Milwaukee Courier
Race for Wisconsin U.S Senate: Tammy Baldwin and Leah Vukmir Debate at UWM
MILWAUKEE COURIER — Baldwin and Vukmir went back and forth on healthcare, the #MeToo movement and immigration, amongst other topics. […read more]
president barack obama
Defender News Network
Susan Rice Might run for Senate Seat in 2020
By Defender News Service The African-American woman who served as former President Barack Obama’s national security adviser said she will decide after the November midterms whether to run for the Senate in Maine in 2020 and challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins. Collins made headlines Read More
Commentary
COMMENTARY: Are Blacks Warming Up to Trump?
WASHINGTON INFORMER — For the record, since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking unemployment statistics based on race in the 1970s, the rate of Black unemployment today, 5.8 percent (compared to the overall unemployment rate of 3.8 percent) is at its lowest percentage ever. However, economists emphasize that the downward trend first began under President Barack Obama, further noting that the numbers do not take into consideration those who have stopped looking for work, many of whom are Black. […read more]
#NNPA BlackPress
Obama Issues Second Round of Midterm Endorsements
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The Democratic Party has always made the biggest difference in the lives of the American people when we lead with conviction, principle, and bold, new ideas. Our incredible array of candidates up and down the ticket, all across the country, make up a movement of citizens who are younger, more diverse, more female than ever before,” said President Obama. […read more]
#NNPA BlackPress
Vote 2018: America is on the Ballot
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “If ever there was a time to vote, that time is now. And while there will be many candidates whose names will appear on ballots across this country, it is actually the future of the United States of America that is the most important thing on the ballot this November.” […read more]
#NNPA BlackPress
COMMENTARY: The Miseducation of “Betsy DeVoid”
“I feel that DeVoid has been miseducated, but perhaps she has been all too well educated in the ways of 45, who promised to disrupt government as we know it.” […read more]
Community
Beyond the Rhetoric
Presidents Trump and Kenyatta are in a “groove.” I guess it is about the “art of the deal.” Kenya and the U.S. are engaged in business deals on an ongoing basis. Let’s break it down. […read more]
Commentary
COMMENTARY: EPA Roll-Backs Will Hurt People of Color
At the turn of the millennium we knew for a fact that the planet is warming and that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide accelerate warming. We were aware of the human contribution and that limiting carbon emissions is the best way for humans to try to avoid catastrophic upheaval. […read more]
National
Lawyers’ Committee Goes on Red Alert as Trump Rolls Back Civil Rights
By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) President Donald Trump began his first term by attempting to roll back the civil rights gains that occurred under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. Hours after Trump was sworn in as president, the Civil Rights Division of the Read More
Black History
The Night “Yes, We Can!” Became “Yes, We Did!”
By Patrick Forrest (Chicago Crusader/NNPA Member) When President nominee Barack Obama won the election back in November 2008, the day was filled with hope as thousands of people from all walks of life clamored and screamed, “Yes we can, yes we can!” Obama had taken Read More
Black History
LIVESTREAM: President Obama Holds his Final Press Conference
Watch President Obama’s Final Press Conference live on BlackPressUSA.com.
Black History
President Obama Says Farewell, But Not Goodbye
By Mary L. Datcher (Chicago Defender/NNPA Member) On Tuesday, January 10, the world set eyes on Chicago, and this time it wasn’t about the discussion of the latest homicide stats or a family member being lost violently to gunfire. This time is all about President Read More
Black History
Yes We Did: President Obama Delivers Long Goodbye
By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor) The first Black President of the United States will leave office at noon on January 20. The run-up to his departure has been featured in interviews, endless retrospectives and analyses. During an unseasonably warm night in Chicago, President Read More
Black History
Yes We Did: Obama Rallies All Americans in Farewell Speech
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA Newswire Contributor) “Yes, we did!” Those were the words that Barack Hussein Obama ended his farewell speech to America on Tuesday, eight years after he won the presidency, campaigning on the slogan, “Yes, we can!” For nearly an hour, the Read More
National
With Final Press Briefing of 2016, President Obama Reflects on his Record
By Freddie Allen (Managing Editor/NNPA Newswire) President Barack Obama used his last press conference of the year to reflect on the accomplishments of his administration over the past eight years. “As I was preparing to take office, the unemployment rate was on its way to Read More
Politics
President Obama Stumps for Clinton in North Carolina
By Yasmine Regester (Carolina Peacemaker, NNPA Member) GREENSBORO — Working to win over voters in North Carolina, President Barack Obama visited Greensboro last week for a North Carolina Democratic Party rally for the Clinton campaign. Deborah Ross, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Congresswoman Alma Read More
Politics
President Obama Says 3rd party or Protest Voting is Supporting Trump – Is He Right?
