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The Hunger Line: America’s Most Vulnerable Face a Crisis of Cruelty

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — There are moments when a nation shows its soul. This is one of them.

Published

4 months ago

October 28, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

There are moments when a nation shows its soul. This is one of them.

Across America, millions are waiting for food assistance that will not come. The Trump administration’s refusal to release federal contingency funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — known as SNAP — has triggered what many are calling a man-made famine. For the first time in history, the federal government has deliberately stopped food aid during a shutdown. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul stood before cameras, surrounded by advocates and families, and called the situation what it is: cruel. Nearly three million New Yorkers stand to lose benefits. She announced $30 million in state funds to cover 16 million meals, calling it a desperate measure to soften the blow of what she described as “the destruction Republicans in Washington are inflicting on our state.” “I am doing everything in my power to ensure New Yorkers do not go hungry this holiday season,” Hochul said. “No state can backfill these devastating cuts, but I am taking action to support families suffering the consequences of Republicans’ cruelty.”

The federal government’s refusal to act, she added, “is not a matter of policy, it’s a matter of humanity.” Her words echo across the country. From Boston to Baton Rouge, from Cleveland to Compton, governors and mayors are preparing for hunger on a scale unseen in decades. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey called it historic for all the wrong reasons. “President Donald Trump is the first president in U.S. history to cut off SNAP benefits to people in America,” she said. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city cannot cover the $30 million shortfall to continue food benefits. “We need the federal government to do its part,” she said. Councilmember Christina Henderson described residents facing “death by a thousand cuts” as federal layoffs and social service reductions take hold. Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin took a different path. He declared a state of emergency, blamed Democrats, and thanked Trump for his “continued support,” promising to use state funds to keep benefits flowing. Critics called it political theater. His order provided no clear plan for how the funds would reach the 850,000 Virginians who rely on SNAP each month.

In Maryland, officials have money in the treasury but refuse to spend it without a guarantee that Trump’s Department of Agriculture will reimburse them. “We are not going to gamble billions of taxpayer dollars while this administration turns its back on working families,” one official said. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein accused the administration of “a cruel abdication of responsibility.” His state has 1.4 million residents who depend on SNAP, including 580,000 children. “As temperatures cool and the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, refusing to use available funds is unconscionable,” he said. The numbers tell the rest of the story. Forty-two million Americans rely on SNAP every month. At least 25 states have already notified recipients that their benefits will stop on November 1. The list includes California, Arkansas, Mississippi, and New Jersey. Food banks are preparing for a surge they cannot handle. The New York Times reported that demand has already exceeded supply, with donations down and costs up. “When that social safety net breaks above us, we will be there to do as much as we can,” said Andrea Williams of the Oregon Food Bank. “And it will not be enough.”

ProPublica revealed that the Trump administration earlier canceled nearly 94 million pounds of food aid, including meat, eggs, and dairy, that were supposed to reach food banks nationwide. For those on the front lines, it was an invisible theft — food promised but never delivered. At the same time, the USDA has confirmed that it will not release $6 billion in federal contingency funds, claiming the money can only be used for “unforeseen events” such as natural disasters. The shutdown, apparently, does not qualify. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “Republicans in Congress have needlessly shut down the government, and now they’re refusing to work with Democrats to maintain the benefits that put food on the table for millions of Americans.” Senator Peter Welch of Vermont was blunt. “This is all Trump,” he said. “He’s not engaged. He could care less.” Senator Mark Warner of Virginia agreed, calling it “outrageous” that the president is overseas while millions at home face starvation. “Stay in America. Put America first. Sit down with us and work this out,” Warner said.

Private companies have started doing what the government will not. DoorDash announced it would waive fees for food banks and deliver free groceries to families in need. “No one should go hungry in America,” said Max Rettig, the company’s vice president for public policy. “We know this is a stopgap, not a solution. But doing nothing isn’t an option.” In the Bronx, Representative Ritchie Torres said the effects are not theoretical. “SNAP is the difference between hunger and stability for over 150,000 families,” he said. “When Republicans in Washington threaten to cut food assistance, they are threatening to take meals off the tables of children, seniors, and working parents.”

