news
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#NoDAPL: Amnesty International Sending Human Rights Delegation to Standing Rock
In a press release issued Oct. 28, Amnesty International USA announced that it will be sending a delegation of human rights observers to monitor the response of law enforcement to protests by indigenous communities. As previously reported on The Root, tensions rose at a #NoDAPL resistance camp Oct. 27 when more than 100 militarized police…
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Judge Rules Flint Residents Can Sue State of Mich. Over Water Crisis
A judge in the Michigan Court of Claims ruled Thursday that residents of the city of Flint, Mich., have the right to sue the state and state officials for the decisions that led to the city’s lead-contaminated-water crisis. The Detroit News reports that Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Mark T. Boonstra, who presides over the…
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NC Sued by NAACP Over Alleged Voter Purge Targeting Black Voters
The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is suing North Carolina over an alleged voter purge that it claims disproportionately affected African Americans, Talking Points Memo reports. Apparently, 4,500 voters had their voter registrations challenged by a few individuals. The North Carolina NAACP has accused state and local officials of a violation of the National Voter Registration Act…
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Study Shows Discrimination Among Uber and Lyft Drivers
A study published Monday by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Washington reveals that racial discrimination exists among Uber and Lyft drivers, Bloomberg reports. In Boston, drivers canceled rides for men with “black-sounding” names more than twice as often as for other men, according to the study. And…
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Sunday’s Best: Cam Newton’s Easter-Pink Suit and St. Patrick’s Day Hat
It’s getting harder these days to take Cam Newtown seriously. On Sunday evening, after the quarterback led his team to a 30-20 win over Arizona Cardinals, Newton walked into the postgame conference looking like a vaudeville sideshow. The 6-foot-6 quarterback was wearing a soft-pink suit, a leprechaun hat with one of those Ben Franklin quill…
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Donna Brazile Out at CNN Amid Allegations She Shared Debate Questions With Clinton Camp
Donna Brazile is out at CNN amid allegations that she gave Hillary Clinton’s campaign questions before a CNN debate and a CNN-TV One town hall. According to CNN Money, the departure of Brazile, who is the acting chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, was announced Monday, but she resigned from her role as a CNN…
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17 Killed, 42 Wounded in Chicago's Deadliest Weekend of the Year
As October draws to a close, Chicago experienced its deadliest and most devastating weekend so far this year, leaving 17 people fatally shot and more than 40 wounded, between Friday afternoon and early Monday, the Chicago Tribune reports. According to the report, up until this weekend, Father’s Day weekend had been the most violent in the…
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No Charges for DC Officers Involved in Fatal Shooting of Robbery Suspect
On Monday, federal prosecutors said that the five Washington, D.C., police officers involved in the 2015 fatal shooting of Marquesha McMillan will not face charges in her death, according to the Washington Post. The U.S. attorney’s office said that there was insufficient evidence to pursue charges against the officers in the fatal shooting of McMillan, who…
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Fla. Man Arrested for Shooting at Passing Cars
Carl Washington, 40, allegedly situated himself at an intersection and began to shoot at passing cars Saturday, hitting one driver in the head, CBS News reports. He was arrested on five counts of attempted premeditated murder after shooting with his rifle at five people as they drove by him in Hollywood, Fla. According to CBS, the man who…
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After Weeklong Manhunt, Murder Suspect Shot Dead
Michael Dale Vance Jr., 38, was shot and killed by an Oklahoma state trooper Sunday evening after allegedly shooting and wounding a Dewey County, Okla., officer earlier that day, Time magazine reports. Vance was wanted on multiple charges, including first-degree murder. On Oct. 23, Vance reportedly shot and wounded two police officers, which prompted the…