Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 741

WHO: E. Coli Outbreak Comes From Super-Toxic New Strain

Source: MSNBC London — An entirely new super-toxic bug is causing the frightening food poisoning outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people and killed 18, researchers and global health officials said Thursday. The DNA of the new E. coli strain, believed to have contaminated salad vegetables, was analyzed by Chinese and German scientists. It contains several genes that cause antibiotic resistance and is similar to a strain that causes serious diarrhea and is found in the Central African Republic, [...]

5 Killed In Shootings In Yuma, Arizona

Source: AP / CBS News Yuma, Ariz. – At least five people are dead and one person has been wounded in a series of shootings in southwest Arizona. The shootings happened Thursday morning in Yuma County. Yuma police Sgt. Clint Norred tells the Yuma Sun that the shootings were connected and are under investigation. It's unclear whether there's been an arrest or what the motive may have been. Norred says four of the fatal shootings occurred in the county and [...]

Rihanna's "Man Down" Video Depicts Murder; Upsets Advocacy Groups (VIDEO)

Source: David Riedel / CBS News Rihanna's no stranger to controversy and this video has generated plenty of it. The L.A. Times reports, "[t]he Parents Television Council, along with Industry Ears and the Enough Is Enough Campaign, joined together to 'condemn' the video and urge Viacom, BET's parent company, to pull it off the air." In a statement reacting to the violent content, Industry Ears said, "If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, [...]

Amazon.com Sells 'Legal Pot'

Source: Anna Schecter / ABC News Products that mimic the effects of marijuana and have potentially dangerous side effects are being sold via popular online shopping web sites like Amazon.com, and at suburban malls, convenience stores and gas stations. High school students and members of the military use "legal marijuana" or "herbal incense," marketed as K2, Spice and Potpourri, to get high because the products are legal, easily available and do not show up on drug tests. They can also [...]

NCAA Visiting Ohio State To Investigate New Charges In Case

Source: Jack Carey and Thomas O'Toole / USA Today NCAA investigators are back on the Ohio State campus this week following up on new allegations, and their appearance could lead to a postponement of the Buckeyes' Aug. 12 hearing with the infractions committee. The investigators, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the case, are in Columbus after news media reports in recent days outlined the [...]

$14 Trillion Debt Ceiling Explained

CNN's Christine Romans breaks down the debt ceiling issue and what it could mean for all Americans. WATCH:

Attorney Gen. Eric Holder Says Crack Cocaine 'Fair Sentencing Act' Should Be Retroactive

Source: Mark Memmot / NPR Saying that the Fair Sentencing Act that narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and power cocaine offenses has been "a historic step forward," Attorney Gen. Eric Holder pushed today for retroactively applying the lighter crack penalties to some offenders now serving time. "We have more to do," Holder said in a statement prepared for a hearing held this morning by the U.S. Sentencing Commission. "Although the Fair Sentencing Act is being successfully implemented nationwide, [...]

Hotel Housekeepers Share Tales of Sexual Harassment

Source: Andrea Canning and Christina Caron / ABC News Elizabeth Moreno was making the bed in a downtown Chicago hotel room when the room's guest unexpectedly returned. Hotel policy dictated she had to leave, but he insisted she stay. "He started asking me, 'What are you doing later?'" Moreno said. Then, she said, he told her, "We can have sex. I'll give you money — whatever you want." After the New York housekeepers reported alleged abuse, police arrested two powerful [...]

House GOP Press President Obama For More Spending Cuts

Source: AP / CBS News Washington – Scores of House Republicans are heading to the White House for a meeting with President Obama to demand trillions of dollars in spending cuts as the price for providing any increase in the government's power to borrow. Wednesday's meeting comes on the heels of a symbolic and lopsided vote the day before against a GOP proposal to lift the cap on the so-called debt limit by $2.4 trillion. The proposal, intended to prove [...]

Shaquille O'Neal Announces Retirement Online

Source: ESPN Orlando, Fla. - Shaquille O'Neal, the man with four rings, 28,596 career points and scores of nicknames, has finally decided to call it quits, ending one of the most colorful careers in NBA history that will surely culminate with a Hall of Fame induction. O'Neal, 39, officially announced his retirement Wednesday using the new social media tool Tout, a real-time video messaging service. "Once a businesman, always a businessman," O'Neal said, smiling. "I am the emperor of the social [...]