First Black New England Mayor Dies Leo Jackson the first Black mayor of a New England city, has died. He was 83. Jackson shocked the nation three decades ago when he his fellow city councilors in New London, Conn., selected him to lead the city. Read more.

Limbaugh Shifts Rage Toward Court Nominee
Rush Limbaugh took an intermission from bashing former Secretary of State Colin Powell Tuesday to focus his energies on President Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Sonia Sotomayor is both a “racist” and a “hack,” the conservative radio commentator bloviated during his popular broadcast. “Here you have a racist – you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist,” Limbaugh said, referring to the nominee’s 2001 comment during a Berkeley, Calif., speech that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a White male who hasn’t lived that life.” He also challenged the notion that “minorities cannot be racist because they don’t have the power to implement their racism,” saying, “Well, those days are gone because reverse racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he’s appointed one. …She’s not the brain that they’re portraying her to be. She’s not a constitutional jurist.” In recent weeks, Limbaugh has said that Powell – the first African American to hold the positions of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor and secretary of State – is not a true Republican but a liberal Democrat in a GOP disguise. Powell has urged fellow Republicans to reject Limbaugh’s rhetoric as incendiary and damaging to the party.

First Black New England Mayor Dies
Leo Jackson the first Black mayor of a New England city, has died. He was 83. Jackson shocked the nation three decades ago when he his fellow city councilors in New London, Conn., selected him to lead the city. One of those giving him a shout out was then-President Jimmy Carter, whom Jackson supported in Carter’s 1980 primary battle with fellow New Englander, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy. Although Jackson was only mayor for one, one-year term, he would remain on the New London City Council for the next 13 years. Jackson died at his home in New London on Sunday night.