Speaking at a ministerial meeting on UNSC reform on the sidelines of the Africa-France Summit in Kenyan capital Nairobi on May 11, Youssouf said the continent’s demand is not a request for special treatment but a response to a long-standing imbalance in global governance.

“Africa is not asking for a favor; Africa is demanding the correction of a historical injustice,” he said, according to an AU statement. He added that the Security Council’s “credibility and legitimacy” depend on whether it reflects the realities of the present world rather than “the geopolitical order of 1945.” 

The AU’s position is based on the 2005 Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration. It calls for at least two permanent African seats with all the powers held by existing permanent members, including veto rights while the veto remains, as well as five additional non-permanent seats.

The Security Council currently has five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the UK, and the U.S.—and ten elected members serving two-year terms. Africa, despite having 54 UN member states, has no permanent seat on the body.

Several African leaders have renewed calls for reform in recent months. Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso said last year that the council no longer reflects the world’s geopolitical balance, while Kenyan President William Ruto urged at least two permanent African seats with veto power.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for Africa to be given a permanent voice on the council, saying the institution has failed to keep pace with global changes since 1945. Russia has also backed expanding the Security Council to include more African, Asian, and Latin American states.

Moscow’s deputy envoy to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, told an African Union Committee of Ten summit in New York in September that the council should reflect the “multipolar nature of the world” rather than “the global colonial past.” 

Polyansky said Russia supports Africa’s push for greater representation, while warning against increasing Western representation on the council.(RT.com)

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Media reports indicate that Israel has dramatically increased the demolition of Palestinian homes since October 2023, when it launched its genocidal war on the people of the besieged Gaza Strip.

More than 2,000 Palestinians in three neighborhoods across the city now face the threat of expulsion, either through settler claims on their homes or alleged building violations.

Residents fear that entire Palestinian communities could be wiped out—not only in Silwan, but also in Sheikh Jarrah and Ras al-Amoud.

This escalation comes as Israel moves swiftly and with impunity to seize Palestinian land and private property. For decades, Silwan and other Palestinian neighborhoods surrounding the Old City have been prime targets of Israeli demolition campaigns and displacement efforts.

Home to around 55,000 Palestinians as of 2022, Silwan lies strategically south of al-Quds’ Old City and the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Bustan is one of the three main sections of Silwan, a Palestinian district bordering the southern walls of the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Residents and researchers report that Israeli authorities have demolished 54 homes in al-Bustan alone since October 2023, out of approximately 115 homes in the neighborhood.

Most of the remaining homes are now under threat of demolition.

Fakhri Abu Diab, a longtime anti-occupation activist, told media outlets that the occupying Tel Aviv regime’s policy of forced expulsion has shattered the dreams of him and his fellow Palestinians.

“The suffering is not only in the demolition of the house, but in the demolition of our past, our lives, and our future,” Abu Diab said.

His own house in the occupied East al-Quds’ al-Bustan neighborhood was demolished by Israeli authorities in 2024. It was one of dozens of Palestinian homes razed south of the al-Aqsa Mosque to make way for expanded Israeli settler projects.

Israeli authorities have sharply accelerated home demolitions and expulsions across East al-Quds, with al-Bustan among the hardest-hit areas.

In the neighborhood, the scale of destruction is visible at every turn: along its narrow streets, piles of rubble and flattened homes appear every few meters.

North of the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah has long been a focal point of settler activity.

In Ras al-Amoud, southeast of the Old City, hundreds of settlers live in heavily guarded, gated communities.

Shortly after occupying East al-Quds in 1967, Israeli authorities introduced laws that facilitated the transfer of Palestinian property to Jewish ownership.

Years of Palestinian resistance and international scrutiny had previously slowed the advance of settler organizations in these areas.

However, since the Israeli genocide in Gaza began in October 2023, the situation has shifted dramatically.

Activists warn that these demolitions are altering the demographic landscape around the al-Aqsa Mosque—encircling it with a belt of settler compounds while severing it from Palestinian residents.

Amid mounting repression, scarce international support, and limited media attention, Palestinians say they feel increasingly defenseless. (PressTV.ir)

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Speaking to reporters in Geneva on May 12, Reinhilde Van de Weerdt, the WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, said the updated figures reflect the devastating long-term impact of the conflict on Gaza’s people and its collapsing healthcare system.

Since the WHO’s last report in September 2025, nearly 5,000 additional life-changing injuries have been recorded, almost half of them after the ceasefire was announced in October 2025.

