Politics
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Obama, Black Leaders: It's Complicated
In this essay, adapted from his book The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies, author Jonathan Alter breaks down the relationship between President Barack Obama and prominent African Americans, including Cornel West, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Michael Eric Dyson, from the 2012 midterm elections to his second inauguration. In July 2010 the president spotted…
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Is the DNA Law Worse Than Stop and Frisk?
(The Root) — In a close (5-4) decision, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled on Monday that police may legally collect DNA from those arrested for but not convicted of a serious crime. According to the New York Times, the federal government already authorizes the practice, as do 28 states, but nevertheless, the ruling has sent…
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Is Eric Holder Really a Liability for Obama?
(The Root) — Hypocrisy abounds when it comes to differing views of Attorney General Eric Holder. Liberals didn’t seem to mind when Holder declined to prosecute New Black Panther Party members on charges that they’d menaced voters at a Philadelphia polling place in 2008 — even though they’d surely have complained if the Justice Department…
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Obama in Office Is Great, but We Must Keep Fighting
Re-electing President Obama showed the power of African Americans in this country, but, writes MSNBC host and National Action Network head the Rev. Al Sharpton in the Huffington Post, there are still plenty of things that need the stamp of equality. At this very moment, the lack of diversity in places like corporate America, in…
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Obama: NATO Summit to Discuss End of Combat in Afghanistan
On Friday, during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, President Obama announced plans for a summit in 2014 to discuss the end of U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan, reports USA Today. “What we agreed to is that in order for us to facilitate this entire process, it would be appropriate for us to…
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More Nat'l Geographic First Lady Jokes: School Board Member Fired
Here’s some of what Wright County, Va., school board member Herb DeGroft thought was a good idea to send to colleagues: a depiction of bare-breasted “female warriors,” with the caption, “Michelle Obama’s high school reunion,” and a message that claimed the first lady was paid $50 to model in National Geographic. Funny? Apparently, in his…
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Felon Voting Rights: A Boon for GOP?
(The Root) — Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s decision this week to restore the voting rights of nonviolent felons returned to society is already different things to different people. It’s a sign of a welcome and surprising centrism from the leader of the state called “the cradle of the Confederacy.” It’s one of the most politically…
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What's at Stake for Obama in 2014
(The Root) — It is no surprise that President Barack Obama, who has already faced improbable odds and still managed to do the impossible, will soon face one of his greatest challenges yet. The 2014 midterms are perhaps the most important election of Obama’s presidency, offering the last opportunity to circumvent an obstinate GOP selfishly committed…
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Obama to Nominate 3 Key Judges
President Obama is expected to nominate three judges to fill the vacancies on the key 11-member Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the New York Times reported. The move, analysis suggests, could be seen as “daring” Republicans to filibuster all of the nominees. The contenders for the vacancies may include Cornelia T.…
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First Lady and Kerry Washington Push for the Arts
(The Root) — Students from the Savoy Elementary School in Washington, D.C., crooned, somersaulted, Lindy Hopped and re-enacted scenes from the 1970s film Grease on Friday as a way to flex their school’s new muscles in arts education. They performed in the gym to an audience of their peers and two distinguished ladies cheering in…