Alvin Braggs wins Manhattan DA Democratic primary, poised to become Manhattan’s first Black district attorney

Alvin Bragg declared victory late Friday, July 2, in the hard-fought Manhattan District Attorney Democratic primary after his top challenger Tali Farhadian Weinstein conceded the race. Unlike the other city primary races, the DA race did not have rank choice voting (RCV) as it is technically a state and not city office. “This has been a long journey that started in Harlem. And today, that 15-year old boy who was stopped numerous times at gunpoint by the police is the Democratic nominee to be Manhattan District Attorney,” Bragg said in a statement.

“I applaud all the candidates for their passion and ideas to transform the Manhattan District Attorney's office, thank them for making me a better candidate and better prepared to lead the office, and look forward to working with them to bring the change that New York’s criminal justice system so desperately needs. “We are one step closer to making history and transforming the District Attorney’s office to deliver safety and justice for all. One that ends racial disparities and mass incarceration. One that delivers justice for sexual assault survivors and holds police accountable. One that prosecutes landlords who harass tenants, employers who cheat their workers, and stands up to hate crimes. And one that stops the flow of guns onto our streets,” he added.

According to unofficial election night totals, including early voting ballots Bragg had 33.84 percent of the vote (71,947 votes) to Weinstein’s 30.42 percent (64,682 votes). “We have now counted a majority of paper ballots, and though we fought a hard race, it has become clear that we cannot overcome the vote margin. When all votes are counted, we expect to come in second by a few percentage points,” said Weinstein. “I spoke with Alvin Bragg earlier today and congratulated him on his historic election as Manhattan’s first Black district attorney,” Weinstein added. “We had important disagreements throughout the campaign, but I am confident in Alvin’s commitment to justice, and I stand ready to support him. I wish him and the women and men who serve in the district attorney’s office every success.”

Bragg most recently served as the state Chief Deputy Attorney General. He will face Republican attorney Thomas Keniff in the November general election in the heavily Democratic borough.

[SOURCE: MSN]

Rep. Bennie Thompson to lead committee investigating Jan. 6 riot

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday named Rep. Bennie Thompson chairman of a newly created House Select Committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

“I take the work of the committee seriously and look forward to making sure that the American people and people around the world know exactly what happened.” Thompson said.

“Our bipartisan, good-faith proposal was met with a filibuster. Now that Senate Republicans have chosen to block the formation of an independent commission, it falls to the House to stay the course and get the answers they deserve,” said Thompson.

[SOURCE: MISSISSIPPI TODAY]

Ayanna Pressley endorses Nina Turner in Ohio congressional race

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) on Tuesday threw her support behind former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner (D) in her bid to represent the Ohio's 11th Congressional District.

"If we are going to make real progress on the urgent crises facing all of our communities, we need lawmakers who are committed to legislating boldly - that's Nina," Pressley said in a statement endorsing Turner.

Pressley said Turner, who previously served as a national co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign, has been "unapologetic in her advocacy and her vision for the communities" in her district.

"As I've always said, policy is my love language, and I know Nina shares my belief in what we can accomplish when we create policies intentionally and in deep partnership with the community. I'm proud to endorse her candidacy, and look forward to working with her in Congress," she added.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

UNC Grants Tenure To Nikole Hannah-Jones

Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted Wednesday afternoon at a closed session to give tenure to star New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones several months after refusing to consider her proposed tenure.

The case inspired a bruising debate over race, journalism and academic freedom. It led both to national headlines and anger and distress among many Black faculty members and students at UNC. Some professors there have publicly said they were reconsidering their willingness to remain at the university over the journalist's treatment.

"We welcome Nikole Hannah-Jones back to campus," the UNC's board chairman, Richard Stevens, said at the close of statements after the three-hour special session of the trustees. "Our university is not a place to cancel people. Our university is better than that. Our nation is better than that.

"We embrace and endorse academic freedom and vigorous debate and constructive disagreement," Stevens said. He also said the campus was not a place for calling people "woke" or "racist." The trustees, he said, had to endure terrible insults but could not respond for privacy reasons involving the decision.

[SOURCE: NPR]

Randy Moore: First African American named to lead US Forest Service

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Randy Moore will serve as the 20th Chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service.

“Randy Moore has been a catalyst for change and creativity in carrying out the Forest Service’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations,” said Secretary Vilsack. “In his role as Regional Forester, Randy has been a conservation leader on the forefront of climate change, most notably leading the Region’s response to the dramatic increase in catastrophic wildfires in California over the last decade. His proven track record of supporting and developing employees and putting communities at the center of the Forest Service’s work positions him well to lead the agency into the future at this critical time in our country.”

Upon swearing in, Moore will serve as the first African American to hold the role of Chief of the Forest Service.

Current Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen will step down from her role on July 26. Chief Christiansen and Regional Forester Moore will continue to collaborate on an intentional leadership transition between now and then as the Forest Service gears up for a tough summer of predicted elevated fire activity across the Western United States.

Background:

Randy Moore has been serving as Regional Forester in the Pacific Southwest Region in California since 2007 where he has responsibility for 18 national forests, covering one-fifth of the state on 20 million acres of land. Additionally, he oversees State and Private Forestry programs in Hawaii and the U.S. affiliated Pacific Islands.

Previously, Moore served as the Regional Forester for the Eastern Region headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisc., for five years.

Moore started his career in conservation in 1978 with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in North Dakota. His Forest Service career began on the Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado and the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Kansas. He served as Deputy Forest Supervisor on the National Forests of North Carolina and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri before serving as Forest Supervisor of the Mark Twain National Forest. Moore also has national-level experience in Washington, D.C., serving as acting Associate Deputy Chief for the National Forest System and the National Deputy Soils Program Manager.

Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He and his wife Antoinette have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and two grandsons.