AURN News

Missing from the voter rolls? Unsure where to vote? Facing intimidation at the polls? The Election Protection coalition is preparing to help voters address barriers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Civil rights leaders warn that obstacles can discourage participation, particularly among Black and brown voters. Helen Butler says the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda has trained more tha...

At a Thursday rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, President Donald Trump called Black and Jewish voters who support Democrat Abdul El-Sayed "crazy," adding, "You're crazy anyway." El-Sayed faces Republican Mike Rogers for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat and would become the first Muslim elected to the Senate if he wins. Trump also repeated a Muslim Brotherhood allegation that El-Sayed has repeate...

Muhammad Ali reclaimed the heavyweight boxing championship on Oct. 30, 1974, by knocking out undefeated champion George Foreman in the eighth round of the Rumble in the Jungle. Held in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the fight showcased Ali's rope-a-dope strategy against the heavily favored Foreman. The victory restored the title Ali had been stripped of in 1967 after re...

Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon says Meta suspended her Latinos Con Angie Instagram page while her campaign was posting from a get-out-the-vote rally in Osceola County. The account returned an hour later, but Meta has not publicly explained the specific reason for its suspension. The disruption came one week before Election Day, as a St. Pete Polls survey showed Republican Sen. Ashle...

Black freshman enrollment shares continue to decline at Harvard and Yale following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision ending race-conscious college admissions, according to The New York Times. Black students make up 9.3% of Harvard's incoming class, down from 18% in 2023, and 10% at Yale, down from 14% two years ago. The trend varies across universities: Princeton's share rebounded to 8.9%, while C...

The national debt is weighing on voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. A Peter G. Peterson Foundation poll finds 61% of voters planning to cast ballots Tuesday say debt will play a major role in their choice for federal office. Across the broader survey, 92% worry about its effect on everyday prices and 88% worry about higher borrowing costs. Nearly three-quarters would consider supporting a...

Americans saw a small decline in grocery prices in September, but overall inflation accelerated to 3.7%, up from 3.4% in August. Gasoline prices jumped 9.1% in one month and were up 34.2% from a year earlier. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, rising living costs remain a major test for President Donald Trump and Republicans. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest n...

The Justice Department wants California to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 registered voters it alleges are likely noncitizens. U.S. District Judge David Carter says he intends to appoint an independent reviewer to examine those claims. Los Angeles County officials say a preliminary review included people who reported being born in the United States and many with no voting history. With voti...

Jay-Z is taking the Super Bowl halftime stage. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that the rapper will headline Super Bowl LXI on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. His company has helped produce the halftime show since 2019. Now, following a series of sold-out anniversary concerts, the 25-time Grammy winner will perform at the event himself. Subscribe to our newsl...

Three organizations are seeking answers about a Trump administration proposal to change the U.S. census. The Legal Defense Fund, the NAACP and American Oversight filed public records requests examining who shaped plans to remove race and ethnicity questions and exclude noncitizens without green cards from the population count used to allocate House seats. Civil rights groups warn that losing detai...

Early voting is surging ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections, with more than 30 million ballots already cast, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab. An Associated Press analysis found sharp increases compared with 2022 in Texas, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio, where Democrats are trying to flip Republican-held Senate seats. What can early turnout tell us about the b...

Legendary singer Chaka Khan will receive the Classic Soul Honor at the 2026 Soul Train Awards, airing Nov. 27 on BET and CBS. From her work with Rufus to solo classics like "I'm Every Woman" and "I Feel for You," Khan has influenced generations of artists. The honor follows her 2026 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the release of her latest album, "Chakzilla," featuring Sia, Snoop Dogg and Le...

Two Sullivans, one Alaska Senate seat and a fight over election certification. Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are asking a federal judge to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit involving Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan. DOJ argues the similar names could confuse voters and seeks to block certification under certain co...

Why is President Donald Trump campaigning in Mississippi, a state he won by about 23 percentage points in 2024? Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith faces a competitive challenge from Democrat Scott Colom, who would become the state's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. This report examines the Corinth rally, Democratic support from Kamala Harris and Barack Obama, and Reuters/Ipsos and Pew...

Remembering Tom Houck, the civil rights activist and former aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who has died at 79, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta. This report traces his participation in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march, his service as King's driver and personal assistant, and his later campaign work for Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson and John Lewis. Houck also worked in radio...

Chicago is remembering legendary DJ Sam Chatman, known as the "Godfather of Steppin'," who has died at 85, according to ABC7 Chicago. Chatman coined the term "Steppin'" in the 1970s and helped popularize the Chicago dance tradition. A West Pullman street was dedicated in his honor in 2025. The father of ABC7 Chicago anchor Samantha Chatman, he is remembered by his family as a devoted husband, fath...

Why are Black activists and media figures challenging the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's ties to Palantir? An open letter signed by Rashad Robinson, LaTosha Brown, the Rev. Jamal Bryant, Tamika Mallory and Joy-Ann Reid urges the foundation to reject the technology company's funding, including its Annual Legislative Conference sponsorship. This report examines the signers' concerns about p...

Student organizers at Florida A&M University announced a noon protest outside the Al Lawson Center during homecoming, demanding an end to campus police's partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The 287(g) agreement authorizes trained officers to perform certain immigration enforcement duties under ICE supervision. Students for a Democratic Society and participating immigrant...

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín ordered limits on certain Department of Homeland Security election-related field operations and interviews in nine states, including Georgia and Pennsylvania. Her Oct. 21 ruling cited unreliable data and intimidation affecting Americans who help others vote. The order set a delayed start of 5 p.m. Oct. 23 and restrictions lasting through Election Day, su...

The Independent's Andrew Feinberg was removed from the press pool assigned to cover President Donald Trump's Iowa trip following an Oval Office exchange. The White House Correspondents' Association condemned the move as retaliation. Meanwhile, CNN is threatening further legal action over Air Force One access after a federal judge ordered the restoration of White House press credentials for CNN, MS...

The NAACP is partnering with former Vice President Kamala Harris for town halls in Milwaukee on Oct. 26 and Atlanta on Oct. 29. Harris and NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson will discuss community priorities, how national policies affect families and the importance of staying engaged beyond Election Day. The events will also offer nonpartisan voter education resources ahead of the Nov. 3 midt...

With 13 days until the midterm elections, President Donald Trump is campaigning for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina. More than $34 million has poured into the race against Democrat Annie Andrews, while Republicans shift resources from North Carolina and Trump's approval rating falls to 31% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed with the latest news from a leadi...

On this day in 2024, Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott made hip-hop history as the first rappers to receive the National Medal of Arts. President Joe Biden presented the honors at a White House ceremony celebrating 39 recipients of the National Medals of Arts and National Humanities Medals. Elliott marked the milestone by thanking Biden and celebrating Queen Latifah for opening doors for generations...

Dr. Richard E. Holmes, the first Black student to enroll at Mississippi State University, died Oct. 16 at age 82. A native of Starkville, Holmes integrated the university in 1965, earned two degrees there and later graduated from Michigan State University's medical school. After spending more than 20 years as an emergency room physician in Birmingham, Alabama, he returned to Mississippi State in 2...

President Donald Trump has waived planned Russia-related sanctions and tariffs that were scheduled to begin taking effect Oct. 18, citing concerns about their economic impact and ongoing negotiations over the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the administration could take up to 60 days to review the measures, although the executive order does not set an expiration date for the wa...