Politics
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President Obama’s Best 2014 Moments
This is by no means an exhaustive list. And I’m not suggesting that there’s consensus about the positives and negatives of President Barack Obama’s various initiatives—although I’m guessing that folks on both sides of the aisle were tickled by his exchange in October with that overzealous boyfriend in the Chicago voting station—but here are a…
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Medicaid Fight: Why So Many Black Folks Are Stlll Uninsured
It’s no secret that we’re witnessing a reverse black exodus to the South, forced by recession, gentrification, reconnected family ties and hipster racism. Yet while three-quarters of black population growth in the U.S. is happening in the heart of Dixie, the health care numbers show a different story: It’s also home to the highest rates of…
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Obama: LeBron Did the Right Thing Wearing ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Shirt
President Barack Obama gave the nod to the “I Can’t Breathe” protest shirt that basketball player LeBron James wore during a pregame warm-up last week, saying that he wanted to see more athletes stand up and speak out, CNN reports. “You know, I think LeBron did the right thing,” Obama told People magazine in a…
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US Reinterprets Law to Prohibit Workplace Discrimination Against Transgender Workers
The U.S. Justice Department has come to a different understanding of a law that governs whether it can penalize workplace discrimination against transgender people. On Thursday it announced that it will now be able to bring legal claims on behalf of transgender employees who say they’ve been discriminated against “by state and local public employers”…
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Nonviolent Drug Inmates May Be Eligible for Obama’s Clemency Program
In addition to announcing a new chapter in the U.S. relationship with Cuba, the president on Wednesday drastically shortened the prison sentences of eight nonviolent drug offenders and pardoned 12 other convicts who were imprisoned for a variety of nonviolent offenses, the Associated Press reports. AP predicts that the initiative is likely a foreshadowing of…
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Oh, and President Obama’s Request for Police Body Cameras? It Wasn’t in the Budget Congress Just Passed
Late Tuesday, the least productive Congress in history finally finished for the year as the Senate adjourned. There was one large chore lawmakers had to complete before departure—the passage of a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the federal government until January 2015—and they did, in fact, get it done. But the bill may have…
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US to Restore Relations With Cuba After 50-Year Embargo
In a historic move, replete with Republican controversy, the president announced on Wednesday that he is looking to ease up on sanctions—including economic and travel restrictions—against Cuba, effectively ending a 50-year diplomatic freeze with the communist nation, according to CBS News. “I believe we can do more to support the Cuban people and our values…
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The Obamas Reveal Their Struggles With America’s Racial Prejudices
In case you thought otherwise, the Obamas aren’t immune to the ugliness of American racial prejudices and biases, the first couple confirmed in a sit-down interview with People magazine on Dec. 10. “I think people forget that we’ve lived in the White House for six years,” first lady Michelle Obama explained to the magazine. “Before that,…
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In the Next Congress, Will Obamacare Really Be in Danger?
We’re not even halfway to the next presidential election cycle, and here we go again: Obamacare. Forcing that derisive nickname down our throats, Republicans are pushing President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement as their primary political target in the new Congress, while Democrats are too scared to own it—leaving the American public scratching their heads…
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Obama Gets Coding Lesson From Middle School Student
President Barack Obama took JavaScript coding lessons from an African-American middle school student at the White House Monday. “Slow down, because I’m an old man,” the president joked with his tutor. The event was part of Computer Science Education Week at the White House, where Obama was hoping to shed light on the back-end technology…