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CNN
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The Howard University men’s basketball is joining the fight to protect Black maternal health as the nation faces a crisis that leaves Black women at high risk for pregnancy-related complications and death.

The team will host a special event ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the organization Mamatoto Village that is focused on combating racism and health disparities for Black mothers. The event will be held Sunday in Washington DC, with the team helping to package pregnancy care kits.

Howard team coaches say the players decided to focus on the issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year – a controversial decision that is expected to leave millions of Black and brown women without access to abortion care.

In many states, Black and Hispanic women receive abortions at higher rates than White women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects data from state health agencies.

Black women are also three times more likely than White women to die of pregnancy-related complications, according to the CDC, and they encounter racism from health care providers at higher rates.

“Women’s health issues aren’t just women’s health issues,” Howard basketball coach Kenney Blakeney told CNN. “Everyone is affected by this, not only the women but also men.”

Blakeney says he recruits players who he feels can help carry on the university’s legacy of social justice activism.

“When we recruit our student athletes to Howard, we aren’t just recruiting them to represent us on the basketball court,” Blakeney said.

Blakeney says he gives the team a choice of what social justice activity they would like to participate in each year. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, he says his players felt they had to do something for Black maternal health.

Guard and team captain Jelani Williams says players believed it was important for them to use their platform to shine a light on an issue that is important but not spoken about enough.

“We have Black mothers, aunts, cousins, friends and we just felt like it would be… a good issue to shine a light on,” Williams said.

Freshman forward Shane Odom says he was immediately in support of the project.

“I kind of related to it,” Odom said. “I have a single Black mother. She had me very young, so I feel because I relate to it, it would be a good cause to support.”

Mamatoto organizers say they are grateful for the basketball team’s efforts and agree that Black maternal health issues affect men as well.

Executive director Aza Nedhari said Black maternal health is not Black women’s “burden to bear alone.” She adds that Black males have a responsibility as well. “Black men are fathers and they are brothers,” Nedhari said.

Nedhari is appreciative of any help for her organization.

“It’s always refreshing when Black men join alongside us to uplift the issues that are going on,” Nedhari said. “It just can’t be Black women carrying the bag and holding all the responsibility for making improvements for something that is a systemic and societal issue anchored in racism.”

Washington
CNN
 — 

Lawmakers in the Missouri House of Representatives this week adopted a stricter dress code for women as part of a new rules package, and now requires them to cover their shoulders by wearing a jacket like a blazer, cardigan or knit blazer.

The addition, which was proposed by Republican state Rep. Ann Kelley, sparked outrage from some Democrats who said the change was sexist because the dress code for men was not altered.

Men in the Missouri House of Representatives are required to wear a jacket, shirt and a tie. The previous dress code for women required “dresses or skirts or slacks worn with a blazer or sweater and appropriate dress shoes or boots.”

Kelley, speaking on the House floor, said she felt compelled to offer the change that “cleans up some of the language … by mirroring the language in the gentleman’s dress code.”

“Men are required to wear a jacket, a shirt and a tie, correct? And if they walked in here without a tie, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat. If they walked in without a jacket, they would get gaveled down in a heartbeat. So, we are so interested in being equal,” Kelley said on Wednesday during the floor debate.

Women hold less than a third of the seats in the Missouri House, which is made up of 116 men and 43 women, according to the state House site.

The dress code amendment was passed in a voice vote and the rules package was later adopted by the GOP-controlled legislature in a 105-51 vote, but not without pushback and debate from House Democrats.

“Do you know what it feels like to have a bunch of men in this room looking at your top trying to determine if it’s appropriate or not?” Democratic state Rep. Ashley Aune proclaimed from the House floor.

Republicans altered their amendment to include cardigans after Democratic state Rep. Raychel Proudie criticized the impact requiring blazers could have on pregnant women.

Democratic state Rep. Peter Merideth refused to vote on the amendment, telling his colleagues on the floor, “I don’t think I’m qualified to say what’s appropriate or not appropriate for women and I think that is a really dangerous road for us all to go down.”

“Y’all had a conniption fit the last two years when we talked about maybe, maybe wearing masks in a pandemic to keep each other safer. How dare the government tell you what you have to wear over your face? Well, I know some governments require women to wear things over their face, but here, oh, it’s OK because we’re just talking about how many layers they have to have over their shoulders,” Merideth added.

In the US Congress, up until 2017, reporters and lawmakers were required to wear dresses and blouses with sleeves if they wanted to enter the House chamber. A group of bipartisan female lawmakers protested over their “right to bare arms,” prompting then-Speaker Paul Ryan’s office to concede that the dress code “could stand to be a bit modernized.” The US Senate later amended its rules as well, The New York Times reported.

Aune told CNN Friday afternoon the change signals that Republicans in the state aren’t focused on “important issues.”

“In 2019 House Republicans passed the abortion ban that went into effect this summer after the Dobbs decision came down, fully restricting a women’s right to choose in this state, and on day one in our legislature they’re doubling down on controlling women,” she said on “CNN Newsroom.”

“It’s wild to me. I think it’s sending a message that the Republican Party, the Missouri GOP, doesn’t have the best interest in mind and (is) not focused on the important issues.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN
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Days after California was hit by “the most impressive storm in nearly 20 years,” the state – fully saturated in many places – is gearing up this weekend for yet another series of atmospheric river events, with flooding, hail, powerful wind gusts and even funnel clouds possible in spots.

