On Monday, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) voted to demote UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media to “provisional” status, stating that the school has fallen short in meeting the council’s standards for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
OAKLAND PARK, FLA - The Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit is asking for the public’s help to locate a 37-year-old woman missing from Oakland Park.
According to detectives, Anna Laura Smith was last seen Friday, April 15, at around 4:00 a.m. in the area of 131 Northeast 38th Street in Oakland Park. Smith is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a long sleeve jean shirt and jean pants. According to her family, Smith suffers from a condition that requires medication.
Anyone with information on Smith’s whereabouts should contact BSO Detective Leonard Charla at 954-321-4274 or the BSO non-emergency number 954-764- HELP(4357).
Today, President Biden announced Karine Jean-Pierre has been promoted to be Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary Karine will step into the Press Secretary role replacing Jen Psaki, who will depart from the White House on May 13.
She will be the first Black person to hold the position of White House Press Secretary.
Statement from President Biden: “I am proud to announce that Karine Jean-Pierre will serve as the next White House Press Secretary.
“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people. Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration.
“Jen Psaki has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room. I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so. I thank Jen her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”
The White House also announced the return of Anita Dunn as a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President. Dunn rejoins the White House staff from her communications and political consulting firm SKDK, and will assist in advancing the President’s policy and communications objectives.
Karine Jean-Pierre, Press Secretary and Assistant to the President
Karine Jean-Pierre is currently the Principal Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Assistant to the President. Karine is a long-time advisor to President Biden, having served in senior communication and political roles in the Biden Administration, the Biden campaign, and to then-Vice President Biden in the Obama Administration.
Prior to her role on the campaign, she served as Chief Public Affairs Officer for MoveOn.org and an NBC and MSNBC Political Analyst. Jean-Pierre served as Regional Political Director for the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Obama-Biden administration and as Deputy Battleground States Director for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. She served as Southeast Regional Political Director for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, Deputy Campaign Manager for Martin O’Malley for President, Campaign Manager for the ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Initiative, and Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Legislative and Budget Affairs for two members in the New York City Council.
Previously, she worked at the Center for Community and Corporate Ethics, pushing major companies to change their business practices, and is a published author. Born in Martinique and raised in New York, Jean-Pierre is a graduate of Columbia University.
Rebecca Inge, a 75-year-old woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, has graduated from Shaw University, an HBCU. She began pursuing her college degree there 57-years ago.
In 1965, Inge, who was then living in Sanford, Florida, said she left home to pursue a college education at Shaw University.
“I always dreamed of going to med school because I was sick a lot as a child. I dreamed of being a surgeon,” said Inge, adding that she was also interested in engineering.
At that time, she worked in the college’s cafeteria to support her own financial needs while studying. However, she had to put her dreams on hold when she got married and gave birth to her daughter.Her daughter Marisa Ratliff Dunston, who is now retired after years of serving in the U.S. military, said her mother sacrificed a lot for her family. She said, “She put her life on hold so that I could finish my 21 years, all of my education so that I could be successful today.”
During those previous years, Inge had different jobs including working at NASA during the first space shuttle mission and serving as a safety instructor at Disney World. When her husband died in 2015, she usually stayed with her daughter.
Recently, she decided to continue pursuing her college degree by re-enrolling at Shaw University. There had been a few hurdles due to the huge year gap but everything worked out in the end also with the help of her daughter.
Now, Inge is preparing for her commencement ceremonies on May 8. She is excited to ultimately fulfill her dream.
“You gotta live ’til you die, so why not be happy doing something that makes you happy and get involved?” she said.
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.
