Kicking off “Breaking Through,” a month-long series marking Black History Month, TODAY’s Craig Melvin spotlights Kamali Thompson, a medical student with big dreams of competing in Tokyo this summer as a fencer. She acknowledges there are not a lot of African-Americans in fencing yet, “but it’s growing” – and she gives Craig a lesson in the sport.
On Feb. 4, senators weighed in for a second day on whether they would vote to remove President Donald Trump from office. The speeches come one day before the Senate decides whether to convict or acquit Trump on two articles of impeachment -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said impeachment is a "profoundly sad time" for the country, saying that President Donald Trump is "guilty of committing high crimes and misdemeanors." He asked how the United States would heal from such a dark day, but that the hopes of the nation would lie with its people.
Watch his speech below:
Edward Alexander Bouchet was an African American physicist and educator and was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. from any American university, completing his dissertation in physics at Yale in 1876. On the basis of his academic record he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Although Bouchet was elected to Phi Beta Kappa along with other members of the Yale class of 1874, the official induction did not take place until 1884, when the Yale chapter was reorganized after thirteen years of inactivity. Because of the circumstances, Bouchet was not the first African American elected to Phi Beta Kappa as many historical accounts state; that honor belongs to George Washington Henderson (University of Vermont). Bouchet was also among the first 20 Americans (of any race) to receive a Ph.D. in physics and was the sixth to earn a Ph.D. in physics from Yale.
Help other black students arm a Ph.d by donating to our Close the Gap Fundraiser today: Black History Month help Black students finish college fundraiser
Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr. (NJ 10th District) released the following statement regarding his decision not to attend President Trump’s State of the Union address tonight.
“I refuse to support a President who has spent his entire term promoting his interests ahead of the public good,” said Congressman Payne, Jr. “Traditionally, the State of the Union address has been a time for the President of the United States to be accountable to the people for the job he is doing. But the Republican Senate has proven that President Trump is not accountable to the people and that his actions to solicit election interference from Ukraine do not constitute a serious violation of public trust. This is not what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the Constitution and created American democracy. So I will not attend the State of the Union to protest the president’s actions as well as support my House colleagues who voted to impeach the president and hold him accountable. I go to a State of the Union address to hear the President. I do not go to hear a self-appointed King.”
Rep. Maxine Waters (CA 43rd District) has released a statement via Twitter stating that she will not be attending the 2020 State of the Union speech:
To think that I would attend the #SOTU to hear the message of an IMPEACHED president is a thought that in no way would be consistent w/ my fight and struggle against this dishonorable president. I will certainly NOT be there!
