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☆ Progressives are pressing California Gov. Gavin Newsom to reverse his earlier vow to tap a Senate caretaker and instead appoint Barbara Lee to succeed Dianne Feinstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Progressives want Gavin Newsom to tap Rep. Barbara Lee to succeed Dianne Feinstein in the Senate. But such a move would reverse Newsom's earlier pledge to appoint a caretaker to the seat. "When Newsom appointed Padilla for VP seat he didn't appoint a caretaker," Khanna wrote. "She would be most prepared to step in and carry forth the work Senator Feinstein has worked on for so many decades," she told the newspaper. Lee said earlier in September that she was "troubled" by Newsom's thinking on what was then a hypothetical Senate appointment.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, Barbara Lee, Dianne Feinstein, Lee, Feinstein, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, —, Dianne Feinstein's, Newsom, Barbara Lee —, who's, Ro Khanna, Sen, Alex Padilla, Padilla, Kamala Harris, Khanna, Newsom's, Aprill Turner, Turner, Anish Mohanty, didn't Organizations: Service, San Francisco, Golden State, Oakland, Lee's Senate, Senate, America PAC, Heights, Washington Post, Democratic Party Locations: California, San, Golden

☆ Dianne Feinstein is dead. Here's what happens next, and what it means for Democrats.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's death will temporarily narrow Senate Democrats' razor-thin majority. Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, a trailblazing Black lawmaker who's running to replace Feinstein, has expressed frustration over this limitation. Before Newsome qualified his vow, Lee was widely viewed as a leading candidate to replace Feinstein. Senate Democrats' majority is going to narrow temporarilyDemocrats now hold an effective 50-49 majority, including the three independent senators that caucus with them. AdvertisementAdvertisementFeinstein also leaves seats open on powerful committeesAs one of the most senior Democrats, Feinstein held seats on the powerful Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees.

Persons: Sen, Dianne Feinstein's, California's Gavin Newsom, Newsom, —, Dianne Feinstein, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Barbara Lee, who's, Feinstein, Newsome, Lee, Alex Padilla, Harris, It's, he's, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden's, Chuck Grassley, Biden, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Schumer, Adam Schiff, Katie Porter, Schiff, Trump's, Porter, Elizabeth Warren, Trump, James Bradley, Steve Garvey Organizations: Democrats, Service, Democratic, Judiciary, Intelligence, Senate, House Intelligence, Republican, GOP, Los Angeles Dodgers Locations: California, Iowa

☆ US jail practices are racist and an 'affront to human dignity,' UN experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A jail cell at the Chatham County Detention Center is pictured in Savannah, Georgia, U.S., February 21, 2019. In a report published on Thursday, three U.N.-appointed experts said they had found practices in U.S. prisons that amounted to "an affront to human dignity" in visits in April and May. The experts "heard, first hand, unbearable direct testimonies of pregnant women shackled during labour, who due to the chaining, lost their babies", it said. Asked to give details, a U.N. rights spokesperson referred to "several" cases and confirmed they all involved Black women. One Black man told the experts he had been kept in isolation for 11 years without interruption, the report said.

Persons: Shannon Stapleton, George Floyd, Black, Juan Mendez, Emma Farge, Kevin Liffey, Timothy Gardner Organizations: Detention, Investigation, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Chatham, Savannah , Georgia, U.S, GENEVA, Geneva, Louisiana, Angola, Juan Mendez ., United States

NEW YORK (AP) — The actor picked to play the iconic, baby-faced flapper Betty Boop in a new stage musical is a triple threat from Texas with a contagious laugh. Jasmine Amy Rogers will star in “BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical” making its debut this fall in Chicago with hopes that it can charm itself to Broadway. I have so many people around me that are helping me find her and bring her to life, and so it’s really, really exciting,” Rogers told The Associated Press before her official unveiling Wednesday. Betty Boop has been a queen of animated cartoon characters since 1930, wearing round eyes, a strapless minidress, with a garter peeking out above her knee and large hoop earrings in her ears.

