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VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 26
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, JULY7, 2012
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30
Durham’s own Miss Carter Elan Brown has earned
the title of the 2012 National American Miss Junior
Pre-Teen North Carolina at the state pageant held sat.,
June 20 at the Benson Convention Center in Winston-
Salem. She is the 9-year-old daughter of Mrs. Amber
and Vincent Brown. See story on page 9.
Attorney General Eric Holder
Says Contempt Charges
Politically Motivated
By George E. Curry
Editor-In-Chief
NNPA News Service
WASHINGTON (NNPA) - The House of Representatives vote to
hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. in contempt of Congress
was “one of the most highly politicized and reckless congressional
investigations in decades,” according to Rep. Elijah E. Cummings
[D-Md.].
“This is a sad day for our democracy,” said Cummings, the rank
ing member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, the Republican-dominated panel that recommended the ac
tion against Holder. “Today’s contempt vote against Attorney.Gener
al Eric Holder is the culmination of one ofthe most highly politicized
and reckless congressional investigations in decades.”
The vote, which came just hours after the Supreme Court upheld
the landmark Affordable Care Act, marked the first time a sitting
cabinet member has been held in contempt of Congress.
Holder, the nation’s first black attorney general, described the vote
as a culmination of misguided and politically-motivated investiga
tion. He said, “Today’s vote may make for good political theater in
the minds of some, but it is - at base - both a crass effort and a grave
disservice to the American people.” •
With the outcome of the House vote never in doubt, the Congres
sional Black Caucus (CBC) boycotted the vote and was joined by
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.]. More than 100 Democrats
decided not to take part of the vote.
Emanuel Cleaver, II [D-Mo.], chairman ofthe CBC, said in a writ
ten statement: “Today, we see the great length to which some of my
colleagues will go in an attempt to discredit the Attorney General - a
member of President Obama’s Administration - as we near the 2012
election. For over 15 months, Attorney General Eric Holder and the
Department of Justice have cooperated with the Committee’s inquiry.
The Obama Administration is rightfully asserting executive privilege
over the narrow subject of documents that remain at issue - the same
process President Bush used six times during his presidency.”
In 2008, a Democratic-controlled House held White House Coun
sel Harriet Myers and Chief of Staff Josh Bolten in criminal contempt
for failing to turn over documents about the abrupt dismissal of seven
U.S. attorneys. The House was investigating whether- the prosecu
tors were dismissed to impede investigations of GOP lawmakers or
because they declined to go after Democratic opponents of the ad
ministration. Neither Myers nor Bolten was prosecuted by the Bush
Justice Department.
Seventeen Democrats - all endorsed by the National Rifle Asso
ciation - voted with Republicans to pass a criminal contempt resolu
tion against Holder by a vote of 255-67. Democrats supporting the
measure were: Representatives Jason Altmire (Pa.), John Barrow
(Ga.), Dan Boren (Okla.), Leonard Boswell (Iowa), Ben Chandler
(Ky.), Mark Critz (Pa.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Kathy Hochul (N.Y),
Ron Kind (Wis.) Larry Kissell (N.C.) Jim Matheson (Utah), Mike
McIntyre (N.C.), William Owens (N.Y.), Collin Peterson (Minn.),
Nick Rahall (W.Va.), Mike Ross (Ark.) and Tim Walz (Minn.).
(Continued On Page 12)
U.S. Supreme Court Hands
Obama a Huge Healthcare Victory
By George E. Curry
Editor-in-Chief
NNPA News Service
WASHINGTON (NNPA) - With conservative Chief Justice John
G. Roberts, Jr. providing a surprise supporting vote, the United States
Supreme Court gave President Barack Obama a major victory June
21 by upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care
Act.
In the most watched Supreme Court case since Bush v. Gore in
2000, the justices upheld the landmark healthcare law that requires
all Americans except those objecting on religious grounds or facing
financial hardship to obtain health insurance by 2014 or pay a finan
cial penalty. The vote was 5-4, with Roberts joining the court’s four
liberals - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer
and Elena Kagan. Anthony M. Kennedy, usually the court’s lone
swing vote, sided with fellow conservatives Antonin Scalia, Samuel
Alito and Clarence Thomas.
The ruling grew out of three cases challenging the constitutional
ity of the Affordable Care Act that were appealed to the Supreme
Court - a suit by the National Federation of Independent Business
against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
and two cases involving HHS and the state of Florida.
The legislation was signed into law by President Obama on March
23, 2010. Most of its provisions will be phased in over the next two
years. Among other things, the law prohibits insurance companies
from denying coverage based on a pre-existing condition, allows
children to remain on their parents’ insurance plan until age 26, ex
pands access to insurance to 30 million Americans, eliminates annual
and lifetime coverage caps, creates insurance exchanges at the state
level for individuals and small businesses, expands eligibility for
Medicaid and requires insurance companies to cover certain preven
tive services without co-pays or deductibles. ,
In a televised speech from the White House, Obama said, “The
highest court in the land has now spoken. We will continue to imple
ment this law. And we’ll work together to improve on it where we
can. But what we won’t do, what the country can’t afford to do, is
refight the political battles of two years ago or go back to the way
things were. With today’s announcement, it’s time for us to move
forward."
