Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 159

George Zimmerman Agrees To Celebrity Boxing Match

Source: Jessica Durando / USA Today George Zimmerman is not only an artist, apparently he’s an amateur boxer as well. Zimmerman agreed to enter a celebrity boxing match, he confirmed on his Twitter account. Here we go http://t.co/j3UoCSxcv3 — George Zimmerman (@TherealGeorgeZ) January 30, 2014 Boxing promoter Damon Feldman is organizing the March 1 fight, ABC News reports. The opponent [...]

Mayor Kasim Reed Talks Atlanta Snow Response

Roland Martin talks with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed about the city’s response to the snowstorm that left the metropolis crippled.

Washington Post Editorial: Obama Ignores The District’s Lack Of Basic Rights

Source: Washington Post Editorial Board PRESIDENT OBAMA had some stirring words in Tuesday’s State of the Union address about “justice and fairness and equality” and the importance of making those words set to paper by the nation’s founders “real for every citizen.” He also spoke about efforts to support democracy from Tunisia to Burma to Ukraine. But [...]

Oscar Pistorius Murder Trial To Have Dedicated 24-Hour TV Channel In South Africa

Source: AP / New York Daily News CAPE TOWN, South Africa  — Oscar Pistorius’ murder trial will have a dedicated 24-hour television channel in South Africa, the country’s top cable provider said Wednesday, promising “round-the-clock” coverage of one of the blockbuster stories of the year. MultiChoice said in a statement the temporary “pop-up” channel will launch [...]

Congressional Black Caucus Slams President Obama For Lack Of African-American Judicial Nominees

Source: Mike Lillis / The Hill Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) plan to publicly rebuke President Obama over a lack of diversity in his federal judicial picks. The lawmakers are organizing a Capitol Hill press conference as early as this week to decry what Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) called “the appalling lack of [...]

Grand Jury Elects To Charge Randall Kerrick With Voluntary Manslaughter

Source: Steven Gaither / MyFoxCarolinas.com The Jonathan Ferrell case took another turn on Monday as a grand jury decided that CMPD Officer Randall Kerrick will be charged with voluntary manslaughter. This decision comes less than a week after the charge was initially rejected by a grand jury. The official indictment states that Kerrick “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously” [...]

Jobs Program Aids Fortune 500 And Underprivileged Youth

Source: 60 Minutes / CBS News “Year Up” trains thousands of disadvantaged youth for internships that often lead to corporate jobs — jobs that companies have found hard to fill.

NSA Using Angry Birds, Other Smartphone Apps To Collect Personal Data: Report

Source: AP / The Huffington Post LONDON — Documents leaked by former NSA contactor Edward Snowden suggest that spy agencies have a powerful ally in the apps installed on smartphones across the globe. The documents, published by The New York Times, the Guardian, and ProPublica, suggest that the mapping, gaming, and social networking apps available [...]

Deadly Batch Of Heroin Has Already Killed 17

Source: Colleen Curry / ABC News A tainted batch of deadly heroin is suspected of causing more than a dozen overdoses in central Pennsylvania and has officials begging drug users to be extra cautious. The Allegheny County, Pa., medical examiner’s office said today that 13 people have died of suspected drug overdoses in recent days. Near four of [...]

Colorado High School Student Sets Self On Fire In Cafeteria

Source: Clayton Sandell /ABC News A student at a suburban Denver high school set himself on fire in the school’s cafeteria today and is in critical condition, authorities said. A female teacher was treated for minor cuts when she broke a pane of glass to access a fire extinguisher and a school custodian used the extinguisher [...]