By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
In what the White House called a decisive move echoing the core tenet of equal justice under law, President Joe Biden announced a set of substantial clemency actions aimed at addressing glaring disparities within the U.S. criminal justice system. The president, underscoring bipartisan consensus on the need for a fair and unbiased legal framework, declared a series of important measures toward realizing the promise of equal justice in American communities.
“I am announcing additional steps I am taking to make the promise of equal justice a reality,” Biden declared, emphasizing that equal justice is a “foundational principle on which America was built.”
The first measure involves commuting sentences for 11 individuals serving extended terms for non-violent drug offenses. Among the notable cases receiving commutations are Darryl Allen Winkfield of Augusta, Ga., Leroy Lymons of Pensacola, Fla., and Earlie Deacon Barber of Dothan, Ala., each of whom was sentenced to life in prison. Winkfield was convicted in 1998 of conspiracy to distribute and to possess cocaine. Biden commuted the sentence, leaving intact a 10-year probation when Winkfield is released in April 2024.
In 2012, Lymons was sentenced to life for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. The commutation clears Lymons for release after 27 years. In 2009, Barber was sentenced in Alabama for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms of a mixture and substance containing cocaine base. He will now be released in April 2024, with a remaining 10 years of supervised probation.
In the president’s words, these individuals “would have been eligible for reduced sentences” under current standards. He said the move underscores his administration’s commitment to rectifying outdated and unjust sentencing practices.
Drawing attention to the crack-to-powder sentencing disparity, Biden noted that he supports initiatives to eliminate the sentencing difference, asserting that it “does not advance public safety.” He said the move aligns with his broader push for criminal justice reform.
“I have exercised my clemency power more than any recent predecessor has at this point in their presidency,” Biden stated. “And while today’s announcement marks important progress, my administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms that advance equal justice, address racial disparities, strengthen public safety, and enhance the well being of all Americans.”
The White House insisted that law enforcement and experts now recognize that the crack-to-powder sentencing disparity is not supported by science, does not advance public safety, and disproportionately impacts Black communities.
Administration officials said Attorney General Merrick Garland has also expressed support for eliminating the crack-to-powder sentencing disparity and has directed federal prosecutors to promote the equivalent treatment of crack and powder cocaine offenses.
“As the president proposed as a senator in 2007, a fair criminal justice system requires that Congress end, once and for all, this unjust and racially discriminatory sentencing disparity,” the White House said in a statement. “And Congress must make these changes fully retroactive.” Building on his previous pardon of simple possession offenses, Biden added, “It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
The move extends to marijuana offenses committed on certain federal lands, encapsulating a comprehensive approach to marijuana reform, to which the president also signed a proclamation to pardon additional offenses related to the use and possession of marijuana under federal and D.C. law. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” Biden insisted.
“Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either. That’s why I continue to urge governors to do the same with regard to state offenses and applaud those who have since taken action.”
Category: Newswire
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Newswire: African National Congress faces party members demanding change
Jacob Zuma, former President of South Africa, in green shirt, with supporters at pollical meeting in South Africa
Dec. 18, 2023 (GIN) – The historic African National Congress, leader of the decades-old struggle against apartheid, governing party of the Republic of South Africa since 1994, is having a family feud.
Deep divisions are coming out into the open as when former South African president Jacob Zuma recently declared he would not vote for the ruling ANC in national elections in 2024.
“I have decided that I cannot and will not campaign for the ANC of Ramaphosa in 2024. My conscience will not allow me to lie to the people of South Africa and to pretend that the ANC of Ramaphosa is the ANC of Luthuli, Tambo and Mandela,” said Zuma, referring to previous leaders of the ANC.
Zuma said he would vote for the radical new left-wing Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) party, named after the ANC’s old armed wing, and urged all South Africans to reject the ANC.
“I call on all South Africans to join me in taking the important step and to vote for the MK Party and any other progressive party which seeks total liberation,” he said.
Zuma’s remarks added to a growing pile of critiques – often from former ANC officials such as ousted ANC secretary general Ace Magashule who recently announced the formation of a new party – the African Congress for Transformation (ACT).
A close ally of ex-president Zuma, he was expelled from the ruling party in June for allegedly personally benefiting from money meant to be used to remove asbestos from the homes of people in the Free State province where he was the premier from 2009 to 2018. He also faces charges of corruption in a criminal case.