Persons: Betty Boop, Jasmine Amy Rogers, “ BOOP, ” Rogers, Jerry Mitchell, Rogers, Nancy ”, they’ve, ‘, ’ ”, Mitchell, Tony, “ Kinky Boots, ”, Rotten, “, She’s, David Foster, Susan Birkenhead, Bob Martin, Betty, she’s, “ I’m, Jasmine, Gretchen Wieners, ” “, ‘ ’, it’s, I’ve, Roger Rabbit, ___ Mark Kennedy Organizations: Broadway, Associated Press, Alliance Theatre, Manhattan School of Music, ” Fleischer Studios Locations: Texas, Chicago, Atlanta, New Jersey, Nancy

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash during a hearing denied a request by Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights for a preliminary injunction blocking Fearless Fund from considering applications for grants only from businesses led by Black women. Blum's group had asked the judge to temporarily block the Fearless Fund's "racially exclusive program" while the court considered the merits of the case. Fearless Fund founders Arian Simone and Ayana Parsons in a joint statement said they were pleased that Thrash rejected Blum's attempt to shut down their grant program. According to the Fearless Fund, businesses owned by Black women in 2022 received less than 1% of the $288 billion that venture capital firms deployed. It also provides grants, and Blum's lawsuit took aim at its Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, which awards Black women who own small businesses $20,000 in grants and other resources to grow their businesses.

Persons: Edward Blum, Thomas, Edward Blum's, Blum, Arian Simone, Ayana Parsons, Simone, Parsons, JPMorgan Chase, Strivers, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Fair, Harvard University, Supreme, U.S, District, Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights, Circuit, Appeals, University of North, JPMorgan, Bank of America, MasterCard, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Atlanta, Texas, University of North Carolina, Black, U.S . Civil, Boston

Those lawsuits accuse all three of violating Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights Act, a law enacted after the Civil War that guarantees all people the same right to make and enforce contracts "as is enjoyed by white citizens." "All of our nation's civil rights laws - including the 1866 Civil Rights Act - enshrine the command that someone's race and ethnicity must never be used to help or harm them in public and private employment and contracting," Blum, who is white, told Reuters in an email. FREE SPEECH ARGUMENTFearless Fund has brought in prominent lawyers to defend it, including civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Alphonso David, who during a news conference called Blum's use of the Civil War-era law "cynical." They argue that the rules for the grants are merely criteria for being eligible for a "discretionary gift" and do not create a "contract" subject to the civil rights law. Blum's group countered that Fearless Fund's argument would ironically undermine the very causes it favors by essentially invalidating Section 1981 and deeming racial discrimination protected by the First Amendment.

Persons: Edward Blum, Morrison, Foerster, Edward Blum's, Thomas, Fearless Fund's, Bill Clinton, Blum, Sarah Hinger, Hinger, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Arian Simone, Ayana Parsons, Blum's, Strivers, Ben Crump, Alphonso David, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Will Dunham Organizations: Fair, Harvard University, Supreme, Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights, University of North, U.S, District, Democratic, Reuters, American Civil, Racial, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, University of North Carolina, Atlanta, Black, Blum's Texas, Colorado, Boston

☆ Why more women are choosing to be child-free
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Demographers point to a number of factors driving this phenomenon: economic insecurity, political uncertainty, shifting gender norms and a lessening stigma around the choice to remain child-free. In the past, women who could have been inclined to remain child-free might have given birth anyway because that is what society expected from them. Even so, women who choose to remain child-free say they still feel like they constantly have to explain their choices to others. Women who opt to remain child-free say they still experience judgment for their choices. The assumption that child-free women don’t care about children simply isn’t true either, some say.

