2018-03-30

Rev. Al Sharpton Gives Eulogy At Funeral For Stephon Clark



Story by PBS
Written by Camille Augustin

Family, friends, and local community organizers poured into Bayside of South Sacramento Church on Thursday (Mar. 29) to memorialize the police shooting death of Stephon Clark. The 22-year-old was shot 20 times by two officers on March 18, sparking nationwide protests and the necessity for the Black Lives Matter movement.

According to PBS Newshour, Rev. Al Sharpton will present the eulogy. Clark’s family also shared their piece, namely his brother Stevonte Clark who recently shined a light on his brother’s memory during a City Hall meeting. Throughout Sacramento, he organized marches and said he and supporters “are the example of how to do it right,” in terms of rallying support for victims of police violence in lieu of the media’s coverage.

Stephon’s cousin, Suzette Clark, said that despite the grim outcome of her family member’s death, she hopes this moment can unite people from all walks of life to achieve a greater good. “I just hope it can bring people together,” she said via PBS. “Emotions are heightened, but I just hope everyone comes and shows compassion.”



Stephon Clark was gunned down in his grandmother’s backyard after a call about vandalism was placed to local authorities. From a helicopter’s view, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department closed its scope on Clark and relayed to authorities that he fit the description.

Officers began to purse Clark on foot and determined that he was armed with a gun. They proceeded to fire off 20 rounds. When the incident was over – according to the New York Times it lasted 10 minutes – Clark solely possessed a cellphone and not a firearm.

Radio Morning Show Host Don Imus Says Goodbye

Story by All Access

DON IMUS wrapped up his career THURSDAY morning (3/29), ending "IMUS IN THE MORNING" with the assertion that "I'm not gonna miss doing the 'IMUS IN THE MORNING' program... it's hard to do." But his last segment for WESTWOOD ONE and CUMULUS News-Talk WABC-A/NEW YORK -- ending the show early -- indicated his pride in his half-century of broadcasting and his bond with listeners.

IMUS said that he thought the show was over when CHARLES MCCORD left but CONNELL MCSHANE's arrival helped him "get another five, six years out of this bitch, you know." And he proclaimed that "there's been nobody better on the radio than me... nobody ever did this, nobody. But it wasn't me who did this... you know who I'm gonna miss? I'm gonna miss you (the listeners)." Unsuccessfully fighting off tears, IMUS described how the audience came through for his charitable efforts like the IMUS RANCH, he concluded, "I'm gonna miss that.... you have no idea how much I'm gonna miss you."

But he reserved some vitriol for his critics, asserting that "we were neither dissuaded nor diminished by the intellectually, morally, and ethically crippled losers the likes of a racist, bigoted civil rights charlatan (a reference to Rev. AL SHARPTON) or the insecure, envious shock jock all howlin' (HOWARD STERN) and the chorus of like-minded yappin' mutts lost in the dust of the caravan rollin' by on the road to greatness. Rollin' by on the road to greatness! We did that! YOU did that! I did that! That's what we did! You goddamn right! That's what we did!" And with that, IMUS abruptly ended his farewell to the strains of KID ROCK's "You Never Met A Motherf---er Quite Like Me," leaving the show to air repeats of recent shows for the final three hours.

IMUS will be replaced by BERNARD MCGUIRK and SID ROSENBERG, moving to mornings from WABC's midday shift, where they will be in turn replaced by WESTWOOD ONE's CHRIS PLANTE.

2018-03-29

NAN Releases 2018 Convention Schedule



Link to Schedule: https://nationalactionnetwork.net/newnews/nan-releases-2018-convention-schedule/

Rev. Sharpton to Deliver Eulogy for Stephon Clark, FUNERAL & PRESS INFORMATION HERE


Mother of Stephon Clark with Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump

ANNOUNCEMENT BY NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2018

Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@mercuryllc.com
Alex Butcher-Nesbitt, abutchernesbitt@mercuryllc.com
Phone: 212-681-1380


REV. AL SHARPTON TO DELIVER THE EULOGY FOR STEPHON CLARK, THE UNARMED MAN WHO WAS KILLED BY SACRAMENTO POLICE
Due to a large volume of people wanting to pay their last respects to Stephon Clark, the location has been changed to accommodate the community

WHO:
Rev. Al Sharpton, National Civil Rights Leader and President of National Action Network

WHAT:
Funeral Services for Stephon Clark

WHERE:
Bayside Boss Church
6528 44th Street
Sacramento, CA 95823
Pastor Darryl A. Scarbrough, Senior Pastor

WHEN:
Thursday, March 29 at 11:00-1:00 p.m.