Even though the ruling represents a clear victory for President
Obama as he faces re-election in less than five months, Republicans
immediately vowed to repeal the measure in Congress. However, that
appears unlikely for now. Although Republicans hold a majority in
the House, Democrats hold an edge in the Senate.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said,
“Today’s decision makes one thing clear: Congress must act to repeal
this misguided law. Obamacare has not only limited choices and in
creased health care costs for American families, it has made it harder
for American businesses to hire.”
But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid disagreed. He said on the
Senate floor, “No longer will Americans be a heart attack or a car
crash away from bankruptcy. No longer will Americans live in fear of
losing their health insurance because they lose their job.” He added,
“Our Supreme Court has spoken. The matter is settled. It’s time for
Republicans to stop fighting yesterday’s battle.” ,
That’s exactly what’s expected to happen in the Republican-dom
inated House.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor [R-Va.] described the ruling
as a “crushing blow” and declared, “During the week of July 9th,
the House Will once again repeal ObamaCare, clearing the way for
patient-centered reforms that lower costs and increase choice.”
The official name of the legislation is the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. But Republican critics have derisively referred
to it as ObamaCare, a term major news organizations have quickly
adopted.
President Obama has flipped the pejorative term on its head, say
ing, “I have no problem with people saying Obama cares. I do care.”
Democrats and Republicans, all claiming to care about average
Americans, are on opposite sides of the issue. The bill passed the
Senate on December 24,2009 by a vote of 60-39, with all Democrats
and two Independents voting for it and all but one Republican voting
against it. It passed the House on March 21, 2010 by a vote of 219-
212. with 34 Democrats and all 178 Republicans voting against it.
According to an analysis by the Urban Institute, the number of
uninsured African Americans under the age of 65 will drop from 7.4
million to 3.4 million as a result of the healthcare law, a decrease of
54.6 percent. But some problem areas remain.
In a detailed examination ofthe law, Health Affairs magazine con
cluded: “Of the estimated 26.4 million individuals projected to be
uninsured after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, those
eligible for Medicaid and CHIP [the Childrena€™s Health Insurance
Program] but who remain unenrolled, constitute the single largest
group, at 35.7 percent. This eligible-but-unenrolled group includes
58.8 percent ofthe blacks who we estimate will remain uninsured un
der the Affordable Care Act, which is a higher proportion than found
in the other racial and ethnic groups examined.”
Ex-federal prosecutor who led
historic case dies
BRANDON, Miss. (AP) - Jack Brooks Lacy Jr., who as an assis
tant U.S. attorney led the first federal murder prosecution in a civil
rights-era killing, has died. He was 69.
Lacy died June 29 of a single bullet to. the head, Rankin County
Coroner Jimmy Roberts said. He said he would not have the autopsy
report until Monday, but suspects suicide.
Lacy was known for his work in the 2003 conviction of former Ku
Klux Klansman Ernest Avants for aiding and abetting the murder of
black sharecropper Ben Chester White on federal property. Prosecu
tors said White, 67, was killed in the Homochitto National Forest in
1966 in an attempt to lure Martin Luther King Jr. to southwest Mis
sissippi for assassination.
For the law to have an even greater impact, effective outreach pro
grams must be used to reach those less likely to enroll in Medicaid,
a state and federal partnership that provides medical coverage for
needy families, pregnant women, children, the blind and the elderly,
and CHIP, also a federal matching fund for states to provide health
coverage to nearly 8 million children in families with incomes too
high to qualify for Medicaid, but can’t afford private coverage.’
(Continued On Page 12)
YRC Worldwide pays $11M to settle
bias charges
By Sam Hananel
WASHINGTON (AP) - Trucking company YRC Worldwide Inc.
will pay $11 million to settle charges of race discrimination at its
former facility in Chicago Ridge, Ill.
A federal judge, in Chicago has granted preliminary approval to
a consent decree between the company and the U.S. Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commission.
The EEOC accused a company subsidiary of subjecting black em
ployees to a racially hostile work environment, including displays
of hangman’s nooses and racist graffiti. The settlement will go to
as many as 324. employees who were part of two class-action cases.
YRC officials denied the charges and said isolated instances of
misconduct did not reflect the real working environment. Spokes
woman Kelly Walls says the company headquartered in Overland
Park, Kan., has not admitted any wrongdoing and settled the cases to
ayoid further -legal costs.
Census shows Durham now NC’s
4th-largest city
WINSTON-SALEM (AP) - Figures from the U.S. Census
Bureau say Durham has squeaked past Winston-Salem by 867
people to become North Carolina’s fourth-largest city.
The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the bureau said
Winston-Salem grew 1.2 percent from 2010 to 201[. The
city added 2,768 people to reach an estimated population of
232,385.’.
During the same period, Durham added 4,922 people, and
its population stood at 233,252. Durham experienced a 2.2 per
cent growth.
This isn’t the first time the two cities have swapped plac
es. Durham edged out Winston-Salem in the 2000 Census by
about 1,300 people. A round of annexations returned Winston-
Salem to fourth place in 2007, although it took a challenge to
the estimates for Winston-Salem to secure that spot.