Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
New Hampshire
Opinion: Slavery, from New Hampshire to the Dutch Caribbean – Concord Monitor
One month before Martin Luther King Day, I left the cold, clouded skies of New Hampshire for the heat and blinding sun of the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire. I left behind the cold case of Nickenley Turenne, a young man killed by Manchester police on Dec. 6 after they found him asleep in his car and gunned him down as he tried to flee.
One of my daughters, a professional scuba diver in Bonaire, wished to gift her niece, my granddaughter, the opportunity to earn her open dive certification so she could experience the beauty of the island’s marine life. My granddaughter packed a book I had given her, “The Devil’s Half Acre” by Kristen Green on the history of the American slave trade. Born in 1832 and enslaved by a brutal trader, Mary Lumpkin lived at his Richmond, Va. slave jail. In this destitute setting, she eventually freed herself and her children, inherited her husband’s jail and transformed it into “God’s Half Acre,” a school to educate Black students. It exists today as Virginia Union University, one of the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In 1854, an enslaved man named Anthony Burns had escaped Richmond only to be captured in Boston and delivered south to said Lumpkin’s jail in accordance with the Fugitive Slave Act. Though a warrant for his arrest was secured, Boston had an extensive network of free Black people, white abolitionists and the Boston Vigilance Committee to protect fugitives. Neither the fliers they plastered (“The Kidnappers are Here!”) nor the 5,000 supporters gathered at the courthouse crying “Rescue him!” were enough to save Burns who was told, “You must go back. There isn’t humanity, there isn’t Christianity, there isn’t justice enough here to save you; you must go back.”
I read avidly, seated at the site of the “slaves cabins” on Bonaire Island, “kasnan di katibu” in Papiamentu, the Bonairian language, where from the 1600s to the 1800s a notorious slave trade flourished under Dutch rule. Considered government property the enslaved labored in the saltpans — vast, pink hued pools where seawater evaporated leaving behind crystallized salt they broke up with pickaxes and shovels, then carried further onto the beach for export.
The plaque near the huts, far from being historically accurate, reads like a romanticized story with no names and no mention of the violent conditions endured under the blazing sun or the Dutch role in Atlantic slavery. According to Dutch historian, Anne van Mourik, “The information provided at significant historical sites is not only lacking and outdated. It often manipulates history by sanitizing it, without perpetrators, only faceless victims … It suggests that Bonaire’s colonial past has faded into obscurity, as if it has been forgotten or worse, that it does not matter.”
The belief that Black people, at best, hold little significance or, at worst, are expendable has been loudly countered by the Black Lives Matter slogan “say their names.” Anthony Poore, president and CEO of the NH Center for Justice and Equity, and Tanisha Johnson, executive directive of Black Lives Matter, NH, released the following statement in response to the dehumanizing conduct by police who, unprovoked and without evidence, assumed Nickenley Turrene to be a dangerous criminal:
“We must continue the conversations that will result in rejecting the narratives that continue to criminalize Black existence. It is not a crime to be unhoused. It is not a crime to sleep in a car. These are conditions created by systemic failures, not individual wrongdoing. Responding to police presence with fear is not irrational or suspicious. It is a survival response shaped by generations of racial profiling, over policing, and violence against Black communities. No nonviolent behavior, no perceived noncompliance, and no expression of fear should result in death.”
When time and space collapse, we continue to feel the effects of the Fugitive Slave Act in our current overpolicing and the frightened response of those like Burns and Turenne running for freedom as a perpetual threat punishable by death.
Ultimately, Bonaire is a stark contrast between privilege and poverty. The Dutch continue to profit from a luxurious lifestyle while Bonairians, descendants of former slaves, live as lower class citizens in shacks without electricity or running water. I, older and grey, and my granddaughter, young and Black, leave the island with contrasting memories. She has thoroughly enjoyed swimming peacefully beside turtles and pods of dolphins undisturbed in calm waters. On land, however, the turbulence of an intolerant world remains ever present.
As we return home to honor MLK Day, we’re reminded of the painfully slow progress toward equity and justice. Tragically, in the case of Nick Turenne and countless others, “there was no justice enough to save him.” And in the words of Martin Luther King, until that day comes, “justice delayed is justice denied.”
Ann Podlipny lives in Chester.
New Hampshire
Possible 2028 Democratic White House contenders weigh in on Iran with New Hampshire voters
As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran overtakes the foreign policy debate in Washington, two Democratic governors with potential 2028 presidential aspirations — Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear — recently traveled to New Hampshire, introducing themselves to the state’s famously engaged voters. The two weighed in on the war and both criticized and questioned President Trump’s strategy and endgame.
“If a president is going to take a country into war, and risk the lives of American troops and Americans in the region, he has to have a real justification and not one that seems to change every five to 10 hours,” Beshear told CBS News after a Democratic fundraiser in Keene.
“This President seems to use force before ever trying diplomacy, and he has a duty to sell it to the American people and to address Congress with it,” Beshear continued. “He hasn’t done any of that. In fact, it appears there isn’t even a plan for what success looks like. He’s gone from regime change to strategic objectives and now is talking about unconditional surrender, which isn’t realistic where he is.”
