Booker asks N.J. to keep data from Trump voter fraud commission

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker asked NJ state officials to reject any request from President Donald Trump's voter fraud commission for information about New Jersey voter rolls.

He said comments by Robert Giles, director of New Jersey's division of elections, didn't go far enough.

"I am alarmed by the purpose of this commission: to look into a nonexistent problem of widespread voter fraud as a guise to collect data that is likely to be used to suppress legal voting in future elections and to provide President Trump's outlandish and laughable claim that he actually won the popular vote with some appearance of legitimacy," Booker said.

Booker (D-N.J.) earlier called Trump's campaign comments about voter fraud "a blatant lie" and the commission "a thinly veiled voter suppression effort."

His latest comments came in a letter to Dennis Robinson, serving as acting secretary of state since Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno has recused herself from all election-related issues while running for governor.

Booker acted after Giles rejected the commission's request for information that went beyond names, addresses and birth dates to include last four digits of Social Security numbers, voting history, felony convictions, military service and registrations in other states.

New Jersey was one of 46 states that rejected the request in all or in part.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

102 shot in Chicago during July Fourth weekend

The violence plaguing Chicago made international headlines Wednesday, after a violent and bloody Fourth of July weekend. Of the 102 people shot since Friday night, 15 have died. Police said most of the shootings happened Monday night on the South and West sides of the city.

July 4th violence in Chicago is inexcusable.

Maxine Waters: Ben Carson 'doesn't care about people in public housing'

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) ripped into Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson in a speech Saturday at the Essence Music Festival, saying Carson “doesn’t care about people in public housing.”

“[Carson] knows nothing about the mission of HUD,” Waters said in a speech at the Essence Festival in New Orleans. “He doesn’t care about people in public housing. He believes that if you are poor, it is your own fault. And he doesn’t know the difference between an immigrant and a slave.”

Waters also warned Carson that she would tough on him when he testifies before the House Committee on Financial Services, on which she is the ranking member.

“[If he] things that I am going to give him a pass, I am going to take his ass apart,” Waters said.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Black valedictorian forced to share honor with white student

The black valedictorian of a Mississippi high school was forced to share her graduating class's top honor with a white student who had a lower grade-point average, the woman's mother says in a federal lawsuit.

The allegation comes months after the Cleveland School District settled a 52-year-old lawsuit demanding that it desegregate its schools.

Sherry Shepard noted the settlement in the lawsuit filed last week, which alleges that her daughter, Jasmine, had to unfairly share the 2016 Cleveland High School valedictorian honors.

She further claims that Jasmine Shepard was the first black valedictorian in Cleveland High's 110-year history. The other 109 were white, Sherry Shepard alleged.

"As a result of the school official's unprecedented action of making an African-American student share the valedictorian award with a white student, the defendants discriminated against J.S.," the lawsuit says, claiming Jasmine Shepard has suffered lost opportunities, mental anguish, pain and suffering as a result of the decision.

The lawsuit targets the district, the superintendent and Cleveland High's principal and seeks unspecified monetary damages. It does not identify the valedictorians, but CNN is naming them as they both spoke to its reporters last year about the federal desegregation order.

In a Facebook post, Jasmine Shepard said she and her family have faced ugly attacks and name calling as a result of the more recent lawsuit. She included a screen grab of a message that incorporated the N-word and said, "Black lives don't mean s***!"

"You may disagree with us in this plight, but please respect us as well as others on this page. Name calling and bashing is not necessary!" Jasmine Shepard posted.

Read more: Black valedictorian forced to share honor with white student

Murderer of black teenager in road rage incident turns himself in

The man who shot and killed an 18 year old black teenager named Bianca Roberson in West Goshen Pennsylvania has turned himself into police.

David Desper, 28, faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder and reckless endangerment, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said.

Police used video footage from surveillance cameras to identify the truck and its owner. They urged the shooter to turn himself in over recent days.

Desper did so through his attorney about 2 a.m. Sunday, Hogan said.