Former New York Rep. Charles Rangel Dies at 94
Rangel, a Democrat, was the last surviving co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and the 'Gang of Four,' a political coalition of Harlem lawmakers.
His family confirmed Rangel's death in a statement on Monday to the City College of New York (CCNY), where he served as Statesman-in-Residence after he retired from Congress.
The CCNY stated Rangel was the 'hardest working legislator' in Congress, citing the 40 bills and resolutions he sponsored that became law. The college also recognized Rangel for his military service. He earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his courageous actions in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
'Rangel was a war hero, history-making congressman, and master lawmaker,' CCNY said in a
He was also the primary sponsor of Obamacare—President Barack Obama's health care reform law.
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At the CCNY, Rangel launched the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative to support infrastructure jobs in Manhattan and the Bronx.
Before that, Rangel served 46 years in Congress from 1971 to 2017. He represented five different congressional districts and became known as the 'Lion of Lenox Avenue.' During his tenure, Rangel co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and became the first black chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He was the second-longest-serving incumbent member of the House of Representatives when he retired.
New York lawmakers on Saturday paid tribute to his legacy.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the longtime congressman broke barriers as the first African American to chair the Ways and Means Committee. Jeffries also recognized him for being the author of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which Jeffries said helped facilitate the development of millions of affordable housing units across the nation.
'He was clear-eyed about his responsibility to look out for the least, the lost and the left-behind and made it his life's work to deliver on their behalf,' Jeffries wrote in a
Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Rangel 'was a great man, a great friend, and someone who never stopped fighting for his constituents and the best of America.'
'The list of his accomplishments could take pages, but he leaves the world a much better place than he found it,' Schumer
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called Rangel a mentor and a friend.
'He taught me that leadership is about lifting others up and in the face of injustice, you don't flinch, you don't fold—you fight,' Cuomo wrote in a
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in a
Rangel's wife,
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Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Frustration and fear ripple through NPR and PBS affiliates after Congress approves clawbacks
Staffers at local NPR and PBS stations around the country were devastated by the news that Congress approved $1.1 billion in federal funding cuts to public media last week, a move that could jeopardize the futures of dozens of stations. Small, as well as rural, public media stations that heavily rely on federal funding to operate are now bracing for possible staff cuts after Congress approved a package on Thursday that will claw back Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. Some stations say they're being punished over a fight between President Donald Trump and the national public broadcasting organizations that have little relationship to the service smaller outlets offer their communities. 'I think [lawmakers'] decisions were not informed,' said Don Dunlap, president and general manager of KEDT-TV/FM, a public radio and TV station in Corpus Christi, Texas. 'We're there to help people. There are 10 public TV stations in Texas, and we're thinking probably six of them will close down within a year.' In April, Trump asked Congress to roll back funding for NPR and PBS, which he has long accused of bias against him and other Republicans — a claim both outlets have denied. The public media cuts are one aspect of the Trump administration's aggressive campaign against media outlets it deems as partisan. Trump has taken legal action against several news organizations, including CBS, ABC, The Wall Street Journal and other outlets over unfavorable coverage. Several station heads told POLITICO they've been preparing for potential cuts since the Trump administration first floated the idea earlier this year. But in the wake of the bill's passage, they've had to put those plans into action. 'We're disappointed, but not surprised, and we've been planning for this scenario for a while,' said Judy Diaz, head of Delmarva Public Media, a group of three NPR stations that serve Maryland's Delmarva Peninsula. 'But yeah, it's a hit.' For hundreds of stations, federal money makes up a significant portion of their total funding. According to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, about 45 percent of all public media stations that received their grants are in rural areas, and nearly half of those rely on CPB for 25 percent or more of their annual budget. Without federal funding, those stations may be forced into layoffs and programming cuts, if they're able to survive at all. According to data obtained by POLITICO, 34 public radio and TV stations receive at least 50 percent of their funding from federal grants. Twelve of those stations are in Alaska. 'We can't fundraise our way out of this. We have to make other decisions,' said Mollie Kabler, executive director of CoastAlaska, which oversees six public radio stations in southern Alaska. 'We have to consider 'what services are we going to give up? What people are we going to let go of? And how can we find a way to collaborate and retain service for Alaskans?'' KRZA-FM, a public radio station based in Alamosa, Colorado, that broadcasts across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, relies on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for 50 percent of its yearly budget. Besides general manager Gerald Rodriguez, the station has one other full-time employee, two part-time workers and a handful of volunteers. 'It's gonna be a huge cut for us,' Rodriguez said. 'It's gonna affect us quite a bit, to the point where it could be, like a one-man show at some point where I'm doing everything by myself.' Public media stations have received CPB grants through the end of the current fiscal year, which ends in September. Many stations are calculating how long they'll be able to survive once their federal grant funds dry up. For some, it may only be a matter of months. 