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Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., was seemingly unhappy on Tuesday night after President Biden announced his support for funding police departments.

In his first State of the Union address, Biden told Congress: The answer is not to defund the police, its to fund the police. Fund them. Fund them.

Fund them with resources and training they need to protect our communities, the president continued.

While his message received loud praise in the audience, with a standing ovation from both his party and Republicans, Democrats like Bush said Biden has the wrong idea.

With all due respect, Mr. President. You didnt mention saving Black lives once in this speech, Bush tweeted. All our country has done is given more funding to police. The result? 2021 set a record for fatal police shootings."

Defund the police. Invest in our communities.

A flagship Black Lives Matter account shared a tweet suggesting it also wasn't happy with the presidents stance on the issue, using a screenshot of Rep. Maxine Waters's face, from at some point in the night, to deliver its message by meme.

Other Democrats, however, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as well as leaders in other liberal cities, have called for increased police budgets to combat crime.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., told MSNBC that the defund-police movement is dead in New York City and good riddance, adding, Any elected official whos advocating for the abolition and/or even the defunding of police is out of touch with reality and should not be taken seriously.

Similarly, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., the former chief of the Orlando Police Department, used Bidens remarks as a moment to support funding law enforcement, even touting her new legislation that would do just that.

She tweeted: Public safety is the foundation on which we build great communities, and then included a link to her bill, which would provide grants to help municipalities with deescalation, domestic violence and officer safety training, among other things.

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Republicans are seemingly using this opportunity to lump Democrats together and criticize them for jumping ship on the idea of defunding.

Republican strategist Rick Wilson tweeted: Biden guts the Defund the police stupidity.

Meanwhile, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said: Is the entire Democratic Party going to act like they didnt just defund and demonize the police for the last 2 years? #SOTU.

Hundreds of police officers gather for the funeral of fallen NYPD officer Wilbert Mora at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on Feb. 2. (Eren Abdullahogullari/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

During his address, Biden opened his remarks on policing in America with a story about how he visited the NYPD days after funerals were held for two of its officers, Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera, who were fatally shot in January after a man opened fire on them with a stolen gun.

Rising crime in some major U.S. cities has led Democratic leaders to reverse course or take a stance against defunding police departments.

But Biden also aimed to appease critics of police when he touched on two controversial arrest tactics that have gained notoriety following the deaths of several Black Americans.

Thats why the Justice Department required body cameras, banned chokeholds and restricted no-knock warrants for its officers, he said.

No-knock warrants came under fire in 2020 when officers in Louisville, Ky., stormed, unannounced, into the apartment of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman and paramedic, fatally shooting her after her boyfriend fired on them, thinking they were intruders.

More recently, several Minneapolis police officers are once again under a microscope after a SWAT team conducted a no-knock warrant at an apartment downtown, shooting and killing Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man.

A rally for Amir Locke on Feb. 5 in Minneapolis. Locke was a 22-year-old Black man shot by Minneapolis police executing a search warrant. (Christian Monterrosa File/AP)

Bodycam footage from the Feb. 2 incident captured police storming in, then announcing their presence and seeing Locke, who was noticeably shaken from being suddenly woken up. Officers were following up on a tip involving a murder case, but Lockes name was not mentioned in the warrant, according to the Minneapolis police chief.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Locke's parents, said during a February press conference, The blood of Amir Locke, the blood of Breonna Taylor, should hopefully call for a ban on no-knock warrants all over the country, President Biden.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump at a news conference with the families of Amir Locke and others at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on Feb. 10. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., introduced a bill that would limit no-knock warrants, naming it after Locke.

Hours before Bidens address, she unveiled the legislation, called the Amir Locke End Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act. It would enact "strict limitations on the use of no-knock warrants in drug-related investigations."

The bill directly affects federal agencies but would open up grant funding for state and local law enforcement.

As for Biden, he also touted his American Rescue Plan, which he said provided more than $250 million to cities, states and counties for hiring more police officers and investing in proven strategies.

So lets not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice, he said.

Lets come together to protect our communities, restore trust and hold law enforcement accountable.

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Rep. Cori Bush to Biden: 'You didn't mention saving Black lives once in this speech' - Yahoo News

Rachel Rydalch Shelton

Black Lives Matter mural displayed at the City County buidling in downtown Salt Lake City on Nov. 24, 2021. (Photo by Rachel Rydalch | The Daily Utah Chronicle.

I often find myself roaming the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, trying to escape my stuffy apartment, but these are no longer the streets of my childhood, the ones I grew up on. They are forever changed by the Black Lives Matter protests that rocked the city during the summer of 2020. I find myself wondering how these protests and the images they left have seeped into the cold concrete and coarse asphalt. What remains?

Passing by the Salt Lake Countys District Attorneys office on 500 South, one cannot miss the pools of red that saturate the road. The gallons of paint and handprints that covered the street and much of the buildings entrance are gone now, but even after multiple attempts by the city to paint over it, it still cuts through to the surface ensuring we never forget.

