House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin should not resign

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he thinks Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin should not resign following a scandal about the transparency behind his recent hospitalization.

Austin underwent surgery for prostate cancer in a Dec. 22 hospital visit that was kept secret from the White House. On Jan. 1, he was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for complications, a visit he also kept secret for days.

“From my standpoint we need far more information before I can make any detailed comment on the appropriate comment on the ways forward. But I do not believe Secretary Austin should resign,” Jeffries said at a press conference Thursday.

Jeffries said his thoughts and prayers are with Austin, a man who “served his country for decades.” He said he is hopeful the secretary makes a “full, complete and speedy recovery.”

The New York lawmaker said he looks forward to being briefed by the Biden administration “in terms of protocols they may put in place moving forward to ensure that information flow within the administration and between the administration and Congress is more expeditious and to also make sure that there are plans in place in terms of the chain of command” when a cabinet member is temporarily unable to perform their role.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin diagnosed with prostate cancer

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been diagnosed with prostate cancer after being hospitalized and treated at Walter Reed Medical Center for several days. Austin was admitted on New Year's Day for complications from a surgery he had and the Pentagon did not disclose his hospitalization until several days later.

BYRON ALLEN’S THE GRIO LAUNCHES 2ND ANNUAL THE GRIO HEROES’ INITIATIVE

For the second year in a row, Allen Media Group’s news/entertainment media platform theGrio, proudly announces the official call for nominations for the theGrio Heroes initiative, starting today, Monday, January 8, 2024, via the platform’s website. Submissions will be accepted through February 9, 2024. You can make a nomination here https://thegrio.com/heroes/

TheGrio Heroes are about the everyday heroes dedicated to the community and the culture. Some have been working unheralded for years and others are emerging. They all share a determination to impact our communities and humanity significantly. TheGrio Heroes have demonstrated outstanding goodwill and achievements for the benefit and welfare of our communities, leading by example through service and finding solutions with compassion, dedication, and determination. In 2023, co-founder and co-director of Forward Justice, Daryl V. Atkinson, won the inaugural award. Atkinson leads the advocacy-focused law, policy and strategy center to synergize community activism with the litigation, public policy, and scholarship necessary to secure rights for current and former incarcerated people.

“We are committed to shining a spotlight on people whose actions speak louder than words,” said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of theGrio parent company, Allen Media Group. “We celebrate unsung heroes whose stories inspire and uplift our society and significantly impact humanity for the greater good.”

“There are many people who should be nominated and deserve recognition,” said Geraldine Moriba, SVP, News, Entertainment and Empowerment, theGrio. “I am thrilled we have the opportunity to honor those heroes in our local communities with unwavering commitment to positive change. Their steadfastness and resilience transforms lives.”

Everyone is encouraged to nominate heroes of African-American descent whose accomplishments occurred or continued in 2023. More information about theGrio Heroes, including descriptions of categories and frequently asked questions can be found here: https://thegrio.com/heroes. Keeping in mind community impact, innovation and influence, an editorial committee at theGrio will conduct the evaluations and make a final decision of ten winners. The list of theGrio Heroes for 2024 will be announced in April 2024.

About theGrio

TheGrio is a digital, video-centric news community devoted to giving voice to trusted figures on the front line who inspire us every day, and to fresh perspectives who buck convention because there’s more than one way to be Black. We are the largest Black newsroom in America devoted to satisfying the need to stay connected. We believe a well-informed community best determines its own interests. And so, TheGrio’s editorial mandate is to focus on news and events that have a pronounced impact on a Black global audience. We unabashedly explore culture and entertainment, health and lifestyle, politics and policy, business and empowerment, food and fitness, science and climate, tech and innovation, and everything in between that matters to us.

U.S. MINT RELEASES COMMEMORATIVE HARRIET TUBMAN COINS

The 2024 Harriet Tubman Commemorative Coin Program celebrates the bicentennial of Harriet Tubman’s birth. Public Law 117-163, the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act, directs the U.S. Mint to issue $5 gold coins, $ 1 silver coins, and half dollar clad coins as part of the program.

Coin prices include surcharges of $35 for each $5 gold coin, $10 for each silver dollar, and $5 for each clad half dollar. The Public Law authorizes the surcharges to be paid to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., in Auburn, New York to advance their missions.

Harriet Tubman was born enslaved as Araminta “Minty” Ross on a Maryland plantation, around 1822. Tubman freed herself from slavery in 1849 with the help of the Underground Railroad network. Though she found freedom in Pennsylvania, she braved the perilous journey repeatedly, returning to Maryland 13 times over the next decade to personally guide about 70 people from slavery to freedom. She provided instructions to approximately 70 additional people who found their way to freedom on their own. Despite laws that put her life at risk and made the journey increasingly dangerous and long, Tubman stated at a women’s suffrage convention in 1896 that she “never lost a passenger” as a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

In 1862, Harriet Tubman joined the Union Army as a nurse. She served in multiple roles, including as an Army scout and spy. Tubman proved an exceptional leader, recruiting newly freed men into regiments of African American soldiers. She became the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the Civil War, the Combahee River Raid. The raid resulted in the freedom of more than 700 enslaved people in South Carolina.

After the Civil War, Harriet Tubman spent the remaining 54 years of her life living in Auburn, New York. There, she continued to work to provide the means necessary to care for newly freed enslaved people, including the young and elderly. She gave speeches in support of women’s suffrage, civil rights, and access to health care – not only for African Americans but for all people. Tubman’s life was characterized by her unwavering determination and active pursuit of freedom in every aspect of American life.

The coins follow the three periods of Harriet Tubman’s life and work. The silver dollar designs reflect her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. The half dollar clad designs represent her work during the Civil War. The $5 gold coin represents her life after the Civil War and her later years.

Pre-order your Harriet Tubman Coin here: https://catalog.usmint.gov/harriet-tubman-2024-proof-half-dollar-24CN.html

2024 USPS Black Heritage stamp series to honor Constance Baker Motley

The 47th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Constance Baker Motley (1921–2005), the first African American woman known to have argued a case before the United States Supreme Court and the first to serve as a federal judge. The stamp features a portrait of Motley created by Charly Palmer. The stenciled circular shapes create a subtle crowning effect, and the heavy brushstrokes and scratches add texture to the acrylic-on-canvas work. Stenciled curlicues embellish the lower background and continue onto Motley’s black dress. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.

Constance Baker Motley started her career in 1945 when she began working for the future U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

From 1945 to 1965, Motley worked on about 60 cases that reached the Supreme Court. She won nine of the 10 cases she argued before the Court.

In 1966, Motley was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York — the largest and busiest federal trial court in the country. She rose to chief judge in 1982 and senior judge in 1986.

The stamp features a portrait of Motley by artist Charly Palmer, based on an Associated Press photograph. Rendered in acrylic on canvas work, the portrait displays elements of Palmer’s signature style. The stenciled circular shapes around the head suggest royalty, and the heavy brushstrokes and scratches provide added textures. Stenciled curlicues embellish the lower background and continue onto Motley’s black dress. Her colorful corsage and a brooch further enliven the image.

The Constance Baker Motley stamp will be issued in panes of 20. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

The Constance Baker Motley Stamp can be purchashed here at USPS.cpm https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/constance-baker-motley-stamps-S_484404