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Russia accused of 'atrocity' in alleged bombing of maternity and children's hospital
Russian forces bombed a maternity and children's hospital in southern Ukraine, authorities there said Wednesday, an attack described by the country's President Volodymyr Zelensky as an "atrocity."
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Shocking Revelation: DOJ Report Exposes Startling Delays in Preventing Uvalde School Massacre
Critical failures in leadership among specific law enforcement officers who rushed to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde are blamed by the Justice Department, in a new 575-page report being made public nearly 20 months after the massacre that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
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New Orleans Begins Removing Second Confederate Monument
By Madison Park, Keith Allen and Jason Hanna CNN (CNN) -- As police stood between opposing crowds, a crew lifted a statue of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis from its pedestal before dawn Thursday in New Orleans -- the latest in a contentious plan to dismantle four Confederate monuments in the city. The statue, which stood for 106 years, is the second Confederate monument to come down after the New Orleans City Council voted to remove the four landmarks in 2015. After years of heated public debate and legal battles, recent court decisions paved the way for the city to relocate the four monuments. Dozens of people -- a crowd opposed to the monument's removal as well as those backing it -- gathered early Thursday at the Davis statue before the operation began, at times screaming insults and threats at each other. Police separated the sides with barriers. As the statue was lifted shortly after 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET), those who wanted it removed cheered and sang the chorus from "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." One person held a sign that read, "Bout Time." The monument's supporters at that point watched mostly in silence, some holding up Confederate banners. Earlier, some monument supporters chanted, "President Davis," and one man saluted the statue. It wasn't immediately clear how long it would take workers to remove the pedestal. The city government kept quiet about the timing of the removal, citing what it said were threats that some had made toward contractors who would do the work. But word about the plans spread Wednesday when the principal of a nearby school told parents in a letter that she'd been told the removal would happen overnight, and that they should know a street would be blocked off in the morning, CNN affiliate WGNO-TV reported. Part of a larger controversy The New Orleans monuments are part of the larger controversy surrounding Confederate symbols, which some say represent slavery and racial injustice. Supporters say they represent history and heritage. The issue became especially prominent after the 2015 massacre of nine black parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church by a self-described white supremacist. "These monuments have stood not as historic or educational markers of our legacy of slavery and segregation, but in celebration of it," New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said in a statement released Thursday morning. "To literally put the Confederacy on a pedestal in some of our most prominent public places is not only an inaccurate reflection of our past, it is an affront to our present, and a bad prescription for our future. We should not be afraid to confront and reconcile our past." Jefferson Davis statue dedicated in 1911 The Davis statue stood on top of a roughly 12-foot column and depicted the Confederate president with his right arm outstretched, towering over the street also named after him. Davis lived in New Orleans after the Civil War and died there in 1889. The statue was dedicated in 1911. In 2004, the words "slave owner" were painted on the base of the monument. How they extracted the statue Police had cordoned off the 6-foot tall bronze statue of Davis with a chain-link fence to keep protesters out. Workers wore helmets as well as what appeared to be tactical vests and face masks. Cardboard and tape covered contractors' names on equipment involved in the controversial operation -- the same methods used during the first Confederate landmark removal April 24. Around 4 a.m., two workers approached the Davis statue in a work lift and wrapped part of it in green plastic. They tied the statue's torso with yellow straps, securing it to a crane. One worker dislodged the statue's base from the column using a long flat tool. Two more statues scheduled for removal Last month, the city dismantled the first of its four monuments scheduled for removal -- an obelisk commemorating the Battle of Liberty Place. The monument marked a deadly fight between members of the Crescent City White League, a group opposed to the city's biracial police force, and state militia after the Civil War. The remaining two monuments -- those of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard -- are also scheduled for relocation. Landrieu's office has not revealed when the two remaining statues will come down. The mayor's office said the city has secured private funding to remove the moments. Landrieu said the statues will be put in storage while the city looks for a suitable place to display them, such as a museum. CNN's Nicole Chavez and Emanuella Grinberg contributed to this report.
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The NFL, Charlottesville, and Trump's Pattern of Racial Division
The overwhelming defiance in the NFL on Sunday to President Donald Trump's attacks on protesting players encapsulates the high stakes for the GOP in his belligerent approach to race relations.