According to WHO data, major limb injuries account for the largest share of severe cases, with more than 22,000 recorded. That is followed by over 5,000 traumatic amputations, more than 3,400 major burns, over 2,000 spinal cord injuries, and more than 1,300 traumatic brain injuries.

Van de Weerdt stated that more than 50,000 injuries now require long-term rehabilitation. Nearly 14,000 patients registered for limb reconstruction services between July 2025 and May 2026, with almost half of those assessed needing additional surgery.

Due to severe shortages in the blockaded territory, only 500 out of 2,300 amputees evaluated between September 2024 and May 2026 have received permanent prosthetics.

No rehabilitation facility is fully operational in Gaza. More than 400 patients are currently waiting for specialized rehabilitation beds, Van de Weerdt said, forcing hospitals to discharge patients early and increasing the risk of permanent disability.

She also warned that no rehabilitation equipment has entered Gaza in the past two years. Eighteen shipments containing wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, and rehabilitation devices remain pending clearance.

“The people of Gaza have endured unimaginable suffering,” Van de Weerdt said. “They deserve not just emergency care, but the sustained support needed to recover and reclaim their lives.”

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed about 72,500 people since October 2023, according to the official count, including at least 850 since the “ceasefire” took effect. (PressTV.ir)

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The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, has referenced this illustration in several of his messages in describing what he calls “America’s errant foreign policy.”

In His book “Message to the Blackman in America,” on page 122, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad referenced scripture in describing the serpent.

“That old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world (Rev. 12:19) is a person or persons whose characteristics are like that of a serpent (snake). Serpents or snakes of the grafted type cannot be trusted, for they will strike you when you are not expecting a strike.”

It was recently announced by the Trump administration that the U.S. and Nigeria reportedly carried out what is being called a “joint mission,” which targeted and killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, reportedly a key figure in the hierarchy of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), also referred to as IS (Islamic State).

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, in a statement, acknowledged the joint operation, which also reportedly killed several of al-Minuki’s “lieutenants.”

We have seen this scenario play out before in terms of America inserting itself into the affairs of sovereign countries, including those in Africa, and in the Arab and Muslim world, some of whom have opened themselves up to America.

According to several news sources, the U.S. currently has about 29 military bases across approximately 15 countries in Africa, and in the Middle East, the number is reportedly close to two dozen.

While the U.S. does not yet have a base in Nigeria, AFRICOM (U.S. Africa Command) is present, further embedding the U.S. on the continent and, one might argue, it is causing more problems.

“In the past 15 years, the U.S. government has quietly expanded its military footprint across the African continent, engaging in ‘special operations’ with African troops in the name of security. Since the 2007 establishment of the Africa Command (AFRICOM).

The defense department’s regional combatant command for Africa, the U.S. has adopted a military-first approach to securing its interests on the continent,” wrote Samar al-Bulushi in a 2023 article, “What Is AFRICOM? How the U.S. Military is Militarizing and Destabilizing Africa.”

“This has had disastrous effects. Whether it’s the seemingly endless (undeclared) war against the militant group Al-Shabaab in Somalia or the wave of coups (in many cases led by U.S.-trained officers), AFRICOM has contributed to the very instability it claims to address,” al-Bulushi noted.

Prior to this recent military operation in Nigeria, in November of 2025, President Donald Trump threatened to put boots on the ground in Nigeria under the guise of reportedly “protecting Christians” from being “persecuted” by Muslims.

Nigeria is a very diverse country and Africa’s most populous nation, with a population of 237.5 million. Nigeria is home to hundreds of tribes and people who speak multiple dialects and languages. Muslims and Christians reside there. It is also a mineral-rich country.

Despite the U.S. often using “democracy” and “fighting terrorism” as justification for engaging in military operations abroad, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan has exposed the true motive, which is to cause brother to rise up against brother, thereby opening the door for America to take advantage and gain control of the wealth and resources that rightfully belong to that country.

In Part 34 of his 2013, 58- week lecture series “The Time and What Must Be Done,” Minister Farrakhan said, “America doesn’t care about ‘democracy’ if that democracy brings into power people that she does not want, that will not be amenable to her foreign-policy objectives and her national interest.

As a result of such planning, based on war mongering, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), the NSA (National Security Agency) and the government of the United States of America would engage, covertly, in creating and exploiting differences that naturally exist in all nations.