TRACK THE STORMS HERE >>

Another round of heavy rain already is falling Saturday on the Golden State, where extreme drought fueled by the climate crisis has given way in recent weeks to massive flooding amid a catastrophic sequence of ultra-wet atmospheric rivers – long, narrow regions in the atmosphere that transport moisture thousands of miles. Recent storms have killed at least 18 people and left tens of thousands at a time without power.

Over 25 million people again are under flood watches across much of California’s central coastline, as well as the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. Though this weekend’s rain tally will be lower than previous storms, the threshold for flooding also is much lower because the ground is fully saturated in many areas.

“This atmospheric river is more progressive than some of the other atmospheric rivers that have occurred in recent weeks, which should help to limit the extent of the flooding potential,” the Weather Prediction Center said. “All that being said, just about all of California; from the coast and both the Shasta and Sierra Nevada on south to the Transverse Range feature soil moisture percentiles greater than 95%.”

“Portions of the state have picked up 15-20+” of rain and >600% of normal rainfall in the last two weeks,” they added.

And, unfortunately, the rain chances don’t end there: Yet another storm will bring renewed rain chances and flooding to much of the state Sunday afternoon through Monday morning before drier conditions finally set in later next week.

“A more intense surge of moisture is expected on Saturday ahead of a stronger Pacific storm system that will move inland through the day,” the prediction center said. “A broader slight risk of excessive rainfall is in place for both coastal northern California, where rainfall will continue from Friday, as well as upslope regions of the Sierra.”

Rain and snow are also forecast to spread into the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West Saturday into Sunday.

Widespread rainfall totals through Monday will range between 2 to 3 inches along the coast and interior valleys, with 4 to 6 inches possible for the San Francisco Bay area and the nearby Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains. This will likely lead to a few instances of flooding as well as mud, rock and landslides.

“Rain is a certainty with (rain chances at) 100% areawide and with deep moisture and ample rainfall expected, flooding once again becomes a concern,” the National Weather Service office in San Francisco said.

San Francisco already has recorded one of the top 15 wettest winters on record with more than a month to go. If it does end up picking up 4 to 6 inches of rain over the next three days, the city easily will crack the top five.

A slight risk of excessive rainfall – Level 2 out of 4 – alert is in place, mainly due to extremely wet conditions preceding the forecast rainfall and leading to increased flooding concerns.

“Forecast soundings have been showing quite a bit of instability over the Central Valley behind the front later Saturday afternoon and into the evening with hail likely to accompany stronger storms, and maybe some funnel clouds,” the weather service office in Sacramento said.

River flooding is also a big concern, especially around the Russian River in Northern California and the Salinas River near Monterey. “Plan on additional disruptions to travel and mountain recreation through the weekend as periods of heavy snow return to the Sierra,” the weather service office in Reno said.

Mandatory evacuations for parts of San Benito County were ordered Saturday, with residents in the impacted portions ordered to leave their homes due to “severe flooding,” according to an online post from the county.

Neighboring Santa Clara County issued updated evacuation warnings to residents this weekend. Residents are being encouraged to gather essentials, such as personal items, important documents, clothing and non-perishable foods.

“Community members are also encouraged to stay off the roads, creek beds, waterways and fast-moving waters,” the release said.

Very heavy snow is also forecast for the Sierra, with 1 to 2 feet possible on Saturday and an additional 2 to 3 feet through Monday. “Heaviest snowfall days will be Saturday and Monday with less intense snow showers in between,” the weather service office in Reno said.

Strong winds will also accompany this system, gusting up to 40 to 50 mph in the Sacramento Valley and up to 60 mph in the mountains. This could lead to downed trees and power lines staked in now-extremely saturated soils.

“The system will be packing a decent amount of south winds and a high wind watch is in effect for the mountains of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties – the same strong winds will move into Ventura and LA counties Saturday evening,” the weather service office in Los Angeles said.

The good news is that by week’s end, the forecast calls for much drier conditions across all of California, which will allow for the ground to dry out and river levels to recede.

“It’s been a long time since California residents were happy to see an extended forecast of below-average precipitation,” CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller said. “But after the past three weeks, they certainly are.”

Here’s what you need to know about the international beauty pageant — and how you can watch:

84 women will compete in New Orleans

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said In a statement on the Miss Universe website she was “honored” to host the pageant.

“The City of New Orleans and the Miss Universe Organization share common values of celebrating inclusion, culture and the empowerment of women,” said Cantrell in the statement.

“Former Miss Universe delegates and winners have gone on to become surgeons, diplomats, politicians and business leaders, and they all champion social causes that are important to them. Hosting this event demonstrates the significant global impact an international city like New Orleans has on the world’s tourism and cultural stages,” she went on.

“We are honored to host the 71st annual Miss Universe pageant and show people around the globe why New Orleans is the best in the world at executing major events, festivals, conferences and conventions with a culture that is absolutely unmatched.”

The 70th Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu, will crown her successor

Sandhu took home the title in southern Israel at the end of 2021. Eighty women competed in the competition, which was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey.

Sandhu is a vocal advocate for menstrual equity, inspired by her mother’s career as a gynecologist, according to the Miss Universe website. She is also an actor and an advocate for women’s rights and climate change awareness.

Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Olivia Culpo will host this year’s competition

Television host and stylist Jeannie Mai Jenkins will serve as the host for this year’s Miss Universe Competition alongside Olivia Culpo, who won Miss Universe in 2012.

You can watch the pageant on the Roku Channel

For the first year in the pageant’s history, the Roku Channel is the Miss Universe competition’s official broadcaster. In past years, the competition typically aired on Fox.

Fans hoping to watch the new Miss Universe be crowned live can check it out on Roku.com, Roku TVs, and the Roku App at 6 p.m. CST. The contest will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo.