“Today’s decision is a testament to the persistence and resilience of
Black voters in Alabama, including our clients,” said Deuel Ross,
deputy director of litigation at the Legal Defense Fund. “Alabama’s
unprecedented defiance of the Supreme Court and the lower court orders
harkens back to the darkest days of American history.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office did not immediately
issue a comment on the decision. The state is expected to appeal.
I arrived in Quang Tri, Vietnam, new, slightly muddy boots and all.
I was 19.
One of the military/U.S. Army jobs I had was anchoring a nightly TV Newscast on The Armed Forces Vietnam-TV Network of stations. I originated those newscasts in a small basic studio that was connected to the transmission "truck" that I'm standing in front of in this photo.
This photo shows most of the AFVN studio buildings. The sandbags were in place to prevent winds from blowing the roofs off. Way in the background, on the right, you can see one of the observation towers that circled the base camp.
Here's the view looking up the ladder used to reach the top of one of those observation towers.
J. Marion Sims continues to loom large in the medical field, celebrated as a medical trailblazer. Statues were erected to him in, among other places, New York City's Central Park, the South Carolina statehouse, outside his old medical school, Jefferson University, in Philadelphia and outside the Alabama Capitol in Montgomery (put there by The Medical Association of Alabama.)
He relocated to Montgomery, Alabama, seeking a fresh start, after the death of his first two patients.
After several years of activism, the Philadelphia statue was moved into storage and the statue in Central Park was removed on April 17, 2018. Its plaque was to be replaced by one that educates the public on the origins of the monument and the controversial, non-consensual medical experiments Sims used on women of color. The names (and histories) of the three known women “whose bodies were used in the name of medical and scientific advancement” by Sims, Lucy, Anarcha and Betsey, were to be recognized on the new plaque.
It's a recognition some see as overdue. In a 1941 paper titled “The Negro’s Contribution to Surgery,” published in the _Journal of the National Medical Associatio_n, Dr. John A. Kenney of the Tuskegee Institute, considered the dean of Black dermatology, wrote, “I suggest that a monument be raised and dedicated to the nameless Negroes who have contributed so much to surgery by the ‘guinea pig’ route.”
"For motorcycle lovers in Sweden,
Harley-Davidson is the hottest brand on the road. Jack Daniel’s whiskey
beckons from the bar at British pubs. In France, Levi’s jeans are all
about chic.
But in the tumult of
President Trump’s trade war with Europe, many European consumers are
starting to avoid U.S. products and services in what appears to be a
decisive and potentially long-term shift away from buying American,
according to a new assessment by the European Central Bank."
What is new, the central bank said, is a “preference” among European
consumers “to move away from U.S. products and brands altogether,” no
matter what the cost. That was the case even for households that could
bear the brunt of higher prices.
“Even though they could afford more expensive U.S. products and
services, they consciously choose alternatives,” the bank said. “This
suggests that consumers’ reactions may not just be a temporary response
to tariff increases, but instead signal a possible long-term structural
shift in consumer preferences away from U.S. products and brands.”
“A
disgraced ultra-conservative banjo player ousted from his
Grammy-winning band; a far-right conspiracy theorist with alleged ties
to Russia; a TikTokcreator known as ‘Maga Malfoy’ for his resemblance to
the Harry Potter character; and an extremist social media ‘influencer’
once banned from Twitter for posting a video depicting sexual abuse of a
child. These are just some of the ‘new media’ personalities courted by
the White House to take part in a series of alternative briefings
championed by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.”
Ukraine is getting more help in its war with Russia.
A
Patriot air-defense system that was based in Israel will be sent to
Ukraine after it is refurbished, four current and former U.S. officials
said in recent days, and Western allies are discussing the logistics of
Germany or Greece giving another one.
The
officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the discussions, declined to describe President Trump’s
view of the decision to transfer more Patriot systems to Ukraine.
The
White House’s National Security Council does not provide details on the
strength and placement of defense systems, said James Hewitt, a
spokesman for the council. “President Trump has been clear: he wants the
war in Ukraine to end and the killing to stop,” he said.
A
former White House official said that the Biden administration had
secured the agreement with Israel in September, before the election won
by Mr. Trump. The Defense Department said in a statement that “it
continues to provide equipment to Ukraine from previously authorized”
packages, referring to weaponry pulled from existing inventories and new
purchases.
The delivery, which has not been previously reported, comes as Russia has stepped up its attacks on Ukraine, including an April 24 missile strike on Kyiv that was the deadliest since last summer.