[THEGRIO.COM] In an interview on Steve Harvey’s radio show, President Obama said that anyone who votes for a third party candidate or stays at home is casting their ballot for the Republican nominee. “The stakes in this election are so high,” Obama said last week. Read More
Press Room
PRESS ROOM: Minister Louis Farrakhan Says President Obama Should Pardon Marcus Garvey
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Minister Louis Farrakhan Says President Obama Should Pardon Marcus Garvey Contact: Richard B. Muhammad The Final Call Newspaper Phone: (312) 480 9775 E-mail: straightwords4@gmail.com CHICAGO — A petition asking the White House to posthumously pardon the Honorable Marcus Garvey, the great Black Read More
Black History
At Last: President Obama Dedicates New Black History Museum on the National Mall
By D. Kevin McNeir (NNPA Newswire Contributor) The idea of erecting a museum that would highlight the contributions of African Americans first received public attention more than a century ago after Black veterans of the Civil War proposed the idea. But the real push occurred Read More
National
President Obama Makes Urgent Call for Black Voter Turnout
By Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. (President and CEO of the NNPA) Last Saturday, we were pleased to witness, firsthand, President Barack Obama’s keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2016 Phoenix Awards Dinner; it was his final speech, as Commander-In-Chief, at the celebration Read More
Religion
Obama Uses Bible, Christian Faith to Defend Transgender Bathroom Directive to Schools
[CHRISTIANPOST.COM] President Barack Obama said that his understanding of the Bible and his Christian beliefs led him to issue the directive at public schools calling on students to be allowed to use the bathroom of their choosing regardless of their biological sex. “My reading of Read More
Featured
Obama Urges Howard Graduates to Continue Needed Change
By Howard University News Service WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told the graduates of one of the nation’s leading historically Black universities that America is “a better place today” than it was when he graduated from college, but more work needs to be done and Read More
National
Obama, Out: The Commander-In-Chief Proves Once Again that He’s the Best to Ever Do It
By Stacy M. Brown (NNPA News Wire Contributing Writer) President Barack Obama dropped his microphone at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, acknowledging what everyone had already concluded: he slayed it! Larry Wilmore didn’t do so bad as host, either, at least depending upon who Read More
Op-Ed
Black Liberals are Hypocrites When It Comes to the N-word
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, the columnist wrote that the White House Correspondents’ Association has “never had a Black journalist to head the group.” Robert M. Ellison of the Sheridan Broadcasting Network led the group from 1990-1991. He was the first and Read More
Politics
President Obama, Public Leaders Mourn Prince
By Harry Colbert, Jr. (Insight News, NNPA Member) The reaction to the passing of Prince Rogers Nelson, more commonly simply known as Prince, has come from all reaches of society. Prince was found unresponsive at Paisley Park – his home and entertainment compound – in Read More
Op-Ed
Why President Barack Obama Is One of the Best Ever
By Jeffrey L. Boney NNPA News Wire Columnist President Barack Obama will go down in history, as arguably one of the most successful presidents of the United States. What he has been able to accomplish over his nearly eight years in office is remarkable – Read More
Op-Ed
Blackonomics: Unrepresented by our Representatives
By James Clingman NNPA News Wire Columnist Does it really matter who wins the Presidency? How can it matter to Black folks, considering the way we “play” politics? We have no power, no leverage, and little or no influence in the political arena, and even Read More
National
President Obama Celebrates 150th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment
By Janelle Berry Special to the NNPA News Wire from the HU News Service WASHINGTON – Ask Americans what the Emancipation Proclamation is and most who know of President Abraham Lincoln’s executive order will respond like 20-year-old Ebony Harris, a student of Howard University from Read More
Politics
Obama Administration Takes Immigration Battle to Supreme Court
[POLITICO] The Obama administration took the battle over immigration to the Supreme Court on Friday, formally asking the justices to review a federal court decision that left in place a nationwide injunction against President Barack Obama’s sweeping initiative to grant quasi-legal status and work permits Read More
National
Obama Says Black Lives Matter Movement Is Legit
By Courtne Dixon Special to the NNPA News Wire Service from HU News Service WASHINGTON – The Black Lives Matter movement, who many have embraced and others have claimed is anti-police, received an endorsement from the nation’s highest law enforcement officer, President Barack Obama, during Read More
