Today in History: May 31, the Tulsa Race Massacre begins
In 1889, over 2,200 people in Johnstown, Pa., died when the South Fork Dam collapsed, sending 20 million tons of water rushing through the town.
Advertisement
In 1921, a two-day massacre erupted in Tulsa, Okla., as white mobs began looting and burning the affluent Black district of Greenwood over reports a Black man had assaulted a white woman in an elevator. Though the exact number remains unknown, as many as 300 Black Tulsans were killed during the riot.
In 1949, former State Department official and accused spy Alger Hiss went on trial in New York, charged with perjury. The trial ended with a hung jury, but Hiss was convicted in a second trial.
In 1970, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the Ancash region of Peru; the quake, combined with the landslide it triggered, killed an estimated 67,000 people.
In 1977, the 800-mile-long Trans-Alaska oil pipeline was completed after three years of construction.
In 2005, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein confirmed a Vanity Fair magazine report naming former FBI official W. Mark Felt as the Watergate scandal informant previously known only as 'Deep Throat.'
Advertisement
In 2009, Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic, died in Hampshire, England at 97.
In 2014, Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only American soldier held prisoner in Afghanistan, was freed by the Taliban in exchange for five Afghan detainees from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Bergdahl, who had gone missing in June 2009, later pleaded guilty to endangering his comrades by walking away from his post in Afghanistan. His sentence included a dishonorable discharge, a reduction in rank, and a fine, but no prison time.)
In 2019, a longtime city employee opened fire in a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Va., killing 12 people on three floors before police shot and killed him. Officials said DeWayne Craddock had resigned by email hours before the shooting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Discrimination cases unravel as Trump scraps core civil rights tenet
The Justice Department now is reviewing its entire docket and has already dismissed or terminated 'many' cases that were 'legally unsupportable' and a product of 'weaponization' under the Biden administration, said Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We will fully enforce civil rights laws in a way that satisfies the ends of justice, not politicization,' she said in a statement to The Washington Post. Advertisement The review includes cases and reform agreements forged after years-long investigations that the administration says lacked justification. Civil rights experts estimate that dozens of discrimination cases involving banks, landlords, private employers, and school districts could face similar action. 'What we're seeing is an attempt by the Trump administration to really dismantle a lot of the core tools that we use to ensure equality in the country,' said Amalea Smirniotopoulos, senior policy counsel and comanager of the Equal Protection Initiative at the Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit that has long advocated for the civil rights of Black Americans and other minorities. Advertisement At the center of this effort is 'disparate impact analysis,' which holds that neutral policies can have discriminatory outcomes even if there was no intent to discriminate. The legal standard stems from Griggs v. Duke Power, the landmark 1971 Supreme Court decision that became a staple of civil rights litigation. In that case, attorneys relied on statistical evidence to show how standardized testing prevented Black employees in North Carolina from advancing at the energy company. The legal theory has been consistently recognized by the Supreme Court, written into federal regulations and enshrined into employment law by Congress. But President Trump declared it unconstitutional in April, issuing an executive order that kicked off an intense review of civil rights regulations, enforcement actions, and settled cases. Now, government agreements and orders that relied on disparate impact in pursuing sex, race, and disability discrimination cases are being undone. On May 23, for example, the Justice Department terminated an agreement with Patriot Bank, a Tennessee-based lender accused of failing to lend in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in Memphis, from 2015 to 2020. Prosecutors used statistical evidence to show disparities in the bank's lending practices alongside evidence of intentional discrimination, such as targeting most of its advertising in majority-white neighborhoods. A three-year agreement to reform its lending practices had been in place for a little over a year before Trump's Justice Department moved to end it, noting the bank was in compliance with the reform agreement. Patriot declined to comment. Civil rights advocates worry about the future of similar enforcement. Advertisement Disparate impact has long been anathema to conservatives, who say it can result in quotas and deny equal opportunity to white people. But past Republican administrations opted not to take this issue on, partly because of Supreme Court precedent and partly because it might prove politically unpopular. 'What changed is just political will,' said Kenneth L. Marcus, who headed the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights during both George W. Bush's administration and Trump's first term. 