WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR/THE CONVERSATION) — President-elect Joe Biden has said fixing the economy will be one of his administration’s top priorities when he takes office in January. R. Andrew Butters, assistant professor of business economics and public policy at Indiana University and a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, explains the challenges Biden will face and what kind of stimulus the U.S. will need. 1. What are the top economic challenges facing Biden? The pandemic and the subsequent impacts on the economy have been nothing short of devastating. But the primary challenge actually isn’t so much an economic one at all;…
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A former speechwriter for President Donald Trump, who was previously fired for attending a meeting of white nationalists, has been given a new role to help oversee memorials commemorating the Holocaust genocide. Trump nominated Darren Beattie to become a board member of the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, the White House said in a Wednesday statement. The body was founded in 1985 and is tasked with seeking out, and overseeing, the preservation of overseas sites related to the Holocaust. Beattie was fired from his speechwriting role at the White House in 2018 after a CNN investigation found…
New York (CNN Business) Leaders of the Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC) say their organization has received a record total of about $2 billion dollars in donations this year from companies looking to aid people of color. “This is by far our biggest fundraising year on record,” LISC President and CEO Maurice Jones told CNN Business. Netflix, Lowe’s and Square are just three of the major corporations that made multimillion dollar donations to LISC in the aftermath of the George Floyd tragedy. LISC is a non-profit financial institution funds community development initiatives in 44 states. It allocates money to local…
Nashville, TN (TnTribune) A committee that advises the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccines has scheduled an emergency meeting for Tuesday. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices posted the meeting announcement on its website with little explanation. While it does not say explicitly that the meeting is to discuss coronavirus vaccine distribution, there’s no other likely reason for such a meeting to be called. A CDC spokesperson later confirmed the meeting was called to discuss coronavirus vaccines but could not provide more details. ACIP met on Monday to discuss whether to recommend any coronavirus vaccine that might…
SEATTLE, Nov. 23, 2020 – The rapid rise in pandemic-driven telework could make first-time homeownership most broadly accessible to black renters compared to other renters, based on factors including income, the makeup of local industries, geography and more, a new Zillow® analysis suggests. Zillow research found that, of the nearly 2 million U.S. renters who are able to take advantage of heightened telework options and could afford monthly payments on homes in less-expensive areas outside of their current metros, Black renters benefit far more than other renters . In large metro areas where typical starter home values are higher than…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Even though economic activity is still below pre-pandemic peak levels, a report from Secretary of State Tre Hargett’s office shows signs of economic recovery. The Tennessee Quarterly Business and Economic Indicators report for the third quarter of 2020 showed 16,470 new entity filings, representing a strong 42.2 percent increase over the same quarter in 2019. Initial filings have now seen positive year-over-year growth for 35 consecutive quarters. “The pandemic made a significant impact on our economy, but Tennessee’s entrepreneurial spirit and business-friendly environment has seen some Tennesseans start their own businesses,” said Secretary Hargett. Growth in new…
By Senior Editor Leslie Quander Wooldridge (first published in Sisters from AARP) “When you can’t do anything else, you can pray.” Pastor Shirley Ann Caesar Williams, professionally known as Shirley Caesar, said this near the end of our first interview. And it was only one of her suggestions. She spoke calmly. But the statement held the weight that her voice holds on chart-topping songs like “He’s Working It Out for You” and “You Can Make It.” Caesar’s voice has resonated for more than six decades, across more than 40 albums. Her voice can speak to the heart. And her words can…
Nashville, TN–Rev. Vahisha Hasan has been named director of the SEAL Initiatives at American Baptist College. Rev. Hasan recently served as Department Chair of Applied Psychology at Memphis College of Urban and Theological Studies. This national leader in social justice works to create space and place for liberatory pathways and brings an authentic connection to community and clear vision to the issues of our time. The SEAL Initiatives (Social Justice, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership) are designed to infuse the perspectives of SEAL within the institution, and in every class and program offered at ABC. The initiatives are established to attract,…
ATLANTA (AP) — Auburn University has renamed its student center after the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, who was the school’s first Black student government president. The formal ceremony was held Friday to honor Harold D. Melton, with a banner unfurled at the top of the building revealing its new name. “In 1987, this young kid comes over here, he gets the whole student body excited, and they elect him their president,” Auburn University President Jay Gogue said in a statement released by the Georgia Supreme Court. He told Melton: “You honor Auburn by allowing us to honor…
For the first time, Gov. Bill Lee acknowledged that COVID-19 is out of control in Tennessee. However, he said vaccines will arrive soon. Healthcare workers and first-responders, followed by the most vulnerable, like nursing home residents, will get the first doses. NASHVILLE, TN – Gov. Bill Lee held a phone conference Wednesday, November 25, with Tennessee’s 129 community newspapers. All of the questions related to COVID-19. “It can be discouraging to see all around us what’s going on in the midst of Thanksgiving,” Lee said. The Governor said he and his wife, Maria, would be praying for all Tennesseans.…