Update for planning purposes:

****BROADCAST POOL ONLY INSIDE THE FUNERAL****

*Press conference with Rev. Sharpton will be OPEN to all media, following the funeral

Contact:
Rachel Noerdlinger, rnoerdlinger@mercuryllc.com
Alex Butcher-Nesbitt, abutchernesbitt@mercuryllc.com
Phone: 212-681-1380

Sacramento:
Angela Rosas
arosas@mercuryllc.com; (916) 752-8199

REV. AL SHARPTON TO DELIVER THE EULOGY FOR STEPHON CLARK, THE UNARMED MAN WHO WAS KILLED BY SACRAMENTO POLICE
At the request of the family, the funeral service will be pooled
————————————————————————————————————
POOL INFORMATION:

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO MULT BOX ON SITE. STATIONS INTERESTED IN THE FUNERAL MUST DOWNLINK THE SATELLITE FEED.
KOVR Station Contact: Max Calise 916-374-1301
Pool videographer- Jeff Bell (KOVR)
Satellite Truck Op = Alex Montano (KPIX Truck)
Truck Location:
6528 44th Street, Sacramento, CA
Window:
13:30 ET -16:15 ET (10:30am pacific- 1:15pm pacific)
Satellite: Galaxy 16 6A
Located at 99 Degrees West
CBS HDSNG (8PSK) PARAMETERS:
System Rate: 8.912
Symbol Rate: 4.0
FEC: 3/4
Downlink Freq: 11804 V
L-band Freq: 1054.1
***Immediately after the service Rev. Al Sharpton, Attorney Benjamin Crump along with NAN leadership will hold a media availability at a location on site TBD.

2018-03-28

Will Stephon Clark be Different?

Story by the Huffington Post
Commentary by Earl Ofari Hutchinson

One week after the slaying of Stephon Clark by Sacramento police officers, prosecutors in Baton Rouge, Louisiana announced that the officers who gunned down Alton Sterling will not be prosecuted. The general reaction was ho hum, what else is new. The public cynicism over prosecuting cops who overuse deadly force against unarmed blacks is well warranted. The checklist of names–Tamir Rice, Ezell Ford, Eric Garner, Michael Brown—who in the past few years have been the victims of police violence, are well-known. In every case, prosecutors have refused to file charges against any of the officers involved in their deaths. The stock reasons are that there were no credible tapes, eyewitness testimony, or reports that prove the officers acted recklessly, the victims resisted arrest, or that the officers legitimately feared for their life. So, will the Clark slaying be any different?

At first glance, it seems to have a better than even chance of beating the odds. Clark was unarmed. He was shot in his grandmother’s backyard. The officers did not have their body cams on, apparently in violation of department policy. The chatter on the audio of the shooting was ordered muffled—again, in apparent violation of department policy. Sacramento’s Police Chief and Mayor publicly raised questions about the shooting. They took the unprecedented step of asking California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to have a hand in the investigation of the slaying. This was an obvious effort to head off the loud criticism that local DAs work hand in glove with local police and only in the rarest of rare cases will bring charges against officers who kill, no matter how blatant and outrageous the circumstances.

These are all pluses that give some hope that the Clark case will be different. But they don’t cancel out the still towering obstacles to bring charges against cops who kill. One, is the words uttered by nearly every officer in every slaying of an unarmed civilian, “I feared for my life or the life of others.”

