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The House Ethics Committee weighs releasing their report on Matt Gaetz. And Susan Smith, who made headlines for killing her sons 30 years ago, is up for parole. The Ethics Committee has jurisdiction only over sitting members of Congress, Johnson argues. But there is precedent for the Ethics Committee to publish reports after a member of Congress has resigned. Susan Smith up for parole 30 years after killing her sonsSusan Smith leaves court after a hearing in Union, S.C., in 1995.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Susan Smith, Donald Trump, Gaetz, Susan Wild, Joel Leppard, Mike Johnson, Trump, Johnson, Read, Mike Cavanaugh, ”, Vladimir Putin, Brooks Kraft, Smith’s, Michael, Alex, Smith, Rafael Nadal, Jay Leno, Barbara Gauntt, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Lumumba, — Bracey Harris Organizations: Comcast, Justice Department, Republicans, Democrats, Gaetz, MSNBC, Syfy, Golf, CNBC, Oxygen, NBC News, NBC, Bravo, United, Brooks, Brooks Kraft LLC, Getty, South, Davis, Mississippi State Capitol, Clarion, Ledger, Residents Locations: Florida, USA, U.S, Kyiv, United States, Ukrainian, Russian, Ukraine, Union, South Carolina, Northern California, Pacific, California, Jackson

At 34, he was the city’s youngest ever mayor, and he campaigned on a promise of self-determination for the predominantly Black city. It’s an ongoing factor in Mississippi politics,” said Leslie McLemore, a former Jackson State University political science professor who also once sat on the Jackson City Council. That was on top of years of boil-water notices that eroded residents’ trust in the city’s water supply. In April, a push by conservative legislators to strip local control of the city’s water system failed for the second time in the House. Rogelio V. Solis / AP fileByron D'Andra Orey, a political science professor at Jackson State University, said the bribery scandal could shape the municipal elections.

Persons: JACKSON, —, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jackson, Lumumba, Jody Owens, Aaron Banks, Angelique Lee . Lumumba, Owens, Banks, Lee, “ I’m, Virgi Lindsay, Lindsay, ”, Leslie McLemore, ” McLemore, ” Jackson, Lauren Witte, Ronnie Crudup Sr, “, that’s, Jacksonians, “ It’s, ” Kim Meeks, Rogelio V . Solis, Zakiya Summers, Summers, Tate Reeves, Reeves, Bill, “ H.B, Liam Kennedy, Chokwe Lumumba, Tupac Shakur, ” Jacksonians, Rukia Lumumba, Annie Cooper, Jan, Byron D'Andra Orey, CJ Rhodes, Mount Organizations: Miss, City, Republican, Democratic, Jackson State University, Jackson City Council, USA, New Horizon Church, City Council, DA, Rep, U.S . Justice Department, NAACP, Mississippi Army National Guard, Lumumba, Clarion, Ledger, ”, State Capitol, Mount Helm Baptist Locations: Black, Hinds, ”, Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi’s, Jackson’s Fondren, Hinds County, “, Northwest Jackson, Mount Helm

Owens, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and City Council member Aaron Banks were indicted last month on conspiracy and bribery charges. Barbara Gauntt / Clarion Ledger / USA Today via ImagnA City Council member, Angelique Lee, resigned in August and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. “People are tired; they just want some good stuff done,” said Vernon Hartley, a City Council member for one of the city’s poorest wards. Aaron Banks is the second Jackson City Council member to be charged in the federal bribery case. Angelique Lee, a former City Council member, resigned and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.

Persons: JACKSON, —, Virgi Lindsay, ” Lindsay, Jody Owens, Lauren Witte, “, ”, Owens, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Aaron Banks, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Barbara Gauntt, Angelique Lee, Sherik Marve Smith, Smith, Jackson, Vernon Hartley, ” Owens, Banks, Lumumba, They’re, Lee, Rogelio V . Solis, The United States ”, Hartley, Lindsay, Ashby Foote, Hannah Mattix, Foote, ” Foote, ” Hartley Organizations: Miss, Council, Clarion Ledger, FBI, Southern District of, City Council, City, “, Department of Housing, Urban Development, U.S, Southern, Southern District of Mississippi Owens, Jackson City Council, ”, Attorney’s Office, The United, NBC News, Republican, Capital Club, USA, Solutions Locations: Jackson, Hinds, Hinds County, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Imagn, Nashville, Florida, Owens, Africa, The United States, generalities, City

