GOVERNMENT WATCH — A Minnesota federal judge issued an extraordinary order demanding the Justice Department provide her grand jury materials related to journalist Don Lemon and his co-defendants, including presentations made by prosecutors and communications with grand jurors that resulted in their indictments. It's the latest example of judges' growing skepticism of whether the department is behaving ethically behind closed doors in grand jury proceedings. Federal judges in Wyoming, Illinois and Virginia have either thrown out charges or seriously admonished federal prosecutors for missteps in front of the grand jury. Prosecutors allege Lemon participated in a protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota in January, while he said he was covering it legally as an independent journalist.
INFRASTRUCTURE EQUITY — Gary, Indiana, a city that is 76% Black, had tens of thousands without power nearly two weeks after storms, while the same story played out in Memphis. For Black and low-income families, the loss of power can quickly turn fatal. The problem with aging infrastructure and disinvestment tends to accentuate the impacts when they hit communities that have been experiencing those problems for a long time. An HBCU in Memphis was forced to cancel classes because of the outage.
POLITICS & POWER — Black voters are signaling dissatisfaction, caution and conditional readiness to act as the 2026 elections approach, according to a sweeping new national study examining political opposition and civic engagement within Black communities. Thirty percent are classified as 'Defenders,' voters already highly active in resistance activities; 34% are labeled 'Activatables,' voters who recognize issues are under attack but prioritize self-preservation over public action; and 24% fall into 'Spectators,' less likely to see urgency and only 68% certain to vote. Forty-seven percent of Black voters selected 'to fight back against racism and injustice' as one of their top two reasons to resist government actions.
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