news
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Jesse Jackson: Flint, Mich., Is a Crime Scene
The Rev. Jesse Jackson told a church congregation in Flint, Mich., Sunday that the city’s water crisis “is a disaster, not just an emergency,” the Detroit Free Press reports. His comments came one day after President Barack Obama declared a federal emergency and authorized the release of federal resources to alleviate Flint’s lead-contaminated water crisis.…
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GoFundMe Terminates Woman’s Campaign to Recoup Money Spent on Powerball Tickets
Hope is getting slim for a Tennessee woman trying to recoup the money she spent on Powerball tickets. GoFundMe, the online crowdfunding site, shut down her lucrative fundraising campaign, the New York Daily News reports. Cinnamon Nicole claimed that she blew all her money on the lottery in hopes of winning last week’s $1.6 billion…
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Clinton Backs Obamacare and Appeals to Black Voters in Final Debate Before Primaries
Hillary Clinton defended President Barack Obama’s political legacy and appealed to African-American voters during last night’s debate in Charleston, S.C., sponsored in part by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. She called out systemic racism when asked whether black lives are seen as “cheap.” “It’s been heartbreaking and increasingly outraging to see stories of young…
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Jada Pinkett Smith on Oscars: Stop Chasing Others’ Recognition
Updated Monday, Jan. 18, 2016: Jada Pinkett Smith posted a Facebook video on this Martin Luther King Jr. Day that shares her thoughts on how to address the Academy Awards’ snub of people of color. Smith says that black people need to recognize the power and influence they have. Out of self-respect, African Americans do…
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Mom of Denver Broncos Wide Receiver Who Was Pardoned by Obama Will Attend Her 1st NFL Game
Update: 1/17/16 at 12:37pm. ESPN’s NFL Countdown reports that Demaryius Thomas’ mother will be in the stands in Denver today to see her son play for the first time in his professional football career. After her release from a halfway house in Atlanta, Katina Smith was allowed to travel to see the Broncos take on…
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Homeless Man Saves Family From Fire
A homeless man is being hailed a hero for saving a Houston family from their burning home, KHOU-TV reports. Thomas Smith, who was invited to stay at the house, thought that someone was breaking in when he heard a loud noise at 1:30 a.m. Friday. He discovered that the house was on fire and went…
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Black Pastors Boycott Rahm Emanuel’s MLK Breakfast
Prominent black pastors boycotted the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Breakfast hosted by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Tribune reports. A small group of the ministers, standing outside the venue, said that more than 100 pastors chose to boycott the breakfast. They were protesting Emanuel’s alleged role in an attempt to cover up the…
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Former Prosecutor Could Be Key to Cosby’s Defense
Former Montgomery County, Pa., prosecutor Bruce Castor is expected to testify that he promised Bill Cosby not to charge him for an alleged sex assault, the Associated Press reports. A judge will determine at a Feb. 2 hearing whether a legally binding agreement exists that protects the entertainer from criminal prosecution. CNN said it obtained…
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President Obama Approves Emergency Aid to Flint, Mich.
The White House declared a federal emergency in Flint, Mich., Saturday to alleviate the city’s lead-contaminated water crisis, the Detroit Free Press reports. President Barack Obama’s response releases up to $5 million and authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts. This action will cover 75 percent of the costs of providing clean…
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FBI’s 10 Most Wanted Bank Robber Nabbed in Colo.
After about a month on the run, the jig is up for a 25-year-old who landed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. An FBI SWAT team took Myloh Jaqory Mason into custody without incident early Friday evening at a Motel 6 in Thornton, Colo., according to the New York Daily News. Mason is…