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Lindsey Graham Says There’s ‘No’ Systemic Racism In U.S., Citing Kamala Harris As VP

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday said systemic racism doesn’t exist in the United States, pointing to the elections of former President Barack Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris to back up his claim.

During Graham’s appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” host Chris Wallace played a clip of President Joe Biden stating Tuesday that the country needs to confront systemic racism “head on” after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

“Is there systemic racism in this country in policing and in other institutions?” Wallace asked Graham.

“No, not in my opinion,” Graham said. “We just elected a two-term African American president. The vice president is of African-American-Indian descent. So our systems are not racist. America is not a racist country. Within every society, you have bad actors.”

Graham, who helped perpetuate President Donald Trump’s “big lie” that Biden and Harris stole the election, instead bashed Biden for stating that systemic racism is a problem in the United States, a country built by enslaved people.

“This attack on police and policing ― reform the police, yes. Call them all racist, no,” Graham said. “America is a work in progress but [sic] best place on the planet. And Joe Biden spends a lot of time running the place down. I wish you would stop it.”

The elections of Obama and Harris ― the country’s first Black president and first Black vice president, respectively ― do not negate the racism entrenched in the country’s institutions and laws, which is exemplified in myriad ways, including the disproportionate rate at which police kill Black men; the income disparity between Black families and white families; and the high number of people of color killed by COVID-19.

In a subsequent interview on Sunday, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, pushed back on Graham’s claim.

“My response is, at some point in our country’s history, we have got to figure out a way to talk about race where we can talk about it objectively and people don’t feel individual guilt,” Bass said.

“You can look at each of our institutions,” she added. “Why is there such massive inequality when it comes to education, when it comes to health care? Why does that exist? And so we have to figure out a way to talk about it. Right now, to say it doesn’t exist does not help anyone.”

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Culled from the HuffPost and has been updated.  By Hayley Miller ·(Senior reporter)

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Huge – Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order

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A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to overhaul elections in the U.S., siding with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the effort as unconstitutional.

The Republican president’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.

The attorneys general said the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.” The White House defended the order as “standing up for free, fair and honest elections” and called proof of citizenship a “commonsense” requirement.

Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts said in Friday’s order that the states had a likelihood of success as to their legal challenges.

“The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Casper wrote.

Casper also noted that, when it comes to citizenship, “there is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship.”

Casper cited arguments made by the states that the requirements would “burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs” to update procedures.

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Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear sites and its top military leaders. Iran retaliates with drones

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel launched a blistering attack on the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military structure Friday, deploying warplanes and drones smuggled into the country to target key facilities and kill top generals and scientists — a barrage it said was necessary before its adversary got any closer to building an atomic weapon.

The operation raised the potential for all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.

Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of “severe punishment.” Iran had been censured by the U.N.’s atomic watchdog a day earlier for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear program.

But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and the election of President Donald Trump created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats.

Israel had told the Trump administration that the large-scale attacks were coming, officials in the U.S. and Israel said on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions.

On Wednesday, the U.S. pulled some American diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East. On Friday, the U.S. began shifting military resources, including ships, in the region as Israel prepared for more retaliation, two U.S. officials said.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides. Iran asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.

Israel’s military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Its Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defenses and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not possible to independently confirm the officials’ claims.

Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Israel also said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran.

Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said the Natanz facility was “significantly damaged” and that the operation was “still in the beginning.”

Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Iran confirmed all three deaths, significant blows its governing theocracy that will complicate efforts to retaliate. Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed.

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700 Marines Sent to Los Angeles as Riots Escalate, Trump Administration Confirms

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The U.S. military is set to temporarily deploy about 700 Marines to Los Angeles while additional National Guard troops arrive in the city, a U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters on Monday. The deployment comes as the city enters its fourth day of protests over President Donald Trump‘s immigration enforcement policies.

The Trump administration has pledged to carry out the largest mass deportation in U.S. history and has conducted numerous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, some of which have swept up individuals with proper documentation.

Trump announced on Saturday evening that he had authorized the mobilization of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles after reported violence against law enforcement, specifically, ICE agents carrying out deportation raids in the city.

While the raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, protests have erupted amid reports that detainees were being held in the basement of a federal building. ICE denied these allegations, with a spokesperson previously telling Newsweek the agency “categorically refutes the assertions made by immigration activists in Los Angeles.”

Early on, some protesters threw rocks at officers, with one allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail, and burning items in the streets. Police responded with tear gas.

The clashes highlight deepening conflicts between sanctuary jurisdictions and federal immigration policy, as Trump has implemented sweeping changes through executive orders and utilized the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expand deportation authority.

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