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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 24

Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U.S.-funded nonprofit.

DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.

Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...

www.propublica.org

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 21

For Memphis-born, Mississippi-bred musician Kirby Lauryen Dockery, the last decade has seen her songs and determination bring her to an exalted place in the music business. www.clarionledger.com/story/entert...

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Reposted by Harold

Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett @crockett.house.gov · Aug 20

They’ve tried to erase us for centuries. Didn’t work then, won’t work now. Black history IS American history.

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Reposted by Harold

Mississippi Today @mississippitoday.org · Aug 19

Federal judge rules Mississippi Supreme Court districts dilute Black vote, must be redrawn

No Black person has ever been elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court without first obtaining an interim appointment from the governor, and no Black person from either of the two other districts has ever…

Federal judge rules Mississippi Supreme Court districts dilute Black vote, must be redrawn

No Black person has ever been elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court without first obtaining an interim appointment from the governor, and no Black person from either of the two other districts has ever served on the state's high court.

mississippitoday.org

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Reposted by Harold

Mississippi Today @mississippitoday.org · Aug 19

Federal judge blocks Mississippi’s DEI ban law indefinitely

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate granted a preliminary injunction in the case on Monday, which prevents the law from being enforced until there’s a final ruling.

Federal judge blocks Mississippi’s DEI ban law indefinitely

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate granted a preliminary injunction in the case on Monday, which prevents the law from being enforced until there’s a final ruling.

mississippitoday.org

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 19

Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier from Fort Worth returned to the Texas Capitol on Monday but says she remains locked inside the Capitol because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Texas Democrat says she's locked inside state Capitol after refusing mandatory DPS escort

Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier says she remains locked in the House chamber because she wouldn't sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

www.cbsnews.com

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 18

Gov. Tates Reeves has approved the deployment of hundreds of Mississippi National Guard members to Washington, D.C., in support of the President Donald J. Trump administration.

Gov. Reeves sends 200 Mississippi National Guard troops to DC for Trump crime crackdown

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to Washington, D.C., in support of President Trump’s federal orders.

www.clarionledger.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 17

After eight years largely out of work, getting the role of the arch-villain General Zod opposite Christopher Reeve in "Superman" and "Superman II" turned the full glare of Hollywood's limelight on the Londoner.

Terence Stamp, who starred as 'Superman' villain Zod, dead at 87

British actor Terence Stamp, who played the baddie General Zod opposite Christopher Reeve in "Superman" and "Superman II," has died at 87.

www.usatoday.com

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 15

"This 'Marxist MAGA' movement keeps expanding more and more, taking control without the resistance of private-sector decision-making," a Yale University management professor said. "So that means we have winners and losers based on cronyism."

Trump is tightening the screws on corporate America — and CEOs are staying mum

Critics warn that Trump's demands for business leaders to step down, and for the government to take a cut of sales, threaten American-style capitalism.

www.npr.org

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 13

Danielle Spencer, the actress who played the lovably bratty and witty teenager on the 1970s hit sitcom “What’s Happening!!” and its spinoff, “What’s Happening Now!!,” before spending much of her adult life as a veterinarian, died on Monday.

Danielle Spencer, Child Star on ‘What’s Happening!!,’ Is Dead at 60

www.nytimes.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 10

Over the course of the 20th century, Black Americans lost roughly 80% of the property they owned at the peak of ownership a few decades after the Civil War due to theft and systemic injustices.

The heir's property: one man's struggle to hold onto family land in the American South

Saul Blair's efforts to reclaim land purchased by his great-grandfather a few decades after the Civil War has hit roadblocks, but he keeps pushing.

www.usatoday.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 7

New Orleans took the brunt of the 2005 storm which swept in from the Gulf of Mexico and killed more than 1,800 people.

Hurricane Katrina explored and retold in new documentary

As the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches a new documentary aims to show the resilience of people of New Orleans as well as failures.

www.clarionledger.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 6

"We can’t lose focus on what matters – right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year’s midterm elections," Obama said.

Obama calls Texas GOP's redistricting plan a 'power grab that undermines our democracy'

Barack Obama called Texas Republicans' push to add five new Republican congressional seats "a power grab that undermines our democracy."

www.usatoday.com

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 5

The surge in unemployment among Black Americans could be a troubling sign for the economy, since this segment is often the first hit by economic downturns.

Unemployment among Black Americans is rising. Why that may be a bad sign for the economy.

Economists say the rise in unemployment among Black Americans could be a troubling sign for the economy at large.

www.usatoday.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Aug 3

The settlement marks a victory for town officials who had argued the state was treating Mason's majority-Black leaders differently than they have white administrators who also struggled with finances.

Black-majority town in Tennessee halts state takeover in settlement deal

The small town of Mason has announced it has reached a deal halting the threat of a takeover of its finances by the state of Tennessee.

www.pbs.org

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 31

Demcorats slammed Bessent's comments. "Trump White House openly admits their plan to privatize Social Security," U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, said in a post on X. "I will fight them with everything I got to keep their grubby little hands off it."

Trump accounts are a 'backdoor for privatizing Social Security,' Treasury secretary says

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted President Trump's new savings accounts for babies as a "backdoor for privatizing Social Security."

www.usatoday.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 29

U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate issued a temporary restraining order on July 20 that paused the enforcement of a state law that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion programs in public schools. But the order was riddled with mistakes.

Did federal judge use AI to write order? Mississippi AG wants explanation - Mississippi Today

AG lawyers are calling for the order to be restored to the public docket and asking for an explanation for how the errors were written into the order.

mississippitoday.org

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 25

President Donald Trump said he won't fire Jerome Powell following a clash at the Federal Reserve that saw the Fed chair correct the president.

Trump tussles with Powell during Federal Reserve visit but backs off firing threat

President Donald Trump said he won't fire Jerome Powell following a clash at the Federal Reserve that saw the Fed chair correct the president.

www.usatoday.com

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 21

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s role as the lovable son of the Huxtables made him a household name in the 1980s.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who starred as Theo on 'Cosby Show,' dies in drowning at 54: Reports

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Bill Cosby's son Theodore Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," has died, reports say. He was 54.

www.usatoday.com

Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 18

A Republican congressman blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to resurrect banned Confederate base names via proxy as “stupid as hell” in an interview with USA TODAY.

'Stupid as hell': GOP congressman blasts Hegseth on Confederate base names

GOP Rep. Don Bacon, who helped lead the effort to change military base names, voted for a draft law defunding efforts to reverse the changes.

www.usatoday.com

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Harold @hgater.bsky.social · Jul 17

Democrats stormed out of a Senate committee meeting as Republicans voted to advance Emil Bove, Trump's former personal lawyer, for a lifetime federal appeals court seat.