Another breakaway was announced last month by seven opposition parties including the country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, and a string of small parties who agree on what they call a Multi-Party Charter for South Africa.
Support for the ANC has slowly waned over the years amid criticism that it has failed to provide basic services and ease poverty for millions of the country’s Black majority. Widespread corruption in state-owned institutions and local and national government has further eroded its popularity.
Other problems include the highest levels of unemployment in the world, a failing electricity supply that’s led to regular blackouts, a broken public transport system and high violent crime rates.
In an effort to bring the opposition together, a multiparty national convention was organized, led by William Gumede, founder of the Democracy Works Foundation and assoc. professor, School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Participants at the first meeting included party leaders from the Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, Freedom Front Plus, among others.
Herman Mashaba, president of ActionSA, explained his presence at the convention.
“ANC will lose its majority, and all South Africans know this, but they have never seen opposition parties putting aside differences to give them hope,” he said. “We must define this agreement with a positive vision for South Africa, not against other political parties.”
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald asked the parties to set an example by paving a way forward to help to save South Africa.
“I don’t think there is anyone in South Africa who will not agree that we are not at a good point in the history of our country. There must be change,” Groenewald said.
Prof William Gumede, who is chairing the discussions, encouraged party leaders to rise above egos and squabbles.
“Every decision the group makes has to be in the best interest of South Africa. It has to be for the future of all of us and for those still to be born.” w/pix of J. Zuma in green shirt
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Newswire : Health crisis looms: CDC Issues stark warning amidst rising tide of COVID and flu Cases
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentA looming healthcare crisis is on the horizon as hospitals and emergency rooms face the potential need to ration care by the month’s end, according to a chilling advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC’s latest briefing underscores the swift escalation in COVID-19 hospitalizations, with a particular focus on the surge in multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Simultaneously, influenza is gaining momentum nationwide, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) continues to pose a significant threat in multiple regions.
Several reports noted that pediatric hospitals are grappling with a near-maximum patient load, mirroring the levels witnessed this time last year. Emergency room visits for school-age children have undergone an alarming, nearly twofold increase, driven chiefly by a surge in flu cases. The CDC said the spike follows a period of stabilized emergency room figures leading up to Thanksgiving. Strikingly, influenza-related emergency room visits have now eclipsed those for COVID-19 across most age groups, with seniors being the sole exception where COVID-19 rates remain markedly higher.
Nursing homes also are reportedly witnessing a sharp uptick in reported COVID-19 cases, particularly in the Midwestern region, where infections among residents have already surpassed last year’s peak. The emergence of the JN.1 COVID variant contributes significantly to the current wave of infections, estimated to comprise up to 29% of cases nationwide—a stark increase from 8.8% at the close of November.
According to the CDC’s projections, JN.1, a direct descendant of the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant, has become the swiftest-growing variant in the United States. While a World Health Organization panel asserts that JN.1’s alterations do not warrant a revision to this season’s vaccines, initial data raises concerns about reduced vaccine efficacy against this variant.Despite the situation’s urgency, the CDC said vaccination rates are experiencing an unprecedented decline. Adult flu vaccinations are trailing by approximately 8 million doses compared to last year, and children’s flu shots have dipped by around five percentage points. Bridging this gap is anticipated to be a formidable challenge, according to discussions between vaccine manufacturers and the CDC.
With only a third of nursing home residents and less than 10% of staff receiving the COVID-19 vaccine this season, Dr. Mandy Cohen, Director of the CDC, expressed deep concern about the sluggish vaccine uptake. Urging healthcare providers to intensify efforts, especially among high-risk groups, she emphasizes the crucial role of vaccinations as the peak of the respiratory virus season looms.
The CDC emphasized the importance of staying updated on vaccinations against respiratory viruses. Beyond COVID-19 and influenza, a global uptick in pneumonia cases in children is also under scrutiny, officials asserted.
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Newswire: Democrats push for Thomas’s recusal from Trump case as ProPublica reveals fresh revelations
Justice Clarence Thomas
By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
As Democrats intensify their call for Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from the case scrutinizing Donald Trump’s potential immunity, recent findings from legal advocacy group ProPublica have added a new layer of complexity to the ethical challenges surrounding the Supreme Court justice. ProPublica’s investigative report titled, “A Delicate Matter,” revealed that Thomas, previously under scrutiny for failing to report gifts from prominent Republican donors, raised concerns about the financial strain on justices and advocated for removing a law prohibiting judges from receiving speaking and other fees.
