Latest news with #Hultman
The Hill
6 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
AllAfrica covers a continent the US is increasingly ignoring
For the staff of the digital news service AllAfrica, this has been a typically frenetic season. The platform is the premier producer and aggregator of content from and about Africa. It reaches tens of millions monthly with news in English and French, coverage usually absent from most Western media. A rare exception was President Trump's May 21 Oval Office ambush of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a propaganda video. Trump claimed South Africa's white Afrikaners were subjects of widespread land confiscations and 'genocide.' Seasoned negotiator Ramaphosa deftly referred questions to his team's Afrikaners: a cabinet minister, a billionaire businessman and a former world golfing champion. The White House confrontation was a 'developing story that isn't going away, and poorly covered — without context — by all major media,' said Dr. Tamela (Tami) Hultman, AllAfrica's co-founder and chief content officer. In fact, many Afrikaners whom the administration has deemed 'refugees' have admitted to accepting free repatriation to find easier jobs. South African polls showed most Afrikaners are uninterested in leaving South Africa. AllAfrica provided that deeper context. Reed Kramer, another co-founder, told me South Africa's concern about Afrikaner disinformation continues as Trump's team uses it to undermine the country's current G-20 inter-governmental economic group presidency. 'We're valued for comprehensive African coverage, not just what U.S. media see as the issue of the moment,' said Hultman. (Full disclosure: Hultman, Kramer and I were classmates at Duke University in the 1960s.) AllAfrica reported on less-noticed news, such as cancelled U.S. funding for HIV and drug-resistant tuberculosis research by South Africa's world-class scientists. Most recently, Hultman said AllAfrica's audience seems more interested in New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee, Uganda-born Zohran Mamdani. Hultman said AllAfrica seeks to spotlight other under-covered issues, such as the Trump administration's desire for minerals from war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, plus Africa's agricultural innovations and entrepreneurial culture. 'It is inexplicable,' she told me, 'that international media have largely ignored the world's worst humanitarian disaster — in Sudan — where U.S. allies support rival combatants who overthrew a democratic government, are stealing the country's gold and creating famine.' Genocide in Sudan's Darfur area, which prompted global outrage in the early 2000s, has returned. AllAfrica was among the first to report South Sudan's refusal to accept eight deportees from Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico, leading to the administration's threatened withdrawal of all South Sudan visas, including that of basketball star Khaman Maluach, just hours before Duke's NCAA Final Four appearance. Further evidence of the administration's devaluing Africa's strategic importance were Pentagon signals of dramatically cutting military assistance and training to African armies fighting insurgencies. The site's groundbreaking coverage of Africa's Covid crisis exposed wealthy nations' failure to share vaccines with African countries, even when South Africa, for example, contracted to package vaccines for export to the U.K. A long-time working relationship with World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and his team facilitated that reporting. In its early days, AllAfrica was nominated as ' Best News Site,' alongside Google and BBC, by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The website Media Bias Fact Check wrote, 'Overall, we rate AllAfrica Least Biased based on balanced and diverse story selection and High for factual reporting due to proper sourcing and a clean fact check record.' 'For decades, AllAfrica has been indispensable for teaching about Africa,' said Kenneth Vickery, emeritus professor of African history at North Carolina State University. 'Nothing else provides the range, depth and quality of its coverage.' Over 60 percent of AllAfrica's multimedia audience is in Africa, primarily using mobile devices. Users include journalists, heads of state and government, business leaders, scientists and clinicians, human rights organizations and democracy activists. 'We began early on and continue to this day to work with African journalists, some very brave and dedicated people among them,' said Kramer, who has known Ramaphosa since before he became South Africa's president. Still, there is work to be done. On July 9, at a White House meeting of West African leaders, Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his English skills, wondering, 'Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?' English has been the official language of Liberia for more than 200 years, as it was settled by formerly enslaved African Americans. Hultman and Kramer attribute their career to listening to Africans, beginning with their pioneering on-the-ground research on U.S. corporations supporting apartheid in the 1960s and 1970s. 'We were in the fortunate position of knowing both the activists arising inside South Africa and a network of outside contacts who wanted to support them,' Kramer told an interviewer. 'The concept of a news agency focusing on Africa stemmed from frustration with the lack of news and information.' Last May, Hultman and Kramer, who are married, received Lifetime Achievement Awards during the 2024 African Media Leaders Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, for 'exceptional contributions to media development in Africa.' The third co-founder and AllAfrica's executive chair, Amadou Mahtar Ba from Senegal, said at the ceremony, 'In an era where the media landscape continues to change at a breathtaking pace, Tamela Hultman and Reed Kramer remain beacons of inspiration, reminding us of the enduring power of truth and the boundless potential of digital innovation.' AllAfrica is using artificial intelligence to increase collaborative content creation with staff in Dakar, Cape Town, Nairobi, Monrovia and Washington, D.C. The site will help enable around 100 print and broadcast partners across Africa to use the newest Voice AI and Voice Agent technologies to boost efficiency and revenues. Sustaining an independent news agency is increasingly challenging, Hultman says. But 'covering Africa — with its dynamism, creativity and vast untapped youth market — is critical to United States strategic interests.' AllAfrica's multi-national staff, Hultman and Kramer say, is dedicated to being the voice of 'All Africa All the Time.'