Persons: CNN — Dyanna Volek, “ I’m, ”, Volek, “, doesn’t, don’t, Cecilia Sanders, Sanders, ’ ”, Amy Blackstone, ” Blackstone, “ We’ve, we’ve, Yana Grant, Yana Grant “, ” Grant, Grant, They’re, Graves, Jordan Levey, Levey, they’d, wasn't, Jordan Levey “, —, ” Sanders, Blackstone, They’ve, they’ll, couldn’t, ’ Organizations: CNN, Centers for Disease Control, University of Maine, US, Getty Locations: San Francisco, Chicago, Tulsa , Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Washington

☆ I'm an NYU student who studied abroad twice for free. Though I experienced racism overseas, I still plan on studying abroad a 3rd time.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Zamiya Jean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As an NYU student, I've been able to study abroad in Florence and Paris. I still love traveling and will study abroad again next semester. AdvertisementAdvertisementAt Gallatin, I have the freedom to study abroad as many times as I want. Because of this, I studied at NYU Florence in the fall and NYU Paris in the spring of my sophomore year. I leaned into my other identities: I'm Black, Caribbean, Haitian, and St. Lucian, as well as a New Yorker.

Persons: I've, I'm, Lucian Organizations: NYU, Service, New York University, Gallatin School, NYU Florence, NYU Paris, NYU London, New Yorker Locations: Florence, Paris, Italy, Wall, Silicon, Gallatin, it's, Caribbean, New, America, Europe, London

☆ Lizzo preaches self-love and acceptance. But backstage, her team was mocked and bullied, designer says in a new lawsuit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Diana Dasrath | Tim Stelloh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Daniels was fired after she complained about Nomura, according to the suit. Nomura told Daniels never to interact with Lizzo or to dress attractively in front of her because it may make Lizzo jealous, the suit said. Alleged slurs, threats and offensive impressionsNomura allegedly mocked Lizzo and her dancers with what the lawsuit described as a "stereotypical sassy Black woman imitation." After Daniels complained to Gugliotta, Lizzo's tour manager, she allegedly asked Daniels to surreptitiously record Nomura, according to the suit. Daniels declined, believing it would be unethical and possibly illegal, and continued to work for Lizzo, according to the suit.

Persons: Lizzo, Asha Daniels, Daniels, Amanda Nomura, Nomura, Ron Zambrano, Zambrano, it's, Melissa Viviane Jefferson, Carlina Gugliotta, Gugliotta, Quincy, she's Organizations: Ball, NBC, Superior Court, Big, Touring Inc, NBC News, Black, Lizzo Locations: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, New York City, Taylor, Los Angeles

But the Fearless Fund is a tiny player in the approximately $200 billion global venture capital market. Less than 1% of venture capital funding goes to businesses owned by Black and Hispanic women, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Digitalundivided. The lawsuit against the Fearless Fund was filed by Edward Blum, the conservative activist who filed the affirmative action cases before the Supreme Court. Fearless Fund has invested more than $2 million in Thirteen Lune, founded by Nyako Griego. The combined share of venture capital funding received by Black and Latina founders briefly surpassed 1% in 2021 before dipping back below that threshold in 2022, according to Digitalundivided.

Persons: ”, Arian Simone, it's, Simone, ” Simone, Fearless, Edward Blum, Blum, ” Blum, Ben Crump, Marc Rosen, Thirteen, Sephora, Kohl's, Rosen, They’re, ” Rosen, Nyako Griego, George Floyd, Morgan Chase, Associated Press Retail Writers Anne D'Innocenzio, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: Fearless Fund, Black, Associated Press, Civil, American Alliance, Equal, AP, Fund, Court, Latina, Bank of America, Mastercard, Associated Press Retail Writers Locations: Atlanta, Texas, Florida, U.S, Lune

☆ Harmonia Rosales’ ‘Master Narrative’ exhibition reimagines Renaissance art
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

A selection of her work in this vein is currently on display in the exhibition “Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta. At the core of Rosales’ art is the idea that “storytelling is a journey of personal discovery and a reclamation of one’s cultural identity." Elon Schoenholz/Harmonia RosalesAcross 20 oil paintings and a large-scale sculptural installation, Rosales’ work challenges viewers to consider the universality of creation through a Black diasporic lens. Rosales' work demonstrates her journey towards empowerment and self-love, with figures in her artworks painted with features she used to dislike about herself. Every one of these (artworks) tells my stories.”“Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” is on display at the Spelman College Museum of Art in Atlanta through December 2.