And put money behind these differences that would one day explode into possible civil war, fratricidal conflict, death and destruction—based on the lies of the mischief making of this Mischief Maker and Universal Blood Shedder.”

In his message, though, Minister Farrakhan was speaking at the time about Syria, a Muslim nation in the Middle East; America’s goals and objectives then are the same today. It enacts its modus operandi (method of operation) without hesitation and it has for decades.

“Every time there has been a so-called democratic election in the Muslim world, that brought so-called Islamists into political power, America worked to destroy that democratically elected government.

Which shows that America is not interested in a democratically elected government that produces a government that she is not in control of, and cannot have free access to the natural resources of that nation,” Minister Farrakhan added.

Additionally, in part 12 of that same lecture series, Minister Farrakhan warned America, citing the Holy Qur’an, that every nation has a fixed and limited term. He quotes Surah (Chapter 7), Ayat (Verse) 34, which states: “And every nation has a term; so when its term comes, they cannot remain behind the least while, nor can they precede (it).”

Like his teacher, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan has consistently and constantly warned that Allah (God) will judge and ultimately punish America for its misdeeds committed “at home” but also “abroad.”

“It is our Sacred Duty to warn America that the ‘term’—a fixed term—of her power to exercise authority and rule not only over her own citizens, but over the peoples of the Earth:  That term is fast coming to an end.”

The U.S. always presents itself as a benevolent and helpful ally and friend to the other nations of the world when it comes to fighting so-called terrorism or extremism. But as history has shown time and time again, America is the biggest terrorist of them all. There is an old saying: “Beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

The U.S. has functioned as a snake or serpent in its dealings, always swooping in under the guise of playing the hero for a chaotic situation it helped foster.

For Nigeria and other nations of the Earth, when America comes in extending its hand and offering its “support,” “friendship,” and “help,” be very careful, but more importantly, as the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad forewarned, serpents cannot be trusted, and “Beware of false promises.”

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It was the latest incident in growing social unrest challenging the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, who was sworn in as president late last year, ushering a new era for the Andean nation after nearly 20 years of one-party rule.

Thousands of miners descended on downtown La Paz to demand labor reforms and fuel, among other things, but as the hours passed, they began chanting slogans calling for the president’s resignation.

Blockades and marches have paralyzed the Bolivian capital in the past days. Earlier in the day, rural schoolteachers marched through the city center to demand higher wages, further tightening the grip on the capital.

The latest wave of protests was initially triggered by farmers seeking the repeal of a law that permitted land mortgaging. Although the president signed a decree annulling the law on May 13  night and called for an end to the unrest, the demonstrations have continued to spread. (AP)

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said in a new assessment that of the nearly 19.5 million people facing this level of food insecurity, 135,000 people were in Phase 5, which is characterized by “extreme food gaps, starvation, very high levels of malnutrition, and death due to disease or acute malnutrition.”

“Conditions are expected to deteriorate further in the upcoming June–September lean season,” the IPC assessment statement read. It warned that an estimated 825,000 children under five years old are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2026 amid limited access to medical treatment, marking a 7% increase compared to last year and a 25% increase compared to prewar levels.

More than 98,500 children received treatment for severe acute malnutrition between January and March, according to the IPC.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted into a full-scale armed conflict. 

At least 59,000 people have been killed, some 13 million displaced, and many parts of the country have been pushed into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The IPC said May 14 that it found that no area is in famine, but warned that 14 areas in the provinces of North Darfur, South Darfur, and South Kordofan are at risk of famine if conflict intensifies, food access worsens, healthcare and sanitation declines, and displacement increases.

Last year, famine was confirmed in el-Fasher, a major city in the western Darfur region, and in the town of Kadugli, in South Kordofan.

Farmers in Sudan are bracing for an expensive planting season as costs of fertilizers, gasoline to power farm equipment and diesel for irrigation pumps increase due to the conflict in the Middle East.

The Gulf region, where hundreds of commercial ships have been stranded for weeks because of Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, provides over half of Sudan’s fertilizer that’s imported by sea. Fuel prices have shot up by around 30%. (AP)

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CHICAGO—A veteran Black educator’s legal fight against Chicago Public Schools is entering a critical phase after a federal judge allowed core discrimination claims to move forward, setting the stage for what could become a broader test of accountability within one of the nation’s largest school systems. The judge made the decision on March 27.

Abdul Muhammad’s federal lawsuit, Muhammad v. Chicago Board of Education, outlines what his attorneys describe as a pattern of obstruction, shifting requirements, and discriminatory treatment that began after he was selected by Lindblom Math and Science Academy’s Local School Council to serve as principal in 2022.