It faced a June 2025 deadline to complete the project, according to the federal indictment outlining grand jury charges against Lumumba, Owens and Banks. Lumumba faces five charges, including one count of federal program bribery and another count of money laundering. Banks has been charged with one conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, honest services wire fraud and money laundering, in addition to a count of federal program bribery. At least seven people have pleaded guilty in relation to the scandal. “This indictment is a horrible example of a flawed FBI investigation,” Owens told reporters after he pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Persons: JACKSON, —, “, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, ”, Lumumba, Jody Owens, Owens, Aaron Banks, Angelique Lee, Barbara Gauntt, Banks, Owens ’, Sherik Marve Smith, ” Smith, “ Banks, Jackson, ” Todd Gee, Ward, ” Owens Organizations: Miss, City, Democrat, Department of Housing, Urban, Banks, Jackson City, Clarion, Ledger, USA, Democratic, NBC, Authorities, Federal, Justice Department, FBI, Courthouse, “, Southern, Southern District of, ” Locations: Mississippi’s, Jackson, Hinds, Nashville , Tennessee, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, Owens, U.S, Southern District, Southern District of Mississippi, Africa

☆ Amanda Knox returns to Italian court for slander trial linked to Meredith Kercher’s murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Knox, Sollecito and Ivory Coast native Rudy Guede, whose DNA was present in the murder room, were all convicted of the murder in 2009. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters/FileKnox and Sollecito’s murder convictions were overturned by a Perugia appellate court in 2011 after an independent review of key forensic evidence, only to have that acquittal overturned by Italy’s supreme court in 2013. The 36-year-old Seattle native, now a mother of two, along with Sollecito, were definitively cleared in 2015 of Kercher’s murder after Italy’s supreme court voided the 2013 re-conviction. After being cleared of murder, Knox remained convicted of slander against Lumumba, a ruling upheld by Italy’s supreme court in 2015. The decision will then have to go to Italy’s supreme court once more.

Persons: Rome, Amanda Knox, Knox, Patrick Lumumba, Meredith Kercher, Lumumba, Raffaele Sollecito, Rudy Guede, Guede, Sollecito, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Italy’s, ” Knox, Monica Lewinsky Organizations: Rome CNN, Democratic, Ivory Coast, of Human, CNN, White House, Hulu Locations: Italy, Italian, Perugia, Kercher’s, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sollecito, Ivory, Seattle, Florence

(AP) — The manager of the long-troubled water system in Mississippi's capital city proposed a slight rate increase for most residents Friday alongside what he said is a first-in-the-nation proposal to reduce water rates for low-income people who get government help with grocery bills. If enacted, it would be the latest in a series of changes after infrastructure breakdowns in 2022 caused many Jackson residents to go days and weeks without safe running water. “We think this is a great opportunity to really change the dialogue around water and sewer in the city of Jackson,” Henifin said at a news conference. The proposal also marks the first rate increase since a federal judge appointed Henifin to manage Jackson's water system last November. JXN Water will start shutting off water for people who don't pay their bills sometime after Jan. 1st, Henifin said.

Persons: JACKSON, Ted Henifin, ” Henifin, Henifin, Delbert Hosemann, Jan ., Chokwe Antar Lumumba, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Nutrition Assistance, SNAP, Mississippi Legislature, Gov, Jackson, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Jackson, Mississippi, @mikergoldberg

☆ Calls mount for federal investigation of Mississippi police in Dexter Wade's death
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Al Sharpton are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Wade's death and the Jackson police's handling of it, saying the police failed to notify the family. The last time Wade's mother saw her son was on March 5, when he left her home in the evening, NBC News reported last week. NBC cited interviews with Wade's family members and documents obtained via public records requests, including a crash report, incident reports and coroner’s office records. The investigator said he called Wade's mother and could not get through, and then passed the information to the Jackson Police Department so it could notify Wade's next of kin of his death, NBC reported. Wade's mother filed a missing person report on March 14 and said she nagged the department and begged for help finding her son on Facebook for months, NBC reported.

