Once a lone objector, Rand Paul’s name is now on the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act
WASHINGTON — Nearly two years after Sen. Rand Paul objected to legislation that would make the brutal act of lynching a federal hate crime, the Kentucky Republican signed on as a co-sponsor of a revised version that is now set to become law.
Paul celebrated passage of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which the Senate cleared by unanimous consent Monday. But it was he who held up the bill in the spring of 2020, leading to a tense rhetorical exchange with two Black Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and then-Sen. Kamala Harris of California, about the scope of their proposal.
Now Booker is hailing Paul for his work on amending the bill to create “the bipartisan backing that we have to finally meet this moment and help our nation move forward from some of its darkest chapters.”
Paul’s initial objection to the bill was rooted in language he believed would have led to more minor crimes being characterized as lynching, a heinous act of violence that originated in the Jim Crow South.
—McClatchy Washington Bureau
Herschel Walker won't commit to GOP debates, while Kemp ups pressure on Perdue
ATLANTA — Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker indicated he won't debate his GOP rivals. Gov. Brian Kemp chastised David Perdue, his main primary challenger, for not yet committing to a series of showdowns ahead of their March 24 matchup.
While Stacey Abrams and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock have avoided serious Democratic opposition, the intense GOP competition has created a divide among top candidates over whether to take part in debates.
The governor in February said he'd participate in four statewide televised debates, but Perdue has not accepted the challenge. The issue is touchy for Perdue, who was criticized for refusing to debate Democrat Jon Ossoff last year in the sole Senate runoff showdown.
Kemp's campaign Tuesday said Perdue's reluctance is proof he is "failing to gain traction with conservatives across Georgia."
"Georgia Republicans need a proven winner who will make sure Stacey Abrams' road to the White House ends in Georgia — not a failed politician who was too scared to debate Jon Ossoff," said Kemp spokesman Cody Hall.
Walker, a former football great, faces a different scenario. Far ahead of his Republican rivals in polls and fundraising, Walker has until recently attended mostly tightly controlled events with friendly audiences.
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Minneapolis teachers walk picket lines as strike begins
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis teachers and educational support professionals began picketing outside schools at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, marking the city district's first teachers strike since 1970.
All classes will be canceled for the duration of the strike. The strike has left working families scrambling to figure out what to do with their kids. It's a familiar quandary for Minneapolis parents who have endured two years of pandemic upheaval to their children's education.
Union leaders announced the walkout Monday evening, saying they have been unable to reach an agreement with Minneapolis Public Schools.
St. Paul Public Schools will be in session Tuesday after the district reached a tentative agreement with the St. Paul Federation of Teachers late Monday. That agreement for a two-year contract includes higher wages, including for educational assistants, as well as class size caps, increased mental health supports and one-time payments for educators, the union said.
—Star Tribune
Usmanov’s superyacht to languish in Hamburg after crew depart
Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht will languish in a dock in Hamburg, Germany, after its crew and captain were made redundant after European Union and U.S. sanctions made it impossible to pay their wages.
The last of the usually 80-strong staff on the Dilbar, who crewed for the sanctioned billionaire, left the 156-meter yacht Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. A slimmed-down crew, employed by Luerssen, which built the ship in 2016, will remain on the boat, they said.
The yacht, named after Usmanov’s mother and the world’s largest by volume, had been undergoing refitting in the northern German city. Boasting a 25-meter swimming pool and two helipads, it’s valued at between $600 million and $750 million, according to the U.S. Treasury.
“We have tried all avenues to find a solution to keep the team in place, and protect our positions, but have reached the end of the road of possibilities,” Dilbar captain Tim Armstrong wrote in a message to the crew and seen by Bloomberg.
The Ministry for Economy and Innovation in Hamburg said on Thursday that the federal customs agency must issue an export waiver for the boat to depart and that “no yacht leaves port that is not allowed to do so.”
—Bloomberg News
