Ben Carson's name may be removed from a high school in his hometown of Detroit

Ben Carson's name may be stripped off a high school in his hometown because he's become 'an affront to Detroit' since joining Donald Trump's administration.

The Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine was named after Carson, a prominent neurosurgeon, in 2011.

But it appeared that members of the Detroit Board of Education have had second thoughts about the name since Carson ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, and later became a member of Trump's cabinet. He currently serves as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

'When you align yourself with Trump, that is a direct affront to the city of Detroit and the students of Detroit,' said board member LeMar Lemmons earlier this year.

On Tuesday, the board voted 6-1 to begin soliciting public opinion on the potential name change.

On Tuesday, the board approved a policy that would allow it to rename schools named after living people, if they feel that person no longer represents the area's culture or population.

Future schools will only be able to be named after people who have died.

One board member suggested the first school to benefit from the new policy should be the Benjamin Carson High School.

Carson's popularity has plummeted since working with the Trump administration.

Read more: Ben Carson's name may be removed from a high school in his hometown of Detroit

Rep. Marcia Fudge weighing a bid for House Speaker

Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcia Fudge says she's considering challenging California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.

Fudge said she does not believe Pelosi has enough votes to win the job, as many newly elected Democrats promised not to support her. Opponents to Pelosi are seeking an alternative candidate and have approached her about the job.

"People are asking me to do it, and I am thinking about it," Fudge told cleveland.com. "I need to give it some thought and see if I have an interest. I am at the very beginning of this process. It is just in discussion at this point."

Fudge said voters backed Democrats because they wanted a change, and Pelosi doesn't represent that. Fudge is also dismayed that neither of the party's two top leaders, Pelosi and Maryland's Steny Hoyer, is a minority, and said an African American woman should be in leadership.

"When you look at the people who support this party the most, they are women and African Americans and especially African American women," said Fudge. "We keep talking about diversity, but there is nothing diverse about the top of our ticket. We have to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk."

Read more: Rep. Marcia Fudge weighing a bid for House Speaker

Melody Stewart elected to the Ohio Supreme Court

The all-Republican Ohio Supreme Court will become a little Democratic with appeals court Judge Melody Stewart declared a winner on Tuesday night.

Stewart, who serves on the Eighth District Court of Appeals in Cleveland, had about 52 percent of the vote with 99 percent of the precincts counted to displace incumbent Justice Mary DeGenaro, who was appointed in January by Gov. John Kasich after the resignation of Democratic Justice Bill O’Neill.

Stewart, 56, is a member of the Ohio Criminal Justice Recodification Committee, which works to revise and update Ohio’s criminal code. Stewart has a bachelor’s degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a law degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law.

[SOURCE: CLEVELAND.COM]

Kwame Raoul elected Illinois attorney general

Obliterating concerns from some Democrats that the race had tightened in the final days, Kwame Raoul cruised to an easy victory Tuesday over Republican Erika Harold to become Illinois’ first new attorney general in 16 years.

Raoul romped to a double-digit win over Harold, a result that tracked closely with major wins piled up by Pritzker and the rest of the party’s statewide candidates.

“All the way to the end, people were saying this was a nail-biter,” Raoul said with a laugh during his victory speech at a downtown hotel. “But numbers don’t lie.”

With 86 percent of the state’s precincts reporting, Raoul had won 54 percent of the vote to Harold’s 43 percent and 2 percent for Libertarian Bubba Harsy of Du Quoin, according to unofficial results.

Raoul’s sizable win left an enthusiastic crowd to greet him at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park hotel when he stepped on stage to accept a win that was boosted by a late infusion of campaign cash from Madigan, the state party and major unions.

“This campaign was the audition for the work that is yet to come,” Raoul said before repeating a familiar line from his TV ads. “It’s the work of my life, but I’m just getting started.”

[SOURCE: CHICAGO TRIBUNE]

Letitia James Is Elected New York Attorney General

Letitia James was overwhelmingly elected as the attorney general of New York on Tuesday, shattering a trio of racial and gender barriers and placing herself in position to be at the forefront of the country’s legal bulwark against the policies of President Trump.

With her victory over Republican nominee Keith H. Wofford, Ms. James, 60, the public advocate for New York City, becomes the first woman in New York to be elected as attorney general, the first African-American woman to be elected to statewide office and the first black person to serve as attorney general.

The victory follows a rugged political season that arose after the surprise resignation of former attorney general Eric T. Schneiderman, following charges that he physically abused multiple women. Ms. James will succeed Barbara D. Underwood, who was appointed by the State Legislature in May to complete Mr. Schneiderman’s term.

{SOURCE: NYTIMES]