Politics
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Dispatch From Chicago: Stop the Violence, but How?
Writing at Colorlines, Jamilah King takes a closer look at the devastating violence in the city — in particular the impact on the lives of Chicago’s black youths — and the complexities of the work that’s being done to combat it. “There’s a needed coordination on the national level at this point,” Cathy Cohen, a…
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Obama's State of the Union Must-Do List
(The Root) — After President Barack Obama delivered a second inaugural address that included — in less than 20 minutes — five references to faith and God, four to risk taking and free enterprise, four to the Declaration of Independence and only one each to “Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security,” the pundits summarily proclaimed…
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Obama's Answer to First Lady's Critics
(The Root) — By now we’re all familiar with just how much President Barack Obama loves his daughters, Malia and Sasha. As a father, he rarely holds back. On election night in November he called them “strong, smart, beautiful young women,” and after his swearing-in ceremony last month he gave each a kiss on the…
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Obama Official on Black HIV Battle
(Special to The Root) — On Thursday, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I had the pleasure of meeting with leaders who are doing outstanding work to prevent new HIV infections and improve health outcomes for African Americans. We shared stories and discussed the importance of engaging everyone in these efforts, including faith leaders, educators, athletes,…
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Why White Men Are Obsessed With the First Lady's Butt
High school football coach Bob Grisham of Alabama was surreptitiously recorded by one of his students making inappropriate — but, unfortunately, also familiar — comments about the first lady’s body, the Washington Post’s Krissah Thompson reports. “Fat-butt Michelle Obama,” Grisham said. “Look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.” (Bonus:…
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Obama Presses Case for Gun Measures
Obama presses case for gun measures: “The only way we can reduce gun violence in this country is if the American people decide it’s important,” the president said to a group of police officers and sheriff’s deputies at the Minneapolis Police Department Special Operations Center on Monday. He was there to press his case for…
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Obama: Boy Scouts Should Allow Gay Members
In his first public comment since the Boy Scouts of America announced that it would consider a proposal to allow gay members, President Obama — who, like every president, is the honorary president of the group — weighed in on Sunday, encouraging the group to be inclusive, the Huffington Post reports. “My attitude is that…
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President Obama Shown Skeet Shooting
Similar to his response to the birther controversy, President Barack Obama put rumors to rest on Saturday when the White House released an image of the POTUS skeet shooting at Camp David, reports USA Today. White House Senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer tweeted out this picture on Saturday morning after much skepticism about the President’s claim…
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The GOP Is Stuck on 'Stupid'
(The Root) — We recently heard former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and current Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, both Republicans, use the word “stupid” in reference to their own party. Although they had in mind comments about rape and pregnancy like those made by losing GOP senatorial candidate Todd Akin, the problem, to me, goes much…