictions: ColorLines reports that the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted today to apply retroactively sentencing reform for crack-cocaine convictions that Congress passed last year. This will give more than 12,000 inmates — 85 percent of whom are black — the opportunity to go before a judge and seek a reduction…
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'Interrupters' Documentary Takes on Chicago Youth Violence
A new documentary chronicles the work of violence interrupters, former gang members dispatched to their old Chicago neighborhoods by an organization called CeaseFire to stop youth violence. NPR talked to Eddie Bocanegra, one of the interventionists featured in The Interrupters and a former participant in the city’s violence himself, about the challenges of his work…
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VIDEO: Beyoncé Talks Motherhood, Music and More
On Monday night, with less than a day until her new album’s release, Beyoncé sat down with CNN’s Piers Morgan. We have the highlights from their chat about everything from being a diva to when she thinks she and Jay-Z will start a family: On her Glastonbury Festival set: “Well, you know, I’m still walking…
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African Leaders Scorn Campaign Against Qaddafi
African leaders scorned the international campaign against Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi at an African Union summit at a resort in Equatorial Guinea today, Bloomberg reports. Equatorial Guinea’s leader, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, oversaw the summit, during which leaders demanded that NATO halt its bombing campaign in Libya. Yesterday, AU Commission head Jean Ping accused the International…
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VIDEO: Mark Halperin Calls Obama a 'D—'
Mark Halperin, a Time editor and Morning Joe regular, has been suspended indefinitely by MSNBC for calling President Obama a “d—-” live on air. The Huffington Post reports: Halperin first asked host Joe Scarborough, “Are we on the seven-second delay?” implying that he wanted to speak freely but not have his comments broadcast. Scarborough and…