These words are codified in law in many states. With only slight variations in the states the words are that an officer can use deadly force when he or she reasonably believes it’s necessary to protect life. The operative words are “reasonably believes.” Translated, that means that there is no written code, rule, or guideline for what exactly reasonable belief is or means. It’s purely a judgment call by the officer the moment he or she draws his or her pistol and opens fire. The litany of “reasonable beliefs” can fill up a small phone book. The suspect was reaching for a knife, gun, toothpick, holding a cell phone, tugging at his waistband, had his hands in his pocket, there was sudden movement of his vehicle. In the case of Clark, their defense will be that in the dark the cell phone that Clark had appeared to be a gun. And, since they were in chase, after a call of car break-ins in the area, they had reason to assume that Clark might have been armed.

If this sounds like a virtual license to kill, it is. And this almost certainly will be the way the Sacramento officers will play it to ensure that they are never hauled into a court docket. The bitter reality is that there is no ironclad standard of what is or isn’t acceptable use of force. It almost always comes down to a judgment call by the officer. In the Rodney King beating case in 1992 in which four LAPD officers stood trial, defense attorneys turned the tables and painted King as the aggressor and claimed that the level of force used against him was justified.

The two New York City cases involving the killing cops of unarmed African immigrant, Amadou Diallo in 1999, and unarmed Sean Bell in 2006, the cops were tried but were acquitted. In each case, they claimed that they feared for their lives. The jury believed them and acquitted them.

The other obstacle to charging the Sacramento officers is the public. Surveys that measured overall confidence in police, have found the police topped out among the three highest-rated institutions out of 17 tested in terms of whites’ confidence, behind only the military and small business. They are the ones who make up the majority on juries that inevitably hear the rare cases against police officers charged with the overuse of deadly force.

Despite overwhelming evidence that police do profile minorities, lie, cheat, and even commit crimes, jurors still are far more likely to believe the testimony of police and prosecution witnesses than witnesses, defendants, or even the victims, especially minority victims.

Prosecutors have had many chances to bring charges against officers who have killed unarmed suspects. They haven’t not solely because of their wanton pro-police bias. But because as long as officers have the near impregnable shield of being able to say “I feared for my life” when confronting victims such as Clark, it’s near impossible to prosecute them. The Clark slaying will be the latest to test this daunting problem.
___________________________________________________
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. He is the author of the forthcoming The Russia Probe: What Did Trump Know, And When Did He Know It? (Middle Passage Press) He is an associate editor of New America Media. He is a weekly co-host of the Al Sharpton Show on Radio One. He is the host of the weekly Hutchinson Report on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles and the Pacifica Network.

“The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” - Book by Jeffrey Haas


Video provided by Democracy Now on December 4, 2014, on the 50th anniversary of the killing of Black Panther Fred Hampton in Chicago.

Read more: https://www.democracynow.org/2014/12/4/watch_the_assassination_of_fred_hampton

North Korea's Kim Jong-un’s Visit Strengthens His Hand in Nuclear Talks


Video by Camilla Schick and Steven Lee Myers

Story by NY Times
Written by Jane Perlez
Photos by North Korean Central News Agency

BEIJING — With a dose of mystery and the flair of a showman, North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, used his debut as an international statesman on Wednesday to present himself as confident, reasonable — and willing to bargain.

Mr. Kim’s surprise two-day visit to Beijing, his first known overseas trip since taking power, was effectively a reminder of how much he has set the agenda in the crisis over his nation’s nuclear arsenal — and of what a strong hand he has going into talks, first with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea next month and later with President Trump.

Mr. Kim has yet to say what concessions he is willing to make, or what he may demand from the United States in return. But he continued to dominate the diplomatic process, reaffirming his willingness to meet with Mr. Trump and repeating his vague commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in talks with Mr. Xi, according to Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency.

During Mr. Trump’s first year in office, Mr. Kim raced ahead with breakthrough tests of a hydrogen bomb and missiles capable of hitting the United States mainland. Then he abruptly changed course and used the Winter Olympics to seize the initiative, surprising the world with a rapprochement with the South and then an offer to meet with Mr. Trump.