Persons: Ben Crump, Eduardo Munoz, Dexter Wade, Benjamin Crump, Al Sharpton, Jackson, Wade's, Wade, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Rev, Gabriella Borter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Department of Justice, NBC News, NBC, Jackson Police Department, The Jackson Police Department, Jackson Mayor, Department, National Action Network, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Mississippi, Jackson, Hinds County, Hinds, Wade

In it, the Haitian-born filmmaker of “Lumumba,” “Sometimes in April” and some of the most thoughtful, prodding essay-film documentaries, chronicles the story of the Reels family in North Carolina. The land, known as Silver Dollar Road, has been in the family since the days of Reconstruction, when their ancestors were freed from slavery. In Peck’s hands, the film stays close to the Reels’ experience and to the land; images of vines that wrap the family tree seem to grow out of the forests of Silver Dollar Road. There’s no way you can recover.”Instead, any villain in “Silver Dollar Road” is faceless. To feel at home and to feel at ease, not to be afraid that there would be something that would aggress them.”Peck was in Toronto to premiere “Silver Dollar Road” at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Persons: Raoul Peck, Barry Jenkins beelined, James Baldwin, Peck, Oscar, " Jenkins, ”, Baldwin, “, Beale, ” Jenkins, “ Lumumba, Elijah, what's, Melvin Davis, ” Peck, it’s, I’ve, Lizzie Presser, Mamie, Ellison, Kim Renee Duhon, Duhon, “ We’ll, they’re, Jake Coyle Organizations: TORONTO, HBO, Toronto, Twitter Locations: Toronto, Haitian, ”, North Carolina, Adams, Carteret County, North America, Berlin

A nurse fills a syringe with malaria vaccine before administering it to an infant at the Lumumba Sub-County hospital in Kisumu, Kenya, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes. recommended the broad use of the world's first malaria vaccine called RTS,S," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing in Geneva. "Today, it gives me great pleasure to announce that WHO is recommending a second vaccine called R21/Matrix-M to prevent malaria in children at risk of the disease." "GSK has always recognised the need for a second malaria vaccine, but it is increasingly evident that RTS,S, the first ever malaria vaccine and the first ever vaccine against a human parasite, set a strong benchmark," GSK said in a statement.

Persons: Baz Ratner, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Tedros, Poonawalla, Takeda, Hanna Nohynek, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Leroy Leo, Gareth Jones, Mark Potter Organizations: Lumumba, REUTERS, Rights, World Health Organization, WHO, Britain's University of Oxford, UNICEF, Serum Institute of India, Reuters, GSK plc, United Nations, GSK, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Thomson Locations: Kisumu, Kenya, Geneva, Ghana, Malawi, Bengaluru

☆ Deion Sanders’ ‘audacious Blackness’ makes him the hero African Americans want right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —After his team’s first victory earlier this month, University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said something remarkable. He has entered one of the Whitest and most conservative institutions in America — college football — and excelled. It’s no secret the league has had a poor record of hiring Black coaches. Ron Jenkins/Getty ImagesHe’s brought an “audacious Blackness” to college football that’s revolutionary, one commentator says. In many ways, the profession at this level has become welfare for white coaches.

Persons: CNN —, Deion Sanders, “, ” Sanders, Sanders, He’s, Muhammad Ali, Lil Wayne, Kawhi Leonard, Dwayne “, ” Johnson, ” Deion Sanders, Dwayne, Johnson, Andrew Wevers, ”, ” Clinton Yates, Obama, George Floyd, White, —, It’s, Colin Kaepernick, Carmen Mandato, He’ll, ‘, ” Greg Moore, Al Campanis, weren’t, Doug Williams, Rick Stewart, “ I’m, That’s, he’s, Shedeur Sanders, Ron Jenkins, ’, ” Vaughn Wilson, Ted Johnson, Deion, “ Sanders, Bakari K, Lumumba, cornerbacks, John Blake Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado, LA Clippers, Colorado, USC, BET, Colorado Buffaloes, Colorado State Rams, USA, Sports, Reuters, Buffaloes, Georgetown Hoyas men’s, University of Miami football, UNLV, Michigan, US Supreme Court, America —, NFL, White, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Redskins, Super, Blacks, of Famer, Jackson State University, TCU, Fort Worth , Texas . Colorado, Jackson State, Washington Post, that’s, Pan, Oregon Ducks, Black Locations: Boulder, Boulder , Colorado, Black America, America, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arizona, White America, Colorado, Mississippi, Fort Worth , Texas, White

