AURN News

This week, Illinois became the first state to end cash bail as a condition of pretrial release. Civil rights advocates have said the cash bail system discriminates against poor people of color accused of nonviolent offenses, but supporters say it keeps dangerous criminals off the streets.

Going forward, criminal suspects will not have to pay money for release from jail during the pretrial stage. However, a judge could keep them incarcerated if the court determines the suspect is dangerous, likely to flee prosecution or charged with a serious felony. 

According to a 2022 federal civil rights report, courts tend to impose higher bail amounts on Black and Latino men than other demographic groups.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On September 20, 1958, Martin Luther King Jr. was seriously injured after a woman stabbed him with a letter opener during a book signing in Harlem.

King was in a store signing copies of his newly released book, "Stride Toward Freedom," when a 42-year-old, mentally disturbed woman lunged at him with the letter opener, lodging its tip deep in King’s chest.

After the incident, King was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he underwent nearly 2.5 hours of surgery. The operating doctors told King that if he had sneezed, the blade would have fatally punctured an organ.

When asked whether he was angry about the attack, King reportedly said, "I think she needs help. I'm not angry at her."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(AURN News) — As continued partisan political discord on Capitol Hill raises the specter of a looming government shutdown, another grave concern has emerged - the escalating national debt. The Treasury Department reports that the national debt has soared to an unprecedented level, now surpassing more than $33 trillion. This was confirmed in the latest data update on Monday and paints a dire picture of the nation's economic health.

The revelation comes amidst an ongoing struggle with inflation, posing significant challenges for Americans, ranging from the pursuit of homeownership to routine grocery shopping. The relentless rise in consumer prices has left many grappling with higher costs of living and added strain on their household budgets.

Currently, members of Congress find themselves in a race against the clock to avert a potential government shutdown slated for the end of this month. The urgent need for bipartisan action to secure a functioning government has amplified the pressure on lawmakers, even as they now have to confront the major burden of the nation's escalating debt.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rihanna's Super Bowl baby has arrived. Of course, I'm talking about the big reveal that she was pregnant while performing at the Super Bowl back in February. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have introduced their newborn son to the world. They posed for a series of adorable photos that featured the couple's newborn baby son, Riot Rose -- yes, that's his name: Riot Rose -- as well as their son, RZA, who's 16 months old.

In the pictures, Rihanna's holding the baby Riot while Rocky carries RZA on his shoulders, posing together for the first time as a family of four. And you know RZA's already sporting some Fenty and Puma in this aged, silver, adorable miniature leather jacket.

Yep, the boy's got it going on already. Rihanna was also photographed carrying her newborn alone as she leaned up against a car. I gotta tell you, these babies are so cute! Congratulations to the family.

Lamar Odom looked pretty good this morning after being involved in a three-car collision. The 43-year-old NBA champion looked to be in good shape as he headed to the grocery store in his Calabasas neighborhood. The former L.A. Lakers player was not injured but was shaken up after he wrecked his Mercedes.

Odom collided with two parked cars near his home at around 3 a.m. on his way back home from a friend's house. Now, apparently, he dropped his phone, was reaching down to retrieve it while he was still driving, and ended up hitting one parked car, which bumped into another one in front of it.

No one was inside either car at the time. When authorities arrived on the scene, they did not file a police report or press charges. They also concluded that Odom did not need medical assistance, even though the impact did deploy his airbags.

And the best news? Lamar was sober! Yay! Good for you, Lamar. We've been rooting for you on this one.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On National Voter Registration Day, President Joe Biden took a moment to reflect on the long, hard-fought battle for voting rights in America, especially emphasizing the struggles of Black Americans and women who only gained the right to vote in 1965.

President Biden sounded the alarm, stating that our democracy is at risk, citing the Supreme Court's weakening of the Voting Rights Act and recent state laws that make voting more difficult.

In a proactive step, the president signed an executive order that aims to promote voter registration and election information across the country, particularly in underserved communities.

