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Nick Sandmann, who at the time was a Covington Catholic student, appears in a screengrab taken from a video filed as an exhibit in federal court. A federal appellate panel in a 2-1 decision Wednesday denied former Covington Catholic student Nick Sandmann’s bid to revive libel claims against mainstream media outlets over their coverage of his 2019 encounter with Native American activist Nathan Phillips in Washington, D.C. at the March for Life. In July 2022, Senior U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman, a Jimmy Carter appointee sitting in the Eastern District of Kentucky, granted summary judgment and threw out Sandmann’s...

Nick Cannon’s comments about whites being ‘genetically inferior’ and ‘closer to animals’ than blacks would have been front-page news if they had been uttered by a white person about blacks. Does a remark have to be uttered by a white person for it to be considered racist?During a June 30 episode of his popular podcast “Cannon’s Class,” Nick Cannon interviewed Richard Griffin, who was known as Professor Griff while with rap group Public Enemy. After making antisemitic comments to the press, Griffin was dismissed from the band in 1989. He joined Cannon to discuss his ouster.During their discussion, both men...

Nick Cannon on Wednesday apologized on Twitter for the "hurtful and divisive words" he said last month on his podcast "Cannon's Class," which resulted in his termination from ViacomCBS for "perpetuating anti-Semitism." "First and foremost I extend my deepest and most sincere apologies to my Jewish sisters and brothers for the hurtful and divisive words that came out of my mouth during my interview with Richard Griffin," Cannon, the host of the popular MTV show "Wild 'N Out," tweeted late Wednesday evening. "They reinforced the worst stereotypes of a proud and magnificent people and I feel ashamed of the uninformed...

The 39-year-old actor made the remarks during a discussion on racial bias with former Public Enemy member Richard 'Professor Griff' Griffin The two argued that black people are the true Hebrews and that Jews have usurped their identity Cannon claimed white people of the past feared black people over their 'melanin' and acted like the 'true savages' out of fear In a statement on Facebook, the TV producer said he did not condone hate speech but refuse to apologize He later doubled down in a subsequent statement accusing ViacomCBS of being 'on the wrong side of history' and demanding full...

The man who died in a confrontation with police after he carried out an attack that left five law enforcement officers in Dallas dead and several others wounded was an Army veteran and a reported “loner,” and he was found to have kept bomb-making materials, ballistic vests, rifles, ammunition and a personal journal of combat tactics in his home, according to police and records made public Friday. Micah X. Johnson, 25, a reservist working in carpentry and masonry who deployed to Afghanistan once in 2013, was a former member of an Army engineering company and served in the Individual Ready...

Driven out by whistleblowers, Acting Inspector General of the Veterans Administration Richard Griffin finally resigned last week. Good riddance. Griffin had whitewashed and concealed information about inadequate care and phony waiting lists and tried to retaliate against truth-tellers. But don’t expect real improvement at the VA. Griffin’s successor is another bureaucratic lifer, Lin Halliday. She’s been collecting a paycheck from the VA Inspector General’s Office since 1992, while the deadly problems festered. President Obama seems to like that approach. On July 2 in Wisconsin, whistleblower Ryan Honl — a Gulf War veteran — urged Obama to appoint an independent inspector...

McDonald’s and its franchisees illegally retaliated against employees for participating in union-related activities, the National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer alleged Friday in a case with sweeping industry implications. NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin announced Friday he will issue 13 complaints involving 78 charges against franchises and McDonald’s USA, LLC. Though many of these alleged labor violations were committed by independent franchise owners, Griffin ruled earlier this year that McDonald’s can be held liable for those actions as a so-called joint employer, leaving the corporatrion — and potentially other franchisors — exposed to such claims. McDonald’s said the decision will...

Once again, one man has dictated a major change of federal law that can cost American families dearly. It may double the price of your Big Mac, Whopper, fried chicken, donuts or other purchases at your local fast-food restaurant. Where’s the beef coming from? Surprise! This time it’s neither President Obama nor Attorney General Eric Holder who is twisting the law like a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s. It’s Obama appointee Richard Griffin, the president’s hand-picked choice for the all-powerful position as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Mr. Griffin has declared that millions of Americans who work...

Big Labor applauded the Senate for confirming Richard Griffin on Tuesday as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. The Senate voted 62-37 to end a filibuster against Griffin's nomination and 55-44 to confirm him. The NLRB oversees labor-management conflicts in the private sector. "With today's confirmation of Richard Griffin to serve as General Counsel, the NLRB is now running on all cylinders to meet its duty to fairly and impartially oversee the workplace rights of millions of Americans," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said. Griffin, a former top lawyer with the International Union of Operating Engineers, was a controversial...

