news
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Here’s Everything We Know About Bree Newsome
Brittany “Bree” Newsome became a social media rock star Saturday in Internet warp speed, of course, after she clambered up a flagpole outside the South Carolina Statehouse and removed the Confederate flag at the break of dawn. The flag was hoisted just hours after Newsome’s effort, which took place about 6:30 a.m. EDT. She and…
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Bill Cosby’s Lawyer Fights to Keep ‘Terribly Embarrassing’ Court Docs Sealed
A lawyer representing Bill Cosby argued in court Friday that it would be “terribly embarrassing” for the comedian if documents from a 2005 sex-assault lawsuit were ever unsealed, reports the Associated Press. The embattled comedian is fighting efforts by AP to unseal motions from a civil lawsuit he settled with Andrea Constand, a former Temple…
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Clarence Thomas Under Fire for Invoking Slavery in Dissent to Ruling on Gay Marriage
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Friday invoked examples of slavery and internment camps in his ardent dissent in response to the court’s 5-4 decision that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry. The dissent (pdf) takes issue with the use of the concepts of “liberty” and “dignity,” saying that the petitioners in Obergefell…
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3 Ex-FAMU Students Sentenced in Hazing Death
Three former Florida A&M University marching-band members who were convicted of manslaughter in the 2011 hazing death of drum major Robert Champion were sentenced Friday in Orlando, Fla., to 10 years’ supervised probation, reports the Associated Press. They were convicted in April. In announcing the sentences for Benjamin McNamee, 24, Aaron Golson, 22, and Darryl…
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Marilyn Mosby Wants Separate Trial for 2 Cops in Freddie Gray Death
Marilyn Mosby has asked a judge to order a separate trial for two of the six officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death, according to the Associated Press. For reasons that are unclear, the Baltimore state’s attorney filed court documents Friday asking a judge that the officers, William Porter and Lt. Brian Rice, be tried separately…
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#FreeBree Trending After Protester Arrested for Removing SC Confederate Flag
Updated Saturday, June 27, 2:20 p.m.: #FreeBree is now trending on black Twitter, and a bail fund has been set up to help Bree Newsome defray the legal costs associated with her arrest for removing the Confederate flag. Earlier: A woman identified as Bree Newsome was arrested Saturday after climbing the flagpole at the South…
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Obama Delivers Stirring Eulogy at Funeral for SC State Sen. Clementa Pinckney
In a rousing eulogy punctuated by organ riffs, clapping and the occasional “Amen,” the president remembered and praised the life work of state Sen. Clementa Pinckney of South Carolina, who was also the pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. “We are here today to a remember a man of God who…
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Southern Wesleyan University Offers Full Scholarships to Children of Employee Killed in Emanuel AME Massacre
South Wesleyan University, the employer of one of the victims of the attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., is honoring its fallen employee by offering full tuition scholarships to her four children if they wish to attend the school, USA Today reports. DePayne Middleton Doctor was an alumna of the…
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5 Philadelphia Teens Are Arrested After Taped Attack on Student Goes Viral
A viral video of a 17-year-old Philadelphia teenager being brutally beaten by a group of teens has led to the arrest of five people. According to ABC Action News, 18-year-old Jerome Baston and four teen boys were arrested after someone brought the video to the attention of Martin Luther King High School, where the victim is…
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Fire at Black Church in Ga. Ruled Arson
For the second time this week, a black church has reportedly been set on fire, this time in Georgia, The Telegraph reports. According to the report, arson investigators are still awaiting test results from the scene of the fire at God’s Power Church of Christ in Macon, Ga. However, fire Sgt. Ben Gleaton told the…