Latest news with #Kenyatta
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Trans woman burned with unknown chemical in Philadelphia; police looking to ID three juveniles
The Brief Philadelphia police have released video of three juveniles they're looking to identify after they say a trans woman was burned with acid over the weekend. The 25-year-old victim suffered severe burns to her face and leg as a result of the attack. Police have not yet made any arrests in the case. PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia police have released surveillance video showing three juveniles they're looking to identify and speak with after a trans woman was attacked and left with severe burns from an unknown substance. The incident happened on Sunday, June 1, in the unit block of South 51st Street around 1:40 p.m. The victim was left with severe burns on her face and leg as a result of the incident. What we know On Sunday afternoon, police responded to a call for an assault in West Philadelphia. When officers arrived on scene, they met with the 25-year-old victim who informed them that a group of juveniles threw an unknown caustic substance on her face and body. She told police she had been wearing headphones at the time of the attack, and was unsure if the juveniles said anything to her prior to the attack. She was treated at Temple University Hospital's Burn Center for second and third degree burns on her face and leg. On Friday, police released surveillance video of three juveniles they were looking to identify in connection with the assault. Police say they blurred the faces of two of the juveniles because they are believed to be tender-aged. Following the incident, video shows the juveniles boarding SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line at 52nd Street and getting off at 60t Street. Investigators also added on Friday that the substance used in the attack could possibly have been battery acid. What they're saying Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta released a statement on the attack Friday, pointing out that the attack on trans victim occurred on the day of the city's Pride march. "What happened to this young woman in West Philly is horrific—and even more so because the suspects are kids, just 8 to 12 years old. Pride is supposed to be a celebration. Instead, we're starting with a hate-fueled attack that will leave this 25-year-old woman scarred for life," the statement began. "This is what happens when bigotry is left unchecked—when hate spreads online, in our communities, and into the hands of children." Kenyatta went on to add that parents 'need to step up.' "We all have a role to play in teaching our kids dignity, empathy and basic humanity. When you stop teaching respect, you start seeing violence. I'm praying for her recovery. And I want her to know we see her, we love her, and we're not letting this go."
Epoch Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DNC Sets June Vote on Possible Invalidation of Election of Vice Chairs
The Democratic National Committee will vote in June to decide if it will invalidate the vice-chair elections of activist David Hogg and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Feb. 1. The upcoming vote is the result of a May 22 meeting of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which voted 25–0 to move forward with a procedural challenge to those elections. Hogg had drawn controversy by announcing in April that he would back primary challenges against incumbent Democrats whose leadership he felt was 'ineffective.' Hogg, during his short tenure as vice-chair, was to hold primaries against 'asleep at the wheel' members of his party through his Leaders We Deserve PAC. DNC chair Ken Martin came out against Hogg's plan, saying that a DNC officer should remain neutral in elections. 'Let me be unequivocal: No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,' Martin said during an appearance on Fox News. Related Stories 5/13/2025 4/24/2025 On May 10, Martin The Feb. 28 challenge came less than a month after Hogg's election. Members of the DNC will vote electronically on June 9–11 to invalidate or keep the election results. If they vote to invalidate, they will hold do-over elections with the same five candidates. The first election, which must appoint a man according to DNC rules, will be held June 12–15. The second, which may be any gender, will be held on June 15–17. Hogg and Kenyatta were chosen as vice chairs of the party on Feb. 1 during its turbulent , which was frequently interrupted by protests. But that election was contested because it violated the DNC's complex statutes requiring gender parity in elections. There were two empty vice-chair slots, and statutes required that the first slot be filled by a man; the second could be any gender. Instead of holding two separate elections, the DNC placed all five candidates on one ballot, put both slots on that ballot, and combined the results. Kenyatta received 289 votes, Hogg received 214. Democratic Party's Oklahoma representative and attorney Kalyn Free, who was also on the ballot, said that structure made it 'mathematically impossible' for a woman to win. 