According to the complaint, the school council voted multiple times to select Mr. Muhammad for the permanent principal position, but CPS officials repeatedly delayed or interfered with the process.

The lawsuit alleges that after concerns were raised internally about his faith as a member of the Nation of Islam and his race as a Black man, district officials withheld a four-year contract, placed him on an interim agreement, and later launched investigations that culminated in his removal in March 2023.

The complaint further alleges that false misconduct allegations were compiled into investigative findings used to justify his termination, despite internal evidence later concluding that the most serious allegation—that he failed to report misconduct—was unsubstantiated.

In a significant development, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood ruled that key racial and religious discrimination claims against the Chicago Board of Education could proceed.

In her Memorandum Opinion and Order, Judge Wood wrote that, at the motion-to-dismiss stage, the court must accept the plaintiff’s factual allegations as true and found that Mr. Muhammad had plausibly alleged discrimination under federal law.

While the judge dismissed some claims and certain defendants on procedural grounds, the ruling allows the core discrimination allegations to move into discovery, where attorneys can subpoena records, depose witnesses, and further examine internal CPS communications and decision-making.

With major portions of his case surviving dismissal, Abdul Muhammad is now preparing to advance his claims through discovery and potential trial—seeking to prove that CPS officials engaged in systemic retaliation, racial and religious discrimination, and the concealment of exonerating evidence.

“I was removed based on false allegations,” Mr. Muhammad said, describing what he called a “retaliatory and biased process” that derailed his career and damaged his reputation.

A contested removal and hidden findings

According to court filings and federal complaints, Mr. Muhammad, identified in legal documents as a “Black, male, Muslim member of the Nation of Islam,” was selected by a local school council to serve as principal in 2022 after a competitive process.

But despite that selection, CPS leadership delayed granting him a permanent contract and later removed him from the position in March 2023 following an internal investigation that cited multiple allegations of misconduct.

Central to Mr. Muhammad’s claims is an accusation that CPS knowingly relied on false allegations, particularly that he failed to report alleged misconduct involving a student, while withholding an internal Office of Inspector General report that cleared him.

“That report, a July 25, 2023 Chicago Public Schools Office of Inspector General report identified in complaints as Case #23-01011, concluded that allegations Mr. Muhammad failed to report misconduct were unsubstantiated.

Effectively exonerating him on the central claim, yet was not disclosed to him or federal investigators for nearly two years, according to his complaint to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General.”

“Despite this knowledge, CPS withheld the OIG report … and continued to repeat false claims,” Mr. Muhammad stated in a separate complaint filed with the EEOC watchdog office.

Federal complaints and legal developments

Mr. Muhammad has filed complaints with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the Department of Education, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging civil rights violations, retaliation, and systemic bias.

His federal lawsuit claims racial and religious discrimination under Title VII and other statutes. In a recent Memorandum Opinion and Order, the court ruled that, while some claims and defendants were dismissed, key discrimination claims against the Chicago Board of Education survived, allowing the case to proceed.

The ruling means the case now moves into the next phase, where evidence can be formally obtained, witnesses deposed, and the factual record more fully developed.

Mr. Muhammad underscored its significance. “She moved forward on discrimination—the biggest thing, racial and religious discrimination,” he said to The Final Call.

The case also includes allegations that internal communications referenced his faith in the Nation of Islam in a negative manner, raising concerns about religious bias.

Allegations of coordinated misconduct

Mr. Muhammad’s filings go beyond individual claims, asserting that senior CPS leadership—including the district’s chief executive—played a role in directing the investigation and subsequent actions taken against him.

He also alleges that multiple officials were involved in disseminating false information and suppressing evidence, and notes that some individuals connected to the case were later disciplined or removed following separate complaints of misconduct and bias.

“These actions were not isolated,” his Justice Department complaint states, but part of a broader “pattern of racially and politically motivated investigations.”

CPS has not publicly responded in detail to the allegations outlined in the complaints.

Historical echoes and ongoing struggle

Advocates point out that Mr. Muhammad’s case must also be viewed in a larger historical context—one shaped by decades of systemic inequities in education, employment, and public institutions affecting Black Americans.

From redlining and school segregation to modern disparities in discipline and hiring, the struggle for fairness in education systems remains ongoing.