Persons: Adam, ” Sandro Botticelli’s “, Venus ”, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Harmonia Rosales, Barbara, Rosales, Elon, Rosales ’, Olodumare, orishas —, Lucy Garrett, it’s what’s, ” Rosales, “, “ I’m, ”, Liz Andrews, —, Andy Warhol, ’ ” Rosales, ” “, Harmonia Rosales “, I’m, Regla, Harmonia, Black Mary, Virgin Mary, Helen Morales, ” Lucy Garrett, ” Morales, Yemaya, “ They’ve, Angelou, Saint Bartholomew Organizations: CNN, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, University of California, European, Masters, Spelman College Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Museum of Contemporary, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, European Old Masters, Catholic, UCSB Locations: Britannica, Cuban American, Atlanta, Santa, Western Africa, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Rosales, Cuba, Americas

☆ Sweetgreen sued by workers alleging racial discrimination — including regular use of the N-word — and sexual harassment
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ten former and current Sweetgreen employees are accusing store managers of racial discrimination. The plaintiffs allege managers used and tolerated the use of racial slurs toward Black workers. Managers are also accused of sexual harassment in the lawsuit. We take these accusations seriously and do not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, or unsafe working conditions," a spokesperson said to CNBC in a statement. In 2020, another New York-based employee sued Sweetgreen for gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Persons: —, Kiana Alvarado, Sweetgreen didn't, Sweetgreen Organizations: Service, New York Supreme, New, Financial, CNBC Locations: Wall, Silicon, Bronx, New York City, Greenwich Village, Midtown East, Meatpacking District, New York

NEW YORK (AP) — Prize-winning fiction writer Deesha Philyaw, who struggled to find a publisher for what became her acclaimed debut “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” has a 7-figure deal for her next two books. Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced Thursday that it had signed up Philyaw and will publish her novel “True Confessions” in 2025. Mariner calls the book a “biting satire” of the Black church and “a deeply provocative” story about family, friendship and “sexual agency." Philyaw, who attended several different churches as a child, is centering the novel around a megachurch leader named Schar. It won the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Story Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and is being adapted for television by HBO Max.

Persons: —, Deesha Philyaw, ”, Philyaw, Schar, “, Breonna Taylor Organizations: Church Ladies, Mariner, HarperCollins Publishers, West Virginia University Press, PEN, Faulkner, Los Angeles Times, HBO Max Locations: “, York

☆ An Illustrated Guide to Toppling the Patriarchy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Anna Holmes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

50 YEARS OF MS.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine That Ignited a Revolution, edited by Katherine Spillar and the editors of Ms. In our house, where my mother was careful about the messaging of the media and toys we consumed, the “Stories for Free Children” section was always welcome. It began as an insert in New York magazine, featuring a famous cover story titled “Click! First a monthly, later a quarterly, Ms. was famously co-founded by the writer and activist Gloria Steinem, who contributes a foreword. The question, of course, is how all this reads in 2023.

Persons: Katherine Spillar, Tan, Emily Arnold McCully, Lorde, Barbara Ehrenreich, Susan Brownmiller, Eleanor Holmes Norton, ”, Gloria Steinem Locations: ”, New York

LOS ANGELES (AP) — This week the United States’ biggest newspaper chain posted to its site two unusual job listings: a Taylor Swift reporter and a Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter. Political Cartoons View All 1157 ImagesSome journalists criticized the listings for presenting superfan behavior as a full-time journalism job, especially as job opportunities shrink and music journalists are paid low wages. “If there wasn’t that component to it, there wouldn’t be a Beyoncé reporter,” Tinsley said. “It is a bit odd, but Taylor Swift Inc., I guess you would call it, is a big economic driver right now,” said Eric Grode, director of the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University. Representatives for Swift and Beyoncé did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Knowles, Carter, it'll, Beyoncé Knowles, Omise’eke Tinsley, “, ”, ” Tinsley, Amy Chozick, Hilary Clinton, Suzy Exposito, ” Exposito, Eric Grode, “ Taylor Swift, Grode, ” Rick Edmonds, Taylor, Exposito, Soraya Roberts, Tinsley, Swift, Beyoncé, David Bauder Organizations: ANGELES, States ’, Gannett, USA, Swift, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Taylor Swift Inc, Goldring Arts Journalism, Communications, Syracuse University, Poynter Institute, AP Locations: Nashville, Beyoncé, New York

☆ Kamala Harris can't win: Franklin Foer's book brings more critiques that experts say aren't always fair
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kamala Harris was recently described in a new book as someone who failed to achieve anything substantive as VP. Experts who spoke to Insider say that much of the criticism against Harris isn't always fair. She has yet to meaningfully prove herself in her role as vice president , Democrat colleagues say. Mondale expanded the role of the vice president to become a de facto advisor to the president and execute their agenda. I don't think she's an especially outstanding vice president, but it just seems like she's a pretty standard one."