The country is watching as food banks brace for impact, as parents skip meals to feed their kids, as a government chosen by the people turns away from them. The shutdown has now lasted more than four weeks. The lights in the Capitol still burn through the night, but the refrigerators in millions of homes do not. And as one food bank worker in New York put it, staring at a half-empty warehouse before the holidays, “They aren’t numbers on a page. They’re people. And they’re about to be hungry.”

Stacy M. Brown

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Poll Shows Support for Policies That Help Families Afford Child Care

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

Published

3 days ago

March 2, 2026

Oakland Post

By First Five Years Fund

New national polling shows persistent voter concern about the affordability and availability of child care for working parents, alongside broad support across key demographic groups for federal child care policies that help families afford care.

The national survey was conducted by UpOne Insight on behalf of the First Five Years Fund from January 13–18, 2026.

Key findings include:

• Parents need help: 80% of voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford child care is either in a state of crisis or a major problem.

• This is an affordability issue: 82% believe federal child care funding will help lower costs for working families — including 69% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 94% of Democrats.

• And there continues to be strong support (62%) for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), a federal program that makes it possible for hundreds of thousands of families to afford safe, quality care for their children while parents work or go to school, including a majority of Republicans, 63% of Independents and 72% of Democrats.

• Support for funding child care programs remains strong: 75% believe child care funding should be increased or kept at current levels — including 75% of Republicans, 85% of Independents, and 97% of Democrats.

• 74% say funding for child care is an important and good use of tax dollars, including a majority of Republicans, three-quarters of Independents, and nine in ten Democrats.

FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling said, “Voters across the country are sending a clear message: federal child care and early learning programs work. These investments help parents stay in the workforce, strengthen families, and support healthy child development. They have also long had strong bipartisan support in Congress. At a time when affordability is top of mind for families, continued federal funding is essential to ensure child care remains accessible and within reach.”

First Five Years Fund works to protect, prioritize, and build bipartisan support for quality child care and early learning programs at the federal level. Reliable, affordable, and high-quality early learning and child care can be transformative, not only enhancing a child’s prospects for a brighter future but also bolstering working parents and fostering economic stability nationwide.

We work with Congress and the Administration to identify federal solutions that work for families with young children, as well as states and communities. We work with policymakers to identify ways to increase access to affordable, high-quality child care and early learning programs for children. And we collaborate with advocacy groups to help align best practices with the best possible policies. http://www.ffyf.org

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Trump’s MAGA Allies are Creating Executive Order Plan to Steal the 2026 Midterms

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

Oakland Post

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

A group of MAGA pro-Trump activists, who say they are working in coordination with the White House, are circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would claim without evidence that China interfered with the 2020 presidential election. Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Since Trump lost to Biden in 2020, he has repeatedly claimed that the election was “stolen” without evidence. The report of a group of “Trump allies” preparing an executive order to give Trump power over elections was first reported by The Washington Post.

The lies around the right-wing campaign that pushed falsehoods that the 2020 election was stolen was trafficked through right-wing media, particularly Fox News. Fox News was then sued for defamation for the claims by Dominion Voting Systems. Fox lost the case and had to settle for the largest defamation amount on record of $787.5 million in April 2023.

The document that could lead to an executive order proposes using the claim that China interfered with the 2020 elections as grounds to “declare a national emergency.” The move would be an unprecedented step that would grant Trump new authority over the voting systems in the U.S.

The story in The Washington Post arrives as Trump increasingly signals that he may take actions that would alter the result of the 2026 midterms. The Republicans are widely expected to lose as their approval ratings plummet as a result of a failing economy under Trump. Over 50 members of Congress have announced they will retire this year and not return in 2027.

The Trump Department of Justice, which now has a large image of Trump on the side of it, “sued five new states Thursday [Feb. 26, 2026] demanding access to their unredacted voter rolls — escalating a campaign that has been rejected by multiple federal courts and faces resistance from Republican-led states as well,” according to Democracy Docket, a group that works to protect voting rights.

Trump claimed back in late 2020, the last year of his first term, that he had the authority to issue an executive order related to mail-in voting for the 2020 elections — which he would then lose. But the Constitution states that control of elections lies with the states. As the GOP works to place hurdles in front of voting, Democrats worked to make voting easier.

In March 2021, President Biden signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to expand voting access as part of the Biden Administration’s effort “to promote and defend the right to vote for all Americans who are legally entitled to participate in elections.”