National
Biden: I’m not running for president in 2016
(Yahoo) – Ending months of will-he-won’t-he speculation, Vice President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he is not running for president in 2016, saying the process of grieving for his son Beau had sidelined him for too long. “Unfortunately, I believe we’re out of time, the Read More
Op-Ed
Trump Refuses to Withdraw False Claim that Obama is a Muslim
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist On the heels of allowing a campaign follower in New Hampshire to assert unchallenged last week that President Obama is a Muslim, Republican presidential front-runner Donald J. Trump has strongly resisted opportunities to correct the public record. On Read More
Politics
Obama: Women Made Civil Rights Movement Happen
Darlene Superville, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — To President Barack Obama, women of the civil rights movement were “the thinkers and the doers” whose toil and sacrifice benefited everyone in the country. “Women made the movement happen,” he said. Obama said black women Read More
Op-Ed
Obama is No ‘Lame Duck’ President
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Almost as surprising as Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first African American president is his success in not becoming a lame duck president, a term normally applied to a politically weakened outgoing president’s last two years in Read More
Politics
In Boston Speech, Obama Unveils Executive Order for More Paid Sick Leave
David Nakamura, THE WASHINGTON POST BOSTON (The Washington Post) — President Obama rallied union workers here Monday, announcing a new executive order that will require federal contractors to offer employees up to seven paid sick days a year, a move that the White Read More
Politics
Congress Returns to Weighty List of Unfinished Business
Andrew Taylor and Alan Fram, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress returns on Tuesday with a critical need for a characteristic rarely evident through a contentious spring and summer — cooperation between Republicans and President Barack Obama. Lawmakers face a weighty list of Read More
Op-Ed
Republicans are Running Against Non-Candidate Obama
By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist I have to make a terrible confession: I simply could not watch the first Republican debate for the 2016 electoral cycle. I mean it. I could not on the station to listen to what they had to say. Read More
World
In Kenya, Obama Blends Blunt Messages with Warm Reflections
Julie Pace, ASSOCIATED PRESS NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — President Barack Obama mixed blunt messages to Kenya’s leaders on gay rights, corruption and counterterrorism Saturday with warm reflections on his family ties to a nation that considers him a local son. He foreshadowed a focus Read More
Op-Ed
Release Low-Level, Non-Violent Drug Offenders
By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist Jerry Alan Bailey was sentenced to more than 30 years in federal prison for conspiring to violate federal narcotics laws. Shauna Barry-Scott was sentenced to 20 years for having cocaine in her possession and intending to distribute it. Jerome Read More
Op-Ed
How to Reform the Criminal Justice System
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist There is no question that the criminal justice system is broken. President Obama made that clear recently in his address to the annual convention of the NAACP in Philadelphia. “The United States is home to 5 percent of Read More
Op-Ed
Obama Calls for Criminal Justice Reform
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA Columnist Whenever the president of the United States speaks to a national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), millions of people pay attention. As a former Executive Director and CEO of the Read More
Politics
It’s a Dad-Daughter Overnighter in New York for the Obamas
Nancy Bernac, ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK (AP) — It’s inevitable: At some point, teenage kids just aren’t that into their parents anymore. President Barack Obama, parent to two teenage daughters, set out to combat that trend by hanging out with his girls in New Read More
Politics
President Obama to Make Historic Visit to Federal Prison
Nick Gass, POLITICO WASHINGTON (Politico) — President Barack Obama will become the first sitting chief executive to visit a federal prison when he goes to El Reno, Oklahoma, next week to meet with law enforcement officials and inmates as part of the administration’s push Read More
Op-Ed
President Obama is on a Winning Streak
By Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. NNPA Columnist The presidency is a bit like a baseball season. Players go through streaks and slumps, good days and bad days. Teams rack up wins and losses. It is only over the course of the long season that Read More