Hank Johnson, a representative for the House of Democrats, is calling for Thomas’s recusal because of doubts about his objectivity in the case involving Trump’s immunity from federal prosecution. The letter, dated December 15, underscored the Democrats’ apprehension, particularly considering the activities of Thomas’s wife and the couple’s post-2020 election activities, raising questions about the justice’s ability to remain unbiased.
“Faith in the Supreme Court has plummeted, and fewer than half of all Americans trust the Supreme Court,” Johnson wrote in the letter to Thomas. “Public perception is growing that the Supreme Court flouts the rules, in large part due to your recently reported ties to and luxury travel with billionaire Republican donors that you hid for decades.
The public pressure has grown so intense that last month the Supreme Court announced a formal, though unenforceable, Code of Conduct.” Johnson reminded Thomas that he also signed the Code, publicly proclaiming that he subscribed to the rules, which state that “A Justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.”
The Code details such instances, including those in which ‘The Justice or Justice’s spouse… is known by the Justice… to have an interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding; or likely to be a material witness in the proceeding.”
Johnson then detailed Ginni Thomas’s involvement with the twice-impeached and four-times indicted former president’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and to obstruct its certification—the very conspiracies at issue in this case.
“Your wife not only attended the pro-Trump rally that preceded the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, but she was also one of nine board members for a conservative political group that helped lead the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement,” Johnson asserted. “If you want to show the American people that the Supreme Court’s recent Code of Conduct is worth more than the paper it is written on, you must do the honorable thing and recuse yourself from any decisions in the case of United States v. Trump.”
Meanwhile, ProPublica’s latest revelations amplify the existing ethical concerns surrounding Thomas. The report detailed a 2000 conversation between Thomas and Republican congressman Cliff Stearns, where Thomas expressed worries about the financial well-being of justices. In the discussion, Thomas suggested that one or more judges might contemplate resigning without a salary increase.
Further, the investigation disclosed Thomas’s lobbying efforts to eliminate a law prohibiting Supreme Court justices from receiving speaking fees. Thomas’ 2000 comments to Stearns, a vocal conservative who’d been in Congress for 11 years and occasionally socialized with the justice, set off a flurry of activity across the judiciary and Capitol Hill. “His importance as a conservative was paramount,” Stearns said in a recent interview, according to ProPublica. “We wanted to make sure he felt comfortable in his job, and he was being paid properly.”
Worried, Stearns wrote a letter to Thomas after their flight, promising “to look into a bill to raise the salaries of members of the Supreme Court.” “As we agreed, it is worth a lot to Americans to have the constitution properly interpreted,” Stearns wrote. “We must have the proper incentives here, too.”
According to ProPublica, “Stearns’ office quickly enlisted the assistance of a lobbying firm working on the issue, and he delivered a speech on the House floor about how inflation is eroding judges’ salaries.” Thomas’ warning about resignations was relayed at a meeting of the heads of several judges’ associations. L. Ralph Mecham, then the judiciary’s top administrative official, fired off the memo describing Thomas’ complaints to Justice Rehnquist, his boss.
“I understand that Justice Thomas clearly told him that, in his view, departures would occur within the next year or so,” Mecham wrote of Thomas’ conversation with Stearns. Mecham worried that “from a tactical point of view,” congressional Democrats might oppose a raise if they sensed “the apparent purpose is to keep Justices [Antonin] Scalia and Thomas on the Court.” (Scalia had nine children and was also one of the less wealthy justices. Scalia, Mecham and Rehnquist have since died.)
During his second decade on the court, ProPublica noted that Thomas’ financial situation appears to have markedly improved. In 2003, he received the first payment of a $1.5 million advance for his memoir, a record-breaking sum for justices at the time. Ginni Thomas, who had been a congressional staffer, was by then working at the Heritage Foundation and was paid a salary in the low six figures.
