Politics

The grandmother of a 13-year-old boy, whom she says was wrongfully shot and wounded by Chicago police officers, needs help obtaining legal assistance. Another man, who works with ex-offenders, simply wants help bridging the gap between grassroots organizers and African-American business owners and leaders, whom he calls “elitist Negroes.” The two were among hundreds of…

On July 30, at 3:00 a.m., five young, African-American lesbians were attacked outside the Columbia Heights Metro station in Washington, D.C. According to a police report filed by the victims, two men threatened them after one of the women declined their romantic advances by explaining that she was with her girlfriend. That girlfriend, Yazzmen Morse,…

By Ylan Q. Mui Black lawmakers are embarking on a monthlong campaign Monday to address the staggering unemployment rate among African Americans, an issue that has become a growing source of tension between members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Obama administration. Lawmakers have met with the administration three times this year seeking support…

It may be a while before we learn whether the agreement to raise the nation’s debt ceiling really is as awful as economists like Lawrence Summers fear, but one thing about it is certain. The Tea Party’s remarkable victory reminds us that a radical splinter group can seize control of the issues and impose its…

Michael Isikoff of MSNBC is reporting that a mystery company that pumped $1 million into a political committee backing Mitt Romney has been dissolved just months after it was formed, leaving few clues as to who was behind one of the biggest contributions yet of the 2012 presidential campaign. The existence of the million-dollar donation…

The annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists kicked off in Philadelphia yesterday. I’m on my way for the umpteenth time, because I’ve had a proprietary attachment to the organization. But this year I have more than the usual trepidations I’ve had over the years. I’ve worried about the balance between substance and…

This week, after achieving a political milestone with the cliff-hanger on the debt-ceiling crisis, President Obama can now face a personal milestone: He turns 50 on Aug. 4. For any man reaching 50, this midpoint in life is rife with emotions. First and foremost, there is the reality that no matter how young you feel,…

The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan was probably right last week when she wrote that “nobody loves Obama” anymore. In last week’s Gallup poll, the president’s approval rating dropped to a George W. Bush-like 40 percent. While Obama probably still has at least a 50-50 chance of winning re-election next fall, if he does, it’ll…

I, like many of you, probably spent more time than I really wanted watching political “leaders” in Washington free-fall to a decision on our nation’s debt. As I listened to the partisan excuses, whines and outright misrepresentation of what triggers a “default,” it occurred to me that all of the drama and general posturing by…