Federal agencies have been mobilized to assist veterans and college students with voter registration, and the Department of Justice has doubled its voting rights staff.

The president also urged not only policymakers but everyone to do their part in preserving and expanding this fundamental right.

For those who want to ensure they're registered, they can visit vote.gov.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United Auto Workers union, currently undertaking a major strike, has received support from former President Barack Obama. 

Obama posted on social media, “Fourteen years ago, when the big three automakers were struggling to stay afloat, my administration and the American people stepped in to support them. So did the auto workers in the UAW who sacrificed pay and benefits to help get the companies back on their feet. Now that our carmakers are enjoying robust profits, it’s time to do right by those same workers so the industry can emerge more united and competitive than ever."

The strike is the first work stoppage since 2019 when auto workers walked out on GM. President Joe Biden has also expressed his support for the UAW.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The clock is ticking on Capitol Hill as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy grapples with a looming government shutdown set for September 30. With just days to go, McCarthy is facing a revolt from the far right of his own party, who are rejecting even his hardline proposals for border security.

McCarthy scheduled a Thursday vote on a one-month funding bill intended to gain the support of conservative House members, including a 1% cut to last year's spending levels and a series of Republican border security measures. But that proposal is not winning over everyone, and the pressure is on to find a resolution.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed the House proposal, calling it "slapdash" and "reckless."

While Democrats control the Senate and reject conservative options, McCarthy's only hope may be to push a measure through the House that ignites debate in the Senate, but even that pathway looks shaky.

The stakes are high for businesses and individuals who rely on government services. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there's a substantial consensus that a long shutdown is likely.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special counsel Jack Smith has responded to former President Donald Trump’s request for Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself from his 2020 election interference criminal trial. 

In a legal brief, Smith wrote that there’s “no valid basis under the relevant law and fact” for Chutkan to step down from overseeing the case, CBS News reports.

Chutkan, who has a reputation for imposing harsh penalties on Jan. 6 rioters, was randomly assigned to Trump's case.

Trump’s attorneys filed a motion last week arguing that Chutkan should remove herself from the case for allegedly making comments that appear to show she’s biased against him.

In one instance, she suggested in a separate case that Trump should be prosecuted and imprisoned, according to Trump’s lawyers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five Americans detained in Iran have finally tasted freedom. Senior officials from both the Biden administration and Qatar confirmed the U.S. citizens were aboard a flight departing Tehran earlier today.

The Americans are on their way to Doha on a Qatari government jet accompanied by two relatives and the Qatari ambassador to Iran.

This move comes as part of a wider agreement that saw the U.S. unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets -- money to be used strictly for humanitarian purposes and monitored by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The high-stakes deal was achieved through complex, indirect negotiations facilitated by countries like Qatar and Switzerland acting as mediators between the U.S. and Iran.

Despite this momentous release, the administration reaffirmed that U.S.-Iran relations remain tense and announced new sanctions against Tehran's Ministry of Intelligence.

Is this a thaw in relations on the horizon, or just a momentary pause in a complex geopolitical puzzle?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(AURN News) — New data released by the Pew Research Center highlights a prevailing sense of distrust among Americans towards China, positioning the nation as a significant concern on the international stage. The survey, conducted between the end of May and the beginning of June, posed an open-ended question to respondents, seeking their perspective on the greatest threat to the country. Half (50%) of the respondents identified China as the most substantial threat, while only 17% pointed to Russia, 2% to North Korea, and another 2% identified the United States itself as a threat.

This comes amidst the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, where the conventional perception might have leaned toward Russia as a prominent threat. You may remember the recent Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the military in February, sparking major espionage concerns. In response, the House of Representatives swiftly passed a unanimous resolution condemning China's alleged spy activities.

Anxieties have also escalated concerning alleged Chinese spying through popular apps like TikTok. These concerns prompted both a Justice Department investigation and a Congressional hearing to address potential risks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices