Political News
Jeremy Stinson is Running for Congress:
Jeremy Stinson is an experienced small businessman and financial counselor. Experience has taught him the importance of balancing current needs with future goals to ensure success. This is why Jeremy Stinson has laid out a practical plan that addresses the short-term needs and the future goals for Maryland’s 5th district. Read in Full >>
WHITE HOUSE UPDATE: Addressing Violence Against Native Women in the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization:
Under the bill’s tribal-jurisdiction provisions:
- Tribes could prosecute non-Indians only for domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders. Crimes between two strangers, or between two non-Indians, or committed by a person with no ties to the tribe, would not be covered.
- Federal- and state-court jurisdiction over domestic violence would be unaffected.
- Defendants would effectively have the same rights in tribal court as in state court, including due-process rights, an indigent defendant’s right to free appointed counsel meeting Federal constitutional standards, and the right to an impartial jury with the jury pool reflecting a fair cross-section of the entire community, including non-Indians.
- Defendants could protect their rights by appealing their convictions to a tribal court and filing habeas petitions in Federal court.
Unfortunately, Republican leaders in the House have taken a different approach, with the introduction of a VAWA reauthorization bill (H.R. 4970) authored by Rep. Sandy Adams (R-FL) which excludes these common-sense provisions that would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of tribal justice systems in combatting violence against Native women. On Tuesday, on a narrow vote of 17-15, House Republicans passed this measure out of the House Judiciary Committee, with one Republican voting with Democrats to oppose this because of the exclusion of these tribal protections.
Read in Full >>
White House: AMERICA'S GREAT OUTDOORS: Secretary Salazar, Governor O'Malley to Host Ceremony Designating New River Trails in Five States:
The designation is part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative to establish a community-based, 21st century agenda for conservation of natural and historical resources, recreation, and reconnecting Americans to the outdoors. A major component of this effort includes increasing access to water-based outdoor recreation, encouraging community connections to cultural resources, and promoting tourism that fuels local economies. Read in Full >>
WHITE HOUSE: Obama in Afghanistan, to deliver televised address to American people Tuesday night:
President Barack Obama is in Afghanistan for a whirlwind visit that will culminate in a live, televised address to the American people.................Obama's scheduled to speak to the nation just after 730 PM ET Tuesday from Bagram airbase. Read in Full >>
Cummings to Address National Association of Real Estate Brokers:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 2, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, will speak on the state of housing in Black America at a public issues forum hosted by the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. Read in Full >>
DOJ: THREE MEN FOUND GUILTY OF FEDERAL HATE CRIME CHARGE RELATED TO THE ASSAULT OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN:
“We hope today’s convictions send a powerful public message,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen L. Morris. “The Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a tool the FBI will use to aggressively investigate and prosecute hate crimes as felony offenses.” Read in Full >>
White House Drug Policy Director Discusses New Approaches to Drug Policy during Visit to Los Angeles:
Today, Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, met with African American religious leaders at the First AME Church of Los Angeles to discuss this week’s announcement of the Obama Administration’s new National Drug Policy Strategy and to discuss the importance of engaging with the faith community to support a more balanced approach to reduce drug use in America by emphasizing prevention, treatment and recovery efforts.
