Stacey Abrams Pauses Georgia Campaign Fundraising to Aid Abortion Groups

Stacey Abrams, who is poised to become Georgia’s Democratic nominee for governor, temporarily suspended campaign fundraising to focus on collecting money for abortion-rights groups in the state.

The move follows the leak of a U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion.

Abrams said she will commit her fundraising to the Feminist Women’s Health Center, SisterSong, ARC Southeast, Planned Parenthood Southeast and NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia. Her plan was reported earlier by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The leaked opinion by Justice Samuel Alito was published Monday night by Politico, which also reported that four other justices were prepared to scrap the Roe precedent. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft on Tuesday.

The news is shaking up Georgia politics, with Abrams promising to make protecting abortion access a central part of her campaign and Republicans -- including Donald Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue -- pledging to work to outlaw abortion in the state altogether.

[SOURCE BLOOMBERG NEWS]

NAACP Announces Settlement in Lawsuit Against Tennessee Comptroller

At the beginning of April, the NAACP filed a lawsuit against the state comptroller of Tennessee after he threatened to take over the small, majority-Black town of Mason, TN. Today, NAACP President Derrick Johnson and the NAACP Office of the General Counsel, led by Janette McCarthy Wallace, are announcing a settlement in this case – a major victory for the NAACP.

​"This is a victory for the town of Mason and beyond. The state government attempted to take over a Black town, and they miserably failed. They had no right to take over Mason, so we took them to court and we won. Similar injustices are happening all across the country, and the NAACP knows all too well that if we don't put out small fires across America, they quickly become wildfires. This settlement is a significant victory for all those who believe in justice and fairness," said NAACP General Counsel Janette McCarthy Wallace.

NAACP's Tennessee State Conference President Gloria Sweet-Love added,​"It is mighty strange. When the majority of elected officials are Black and the Ford Motor Company is going to be within 4.5 miles of this little city that could begin to see an increase in revenue, all of a sudden, the state wants to take over Mason. But today, they lost this fight. They had no legal authority. Justice prevailed, the NAACP prevailed."

The settlement was able to accomplish the following:
 
1. Preserve its charter
2. Reduce its monthly payments to its water and sewer fund in half
3. Move its expenditure approval cap up from $100 to $1,000
4. Amend its weekly reporting obligation to a monthly obligation which is more suitable and manageable for the Town of Mason
5. The Corrective Action plan will conclude on August 31, 2022, after the fiscal year 2021 audit is filed and the year 2023 budget is approved.

Haley Taylor Schlitz to become youngest to graduate SMU Law School at 19-Years old

 At the tender age of 16, Haley Taylor Schlitz was accepted into nine different law schools across the country.  She chose SMU’s Dedman School of Law.

Three years later at the age of 19, she is now poised to become SMU’s youngest law school graduate, ever. In her three years at Dedman School of Law, Haley has made a name for herself as an author, public speaker, and respected thought leader on the issues students of color face in navigating gifted and talented programs in public schools.

And Haley knows where she is going: After she graduates from SMU Dedman Law on May 13, she hopes to work on education policy issues for an elected official or non-profit organization. Haley is also interested in increasing the opportunities for gifted and talented girls and students of color.

"I really want to help students realize their potential even if they can't home-school," Taylor Schlitz told the Dallas Morning News. "I want to help families open their eyes to the opportunities that they don't even realize are there."

 

Haley’s non-traditional education really paid off

Disappointed in what 5th-grader Haley was being taught in the public school system, and in her struggles to be acknowledged as a gifted student, her parents decided to homeschool her to better meet her educational needs.

“Many girls and students of color are left out of our nation’s gifted and talented programs,” Taylor Schlitz said. “Society will lose out on the potential scientist who cures a major disease, the entrepreneur who starts the next Amazon and so much more. All because of their gender and/or skin color.”

For Haley, the biggest advantage of home-schooling system was that it gave her more time to pursue the things she wanted to accomplish. She thrived while learning at her own pace, on her own terms, and she graduated from high school when she was only 13. By age 16, she had her undergraduate degree from Texas Woman’s University and was headed to law school.

 

Haley is recognized for her heart and her voice

Haley is active in community and public policy discussions – passions that she frequently shares via Facebook and YouTube. In June 2020, that passion became real when Haley was elected to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. At 17, she was one of the youngest delegates at the DNC that year.