Conclusion: Court ruling sets stage for next chapter

Legal experts note that such rulings are pivotal: they do not determine guilt or innocence but open the door for deeper scrutiny through discovery and, potentially, trial. For Mr. Muhammad, the next move is clear—press forward, compel disclosure of evidence, and seek accountability in court.

For the broader community, the case represents something larger: a continued demand that institutions entrusted with educating Black children operate with fairness, transparency, and justice—principles many say are long overdue.

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 “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” The Earth was not made for the wicked, it is the home of the Righteous. But the Earth is burdened by a civilization that does not belong here.

This is why in both the Bible and the Holy Qur’an, you read of a destruction coming to the people of this world. Dormant volcanoes are coming to life, burning people up with lava; earthquakes, tornadoes, cyclones and hurricanes are destroying people.

Allah (God) says, “I am getting rid of a burden on My Earth and I am going to kill human beings until there is hardly anything left, because this Earth was made for the Righteous.”

Now you and I must rid ourselves of the burden that we carry. If you are awake and conscious, you cannot do things you know are wrong and not bear the burden and scar of your own actions. When you know what is right and willfully go against what is right, then your mind carries a burden.

That is called the burden of sin and sin produces the death of the mind and spirit. You cannot fool Allah (God) and you cannot fool yourself. You know what you did last night and what you did last week. Sin is something you cannot forget.

You can forget some of your good deeds, because good is in accordance with your entire nature and does not burden you. But every evil thing you ever did in your life, even as a small child, is a burden on you.

You can remember it, and call it back, because it is not natural. Sin is not natural to you. If you invaded your brothers’ house when he was not looking, and took his wife, that is a burden.

If you saw a woman on the bus the other night and slapped her, and took her pocketbook so you could buy some crack (cocaine), you have a heavy burden. You may have been high at the time, so you don’t think it registers.

But one day, when you come out of the effect of the drug, you will feel the pain of a searing hot flame on your consciousness, then you will know why Jesus comes to say to the human being, “God forgives.”

You and I need a God that will say, “I forgive you.” Do you know what that means for Allah (God) to wipe your slate clean? That is why Muslims look so good—because when we submit our will to do The Will of Allah (God), immediately, everything you ever did in your days of ignorance, even it was murder, is wiped away as though it had never been. What Mercy! How wonderful!

The way to relieve yourself of the burden of sin is to recognize that confession is good for the soul. Do not go to the preacher to confess, go to Allah (God). You have no intercessor between you and your Creator.

You do not need any minister, priest, father or pope. Go to your Creator and talk to Him, because He already knows. Then you openly confess. No one has to be there, just you; if you are sincere and sorry over what you did, you will start crying as you pray because you are so sad for what you did.

When you finish your prayer you will feel clean and when you come out from the private place where you confess your faults, the burden is lifted. Don’t ever go back to that behavior ever, ever again. When you make up your mind and not go back to that behavior, you are free of it.

So, you go home Beloved, and get that long mirror as I told you to do in Part I of this series. When you are alone, take your clothes off and look at yourself. Make up your mind you are going to cast off the unwanted burden of excess fat.

Do not take any crash diet. That is madness. The excess fat did not arrive in a crash diet. Losing weight is a slow, painful process. Select the right foods to eat and discipline yourself. Say, “I am not going to eat in between my meals. I am not going to do it.”

Beloved, there is nothing more powerful than a made-up mind. Don’t say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” Don’t tell me about tomorrow, because you know nothing about tomorrow. All that you have is this moment in time. Make up your mind now! No more swill, junk or filth in the House of Allah (God).

May God bless you with success in your endeavors to do His Will for the benefit of yourself, your family and your Nation.

Be it the Will of Allah (God), in Part III of this series I will discuss the immeasurable value of exercise in the War Against Obesity (Fat).

The post THE WAR AGAINST OBESITY (FAT), Part 2 Conclusion The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan Reveals To The Black Nation: God’s Healing Power appeared first on Final Call News.

by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. The Defender

This article was originally published by The Defender—Childrens Health Defense News & Views Website on May 8, 2026.

Two states this week moved to require that vaccine records be included in the autopsy reports of children who die from unexplained causes. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday (May 6) signed a bill requiring medical examiners to document recent immunizations on the death certificates of children who died from unknown causes.

On Thursday (May 7), a Louisiana bill, “A Voice for the Voiceless,” passed the House with a 76-12 vote. The Senate unanimously passed the bill in March. It’s now headed to the desk of Gov. Jeff Landry, who is expected to sign it.

