Google and black colleges join up
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Google is embedding engineers at a handful of Historically Black Colleges and Universities where they teach, mentor and advise on curriculum.
Today, 35 percent of African Americans receiving computer-science degrees come from those schools, but they don’t make their way to Silicon Valley’s top tech firms. Google is typical – about 1 percent of its technical staffers are black.
Last year, a push by civil-rights advocate Jesse Jackson prompted several dozen tech firms to release workforce diversity data which showed under-representation of African Americans, Latinos and women in the field.
In response, businesses, universities and community leaders have launched initiatives aimed at diversifying their ranks, both ethnically and by gender.
Sanders calls for ‘political revolution’
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called Sunday for a “political revolution” that would take on the “billionaire class” and usher in a European-style system that would be fairer to ordinary working Americans.
“We need a political revolution in this country involving millions of people who are prepared to stand up and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ and I want to help lead that effort,” the self-proclaimed socialist told ABC’s” This Week” when asked why he was seeking the presidency.
Asked about how he would differentiate himself from Hillary Clinton, Sanders steered clear of attacking the Democratic frontrunner in favor of touting his own record as a fighter for ordinary Americans.
“I think it has a lot to do with our records,” Sanders said. “I think at a time when we have seen trillions of dollars shift from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1 percent, we have got to say very frankly that the wealthiest people in this country and the largest corporations are going to have to start paying their fair share of taxes; profitable corporations can’t stash their money in the Cayman Islands and avoid about $100 billion a year in taxes.”
N.Y. officer-shooting suspect arraigned
NEW YORK – A man who served five years in prison for attempted murder was arraigned Sunday on charges that he shot a New York City police officer in the head.
Demetrius Blackwell was ordered held without bail after appearing in court in a torn jumpsuit with his hands cuffed behind his back and legs shackled.
He was arrested Saturday night and charged with attempted murder in the shooting of Officer Brian Moore, who remained hospitalized in critical but stable condition after hours of surgery. Doctors have placed him in a medically induced coma.
At the arraignment, the 35-year-old suspect did not enter a plea.
Afghan forces walloped by Taliban
Afghan security forces are suffering record casualties in their first battles against the Taliban since the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan ended in December after more than 13 years.
The number of killed and wounded so far this year is about 70 percent higher than during the same period last year, said Col. Brian Tribus, director of public affairs for NATO’s Afghanistan mission.
Last year’s casualty rates, which marked a fifth consecutive annual increase, were labeled in November as “not sustainable” by a top U.S. general. With Afghan forces now operating without the same U.S. and NATO support that they previously enjoyed, the body count has soared.
Some 4,950 Afghan army and police personnel were killed or wounded in the first 15 weeks of 2015, against 2,900 during the same period a year ago, said a coalition military officer not authorized to speak publicly about the losses.
Arab troops land in Yemen
SANAA, Yemen – With helicopter gunships hovering overhead, at least 20 troops from a Saudi-led Arab coalition came ashore Sunday in the southern port city of Aden on what military officials called a “reconnaissance” mission, as fighting raged between Iranian-backed Shiite rebels and forces loyal to the nation’s exiled president.
It was the first ground landing by coalition forces since the start of the Saudi-led air campaign against the rebels and their allies – forces loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh – who have captured most of northern Yemen and marched on southern provinces over the past year.
In Cairo, meanwhile, Egypt, a key coalition member that has been named as a likely participant in any ground offensive in Yemen, acknowledged for the first time that it has deployed troops in the Gulf region and the Red Sea as part of the Saudi-led coalition.
Associated Press, Bloomberg