Trump’s focus is clearly on altering the November 2026 midterm elections. Trump’s polling numbers and the elections and special elections that have taken place around the U.S. over the last year clearly indicate that Republicans are about to be hit by a blue wave of Democratic victories.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent investigative journalist and the founder of Black Virginia News. She is a political analyst who appears on #RolandMartinUnfiltered and hosts the show LAUREN LIVE on YouTube @LaurenVictoriaBurke. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke

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PRESS ROOM: NBA Hall of Fame Nominee Terry Cummings Joins 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to Launch Victory & Values Initiative

NNPA NEWSWIRE — NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th.

Published

6 days ago

February 27, 2026

admin

Cummings becomes an honorary member, joining other role model sports stars

NBA Hall of Fame nominee and Basketball Legend Terry Cummings has officially become an honorary member of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, marking a powerful new chapter for the 100 Black Men and youth development across the region.

Cummings was administered the official member’s oath and ceremonially pinned during a special induction ceremony held on Friday, February 20th. The moment signified more than membership — it marked the launch of the organization’s transformative new platform, the Victory & Values Initiative.

The Victory & Values Initiative is a groundbreaking youth development program designed to empower elementary and middle school students through a dynamic blend of sports, mentorship, and STEM exposure. The initiative focuses on building health, discipline, character, leadership, and access to opportunity — creating pathways for long-term academic and personal success.

“This is about more than sports,” said Cummings during the ceremony. “It’s about using the platform of athletics to teach life lessons, create access, and build the next generation of leaders.”

The induction ceremony also featured notable guests including NASCAR’s newest Star Driver, Lavar Scott and NASCAR Director of Athletic Performance, Phil Horton, who joined Cummings for a powerful Victory & Values Town Hall discussion. The Town Hall was moderated by renowned Sports Emcee John Hollins and focused on leadership, resilience, discipline, and the importance of mentorship in shaping young lives.

A “Day at NASCAR” for 75+ Youth

Cummings wasted no time getting to work. On his first full day as an honorary member, he joined his new brothers of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County to host a “Day at NASCAR,” escorting more than 75 youth to a once-in-a-lifetime experience at EchoPark Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway).

The youth participants received behind-the-scenes access including: an exclusive tour of Pit Row, access to the Garage Area and exploration of the interactive Fan Zone.

The experience culminated with a surprise meet-and-greet and Q&A session with NASCAR Superstar Bubba Wallace, who shared insights on perseverance, preparation, and breaking barriers in professional sports.

The day served as a living example of the ‘Victory & Values’ Initiative in action — exposing youth to new industries, expanding their vision for the future, and connecting them directly with high- level mentors and role models.

Building Leaders Through Access and Mentorship

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb County – a chapter of the largest, national mentoring organization in the county – continues to expand its footprint with programs focused on academic excellence, economic empowerment, leadership development, and health & wellness.

The launch of ‘Victory & Values’ represents a strategic expansion of the organization’s impact

intentionally integrating athletics and STEM to engage youth at an early age while reinforcing core principles such as integrity, accountability, teamwork, and perseverance.

“Our mission has always been to mentor the next generation,” said Vaughn Irons, President-Elect of the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County. “With Terry Cummings joining the brotherhood, along with partners in NASCAR and professional sports, we are creating unprecedented access and exposure for our youth. Victory & Values is about turning inspiration into structured opportunity.”

By connecting elementary and middle school students to professional athletes, executives, STEM professionals, and community leaders, the initiative aims to:

Increase youth exposure to careers in sports business, engineering, and performance science
Strengthen mentorship pipelines
Promote physical wellness and mental resilience
Build character-driven leadership at an early age

Open Invitation to Youth and Families

All youth are invited to participate in the Victory & Values Initiative, along with the other countless, impactful programs offered by the 100 Black Men of DeKalb County.

Parents and guardians seeking mentorship, leadership development, academic enrichment, and transformative exposure opportunities for their children are encouraged to connect with the organization.

As NBA Legend Terry Cummings’ induction demonstrates, Victory & Values is more than a program — it is a movement designed to build champions in life, not just in sports.

For more information about the Victory & Values Initiative or to enroll a student, contact: 100 Black Men of DeKalb County at Phone at 404.241.1338, info@100bmod.org or Tee Foxx at 404.791.6525,