Obama Administration Hosts White House Forum on Entrepreneurship for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions:
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Education (ED) hosted a forum on entrepreneurship at the White House on Monday. The event brought together a mix of business owners, government experts, and leaders from a variety of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to discuss opportunities and facilitate solutions to challenges in underserved communities. Read in Full >>
Legislative Wrap-up: Maryland General Assembly: Delegate Dan Morhaim, M.D.:
This session was challenging, with the continued discussion of many controversial issues and the budget dominating many debates. As you may know, as we adjourned the 2012 General Assembly Session, there was still much uncertainty about the state budget for Fiscal Year 2013. It is extremely disappointing that the Governor and the Legislature could not find common ground. Despite these obstacles, I advanced many important initiatives that will improve the lives of Maryland citizens. Read in Full >>
Muse for US Senate Campaigning in Baltimore :: 3.26.12 :: Endorsed by Workers United Union :: Pictorial:
The C. Anthony Muse for US Senate campaign team hit Baltimore again with a sign-wave, a meet-n-greet at Terra Cafe (St. Paul and 25th), and an endorsement announcement by Workers United laborers' union on W. Mulberry Street. Read in Full >>
On the Next "Empower Hour" (3.20.12 @ 10 am): NJ-based Journalist Charmil Davis Discusses Life & Times of Rep. Donald Payne:
On Tuesday's edition of "Empower Hour", she will share some of her thoughts on the life and times of longtime NJ Rep. Payne and the lessons she learned from him. Read in Full >>
WHITE HOUSE: Latino Update:
Last week a new report on the White House Hispanic Community Action Summits was released by the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Read in Full >>
2012 White House Easter Egg Roll Ticket Lottery Opens and Souvenir Egg Logo is Revealed:
Bo stars in special video for this year's Easter Egg Roll. Read in Full >>
C. Anthony Muse is Making His Rounds :: Candidate for US Senate :: April 3rd Primary Election: Read in Full >>
Building a Fair and Stable Economy for Indian Country:
In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values. Today, the President released a budget that illustrates how we put that blueprint to work. Read in Full >>
$350 Billion Solutions: Young Americans Update:
The President unveiled his $350 billion budget for the 2013 fiscal year on Monday, speaking to a crowd at Northern Virginia Community College. Read in Full >>
NJ Governor Chris Christie Delivers His State of the State Address:
This past week New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie continued to address education reform, charter schools, voucher programs, taxes, and bail reform in his second State of the State Address. The Governor campaigned on the slogan "Bringing our Cities Back" when opening a campaign headquarters in Newark during his gubernatorial run. The campaign initiated by the Christie administration aims to revamp urban education and implement resources to retain businesses in cities that will provide economic sustainability and job opportunities for residents. Education and violence in urban New Jersey are crucial topics and have been a continued problem for years! Read in Full >>
Protestors Want Guantanamo Closed, 1.8.12:
Last week, these and other protestors called themselves sending a message to the Obama White House: Close Guantanamo stockade in Cuba. Read in Full >>
Baltimore Budget & Legislative Watch: Does Baltimore’s Budget Suffer from a Structural Deficit? by Jennifer L. Coates:
The Baltimore City Charter requires the annual operating budget to be balanced. Expenditures outlined in the annual Ordinance of Estimates must not exceed revenue sources. If the proposed budget can not be balanced, then the full rate property tax must be adjusted. The City Charter also prohibits expending funds for which there is no legal appropriation.
Baltimore, however, has expended funds over projected revenue for the last nine (9 ) years (see Table 1).
Read in Full >>
Pres. Obama, Leaders Address "Insourcing" Jobs Back to America:
What was the big news at the White House today? Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt? Well, no - although every photographer tried to get a snap shot. the hot news today was the economy. More specifically, bringing jobsback home.
China, with its burgeoning economy, India, and the Phillipines are all places chosen by American corporations to do outsourcing. This has caused millions of Americans to face a lack of employment opportunities.
