news
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What Is on President Obama’s Summer Reading List?
Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ powerful memoir about race is among six books on President Barack Obama’s summer reading list, reports The Hill. Although Coates has been a frequent critic of the president’s efforts to address racial inequality, Obama will read Between the World and Me, a memoir about being black in America, during his 16-day…
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LeBron’s Foundation Picks Up $41,000,000 College Tab for Ohio Students
The LeBron James Family Foundation announced that it is providing more than $41 million to cover tuition at the University of Akron for 1,100 Ohio high school graduates, Fox Sports reports. In partnering with the university, James, who announced the program Thursday while hosting an event for students at Cedar Point Amusement Park, said he…
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Donald Sterling Sues Ex V. Stiviano and TMZ Over Leaked Racist Rant
Donald Sterling, the former NBA team owner whose racist telephone rant precipitated his loss of the Los Angeles Clippers, on Friday sued the ex-girlfriend accused of leaking the audio and the entertainment-news outlet that broke the story, according to Variety. The lawsuit accuses ex-girlfriend V. Stiviano of “surreptitiously” recording phone conversations between Sterling and her…
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Watch: Michael Sam ‘Steps Away’ From Canadian Football League Over Mental-Health Issues
Michael Sam, who made history last year when he became the first openly gay player drafted by a National Football League team, announced Friday that he was stepping away from football over concerns about his mental health, Reuters reports. “The last 12 months have been very difficult for me, to the point where I became…
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Family of Wis. Teen Fatally Shot by Police Files Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit
The family of a teen who was fatally shot by a Madison, Wis., police officer is seeking unspecified damages in a federal civil rights lawsuit, claiming that the officer’s actions were unconstitutional, the Associated Press reports. The lawsuit accuses Police Officer Matt Kenny of violating Tony Robinson Jr.’s equal-protection rights, as well as his right…
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Family of 14-Year-Old Shot by NJ Officers Says He Was Unarmed
The family of a New Jersey teen who was shot multiple times by police said that he was unarmed and trying to run from officers, NJ.com reports. Radazz Hearns, who, family members say, suffered seven gunshot wounds, is currently in stable condition at the Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, N.J. He was shot…
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US Flag Flies High in Cuba for 1st Time in 54 Years
For the first time in 54 years, the U.S. flag was raised over the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, a symbolic nod to the end of a diplomatic strain that has lasted more than half a century. “We are gathered here because our leaders made a courageous decision to stop being prisoners of history,” Secretary of…
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Dutch Newspaper Reviews Ta-Nehisi Coates’ New Book, Uses Headline, ‘N–ger, Are You Crazy?’
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ latest book, Between the World and Me, has earned widespread praise across the U.S., with many nodding at Coates’ unforgiving examination of race in America. A Dutch newspaper decided that the best way to present a review of said book was to slap the headline “Nigger, Are You Crazy?” on the view, accompanied…
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Wis. Man Arrested After ‘Shoving’ Woman to the Ground, Barging Into Her Home to Remove Confederate Flag: Report
This Wisconsin resident really seems to take issue with the Confederate flag. Tajaun Boatner was arrested last week after he allegedly shoved past a woman and barged into her home to remove the controversial flag that was hanging inside, the Daily Mail reports. Boatner had reportedly spoken before to the woman, asking her to take down…
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Stanford-Bound Teen Who Planned to Use College Savings to Bury His Mom Gets Outpouring of Support
Dellarontay Readus spent his high school years working to make his mother proud. He earned a GPA of over 4.0 at Melrose High School in Memphis, Tenn., and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. In April The Root reported on Readus’ acceptance to all eight Ivy league schools. Just one month before Readus was…