news
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Trump Plan for Home Loans Stokes Fears of Higher Mortgage Rates for Would-Be Homebuyers
Housing advocates fear a Trump administration plan to return federal mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector will increase the cost of house loans and make it harder for low-income and disadvantaged communities to buy homes. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the government-controlled companies that help provide money for the…
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Serena Williams Eyes Chance at Making Tennis History After Trouncing Elina Svitolina at US Open Semifinals
Serena Williams may be on her way to making history, as she heads into the final of the U.S. Open after easily defeating Elina Svitolina on Thursday in semifinals play. Williams is hoping to tie Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles if she’s able to pull off a victory at Saturday’s U.S.…
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Now, He Worries: Trump Shows Concern as Hurricane Dorian Bears Down on Florida; Not So Much When It Was Headed for Puerto Rico
Seems there was a time — long, long ago — when the commander in chief, the so-called leader of the free world, was also the consoler in chief, comforting Americans in their time of need and assuring them all would be right with the world. These are apparently not those days — at least not…
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Steve Harvey’s Bringing His Shtick to Africa, Y’all!
Steve Harvey has landed a major deal to bring his popular Family Feud to Africa. According to Shadow and Act, Harvey’s Steve Harvey Global has won the licensing rights to Fremantle’s syndicated game show for airing in Ghana and South Africa. As Deadline explains: In an unprecedented deal with Fremantle, Harvey’s media company Steve Harvey…
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New Trump Policy Ends US Citizenship Rights to Children of Some Troops Stationed Overseas
The Trump administration set off a firestorm of fear Wednesday after it announced it was ending U.S. citizenship rights for the children of some U.S. service members and government employees serving overseas. According to the memo from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the policy that automatically granted citizenship to all children of U.S. military…
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State Democratic Leaders to Presidential Hopefuls: Remember Y’all Ain’t Barack Obama
Barack Obama may still be Democrats’ (and just about everyone else’s) fave, but party leaders weren’t too happy when he decided to form a competitive political group, Organizing for Action. Now, the current crop of leading Democratic presidential hopefuls have pledged that they won’t do the same if they get the chance to sit in…
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Too Few Black and Latino Students Get Into NYC’s Gifted and Talented Programs, So NYC Considers Dumping the Programs
In an effort to end the underrepresentation of black and Latinx children in gifted and talented programs throughout New York City’s public schools, a mayoral advisory panel says the city should just get rid of the programs. A panel appointed by New York City Mayor and Democratic presidential hopeful Bill de Blasio is recommending ending…
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North Carolina Man Avoids Jail Time, Sentenced to 'Racial Justice Workshop' After Brutally Punching 11-Year-Old Black Girl
A North Carolina man who was arrested in January for brutally punching an 11-year-old black girl has been convicted of two misdemeanors. From the Asheville Citizen-Times: David Steven Bell pleaded guilty of misdemeanor assault on a child under the age of 12, as well as one misdemeanor count of assault on a female for pushing…
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Leslie Jones Is Bidding Deuces to Saturday Night Live
Funny lady Leslie Jones will not be returning to Saturday Night Live when the sketch comedy returns for its 45th season next month, opting instead to focus on her career on the big screen. Entertainment Weekly confirmed the news Tuesday, noting that Jones, who starred in the 2016 remake of Ghostbusters, is set to appear…
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Newly Appointed Special Prosecutor in the Jussie Smollett Case Will Reinvestigate the Actor’s Infamous Tale and the Saga That Followed
Talk about making a federal case out of something. A Chicago judge on Friday appointed a former U.S. attorney—a fed, y’all—as special prosecutor to investigate what one guesses should be referred to as “Jussie Smollett-gate.” Sigh. According to the Chicago Tribune, on Friday, Cook County Judge Michael Toomin appointed Dan Webb, a former federal prosecutor,…