Rights Taken, Rights Given
Some of these states are still out here acting up over the abortion topic. As Missouri is down to its last abortion clinic, Louisiana just ratified another restrictive abortion bill that makes no exceptions for incest or rape. The shocker: the law was drafted by a Democrat and signed by a Democratic governor.
On the flip side, we have seen a number of wins in the criminal justice realm. Nevada will restore voting rights to the formerly incarcerated immediately upon release, Illinois is set to legalize marijuana and expunge minor weed violations from criminal records (Nevada is taking similar steps here as well), and New Hampshire has abolished the death penalty.
Mueller SAID. WHAT. HE. SAID.
This week, Robert Mueller, the mystery man that led the investigation into the Trump-Russia connections finally spoke up and he said a ton without saying much at all. To keep it brief, he stated that he did not explicitly exonerate Trump of committing a crime because they couldn’t prove that he didn’t commit one. Oh, and the only reason the POTUS wasn’t indicted on anything was because sitting presidents cannot be charged of a crime. He also mentioned that he would not state more than what’s already in his report if he were to be called to testify before Congress. His remarks have no doubt added fuel to the impeachment fire. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is still against the idea, but will she give in soon?
Congress, What’s Good?
Back from their lil’ recess, Congress has the following on their agenda: conditional permanent resident status to Dreamers and other immigrant segments, temporary assistance for needy families, and setting the budget for 2020. There’s a lot more on deck this week too. Check it out here.
2020 Happenings
Joe Biden has another awkward moment with a young girl, leading to more “Creepy Uncle Joe” claims.
Though he never really stopped campaigning, Trump is letting it be known that he’s protecting his spot in the White House by revealing some re-election campaign details. Also, it appears that one of his main accomplishments is really no accomplishment at all: his “booming economy” is really just aight.
Cory Booker had a tough time outlining how his proposed gun control plan would combat mass shootings that are carried out with legally obtained guns.
Kamala Harris had a great start, but is she starting to lose momentum behind the likes of Bernie and Biden?
More 2020 news for the week can be found here.
Around the Diaspora
Rwanda is shaping up to be the first country to eliminate cervical cancer amongst its population. What were you people saying about African countries being undeveloped and backwards again?
BookBeak, an app founded by three young South Africans, aims to promote published and unpublished African authors to a global audience. The app is available now for download on iOS and Android systems.
Speaking of South Africa, women will make up half of the incoming presidential cabinet. The nation will join only 10 other countries around the world that have also achieved gender-equal governments.
Culture that Pops
Meet Khalil Greene, Yale’s first Black student body president.
Mama Tina (mother to Beyonce and Solange, play mother to the rest of us) really is living her best life. This past weekend, she and her husband threw the Wearable Art Gala, which raised funds for mentorship programs in inner city Los Angeles.
The Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase, has passed at 96, but she was more than just a cook. She was an entrepreneur, a civil rights activist, and a lover of African American art.
Ava DuVernay’s piece on the Central Park 5 has made its debut on Netflix and it’s got us all feeling some type of way. Have you tuned into “When They See Us” yet?