Thomas also received dozens of expensive gifts throughout the 2000s, sometimes coming from people he’d met only shortly before. Thomas met Earl Dixon, the owner of a Florida pest control company, while getting his RV serviced outside Tampa in 2001, according to his biography, “Supreme Discomfort.” The next year, Dixon gave Thomas $5,000 to put toward his grandnephew’s tuition. Thomas reported the payment in his annual disclosure filing.
Larger gifts went undisclosed. Crow paid for two years of private high school, which tuition rates indicate would’ve cost roughly $100,000. In 2008, another wealthy friend forgave “a substantial amount, or even all” of the principal on the loan Thomas had used to buy the quarter-million-dollar RV, according to a recent Senate inquiry prompted by The New York Times’ reporting. Much of the Thomases’ leisure time was also paid for by a small group of billionaire businessmen, who brought the justice and his family on free vacations around the world. (Thomas has said he did not need to disclose the gifts of travel and his lawyer has disputed the Senate findings about the RV.)
By 2019, the justices’ pay hadn’t changed beyond keeping up with inflation. But Thomas’ views had apparently transformed two decades before. That June, during a public appearance, Thomas was asked about salaries at the court. “Oh goodness, I think it’s plenty,” Thomas responded. “My wife and I are doing fine. We don’t live extravagantly, but we are fine.”
“A few weeks later,” ProPublica concluded, “Thomas boarded Crow’s private jet to head to Indonesia. He and his wife were off on vacation on an island cruise on Crow’s 162-foot yacht. -
Newswire : Allegations of modern-day slavery emerge as Alabama inmates sue state officials and corporations
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National CorrespondentA group of current and former Alabama prisoners have filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that they were trapped in a “modern-day form of slavery” by being forced to work at fast-food chains for meager or no compensation. The comprehensive 129-page complaint, seeking class-action status, contends that the prisoners were victims of a “convict leasing” system, compelling them to work under exploitative conditions while the state of Alabama and its corporate partners reaped substantial profits.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama and first reported by the website Law & Crime, implicates over two dozen state officials, including Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall, alongside numerous government agencies and private employers, including the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC). The plaintiffs argue that these entities have violated the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
The complaint notes that while 26.8% of Alabama’s population identifies as Black or African American, double that percentage constitutes the Black incarcerated population. Drawing historical parallels, the group compares the alleged labor-trafficking scheme to the enslavement of individuals in Alabama’s cotton fields and subsequent sharecropping and convict leasing practices post-Civil War.
In a video statement, jailed activist Robert Earl Council, also known as Kinetik Justice, asserts that Alabama’s work programs are a continuation of pre-Civil War slavery. He accuses corporations and fast-food companies involved in these programs as complicit “slave masters,” condemning their participation in the exploitation.
The complaint alleges that Alabama generates an annual $450 million from forced labor, with inmates compelled to work against their will. At the same time, the ADOC claims 40% of gross earnings purportedly for the cost of incarceration. In a recent finding, the U.S. Department of Justice announced significant deficiencies in ADOC facilities, prompting a 2020 lawsuit against Alabama, citing widespread violence among prisoners and guards.
Individual plaintiff stories further underscore the harsh realities. Lakiera Walker, incarcerated from 2007 to 2023, recounted years of uncompensated work, including housekeeping, floor stripping, and employment at Burger King for a paltry $2 per day. Walker details enduring sexual harassment, being forced to work while unwell, and the intimidation preventing many women from speaking out.
The lawsuit contends that the work programs create a paradoxical situation where inmates are denied parole for public safety reasons while simultaneously working without supervision at local businesses. The plaintiffs demand justice for what they describe as forced labor and aim to expose and rectify systemic exploitation within Alabama’s prison system.
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Newswire : Black woman tried to burn down the Martin Luther King Jr. birth home in Atlanta with gasoline, police say
The Atlanta home where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was born.
David Goldman / AP fileBy Minyvonne Burke and Anthony Cusumano, NBC News
A Black woman was arrested Thursday after allegedly trying to burn down the birth home of Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta police said.
The woman, Laneisha Shantrice Henderson, 26, was stopped by two tourists from Utah after they saw her pouring gasoline on the property, authorities said.
Henderson was charged with second-degree arson and interfering with government property. She was taken to Grady Detention for a psychological evaluation and will be transferred to Fulton County Jail once she’s discharged, police said.