Politics
Obama Plans Broader Use of Clemency to Free Nonviolent Drug Offenders
Peter Baker, THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON (The New York Times) — Sometime in the next few weeks, aides expect President Obama to issue orders freeing dozens of federal prisoners locked up on nonviolent drug offenses. With the stroke of his pen, he will probably Read More
Politics
U.S. ‘Not Cured’ of Racism, Obama Says, Citing Slavery’s Legacy
Michael D. Shear and Christine Hauser, THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON (The New York Times) — Just days after nine black parishioners were killed in a South Carolina church, President Obama said the legacy of slavery still “casts a long shadow” on American life, and Read More
Sports
Whether Cavs Win or Lose, LeBron James Should Be the Finals MVP
WASHINGTON (ESPN) — The avid sports fan who occupies the Oval Office is refusing to take sides as the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors battle for the NBA championship. President Barack Obama told the entertainment news show “Extra” that both teams are Read More
Politics
What You Should Know About the Trans-Pacific Partnership
Neil Irwin, THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON (The New York Times) — You can be forgiven if you haven’t been particularly riveted by the series of slick parliamentary maneuvers that the Obama administration and his congressional Republican allies are using to try to secure support Read More
Politics
Trade Loss an Ominous Sign for Obama in Month of Challenges
Jim Kuhnhenn, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — The trade defeat in Congress was an ominous sign in a month of challenges that could help determine President Barack Obama’s standing for the rest of his second term. Fellow Democrats rebuffed last-minute appeals to rescue Read More
Politics
Families of Drone Strike Victims in Yemen File Suit in Washington
Scott Shane, THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON (The New York Times) — The families of an anti-Qaeda cleric and a police officer killed in an American drone strike in Yemen filed suit in federal court in Washington on Sunday night, asking the court to declare Read More
Op-Ed
Obama Leads Discussion on Poverty
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist President Obama recently participated in a long overdue panel discussion on poverty at Georgetown University. As regular readers of this column know, I have been complaining for years about the fixation this administration has had on helping the Read More
Politics
Warren Has Irked Obama Before, but Trade Deepens Their Rift
Jim Kuhnhenn, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Barack Obama huffed that Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator and established liberal star, was a “politician like everybody else” he revealed a rift that predates the current hostilities between the two Democrats over trade. Read More
Politics
Does Obama’s New York Trip Offer a Glimpse into His Post-White House Life?
Greg Jaffe, THE WASHINGTON POST NEW YORK (The Washington Post) — He still has almost two years left in office, but the outlines of President Obama’s post-White House life might be starting to take shape. On Monday, the president will speak at the New Read More
Politics
Illinois Clears Major Hurdle for Obama Library in Chicago
Sophia Tareen, ASSOCIATED PRESS CHICAGO (AP) — One of the remaining obstacles to building Barack Obama’s presidential library in his hometown of Chicago fell away when Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Friday strengthening the city’s legal ability to build the project on public park Read More
Op-Ed
Blacks Split over Obama
By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist Since the moment that he announced his candidacy in 2007, through to this day, there have been two debates over how to understand President Barack Obama. There is the larger social debate, which includes the hysterical and racist Read More
Politics
Obama’s Top 10 Jokes at the Correspondents’ Dinner
David Jackson, USA TODAY WASHINGTON (USA Today) — President Obama hit all the right notes during his routine Saturday at the White House correspondents’ dinner, hitting on political critics, current events, the media, and his own administration. Here’s a Top 10 of topics and jokes: Read More
Politics
Obama Voices Support for Medical Marijuana in Cable News Interview
Daniel Politi, SLATE WASHINGTON (Slate) — President Obama offered support for decriminalizing medical marijuana, as well as an overall change in the way the country deals with drug offenders, during an interview scheduled to air on Sunday night as part of a CNN special Read More
National
The Ghost of Cornel West
Michael Eric Dyson, THE NEW REPUBLIC (The New Republic) — “Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned” is the best-known line from William Congreve’s The Mourning Bride. But I’m concerned with the phrase preceding it, which captures wrath in more universal terms: “Heaven has Read More