Current law requires coroners who designate a death as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Sudden Unexpected Infant Death, Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome or Sudden Death in the Young—all of which refer to a sudden death with no discernible cause—to report the death and designation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Oklahoma and Louisiana bills amend the existing public health law by directing coroners to document any vaccines administered within 90 days of death on autopsy reports for children under age 15 who died unexpectedly and without explanation.

Medical researcher and SIDS expert Neil Z. Miller, author of numerous books on vaccine safety, told The Defender in an earlier interview that “of course” such legislation is a good idea.

“A child never dies from ‘unknown causes,’” Miller said. “There is always a reason for death. Often, that reason is vaccines. But medical examiners may be ‘hesitant’ to list vaccines as the probable cause due to intense pressure from medical colleagues.”

The legislation would relieve that pressure.

Iowa’s bill was advanced to the health committee in January, but has not been updated since.

Florida’s bill “died in Health Policy,” according to the Florida Senate website.

Minnesota’s bill was introduced over a year ago and is listed as a current bill in the Senate, but no actions have been taken since it was introduced.

Mississippi’s bill “died in committee.”

Louisiana proactive in investigating link between infant deaths and vaccines

In a post on X congratulating Patrick McMath, the state senator who sponsored the bill, Stand for Health Freedom wrote, “Next stop: Governor Landry’s desk. With his signature, Louisiana becomes the first state to include this vital information in the reporting of unexplained child deaths.”

McMath told The Defender the legislation will allow the state “to gather data and see whether or not a correlation exists” between vaccines and sudden infant and child death.

Landry’s office did not immediately respond to The Defender’s inquiry about whether he plans to sign the bill. However, Landry has been a strong advocate for health freedom.

As attorney general, Landry sued then-Gov. John Bel Edwards to stop COVID-19 vaccines from being added to the state’s school immunization schedule. Landry also filed an amicus brief in support of Children’s Health Defense’s (CHD) groundbreaking lawsuit against the legacy news media members of the Trusted News Initiative.

Louisiana has been proactive in investigating the link between infant and child deaths and vaccines. In 2024, the House passed a bill requesting that the Louisiana Department of Health conduct a study examining the relationship between unexpected deaths of infants and children, ages 2 and under, and the administration of vaccinations.

It was also under Landry that the Louisiana Department of Public Health shared its infant mortality data and immunization with CHD’s science team.

An analysis of that data found that infants vaccinated in their second month of life were more likely to die in their third month than unvaccinated infants. Female and Black infants died at higher rates than male or white babies.

In other states that have introduced bills similar to Louisiana’s, legislators cited CHD’s study as key in demonstrating why such information ought to be included in autopsy reports.

Research, data support link between vaccines and SIDS

A SIDS diagnosis is given when an infant under age 1 dies suddenly, typically during sleep, and an investigation into the death fails to yield a cause. Ninety-five percent of SIDS deaths occur in the first six months of life, peaking at ages 2-4 months.

Each year, the U.S. records more than five infant deaths per 1,000 live births, far exceeding rates in other high-income countries. The CDC’s monitoring of the sudden deaths of infants and young people is not comprehensive.

A recent study published in JAMA Network Open found that the CDC underestimates the rate of sudden unexplained deaths in childhood and that certification of sudden unexplained pediatric deaths is inconsistent.

After birth defects and prematurity, SIDS is the third leading cause of death among infants. The medical industry claims to remain puzzled about the cause.

Recent research hypothesizes that infants with underdeveloped liver pathways may be more susceptible to SIDS after vaccination, because their bodies lack the ability to process toxic chemicals present in small quantities in vaccines.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program—which compensates people injured by vaccines—recently awarded payouts to two families of infants who died suddenly from allegedly “undetermined” causes, according to the medical examiners, following vaccination.

The SIDS diagnosis didn’t exist until the late 1960s, when the category was created in response to a rise in sudden unexplained infant deaths.

In the early 1960s, the number of vaccines administered to most U.S. infants increased. The federal government began appropriating money so the CDC could work with local health departments to vaccinate all children.

In 1972, the agency designated the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as a federal advisory committee. ACIP makes the recommendations for vaccines to be listed on the childhood immunization schedule.

In 1979, officials removed vaccination as possible cause of SIDS

As SIDS rates rose, so did parental concern that SIDS was connected to vaccination. However, health officials assured parents that unexplained death following vaccination was “merely coincidental,” according to Miller’s research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Toxicology Reports.