This faded, yet persistent quality almost adds to the pieces initial meaning. It still declares that there is blood on the hands of the SLCPD and District Attorney Sim Gill, though the city may try its hardest to paint over the tragedies faced in Utah and absolve the perpetrators of the murder of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, and others nationwide.

The aftermath of the pieces inception is important to understand. Protesters who poured the paint were identified by law enforcement and arrested. Gill then formally drew up felony charges against the group, 8 of which were found guilty, in a move that garnered international attention. Even in its faded splotches of red, this potent piece on many levels decries the racial injustice that plagues our city and state. The pools of paint are unrelenting in their silent screams for justice and accountability.

In a move by city officials to show support for the Black Lives Matter protests, Mayor Erin Mendenhall commissioned eight artists to paint a mural outside the Salt Lake City City-County Building. The brightly colored mural, according to Mayor Mendenhalls Deseret News interview, make[s] it clear that Salt Lake City believes Black Lives Matter and is committed to real change in our community. Were taking this symbolic step as a city to boldly acknowledge this movement and commit to our role in it.

But how symbolic was the gesture? The now-fading mural was the target of many white supremacist groups who tried and failed to deface it. These attempts were not deterred by city officials or the SLCPD, but rather armed Black Lives Matter protesters. Former Black Lives Matter director Lex Scott posted TikToks and live-streamed such instances almost daily.

Additionally, Mayor Mendenhall was called to cut the police budget and allocate the funds to other social programs by Black Lives Matter activists and many in the SLC community. While money was moved from the police budget in 2020, funds were reallocated in 2021 for diversity and inclusion trainings as well as social workers, a far cry from the demands for complete reform. According to a KSL interview, officer pay was increased in 2021 in order to attract quality officers, a move that feels, again, far from what protestors were fighting for.

The beautiful mural Mendenhall commissioned and the message behind it is powerful and necessary, dont get me wrong, but it is an undercut made hollow by the inaction behind it. The initial display of solidarity has faded and drifted from the public consciousness, much like the mural itself. The once vibrant colors of the mural have been dissipated by time and broken promises.

Out of all the remnants left from the protests last summer, the murals on 300 West and 800 South remain seared into my consciousness. Whether it is the brightly colored faces or the stories they hold, the site with these impactful murals will not easily be forgotten.

The murals not only gave space to and humanize those murdered by the police but also created a site of mourning for them. Unlike the other pieces of protest art left behind, these murals are more than just acts of defiance or solidarity. These murals provide a space for the community to come together to mourn and grieve the loss of life.

The site mourns the loss of 17 people, both local and from around the country, in individual murals. In front of the murals there are often flowers and other tokens of memory left by loved ones and community members. Looking at each mural and seeing these marks of mourning is sobering and grounds police brutality in its reality one that tears a community apart and leaves them in a constant state of grief.

The public art and protest materials that litter Salt Lake City will fade, but it is this intention of deep, inescapable grief behind each one that will continue to stay with us.

[emailprotected]

@Drew_Reyno

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What Remains: Returning to the Protest Art Left in Salt Lake - Daily Utah Chronicle

Content warning: This video contains mentions and imagery of anti-Black violence. Please watch with discretion.

The Block Museum of Art at Northwestern has opened its latest exhibit, A Site of Struggle: American Art against Anti-Black Violence. Featuring artwork from the post-Reconstruction era to the conception of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013, the exhibit serves to contextualize modern-day violence and display how various artists have used art to protest, process, mourn and memorialize anti-Black violence.

Email: [emailprotected]

Twitter: @KatrinaPham_

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The Block Museum's A Site of Struggle exhibit displays how artists have engaged with anti-Black violence - Daily Northwestern

February, Black History Month, is a month to celebrate Black lives and bring further awareness to Black history and culture. As a Black person, this month is very impactful as I learn more about my history. Last Saturday, Black Lives Matter Newfoundland and Labrador held their first event during their Redefining Our Standards of Beauty series. The online events will discuss Black beauty and how we redefine our standards of beauty. The first event focused on challenging the idea that white is right and developing our own ideas of right and wrong.

After a warm welcome from the Co-Chair, Raven Khadeja, the events Keynote speaker Tanya Turton spoke on redefining our beauty standards to start matching with the identities that we carry. What stuck with me was her focus on the relationship between beauty and wellness; how that relationship can help us redefine our beauty. Furthermore, she discussed how redefining our beauty attaches us to another relationship central to the conversation: one between the body, mind and soul.

My takeaway from her impressive presentation is to practice beauty: you can start with defining beauty and integrating that definition into your authentic self. It left me to ponder on what beauty is to me and how I can showcase that through my unique character and identity.

Beauty is reflective of your authentic self

Afterwards, we dove into a Roundtable featuring: Muna Ahmed, an organizer and writer for BLM Nogojiwanong; Tanya Turton, Founder of NiaZamar; Thyzaria Nowels, Biology teacher and Lab Tech; Grace Phiri, Creative content creator; Laughter Afolabi, a co-founder of We-defined and Rachel Gilbert, an Interdisciplinary Artist. This Roundtable featured people from different professions and backgrounds discussing their experiences in situations of anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and racism, and how these experiences affected their lives. Thyzaria talks about her experience as a Black worker in the Netherlands, and how she faced direct racism whilst working.