Persons: Kamala Harris, Harris isn't, Harris, combatting, She's, Joe Biden's, Franklin Foer, Julia Azari, Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter, Azari, Mondale, Foer, Nadia, Brown, stokes, she's, it's, Biden, they're Organizations: Service, Asian, Marquette University, Biden, Politico, Democratic Party, Gender, Georgetown University, NBC, Central Locations: Wall, Silicon, Milwaukee , Wisconsin, predicaments

☆ Opinion: Thanks to Coco Gauff, we can dream big
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Kirsi Goldynia | Opinion Roxanne Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Coco Gauff has been crowned America’s new tennis darling after her amazing US Open championship win against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Like Serena, Gauff is unafraid to speak out on social issues or speak up after a bad call from the umpire. “[Venus and Serena] are the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest,” Gauff told media after her US Open win. Growing up there weren’t too many black tennis players dominating the sport. Despite the many obstacles, Black tennis thrived back in the early 1900s.

Persons: Roxanne Jones, Jones, ”, CNN — Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Serena Williams, Serena, she’d, Coco Gauff, She’s, That’s, Gauff, Coco, Serena —, Venus —, ” Gauff, Williams, ’, you’ll, Lucy Diggs Slowe, Slowe, Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, Lori McNeil, Zina Garrison —, Gibson, Lucy Slowe, Lindsay Davenport, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Zina Garrison Organizations: ESPN The Magazine, ESPN, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, CNN, US, “, United States Tennis Association, USTA, tennis, American Tennis Association, Black, Wimbledon, Twitter, Madison Locations: Belarus, Serena

Illinois' Pretrial Fairness Act, which abolishes cash bail as a condition of pretrial release, will take effect Sept. 18, making Illinois the first state to end cash bail and a testing ground for whether — and how — it works on a large scale. Critics say cash bail policies are especially unfair to Black people and other people of color. In 2017, New Jersey essentially replaced its cash bail system with a risk assessment process that gauged the potential danger a released defendant could pose to the community. But cash bail is still allowed in some instances in that state and others that have curtailed the practice, such as New York and Alaska. California has made several efforts to reform its cash bail system, but lawmakers balked at sweeping reform.

Persons: Shannon Ross, Ross, Ross couldn’t, “, ”, Sharone Mitchell Jr, John Curran, he’s, “ I’ve, ” Curran, Jim Kaitschuk, Kaitschuk, Mitchell, ” Mitchell, Nikuya Brooks ’, Brooks, didn't, I’m, “ I’m, ” Brooks, “ You’re, you’re, ” Ross, ___ Savage Organizations: CHICAGO, Associated Press, Illinois, Commission, Civil, Illinois Sheriffs ’ Association, Police, Scout, Chicago Community Bond Fund, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Chicago, Illinois, Cook, United States, New Jersey, New York, Alaska . California, DuPage County

☆ Analysis: Here’s why many Black people despise Clarence Thomas. (It’s not because he’s a conservative.)
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

CNN —Long before he became a Supreme Court justice, Clarence Thomas told a story at a public gathering that still sounds shocking years later. Justice Clarence Thomas jokes with his clerks in his chambers at the Supreme Court building in Washington in 2016. AP“His entire judicial philosophy is at war with his own biography,” Michael Fletcher, co-author of “Supreme Discomfort: The Divided Soul of Clarence Thomas,”. “He’s arguably benefited from affirmative action every step of the way.”Thomas has admitted that he was accepted at Yale Law School under an affirmative action policy. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas looks at the displays inside the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

