Virginia ends hospital-style regulation for abortion clinics
Virginia’s Board of Health voted on Monday to remove contested regulations on abortion clinics that included meeting hospital-like building standards.
Paisley Park opens as museum Oct. 28
Paisley Park, the estate and studio of the late musician Prince, will operate permanently as a museum after a rezoning request was approved by the Chanhassen City Council on Monday night. The 65,000 square-foot estate where Prince died on April 21 of an accidental, self-administered overdose at the age of 57 is located in the Minneapolis suburb and will be open to the public on Friday, Oct. 28.
Trump creates chasm in GOP with lewd tape
Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump ignited his base — and opened a chasm with the GOP leadership and many supporters — with a second debate performance in which he threatened to jail his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, if he is elected.
Kaine comes out swinging
U.S. Senator challenges GOP vice presidential contender over Donald Trump’s record
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine aggressively challenged Republican candidate Mike Pence over a long list of Donald Trump’s controversial positions and statements Tuesday night, drawing a vigorous defense of Mr. Trump’s tax history.
New National Museum of African American History and Culture opens to fanfare, tears
Black history officially has a new, prominent place in America’s story. With hugs, tears and the ringing of a church bell, the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened its doors last Saturday to help this nation understand, reconcile and celebrate African-Americans’ often-ignored contributions toward making this country what it is today.
‘Queen of Katwe’ opens Friday
She grew up in one of the poorest spots on earth. She couldn’t read or write. As a child, she scrounged for food and water each day for herself, her mother and her brother.
Emmy Awards filled with color, politics
Diversity ruled at Sunday’s Emmy Awards, where a record 21 nominees of color were up for the annual awards for television and cable shows in contrast to this year’s all-white Oscars acting lineup. Several took home Emmys, many for the first time.
McDonnell, wife free; facing $10M legal bill
Former Gov. Bob McDonnell is officially a free man, but he paid a heavy price to get there. Federal prosecutors announced late last week they will not pursue a second trial against Mr. McDonnell or his wife, Maureen McDonnell, on corruption charges. The decision, announced Sept. 8, comes more than two months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
Retrial for former governor?
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal corruption convictions against former Gov. Bob McDonnell in June.
Georgetown begins atonement for role in slavery
Georgetown University apologized for its historical links to slavery and said last week it would give an admissions edge to descendants of slaves whose sale in the 19th century helped pay off the school’s debts.
President Obama nominates Muslim American to federal judiciary
President Obama nominated a Washington attorney for the federal bench Tuesday. If confirmed, he would be the first Muslim American to serve as a federal judge. President Obama nominated Abid Riaz Qureshi of Maryland for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
49ers quarterback under fire for sitting during national anthem
NFL Quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers refused to stand for the national anthem before a preseason game last Friday, drawing boos from some fans and criticism on social media, but his team said they backed his right to protest.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu hospitalized
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu is responding well to treatment for a recurring infection, his daughter, Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe said this week.
Trump defends wall in meeting with Mexico’s president
Once referring to Republican presidential nominee Donald J. Trump as comparable to Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler, Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto expressed optimism that he and Mr. Trump could work together.
FBI detects breaches in two state voter systems
The FBI has found breaches in Illinois’ and Arizona’s voter registration databases and is urging states to increase computer security ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election, according to a U.S. official familiar with the probe.
Lochte loses sponsors after Olympic embarrassment
U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte lost the last of his four major sponsors, Japanese mattress maker Airweave, days after he admitted to exaggerating his story about being robbed at gunpoint in Rio during the Olympics. The incident embarrassed the host city, angered the local police and government and dominated news coverage of South America’s first Olympics, leading the U.S. Olympic Committee to issue an apology.
NYC reaches $4.1M settlement in fatal police shooting
New York City reached a settlement of more than $4 million with the family of an unarmed man fatally shot by a police officer in a darkened stairwell nearly two years ago, the attorney for the family said Tuesday.
