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Praise, doubt as Facebook rolls out new prayer tool
Facebook already asks for your thoughts. Now it wants your prayers.
Biles makes history in return to competition at U.S. Classic
Time on her hands and a world-class gym at her disposal after the 2020 Olympics were postponed, Simone Biles started experimenting almost as a way to stave off the monotony of training.
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.
W&M dedicates memorial to those who were enslaved by the university
William & Mary, the nation’s second oldest institution of higher education, dedicated a brick memorial last Saturday that honors people who were enslaved by the university.
Democrats angered as Gov. Youngkin vetoes 25 bipartisan bills
Republican Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin vetoed 25 bills — including some that passed with broad bipartisan support — as he took action on more than 800 bills the divided legislature sent him during its regular session.
Salacious FBI file on Dr. King shows extent to which agency tried to discredit him
A newly released secret FBI dossier on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alleges that the noted civil rights leader was “a slow thinker” who had ties to the Community Party, used the Southern Christian Leadership Council as “a tax dodge,” and engaged in a string of extramarital affairs and sex orgies that produced a love child.
Winston-Salem removes Confederate statue from old courthouse
The city of Winston-Salem, N.C., removed a Confederate statue Tuesday from the grounds of an old courthouse, drawing applause from onlookers for the rare move in a state where such monuments are largely protected by law.
Lonnie G. Bunch III named to head entire Smithsonian Institution
When Lonnie G. Bunch III started working on the Smithsonian’s first African-American museum, he had no collection, no building and one employee.
‘Trumpcare’ health plan would strip insurance from millions
Impressed by President Trump’s campaign promises to make health care more affordable, Mavis Reivis crossed her fingers and voted for him.
Neo-Nazis sentenced for planning attack at Richmond rally
Two neo-Nazi group members were sentenced on Oct. 28 to nine years in prison each in a case that highlighted a broader federal crackdown on far-right extremists.
Black people have stronger ties to religion than white people
Several studies and surveys reveal black Americans retain remarkably strong levels of religious beliefs and practices. And that spiritual core has an impact on community life in areas from health to economic empowerment. That’s according to a study measuring racial differences on moral behaviors.
Paradox of history: Jamestown commemoration
As Trump speaks at Jamestown commemoration for 400th anniversary of representative government, Va. Legislative Black Caucus boycotts with commemoration of the enslaved
President Trump marked the 400th anni- versary of American democracy Tuesday, but Virginia’s African-American lawmakers boycotted his celebration of the initial experiment in self-government in this country to protest his continued disparagement of a veteran black congressman and the majority-black Baltimore district he represents.
Archaeologists uncover remnants of one of nation’s first Black churches in Williamsburg
The brick foundation of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches has been unearthed at Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum that continues to reckon with its past storytelling about the country’s origins and the role of Black Americans.
‘In the Heights’ opens to low numbers
NEW YORK Just when a party was poised to break out in movie theaters, the below-expectation debut of “In the Heights” last weekend dampened Hollywood’s hopes of a swift or smooth recovery at the summer box office.
Union vows to defend teachers in CRT fights
One of the nation’s largest teachers unions on Tuesday vowed to defend members who are punished for teaching an “honest history” of the United States, a measure that’s intended to counter the wave of states seeking to limit classroom discussion on race and discrimination.
With tears, megachurch pastor defends $200K Lamborghini gift to wife
The new pastor of a South Carolina megachurch gave his wife a $200,000 Lamborghini SUV for their eighth anniversary earlier this month, and he’s been getting heat on social media for it ever since.
Sen. Harris enters presidential contest
She’s running! U.S. Sen. Kamala D. Harris announced Monday that she is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president. She adds her name to a growing list of women who want to call the White House home.
Double dose of wrong
State Police, FBI and civil rights investigations launched into treatment of 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario during traffic stop in Windsor, Virginia, while police officer is charged in shooting death in Minn.
Virginia State Police and the state Attorney General’s Office of Civil Rights are investigating the traffic stop of 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario in rural Isle of Wight County, where two police officers, screaming with their guns drawn, threatened him, peppersprayed him in the face and demanded he get out of his SUV without giving him an explanation for the stop.
Inequality persists 50 years after landmark Kerner Commission report
Barriers to equality are posing threats to democracy in the United States as the country remains segregated along racial lines and child poverty worsens, according to a study examining the nation 50 years after the release of the landmark 1968 Kerner Report.
Youngkin inaugural plans include pricey dinner, music acts
Incoming Gov. Glenn A. Youngkin is planning a celebratory inaugural weekend that will include a mix of high-dollar ticketed events and other functions open to the public, according to a program that also touts an appearance by an unspecified Grammy-winning musical artist.