Persons: CNN — Long, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Ronald Reagan, ” Thomas, Diana Walker, Thomas ’, Emma Mae Martin, he’s, Harlan Crow, Crow, ”, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chip Somodevilla, “ fawning, Reagan, John L, Nikki Merritt, Merritt, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Roe, Wade, ” Sen, Alyssa Pointer, Anita Hill’s, Uncle Tom, Thomas “, Juan Williams, “, Armstrong Williams, ” Williams, Amul Thapar, Jonathan Ernst, ” Thomas ’, Thomas doesn’t, they’ve, Thurgood Marshall, ” Michael Fletcher, “ He’s, I’d, Critics, White, Malcolm X, Richard Burkhard, you’ve, pounced, “ Clarence Thomas, Black, ” Tori Otten, ” Otten, ” Juan Williams, Virginia “ Ginni ” Thomas, Trump’s, John Duricka, Williams, — Trump, Booker T, Washington, Marcus Garvey, Obama, ” “ We’ve, –, “ It’s, “ Thomas, Steven Ferdman, Jim Crow, Frederick Douglass, ” Clarence Thomas, nodded, ” Merritt Organizations: CNN, White House, Commission, Texas Republican, Republican, National Bar Association, Democrat, Georgia Senate, Georgia State Capitol, NAACP, Supreme, National Museum of, Thomas Others, Reuters, Yale Law School, Catholic, College of, Cross, AP, Yale, Heritage Museum, Savannah Morning, USA, The, New, Morehouse College, Fox News Channel Studios, Reagan Administration, Bettmann Locations: Storm, Texas, New York, Washington, Memphis, Georgia, handouts, Atlanta, American, America, Cincinnati, Pin, Savannah , Georgia, New Republic, Wisconsin, Arizona, Virginia, Black, China, India, Brazil, New York City

The paid fellowships were designed in part to help support the recruitment of people of color, which major law firms have struggled for years to add to their partnership ranks. The fellowship consists of a paid summer-associate position, which in law firms often lead to full-time jobs that pay in the six figures after graduation, and a $50,000 stipend. Legal challenges against corporate diversity programs have increased in the wake of the Supreme Court's affirmative action ruling. The other law firm in Blum's crosshairs is Seattle-founded Perkins Coie, a more than 1,200-lawyer global law firm. It has a similar fellowship and has said it plans to defend itself, saying its commitment to diversity is "steadfast."

Persons: Edward Blum, Perkins, Morrison, Foerster, Blum, Keith Wetmore, Blum's, Perkins Coie, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Richard Chang Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Harvard University, University of North, San, American Alliance for Equal Rights, Excellence, Harvard, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Washington , U.S, San Francisco, Miami, Blum's crosshairs, Seattle, Boston

☆ Little Richard embraced fluidity in rock ‘n’ roll. These are some of the artists he influenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Editor’s Note: The CNN Film “Little Richard: I Am Everything” tells the story of rock ‘n’ roll’s Black, queer origins. Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesPerhaps the closest thing to a successor Little Richard had was Prince, the late legend who, like Little Richard, resisted easy classification and reinvented music upon his arrival. Tina TurnerTina Turner and Little Richard reunited for a performance at the 1989 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. “I couldn’t believe the power of Little Richard on stage,” he said in Little Richard’s biography. Ian Gavan/Getty ImagesLike Little Richard, the British pop maven always felt at home in front of a piano, often tinkling the keys dressed in an ostentatious garment involving feathers (Little Richard, meanwhile, mostly stuck to suits).

