Are Women Wall Street Execs Under Siege?

Kimberley's Story
	Part I: One Woman's Story of Racism & Sexism on Wall Street
	Part II: 'Not the Right Fit': Smart, Young Black Woman on Wall Street
	Part III: From Wall Street Devastation to Church Salvation
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Last week, Morgan Stanley ushered Zoe Cruz, its top-ranking woman executive, out the door and into retirement, much to the shock of Wall Street. Cruz, among the highest-paid women, raking in $27 million last year, was among a small group of women on Wall Street positioned to take over a major financial firm. However, many see Cruz's firing as part of a growing trend, as four other high-ranking executives at major financial firms have been shown the door or have had their duties lessened--including, Erin Callan, chief financial officer of Lehman Brothers, reports The New York Times. (Click on the audio icons and links to the right to hear one talented woman's story about the discrimination she experienced on Wall Street, what she did and her advice to others.)

(See also: Top Woman Exec/Former 'CEO Heir Apparent' Ousted From Morgan Stanley [scroll down] and Why So Few Senior People of Color and Women on Wall Street?)

Jena 6 Update: Mychal Bell to Enter Plea Bargain

Mychal Bell, 17, is expected to enter a guilty plea to charges of second-degree battery and conspiracy as early as Monday, said attorney Carol Powell Lexing. "We were prepared to go forward with the trial, but you have to do what's best for the client," Lexing said Sunday, reports The Associated Press. Bell is scheduled to go to trial Thursday on the felony charges for his suspected role in an attack on Justin Barker, a white student at Jena High School in central Louisiana. Read all about the Jena 6 on DiversityInc.com and check out DiversityInc's exclusive national Noose Watch.

Despite Intent, Child Support Offers Little Help

Child support from absent fathers is offering many of America's poorest families little help because the federal government is claming a large percentage before it reaches them. Even though the father may be paying hundreds of dollars each month, close to half the states pass along none of collected child support to families on welfare, and other states pay only $50 a month to a custodial parent, usually the mother, reports The New York Times.

Sen. Craig in Trouble Again: Eight Men Allege Sex, Unwanted Advances

Eight men say they have either had sex with Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, or were targets of sexual advances by the lawmaker at various times during his political career, reports The Associated Press. Despite pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after being accused by an undercover officer of soliciting sex at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, Craig announced he would remain in his post in the Senate until his term expires in January 2009. Craig, in an e-mailed statement, deemed the new allegations "completely false."

(See also: Sen. Craig: 'I Am Not Gay' and What LGBT Groups Are Saying About Sen. Craig)

Jurors Subpoenaed Over Racist Remarks

Jurors who convicted Christopher McCowen, a black man, of the rape and murder of a white fashion writer in 2002 on Cape Cod are back in court for a rare public hearing to consider whether racial bias influenced the verdict, reports The New York Times. Judge Gary Nickerson allowed a motion filed by the McCowens' attorneys and ordered the jurors to appear in court on Jan. 10 and 11.

British Teacher Pardoned After Religious Infraction

British teacher Gillian Gibbons, who was jailed last week for allowing students to name a teddy bear Muhammad, was released Monday after Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir pardoned her. Gibbons was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation for insulting Islam because she allowed her students to name a class teddy bear Muhammad, seen as a reference to Islam's Prophet Muhammad, an offense that carries a punishment that includes up to 40 lashes, six months in prison and a fine, reports National Public Radio.

Are HIV Rates Higher Than Reported?

Days after World AIDS Day, scientists speculate the number of HIV rates may be 50 percent higher than reported. For 14 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used informal methods to estimate that about 40,000 people annually in the United States are newly infected with HIV. In recent years, federal officials have worked to set up a more accurate assessment technique. Now, reports show that number may be a high as 63,000 infected in the most recent 12-month period. "We currently have a paper going through a scientific review process," Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesperson, told The New York Times, "and until that process is complete, we're not in a position to say one way or another whether the numbers will actually be up from current estimates."

(See also: Why Is AIDS/HIV So Prevalent Among Blacks?)

Thousands Mourn Football Player's Death

Thousands are expected to attend the funeral services of Redskins' safety Sean Taylor, who was gunned down last Monday in his south Miami home by four men. Taylor died last Tuesday after spending Monday unconscious. The four men accused of killing Taylor made their first court appearance on Saturday; all four have been charged with unpremeditated murder, home invasion with a firearm or another deadly weapon and armed burglary. They will be transported to Miami, though authorities haven't said when, reports The Associated Press.

(See also: Killed in His Prime: An American Tragedy)

'Kite Runner' Stars Moved, Fearing Danger

The stars of the Paramount Pictures movie "The Kite Runner" were moved to the United States Emirates on Friday morning, said officials working with the studio, reports The New York Times. Fearing the young stars were vulnerable to reprisal because of the film's depiction of a culturally inflammatory rape scene, the four young stars were moved and will not be able to attend the movie premiere on Tuesday in Egypt. The movie, titled after the popular book written by Khaled Hosseini, is a tale of childhood betrayal, ethnic tension and sexual predation in Afghanistan.   

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