Read in Full >>
Statement by the President and First Lady on Kwanzaa 2011:
Michelle and I send our warmest wishes to all those celebrating Kwanzaa this holiday season. Today marks the beginning of the week-long celebration honoring African American heritage and culture through the seven principles of Kwanzaa -- unity, self determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Read in Full >>
"Empower Me" Business Summit to feature LaRian Finney, Pres. & CEO of Visionary Marketing Group:
His vast experience has included spearheading successful mega-campaigns for the 1996 Summer Olympics, the NAACP National Convention, the National Urban League Convention, General Motors, The African American Heritage Festival and a multitude of other public and private communication campaigns and special events. He is a recognized leader in developing, marketing, branding, strategic events, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Mr. Finney has a reputation for delivering exceptional results on-time and within budget. Read in Full >>
REDISTRICTING :: Sen. Kelley Is PISSED! :: NO RESPECT:
The Governor's proposed map looks terrible to me. District 10 now goes to I-83, and includes a lot of young, probably unregistered newcomers to the County, while losing many communities of older African-Americans who are registered, who vote, and who are otherwise engaged in civic organizations. The district loses everything inside of the beltway, and extends north of a much more compact District 11, and northeast to I-83. We lose Powhatan, Woodlawn, Westview Park, our Catonsville precincts, Woodbridge Valley, Woodmoor, Lochearn, and Villa Nova. We lose both Delegate Nathan-Pulliam and Delegate Burns to a new city/county district 44, which includes the Bolton Hill, home of Delegate Keiffer Mitchell. Read in Full >>
White House: FACT SHEET: Supporting South Sudan’s Vision for the Future:
*Overseas Private Investment Corporation Has Initiated Process to Open for Business in South Sudan U.S. private sector investment will be critical to the Republic of South Sudan’s economic development. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, has initiated the process to open for business in South Sudan. OPIC can provide financing and risk mitigation tools to small businesses, large corporations, and NGOs to catalyze private investment in South Sudan. OPIC has experienced considerable demand from U.S. companies interested in investing in the country, particularly in infrastructure and agriculture. In order for OPIC to provide its programs in a new country, the country must first meet a set of criteria. Once eligible, OPIC-supported private equity funds will also be able to make investments in South Sudan. · Read in Full >>
The HUDdle: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Official Blog :: Secretary Donovan Talks to the Black Eagle About Payroll Tax Cut and Decline in Veteran’s Homelessness:
Secretary Donovan also noted that taking at least $1000 out of the pockets of millions of Americans could threaten the already-fragile housing market. “We’re going to take a housing market that has just really began to show signs of improving, and set it back,” Donovan said, “a thousand dollars less in your pocket makes it harder to pay the mortgage, and that’s just not acceptable.”
Madison, whose show airs on American Forces Radio, also asked Donovan about HUD’s recent announcement of a twelve percent decline in veteran’s homelessness.“This President pledged to end the war in Iraq and he kept his promise” Donovan said. “He is bringing those soldiers home for the holidays. We owe these soldiers more than our thanks, we owe them that when they come back, they can find a job, and we owe them a decent place to live.”
Read in Full >>
Governor's Redistricting Advisory Committee Recommends Maryland Legislative Redistricting Plan:
GRAC began its work based on the current legislative district map, drawn by the Maryland Court of Appeals in 2002. The Committee was guided by State and federal Constitutional and legal provisions, and has produced a product that enhances minority voting rights, pays exceptional attention to respecting natural and political boundaries, and results in districts that are compact, contiguous, and protect communities.
Specifically:
The GRAC map has 12 districts that are majority African American - an increase from the 10 districts that the Court of Appeals drew in 2002. This reflects the growth in African American population in the State, and provides a much stronger voice for the African American community. These districts are 10, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 47.
Read in Full >>
WHITE HOUSE: We Can’t Wait: Nine States Awarded Race To The Top-Early Learning Challenge Grants:
Awards Will Help Build Statewide Systems of High Quality Early Education ProgramsToday, the White House announced that nine states - California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington - will receive grant awards from the $500 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge fund, a competitive grant program jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services. Read in Full >>
African Leadership Awards, Washington DC 2011:
Please join Mr. Ken Giami, publisher of the African Leadership Magazine, as they celebrate their annual leadership awards dinner on Friday, December 16, 2011. The event will be held from 6:00-10:00 pm at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC. Along with several African awardees, three prominent Americans will be recognized for their commitment to Africa. Read in Full >>
Statement from Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake about Protecting Free Speech and Peaceful Assembly in Public Spaces:
"The City of Baltimore is committed to protecting individuals’ right to protest. However, our public parks and green-spaces should not be treated as permanent campgrounds and camping is prohibited. Individuals are free to peaceably assemble and demonstrate within the currently established guidelines." Read in Full >>
