House lawmakers appeared hesitant to hold a potentially explosive debate over reparations amid recent controversies NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s Republican-dominant House on Wednesday spiked legislation that would have banned local governments from paying to either study or dispense money for reparations for slavery. The move marked a rare defeat on a GOP-backed proposal initially introduced nearly one year ago. It easily cleared the Republican-controlled Senate last April, but lawmakers eventually hit pause as the House became consumed with controversy over expelling two Black Dem ..read more

Jackson, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, told theGrio he stands firm on not supporting Israel’s “offensive campaign in destroying Gaza.” Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., and other members of Congress are criticizing President Joe Biden for backing a foreign aid bill that will provide more military aid to Israel, despite the rising death toll in Gaza. Jackson, son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, told theGrio that he disagrees with Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict and believes the president’s approach to the crisis “is not resonating with Black voters” who would like to see the Democratic p ..read more

OPINION: Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, who beat a centrist Democrat supported by pro-Israel groups, was the first Squad member to survive a primary challenge. Will the other progressive members of Congress fair as well? Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. Has the Squad reached a turning point? The members of the Squad — progressive, Democratic Congress members of color — are facing primary challenges because of their position against Israel. Pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and Republican billionaire dono ..read more

Catch an all-new episode of “The Hill with April Ryan” every week on theGrio.com and theGrio’s social media platforms. This week’s edition of theGrio’s “The Hill with April Ryan” dives into several topics, including a new poll that shows Vice President Kamala Harris is just as popular as music icon Beyoncé. Interestingly. the survey of Americans found that 7 in 10 Blacks support Harris. Meanwhile, there is some pushback against Morehouse College’s invitation to President Joe Biden to deliver this year’s commencement speech. We also take a look at the push for Biden to reinstate a 1968 Fair Hou ..read more

U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., told theGrio, “Organized people beat organized money every time.” After pulling out a decisive win against her primary opponent amid a super PAC’s attempt to unseat her over her stance on the Israel-Hamas war in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., is empowering the broader pro-Palestine movement to end the more than 200-day-old conflict. U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., told theGrio of Lee’s overwhelming victory: “Organized people beat organized money every time.” The New York congressman, who is facing own primary challenge ..read more

“I’m a big believer in the power of redemption,” said Vice President Harris during the Thursday White House convening. Vice President Kamala Harris hosted a roundtable Thursday on criminal justice reform with Kim Kardashian and four Black and brown recipients of recent pardons from President Joe Biden. The vice president invited Kardashian to hear from formerly incarcerated citizens Bobby Lowery, Jesse Mosley, Beverly Robinson, and Jason Hernandez, who shared their personal stories of how they turned their past with law enforcement into purpose as entrepreneurs and community leaders. “I’m a b ..read more

OPINION: His take on Trump while appearing on Sean Hannity’s show offended a lot of Black people, and his apology didn’t make anything better. Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. Stephen A. Smith’s non-apology was insulting. Many in the community were deeply angry with him for what he said on “Hannity” last week. In his apology, he said he heard us, but he was defensive, aggressive and gaslighting. He said he had been misconstrued and taken out of context. How, Sway? How? He went on “Hanni ..read more

Conley Monk Jr., a Vietnam War veteran accusing the Department of Veterans Affairs of denying benefits for decades, hopes other Black veterans will join him in a potential class-action lawsuit. A first-of-its-kind racial discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has the potential to set the course of justice for generations of Black veterans.  Last month, a federal judge in Connecticut ruled against the federal government in its attempt to dismiss the suit filed by Marine Corps veteran Conley Monk Jr., who accused the VA of denying him and his deceased father ..read more

“Our nation is forever indebted to Rep. Payne, Jr. for his service and commitment to his community, to the Congress, and to the country,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Members of Congress are devastated by the passing of their colleague U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-N.J., who died on Wednesday at the age of 65. Payne’s death comes after he had been hospitalized for several weeks following a cardiac arrest episode earlier this month.  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement that the New Jersey lawmaker is leaving “behind a legacy of relentless deter ..read more

The Morehouse announcement has drawn some backlash among the school’s faculty and supporters who are critical of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker at Morehouse College in Georgia, giving the Democrat a key spotlight on one of the nation’s preeminent historically Black campuses but potentially exposing him to uncomfortable protests as he seeks reelection against former President Donald Trump. The White House confirmed Tuesday that Biden would speak May 19 at the alma mater of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., an ..read more