Obama asks Congress to remove Cuba from terror list. In the 80’s, Cuba helped armed insurgencies in Latin America. As a result, Cuba is on USA’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. In Dec., Obama said he would normalize relations w/ Cuba. He met with Raul Castro last Saturday in Panama. Last week, the State Dept. said to remove them …
Attack in Kenya
Islamic extremists with Al-Shabab kill at least 15. Al-Shabab are Islamic terrorists in Somalia linked to al-Qaeda. At least 5 gunmen in fatigues invaded a school in Kenya. 15 people are dead and the terrorists have taken hostages. The attackers targeted Christians during their morning prayers. After taking hostages, the gunmen went to the hostels. Witnesses say they separated people …
Did Iraq Have WMDs?
Document justifying Iraq war declassified. On March 20, 2003, the US launched a war against Iraq. Bush admin. said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. They said Iraq was developing bio & chemical weapons. And that Saddam Hussein was training al Qaeda operatives. Evidence of the claims is in the National Intelligence Estimate. The NIE has just been declassified and …
Who is Boris Nemtsov?
Russian opposition leader murdered outside Kremlin. Boris Nemtsov was Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister in the ‘90s. When Vladimir Putin came into power, he joined the opposition. An outspoken critic of Putin, he was jailed several times. Nemtsov campaigned extensively against political corruption. Kremlin accused him of inciting protests in Ukraine in 2014. He was working on a report about Russian …
Charles Hamilton Houston
“The Man Who Killed Jim Crow” Charles Hamilton Houston was born in Wash. D.C. in 1895. He graduated valedictorian from Amherst College in 1915. He served in the Army in France during World War I. He graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School. He worked extensively as Special Counsel for the NAACP. His work focused on taking down Jim Crowe …
Net Neutrality Today
The FCC will approve new net neutrality rules today. On Thursday, the FCC votes on rules for regulating the Internet. The secret vote will make the Internet a “public utility.” This gives FCC control on how Internet providers operate. They can prevent providers from creating Internet “fast lanes.” “Fast lanes” mean you pay more to have your site load faster. …
Phillis Wheatley
The first African-American woman to publish a book. Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753 in Senegal She was sold into slavery at age 7 and taken to America. She was purchased by John Wheatley in Boston. The Wheatley family taught her to read and write. At age 12 she started writing poetry. Many of her poems were dedicated to famous …
Ukraine Ceasefire Shaky
Fighting continues in key town of Debaltseve. Ceasefire between Ukraine and Separatists started Sunday. But fighting in the strategic town of Debaltseve hasn’t stopped. Debaltseve contains transport hubs, railroads, & highways. 5 Ukrainian soldiers were killed on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Ukrainian forces pulled out of Debaltseve. It is a huge win for Pro-Russian Separatists. Debaltseve had a population of 25k. …
21 Christians Beheaded
ISIS beheads 21 Christians in North Africa. In Dec. and Jan. ISIS kidnapped 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians. A new ISIS video shows them beheaded on a Libyan beach. Egypt responded with airstrikes on ISIS targets in Derna, Libya. The targets were camps, weapon caches, and training areas. Retaliation was not part of the Anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq/Syria. The Libyan Air …
Edward Brooke
The first African-American US Senator. Edward Brooke was born in Washington D.C. in 1919. He joined the army in 1941 and saw combat in Italy. In 1962 he was elected Attorney General of Massachusetts. Making him the 1st African-American AG elected in any state. In 1966 he was elected Senator of Massachusetts. He served 2 terms from 1967 to 1979. …