Mississippi grand jury declines to indict Carolyn Bryant-Donham, wife of Emmett Till’s murderer – National & International News – WED 10Aug2022

Leflore Co. jury declines to indict Carolyn Bryant-Donham, wife of Emmett Till’s murderer. Inflation slows significantly, but still high. Fearing disaster, Russia urged to surrender Ukraine nuclear plant.

NATIONAL NEWS

Mississippi grand jury declines to indict Carolyn Bryant-Donham, wife of Emmett Till’s murderer

A Leflore County grand jury has decided not to indict Carolyn Bryant-Donham in the 1955 kidnapping that led to Emmett Till’s murder. The jury heard more than 7 hours of testimony from investigators and witnesses. Recent developments in the case, including the discovery of the original, unserved warrant for Bryant-Donham’s arrest and the release of her unpublished memoir had renewed calls for Bryant-Donham, now in her late 80s, to at last answer for her role in one of the most infamous murders in Mississippi’s history.

In 1955, Bryant-Donham was married to Roy Bryant who, along with his half-brother J.W. Milam, abducted 14-year-old Till from his great-uncle’s home in the middle of the night. Till’s mutilated body was found three days later in a creek. Warrants were issued for Bryant, Milam, and Bryant-Donham. But the local sheriff didn’t want to “bother” Bryant-Donham by arresting her on a kidnapping charge because “she’s got two young boys to raise”.

How involved was Bryant-Donham in Till’s murder?

Bryant-Donham had accused Till of groping her at the store she ran with her husband in Money, MS. Witnesses say Till whistled at the white woman, but never touched her. Later, Till’s great-uncle said he heard a voice “lighter than a man’s” coming from the pick-up driven by his nephew’s kidnappers say “that’s him”. 

Bryant-Donham’s memoir offered some stunning pieces of revisionism that directly contradict witness testimony at the time. Firstly, she claimed she cried out for help after her encounter with Till. Witnesses heard no such cry. She also claims not to have been present when her husband and brother-in-law kidnapped Till. Instead, she claims, they brought her to him in the middle of the night. She claims that she told the two men “That’s not him. Please take him home”. Then she makes the stunning claim that Till identified himself as the boy Bryant and Milam were looking for.

After Bryant-Donham testified at trial that Till had groped her, contradicting other witnesses, the all-white jury acquitted Bryant and Milam. The two men later bragged about having killed the boy in an interview with “Look” magazine.

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Inflation slows significantly, but still high

Indicators for July show that year-on-year inflation in the US was 8.5%, a significant drop from June’s figure of 9.1%. Gas prices are also down about a dollar from their high in June of over $5 per gallon. Prices have also dropped for other commodities that had skyrocketed, including airfares (down 8% since June) and hotel room costs (down 2.7%). However, these price decreases could also have to do with the summer travel season winding down.

While this is welcome news, it’s not yet certain that inflation has peaked. Numbers have dropped from month to month, only to rise again. A strong jobs report from June that shows employers adding over 500,000 jobs, while good news for job hunters and those seeking higher wages, may indicate another rebound. At the very least, it likely means inflation will be slow to reach the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.

Wages are rising, but not nearly fast enough to keep up with inflation. And consumers should not expect to see prices on other commodities, such as grocery store items, drop steeply in the near future. 

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

G7 urges Russia to surrender Ukraine nuclear plant, fearing disaster

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) are calling on Russia to return control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to Ukraine. This follows reports of shelling at the plant and irregularities in its operation. Foreign observers fear a nuclear disaster of major proportions may be imminent if Russia continues to occupy the plant.

Zaporizhzhia and its environs have been a major flashpoint since the conflict began. Ukrainian authorities say there are currently about 500 troops at Zaporizhzhia. They say the Russians using it as a military base to fire rockets into nearby cities, believing Ukrainian soldiers won’t dare target Russian firing platforms at the plant. Russian troops claim that Ukrainian troops have in fact fired on the plant. Whoever is responsible, the IAEA has expressed alarm at damage to key parts of the plant’s infrastructure.

Additionally, the situation on the ground has made it difficult to bring qualified personnel safely into the plant to make necessary repairs and see to routine operation.

Many will recall the 1968 Chernobyl disaster. Zaporizhzhia has more fail-safes, more redundant systems than Chernobyl did, and more sophisticated shielding. But in a worst case scenario, a full melt-down at the plant could endanger thousands of people in the immediate area and leave millions without power. 

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