Politics
Diplomacy out, Blunt Talk in as Obama Gets Tough on GOP
Jim Kuhnhenn, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — With a tone of outrage and eye-rolling dismissiveness, President Barack Obama and his White House team are working out their aggressions on Republicans. Well into the final quarter of Obama’s presidency the White House approach is, if Read More
World
President Barack Obama Delivers A Message To The People Of Nigeria
Farai Gunda, FORBES (Forbes)—With the continent’s most populous nation, Nigeria heading for presidential elections coming up this Saturday, the White House released a video of President Barack Obama’s message to the people of Nigeria earlier this morning. “Nigeria is a great nation and you can be proud Read More
Politics
Obama Announces $240M in New Pledges for STEM Education
Jim Kuhnhenn, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is highlighting private-sector efforts to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math. At the White House Science Fair on Monday, Obama announced more than $240 million in Read More
Politics
Obama Says He’s Prepared to Fight GOP over Education
Nedra Pickler, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Pointing to increased high school graduation rates, President Barack Obama said Monday he’s prepared to fight with Republicans for school funding and his education priorities rather than risk going backward. The president said he hopes that Read More
Op-Ed
Below-the-Belt Attacks on the Obamas
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist No United States president has been more disrespected than Barack Obama – and his family. The hatred for the nation’s first African American president is so deep that all but seven Republicans in the U.S. Senate were willing Read More
Op-Ed
To Be Equal: Giuliani’s Words Do More than Hurt—They Divide
By Marc H. Morial NNPA Columnist “A new expression has entered the Westminster lexicon: dog-whistle politics. It means putting out a message that, like a high-pitched dog-whistle, is only fully audible to those at whom it is directly aimed. The intention is to Read More
Politics
Obama to Focus on Civil Rights Struggles, Past and Present
Nedra Pickler, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Barack Obama, it’s a week to invoke America’s civil rights struggles from past to present. The nation’s first black president plans a speech Saturday from the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, the site of Read More
Politics
Obama, Aretha Franklin Give Emotional Tribute to Eric Holder
Cassie Spodak, CNN WASHINGTON (CNN)—The White House celebrated the upcoming departure of Eric Holder on Friday night in a ceremony that brought tears to President Barack Obama’s eyes and featured Aretha Franklin literally singing the attorney general’s praises. “I think about all the young people Read More
Op-Ed
The Perils of a Poisonous Politics
By Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. NNPA Columnist By doubling down on his vile slur on President Obama’s love for his country, ex-New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani created the media frenzy that he craved. He also set up an easy test of decency for Read More
Politics
Pentagon Chief: US Considering Slowing Exit from Afghanistan
Robert Burns, ASSOCIATED PRESS KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The United States is considering slowing its military exit from Afghanistan by keeping a larger-than-planned troop presence this year and next because the new Afghan government is proving to be a more reliable partner, U.S. Defense Read More
Op-Ed
More Evidence of Obama’s Hostility Toward HBCUs
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist As if we needed any more evidence, President Obama’s recent meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus revealed a deep-seated hostility toward the plight of struggling Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). According to Lauren Victoria Read More
Politics
Obama: $4 Trillion Budget Replaces ‘Mindless Austerity’
David Jackson and Gregory Korte, USA TODAY WASHINGTON (USA Today)—President Obama unveiled a nearly $4 trillion budget that is “designed to bring middle class economics into the 21st Century” through new programs to be financed by higher taxes on the wealthy. While unlikely to Read More
Politics
5 Things to Know Before Obama Rolls Out His Budget Monday
Connie Cass, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — A quick quiz: Monday is — a) Groundhog Day b) Budget Day c) A day for repeating the same old arguments over spending and taxes, only louder. d) All of the above. If you picked “d,” you’re Read More
Op-Ed
An Open Letter to President Barack Obama from Alabama State Senator Hank Sanders
