Russell Simmons reportedly used some colorful language on a radio show June 18 to describe New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. According to Capital New York, the hip-hop mogul and activist called de Blasio a “bitch” for failing to stand up to the city’s police commissioner, William Bratton, and governor, Andrew Cuomo, over criminal…

North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation June 18 that would allow voters without photo identification to cast provisional ballots, the News & Observer reports. The General Assembly sent the measure to Gov. Pat McCrory for his signature. The proposed change would allow voters to declare a “reasonable impediment” to explain not having a photo ID. It…

The Rev. Ben Scott, president of the Topeka, Kan., chapter of the NAACP, says that his organization is concerned about Ku Klux Klan activity in the city, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. That concern stems from the news that residents in several neighborhoods woke up June 15 to find fliers on their property, apparently from the…

Racial profiling is a concern beyond our northern border. To address the issue, Community Safety Minister Yasir Naqvi announced June 16 that the province of Ontario will standardize its controversial carding policy, the Canadian Broadcast Corp. reports. The safety minister said that in too many cases, police conduct identity checks without having probable cause. He…

A U.S. District court has thrown out a class action racial-discrimination lawsuit against a Kansas City, Mo., entertainment center. Two African-American men accused Cordish Cos.—which owns the downtown Kansas City, Mo., entertainment area called the Kansas City Power & Light District—of using various tactics to limit the number of black patrons at the district’s restaurants, bars and…

In a 5-4 ruling on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld Texas’ refusal to issue a license plate with the Confederate flag, the Associated Press reports. Justice Clarence Thomas joined the more liberal justices to form a majority. They overturned an appeals court ruling that barring the plates was a violation of free speech rights.…

The FBI is examining whether a nearly fatal attack on a black man at a Pittsburgh train station was a federal hate crime, WTAE-TV reports. Ryan Kyle, 21, faces the most serious charges among the five white men who allegedly attacked 55-year-old Kevin Lockett May 30. State authorities charged Kyle with attempted homicide, ethnic intimidation,…

The New York Liberty’s Tina Charles will again donate half of her WNBA salary to Hopey’s Heart, the foundation she established in honor of her beloved aunt, Maureen “Hopey” Vaz, who died of multiple organ failure in 2013, the Associated Press reports. According to the foundation’s website, “Hopey was known for having a very giving…

Delegates to the 2015 North Carolina Republican State Convention took a major step toward diversity. They elected Hasan Harnett as the party’s chairman—the first African American to hold that position. Harnett says he can make the party more appealing to minorities, the Charlotte Observer reports. His June 6 victory was “a rebuke” of Craig Collins,…

Norfolk, Va., Officer Michael Carlton Edington Jr., accused of voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a mentally ill man, was released on a personal recognizance bond, the Virginian-Pilot reports.   On June 6, 2014, David Latham’s family called 911 to get emergency psychiatric treatment for him. Latham, 35, was mentally ill and had previous interactions…