Persons: “, Richard, Lil Nas, Little Richard, didn’t, Prince, David Bowie, Janelle Monáe, Dick Clark, Little Richard’s, Prince Prince, Kevin Winter, ” Richard, Rosetta Tharpe, you’ll, Frutti ”, NPR’s Ann Powers, Frutti, …, ” Prince, Richard’s, Nikki ”, MTV “, ” David Bowie David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust, Bowie, ”, Ziggy, wouldn’t, ” Bowie, Tina Turner Tina Turner, Sonia Moskowitz, Ike, Turner, —, Elvis, Mick Jagger Richard, Jagger, Little, Elton John Elton John, Ian Gavan, maven, John, he’s, ” John, Beverly Hilton, Freddie Mercury, might’ve, Queen —, Elvis Baz Luhrman’s, ” dramatizes, Alton Mason, Richard careens, Elvis ”, King —, Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe, Ethan Miller, Monáe, ” Monae, Richard . Lady Gaga, Gaga, Jo Calderone, Princess Lavonne, Lavonne, he’d, Jo, Princess Lavonne’s, ” Ashon Crawley Organizations: CNN, MTV, Roll Hall, Beverly, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., USA, NPR Music Locations: London, New Orleans, British, Monáe

☆ Walgreens CEO steps down
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Walgreens Boots Alliance on Friday said that CEO Rosalind Brewer has stepped down less than three years after taking the helm at the pharmacy chain. Walgreens’ board named Ginger Graham, a member of the board, as interim CEO as the company launches a search for a permanent CEO. Walgreens slashed its full-year profit guidance in June, warning of softening consumer spending and a pullback in demand for Covid vaccines. Under Brewer, Walgreens had implemented cost-saving measures in an effort to boost profitability in its healthcare segment. Walgreens says it’s a digital-first experimental store to benefit customers and not designed to deter theft, Walgreens says.

Persons: Rosalind Brewer, Brewer, Ginger Graham Organizations: New, New York CNN, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Fortune, Walgreens, Roosevelt, Dick’s Sporting Goods Locations: New York, United States, United Kingdom, Chicago

☆ Black unemployment rate declines in August, even as it rose across the board
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The unemployment rate for Black workers slipped in August, bucking the broader trend of a higher overall jobless rate. The overall unemployment rate ticked up to 3.8% last month, the highest since February 2022. The jobless rate declined for Black workers, sliding to 5.3% in August, compared to 5.8% in July. When accounting for gender, the unemployment rate for Black men age 20 and older came down to 5%, a decline from the 5.3% rate in July. "I am relieved that the Black unemployment rate is coming down; it had been a little elevated a couple of months earlier," said Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

Persons: —, Elise Gould Organizations: Economic, Institute

☆ Ja’Tovia Gary Sets Her Sights on Love
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Yasmina Price | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gary keeps several altars in her work space and sits with them daily. She has also become an avid reader of romance novels, which she keeps stacked around her studio. “I’m definitely fixing my sights — not just in a creative or professional sense but also in a personal sense — on love, in really trying to be heart centered and spirit led,” she says. Gary also takes seriously the tensions of desire and power that exist in those novels. In a pivotal clip from “The Giverny Suite,” Nina Simone muses on the anguishes of love during her spellbinding performance at the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Persons: Gary, “, ”, She’s, ” Nina Simone, Malcolm X Organizations: Jazz, West 116th Locations: Harlem, West

☆ Ron DeSantis faces new leadership test as Hurricane Idalia barrels toward Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Steve Contorno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —With the eyes of the country on Hurricane Idalia as it spins toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions are also under the spotlight as he puts his campaign on hold to manage the crisis at home. The Florida governor is also staving off a field of GOP contenders, who must now also balance sensitivities around Hurricane Idalia with their attempts to overcome DeSantis in the polls. DeSantis has also asserted that he could send his “Florida people” to the southern border to build a wall. “The governor of our state of Florida has created an environment ripe for this.”

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Ian, Republican Rick Scott, Hurricane Michael, Bill Nelson, Scott, Jeb Bush, George W, Bush, Chris Christie, Christie, “, ”, Alex Conant, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio’s, Andrew Romeo, ” Romeo, Hurricane Ian, Joe Biden –, Biden, Joe Biden, Saul Young, Donald Trump, Todd Belt, Angie Nixon Organizations: CNN, Gulf Coast , Florida Gov, Republican, White, Hurricane, US, GOP Gov, GOP, Knoxville News Sentinel, George Washington University, Democrats, Trump, ” Democratic, Jacksonville Locations: Gulf Coast , Florida, Tallahassee, Iowa, Florida, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Fort Myers Beach , Florida, Lee County, Florida’s Big, Jacksonville, DeSantis

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