Beshear also said he thought that Congress should have reined in Mr. Trump’s war powers.
“He is trying to ignore Congress. He’s trying to even ignore the American people,” Beshear said.
He went on to note that the president’s State of the Union address took place “three — four days before he launched this attack,” and Mr. Trump “didn’t even have the respect to tell the American people the threat that he thought Iran posed to us.”
Last week, both the House and the Senate failed to pass resolutions to limit Mr. Trump’s war powers and stop him from taking further military action against Iran without congressional support.
For Newsom, the war with Iran constitutes part of a broader criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At an event last Tuesday in Los Angeles, Newsom had compared Israel to an “apartheid state.” Later, in New Hampshire, he sought to clarify his comment.
“I was specifically referring to a Tom Friedman [New York Times] column last week, where Tom used that word of apartheid as it relates to the direction Bibi is going, particularly on the annexation of the West Bank,” Newsom explained during a book tour event Thursday night in Portsmouth. “I’m very angry, with what he is doing and why he’s doing it, what he’s going to ultimately try to do to the Supreme Court there, what he’s trying to do to save his own political career.”
Friedman wrote that at the same time that the U.S. and Israel are prosecuting a war in Iran, within Israel, Netanyahu’s government has undertaken efforts to annex the West Bank, driving Palestinians from their homes; fire the attorney general who is leading the prosecution against Netanyahu for corruption; and block the government’s attempt to establish a commission to examine the failures that led up to the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Jews by Hamas.
CBS News has reached out to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.
On Iran, Newsom said, “I’m very angry about this war, with all due respect, you know, not because I’m angry the supreme leader is dead. Quite the contrary. I’m not naive about the last 37 years of his reign. Forty-seven years since ’79 — the revolution,” Newsom said. “But I’m also mindful that you have a president who still is inarticulate and incapable of giving us the rationale of why? Why now? What’s the endgame?”
Many attendees at Newsom’s book event said that the situation in Iran is a top-of-mind issue for them, too. Some said they’re “horrified” by what is happening.
29-year-old Alicia Marr told CBS News she decided to attend Newsom’s event because of his social media response to the war with Iran.
“There was one spot left, and I decided to pick it up, and it was due to his response to the war, that it is just unacceptable, and I would agree with that,” Marr said.
While some voters like Marr are eager to hear about where potential candidates stand on foreign policy, many at Newsom’s event said they care most about how potential candidates plan to address domestic issues.
“I’m more focused on getting the middle class back on track and fighting the oligarchy, and I’m less invested in international issues,” said Anita Alden, who also attended Newsom’s event,
“I wouldn’t call myself America first, but we have so many problems at home that are my priority,” she told CBS News.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who may also be weighing another White House bid, told Fox 2 Detroit last week that she “unequivocally opposes” the Trump administration’s military action in Iran and urged Congress to take action.
“If we want to stop Donald Trump with this random decision that he has arrived at, then Congress must act, and Congress must act immediately. The American people do not want our sons and daughters to go into this unauthorized war of choice,” Harris said.
Mr. Trump has lashed out against Democrats who have pushed back on his Iran strategy, calling them “losers” last week and arguing that they would criticize any decision he made on Iran.
“If I did it, it’s no good. If I didn’t do it, they would have said the opposite, that you should have done this,” the president said.
Local News
Police say the Attleboro man was driving 104 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 202 near in Rindge, New Hampshire.
A Massachusetts man was arrested late Wednesday night after police say he was driving more than 100 mph on a New Hampshire roadway.
Officers with the Rindge Police Department stopped a vehicle shortly after 11 p.m. on Route 202 near Sears Drive in Rindge following a report of a car traveling at excessive speed, according to a statement from Chief Rachel Malynowski.
The vehicle, a 2020 Kia Stinger, was spotted traveling at 104 mph in a posted 55 mph zone, Malynowski said.
The driver, a 21-year-old man from Attleboro, was arrested and charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to police.
He is scheduled to be arraigned April 5. If convicted, the man faces a fine of at least $750, in addition to the court’s penalty assessment, and a 90-day license suspension, Malynowski said.
Iowa2 minutes ago
NCAA Wrestling Championships at-large bids announced
Kentucky14 minutes ago
Glendale, KY, residents mourn death of solider killed in Iran conflict
Louisiana20 minutes ago
Officials confirm Pensacola Beach residue is algae, not oil from Louisiana spill
Maryland32 minutes ago
Maryland parents push to hold drug dealers accountable in overdose deaths
Michigan38 minutes ago
Does Kyle Whittingham face ‘win now’ pressure at Michigan?
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia2 years ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana2 years ago
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
News4 hours ago
Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City
Politics5 hours ago
Trump stirs GOP primary drama with visit to Massie’s Kentucky home turf
World6 hours ago
Israeli air strike targets building in south Lebanon
News7 hours ago
Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics
Politics17 hours ago
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Pennsylvania5 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Detroit, MI4 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project