'I brought this challenge for every man, woman, nonbinary, person, and person of color that comes after me and wants to serve as an officer of our party,' Free the committee before the May 22 vote. The push to overturn the elections has led to allegations—by Hogg and others—that the DNC is taking advantage of Free's challenge to remove him as vice chair by a simple majority vote, instead of the two-thirds normally required. On May 12, Kenyatta on X that Free's challenge was brought 'well before' Hogg's announcement that he would primary members of his party. Hogg acknowledged that this was true, but said that 'the consensus' among members he spoke to was that the challenge was unlikely to go forward. That changed when he made his controversial policy decisions, he said in an interview on MSNBC. At the May 22 committee hearing, he asked the members to reconsider. 'I want to say that if we proceed with voiding and redoing this election, we risk sending a message that undermines the very confidence that we work so hard to build, not just within our own party, but within the public,' Hogg said ahead of that vote. 'To the public, the signal that we send them matters, and in this case, it would be that Democrats can't run an election.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC set to vote in weeks on removing David Hogg after young progressive announces plans to fund challengers
The Democratic National Committee has set a June date for the vote on removing two party vice chairs, including David Hogg, after he said he was set on challenging incumbent Democrats. The DNC will vote via electronic ballot between June 9 and June 11 on whether they will conduct new elections for the two vice chair roles. This comes after a DNC committee granted a procedural complaint regarding the initial election, which wasn't connected to the controversy surrounding Hogg, Politico noted. If a majority backs the measure, Hogg and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta would lose their positions, and new elections would be held. Votes for a new male vice chair would follow between June 12 and June 14, and for a vice chair of any gender between June 15 and June 17. Hogg pushed back against re-doing the election during Thursday's meeting of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee. He said it 'sends a horrible message to the public about our inability to run elections.' 'If we're to redo this election, it truly just sends a horrible message that we really do not want out there at this moment,' he added, according to Politico. 'That's why I believe that it should not go forward.' The vote to possibly oust Hogg comes in the middle of a struggle between the party and the gun-safety advocate. Hogg announced last month that the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, will take aim at 'ineffective' Democratic incumbents, spending $20 million. The chair of the DNC, Ken Martin, put forward a suggestion in response that the bylaws be changed to mandate that all DNC officers be neutral in primary elections. The DNC is set to vote on that measure in August. However, the struggle regarding the initial election could push out Hogg sooner rather than later. In February, a complaint claimed that the DNC failed to adhere to its own rules regarding gender equity when Kenyatta and Hogg were elected. Hogg has stated that it's 'impossible to ignore the broader context of my work to reform the party which loomed large over this vote.' He has also said that the DNC 'pledged to remove me, and this vote has provided an avenue to fast-track that effort.' If the election goes ahead, Kenyatta has called for a virtual candidate forum. In a thread on X, Kenyatta also lambasted the media's coverage of the fight by viewing Hogg as the 'main character.' 'This story is complex and I'm frustrated — but it's not about @davidhogg111. Even though he clearly wants it to be,' said Kenyatta. This comes after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed Hogg during an appearance on Fox News earlier this month. 'This is exactly what the Democrats do and why they continue to lose,' the former speaker said. 'They don't believe in allowing Democrats to pick who should lead them.' 'He's right, and he's young, he's smart, and he's going to be around, and this is only going to elevate him; and the whole thing he's saying is if you're old and not working to win a majority, you ought to leave!' McCarthy added.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC members to vote next month on potential vice chair election redo