He also said that before 1979, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) included cause-of-death classifications associated with “prophylactic vaccination” as an official cause of death.

However, in 1979, the ICD was revised and that category was eliminated. As a result, “medical examiners are compelled to misclassify and conceal vaccine-related fatalities under alternate cause-of-death classifications,” Miller said.

Instead of examining the link between vaccines and SIDS, public health researchers developed a “triple-risk model” for explaining SIDS.

According to that model, SIDS occurs when a baby has an unknown medical condition, is going through an important period of development where the body changes quickly, and it encounters an outside stressor, such as sleeping on its stomach.

Because this model offers the prevailing theory on causes of infant death, it’s not uncommon for law enforcement to blame parents when babies die after vaccination.

Police are not educated about possible links between vaccination and SIDS, and information about vaccination is typically not included in coroner’s reports—a gap the new legislation will correct.

This article was originally published by The Defender—Childrens Health Defense News & Views Website under Creative Commons license CC BYNCND 4.0.

After birth defects and prematurity, SIDS is the third leading cause of death among infants. The medical industry claims to remain puzzled about the cause.

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At Final Call press time, the election for the office was in the midst of intense litigation at the federal appellate level, as the case is poised to set a historic legal precedent regarding voting rights in the United States.

Having defeated the incumbent, Darren Lombard, by 68.2% to 31.8% during a November runoff  election, critics maintain that efforts by Louisiana’s Republican lawmakers to eliminate the office of Clerk of Criminal Courts District by changing the law after Mr. Duncan’s landslide win were motivated by politics and a blatant dismissal of the voters’ will.

The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked Mr. Duncan from taking office on May 4 as it reviews the case, which has yet to be decided.

Until the appellate court delivers its formal opinion, Mr. Duncan’s case remains in flux, with the next step being an appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court should their decision fail to uphold the local electorate’s choice. In the interim, the office remains consolidated under the parish Civil Clerk’s office.

“My reaction for this morning was that I was going to finally be able to live out the dream … that’s been in the making over 40 years,” Mr. Duncan said during a May 4 press conference broadcast by WDSU News 6 in New Orleans.

“I got a chance to be a clerk for like three hours, and that’s what I concentrate on.  It’s been an ongoing legal saga,” he said of the state’s last-minute passage of a law to eliminate the office he won with over two-thirds of the vote.

Mr. Duncan spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. While incarcerated, he began studying law.  According to reporting by NPR, “Duncan dreamed of changing the system by becoming clerk of court to help people get their records.

Duncan was finally released in 2011, with the help of the Innocence Project New Orleans.  He was later exonerated.  In 2023, he earned a law degree.  He finally felt qualified to run for his dream job, clerk of criminal court, who is also in charge of elections.”

However, after his victory, political roadblocks were erected.

Former New Orleans City Council President Oliver M. Thomas Jr., who held office between 2002 and 2007, told The Final Call that the machinations against Black people in the state capital are nothing new in Louisiana and that the unspoken rules of racial hierarchy and class have stratified his city’s majority Black population between the interests of its masses and the interests of the wealthy, regardless of race and party affiliation.

“The conservatives and many people who are anti-democracy feel that the national tide has turned in their favor in many cases, and that below the Mason-Dixon line there’s an environment of complacency amongst Black voters and people who’ve been disenfranchised,”

Mr. Thomas said. He drew a parallel between voter apathy within inner cities and among the poor to an abused person who won’t leave their abuser, while the people who are most organized and focused take controlling roles in local politics.

“They’ve been beaten down, they don’t put up a fight, even under extreme conditions, so in many cases, we act the same way,” Mr. Thomas said of his analogy. He explained that he sees little change coming until conditions become so unbearable that a generation will rise and won’t take it anymore.

Community activist, Byron S. Cole of Fathers Advocacy, a mentorship program championing education and juvenile justice issues for at-risk youth in New Orleans.

Told The Final Call that the Criminal Courts District office oversees more than judicial administration and records management. He said the office also provides election oversight throughout Orleans Parish. It is a position and office of critical importance.

“They (those in power) don’t want to have the discussion that they’ve been trying to control the courts because the clerk of courts controls the elections,” Mr. Cole said.

He stated that only months after Calvin Duncan’s victory, both the state senate and the state house passed legislation to merge the Clerk of Criminal Courts District with the office of the Civil District Court Clerk, and explained that the timing of the legislative actions through SB (Senate bill) 256 disrespects the will of the people who voted. 

