Coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 U.S. states
July 3rd, 20200 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed to an all-time high of more than 50,000 per day on Thursday, with the infection curve rising in 40 out of 50 states in a reversal that has largely spared only the Northeast. In yet another alarming indicator, 36 states are seeing a rise in the...
Read full letter signed by Tlaib and 12 others condemning Israel’s annexation plans
June 30th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and 11 others members of the House and Senate released a letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that calls on him to stop the new unity government of Israel from carrying out its plans to annex Palestinian territory in the...
Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez and others sign letter amid calls on Israel to cease annexation of West Bank
June 29th, 20203 WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and eleven others have signed on to a letter expressing deep concerns over the Israeli government’s plans to annex occupied Palestinian territory. Former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has also signed on to the...
Approval of Trump’s coronavirus response sinks to lowest on record amid surge in cases
June 25th, 20200 NEW YORK (Reuters) — American approval of President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has dropped to the lowest level on record, the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll shows, as new COVID-19 cases surged and Trump was widely criticized for suggesting he wanted to slow down testing. The June 22-23 poll also found that a...
Police violence: Is “reform” enough?
June 21st, 20200 Every few years, some particular instance of a pervasive phenomenon — police violence in the form of unjustified or at least highly questionable killings — "goes viral" with the result that America's cities explode in protest. Every time that happens, some American politicians complain about a non-existent "war on police", while...
Talented and dedicated citizens are reason for hope in a divided nation
June 21st, 20200 Discouraging news surrounds us. It’s hard to hide from. It’s in the newspapers, on television and radio, and on the Internet. Our nation is divided and our politics are polarized. We are torn apart by disagreements over immigration and by racial divisions. A pandemic has killed more than 100,000 Americans and hobbled the economy....
Reuters poll: Most Americans, including Republicans, support sweeping Democratic police reform proposals
June 19th, 20200 NEW YORK — Most Americans, including a majority of President Trump’s Republican Party, support sweeping law enforcement reforms such as a ban on chokeholds and racial profiling after the latest death of an African American while in police custody, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Thursday. The national survey,...
Trump calls for new Supreme Court justices after major rulings against administration
June 18th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the aftermath of two major U.S. Supreme Court rulings against the Trump administration this week, the president lashed out on Twitter and called for “new justices” in the highest court in the country. “The recent Supreme Court decisions, not only on DACA, Sanctuary Cities, Census and others, tell you...
Muslim organization wants White House to reject Islamophobic Pentagon policy pick
June 15th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Emgage Action, a national advocacy organization for Muslim Americans, says it is disheartened by Islamophobic comments made by Retired Army Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, the White House's nominee for a top position as Pentagon policy chief. The organization calls for the White House to reject Gen. Tata from this...
Kamala Harris introduces police reform bill, but her contradictory criminal justice record still stands
June 8th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new police reform and accountability bill introduced on Monday aims to increase the investigative powers of the regional and federal government in cases of police misconduct. The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 has been introduced by the Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) and House Judiciary...
Why representative democracy matters
June 6th, 20200 Over the last few years, the health of American democracy has come under great scrutiny. Polling routinely shows that Americans are concerned that democratic institutions aren’t working as well as they ought to. Inevitably, this brings up the question of whether we can mend our problems or if the system of representative democracy...
‘Get your knee off our necks,’ activist Sharpton says at George Floyd memorial
June 5th, 20200 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Prominent civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton told mourners on Thursday George Floyd’s fatal encounter with police and the nationwide protests his death ignited marked a reckoning for America over race and justice, demanding, “Get your knee off our necks.” Memorial tributes to Floyd in Minneapolis,...
National unemployment rate seen near 20 percent as COVID slams jobs market again in May
June 5th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. – The national unemployment rate likely shot up to almost 20 percent in May, a new post World War Two record, with millions more losing their jobs, exposing the horrific human toll from the COVID-19 crisis. The Labor Department’s closely watched monthly employment report on Friday could bolster economists’ dire...
Original complaint shows blatant disregard for Floyd’s life, Chauvin charges now increased
June 3rd, 20200 Minneapolis — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on Wednesday that he has increased charges for former police officer Derek Chauvin to second degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Charges of aiding and abetting murder were also announced for the three other officers involved, who have also been...
At testimony, Whitmer asks Congress for aid with budget crisis, testing and protection
June 2nd, 20200 WASHINGTON D.C. — At a U.S. House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Michigan Governor Whitmer joined Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to discuss their states' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Entitled, On the Front Lines: How Governors are Battling the COVID-19 Pandemic, the hearing was......
Minneapolis ablaze: Arab American owner of store where George Floyd was killed says he condemns police’s actions
May 29th, 20204 Minneapolis — The city of Minneapolis has been plunged into rioting this week after video of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer circulated widely. Outrage over police brutality culminated into three days of demonstrations that by Thursday night set the city ablaze. Late Thursday, the Third Precinct was broken into...
Trump considering legislation that may scrap law protecting social media companies
May 28th, 20200 WASHINGTON D.C. — President Trump said he will introduce legislation that may scrap or weaken a law that has long protected Internet companies, including Twitter and Facebook, an extraordinary attempt to intervene in the media that experts said was unlikely to survive legal scrutiny. Trump...
Sen. Peters proposes bills to bring medical manufacturing back to U.S., track and address future shortages
May 23rd, 20201 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The shortage of medical supplies and protective equipment to tackle the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S. became apparent early on in the pandemic. In Wayne County alone, workers at a prominent hospital spoke of under 100 masks at the beginning of the disease’s spread. The country’s national strategic reserve of...
Bill providing second round of coronavirus stimulus checks passes in House, could face uphill battle in Senate
May 19th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this past Friday which provides for a second round of stimulus checks dubbed “The Heroes Act.” The bill must next be approved by the Senate. Meanwhile, a meeting was expected to be held on Tuesday by Vice President Mike Pence to discuss “economic impacts of the......
Nationwide CDC study of coronavirus antibodies expected to kick off in June or July
May 18th, 20200 ATLANTA — The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to launch a nationwide study of up to 325,000 people to track how the coronavirus is spreading across the country and who may have developed antibodies to it, according to a CDC spokeswoman and researchers conducting the effort. The study is...
CDC releases guidelines for reopening businesses and schools, as states prepare to ease lockdowns
May 15th, 20200 ATLANTA, GA — On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a voluntary set of guidelines for businesses and workplaces as well as schools and childcare programs on how they can most safely reopen their doors during the coronavirus pandemic. The guidelines are the most specific instructions yet from the......
WHO says governments should prepare for new infections that may follow reopening of the economy
May 12th, 20200 GENEVA — The World Health Organization’s Tedros Adhanom said on Monday that governments considering reopening their economies should have a plan to deal with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Adhanom, the director-general of the WHO, said that those countries gearing up to ease economic restrictions should consider whether the...
New $3 trillion aid bill unveiled by House Democrats, including new round of larger stimulus check payments
May 12th, 20200 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a new $3 trillion-plus coronavirus relief package on Tuesday, including nearly $1 trillion in assistance for state and local governments affected by the pandemic. The package also includes funding for the post office and testing. Among the provisions in......