Williams sisters leave Olympics without medals
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil There will be no gold medals for Serena and Venus Williams at the Rio Olympics. Instead, the sisters are leaving the games early.
Voting rights fight comes to Va.
National NAACP President Cornell William Brooks and Stephen Green, the civil rights organization’s youth director, were arrested Monday in the Roanoke office of Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte after a six-hour sit-in calling for the full restoration of the federal Voting Rights Act, the NAACP said.
‘She is a 0, but I’m a 10’
Who wore it best? Rep. Beatty trumps Melania
As soon as Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty stepped off the stage following her July 28 address at the Democratic National Convention, Twitter blew up.
Ready or not, 2016 Olympics to open Friday
The 2016 Summer Olympics open Friday in Rio de Janeiro. But the typical opulence and spectacle of the opening ceremony will break from tradition. Organizers in Brazil will depart from the recent tradition of large-scale and expensive shows, and instead will feature a low-emissions cauldron and an “analogue” experience, executive producer Marco Balich said Monday.
Muslim women, others denounce Trump attacks on Charlottesville family
When Donald Trump disparaged the parents of fallen Army Capt. Humayun Khan, he didn’t just pick a fight with the Khans. He now faces the ire of hundreds of Muslim American women.
Sisters reign at Wimbledon
Serena Williams proved her star power and tennis mastery once again when she won both the single’s title and, with her sister, Venus, also claimed the doubles title Saturday at Wimbledon.
Trump rejects invitation to speak at NAACP convention
The NAACP says Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has declined an invitation to address the group’s upcoming convention, flouting established precedent and highlighting anew the GOP standard-bearer’s struggle to attract support from non-white voters.
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, ‘conscience of the world,’ dies at 87
Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose memories of persecution and teachings on tolerance made him one of the world’s most revered moral voices, has died at 87. “My husband was a fighter,” Marion Wiesel said in a statement. “He fought for the memory of the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and he fought for Israel. He waged countless battles for innocent victims regardless of ethnicity or creed.”
Former congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy arrested
Civil rights leader and former congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy was released from a Virginia jail Tuesday following his arrest Monday at Dulles International Airport on a 5-year-old charge of writing a bad check in Maryland, authorities said. Mr. Fauntroy, 83, had been living abroad for the past four years, and relatives and friends had expressed concerns about his health. He told The Washington Post in a telephone interview last week that he was coming home and that he believed the bad check issue was resolved.
Top Tony Awards won by people of color
People of color snagged the top Tony Awards for performances on Broadway stages during the past year— a sharp contrast to Hollywood’s all-white Academy Awards for movies.
Christians respond to Orlando attack
Christians responded quickly to the shooting rampage at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association immediately sent trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team to Orlando to offer emotional and spiritual care to victims of the attack that took place early Sunday at Pulse.
Ramadan observed amid hardships
Muslims around the world began observing Ramadan on Monday, Islam’s holy month during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.
Virginia’s voter ID law upheld by federal judge
A federal judge has upheld a 2013 Virginia law requiring prospective voters to show approved photo identification before being allowed to cast ballots.
Obama drops mic at correspondents’ dinner
President Obama took aim at Democrats and Republicans alike last Saturday in his final appearance headlining the star-studded White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. However, he saved his sharpest barbs for Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump.
Gabby poised for gold at 2016 Summer Olympics
Gabby Douglas is seeking to become the first gymnast since Romanian Nadia Comaneci to win gold medals at back-to-back Olympics.
It’s all about the ‘Tubmans’
Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will replace former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew announced Wednesday.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects conservative challenge in voting rights case
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the method all states use to draw their legislative districts, rejecting a conservative challenge that could have given more clout to white, rural voters.
First family celebrates Easter at historic black church
President Obama and the first family attended Easter service at a historic African-American church that traces its origins to the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. The Rev. Howard-John Wesley, pastor at the 198-year-old Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria’s Old Town, welcomed back the Obamas, whom he described as “the gorgeous family.” The Obamas also visited the church last Easter.
