Protestors rallied against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis following his administration's attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Also in the news: One person is dead and three others are injured after a shooting at a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, while the Michigan State University community mourned three students slain in a campus shooting. |
Here's Thursday's headlines. |
Black leaders rally against Florida Gov. DeSantis |
Hundreds of Black legislators, preachers and activists rallied against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives Wednesday, threatening to pull students from Florida schools and universities. |
Demonstrators including Rev. Al Sharpton protested in response to not only the state's rejection of the College Board's Advanced Placement African American Studies class but also the governor's plans to gut college diversity programs, continue his migrant relocation program and pursue policies that are viewed as harmful to the LGBTQ community. |
| • | The rally came after DeSantis' administration decided in January to reject a new AP course on African American Studies, claiming the class is "inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value." | | • | While the Department of Education never cited which law or laws the course violates, DeSantis last year signed the Stop WOKE Act into law to restrict how colleges and workplaces talk about race, gender and sexuality. | | • | A new framework released in February removes many of the topics from the AP course Florida objected to, or they are included only as optional project topics. But the College Board was firm that the changes to the framework have been in the works for a year, in consultation with more than 300 professors. | |
📷 Photo of the day: Black leaders rally against DeSantis 📷 |
The protest on Wednesday, which started as a march from Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee to the Capitol building, included Rev. Al Sharpton and was led by Tallahassee church leader Rev. R.B. Holmes. "You're wrong to mess with Black history," Holmes said. Read more about the protest and click here for more photos from the demonstration. | Al Sharpton speaks to a crowd of hundreds from the steps of the Senate portico during the National Action Network demonstration in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis's efforts to minimize diverse education.
Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat |
1 dead, 3 injured in shooting at El Paso, Texas, shopping mall |
Authorities in El Paso, Texas, said one person was killed and three other people were injured Wednesday after a shooting in a shopping mall, adding to the dozens of people already killed this year in mass shootings across the United States. The El Paso Police Department said hours after the gunfire that two people had been taken into custody, though details of what led to the shooting remained unclear. Read more | Law enforcement agents walk in the parking lot of a shopping mall, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in El Paso, Texas. Police say one person was killed and three other people were wounded in a shooting at Cielo Vista Mall. One person has been taken into custody, El Paso police spokesperson Sgt. Robert Gomez said.
Andrés Leighton, AP |
MSU students rally at state Capitol |
Two days after a gunman's rampage left three students dead on the Michigan State University campus, students joined community members at the state Capitol in Lansing demanding to be heard. Sitting on the Capitol steps during a rally, several of those in attendance held signs expressing their anger and frustration about the profusion of gun deaths across the country. Democratic state lawmakers responding to the MSU shooting say they will introduce state legislation to address gun violence that stalled in the past. While they provided a general outline of bills they plan to put forward, exact details on the forthcoming proposals and their timing remain unclear. Read more | Protesters hold signs to protest gun violence at a student sit-in at the Michigan Capitol building following a mass shooting at Michigan State University earlier in the week in Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023.
Brice Tucker, AP |
Debt limit forecast says US could be in default by summer |
Debt ceiling default could come as soon as July. The Congressional Budget Office Wednesday declared that the U.S. Treasury will run out of money to pay government bills such as Social Security and military paychecks by the summer unless lawmakers agree on a deal to raise the debt limit ceiling. That doesn't leave much time to reach a deal and, as it turns out, there's not a lot of places Democrats and Republicans can agree to cut – at least in the short term. Read more | Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Phillip Swagel speaks during a news briefing on the release of new economic reports at Ford House Office Building on February 15, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong, Getty Images |
Raquel Welch, star of 'One Million Years B.C.' dies at 82 |
Raquel Welch, the Hollywood star famous for her 1960s roles in "One Million Years B.C." and "Fantastic Voyage," has died at 82. Welch died Wednesday morning following a brief illness, her manager Steve Sauer confirmed to USA TODAY. Welch's career spanned 50 years, 30 films and 50 TV series and appearances. She won a Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy or musical for her role in "The Three Musketeers" in 1975, and was nominated for a Globe in the 1987 TV movie "Right to Die." Read more | Early in her career, Raquel Welch said Hollywood higher-ups pushed her to change her name to "Debbie." But the actress refused, and always remained proud of her Hispanic heritage.
GETTY | Patrick Mahomes is seen on the video board celebrating during the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII victory parade.
David Eulitt, Getty Images |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
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