'The second Trump administration is more willing to take on potentially contentious civil rights issues than any Republican administration this century.' Trump issued a slew of executive orders to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs - calling them 'illegal and immoral' days after he returned to the White House in January - and ordered the government to close diversity offices and fire staff. His administration has since launched investigations into corporations, law firms and colleges over their diversity initiatives, while going to battle with Harvard University for its refusal to comply with a set of demands to alter its governance, admissions, and hiring practices. When Trump set his sights on disparate impact in April, he called it a 'pernicious movement' that ignores 'individual strengths, effort or achievement.' He ordered federal agencies to review any cases and reform agreements that rely on the theory - and terminate them as they see fit. The actions are long overdue, said Dan Morenoff, executive director at the American Civil Rights Project, a nonprofit law firm that opposes the use of disparate impact and diversity initiatives. He contends that the government's use of disparate impact has been, in many cases, legally dubious, adding that its assumptions are fundamentally flawed. Advertisement 'The people who most appreciate disparate impact appear, usually, to be deeply wed to the idea that any discrepancies are best explained by discrimination,' he said. The Supreme Court most recently upheld the use of disparate impact analysis in a 2015 housing case. But that decision was decided on a 5-4 vote in an opinion written by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, now retired. Some conservatives believe the court's current conservative supermajority might give them their wished-for outcome. 'It's clear what the Trump administration is aiming for is to get this question to the Supreme Court in hopes the Supreme Court will take that tool away,' said Smirniotopoulos of the Legal Defense Fund. The rollbacks are already underway. In 2023, the Justice Department alleged that Atlanta-based Ameris Bank avoided providing home loans to Black and Latino home buyers in Jacksonville, Florida, in a practice known as redlining. The bank almost exclusively advertised in majority-White neighborhoods and made little effort to do business in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods, according to its lawsuit. Only 2.7 percent of Ameris's mortgages went to borrowers in Black and Latino communities from 2016 to 2021, the complaint said, while its competitors issued more than three times as many loans during that window. Ameris knew about the disparities but failed to correct them, the government alleged. Though it admitted no wrongdoing, Ameris quickly settled the case, agreeing to a set of measures whose progress would be monitored by the court. Then, on May 19, the Justice Department moved to unwind the settlement, saying that the bank has 'demonstrated a commitment to remediation' while freeing it from its legal obligations to implement the reforms. The bank did not object to the move. Prosecutors did note that Ameris had disbursed the entirety of a $7.5 million loan subsidy fund for borrowers in Black and Latino neighborhoods. Advertisement A judge granted the request a day later. Ameris declined to comment. The government moved to terminate cases involving two banks in Alabama and Tennessee that had agreed to court-monitored reforms tied to allegations of discriminatory lending practices. It also moved to dismiss a case in Kinloch, Mo., against property managers accused of refusing to rent to prospective Black tenants at disproportionate rates. There are at least eight other housing and lending cases across seven states that are similarly candidates for dismissal, according to a review. While the administration blamed the Biden administration for mishandling these cases, it has also dismissed cases going back decades. It did not directly concern disparate impact, but the Justice Department in April dismissed a 1966 consent order with a Louisiana school district concerning its desegregation efforts.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Exposes Sanctuary Jurisdictions Nationwide
(The Center Square) –The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has published a list of 'sanctuary jurisdictions' in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Illinois has the greatest number of counties listed of any state of 96, just a few shy of its 102 counties. All but one of Massachusetts' 14 counties are listed. Washington is not far behind with 36 out of its 39 counties listed. Fifteen states aren't on , nearly all are run by Republicans: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. This is the first time DHS has published a sanctuary jurisdiction list. The list was published in accordance with an executive order President Donald Trump issued last month, 'Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens,' The Center Square . In it, Trump directs the attorney general and Homeland Security secretary to identify sanctuary jurisdictions that defy or obstruct federal immigration enforcement and are engaging in 'a lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Government's obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States.' 'The prior administration allowed unchecked millions of aliens to illegally enter the United States,' the order states, which created 'public safety and national security risks,' exacerbated by cartel, transnational criminal organizations and foreign terrorist organizations operating in the U.S. 