☆ Mississippi House OKs new court system — to be appointed by white state officials — for second-Blackest U.S. city, stoking racial tension
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Mississippi state flag (bottom) waves in front of the city skyline in Jackson, Mississippi on June 28, 2020. The change would break with the rest of the state, where judges and prosecutors are elected by voters. If approved by the state Senate and governor, the system and its judges would preside over a so-called improvement district spanning Jackson's downtown and shopping and entertainment areas. If the new Jackson system is approved by the Senate and governor, its judges and clerk would be appointed by the state Supreme Court's chief justice, who is white. And prosecutors would be named by the state attorney general, who also is white.

☆ DOJ appointee releases new plan for ‘tenuous’ Jackson water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The plan would relieve the water system of its debt and introduce a new billing model that would become effective in the budget year that begins on Oct. 1. Jackson is struggling with access to safe drinking water after a disruption at the water processing facility. The plan would change the way Jackson issues fees for water use. The new rate structure would reduce the system’s dependence on city water meters, which have been mired in problems, Henifin said. The metering bill isn’t the only legislation advancing in the state legislature that would impact Jackson’s water system.

☆ Congolese artist paints politicians' portraits in plastic
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Crispin Kyala | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Congolese artist Patrick Cikuru Cirimwami applies finishing touches on portrait images of Congolese leaders, made from plastic waste, which he melts after collecting it near the banks of the Ruzizi I hydroelectric plant, in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Crispin KyalangalilwaBUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Near the banks of Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, artist Patrick Cikuru Cirimwami wades knee-deep through a mountain of plastic bottles, scooping as many as he can carry into a large sack. Later he will melt down the plastic to make a thick liquid which he uses to paint portraits of politicians - intended to be a condemnation of what he says is their inaction in protecting the environment. As a Congolese artist, I can send a message," said the 26-year-old. Congo, like other African nations, has insisted on its right to develop its economy by exploiting its vast natural resources.

☆ Running water scarce in Jackson, Mississippi, after frigid weather
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Other Southern cities unaccustomed to freezing weather were grappling with similar water issues, including Atlanta; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Selma, Alabama. Homes in some parts of the city had no water at all, and officials have set up distribution points for bottled drinking water each day. The U.S. Justice Department in November reached an agreement with Mississippi and the city of Jackson to appoint an interim third-party manager to stabilize the city's drinking water supply. The mayor says fixing the water system will take billions of dollars. The U.S. Congress included $600 million to repair Jackson's water system in a spending bill signed into law last week.

Residents of Mississippi's largest city are "tired of apologies" but have no choice but to endure ongoing water stoppages in the wake of extreme weather, officials said Tuesday. "I have spoken to residents who are tired of apologies," Mayor Antar Lumumba told reporters Tuesday, saying there's no telling when this current stoppage will end. This past weekend's winter freeze led to broken pipes, leaving thousands of residents of Mississippi's biggest city and state capital without safe, running water. “There is no way to prevent what is happening to our water treatment facility. "They continue to work at the water treatment facility, they continue to be a part of the coordinated effort to repair breaks where they have taken place," the mayor said.

[1/5] An aerial view of buildings during a blizzard in Buffalo, New York, U.S. December 26, 2022, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. "It's still snowing" in Western New York, said NWS meteorologist Bob Oravec, predicting two more inches. "This is probably the last of the snow," added Oravec, who is with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Buffalo, New York state's second largest city, was ground zero for the blizzard that took shape on Friday. Poloncarz, speaking at a press briefing Tuesday, urged residents to stay home and the curious to stay away.

Broken pipes left thousands of residents of Jackson, Mississippi, without running water Monday after a winter storm as the city struggled to return pressure to its frail water system. “There’s no water pressure for most residents in Jackson, again,” state Rep. Ronnie Crudup said Monday. He said he’s one of the only people he knows in his neighborhood with some running water, but it’s just a small amount and not drinkable under the city’s boil water notice. In early 2021, extremely low temperatures left residents without running water after pipes froze. This year, the city lost running water amid problems at the city’s main water treatment facility, the O.B.

