Vice President Oprah? Obama's Campaign Promise
Yes, Barack Obama said it. One of his campaign "promises" is to make the queen of media, Oprah Winfrey, vice president, reports The Associated Press. He also said he would rename October "Barack-tober," appoint GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney "secretary of looking good" and put morning talk-show host Regis Philbin's mug on the nickel. No, the rigors of campaigning have not made Obama delusional. He made those "promises" while appearing Thursday on the "Late Show With David Letterman" where he delivered a tongue-in-cheek list of his top 10 campaign promises. Read this Black father's thoughts on the nation's response to Barack Obama.
No More Nooses: Feds Indict Teen Noose Perp
Jeremiah Munsen, 18, along with a 16-year-old passenger cruised by a group of mostly Black marchers waiting for a bus to transport them from Alexandria, La., to Tennessee last year. From the back of Munsen's truck hung nooses. Local police officers arrested the teens. Now, federal prosecutors have announced they indicted Munsen on federal hate-crime and civil-rights conspiracy charges, reports ABC News. "It is a violation of federal law to intimidate, oppress, injure, or threaten people because of their race, and because people are exercising and enjoying rights guaranteed and protected by the laws and Constitution of the United States," U.S. Attorney Donald W. Washington said in a statement. Read more Jena 6 headlines.
Need for Fair-Pay Legislation Heard by Senate
Even though Goodyear Tire allegedly secretly and willfully prevented Lilly Ledbetter, a 20-year company veteran, from finding information that would have allowed her to file a pay-discrimination claim within the 180-day time limit, the Supreme Court decided she did not have a valid claim because she did not file within that deadline. Now the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee held a hearing Thursday on the "Fair Pay Restoration Act," which would ensure that victims of workplace discrimination receive effective remedies, reports the ACLU. "The Fair Pay Restoration Act will ensure employers aren't let off the hook because they're able to keep unfair pay decisions hidden from their workers," says Deborah J. Vagins, ACLU Policy Counsel for Civil Rights. "Correcting the Ledbetter decision would restore Congress' legislative intent, as well as the commonsense law that prevailed before the Supreme Court's ruling." Read how the Supreme Court severely limited pay-discrimination lawsuits.
Medical Marijuana Users Can Be Fired, Rules California Court
California's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that employers may fire workers who are caught with physician-recommended marijuana in their system even if they only use marijuana while off-duty, reports The Los Angeles Times. Many medical-marijuana users complain of being fired, threatened with termination or not hired by California companies because of their marijuana use, reports The Los Angeles Times. California's Compassionate Use Act, while makes use of medical marijuana a gray area, it did not impose requirements on employers. "The Compassionate Use Act does not eliminate marijuana's potential for abuse or the employer's legitimate interest in whether an employee uses the drug," Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar wrote for the majority.
Comcast Says 'Our Time to Vote'
Comcast has launched a year-long, nonpartisan voter-education and registration campaign called "Our Time to Vote," with the goal of increasing voting in Latino, Black and Asian-American communities. The cable company spent $5 million creating the campaign which features four multicultural public-service announcements, as well as the creation and launch of two nationally available voter-education resources, www.ourtimetovote.com, and a hotline, 1-866-544-VOTE. "Comcast recognizes that broader participation in the democratic process is important for our nation, and we are very pleased to launch this partnership to pursue that goal," says Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen. "This campaign reflects the cable industry's commitment to strong local communities and to active public citizenship." Celebrities involved include Ana Ortiz, George Lopez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Margaret Cho. Click on the celebrity names to see the PSAs.
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