The Tuesday Senate deal cut by Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday to avoid the “nuclear option” just keeps getting better and better…for union bosses. You may recall that on Tuesday, the only “victory” that Republicans could lay claim to (in exchange for their giving Harry Reid nearly everything Democrats wanted) was that two of Barack Obama’s constitutionally-challenged “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board would be let go. Well, as it turns out, while Operating Engineers’ chief counsel Richard Griffin is being tossed from his seat on the NLRB as a member, he is now being offered the position...

Last week, we learned a little more about President Obama’s nominee to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). We started the week knowing that Richard Griffin is a defendant in an embezzlement and racketeering lawsuit. He is named in the portion of the suit dealing with a cover up. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Griffin is named in a federal complaint filed in October by 10 members of IUOE Local 501, out of Los Angeles, which describes a ‘scheme to defraud [the local] out of revenue, cost savings and membership,’ by means of kickbacks, bribery, violent threats and...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- The State Department's security chief announced his resignation on Wednesday in the wake of last month's deadly Blackwater USA shooting incident in Baghdad and growing questions about the use of private contractors in Iraq. Richard Griffin, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security, announced his decision to resign at a weekly staff meeting, according to an internal informational e-mail sent to colleagues. "He read his letter of resignation at the weekly Diplomatic Security staff meeting," said the e-mail, which was read to The Associated Press by one its recipients. "There was no detailed reason provided and...

CINCINNATI (AP) - Senate confirmation of two judges nominated by President Bush to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals probably will give a conservative bent to what had been a balanced court, experts say. The court hears appeals of federal cases in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. It has been understaffed for years with six Republicans and six Democrats because of an impasse in the Senate. Michigan's senators were upset at Republicans for refusing to confirm President Clinton's nominees to the court. A compromise this month allowed the confirmation of David McKeague, 58, a federal judge in Michigan since...

Senate deal is done: Three judges are confirmed The Associated Press June 10, 2005 6:01AM WASHINGTON - The GOP-controlled Senate approved former Alabama Attorney General William Pryor and Michigan nominees David McKeague and Richard Griffin Thursday for seats on the U.S. Appeals Court, completing an unprecedented run of long-delayed judicial confirmations. With a vote of 53-45, Pryor was approved for 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Atlanta-based court that handles federal appeals from Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Griffin was confirmed 95-0 and McKeague 96-0, both for seats on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. ''These three nominees...

Senate confirms Griffin, McKeague to 6th Circuit Court of Appeals 6/9/2005, 7:04 p.m. ET By KEN THOMAS The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Richard Griffin and David McKeague of Michigan to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, ending a nomination process that was mired in a lengthy fight over President Bush's judicial appointments. Griffin, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge from Traverse City, and McKeague, a U.S. District Court judge from East Lansing, won approval to the Cincinnati-based court without any opposition. Griffin said he was pleased with the confirmation and said he was...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate confirmed Richard Griffin of Michigan to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, ending a nomination process that was mired in a lengthy fight over President Bush's judicial appointments. The Senate was expected to approve the nomination of David McKeague of Michigan to the court later Thursday. Griffin, a Michigan Court of Appeals judge from Traverse City, won overwhelming approval to the Cincinnati-based court. McKeague, a U.S. District Court judge from East Lansing, was expected to sail through confirmation. Michigan Democrats Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, who had opposed the nominations because of...

Two Bush Nominees Get Panel's Quick OK - By JESSE J. HOLLAND, Associated Press Writer Thursday, May 26, 2005 (05-26) 12:15 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two of President Bush's blocked judicial nominees, cleared for confirmation by this week's Senate compromise on filibusters, gained quick approval Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nominations of Richard Griffin and David McKeague for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati were approved by voice vote in the committee without debate. The nominees now move to the full Senate for confirmation votes. Democrats had been blocking Griffin and McKeague at the request...

With three weeks to Election Day, it is time for Republicans to close the deal with swing voters -- independents, Southern and Midwestern moderates, blue-collar households, Catholics, and Hispanics. The tactics of Senate Democrats and their liberal allies are now so nakedly partisan that the judiciary could well become the issue that wins tight Senate races and presidential battleground states for the GOP. (A secondary benefit of campaigning on this issue is that it establishes a clear "judiciary mandate" -- an advantage when addressing the Senate's rule for filibusters and a bonus when the time comes to nominate a Supreme...