Black Farmers Shut Out Again. GA GOP Target DAs. Pete Hegseth Blocks Black Officers

Georgia Republican Senator Ed Settzler introduced Senate Bill 573 to make District Attorney elections nonpartisan and appoint medical examiners in five specific metro Atlanta counties: Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton. All five counties have Black women serving as DAs. The bill, initially defeated in the Senate, was later passed by the House by stripping language from another bill and reintroducing it. It now heads to the governor's desk. Critics argue this is a direct attack on Black political power, specifically targeting DAs like Fani Willis, and note that sheriffs' races were explicitly excluded from this change.

Senate Bill 573 introduced by Aworth Republican Senator Ed Settzler Setsler would apply to Fulton, Decap, Gwynet, Cobb, and Clayton counties. Just those five, nor the counties in Georgia. He said the change was needed to quote combat selective enforcement of laws that politicized DA offices. Um, what's the common denominator in these counties? Oh, black women are the district attorneys in all five. This is the map. Luckily the bill failed in the Senate by a 24 to 29 vote... one quick update is that it was passed today in the House. So, we sit in the Senate, but this is a bill that is passed in the House... it's now passed both chambers, so it's headed to the governor's desk... This is really about punishment for Fonnie Willis.

Donald Trump hosted 800 farmers at the White House, none of whom were Black. John Boyd, President of the National Black Farmers Association, highlighted that 190 Black farmers are facing foreclosures due to Trump's tariffs and policies. Boyd criticized Trump for displaying a gold tractor and advising farmers to buy new equipment while many struggle. Furthermore, a $300 million land-buying grant program, lobbied for by Boyd and intended to help Black farmers acquire land, was cut by the current administration, framed as a 'DEI program' to justify its elimination.

Donald Trump talks to 800 farmers at the White House today. None of them black... I wasn't invited, but I suddenly invited myself... This man had the audacity to put a gold tractor... when we got uh 190 black farmers losing their farms out here... due to this president's tariffs... they rolled back $300 million a program that was set up that that I lobby for in Congress to get it in the inflation reduction act bill... that allowed black farmers through these programs to buy land... Now they cut the whole program. Anything to help black people, they say that they can't do it.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth removed two Black army officers and two female army officers from consideration for one-star general promotions, a highly unusual decision that sparked allegations of racial and gender bias. A senior staffer for Hegseth reportedly stated that Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. This action is seen as part of a broader effort to re-establish white male dominance in military leadership, despite people of color making up 43% of active-duty troops.

Secretary of Defense Peter Heg says Hegath reportedly is blocking the promotion of two of four officers, two women and two black men to become one-star generals... He has removed two black army officers and two female army officers from consideration for one star general promotions... Mr. Bura told Mr. Driscoll that Trump would not want to stand next to a black female officer at military events... 43% of the 1.3 million troops from active duty are people of color, but those leading the military are overwhelmingly white and male.

Bishop William Barber delivered a powerful message emphasizing the need for 'workhorses, not show horses' and a 'third reconstruction.' He highlighted that strategic voting by even a small percentage of non-voting Black individuals in Southern states (North Carolina to Texas) could significantly alter political outcomes. He cited examples where non-votes far exceeded election margins (e.g., Trump winning NC's Black congressional district by 11,000 votes while 85,000 didn't vote). He called upon the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity to provide 1,000 brothers for training in strategic voter turnout, focusing on targeted precincts rather than broad registration drives.

We need some folk that understand we can't be playing checkers while they playing chess... if just 20% of black folk that have not voted or registered in the southern states from North Carolina to Texas if just 20% would vote strategically it shifts everything... Donald Trump won in that district by 11,000 votes, but 85,000 people didn't vote. He won the state of North Carolina by 180,000 votes... but over 500,000 black folk didn't vote... We need a thousand brothers that we can train and how to do massive voter get out strategically, not just lip service.

Reverend Dr. Michael Eric Dyson delivered a politically charged prayer in the Tennessee State House, criticizing 'white evangelical piety' and 'white Christian nationalism' for their hypocrisy and alignment with authoritarianism. Many Republican legislators walked out during the prayer. This incident, along with the use of unauthorized images of Barack Obama by MAGA-aligned groups to mislead Black voters on a Virginia redistricting referendum, demonstrates how religion and misinformation are weaponized to suppress Black political engagement and advance a white supremacist agenda.

We come to you for comfort and blessing. Our world is on fire with bigotry and bombs... Dear God, spare us from the hypocrisy of a breed of white evangelical piety that emphasize the adjectives white more than the noun evangelical... Republicans walked out some mad white evangelicals... A MAGA aligned dark money group used an unauthorized photo of President Barack Obama and misrepresented his position on the Virginia vote.