☆ U.S. seeks to appoint manager of water supply in Jackson, Mississippi
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has reached an agreement with the state of Mississippi and the city of Jackson to appoint an interim third-party manager to stabilize the city's drinking water supply after a catastrophic failure over the summer. The Justice Department also a filed a complaint against the city on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency, alleging the city failed to provide reliable drinking water. City and state leaders blamed each other for the crisis, and in October the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency opened an investigation into Mississippi state agencies to determine if they violated civil rights in Jackson. The troubles revealed tension between the state government of Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican who accused the city of mismanaging the water plant, and the city government of Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat. Reeves in a statement on Tuesday praised the agreement as "excellent news ... that the mayor will no longer be overseeing the city's water system."

☆ Arson suspect arrested after 7 fires set across Mississippi's capital city
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

— Authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with seven fires set across Mississippi’s capital city early Tuesday. At least two of the buildings set ablaze in Jackson were churches; one was burned to the ground. Another fire broke out on fences surrounding the baseball practice field at Jackson State University, a historically Black public university. We have about a third of our department on sites.”A fireman observes the remains of a burned Epiphany Lutheran Church in Jackson, Mississippi, on Nov. 8, 2022. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba addressed the fires at a Tuesday city council meeting.

☆ U.S. EPA opens civil rights probe into Mississippi capital's water crisis
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday opened an investigation into Mississippi state agencies to determine if they violated civil rights in the majority Black city of Jackson in the course of funding of the city's water infrastructure. Representatives of those two departments and the office of Governor Tate Reeves did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Even before that crisis, the city had been under a boil water notice due to "elevated turbidity levels," meaning the water appear cloudy. That followed a string of disruptions to the city's water supply in recent years caused by high lead levels, bacterial contamination and storm damage. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The breakdown occurred after Jackson was pummeled by days of heavy rain and the city’s main water treatment plant failed. In an interview on Monday, he said that withholding the funds Jackson needs to ensure safe drinking water puts lives at risk. “Mississippi is one of several states that absolutely rely on the generosity of the federal government,” Thompson said. More than 200 Jackson residents and supporters hold signs as they march to the governor's mansion to protest water issues in the city. Service was restored by the next week, and most Jackson residents no longer have to boil their water, but there are lingering concerns about water quality.

“After years of neglect, Jackson’s water system finally reached a breaking point this summer, leaving tens of thousands of people without any running water for weeks. Lumumba said Monday that his administration intends to cooperate with federal officials. In late 2019, the state Health Department notified the EPA about concerns with the city’s water system. An inspection by the EPA raised alarms about problems, including not having enough properly credentialed staff members at the city’s water treatment plants. Mark Chalos, an attorney who filed the most recent class-action lawsuit, said many Jacksonians remain suspicious of the city’s water quality.

A group of Jackson, Mississippi, residents filed a class action lawsuit on Friday over the water crisis that left over 150,000 people in the city without access to clean running water. As a result of water crisis, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege they weren't able to "readily go about normal daily activities like using the bathroom, brushing [their] teeth, and cooking." Late last month, Lumumba told reporters the city had been dealing with the water crisis "for the better part of two years." Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency late August, saying the water crisis in Jackson threatened “critical needs” after rain and flooding pushed the Pearl River to dangerous levels, according to officials. A team from the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general’s office is conducting a top-to-bottom review of what caused Jackson's water crisis.

☆ Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says it's 'a great day to not be in Jackson,' where residents went without clean running water for weeks
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

More than 150,000 people in Jackson — Mississippi's largest city and capital — went without clean running water for weeks. Tate Reeves said it was "a great day to not be in Jackson." Tate Reeves called it "a great day to not be in Jackson" on Friday, referring to the state's capital, which has been deprived of clean running water for weeks. It's also, as always, a great day to not be in Jackson," he said, according to local television station 16 WAPT News. The city lost access to clean running water after severe flooding in late August damaged its main water treatment facility.

One of two state agencies responsible for pushing out millions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds said it could be at least mid-to-late 2023 before any allocations roll out. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a Democrat, has said the price tag to overhaul the city’s water infrastructure could balloon into the billions. This year, the Mississippi Legislature created a $450 million water infrastructure funding program with money the state received through the Congressional Covid relief package that passed in 2021. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is administering the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program. Sam Mozee, director of the Mississippi Urban Research Center at Jackson State University, says his team is tracking what happens with funding going forward.

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