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Nominees React to Golden Globes Nods
Some lucky people woke up Monday morning to news that they had been nominated for a Golden Globe award.
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Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Nashville Public Television partner to broadcast 'Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers' on Oct. 3
Inspired by the 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® and the opportunity to share the ensemble's rich artistry and cultural significance beyond Nashville, the nonprofit Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) and Nashville Public Television (WNPT), Nashville's independent nonprofit PBS station serving Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, are partnering to present Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers to PBS member stations across the country.
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As Trump embarks on 2024 journey, some longtime allies go their own way
As Donald Trump's onetime campaign manager and a New Hampshire resident, Corey Lewandowski has been by the former president's side for many of his trips to the Granite State. But when Trump traveled to the state in late January, Lewandowski declined an invitation to appear at the event, a source with direct knowledge told CNN.
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Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Brings 'Detroit' to Houston
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NFL cheerleader files complaint over 'discriminatory' measures governing conduct
A former NFL cheerleader who was fired in part for an Instagram post that was deemed inappropriate is alleging gender discrimination by the New Orleans Saints and the NFL.
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'Chaos all around' as Southwest jet makes emergency landing in Philadelphia
Passengers aboard a Dallas-bound Southwest Airlines flight Tuesday heard an explosion before seeing oxygen masks drop from the ceiling and a woman sucked toward a broken window in the plane, a witness said.
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Rohingya Violence a 'Textbook Example of Ethnic Cleansing,' UN Chief Says
The ongoing Myanmar military operation against the minority Rohingya people appears to be a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing," the UN human rights chief said Monday.
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Houston Parks Board and Houston BCycle Celebrate New Brays Bayou Greenway Bridge and 100th Bike Share Station
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True Scandal In Puerto Rican Recovery Effort Is Trump's Dereliction
The scandals around in Puerto Rico's agonies are far greater than the bizarre contract to pay Whitefish Energy, a tiny Montana company from U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's hometown, $300 million to restore electric lines.
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Push is On to Increase African American Confidence in COVID Vaccine
Former President Barack Obama has vowed to take the new COVID-19 vaccination on live television. Dr. Ebony Hilton, a physician in the critical care and anesthesiology department at the University of Virginia Health, is also publicly taking the vaccine and documenting how she’s coping on YouTube.
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Blinken accuses all sides in Ethiopian conflict of committing war crimes
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the US has formally determined that armed forces on all sides of the conflict in northern Ethiopia have committed war crimes.
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Biden’s Menthol Ban Follows the ‘Racist Law’ Playbook
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Fort Bend County Unveils Exceptional Opportunity for Aspiring Young Leaders: Applications Now Welcome for the Prestigious 2024 Youth Leadership Program
Fort Bend County has officially opened its doors to the leaders of tomorrow with the launch of the 2024 Youth Leadership Program. This program, spearheaded by the visionary County Judge KP George, is not just a learning opportunity but a transformational journey designed to equip Fort Bend's young minds with the leadership prowess necessary to steer their community toward a flourishing future.
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Parks Soccer for Success Program Receives $175,000 U.S. Soccer Foundation Grant
1,500 Youth to Benefit from Youth Development Program
The U.S. Soccer Foundation (The Foundation) recently awarded a $175,000 grant to the Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s Soccer for Success program. Funds will be used to provide field equipment and player kits to 1,500 participants and provide for instruction and implementation of the program. The program is available to youth ages 6 – 14 at 24 school and park sites and one Boys and Girls Club location.
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Special CHEERS Celebrates Stand by Me 15th Anniversary Gala Sept. 30
Fundraiser benefits nonprofit providing equine therapy and other occupational therapy services to special needs children and adults
Special CHEERS (Children with Horses for Evaluation, Education, Rehabilitation, and Socialization) celebrates its 15-year anniversary with Stand by Me, a western-themed fundraiser with barbecue, adult beverages, dancing, live and silent auctions and music by the Shayne Still & Southern Blend Band. The nonprofit operates on 240 acres of land consisting of trails and pasture in Northwest Houston and employs a range of occupational therapy services for children and adults with special needs, with a strong focus on equine therapy.
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Google CEO: Anti-diversity Memo Was 'offensive and not OK'
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has condemned portions of a controversial memo sent by a male engineer at the company who argued that women are not biologically fit for tech roles.
