Once again, the idea of Statehood for the District of Columbia has not only come before the U.S. Congress but has also passed the House of Representatives. ... read more »

House Resolution 1 – the “For the People Act of 2021” – counts as a strong rebuke and counterbalance to voting restrictions considered or enacted in various Republican-led states across the country. It restricts partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and nullifies obstacles for voters. ... read more »

“For too long, we have endured the pain of watching or seeing the deaths of people of color, particularly Black men and women, at the hands of rogue police officers who operate with impunity and take it upon themselves to be the arbiters of life and death,” Congresswoman Maxine Waters declared. “The trauma that our communities feel is only made worse by the ways in which we are forced to reckon with the reality that Black people are over 3.5 times more likely to be killed by police than white people, and Black teenagers are 21 times more likely to be killed by police than white teenagers.” ... read more »

While some of us are spending our time watching the news or wondering how we are going to survive the pandemic, now is the time to understand the battles we are in and determine what we must do individually and collectively. ... read more »

This week, authorities announced they had suspended Louisiana State Police Master Trooper Kory York, and acknowledged that Ronald Greene, who was shackled, handcuffed and dragged, “was mistreated.” The admission came after Greene’s family viewed graphic body camera footage of the arrest that included York using a barrage of expletives as he detained the Black motorist. York and other troopers were seen on the video choking and beating Greene. ... read more »

President Biden has announced bold goals for the much needed Covid relief package that America so desperately needs. But sometimes good intentions can fall upon bad roadblocks. ... read more »

Lawmakers are seeking to honor Officer Goodman for his actions that may have saved the lives of many people, including members of Congress, during the deadly insurrectionist attack at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. “He’s a hero. The United States Capitol was under attack by armed, violent extremists, and Officer Eugene Goodman was the only thing standing between the mob and the United States Senate,” Florida Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist declared. ... read more »

Top National Stories of 2020 ... read more »

Somewhere in in the world — California, Nevada, or beyond — Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson, J.R. Smith, and millions of other Americans are smiling. They might even be enjoying a puff and “passing it around.” ... read more »

Requiring witness signatures on mail-in ballots. Needing government-issued photo identification to vote. Limiting mailed ballot drop-off locations to one per county. ... read more »

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has introduced several bills, including the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act, H.R. 71, the Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act of 2015, and H.R. 4660, an Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2015 affirming the authority of the Attorney General to reduce prison overcrowding by developing and implementing lawful policies relating to requests for executive clemency from deserving petitioners. ... read more »

On July 25, the federal government’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program ended for most states, leaving millions of Californians without the extra cash many of them had been relying on for months to make ends meet.   ... read more »

City Attorney Mike Feuer announced that Los Angeles has joined other cities and national organizations in filing a lawsuit to block the shortening of the U.S. Census response deadline, now set for the end of September. ... read more »

Last week, Gov. Newsom presented his May Revision budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year.   ... read more »

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) called lynchings racially-motivated acts of violence and terror that represent a dark and despicable chapter of our nation's history.  "They were acts against people who should have received justice but did not. With this bill, we can change that by explicitly criminalizing lynching under federal law," noted Harris, who suspended her presidential campaign late last year.  ... read more »