Monday, Feb. 16
Happy Presidents Day!
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Civil Rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson dead at 84
Rev. Jesse Jackson, a strong leader in the Civil Rights Movement, died Tuesday at the age of 84. The two-time presidential candidate was a protege of Martin Luther King Jr., according to The Associated Press.
Jackson was a strong supporter of voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care both in the U.S. and internationally. He was suffering from health challenges in his final years, enduring a rare neurological disorder that affected his speech and mobility.
The civil rights leader continued fighting for justice after the movement, even appearing at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024. He protested against racial injustice during the Black Lives Matter movement and backed a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, the AP reported.
Organizations request protection of voter data from the FBI
Personal voter information was seized by the FBI from an elections warehouse outside Atlanta. A coalition of organizations, including the NAACP, filed a motion Sunday stating the government's seizure of ballots and election documents breaches residents' right to privacy, according to the AP.
The filed motion requests the judge put reasonable limits on the usage of the information seized, prohibiting its use for voter roll maintenance, election administration or immigration enforcement.
According to the AP, Fulton County has been on Trump’s radar, as he alleges the Democratic stronghold saw widespread voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. The move comes after the Justice Department sued multiple states and Washington to obtain voter information.
Wednesday, Feb. 18
California avalanche leaves eight dead, one missing
According to the AP, an avalanche near California’s Lake Tahoe occurred Tuesday morning. The disaster is the deadliest in almost half a century, authorities said.
Authorities on the scene found the dead bodies of eight backcountry skiers and are still searching for one more. The individuals were conducting a three-day adventure in Northern California’s Sierra Nevada. Six of those individuals were rescued within six hours, and three of the four tour guides with them are presumed dead.
It has been reported around 3 to 6 feet of snow fell since Sunday, accompanied by harsh subfreezing temperatures and gale force winds, the AP reported.
Thursday, Feb. 19
Governors meet in Washington for annual gathering
Governors from states across the U.S. gathered in Washington on Friday for the National Governors Association annual meeting, the AP reported. The group, however, pulled out of an annual tradition in which the governors attend the White House to discuss state interests with the President.
The National Governors Association backed out of the meeting after President Donald Trump uninvited Democratic Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, according to the AP.
The rest of the governors still met with Trump at the White House, but the event was not facilitated by the National Governors Association.
Friday, Feb. 20
Federal judge writes decision bashing Trump's immigration policy
California U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes wrote a scathing ruling on the Trump administration’s immigration policy, accusing them of terrorizing immigrants and recklessly violating the law, the AP reported.
Sykes also claimed the administration violated a decision she made in December, ruling it was illegal to deny detained immigrants a chance for release. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a comment on the matter, saying the Supreme Court has overruled lower courts repeatedly on mandatory detention.
Under previous administrations, those arrested with no criminal record could have a bond hearing while their case went through immigration court. However, the Trump administration has not followed that precedent, according to the AP.
Sunday, Feb. 22
Women adopted from Iran threatened with deportation
A woman unnamed by the AP was adopted by a U.S. war veteran in the 1970s from an Iranian orphanage. The woman was raised a Christian in the U.S., but is now being threatened with deportation by the Trump administration.
The woman received a Department of Homeland Security letter early February instructing her to appear before an immigration judge in California for removal proceedings. According to the AP, the letter said the reasoning for possible deportation is that she overstayed her visa as a 4-year-old in March 1974.
The woman is one of many adopted children from foreign countries who do not have citizenship due to their adopted parents' failure to naturalize them. She has spent years trying to rectify her legal status and has no criminal record.
