Biden will cap off a week of outreach to Black Americans with Morehouse commencement
President Biden commemorates the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education by meeting with plaintiffs' family members and engaging with Black voters for reelection. [ more ]
WATCH: SNL Audience Taken Aback After Michael Che Mocks Biden's Struggles With Black Voters
President Biden's connection to Black voters is being mocked by Michael Che on Saturday Night Live, highlighting a decline in support from the Black community.
Recent polls indicate a decline in Black voter support for President Biden, with percentages dropping significantly since the 2020 election. [ more ]
Kamala Harris Bolsters Biden for 2024 and Lays Groundwork for 2028
South Carolina's predominantly Black primary voting base makes it a crucial state for political candidates seeking Democratic nomination.
Vice President Kamala Harris's visits to South Carolina aim to build support for the Democratic Party, strengthen Biden's standing with Black and young voters, and raise her profile for the 2028 presidential contest. [ more ]
President Joe Biden wins South Carolina's Democratic primary as he gears up for his reelection bid
President Joe Biden easily won South Carolina's Democratic primary, solidifying his support among Black voters.
Biden's victory in South Carolina is significant as it proves his ability to mobilize key Democratic demographics, such as Black voters, for his reelection campaign. [ more ]
5 Key Factors That Will Decide the Georgia Senate Runoff
Georgians on Tuesday will decide whether Senator Raphael Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, or Herschel Walker, the retired football star nominated by Republicans, will represent them in the Senate next year.The coda to the midterm elections comes after an intense, monthlong runoff contest in which Democrats spent nearly twice as much as the G.O.P.
Kamala Harris Leads Push to Shore Up Democratic Support From Black Voters
Vice President Kamala Harris is focusing on energizing Black voters by highlighting the Biden administration's policies during a national economic tour. [ more ]
Biden administration shelves ban on menthol cigarettes
The Biden administration has delayed the plan to ban menthol cigarettes, generating backlash from anti-smoking advocates and scrutiny over potential impact on Black voters. [ more ]
Young Voters, Blackface, and O.J.'s Past and Passing
The episode discusses O.J. Simpson's impact on the Black community, young voters' concerns about Biden, and Trump's efforts to appeal to Black voters. [ more ]
Good Morning, News: Patriot Prayer's Joey Gibson Sues Portland for "Unspecified Damages," Activists Back in Kayaks Over Zenith Oil, and Further Adventures in MoviePass 2.0
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day-but your help is essential.If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us.Thanks for your support!Good Morning, Portland!Have you ever loved some sandwich so much it made you cry? Have you ever loved an $8 sandwich so much you can't sleep at night?
Good Morning, News: Right-Wing Fanatics on Parade, Hot Weather Holds On, and America's Hero Taylor Swift to the Rescue!
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day-but your help is essential.If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us.Thanks for your support!GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!While not as toasty as this weekend, we're in for another hottie of a week with highs hitting 91 today and staying in that range through at least Thursday!
Court ruling on Black political power in Alabama could affect maps in other states
Evan Milligan, center, plaintiff in an Alabama redistricting case, speaks following Supreme Court oral arguments on Oct. 4, 2022.The court on Thursday ruled in favor of Milligan in the case, ordering the creation of a second Alabama congressional district with a large Black population.Patrick Semansky/AP MONTGOMERY, Ala.
A Democratic Socialist Bows Out in Harlem as Challengers Circle
Kristin Richardson Jordan, a democratic socialist who is among the most left-leaning elected officials in New York City, announced on Tuesday that she was abruptly withdrawing from next month's Democratic primary and would not seek re-election to the City Council.Her upset victory in a Harlem Council race by 100 votes just two years ago was seen by some as a watershed moment for the city's ascendant progressive movement, a sign that voters could accept a politician whose views included abolishing the Police Department.
Supreme Court to Consider South Carolina Voting Map Ruled a Racial Gerrymander
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court said on Monday that it would decide whether a congressional voting district in South Carolina should be restored after a lower court struck it down as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.A unanimous three-judge panel of the Federal District Court in Columbia, S.C., ruled in January that the state's First Congressional District, drawn after the 2020 census, violated the Constitution by making race the predominant factor.
Jose Munoz: Runoff candidates have to put in the work to win over Latino voters
As Chicago's second-largest racial and ethnic group and one of its fastest-growing demographics, Latinos have a powerful voice in determining the future of Chicago in the mayoral runoff.Securing the Latino vote is a path to victory, but candidates Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas have a lot of work to do, and it is going to take more than endorsements to earn our vote.
Laura Washington: Early voter turnout in Chicago elections is high. Will the interest persist?
Chicago voters are turning out.A little more than a week away from the Feb. 28 municipal election, that's a bright oasis in these democracy-challenged times.In this year's elections for Chicago's top city and aldermanic offices, the early vote, mail-in and in-person, is surpassing previous elections.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot accuses rival Paul Vallas of 'dog whistle' over 'take our city back' comments
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot voted for herself Monday afternoon for a second term, then criticized rival Paul Vallas for telling crowds that his campaign for mayor is about "taking our city back," which she called "the ultimate dog whistle.""He's saying in certain audiences that we have to take our city back.
Nearly half of Chicago voters didn't choose Brandon Johnson or Paul Vallas. Winning them over could be key in April.
Just months ago, few Chicagoans would have expected Paul Vallas or Brandon Johnson to best incumbent Lori Lightfoot and survive to the mayoral runoff election.But before voters decide which of the two upstarts will claim City Hall, each candidate faces a steep challenge courting the roughly 45% of the electorate who preferred someone else in Tuesday's first round of balloting.
The Unsung Stories of 3 Pioneering Black Female Doctors
Jasmine Brown is still in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, but she has already published a book about medicine: Twice as Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians, from the Civil War to the 21st Century.It's the culmination of research she started while a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford.
Labour hopes to ensure black-led firms access lucrative government contracts
Black-led businesses could be given more support to procure lucrative government contracts by a future Labour government as the party refines its offer to ethnic minority voters ahead of the next election.Labour's race equality task force, led by Baroness Doreen Lawrence, hopes to ensure that black-led groups get the chance to access a fair share of the billions of pounds paid out each year through government contracts, according to The Voice newspaper.
Golden Globes to Announce Nominees Ahead of a Return to TV
The companies behind the tarnished Golden Globe Awards are pushing forward with a rehabilitation effort on Monday, announcing nominations for a televised ceremony on Jan. 10.Who will show up to collect the trophies is another matter.NBC canceled the 2022 telecast amid an ethics, finance and diversity scandal involving the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the unorthodox organization that bestows the Globes.
Biden tells Democrats to revise primary calendar to boost Black voters' voices
Democrats are poised to shake up the way in which they nominate presidential candidates, after Joe Biden said the primary process should better represent the party's non-white voters.Biden has reportedly told Democrats that Iowa, the state that has led off the Democratic voting calendar since 1976, should be moved down the calendar, with South Carolina instead going first.
Biden wants South Carolina to host the nation's first primary. N.H. lawmakers are furious - and unwavering.
Politics "Make no mistake ... our primary will continue to be First in the Nation."President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee are planning to shake up their party's longstanding order of presidential primary elections and, naturally, Granite Staters are not happy.The plan, unveiled Thursday, would boot the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary as Democrats' first nominating contests and install the South Carolina primary at the head of the pack, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire, Georgia, and Michigan, according to the New York Times.