Oakland, California, has a special place in the American progressive pantheon — birthplace of the Black Panthers, hotbed of labor organizing and the tenant rights’ movement, Berkeley’s bigger, edgier neighbor — so what happens in this city has ramifications far beyond the Bay Area. And what happened here last week was huge. Voters in Oakland recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao, and their district attorney, Pamela Price (she represented Alameda County, where Oakland is by far the...

Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies. The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording. Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with...

A federal investigation is under way after racist text messages were sent to Black people all across the country—including some in Illinois. There were a number of variations of the messages using similar language, telling the recipient they had been "selected for cotton picking" or to become "a slave." All of the texts included instructions, times and dates to "be ready" and references to being picked up in a van. Some included the recipient's name or general location, according to...

Authorities are investigating racist text messages sent to black Americans across the country telling them to report to a plantation "to pick cotton". Black Americans, including school and college students, were among the recipients in states including Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania. “The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on...

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has picked as his secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called "woke" policies of Pentagon leaders including its top military officer. Hegseth, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, could make good on Trump's campaign promises to rid the U.S. military of generals who he accuses of pursuing progressive policies on diversity in the ranks that conservatives have rallied against.

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Tesla founder Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, a White House office given the task of cutting the federal budget. In a statement, Mr. Trump said the two business leaders will work to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.” The Department of...

Former Massachusetts Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years for stealing classified information from the Defense Department and sharing it online, the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts announced. Attorneys for Teixeira didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Teixeira apologized, according to coverage of the hearing in U.S. District Court by NBC affiliate WJAR of Providence, Rhode Island.

These American women couldn't be further apart in their viewpoints: Mia Akins is a student involved in the anti-abortion movement in Florida. Molly, a mother from California who prefers not to publish her full name, flew across the country to Washington to express her frustration after the election. Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election has triggered strong emotions among women in the US.  "I'm definitely happy that Trump won, but even...

Donald Trump is nominating former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, the president-elect said Tuesday, tapping a staunchly pro-Israel conservative whose choice could signal future U.S. policy toward conflicts in the Middle East. An evangelical Christian, Huckabee has been a vocal supporter of Israel throughout his political career and a long-time defender of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A former Republican presidential hopeful,...

Embattled Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday expressed hope that the incoming Trump administration would work with him on the influx of illegal immigrants that have flocked to his city, but said he was not in favor of mass deportations.  Adams has pushed President Joe Biden's administration to provide more funding for sanctuary cities who are dealing with the influx of illegal immigrants who entered the country over the past four years. He has also pushed for...