'who intend to harm … the American people.' Because Trump declared the U.S. was , he said the federal government must 'take measures to fulfill its obligation to the States.' He's referring to the 'Guarantee Clause,' (Article IV, Section 4) of the Constitution, which states the federal government 'shall protect each state against invasion.' Fifty-five Texas counties cited it when they were the only ones in America that declared an invasion during the Biden Administration, The Center Square . Because some state and local officials continue 'to violate, obstruct, and defy the enforcement of Federal immigration laws,' committing 'lawless insurrection against the supremacy of Federal law and the Federal Government's obligation to defend the territorial sovereignty of the United States,' the president said he is taking action. Trump's order also says these jurisdictions are creating national security risks, violating federal criminal laws, including obstructing justice, 'unlawfully harboring or hiring illegal aliens,' conspiring against the U.S., potentially violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, among others. 'Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril,' DHS said. Each jurisdiction is being notified of non-compliance, instructed to comply, or face legal action and withholding of federal funds. The initial list includes the District of Columbia and 35 states: Alaska: Anchorage California: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 48 of its 58 counties; 63 cities Colorado: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 41 of its 64 counties; 14 cities Connecticut: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 6 cities Delaware: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; New Castle County; Camden and Newark Georgia: four counties, Athens and Atlanta Hawaii: Honolulu Idaho: Boise Illinois: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 96 of its 102 counties; 7 cities Indiana: Monroe County Kansas: Lawrence County, Douglas County Kentucky: four counties, Louisville Louisiana: New Orleans/Orleans Parish Maine: two counties, Portland Maryland: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 8 counties; 10 cities, including Annapolis, where the U.S. Naval Academy is based Massachusetts self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 13 counties; 12 cities. The list is missing Natick, whose officials voted for sanctuary status after an Iranian national was arrested there for his alleged ties to a terrorist attack that killed three U.S. service members, The Center Square reported. Michigan; six counties; Ann Arbor and East Lansing Minnesota: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 20 counties; Minneapolis and St. Paul Nebraska: 10 counties Nevada: Las Vegas City New Hampshire: Hanover, Lebanon New Jersey: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; three counties; 18 cities New Mexico: 23 out of 33 counties; Albuquerque and Santa Fe New York: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 15 counties; 12 cities North Carolina: five counties North Dakota: seven counties Ohio: three counties; Cincinnati and Columbus Oregon: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 15 counties; four cities Pennsylvania: 11 counties; five cities Rhode Island: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; Central Falls and Providence Tennessee: Shelby County and Nashville, whose mayor is being investigated by Congress, The Center Square reported. Vermont: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; Burlington, Montpelier and Winooski Virginia: 20 counties; 13 cities, including the state's capital of Richmond Washington: self-identifies as a sanctuary state; 36 of 39 counties and five cities Wisconsin: two counties; Madison and Milwaukee While Texas is not on the list, some county commissioners and some in law enforcement have expressed opposition to working with federal immigration authorities in Democratic strongholds, including in Houston and Harris County, The Center Square reported. The Office of the Texas Attorney General also provides millions of dollars in grants to nonprofits providing legal assistance to illegal foreign nationals fighting deportation through a legal defense fund. The Texas legislature allocates the funds as part of the AOG's budget request.
Time Business News
4 hours ago
- Time Business News
Meghnad Bose raises concerns about ethics in journalism
In today's social media landscape, the threat that journalists and advocates face today has been largely obfuscated by the false positive that writers are removed from danger. Contrary to perceptions, the danger has never been closer to young writers and journalists across industries and mediums. Sexual harassment and sexual assault have become more prevelant than ever, with 1 in 3 (popularly contested to be 1 in 2) women having experienced sexual harassment, molestation or sexual assault. Rather than take measurable steps to clarify the workspace, many individuals who have made women uncomfortable in the workplace and classroom have found voices in other arenas, thereby laundering their bad conduct. Enter Meghnad Bose who, at the age of thirty five years old, traveled to the United States to fulfill a Masters Degree in Journalism as well as launch his fledgling career as a writer/advocate at Columbia University. With more than ten years on most of his peers, one would hope that Bose could represent a better model of maturity for younger journalists and activists. However, Bose, has previously been connected to an allegation of misinformation, wherein Bose and other journalists are accused of falsifying that they were detained after an attempted lynching upon them by in Delhi, India. According to OpIndia, 'Deputy Commissioner of Police, North-West Delhi was quick to state facts to refute Meghnad Bose's claims. She tweeted, 'Some of the reporters, willingly, on their own free will, to evade the crowd which was getting agitated by their presence, sat in PCR Van stationed at the venue and opted to proceed to Police Station for security reasons. No one was detained. Due police protection was provided.'' (Citation: ) Bose traveled to the United States in subsequent to another set of allegations against him: accusations of misconduct, sexual harassment and sexualization of peers by Bose. According to a reporting Indian publication, 'allegations have surfaced against a reporter from The Quint, Meghnad Bose. As per the woman, she was under the influence of alcohol one night when she returned to her campus and was having fun in the company of friends on the lawn. Soon, they were joined by Meghnad.' (Citation: ) If we are selective as to who is held accountable, when and why, then all we do is proliferate a reality where Indian victims matter less than American Ivy League activists. Journalism is in jeopardy: how much longer can American media fall prey to such low level advocacy? TIME BUSINESS NEWS