 

Other honors and activities include:

• Haley serves as a mentor in the Young Scholar Program (YSP), a program in which a cohort of young Black women are organized to mentor and develop leadership skills of young Black girls.
• Haley is also a recurring opinion columnist for Blavity and Blavity U. Haley has had her columns also published by TheGrio, Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, Ed Post, and others. 
• Haley and her mother Dr. Myiesha Taylor published their book The Homeschool Alternative which details their experience as a homeschooling family and provides resources to Black families on how they can incorporate a “homeschool mindset” into their education journey.

New York Attorney General Letitia James Calls for Full Cancelation of Federal Student Loan Debt

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a multistate coalition of eight attorneys general in urging U.S. President Joe Biden to fully cancel federal student debt owed by every federal student loan borrower in the country. In a letter to President Biden, Attorney General James and the coalition stress that immediate relief is needed for borrowers struggling with the unmanageable burden of student loan debt. The attorneys general acknowledge the administration’s commitment to addressing the issue, however, the coalition urges President Biden to immediately exercise his authority under the Higher Education Act to cancel all federal student loan debt for every borrower.

“While I commend President Biden for giving serious consideration to forgiving $10,000 per borrower, we must take bolder, more decisive action to end this crisis and provide Americans with the tools they need to thrive,” said Attorney General James. “Student debt keeps millions of struggling borrowers from reaching financial stability and leads to a cycle of financial burdens that follow them throughout their lives. I join my colleagues in urging President Biden to lead one of the most impactful racial and economic justice initiatives in history by canceling this debt, in its entirety, for all.”

Currently, student borrowers owe more than $1.7 trillion to the federal government. In their letter, the coalition argues that a full cancelation of student debt is necessary to address the sheer enormity of debts owed, systemically flawed repayment and forgiveness systems, and the disproportionate impact of the debt burden on millions of borrowers. While state attorneys general have taken key actions to ease debt burdens wherever possible, the coalition contends that only permanent action by the Biden administration can provide the widespread relief that is needed by millions of federal student loan borrowers.

The coalition further argues that the cancelation of federal student loan debts will reduce stress and mental fatigue and provide countless opportunities for borrowers, such as saving for retirement and purchasing new homes.

Joining Attorney General James in sending the letter to President Biden are the attorneys general of Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Washington.

The coalition’s letter is the latest action Attorney General James has taken to support student loan borrowers. In April 2022, Attorney General James secured student debt relief for thousands of New York borrowers whose federal loans were allegedly mismanaged by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. In January 2022, Attorney General James secured a $1.85 billion agreement with one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, Navient, after it deceived thousands of student loan borrowers into costly, long-term, forbearance plans, causing students to pay more than they should have.

In September 2021, Attorney General James sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education, urging the agency to take robust action to fix the broken Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

July 2020, Attorney General James and a multistate coalition sued the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Education and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to block their efforts to repeal critical protections for student-borrowers who have been misled or defrauded by predatory for-profit schools.

Additionally, in June 2020, Attorney General James filed a multistate lawsuit to stop the Department of Education and Secretary DeVos from repealing the “Gainful Employment” rule, which provides critical protections to students considering enrolling in for-profit colleges and vocational schools that promise students “gainful employment in a recognized occupation” after graduation.

In January 2019, Attorney General James and the New York state Department of Financial Services obtained a $9 million agreement with a federal student loan servicer, ACS Education Services (currently known as Conduent Education Services), after an investigation revealed that the company had steered borrowers away from income-based repayment plans toward more expensive options.

Additionally, Attorney General James helped negotiate two multistate agreements with loan companies — Student CU Connect CUSO in June 2019 and PEAKS in September 2020 — that preyed on ITT Technical Institute students by deceiving them into taking out private student loans. These agreements resulted in $7.5 million in debt relief to nearly 900 New York ITT students. In April 2021, Attorney General James urged the U.S. Department of Education to cancel federal student loan debt of defrauded ITT Technical Institute students.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown defeats Nina Turner in Ohio Primary

With 67% of the vote Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio again defeated Nina Turner in Ohio's District 11 Primary race.

“I got a lot of work to do,” Brown told supporters at her victory party Tuesday night. “I’ve been doing a lot of work in a short amount of time, but I am ready to continue to work for you. So thank you. We’ve got some unfinished business.”

Brown will face former East Cleveland Mayor Eric Brewer, the winner of the Republican primary, in the November general election — a race she is favored to win in this heavily Democratic district.

Vote totals with 91% of the vote reported Candidate Vote Percentage Total Votes Pct. Shontel Brown 40,517 67% Nina Turner 20,395 33%