NAACP Suspends Birmingham President Hezekiah Jackson
The national office of the NAACP has suspended the organization’s local Birmingham President Hezekiah Jackson IV.
The NAACP issued a statement Wednesday evening saying it is investigating whether Jackson advised residents not to have their soil tested for potentially damaging toxins and if he received payment for those activities.
Jackson, who has been president of the NAACP, Metro Birmingham Branch for about 20 years, says he has done nothing wrong and will be exonerated by the investigation.
Testimony, emails and invoices presented in a recent corruption trial connected Jackson to a scheme to discourage residents in North Birmingham and surrounding communities to be potentially included in an EPA cleanup site.
A coal company executive and a lawyer were convicted in that trial. In connection with the case, former state legislator Oliver Robinson pleaded guilty to bribery, fraud and tax evasion. Robinson, is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.
5 new books to check out this week — including Isabel Allende’s latest
My Name Is Emilia Del Valle is the newest novel from the prodigious Chilean expat, now in her 80s. Plus, a personal history of the orange, a Josephine Baker history and having kids in the digital age.
Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
Critics warn DOJ is being politicized despite vows to end its purported weaponization
Critics warn that despite President Trump's call to end the purported weaponization of the Justice Department, it has become more politicized in the president's first three months back in office.
Meet the Florida group chipping away at public benefits one state at a time
The Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that's been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation's public assistance programs.
Trump expands military use at the southern border. Are there legal limits?
The Posse Comitatus Act restricts using federal troops in civilian law enforcement. Exceptions exist, but Trump's crackdown on immigration is shaping up to be a major test for the law.
South Korea halted its adoption fraud investigation. Adoptees still demand the truth
The suspension of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission raises questions about future efforts to investigate the country's foreign adoption program.