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why are flags at half-staff? Iowa flags lowered for second day in a row
For the second day in a row, flags around Iowa will remain at half-staff. All flags at the State Capitol Building as well as flags on public buildings, grounds and facilities throughout the staff will be at half-staff. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags be lowered Friday and Saturday but for different reasons. Flags across Iowa were lowered to honor the passing of former Iowa State Senate President Jack Kibbie. So why are flags lowered for Saturday as well? Flags in Iowa will remain at half-staff Saturday to honor Evan "Curly" Hultman who died in February at age 99. Hultman was elected to attorney general in 1960. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was awarded the Army's Distinguished Medal in 1984. Hultman was awarded the U.S. Secretary of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1994, according to a news release from Reynold's office. More: 'A hometown hero': Former Iowa Attorney General Evan 'Curly' Hultman dies at 99 'Curly was an extraordinary Iowan and a highly decorated World War II veteran who dedicated himself to serving our country as a soldier and serving our state as a public servant,' Reynolds said in the news release. 'After a long career in law, Curly supported his fellow war veterans by raising funds for numerous veteran programs and causes. Curly was a great man who will be missed dearly. Kevin and I are keeping his family in our thoughts and prayers.' Half-mast is used when the flag is flown from a flagpole, typically referring to a ship mast or similar structures, according to Federal Flags. Half-mast means the flag is flown two-thirds up between the top and bottom of the flagstaff. Half-staff is the term used for flags on land, particularly in the United States. Half-staff describes a flag that is raised halfway, between the top and bottom of the flagpole. When the American flag is flown at half-staff, it conveys a message of respect and mourning. Federal Flags says this custom is most often observed following the death of a government official, military personnel or in response to a national tragedy. Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@ or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Why are flags at half-staff? Iowa flags lowered for second day
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hultman: $3 million fee hike to touch all employers
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Legislature is considering whether to allow the state Department of Labor and Regulation to increase an administrative fee that helps pay for operating the state's reemployment fund and have the fee expand so that it applies to all employers. The legislation, Senate Bill 26, calls for raising the fee to $12 per employee from the current $3. That would generate $3 million, according to state Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman. To offset the higher fee, state reemployment tax rates would be reduced by $3 million. How 2 Sioux Falls restaurants view possible tariffs Hultman told the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee that keeping the administrative fee at the current $3 per employee would force the state Reemployment Assistance Division to reduce its workforce from the current 76 to 51. 'This would leave a skeletal crew and an inability to perform basic functions of the division,' she warned. And if that happened, Hultman continued, South Dakota employers would face a federal unemployment tax increase of $183 million. Many South Dakota businesses aren't welcoming the fee increase, but lobbyists representing their groups nonetheless spoke in favor. 'If we don't do this fee swap, our businesses will pay more in taxes,' South Dakota Retailers Association executive director Nathan Sanderson testified. Hultman last year presented the proposal to the state Reemployment Assistance Advisory Council. Sanderson is one of the members. Julie Johnson, lobbyist for South Dakota Society of Human Resource Managers, attends the advisory council's meetings. She told lawmakers on Tuesday that the legislation is 'a very complicated bill to read' and difficult for some to understand. Johnson, a former secretary of labor, said she was pleased that Hultman laid out the proposal to the advisory council before submitting the legislation. 'Even though we don't love this bill, we have to deal with it,' she said. Deb Mortenson, representing Associated General Contractors of South Dakota, noted that many of her members use the reemployment program. That's because some construction projects such as roadbuilding stop during the winter. The legislation says all employers would pay a $12 administrative fee per employee, regardless of whether they currently pay into South Dakota's reemployment fund. In return, those employers who currently pay into the fund would see a reduction in the amounts they contribute. Hultman explained that federal funding for the reemployment fund's operation has decreased from $5.5 million in 2021 to $4.9 million in 2024. During the same time, many of the fund's operational costs increased, as state government salaries, benefits and technology charges all rose. She said the higher administrative fee would cover those as well. No one testified as an opponent. David Owen, president for the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, serves on the advisory council, too. 'This bill is irksome, irritating annoying and objectionable – and we support it,' he said. The committee voted 9-0 to recommend its passage. The full Senate could consider it as early as Wednesday afternoon. If the Senate approves it, the House of Representatives would act next. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill adjusting unemployment assistance taxes unanimously passes committee
The South Dakota State Capitol is located in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) Legislation proposing a higher tax on employers to cover administrative expenses of the state's unemployment assistance program passed a legislative committee with a unanimous vote Tuesday at the Capitol in Pierre. The bill would also lower a tax used to fund the program's payouts to the unemployed. South Dakota's Reemployment Assistance program acts as a safety net for laid-off workers. Payroll taxes from employers help support the trust fund to cover unemployment claims. Payroll taxes also go toward the administration of the program and toward the Future Fund, which is used by the governor for economic development grants. The increase in the administrative portion of the taxes is needed, according to state Department of Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman. The administration fund is projected to fall into the red in coming years due to state employee salary increases passed by the Legislature, inflation and other expenses. That would jeopardize the program, she said. The 'modest increase,' Hultman said, triples the portion of taxes known as the 'administrative fee' to raise a collective $3 million, while simultaneously reducing taxes paid to the unemployment trust fund by $3 million to be 'revenue neutral.' No opponents spoke against the bill. Representatives of business organizations testified in support, though some previously expressed concern that it could disproportionately affect small retailers based on the tax rate change. 'This bill is irksome, irritating, annoying and objectionable, and we support it,' said South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry President David Owen, praising Hultman for her work as secretary. 'This is a program that stands on its own, and we support her, we support her staff and we support this bill.' Owen is also a member of the state Reemployment Assistance Advisory Council. The bill now heads to the Senate floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