You cant say Black lives matter without caring for Black workers

After the round table, we had quick fashion tips from Laughter Afolabi, a co-founder of We-defined. She showed us three ways to dress that would maintain a part of Black culture, using prints and textures. To finish the event we had a special hair tutorial for hair types ranging from 3A to 4C with Ashley Baptiste, a natural hair specialist and the owner of Casa de Capelli Beauty Salon. She gave tips on how to deal with Black hair and the need for protective hairstyles. She ventured into a conversation about appropriation and the importance of giving Black women credit for protective hairstyles.

All in all the event was a good learning experience and I would suggest that more people check out BLMNLs future events. You can sign up for events, or stay tuned, on their Instagram page bio (@black_lives_matternl).

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BLMNL Hosts Redefining Our Standards of Beauty Events to Educate on Black Hair and the Importance of Shifting Beauty Standards - Muse

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FIRST ON FOX: The Iranian regime is closing in on the nuclear threshold, and the options available to the United States to stop Tehran from going nuclear are quickly narrowing, according to a new report released Thursday.

The report by the Washington D.C., based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) warns that the regime "is approaching the point at which no outside power could prevent it from building nuclear weapons."

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WARN BIDEN AGAINST ANOTHER NUCLEAR DEAL WITH IRAN

"As Tehran approaches that threshold, the United States will face an increasingly difficult choice between allowing the regime to cross over it or taking assertive measures including potential military strikes to stop Iran from going nuclear," the report by fellows Andrea Stricker and Anthony Ruggiero says.

The report comes the same day as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it believes Iran has increased significantly its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in breach of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which both the U.S. and Iran subsequently left.

The Trump administration pulled the U.S. out of the deal in 2018 over concerns that it didnt do enough to curb Irans nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. The U.S. pulled out and subsequently slapped a number of sanctions on Iran, which, in turn, increased its nuclear activity.

An Iranian flag flies at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant on Nov. 10, 2019. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration has since tried to re-enter the deal and talks are ongoing in Vienna with diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia trying to bring Iran and the U.S. back into the deal.

The FDD report warns that, with the talks being drawn out by Iran, it is giving the regime more room to position itself to reach the nuclear threshold. Already it has enough uranium to produce weapons-grade uranium for at least four nukes and is expanding ballistic missile programs that it could use as delivery vehicles.

"At present, if the regime decides to make its first nuclear weapon, it may need as little as three weeks to produce enough fissile material," it says.

The authors also note the uncertainty from the incomplete intelligence reporting by the IAEA, which acts as the U.N.s atomic watchdog. The Vienna-based agency said this week it has been unable to verify the exact size of Irans stockpile of enriched uranium due to limitations Tehran imposed on U.N. inspectors last year and that its monitoring and verification activities continue to be "seriously affected" by Iran's decision to stop letting inspectors access the agency's monitoring equipment.

The FDD report says the 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), legitimized Irans advances toward the nuclear threshold, and while it prohibited weaponization, "the deals weak monitoring and verification provisions made this irrelevant."

RET. GEN. KELLOGG: WE COULD SEE A NUCLEAR BREAKOUT FROM IRAN

Since President Biden took office, the report notes, Iran has been increasing its enrichment of uranium toward weapons-grade purity, and says that should have provoked a "strong reaction" from the Biden administration and the IAEA but it did not.

"By prolonging negotiations in Vienna, the Islamic Republic brought its breakout time close to zero while earning billions of dollars from oil exports thanks to Bidens relaxation of sanctions as a goodwill gesture."

Now, the U.S. reportedly acknowledges that going back to the JCPOAs "breakout" time of 7-12 months is not feasible, and it is more likely to be 6-9 months under a new deal with the FDD report warning that an agreement that allows advanced centrifuges to remain would solidify that timeline.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WAIVES SANCTIONS ON IRANIAN CIVILIAN NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AS DEAL TALKS HANG IN BALANCE

The authors state that, with a rapidly advancing Iran combined with uncertainty surrounding its intentions and activities, Washingtons options are narrow.

"Amid this uncertainty, President Biden might have to choose between carrying out military strikes based on incomplete or conflicting information or acquiescing to Irans development of nuclear weapons," the report says. "It would be preferable to keep Tehran far away from the threshold so that an American president never reaches this wrenching decision point."

It warns of a "flawed premise" shared by the Iran deal and the Biden administration that Iran can keep its uranium enrichment program while also being kept away from the nuclear threshold.

Instead, the authors argue, the U.S. should move to restore an international consensus that Iran cannot be trusted with an enrichment program, and launch an economic, financial and political pressure program to force it back to the negotiating table a program that includes restoring all prior sanctions on Iran.

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In the meantime, the report says the U.S. should consider the use of cyber-attacks and sabotage campaigns on nuclear sites to delay Irans progress.

"The Biden administration should take all related measures necessary to ensure that the worlds most prolific state sponsor of terrorism can never reach the nuclear threshold," they argue.

Fox News Ben Evansky and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Iran nearing nuclear threshold, with US options to stop it ...