Baton Rouge-based civil rights activist Gary Chambers delivered an impassioned message to the Louisiana State House of Representatives on April 28 after the bill, introduced February 26, passed the Louisiana Senate on April 8 and the House on April 23.

“I know how the political process works, so I know that most of what we say at this microphone doesn’t mean much to you at all as representatives,” Mr. Chambers said to the State Representatives present at the hearing.

“But your state ranks 50 in the nation because you continue to do these things. We rank 50 in the economy, number 50 in crime, number 46 in education, number 44 in healthcare, number 49 in natural environment, but you got time to take away clerks of court seats,” Mr. Chambers said.

“You’re proud Republicans, proud conservatives, you’re reconstructionist, and it’s racist and every one of your votes reflect your moral character and the lack thereof,” he said plainly.

“If you believe in local representation, like I know most of you truly do, you wouldn’t be meddling in this local community, and you don’t do this anywhere else in the state, which shows it’s racist,” Mr. Chambers stated.

Designed to go into effect May 3, one day before Calvin Duncan was to start his four-year term, Republican Governor Jeff Landry officially signed the bill into state law  as Act 15 on May 1. 

The Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court, having been legally abolished, has been officially consolidated into the Civil Clerk’s office, although the case is on an expedited schedule before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to determine its constitutionality. 

According to a May 11 article by Veritenews.org, the New Orleans City Council voted 5-2 to appoint an interim court clerk, retired Judge Calvin Johnson, and called for a special election on November 3, but it’s not clear if  the election will be allowed to proceed.

‘“The council’s votes came in spite of a warning from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who, in a letter, said the clerk’s position has already been filled.

According to Murrill, under the newly passed law—which abolished the position Duncan was elected to last year and consolidated the city’s two court clerk offices into one—the incumbent Clerk of Civil District Court Chelsey Richard Napoleon is now the Orleans Parish clerk of court and will remain so for a full four-year term,’” the Verite News article stated.  

Veritenews.org further reported that in a May 8 letter, Murrill said the council’s actions would be “not only legally misguided but also irresponsible,” and warned that she would take legal action to prevent Johnson from taking office and the special election from being held.

Political scientist and host of Inside the Issues on Sirius XM satellite radio channel 126, Wilmer J. Leon III, Ph.D., told The Final Call that Mr. Duncan’s being blocked from assuming office reflects the idea that elected officials select their voters rather than voters selecting their elected officials.

“Now they want to do away with the position that he ran and was duly elected for,” Dr. Leon said. “What we’re seeing play out with Calvin Duncan is just another unfortunate example of electoral politics in this country moving backward in terms of ‘Make America Great Again,’

Instead of moving forward. Donald Trump is not the causation; Donald Trump is the culmination, he is the symptom, not the cause,” Dr. Leon said of America’s current state of affairs.

The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad, the Eternal Leader of the Nation of Islam, has constantly and consistently warned about the volatility of America’s political system and of the manipulation and machinations of those in power, which come at the expense of American citizens. Minister Farrakhan forewarned of the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act.

“We are not going to let voting rights die; but, I want you to be prepared for something: Every time we received an ‘amendment,’ it had to be followed by a ‘civil rights action’ (because they passed an amendment, but their brethren didn’t like it),”

Minister Farrakhan said in a June 14, 2013, message as part of the “Never Forget, Never Again Pilgrimage,” to commemorate the 1965 demonstration for civil rights known as “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama. The title of the message is, “Soldiers in the Movement of Christ.”

“So someone doesn’t like the fact that there is “Section V” of The Voting Rights Bill that gives state and local government enforcement powers, and so there are those who want to deprive you of that right by gerrymandering, by redistricting, by doing all the little tricks that the wicked one does to deprive us of a right that is, really, ours,” Minister Farrakhan said.

Student Minister Willie Muhammad of Mosque No. 46, under the leadership of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, told The Final Call that the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad reflects how the life of a man like Calvin Duncan,

Who was wrongfully convicted, sentenced to life and spent decades behind bars for a crime he did not commit, gives warning to the nature of a system that is unraveling before the eyes of the entire world.

 “Think about all the good a man like Calvin Duncan could do as Clerk of Courts when there are countless Black men and women sitting in jail because of delays, lost paperwork, lack of resources or failures within the system,”

Student Minister Willie Muhammad said. “A man who lived through injustices may be more committed than anyone to making sure others are not forgotten by the same system that once failed them,” he said. 

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