Malia, Sasha turn heads at first state dinner
Sasha and Malia Obama, the teenage daughters of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, were nothing less than stunning for their first state dinner, where they were first clad in designer fabrics and later in controversy. During the official White House event last Thursday night welcoming Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, both Sasha and Malia ruled the red carpet, rubbed elbows with dignitaries and enjoyed a rare star-struck moment with “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds.
2016 General Assembly ends with bipartisan consensus on budget, other measures
The 2016 General Assembly session is over — ending last Friday, a day early, on a high note of accomplishment. The hectic 59 days produced a landmark compromise on gun laws and a new state budget providing a dramatic boost in spending on public education and offering pay hikes for state workers and lawmakers.
Obama picks D.C. jurist
President nominates Judge Merrick Garland for U.S. Supreme Court amid GOP pushback
President Obama nominated veteran appellate court Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, setting up a potentially ferocious political showdown with Senate Republicans who have vowed to block any Obama nominee.
Bobbi Kristina’s autopsy shows mixture of drugs, alcohol
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s autopsy report contained evidence of recent cocaine use by the daughter of Bobby Brown and the late Whitney Houston before she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her home last year. But a medical examiner’s office said last Friday it could not establish whether her death after months in a coma was accidental or intentional. Ms. Brown suffered brain damage and died of pneumonia resulting from drug intoxication and her face being immersed in water, the Fulton County Medical Examiner said.
Host Chris Rock rocks the Oscars
Comedian Chris Rock launched his return stint as Oscar host Sunday by immediately and unabashedly confronting the racially charged elephant in the room — the furor over the all-white field of performers nominated for Hollywood’s highest honor.
Smithsonian African-American history museum to open Sept. 24
Free Press wire reports The Smithsonian Institution will open the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Sept. 24 in Washington.
Scalia’s death sets up showdown over high court
Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has died, setting up a major political showdown between President Obama and the Republican-controlled Senate over who will replace him just months before a presidential election.
Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White dies at 74
Maurice White, the founder of R&B funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, died at his Los Angeles home Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, publicist Mark Young said. Mr. White had been battling Parkinson’s disease since 1992. He was 74.
Dr. Frances C. Welsing, 80, renowned psychiatrist best known for her views on the origins of white racism
Dr. Frances Cress Welsing used her platform as a psychiatrist in the nation’s capital to battle white supremacy. Dubbed the “Queen of Black Consciousness,” she won attention for her views on white racism, including her assertions that white racism is because of a deficiency of melanin, the pigment that darkens skin, and that white people oppressed black people out of fear of black domination.
Concealed weapons permits from 25 states not valid in Va.
Concealed handgun permits held by residents of 25 states no longer will be valid in Virginia, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday, drawing swift criticism from GOP lawmakers. Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, said the state will revoke its reciprocity agreement with the states because their concealed weapon laws don’t meet Virginia’s standards. Those states hand out permits to fugitives, convicted stalkers and drug dealers, which undermines Virginia’s law and puts residents at risk, he said.
Spike Lee’s ‘Chi-Raq’ grosses $2.1M in 10 days
Director Spike Lee hopes his latest film “Chi-Raq,” an adaptation of ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” looking at Chicago’s gun violence, will help make a difference in tackling the problem. Based on Aristophanes’ play in which the titular character rouses women to stop the Peloponnesian War by going on a sex strike, the movie sees Lysistrata try to persuade rival gangs to lay down their guns by using the same technique.
2016 NAACP Image Awards nominees announced
“Empire” leads the television nominees for the 2016 NAACP Image Awards. The scintillating drama is up for 12 trophies at the ceremony honoring diversity in the arts, including acting nominations for Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Jussie Smollett and Grace Gealey.
Falwell urges students to pack pistols
Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has urged students to carry concealed weapons on campus to counter any possible armed attack, saying that “we could end those Muslims before they walk in.” “Let’s teach them a lesson if they ever show up here,” Mr. Falwell told students at the private Christian school Dec. 4. His remarks make him the first president of a Virginia college or university to urge students to arm themselves and put him among the first in the country to do so.
