Michael Blackmon

1 week ago | fitsnews.com | Mark Powell |Michael Blackmon

Before there was Rosa Parks, there was Sarah Mae Flemming. Sarah Mae Who, you may ask? That’s a fair question, because her story is nowhere near as widely known as that of her Alabama compatriot. Nonetheless, Flemming’s profile in courage is not only every bit as moving; it was also an important milestone on the long road to civil rights in our state and nation. Born on her family’s 188-acre farm near Eastover, S.C. in 1933, Flemming was unable to finish high school.

1 week ago | fitsnews.com | Mark Powell |Michael Blackmon

by MARK POWELLOfficials in the administration of U.S. president Donald Trump are quietly letting it be known to Middle Eastern allies that the U.S. will not be joining in the fighting between Israel and Iran. With one important qualifier…Iran must not target American troops. That’s essentially the same message Washington sent last week, just ahead of the beginning of the current conflict. Washington has admitted helping Israel intercept incoming Iranian missiles and drones.

1 week ago | fitsnews.com | Mark Powell |Michael Blackmon

by J. MARK POWELLFrom a star-spangled tribute to the U.S. military in downtown Washington, D.C., to angry protests against autocracy stretching to the Pacific Coast, to a manhunt in the Heartland for a suspected political assassin in Minnesota, it was an eventful Saturday across the nation. And it all unfolded amidst the possibility of a deepening and expanding conflict on the other side of the world.

1 week ago | fitsnews.com | Mark Powell |Michael Blackmon

In a weekend already overflowing with major breaking news, Americans awoke Saturday morning to a horrifying development in Minnesota. Authorities there say a suspect impersonating a law enforcement officer shot and killed a top Minnesota elected official and her husband, and shot and wounded another and his wife. Investigators are calling the attacks “politically motivated.”“This is a dark day for Minnesota and our democracy,” Governor Tim Walz said in a statement.

2 weeks ago | fitsnews.com | Mark Powell |Michael Blackmon

by J. MARK POWELLIn a region where the possibility of war is part of daily life, the likelihood of a potentially global conflict has dramatically escalated. Just how serious and widespread this conflict could become is a question being considered in world capitals from Washington to Moscow to Beijing.  It all started early Friday morning (Friday the Thirteenth, no less) when Israel unleashed a massive preemptive air strike on Iran.