Biden pardoned 39 and commuted sentences for 1,500, but for some it's simply not enough. Especially with him being one of the architects of mass incarceration.
But First, a Thank You
2024 was no easy year for us and it was reflected in how this newsletter arrived in your inbox, if it arrived at all. If you’re reading this, we thank you for your continued support and for sometimes encouraging us to keep pushing forward when we really didn’t feel like we could.
We’re officially starting our winter break this week, but we’ll see you back here in January 2025 where our new release day will be TUESDAY.
Happy holidays, fam.
Trump, Take Two
Donnie has been named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year for the large (and unfortunate) impact he’s had on politics.
Many Black folks are watching cautiously to see how the next 4 years will turn out to be for us. Exactly how bad can it get?
Trump is untalking the talk that helped him win the election. Last week, he admitted it would be “very hard” to drop the price of groceries. The truth is, Trump, like every other POTUS, will have very limited, indirect influence over inflation. He was just fortunate to have enough stupid people believe the lie.
Taking a completely different approach from 2017, Amazon and Meta will each donate $1M to Trump’s inaugural fund. The fund, managed by the presidential inaugural committee, will go towards all events tied to the inauguration other than the swearing in ceremony and inaugural luncheon at the Capitol.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
In the final weeks of his presidency, Joe Biden has appointed 40 Black women (so far) as judges. This brings him to a total of 63 Black judges total, the most ever. For context Trump appointed 2 Black judges and Obama appointed 26.
More last minute record breaking from the Biden administration: He commuted 1,500 sentences and pardoned 39 people. Clearly he heard the criticism from people asking that he use some of the energy he had for Hunter for everybody else. Some people, however, are rightfully side-eyeing some of the beneficiaries, like the judge who accepted bribes to give minors lengthy prison sentences in private prisons. Others want him to keep going until he can’t anymore.
The Justice Department says the FBI failed to canvas its field offices to detect threats to the Capitol, a very basic practice, ahead of the January 6 insurrection.
A federal appeals court declined to halt the ban of TikTok that will go in place on January 19. The case will now head to the SCOTUS. If the Supreme Court fails to overturn the ban or even hear the case, TikTok must end ties with ByteDance, its China-based parent company.
Congress, What’s Good?
The Senate signed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which would place youth treatment centers for “troubled” minors under federal oversight to ensure the health and safety of children placed in these facilities. Proponents of the bill in the House hope it’ll be passed before the end of the current congressional session in January.
The December 4 shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO sparked an unlikely—and probably temporary—alliance in the Senate. Liberal Elizabeth Warren and MAGA man Josh Hawley are co-sponsoring the Patients Before Monopolies Act. The bill, if passed, would require insurers to sell their pharmacy divisions within 3 years or risk financial penalties. Long term, this legislation is intended to make it difficult for healthcare companies to fatten their pockets through higher drug costs and make the market more competitive for smaller pharmacies.
Up next in committee meetings:
Social Justice Round Up
The Louisville Police Department agreed to a federal reform deal after the Department of Justice found that it routinely and systematically violates the constitutional rights of Black people. Once the deal is signed by a judge, a federal monitor would oversee the department to ensure certain implementations are made. While this sounds promising, we are going to have to file this in our “things we must see to believe” folder, especially with Trump on his way back.
New Jersey’s governor signed the Freedom to Read Act last week to proactively stop any conservative attempts to implement a book ban in his state.
A queer pastor who’s part of the African Methodist Episcopal church is working to change her denomination’s stance on same-sex marriage.
What the Health
Is a traditional doctor’s office or hospital required every time you feel sick? No. Depending on the issue, community health centers and federally qualified health centers can do the job just as well.
Racial discrimination when it comes to healthcare can also be found in our dealings within the insurance industry. Insured Black patients receive more claim denials than white patients and are more likely to pay out of pocket for screenings and preventative care, which should be free.
Colder temps make us all more susceptible to catching a cold & or the flu. The science behind why might surprise you.
Around the Diaspora
Senegal’s new president announced that all French military bases in the country must go, though he failed to make a deadline public. The announcement comes around the 80th anniversary of when the French colonial military massacred an estimated 400 West African soldiers. The West African soldiers, who’d fought alongside France in WW2, were protesting delayed salaries and poor living conditions at the time of their deaths.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, some see partnering with France as a great opportunity to push the country forward.
Doctors without Borders partially resumed its medical services in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after a 22-day pause.
Our Black Jobs & Our Black Money
While there’s no unanimous verdict on how good or bad the job market will be in 2025, here are some tips (or reminders) that might help you score that job you’re looking for next year. Keep that faith, y’all.
Culture that Pops
Are young Black girls unfairly punished for being what others consider “too grown?” The recent appearance of 12-year-old Blue Ivy Carter at the premiere of her new Lion King film is bringing this question to the forefront.
If binging everything Black sounds like the perfect way to spend your holiday break, consider checking out the best Black shows from 2024.
Three of the “Best Men” (Morris Chestnut, Taye Diggs, and Harold Perrineau) have partnered with the film’s director Malcolm Lee to launch their own brand of bourbon called Sable. Who’s giving it a try?
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