Dear President Obama: We love you. We respect you. We support you. We strongly supported your becoming President and have continued to support you through all the trying times. We continue to love, respect and support you. Mr. President, I write this letter with Read More
Op-Ed
Neither Obama Nor Republicans Have Vision
By Raynard Jackson NNPA Columnist Last week I thought Stevie Wonder gave a great State of the Union Speech. Oops, did I say Stevie Wonder, I meant to say President Obama. But like Stevie Wonder, I couldn’t see the America the president was describing Read More
Op-Ed
The Real Barack Obama Re-Emerges
By Julianne Malveaux NNPA Columnist President Barack Obama knocked it out of the park during the State of the Union address. He was strong, progressive, firm, and relaxed. He was almost cocky as he offered a few jokes, smugly announced that he would have Read More
Politics
Stymied by Congress, Obama Turns to Nation’s Mayors
Gregory Korte, USA TODAY WASHINGTON (USA Today)—With passage of his State of the Union agenda unlikely in a Republican-controlled Congress, President Obama called on the nation’s mostly Democratic big-city mayors to adopt what he calls “middle class economics.” “We take our partnership with you Read More
Op-Ed
Is Obama Trying to Kill Black Colleges? (Part II)
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Few things irk me more than hearing someone say or imply that now that we have a Black president, perhaps the time has come to abolish Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). I have zero tolerance for such Read More
Op-Ed
A Boost for the American Dream
By Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist About 800,000 homeowners whose mortgages were backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) could save $900 annually on mortgage costs, due to a small reduction in mortgage insurance (MI) premiums. President Barack Obama made the announcement in a recent Read More
Politics
Maryland Man Freed from Cuba to Attend State of the Union
Darlene Superville, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland man who returned home last month after spending five years imprisoned in Cuba will have a prime viewing spot for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address: a seat near first lady Michelle Obama. Read More
Entertainment
Oprah, Cast of ‘Selma’ at White House for Film Screening
Josh Lederman, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Oprah Winfrey and the rapper Common are joining President Barack Obama for a special screening of the film “Selma.” The White House says Obama and the first lady are hosting the screening in the White House’s Family Read More
Politics
For State of Union, Obama Faces GOP Congress for First Time
Julie Pace, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time in his presidency, Barack Obama will stand before a Republican-led Congress to deliver his State of the Union address and try to convince lawmakers newly empowered to block his agenda that they should Read More
Op-Ed
Is Obama Trying to Kill Black Colleges?
By George E. Curry NNPA Columnist Is Barack Obama, the nation’s first African American president, trying to kill Historically Black Colleges and Universities? If he’s not, he’s going to have a difficult time convincing HBCU presidents, trustees and alumni. Surprisingly, Obama has become their Read More
Op-Ed
Is Black America Better Off Under Obama?
By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Columnist “Like the rest of America, Black America, in the aggregate, is better off now than it was when I came into office,” said President Obama on December 19, in response to a question by Urban Radio Networks White Read More
Politics
GOP Focus for Congress; Cut Deficit, Don’t Stumble
Alan Fram, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — In the first Republican-dominated Congress to confront President Barack Obama, GOP leaders will focus on bolstering the economy and cutting the budget — and oh yes, avoiding self-inflicted calamities that make voters wonder if the party can Read More
Politics
Obama Warns GOP He Plans to Use Veto Pen in 2015
Josh Lederman, ASSOCIATED PRESS HONOLULU (AP) — Warning from President Barack Obama to congressional Republicans: I have a veto pen and, come January, I won’t be afraid to use it. Since taking office in 2009, Obama has only vetoed legislation twice, both in fairly Read More
Politics
Yes-We-Can President Faces Twilight of Maybes
Julie Pace and Nancy Benac, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — It was supposed to be a joke. “Are you still president?” comedian Stephen Colbert asked Barack Obama earlier this month. But the question seemed to speak to growing weariness with the president and skepticism that Read More
Op-Ed
A Wealth of Unfair Criticism for Obama
By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist I had an interesting, though brief, discussion with a rich friend about President Obama. He is quite conservative, politically. He made the point that this has been the longest economic recovery since World War II. His point was that Read More