The tourists told officers they were on a work trip from Utah and wanted to visit the historical landmark, which is closed to the public. They said they saw Henderson outside pouring liquid on bushes but initially did not think anything of it, according to an incident report.
The tourists asked Henderson if she was tending to the plants, but she did not answer them. They asked her a few more questions and then noticed that she was carrying a gasoline container, police said.
“When they realized what was going on, they started to plead with Ms. Henderson to stop, but she was ignoring them,” according to the incident report. “It also seemed as if she started to rush and pour the gasoline out faster on and around the historical house.” One witness told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV of Atlanta that he stood at the bottom of the stairs outside the home and told Henderson to stop “and blocked her for about a minute, kept blocking her from going up the stairs.”
Bystanders helped detain Henderson until officers arrived. The witnesses said that while they detained her, she allegedly tried to spark the lighter she was holding, the incident report stated.
Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told WXIA that their quick action “saved the jewel of our city.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center thanked the people who helped stop Henderson.
“Tonight, an unfortunate incident occurred at the birth home of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. as an individual attempted to set fire to the historic property. Fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the brave good samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement,” the center said in a post on X.
The FBI said it was aware of the incident, but could not comment further.
The home, which the National Park Service acquired in 2018, is currently closed until November 2025 for extensive renovations. -
Newwire: FDA approves groundbreaking cell-based gene therapies for sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has greenlit two revolutionary cell-based gene therapies, Casgevy and Lyfgenia, marking a significant leap forward in treating sickle cell disease (SCD) for patients aged 12 and older.
The approval by the FDA signifies the commencement of a novel epoch in managing sickle cell disease, providing optimism to individuals whose lives have been significantly disrupted by the arduous condition.
Sickle cell disease, a group of inherited blood disorders, affects around 100,000 individuals in the United States and is predominant among African Americans. Health officials said the root cause of SCD is a mutation affecting hemoglobin, a crucial protein in red blood cells responsible for oxygen delivery. The genetic problem causes red blood cells to have a unique “sickle” shape, which can lead to vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) or vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which are very painful and damage organs. The recurrence of these crises poses life-threatening risks and potential disabilities.
“Sickle cell disease is a rare, debilitating, and life-threatening blood disorder with significant unmet need, and we are excited to advance the field,” said Nicole Verdun, M.D., director of the Office of Therapeutic Products within the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Casgevy, a groundbreaking cell-based gene therapy, is the first FDA-approved treatment employing CRISPR/Cas9, a revolutionary genome editing technology. The therapy is for individuals 12 years of age or older who have recurrent vaso occlusive crises. It changes the patient’s hematopoietic stem cells using CRISPR/Cas9, a technology that can precisely edit DNA.
The edited cells are then transplanted back into the patient, enhancing the production of fetal hemoglobin and preventing the sickling of red blood cells. Lyfgenia is another cell-based gene therapy that uses a lentiviral vector to change genes. The FDA approved it for those 12 years of age or older who have SCD and a history of vaso-occlusive events. Lyfgenia changes blood stem cells to make HbAT87Q, gene-therapy-derived hemoglobin that looks like adult hemoglobin and makes it less likely that red blood cells will sickle. Both therapies utilize the patients’ blood stem cells, administered through a one-time, single-dose infusion following myeloablative conditioning.
“These approvals represent an important medical advance with the use of innovative cell-based gene therapies to target potentially devastating diseases and improve public health,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
The Casgevy and Lyfgenia applications received Priority Review, Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designations. Casgevy was granted approval to Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Lyfgenia to Bluebird Bio, Inc.
The FDA said its approval of Casgevy was based on a single-arm, multicenter trial evaluating its safety and effectiveness in adult and adolescent SCD patients. Of the 44 treated patients, 93.5% achieved freedom from severe VOC episodes for at least 12 consecutive months. Common side effects included low platelet and white blood cell levels, mouth sores, nausea, and musculoskeletal pain.
Lyfgenia’s approval was based on a 24-month multicenter study, with 88% of patients achieving complete resolution of VOEs between 6- and 18-months post-infusion. Side effects included stomatitis, low blood cell levels, and febrile neutropenia. A black box warning highlighting the risk of hematologic malignancy accompanies Lyfgenia’s label, emphasizing the need for lifelong monitoring in patients.
