In Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has introduced a resolution deeming racism a public health crisis.
In an interview with Cheddar, councilmember Will Jawando says disparities the black community faces are staggering. Recent social uprisings might have lit the flame under Jawando to introduce the resolution but the issue of racial inequality goes back hundreds of years, he said.
"Racism is the direct result, for 401 years, we've been either property or legally discriminated against for most of that time," Jawando told Cheddar.
In Montgomery County, systemic racism is not limited to just over-assertive and sometimes lethal policing of the black community, he said. It's also running rampant in the healthcare system. As COVID-19 continues to ravage communities of color nationwide, 18 percent of the black population in his county makes up a quarter of the deaths related to the virus.
For Jawando, racism in the Washington DC suburb is simply a reflection of society on a smaller scale.
"If you look at maternal health and childbirth, black women die at three times the rate," he said. "When they come in with problems, often doctors — look at Serena Williams — don't believe that they're sick."
Introducing the resolution, which he expects to pass next week, is a first step for curing the public health crisis in his county, Jawando said, but he hopes the measure is eventually recognized on both the state and federal levels. He also supports other methods of combating racism including the growing call to defund police departments nationwide.
"We shouldn't have stats driven by policing," he explained. "De-escalation, that should be rewarded just as much as we reward arrests and tickets."
When President Trump returns to Washington in the new year, one of the first moves he could make is killing the Iran Nuclear Deal. He will only have a few weeks before coming up against legal deadlines to impose sanctions against Tehran.
President Trump's first year in office has seen style choices turn into political controversies. Racked's Eliza Brooke joins Cheddar to explain why Americans are so fixated on fashion choices coming out of The White House.
Jacqueline Ayers, Director of Legislative Affairs for Planned Parenthood, discusses 2017's historic year for women - from the women's marches that kicked off President Trump's inauguration to the #Metoo campaign.
The intersection of Washington DC, Wall Street and Silicon Valley and the egos at play in each.
Liz Wolfe, Managing Editor at Young Voices, breaks down allegations within the Department of Justice and says she's not "super optimistic" things will change.
President Trump signed the Republican tax bill into law last week. While most taxpayers will not be impacted until its time to file 2018 taxes in 2019, there are ways you can be proactive now. TurboTax Chief Tax Officer Dave Williams shares his advice for planning ahead.
VF Hive + Between Bells: Vanity Fair's Hive gets candid with departing Vanity Fair Editor Graydon Carter. On Between Bells: the countdown to legal recreational weed. With New York Magazine, IMore.com: iPhone and iPad, FHM, and more.
The Department of Justice's Inspector General says that mishandling of sexual harassment complaints is a systemic problem. The Inspector's office found that complaints were mishandled in multiple instances.
While President Trump is celebrating his win on tax reform at Mar-a-Lago, everyone else is wondering what policy he will take on next. Despite his recent success, divisions within the GOP could make it hard for the president to get another major legislative win in the new year.
Michael Simon, staff writer for PCWorld, discusses President Obama's comments in an interview with Prince Harry where he warned against the misuse of social media, hinting at leaders that use platforms to divide and spread misinformation.