Politics
The Biggest Pinocchios of 2014
Glenn Kessler, THE WASHINGTON POST (The Washington Post)—It’s time for our annual round-up of the biggest Pinocchios of the year. The midterm elections, of course, dominated our coverage of false claims, as an avalanche of negative ads tumbled across televisions screens. Some of those Read More
National
Obama: Most Black People Don’t Use Racism as an Excuse
Dave Boyer, THE WASHINGTON TIMES WASHINGTON (The Washington Times)—Before flying off to Hawaii for a two-week vacation, President Obama said Friday that most blacks understand America’s history of slavery and segregation isn’t an excuse for their current challenges. Asked by a reporter to assess Read More
Politics
Obama’s Year-End Message: North Korea, Cuba and Congress
Eric Bradner, CNN Washington (CNN)—President Barack Obama prodded Congress to eliminate the United States’ decades-old Cuba embargo Friday, saying that improving relations with the communist country will help open its “hermetically sealed society”—even if changes come in “fits and starts.” He said he doesn’t Read More
National
Obama: Racism, Bias in U.S. Will Take Time to Tackle
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is prescribing time and vigilance to tackle problems as entrenched in American society as racism and bias. He also is urging patience, saying progress usually comes in small steps. In an interview with BET (Black Entertainment Television), a Read More
Entertainment
Obama Jokes about Celebrities (and Vice-Versa)
David Jackson, USA TODAY WASHINGTON (USA Today)—As usual, the Kennedy Center Honors weekend provided good opportunities for presidential humor — both by and about President Obama. At the White House reception on Sunday, Obama trotted out a few good lines about the honorees, including Read More
World
Corporations, U.S. Join Forces to Aid African Farmers
Phillip Brasher, The Des Moines Register via USA TODAY GUNCHIRE, Ethiopia (USA Today)—President Barack Obama is counting on an unusual mix of taxpayer dollars and investments from profit-hunting agribusiness giants such as DuPont to feed the globe’s growing population. For the plan to work, small-scale Read More
Politics
After Jobs Report, Obama Takes a Little Credit
Mark Landler, THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON (The New York Times)—Before introducing his nominee to fill the job of defense secretary, President Obama took a moment on Friday to celebrate the creation of 321,000 additional jobs in November. It was as close to a victory lap on Read More
Op-Ed
Mr. President: Come to Ferguson, Mo.
By Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. NNPA Columnist Ferguson is too important to be treated on the margins. It is too important to lead the news one day, and disappear the next. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, the police response to the demonstrations that Read More
Op-Ed
The Two Minds of Obama
By Bill Fletcher, Jr. NNPA Columnist President Obama was right on the money in announcing his executive order on immigration. Contrary to the assertion of Republican demagogues, this is not a blanket amnesty, but does release more than 4 million non-criminals from the ever-present threat of Read More
Op-Ed
Callous Conservatives
By Lee A. Daniels NNPA Columnist Some synonyms of the word “callous” are: heartless, unfeeling, unmerciful, cruel, and inhumane. A mid-November poll by the Gallup organization asking Americans their views on expanding access to healthcare proves that in some cases, one can add the adjective Read More
National
Obama Wants More Police Wearing Body Cameras
Nedra Pickler, ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) — Spurred by the Ferguson, Missouri shooting, President Barack Obama is calling for $75 million in federal spending to get 50,000 more police to wear body cameras that record their interactions with civilians. However, Obama is not seeking to pull Read More
Politics
Obama on 2016: ‘I’ve got dings’ and Americans Want ‘that new car smell’
Sara Fischer, CNN WASHINGTON (CNN.com)—Drive it straight off the lot and into the Oval Office. That’s what President Obama says the American people want, admitting Sunday that the country is ready to shift gears and hit the gas with a new leader. “I think the Read More
Op-Ed
Why Blacks Should Support Immigration Reform
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. NNPA Columnist As I watched President Barack Obama address the nation on his “controversial” Executive Order on immigration reform, I was reminded of the evening that I was inside Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967 when Read More
Op-Ed
Beyond the Rhetoric: Obama Flunks as Constitutional Law Professor
By Harry C. Alford NNPA Columnist It has been told by many in the press that President Obama is a former professor who taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. I find that hard to believe. His actions, thoughts and governing model have no Read More