A year ago, allies struggled
to answer a demand by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine for seven
Patriot systems. Although Ukraine now has eight, only six are
functioning. The other two are being refurbished, one of the U.S.
officials said. With the one from Israel, and one from Germany or
Greece, Ukraine would have 10 Patriot systems in total, largely to
protect the capital, Kyiv.
Image
A
rescue worker and another man at a two-story apartment building in Kyiv
that was destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile, last Saturday.Credit...Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
As Russia has intensified recent attacks, Mr. Trump’s recent public remarks on the war have softened in favor of Ukraine.
Mr. Trump had a cordial meeting with Mr. Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome last weekend, after a disastrous one
in February in the Oval Office. He has dialed down his negative
rhetoric about Mr. Zelensky and questioned whether Russia is serious
about peace talks. A delayed minerals deal with Ukraine was signed on
Wednesday, paving the way for more U.S. military aid.
On Saturday, Mr. Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv that the minerals deal could mean the United States would send more air-defense systems.
"Better safe than sorry. An urgent recall was issued for a specific model
after the South Korean multinational automotive manufacturing company,
Hyundai, acknowledged its ‘brake failure’ possibility. The urgent recall
will also affect American motorists, as Hyundai Motor America recalled
approximately 1,589 cars. Affected car owners are advised to take
precautions and follow the instructions sent by Hyundai."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order
on Thursday evening seeking to prohibit federal funding for NPR and the
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The order, which could be subject to
legal challenge, called the broadcasters’news coverage“biased and partisan.”
It instructsthe Corporation for Public Broadcasting to ceaseproviding
direct funds to either broadcaster. It also orders CPB to cease
indirect funding of the services through grants to local public radio
and television stations.
CPB is the main distributor of federal funds to public media. It receives
about $535 million in federal funds per fiscal year, which it mostly
spends on grants to hundreds of stations nationwide. The stations spend
the grants on making their own programming or on buying programming from
services such as NPR and PBS.
CPB, created by an act of Congress in 1967, also sometimes provides direct grants to NPR and PBS to produce national programs.
"President Trump has a message for the nation’s children: Prepare to sacrifice for your country.
He
was taking questions at the end of one of his marathon cabinet meetings
when he finally allowed that, yes, his tariff policies and the trade
war he has set off with China may soon result in some emptier-than-usual
shelves in stores. Specifically, toy stores.
“You
know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be open,’” Mr. Trump
said. “Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30
dolls, you know? And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks
more than they would normally.”
This,
from the billionaire, crypto-salesman, golf-club-operating, Palm
Beach-by-way-of-Fifth Avenue president with the golden office and the
golden triplex apartment. There he sat, surrounded by the other
billionaires with whom he has filled his cabinet, telling the boys and
girls of America they’ll just have to make do with fewer toys this year
for the greater good."
How We Oversimplified the History of the Vietnam War
At
7:53 a.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 1975, a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter
ascended from the rooftop of the United States embassy in downtown
Saigon carrying ten Marine Security Guards toward the waiting deck of
the USS Okinawa. Its departure marked the final mission of the
massive helicopter-borne evacuation that began less than 24 hours
earlier and heralded the end of America’s once-mighty military presence
in South Vietnam. Two hours later, North Vietnamese tanks carrying the
flags of the southern revolutionary National Liberation Front smashed
through the gates of the Republic of Vietnam’s presidential palace.
Frances was as close to a gay-friendly Pope you'll likely find in your lifetime (remember "who am I to say?") And it is possible, even likely, the new post-Frances gathering will be less so:
"African
bishops had made a remarkably united stand last year against Francis’
outreach to LGBTQ+ people, refusing to implement his declaration
allowing priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples.* Given such a
stand, there is some speculation that the 18 African cardinal electors
could help block a progressive candidate from emerging."
The
Southern accent is ranked as America’s friendliest accent. Over one in
three people find this accent—most commonly associated with Louisiana,
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina—‘friendly’. The
Texan accent specifically was voted the third friendliest accent, with
31% of participants finding it pleasant. Since many people associate the
South with hospitality and a quiet, simpler way of life, it’s easy to
see why these accents claimed the top spots.
Hawaii is another
place people associate with a more laid back lifestyle, so it’s no
wonder the Hawaiian accent came in second place, with 34% of people
considering it friendly.
These three accents also came out as the
most charming from our list, with the Hawaiian accent also being named
the most soothing, highlighting its laid back and welcoming nature.
The
Hawaiian accent also received some of the lowest votes for annoying
accents. The Alaskan accent was voted as the least annoying, with only
3% of people finding it annoying.
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