news
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Hillary Clinton Pledges to Close Income Gap in NYC Speech
During her biggest campaign event to date in New York City, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday pledged to close the widening gap between the rich and poor in the U.S., the New York Times reports. Clinton’s speech on New York City’s Roosevelt Island was sweeping in scope and policy driven. She issued a…
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Michael Sam Leaves Canadian Football Training Camp for Personal Reasons
Michael Sam, who made history when he became the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL in 2014, has left the training camp for a Canadian football team for personal reasons, reports USA Today. The move comes after some setbacks for the 25-year-old athlete, who was picked by the St. Louis Rams…
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Update: Fredricka Whitfield Apologizes for Calling Dallas Shooter ‘Brave’
Updated Sunday, June 14, 2015, 4:35 p.m. EDT: After experiencing tremendous backlash for calling a suspect in a wild shootout at Dallas Police headquarters “courageous and brave,” CNN’s weekend anchor Fredricka Whitfield apologized Sunday. The veteran anchor said she misspoke Saturday while speaking with CNN legal analyst Philip Holloway about the suspect. “I misspoke, and…
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Report: No Proof Cleveland Cop Warned Tamir Rice Before Fatal Playground Shooting
The Cleveland Police Department has claimed that an officer “shouted verbal commands” from inside his patrol car before fatally shooting 12-year-old Tamir Rice on a playground in November, but witness interviews do not support the statement, according to a report released Saturday by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, reports CNN. A grand jury will study…
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Rachel Dolezal to Address Controversy Over Racial Identity
Rachel Dolezal, the leader of the Spokane, Wash., state chapter of the NAACP who made headlines last week after her parents said she has been falsely portraying herself as black for years, is scheduled to address the controversy on Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune. Dolezal, 37, an artist and activist, reportedly sent a message…
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Court Blocks Release of Albert Woodfox, Angola 3 Member in Solitary Confinement for Over 40 Years
Albert Woodfox, who has spent more that 40 years in solitary confinement in Louisiana prisons, was cautiously hopeful when a federal judge ordered his release earlier this week, his attorney said, according to the Times-Picayune. But his hopes were dashed Friday when the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an order continuing to block…
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Teen Convicted in Death of Her Mom in Bali Is Now Accused of Trying to Sell Her Baby From Prison
A 19-year-old Chicago woman who is serving 10 years in a jail in Bali, Indonesia, on a conviction in the death of her mother has been accused of trying to sell her 3-month-old baby daughter for $150,000, according to the Chicago Tribune. Lawyers for Heather Mack, 19, dismissed the allegation. She and her boyfriend, Tommy…
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Texas Teacher Fired After Racist Facebook Post About McKinney Pool Attack
A Texas elementary school teacher has been fired after her racist Facebook post about the McKinney pool attack went viral, according to the New York Daily News. The teacher, Karen Fitzgibbon, who worked as a fourth-grade teacher at Bennett Elementary School in the Frenship Independent School District in Wolfforth, Texas, was fired Thursday, the report…
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Jason Whitlock Is Out as Head of ESPN’s New Race-and-Sports Website
Just weeks before the scheduled launch of ESPN’s The Undefeated, a new website about the intersection of sports and race, commentator Jason Whitlock was replaced Friday as its head, reports the New York Times. Leon Carter, the site’s editorial director, will replace him on an interim basis, the report says. The Undefeated was built largely…
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Orlando Police Chief Sees No Reason to Suspend Officers Shown in Video Kicking Black Man
Video that shows a police officer repeatedly kicking a man sitting on a curb is not enough for a suspension, says the Orlando, Fla., police chief, CNN reports. Police Chief John Mina asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the June 4 incident. In the meantime, the officers will remain on duty and…

