Politics

Update: The fake Tweets, which were up for about half a day, have finally been removed from Fox News’ politics Twitter feed. This incredibly sick prank can’t be blamed on Fox News, but it figures they’d be the vehicle for it: Early this morning, hackers broke into the Fox News politics feed on Twitter and…

Journalists who have reported from Haiti know that it’s not an assignment for the weak of heart. Parts of the country — particularly the capital, Port-au-Prince — are tough places to work and even tougher places to live. This is especially true for poor Haitians who were made homeless by the earthquake last year, who…

After Van Jones, former White House special adviser for green jobs, resigned from the position in 2009 amid controversy and misconceptions over his political activities, the activist and author busied himself with other work. He led the Green Opportunity Initiative for the Center for American Progress and held a teaching fellowship at Princeton University. Then…

The debate over same-sex marriage has proved a controversial topic among African Americans — a conflict that reflects the myriad and contrasting opinions across the community. Because of an entrenched religious history and struggle for equality, blacks remain sensitive to the needs of those denied basic human rights but extremely conservative in applying a Christian-values…

The Washington Post’s Fred Hiatt is taking Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and President Barack Obama to task for recent decisions that diminish the role of the United States as a world leader. Hiatt cites the Republican backlash against immigrants and Cantor’s “our way or the highway” approach to government as examples of a crisis in…

In a who-woulda-thunk-it scenario, about half of Washington, D.C.’s elected city officials are under one kind of cloud or another, a situation that has left residents angry, embarrassed, racially divided and fearful for the political future of their shaky and shaken local government. The controversies include the two top leaders of the district government —…

I didn’t have to be in the room or even in the country — which I am not right now — to have anticipated the rousing reception for Michelle Obama when she visited with young women and girls in South Africa’s black township of Soweto. Reading the White House pool reports, as even most reporters…

Throughout first lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Africa, The Root will be running selected press pool reports. FLOTUS POOL REPORT 2 — THURS., 6/23/11 At the University of Cape Town, the first lady began her conversation with girls and boys selected from nearby townships at about 2 p.m. The 55 students all attend high school. There…

Throughout first lady Michelle Obama’s trip to Africa, The Root will be running selected press pool reports. FLOTUS POLL REPORT 1 — THURS., 6/23/11 Cape Town, South Africa — Before the District 6 museum visit, FLOTUS met with local Embassy officials at her hotel on the waterfront. At the museum she and her family took a…

Things have not been working out for the Congressional Black Caucus. Between its 43 members, this year the organization has introduced 40 different jobs bills to address the national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent (and 16.2 percent for African Americans in particular). They’ve met twice with President Obama on the issue. But their legislative efforts…