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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Latest: Top Nevada union warns about Sanders, Warren

February 12, 2020

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on the 2020 Democratic presidential contest and the New Hampshire primary (all times local):12:15 a.m. WednesdayNevada's most influential union is sending a warning over the heath care stances of the two most progressive...

Actor Jussie Smollett faces 6 new charges in Chicago

By DON BABWIN and HERB McCANN | February 11, 2020

CHICAGO (AP) — Actor Jussie Smollett was indicted Tuesday for a second time on charges of lying to police about a racist and anti-gay attack he allegedly staged on himself in downtown Chicago, renewing a divisive criminal case that drew worldwide attention...

Klobuchar faces tough questioning in case of juvenile lifer

By MICHAEL REZENDES and ROBIN McDOWELL | February 11, 2020

NEW YORK (AP) — As voters made their way to the New Hampshire polls, Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar faced pointed questions Tuesday about her oversight of a high-profile murder case in which a black teen was sentenced to life after...

Bloomberg embraces stop and frisk in resurfaced 2015 audio

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE and JONATHAN LEMIRE | February 11, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Michael Bloomberg is under fire for resurfaced comments in which the Democratic presidential candidate says the way to bring down murder rates is to "put a lot of cops" in minority neighborhoods because that's where "all the crime...

House approves plan to create US women’s history museum

By ASHRAF KHALIL | February 11, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three years after the opening of the Smithsonian's landmark Museum of African American History and Culture, momentum is building toward the creation of a museum dedicated to American women's history.The House of Representatives on...

Ex-state NAACP leader denies harassment allegations in suit

February 11, 2020

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A former North Carolina NAACP leader accused of sexually harassing an employee has issued a statement denying the allegations, saying a lawsuit brought by the woman is “"baseless."The Rev. Curtis Gatewood issued a statement Monday...

Congressman Lewis to receive NAACP honor at awards show

February 11, 2020

ATLANTA (AP) — The NAACP is honoring John Lewis for his Congressional service and long history as a civil rights activist.The nation's oldest civil rights organization announced Tuesday that it will bestow the Chairman's Award on the Georgia Democrat...

Thai army chief: Gunman wasn’t treated fairly in land deal

By BUSABA SIVASOMBOON and TASSANEE VEJPONGSA | February 11, 2020

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand's army commander said Tuesday the soldier who killed 29 people in a shooting rampage had not been treated fairly in a land deal involving his commander and such arrangements would have to be halted.The gunman killed his superior...

Maryland unveils statues of Tubman, Douglass in Capitol

By BRIAN WITTE | February 10, 2020

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — At a time when states are debating the removal of Confederate monuments, Maryland unveiled bronze statues of famed abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass during a ceremony Monday night in the Maryland State House.The...

White supremacist pleads guilty in Las Vegas bomb plot case

By KEN RITTER | February 10, 2020

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A self-described white supremacist pleaded guilty Monday in Las Vegas to collecting materials and planning to bomb a synagogue or office of the Anti-Defamation League, or shoot people at a fast food restaurant or a bar catering to LGBTQ...

Buttigieg on defense as rivals aim to blunt his momentum

By THOMAS BEAUMONT | February 10, 2020

DOVER, N.H. (AP) — Pete Buttigieg spent Sunday on defense as his Democratic presidential rivals attacked him on everything from his struggle to connect with black voters to accepting campaign contributions from large donors in an effort to blunt any momentum heading into Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who essentially tied with Buttigieg in last week's Iowa caucuses, blasted the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, for taking contributions from the very wealthy, suggesting Buttigieg won't stand up to “Wall Street tycoons” or “the corporate elite.” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren voiced similar criticism, telling ABC's “This Week" that “the coalition of billionaires is not exactly what's going to carry us over the top." Former Vice President Joe Biden told the same program that Buttigieg hasn't been able to “unify the black community."

The volley of criticism was fresh evidence that Buttigieg, who was virtually unknown in national politics a year ago, has become an early front-runner in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination. The developments usher in a new phase of the campaign that will test how Buttigieg responds to the pressure, especially as the contest moves to more racially diverse states where he has struggled to gain traction.

Buttigieg hit back at Biden, who on Saturday lamented comparisons between the former mayor and former President Barack Obama.

“Oh, come on, man," Biden told reporters. “This guy's not a Barack Obama."

“Well, he's right, I'm not," Buttigieg responded on CNN's “State of the Union." “And neither is he. Neither is any of us running for president.”

He later offered an oblique critique of Sanders' combative call for revolution.

“Let's remember we're facing the most divisive president of our time, which is why we can't risk dividing Americans further,” Buttigieg told more than 1,800 people at an event in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Later in Dover, he declared himself the candidate on the rise. “We are the campaign with the strongest momentum in the state of New Hampshire, thanks to you,” he told a crowd of several hundred.

While responding to some of the attacks, Buttigieg didn't escalate any feuds on Sunday. That could help him maintain the energy of his optimistic Iowa campaign in which he portrayed himself as above the Washington fray.

“Part of the reason why he’s doing well is he’s got a pretty sunny and upbeat presentation,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama. “Tactically, I think it’s smart to handle it the way he’s handling it. We still don’t know what the impact any of this will have.”

But in a sign of potential hurdles ahead for Buttigieg, even voters in an overwhelmingly white state like New Hampshire said they wanted to see evidence that he could build relationships with people of color. Kim Holman of Brookline, New Hampshire, said she was undecided but leaning toward Buttigieg's "energy and passion." Yet his struggle so far especially with black voters weighs on her decision.

"It’s definitely a concern. New Hampshire is a super-white state," the 52-year-old personal trainer said. "I’m hoping he resonates more with people of color.”

Buttigieg's standing has posed a challenge to Sanders. The two contenders represent opposite ideological wings of the party, yet Sanders is under pressure to show that he can unify Democrats if he is the nominee. With that in mind, the progressive Vermont senator has sought to qualify his criticisms of Buttigieg.

When a Sanders supporter in Plymouth laughed at the mention of Buttigieg, Sanders interjected, “We're not here to denigrate Pete."

But Sanders nonetheless proceeded to blast Buttigieg's ties to large donors. And one of his most prominent surrogates, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, ripped into both Buttigieg and billionaire former Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a separate event later Sunday.

She slammed Buttigieg for fundraising with billionaires in a wine cave featuring a Swarovsky crystal chandelier. And she laid into Bloomberg for skipping the early voting states and running a campaign funded by hundreds of millions of dollars of his personal fortune.

“Whose side are you on?” she repeatedly asked the crowd to cheers.

There were other awkward moments Sunday during the final stretch of the New Hampshire campaign. During a rally in the state capital of Concord, Warren declared, “It's up to you, Massachusetts."

During an event in Hampton, a woman asked Biden to explain his underperformance in Iowa. He said it was a good question, then asked her if she'd been to a caucus. When she said she had, Biden responded, “No, you haven't" and proceeded to call her “a lying, dog-faced pony soldier." The audience laughed during the exchange.

The chaos from the Iowa caucuses lingered over the New Hampshire contest. Problems with an app led to delays in results and prompted questions about the accuracy of the vote count. Nearly a week after the caucuses, The Associated Press hasn't declared a result.

In an interview on CNN's “State of the Union" on Sunday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said he was “mad as hell" about the situation.

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Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne in Plymouth, N.H., contributed to this report.

New Philadelphia police chief starts amid surge in homicides

February 9, 2020

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The new commissioner of the nation's fourth-largest city police force will start work Monday amid a surge in homicides and calls for action to address ongoing allegations of racism and gender discrimination.Danielle Outlaw, the former...