Democratic National Committee (DNC) members will determine in June whether a contested election over two DNC vice chair positions should be held again. Members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met Thursday night, determining that the party will hold an electronic vote June 9-11 over whether the election for DNC vice chair positions won by Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and activist David Hogg should be held again after one of the candidates who lost the election challenged the way the race was conducted. If a majority of the members vote to hold a new election, the DNC has said an electronic vote will take place June 12-14 for the first vice chair, which must be filled by a man. A second electronic vote for the second vice chair, which can be filled by any gender, would take place June 15-17. Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free, who unsuccessfully ran for DNC vice chair, issued a challenge over the DNC vice chair election results in February, alleging in a letter that the committee's 'decision to ignore the Charter, Bylaws and upend the stated Election Rules in conducting the election for the second and third Vice Chair positions gave the two male candidates an unfair and insurmountable advantage over the women candidates.' 'By placing all five candidates — Mr. Kenyatta, Mr. Hogg, Ms. [Shasti] Conrad, Ms. Free, and Ms. [Jeanna] Repass — on the same ballot and aggregating votes across two rounds, the process unfairly disadvantaged the women candidate,' she added in her letter to several DNC officials. Both Hogg and Kenyatta expressed during the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Thursday that they both disagreed with the idea of trying to hold another election for their posts. 'If we proceed with voiding and redoing this election, we risk sending a message that undermines … the confidence' that the party worked hard to build, Hogg told members, adding later that the 'signal that we send them matters, and in this case, it would be that Democrats can't run an election.' Kenyatta during the meeting said, 'It is no big secret that I fundamentally believe we held a fair election at National Harbor, an election that produced an officer corps that looks like America and that, in a historic fashion, elevated for the first time ever, two people to our committee under the age of 35.' The Pennsylvania state lawmaker added that if members did proceed to move forward with a new election for their roles, he said he hoped that there would be at least a virtual forum to assess the candidates. The move to potentially order a redo of the elections comes as Hogg has separately drawn the ire of some Democrats for investing resources in primarying ineffective members of the party. DNC Chair Ken Martin has said DNC officeholders should not be involved in primarying efforts within the party. 'While certainly I understand what he's trying to do, as I've said to him — if you want to challenge incumbents, you're free to do that, just not as an officer of the DNC,' Martin said. The vote to potentially redo the vice chair election is not related to Hogg's primary efforts, though the developments coupled together have underscored a rocky start to his term as DNC vice chair. The moves are also putting intraparty tensions on display at a time when the party is looking to reset from a disappointing November election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC to hold June vote on whether to redo election of David Hogg as vice chair
The Democratic National Committee has set a June vote to decide whether it will hold a redo of the election of David Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta as vice chairs. The move stems from a challenge to how the initial vice chairs election was conducted in February but also comes amid a party rift over Hogg's decision to support primary challengers to Democratic members of Congress he deems 'ineffective.' DNC members will vote electronically from June 9-11 on whether to hold a redo of the election, according to a DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting Thursday. If a majority of DNC members agree to hold a do-over vote, a new election to fill the positions would be held in the following days. DNC members would vote electronically for a new male vice chair from June 12-14. A second vote for a vice chair of any gender would then be held from June 15-17. Speaking at the committee meeting Thursday, Hogg objected to the vote, which he said, 'sends a horrible message to the public about our inability to run elections.' 'If we were to redo this election, it truly just sends a horrible message that we really don't want out there at this moment,' he said. 'That's why I believe that it should not go forward, and if it does … it should not be done electronically or over mail.' Kenyatta said he believes the initial election was held 'fairly' and called for a candidate forum if the party does move forward with a do-over vote. Earlier this month, the DNC's Credentials committee recommended a redo of the election due to how the vote was conducted. Kalyn Free, a party activist from Oklahoma, challenged the results a few weeks after the February 1 election, arguing the party had violated its parliamentary rules in how it conducted the vote, in which Hogg and Kenyatta won two of the three vice chair slots. The challenge relates to the procedure by which the election was conducted given the complex gender parity requirements that govern the makeup of the DNC's group of elected officers. Separately, the DNC is also weighing a new proposal put forth by DNC Chair Ken Martin that would officially require elected party leaders to stay neutral in primaries. The DNC is expected to vote on that measure at an August meeting. CNN's Ethan Cohen contributed to this report.
