AP: “A Kentucky man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for fatally shooting a photographer at a protest over the police killing of Breonna Taylor. Steven Lopez apologized for his actions before a judge handed down the sentence Tuesday in Jefferson Circuit Court, WDRB-TV reported. Lopez pleaded guilty last month to manslaughter in the death of…
“Virginia inmate continues 44-day hunger strike to protest solitary confinement”
WVTF: “52-year-old Rashid Johnson and some other prisoners at Red Onion stopped eating the day after Christmas to protest their detention in solitary confinement. They claimed the Virginia Department of Corrections was not abiding by promises to limit isolation of inmates. Since then, attorney Miriam Nemeth with the non-profit Rights Behind Bars says Johnson’s only access to…
“LGBT activists stage die-in at Florida DMVs to protest gender restrictions on licenses”
abc15News: “Florida LGBT activists staged a series of protests at Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) locations across the state Friday. Dozens of individuals dressed in Pride flags and safety vests entered DMV properties and laid down in mock death, a protest known as a “die-in.” Protesters can be seen holding signs reading “hate kills.” The…
Out Now: “The Birmingham Church Bombing: The Long Arc of Justice” [TV Show – Sneak Peek] (Featuring Sen. Doug Jones)
Paramount: “Described by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes ever perpetrated against humanity,” the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., took the lives of four girls and forever changed the course of history. Within a few hours of the vicious attack, there were…
“Virginia Democrats Force Vote on Abortion Bill”
Political Wire: “Virginia Democrats have spent the 2024 legislative session blocking most bills that would limit abortion access in the state, but one effort was allowed to advance to the full House floor Monday and political intrigue followed,” Virginia Public Radio reports. “Delegate Tim Griffin (R) brought the bill which would block state funds from being spent…
“Black Churches in Georgia Unite to Mobilize Voters in a Key Battleground”
NY Times: “Two of the largest Black church groups in Georgia are formally uniting for the first time to mobilize Black voters in the battleground state ahead of the November presidential election. The two congregations, the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, plan to combine their resources and their more than…
“How anarchists in North Carolina rescued books banned in Florida”
WaPo: “When the managers of a small bookstore in this Appalachian mountain town received a call from a distributor wondering if they could take in 22,000 books rejected by a Florida school district, it felt like a colossal ask. Firestorm Books usually stocks fewer than 8,000 books — titles that range from historical fiction to…
“Chief Witness Against Matt Gaetz Is Cooperating”
Political Wire: ““A lawyer for the chief witness against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said on Friday that the witness was cooperating with a House Ethics Committee investigation into whether Mr. Gaetz had sex with an underage girl while he was serving in Congress,” the New York Times reports.”
“Her Son Vanished After a 1980 Run-In With Police. She Wants Answers.”
NY Times: “He vanished in 1980, the year before the disappearance of 6-year-old Adam Walsh in Florida would change the way America looked at missing children. Adam’s father, John Walsh, became a household name and a beacon for parents like Mrs. Cotton, who felt alone and ignored by the authorities. … From the morning his parents reported…
“‘People of Florida aren’t stupid’: State high court grapples with abortion measure”
Politico: “Florida’s Supreme Court justices on Wednesday were critical of state officials’ challenge to a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion protections in the state Constitution. Florida GOP Attorney General Ashley Moody asked the state Supreme Court to intervene to block the proposed amendment, arguing that the language of the initiative is too complicated for…