“Today’s actions follow rigorous evaluations of the scientific and clinical data needed to support approval, reflecting the FDA’s commitment to facilitating the development of safe and effective treatments for conditions with severe impacts on human health,” Dr. Marks asserted. -
Newswire : Harvard president to stay amid outcry over antisemitism testimony
Claudine Gay, president of Harvard University
By Daniel Arkin, NBC News
Claudine Gay, the embattled president of Harvard, will remain in the role, the university’s highest governing body announced Tuesday, following almost a week of outcry over testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on antisemitism.
“As members of the Harvard Corporation, we today reaffirm our support for President Gay’s continued leadership of Harvard University. Our extensive deliberations affirm our confidence that President Gay is the right leader to help our community heal and to address the very serious societal issues we are facing,” the board said in a statement signed by the college’s fellows.
“President Gay has apologized for how she handled her congressional testimony and has committed to redoubling the University’s fight against antisemitism,” the statement said.
Gay became the university’s presidency less than six months ago. She is the second woman and first Black person to lead the Ivy League institution.
Gay and her counterparts at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology drew fierce criticism after they appeared at a House hearing last week and seemed to dodge a question of whether students calling for the genocide of Jews should be punished.
In a contentious exchange with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Gay said “that type of speech is personally abhorrent to me” and “at odds with the values of Harvard.”
Stefanik then pressed Gay: “Can you not say here that it is against the code of conduct at Harvard?”
Gay did not answer directly, saying in part: “We embrace a commitment to free expression even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful — it’s when that speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies against bullying, harassment, intimidation.”
In an interview with the Harvard Crimson student newspaper published Friday, Gay apologized for her remarks and said in part: “I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures. I failed to convey what is my truth,” she said.
The presidents’ testimony went viral on social media and drew condemnation from the White House, lawmakers, Jewish community advocates, alumni and donors. The backlash has been driven in part by Stefanik and billionaire investor Bill Ackman.
The furor thrust Harvard into crisis, and demands that Gay leave her job seemed to gain steam over the weekend after Penn President Liz Magill stepped down. Magill had drawn scrutiny for responding to Stefanik’s line of questioning in similarly legalistic terms.
However, Gay received support Monday from a large group of Harvard professors and alumni. More than 700 members of the faculty, including the constitutional law scholar Laurence Tribe, signed a letter urging administrators to resist calls for Gay’s removal.
“We … urge you in the strongest possible terms to defend the independence of the university and to resist political pressures that are at odds with Harvard’s commitment to academic freedom, including calls for the removal of President Claudine Gay,” they said in the letter.
“The critical work of defending a culture of free inquiry in our diverse community cannot proceed if we let its shape be dictated by outside forces,” the letter went on to say. NBC News obtained the text of the letter from history professor Alison Frank Johnson, one of the faculty members spearheading the effort.
In a separate letter, the executive committee of the Harvard Alumni Association said it “unanimously and unequivocally” backed Gay. “We have full confidence in her leadership during this difficult time,” the committee members wrote.
The news that Gay would remain in her office was first reported by the Crimson, citing an unnamed source familiar with the decision. -
Newswire : Biden announces $4.8 billion in Student Loan Debt Forgiveness for 80,300 Borrowers
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Biden administration declared that it would erase an extra $4.8 billion of 80,300 students’ student loan debt. The U.S. Department of Education’s adjustments to its Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and income-driven repayment plans have resulted in the alleviation.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated in a statement that “before President Biden took office, it was virtually impossible for eligible borrowers to access the student debt relief they rightfully earned. “This level of debt relief is unparalleled, and we have no intention of slowing down,” Cardona said.
Approximately $2 billion of the assistance will be allocated to almost 46,000 individuals who are currently participating in income-driven repayment programs. According to experts, loan servicers frequently neglected to monitor borrowers’ payments, resulting in the failure of the intended debt forgiveness schemes after a specified time frame.
The U.S. Department of Education announced that 34,400 debtors who have been in public service for ten years or longer will be granted loan cancellation of $2.6 billion. Participants in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have had difficulties in obtaining the promised debt cancellation due to inaccuracies in their payment calculations and other related problems.
The Biden administration has recently eliminated around $132 billion in student debt for over 3.6 million American individuals. The Biden-Harris campaign expects their relentless pursuit of forgiving student loans will aid them in the polls as voters support measures that forgive student debt by a 2-to-1 margin.