'The station has built up a war chest that should get us through the next few months,' said Mark Johnson, general manager of KSRQ-FM in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. 'Right now, we are making a push on-air and through social media for listener contributions to help us cover the cost of powering our transmitter through December.' Public media staffers from local affiliates to the national networks have been lobbying Republicans in Congress for weeks in hopes of staving off the cuts. In the end, only four Republicans in both chambers voted against the final version of the package, which also included cuts to foreign aid: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). 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Scott Smith, general manager of Alleghany Public Radio which broadcasts to three counties on either side of the border of Virginia and West Virginia, said he reached out to Republican lawmakers from both states to try to preserve the 60 percent of his funding that comes from federal grants. Now, he blames Congress for targeting local stations to spite the national NPR and PBS networks. 'They do know that what they were doing was going to hurt us more than it's going to hurt NPR and PBS as a whole. Yet it was still done,' Smith said. 'So what conclusion does that bring you to, without any other data to the contrary, that this is political and personal in nature.' Kabler, who oversees the stations in Alaska, said she meets with Murkowski 'a couple times per year.' The senator attempted to introduce an amendment to the Senate bill that would protect funding for local public broadcasting while stripping it from NPR's and PBS' national operations, citing employees at KUCB — one of Kabler's stations — who she said earlier that afternoon had coordinated with local public officials to warn the community of an impending tsunami. The amendment failed. The public broadcasting audience in Alaska is 'mostly Republicans,' Kabler said. 'But our services are not about partisan politics, and the discussion of what people believe about PBS and NPR on the national level, that's not what we do. We're about local news and information.' Some public media staffers are hoping to take advantage of the grassroots networks used to rally support against the federal cuts to organize political opposition to Republicans who backed the bill. Kurt Mische, president of the PBS station based in Reno, Nevada, said he hopes the impact of gutting local NPR and PBS stations will be a motivating issue for voters in the 2026 midterms. 'I hope that everyone who believes in and supports the mission and vision and values of public broadcasting will keep this in mind when the next congressional election comes up,' Mische said. 'And we will help them connect the dots.' Solve the daily Crossword
Politico
21 minutes ago
- Politico
Public media braces for the worst
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Some stations say they're being punished over a fight between President DONALD TRUMP and the national public broadcasting organizations that have little relationship to the service smaller outlets offer their communities. 'I think [lawmakers'] decisions were not informed,' said DON DUNLAP, president and general manager of KEDT-TV/FM, a public radio and TV station in Corpus Christi, Texas. 'We're there to help people. There are 10 public TV stations in Texas, and we're thinking probably six of them will close down within a year.' In April, Trump asked Congress to roll back funding for NPR and PBS, which he has long accused of bias against him and other Republicans — a claim both outlets have denied. The public media cuts are one aspect of the Trump administration's aggressive campaign against media outlets it deems as partisan. Trump has taken legal action against several news organizations, including CBS, ABC and The Wall Street Journal, over unfavorable coverage. Several station heads told POLITICO they've been preparing for potential cuts since the Trump administration first floated the idea earlier this year. For hundreds of stations, federal money makes up a significant portion of their total funding. According to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, about 45 percent of all public media stations that received their grants are in rural areas, and nearly half of those rely on CPB for 25 percent or more of their annual budget. Without federal funding, those stations may be forced into layoffs and programming cuts, if they're able to survive at all. According to data obtained by POLITICO, 34 public radio and TV stations receive at least 50 percent of their funding from federal grants. Twelve of those stations are in Alaska. 'We can't fundraise our way out of this. We have to make other decisions,' said MOLLIE KABLER, executive director of CoastAlaska, which oversees six public radio stations in southern Alaska. 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Newsweek
21 minutes ago
- Newsweek
AOC Reacts After Bronx Campaign Office Vandalized with Red Paint
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has responded on X after her Bronx campaign office was vandalized over the weekend. "AOC funds genocide in Gaza" was written in red paint by the vandals. In addition, the entrance to the office was splashed with red paint. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, has faced backlash from some of her supporters after voting against a bill that sought to reduce funding for Israel's aerial defense system. Ocasio-Cortez posted, "Google is free. If you're saying I voted for military funding, you are lying. Receipts attached. Drag me for my positions all you want, but lying about them doesn't make you part of the 'left.' If you believe neo-nazis are welcome and operating in good faith, you can have them!" In her post, she shared her "nay" vote for the Department of Defense Appropriations Act last month. The legislation that seemed to trigger the vandalism was an amendment to the bill. The progressive representative also posted on Blue Sky, "People exploding this false messaging that I voted for a bill + funding that I quite literally voted NO on. The threat environment this morning is scary. Doesn't help anyone. Drag me for the position if you disagree but don't lie. It's out of control. Saying I voted for this funding is false." This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
