Category: Government & Politics

By Alaysia Lane | Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder Garrison Gibson, a 38-year-old Liberian immigrant and father, was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for a second time after being re-arrested hours after a federal judge ruled his initial arrest unconstitutional. Gibson’s attorney confirmed Friday afternoon that he is home with his family and required to wear…

Solomon O. Smith | California Black Media   Responding to recent fatal shootings and an uptick in misconduct and excessive use-of-force incidents by federal policing agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), California lawmakers are proposing some legal guardrails to prevent them and hold officers accountable.  Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Ladera Heights) recently authored legislation to…

by Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer The Department of Education (ED) has been forced to double back on its March 2025 decision to lay off hundreds of civil rights employees. In December 2025, the agency called back employees who worked in its Office of Civil Rights (OCR) because a massive backlog of discrimination complaints had…

By Bo Tefu | California Black Media Proposed California Initiative Would Force State Action if President Exceeds Two-Term Limit California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., announced that a new initiative was cleared for circulation on Jan. 5, 2026, allowing the proponent to begin collecting petition signatures. The measure, formally titled “Requires State Response…

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor President Donald Trump has ordered the bombing of seven countries in 2025. They are Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. There has been no congressional authorization for any of the military action. Trump is also threatening Columbia and Cuba. On the afternoon of January 5, Trump’s…

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ A bill authored by Assemblymember Sade Elhawary (D-Los Angeles) and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will extend the sunset (repeal) date of the California Commission on the State of Hate from Jan. 1, 2027, to Jan. 1, 2031.  Assembly Bill (AB) 822 allows the California Commission on the…

By Stacy M. Brown The U.S. Secret Service is preparing for one of the largest expansions in its history as officials confront what they describe as an unprecedented volume of credible threats, fueled by escalating global tensions and a series of aggressive U.S. actions overseas that have triggered unrest at home and abroad. The agency…

by Ellen A number of key laws important to California workers became effective with the new year. The CA Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) stressed the importance of workers, employers, and community organizations being aware of and understanding these changes.  LWDA stressed how the new laws are intended to reinforce California’s continued commitment to building a…

By Stacy M. Brown As questions mounted over the heavily redacted release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and new material placing President Donald Trump closer to the late sex trafficker than previously acknowledged, the White House shifted abruptly to a familiar tactic. The president turned outward, announcing U.S. military strikes in Nigeria and framing the…

By D. Kevin McNeir/Special to the AFRO Members of the armed forces, both active duty and reserve personnel, recently learned that effective immediately, they must be clean-shaven when in uniform or on duty. In addition, the new policy severely limits medical shaving waivers, with the Army, for example, reducing exemptions to a temporary 12-month period…

By Lauren Victoria Burke/BlackPressUSA Newswire Contributor “The Commonwealth of Virginia will now be properly represented by an actual patriot who embodied the principle of liberty and justice for all, and not a traitor who took up arms against the United States to preserve the brutal institution of chattel slavery,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries…

By Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media On Jan. 1, Assembly Bill (AB) 422 — legislation authored by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D–Moreno Valley) – takes effect. Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, the bill updates the criteria for the State Seal of Civic Engagement (SSCE), an official recognition awarded to high school students…

Nationwide — Attorney Zulu Ali, a former police officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, has released a powerful commentary titled “Attorney Zulu Ali Speaks on Justice: Trying Cases in a System Built to Oppress Black People.” In it, Ali argues that the American court system is racially biased beyond repair, compares being Black in the…

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media  Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) is entering his final year of service in the state Legislature due to term limits.  A native of the Watts community in Los Angeles, Gipson says he inherited a spirit of service from his parents. He was elected to the Carson City Council in…

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media  Dr. LaShae Sharp-Collins was elected to the California State Assembly in November 2024 to represent the 79th District, which includes southeastern San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Africana Studies, a master’s in education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling, and…

By Edward Henderson | California Black Media  Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) represents the 60th Assembly District. He was first elected in November 2022.  In the Legislature, Jackson has emerged as a key voice on issues related to equity, social services, and community well-being — first as chair of the Human Services Committee in…

By Andrea Stevens AFRO Staff Writer/astevens@afro.com The Department of Education will no longer classify several long-recognized graduate programs as professional degrees, a shift that will affect financial aid limits and reshape how universities describe advanced training in fields that rely on licensing.  The updated definition removes nursing from the government’s professional degree category. The change…

by BVN Enhanced premium tax subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will expire on Dec. 31 as Congress prepares to break for the holidays without voting on a health care package. Though House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to call for a vote regarding extending ACA tax credits for three years as proposed by Democrats,…

By Fred Redmond, AFL-CIO  Secretary-Treasurer In our workplaces, in our communities and in our government, the right to vote is how working people make our voices heard. The late Rep. John Lewis (Georgia) proclaimed, “Your vote is precious, almost sacred.” The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing Texas to use a racially discriminatory congressional map threatens…

Over 50 years ago, Ms. Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Urban One, Inc., was one of the very first faculty members of the School of Communications at Howard University. Myla Roundy Published on December 11, 2025 Over 50 years ago, Ms. Cathy Hughes, Founder and Chairperson, Urban One, Inc., was one of the very first…

By Stacy M. Brown This is not a reflection. It is a demand. The Black Press of America is being deliberately starved, and unless people act now, it will collapse in full view of the nation it has served for nearly two centuries. This is not about nostalgia. It is about whether truth survives when…