Aug 19 2023
Edward Blum's a Hater, Cop City is still a terrible idea, and Biden cant get right 🙄Feat. B. Nation
On Season 2 Episode 3, Marlissa and B. Nation of the OA Podcast and Conversations with Nation discuss 5 Things in News & Politics This Week: Behind the Headlines
1. Atlanta activists collect enough signatures to put "Stop Cop City" on November ballot
Vote to Stop Cop City coalition say they have collected nearly 80,000 signatures, more than the 70,000 goal needed to put measure on the ballot in November. (New Yorker article)This comes after a federal judge ruled that people who live outside the city of Atlanta can collect signatures for a referendum petition that seeks to put the training center on the ballot.
2. Fight over Alabama's Congressional Maps Back in Court
Alabama lost at the U.S. Supreme Court in June as the majority of justices upheld a lower court's ruling that found the congressional map the state used in last year's midterm elections likely violated the landmark Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters.
But there is only one majority-Black district in the new redistricting plan passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature last month. In another district, Black Alabamians make up 39.9% of the voting-age population — a share that, the map's challengers say, does not meet the court's requirements.
3. Biden administration releases new guidelines for Colleges after SCOTUS stuck down Affirmative Action
The administration reinforced that colleges can still consider how race has affected an applicant’s life and can consider characteristics “even if the student’s application ties that characteristic to their lived experience with race.” (Politico article)The guidance also presses colleges to reexamine admissions preferences, including legacy status or donor affiliations that benefit privileged students, and that reduce opportunities for others.
4. Edward Blum, the man behind the Supreme Court cases that led to the dismantling Affirmative Action, is going after Atlanta-based venture capital firm
In its lawsuit, American Alliance For Equal Rights argues the fund’s Fearless Strivers Grant Contest, which awards $20,000 to Black women who run businesses, violates a section of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 prohibiting racial discrimination in contracts. (Fearless Strivers Grant Contest website) It claims it has members who are being excluded from the program because of their race and said it’s entitled to relief even though the venture capital firm was established to address barriers that exists in venture capital funding for businesses led by women of color. (New Amsterdam Article)
5. Maui Wildfires and American Capitalism
At least 99 people have been confirmed dead from the wildfires, and the number could double over the next 10 days as only about 25% of the burned area has been searched. (AP News Article)
Locals are also reporting that they have already gotten calls from real estate investors and speculators trying to cash in on the tragedy and buy their property. (NBC News Article) The stealing and attempts at land grabbing are indicative of what locals are up against as they work to rebuild their homes and lives after deadly wildfires chewed through entire neighborhoods, destroying irreplaceable Hawaiian cultural landmarks. (Newsweek Article)
Then, Marlissa interviews B. Nation, the rising media mogul, creator and host of the OA Podcast and Conversations with Nation.
Follow Marlissa across all platforms at @iDrankPolitics and B. Nation at @BrittNation
Questions or comments, email us at questions@greenroutepod.com. Follow us on across all social platforms at @thegreenroutepod
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