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'Grey's' Isaiah Washington Blames Racism for Firing

"Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington said racism was a factor in his firing from the hit ABC series, not his use of an anti-gay slur. "Someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me," Washington told Newsweek. Following the incident, Washington tried to make amends by shooting a public-service announcement denouncing gay slurs and volunteered to enter a counseling program. "I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio ... It's nuts when your presence alone can just scare people, and that made me a prime candidate to take the heat in a dysfunctional family," Washington said. So why is he now claiming racism got him fired? Read more.

Black Teen Convicted in Beating of White Student

Mychal Bell, 17, of Jena Louisiana faced attempted murder and conspiracy charges in the beating of a white schoolmate amid growing racial tension at their high school. After the attempted murder charges were reduced by a prosecutor earlier this week, an all-white six-member jury found Bell guilty of the new charges: aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated second-degree battery, which could lead to a sentence of more than 20 years for Bell. "The best thing, if you're black in this town, is to stay out of the system, because once they get you, you're done for. You're not getting out," Edna Thompson, a longtime friend of the Bells, said later. Read more.

Obama's List of Donors Hits Nearly 250,000 in '08

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has raised his total number of donors to nearly 250,000 people in the first six months of the year. The campaign won't say yet how much the donors have given, but the large number suggests their fundraising will be competitive with the $25.7 million he raised in the first quarter. The campaign said its goal is to attract 250,000 donors by midnight on Saturday, the next money-reporting deadline, and was running a live tally on his web site to help bring in more. It was about 4,000 short as of midday Thursday. Do you think he can do it? Read more.

Immigration Bill's Defeat Concerns Employers

The defeat of the Senate immigration bill Thursday created major worries for employers across the country who depend on immigrant workers. Employers from food-processing industries and agriculture as well as construction contractors and commercial landscapers were among the most persistent forces pushing for passage of the Senate bill, which failed yesterday when senators voted 53 to 46 not to proceed to a vote. The measure would have provided a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants, who make up a significant percentage of workers in many low-wage labor-intensive industries. Employers say they face a bleak landscape of intensified raids by the immigration authorities and growing pressure to purge undocumented immigrants from their work force. What will happen next? Read more.

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