Despite the Supreme Court striking down the administration’s earlier plan to offer as much as $20,000 in loan forgiveness to borrowers, Biden has relentlessly pursued other avenues to meet his campaign promise.
“From Day One of my Administration, I vowed to improve the student loan system so that a higher education provides Americans with opportunity and prosperity – not unmanageable burdens of student loan debt. I won’t back down from using every tool at our disposal to get student loan borrowers the relief they need to reach their dreams,” the president insisted.
Biden said the relief is courtesy of his administration’s efforts to fix Public Service Loan Forgiveness, so teachers, members of the military, nurses, and other public service workers receive “the relief they have earned.”
“And it’s because of actions my administration took to make sure that borrowers who have been in repayment for at least 20 years – but didn’t accurately get credit for student loan payments – get the relief they are entitled to,” Biden asserted, noting that the latest move brings the total debt cancellation his administration has approved to $132 billion for over 3.6 million Americans through various actions.
“Today’s announcement comes on top of all we’ve been able to achieve for students and student loan borrowers in the past few years,” Biden stated. “This includes achieving the largest increases in Pell Grants in over a decade to help families who earn less than roughly $60,000 a year; fixing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that borrowers who go into public service get the debt relief they’re entitled to under the law; and creating the most generous Income-Driven Repayment plan in history – the SAVE plan.
“Borrowers can go to studentaid.gov to apply. And, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on our student debt relief plan, we are continuing to pursue an alternative path to deliver student debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible.” -
Newswire: U.S. casts sole vote at UN Security Council against Gaza ceasefire
UN Security Council meeting
Dec. 11, 2023 (GIN) – A resolution that would have demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza failed to pass by one vote – that of the U.S. – in the U.N.’s Security Council at a special meeting called Saturday by the Secretary General.
It was the sixth meeting of the Council to discuss temporary stops to the fighting since war started in October but it has succeeded only once.
Saturday’s resolution won support from all 13 Council members, including three permanent members (China, France and the Russian Federation), all three members from African nations, with one permanent member (United Kingdom) abstaining.
Presented by the United Arab Emirates, the resolution would have also demanded immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access.
Sec’y General Antony Guterres said he called the special meeting by invoking Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, “because we are at the breaking point.”
“There is a high risk that the total collapse of humanitarian systems could have devastating consequences,” he said. “The threat to the safety and security of U.N. staff is unprecedented. More than 130 of my colleagues have already been killed, many with their families. This is the largest single loss of life in the history of our organization.”
Article 99 enables the U.N. chief to call the Security Council on any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance on international peace and security.
The resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates was co-sponsored by some 97 member states within 24 hours, said Mohamed Issa Abushahab (UAE).
The text was rushed to the floor after 63 days of conflict and more than 18,000 people killed.
Carolyn Abena Anima Oppong-Ntiri of Ghana, one of the three African delegates, explained her vote addressing the quickly deteriorating situation in Gaza. She urged the Council to “act as an honest broker for the peaceful settlement of the Israel-Palestinian question based on the two-state solution.”
Michel Xavier Biang representing Gabon said his delegation voted for the ceasefire due to a sense of responsibility to put an end to the bloodbath. “We are very clear that we want an immediate ceasefire,” he said decisively to a scrum of UN reporters.
As talks at the Climate Summit enter their final stage, negotiators remain far apart on the future role of fossil fuels. Oil producer group OPEC headed by Saudi Arabia, along with Russia and others oppose any language targeting fossil fuels in a final document while China’s top climate envoy, said on Saturday that a deal can only be considered a success if it includes an agreement on fossil fuels. He called this the hardest climate summit of his career.
Without an agreement among the members on Sunday, negotiators will have just one full day to resolve differences ahead of the conference’s scheduled end on Tuesday before noon.
“It’s getting close to the end point, so that new text really has to find areas of convergence that’s much beyond where we are right now,” said Rachel Cleetus, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Targets of the conference currently include tripling renewable energy and nuclear power deployments, slash coal use, and curb emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
If honored, these targets could lower global-energy related greenhouse gas emissions by 4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030 – a number that represents only about a third of the emissions gap that needs to be closed in the next six years to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels as agreed to in the 2015 Paris Agreement.