Racism

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court preserved – for now – a Louisiana electoral map with two of the state’s six congressional districts majority Black – a ruling on Wednesday with implications for the Nov. 5 election that will determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. The justices granted a request by state officials and a group of …

“Thanks for having me, that was a fantastic opening monologue. I too am a fan of yours, so I’m going to make a point of disagreeing with you so it will be fun. You are so bright and articulate, and I guess I can call you articulate since you’re not an American Black. Can’t say that about them, that’s derogatory. …

The Hill reports: Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) defended his decision to share a video of counterprotesters at the University of Mississippi harassing a Black woman at a pro-Palestine protest last week, responding to criticism that he was endorsing racist conduct. “I understand and respect the feedback that’s been shared regarding a single individual during the Ole Miss protests,” Collins wrote …

Here’s a reminder about the scene at Ole Miss: There were hundreds of counter-protesters, in contrast to the few dozen pro-Palestine protesters. The scene evoked memories of the resistance to the civil rights struggle in the US south six decades earlier. The counter-protesters included individuals waving American flags and Trump flags. At one point, they sang the American national anthem, …

Los Angeles Magazine reports: A video was posted on X Thursday of a group of counter-protestors at the University of Mississippi — or Ole Miss — shouting and making monkey noises towards a Black woman who was part of a group protesting the war in Gaza. Another bystander at the university uploaded a video of the students shouting “Lizzo! Lizzo! …

“Illegals from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti — where cannibalism is popular these days. Flying them mostly to swing states across the country. No electoral politics going on here. This is pretty obviously Joe Biden and the Democrats sticking it to Ron DeSantis, right? “And sticking it to Florida and trying to move the demographic needle in Florida. And of …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: U.S. Rep. Bill Posey announced Friday night that he is retiring after 16 years in Congress. The 76-year-old has held the seat for Florida’s 8th congressional district since 2008. Posey told Channel 9 that he is leaving Congress because of “circumstances beyond my control.” He has endorsed former Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos — a fellow …

Mediaite reports: The Michigan Republican Party used the word “colored” to describe Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) in a social media post on Thursday while also calling him a communist. Rather than wait for an investigation into the incident to uncover the cause of the bridge collapse, right-wing social media accounts immediately suggested the blame should be placed on diversity, …

Mediaite reports: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott accused his critics of not having “the courage to say the N-word” after he was branded the “DEI mayor” following the fatal Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse this week. After Scott was blamed by some social media users for the collapse, with one of Elon Musk’s favorite accounts calling him “Baltimore’s DEI mayor,” MSNBC …

NPR reports: Police in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and the FBI are investigating after a team in the NCAA Women’s basketball tournament said they were racially harassed while staying in the city. Members of the University of Utah women’s team told police someone in a truck displaying a confederate flag yelled racial slurs and revved the engine in a menacing way …

The Birmingham News reports: A new Alabama law banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programming and training in public colleges and other state agencies will go into effect this fall. Gov. Kay Ivey signed SB129, known as the “divisive concepts” bill, into law Wednesday. The law will become effective Oct. 1, 2024. The law lists eight so-called “divisive concepts,” with …

The New York Times reports: Alabama Republicans pushed through a sprawling measure on Tuesday that would not only ban state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public universities, local boards of education and government agencies, but also limit the teaching of “divisive concepts” surrounding race, gender and identity. The bill passed with broad support in the State Legislature, …

The Argus Leader reports: A state senator has been banned from the House of Representatives floor and lobby for the last week of the 2024 legislative session for placing a bottle of syrup on another lawmaker’s desk. Sen. Tom Pischke, R-Dell Rapids, was informed of the action Monday in a letter from Speaker of the House Hugh Bartels, R-Watertown. Pischke’s …

Reuters reports: A California state judge tentatively ruled that nearly 6,000 Black factory workers can sue Tesla as a group for the electric vehicle maker’s alleged failure to address rampant race discrimination and harassment at its Fremont plant. California Superior Court Judge Noel Wise in Oakland said in a written order issued on Wednesday that the lawsuit presents questions common …

Media Matters has the transcript: NEWT GINGRICH (GUEST): There’s so much stuff wrong in California, the Newsom, if he ever gets genuinely looked at by the national media, will disintegrate, and Michelle’s not going to run. I mean, you know — SEAN HANNITY (HOST): I don’t see it either, but so many people seem to think that’s a possibility. I …

The New York Times reports: Justice Clarence Thomas recently hired a law clerk who was previously accused of sending racist text messages, resurfacing the controversy around her. Crystal Clanton will begin clerking for the justice in the upcoming term, according to the Antonin Scalia Law School, from which she graduated in 2022. In late 2017, a New Yorker story reported …

Kansas City’s NBC affiliate reports: Denton Loudermill is trying to clear his name after social media posts went viral that identified him as the shooter at the Chiefs Super Bowl rally. “My reaction was just like wow…they really don’t know who I am,” Loudermill said. “They got the wrong guy.” A spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department said officers …

The New York Times reports: House Republicans released their report on impeachment charges against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the Cuban-born homeland security secretary who is the first Latino to lead his department. Using unusually loaded language for a committee report, the panel described its action as “deporting Secretary Mayorkas from his position.” In private, the language was uglier. During a closed-door …

The Associated Press reports: A North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police with vulgar, homophobic and anti-migrant comments during an arrest last month for drunken driving was sentenced to serve nearly a year of unsupervised probation and to pay $1,000. Republican state Rep. Nico Rios, of Williston, received the sentence on Jan. 8, when he pleaded guilty to drunken driving, court …

From the cultist “satire” site The Babylon Bee: Following former President Donald Trump’s landslide victory in the Iowa Primary and immediate concession by GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump offered an olive branch by promising Vivek a cabinet position running the White House 7-Eleven convenience store. Vivek gratefully accepted the honorable position from the future president. “From the moment I entered …