Through it all, the Trump administration has been largely relegated to reacting and catching up to Mr. Kim. And so it was again this week, when Mr. Kim suddenly showed up in China on an armored train and was shown beaming next to Mr. Xi, whose cooperation has been critical to Mr. Trump’s strategy of “maximum pressure” on the North. The state media in China and North Korea announced the meeting on Wednesday, after two days of secrecy.


In images and in words, President Xi Jinping of China and Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, signaled on Wednesday that they had repaired the relationship between their countries. Credit North Korean Central News Agency

In images and in words, Mr. Kim and Mr. Xi signaled that they had repaired the relationship between their countries, which had soured as Mr. Kim had accelerated his nuclear program and Mr. Xi had responded by endorsing — and enforcing — more punishing sanctions proposed by the United States.

“The friendship between North Korea and China that was personally created and nurtured together by former generations of leaders from both our sides is unshakable,” Mr. Kim told Mr. Xi, according to Xinhua. Mr. Xi went out of his way to recall the warm friendship between his father, a high-ranking Communist Party official from the Mao era, and Mr. Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, the North’s previous leader.

It is too soon to say whether the meeting marks a softening of China’s posture toward Mr. Kim or of its commitment to international sanctions against North Korea. But the visit served to highlight Beijing’s unique leverage over North Korea, even as Mr. Trump is threatening China with a trade war.


Mr. Kim, Mr. Xi and their wives at a banquet in Beijing this week. The visit highlighted Beijing’s unique leverage over North Korea, even as President Trump is threatening China with a trade war. Credit North Korean Central News Agency

Mr. Trump can talk about maintaining “maximum pressure” on the North, but ultimately China — the North’s main trade partner — still decides what that means, because it can choose how strictly to enforce sanctions.

“China is saying to the United States and the rest of the world: Anyone who wants a deal on anything on the future of the Korean Peninsula, and certainly something which deals with nukes, don’t think you can walk around us, guys,” Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who is on good terms with the Chinese leadership, said in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The Chinese government said it had briefed the White House on Mr. Kim’s visit, adding that Mr. Xi had sent a personal message to Mr. Trump. On Wednesday morning, Mr. Trump expressed optimism on Twitter about the potential for diplomatic success, saying there was “a good chance” that Mr. Kim would “do what is right for his people and for humanity.”

But there was little in the public accounts of Mr. Xi’s discussions with Mr. Kim to support such a positive assessment. Though Xinhua quoted Mr. Kim as saying he was open to talks with Mr. Trump and committed to denuclearization, North Korea’s own state media made no mention of either.

Xinhua also quoted Mr. Kim as proposing “phased, synchronized measures” by South Korea and the United States — a phrase that suggests a desire to negotiate a gradual drawdown of his arsenal, but which also echoes the North’s position in past talks that dragged on and ultimately failed. One major difference between then and now is that North Korea has a far more advanced nuclear arsenal.

Mr. Trump’s incoming national security adviser, John R. Bolton, meanwhile, has expressed little patience for extended negotiations. He has said that North Korea should be asked to park its nuclear arsenal at the Oak Ridge nuclear facility in Tennessee.

If China decides to soften its stance on sanctions and act as North Korea’s protector, Mr. Kim will enter the talks with Mr. Trump in a considerably stronger position than he otherwise would have.

“It is very unlikely that Kim Jong-un consulted with the Chinese before offering to meet Trump,” said Sergey Radchenko, a professor of international relations at Cardiff University in Wales. “This in itself was a rebellious affront to the Chinese leadership. But by doing this, Kim immeasurably strengthened his negotiating position vis-à-vis the Chinese. He came to Beijing not as a supplicant but as an equal.”

Many analysts said they believed China had initiated the visit, essentially telling Mr. Kim that he could no longer afford to be cavalier about his bigger, richer neighbor, and telegraphing to Mr. Trump that America could pay heavily for keeping China on the outside.

Beneath the new bonhomie in the official accounts of Mr. Kim’s trip, the edgy nature of the seven-decade-old China-North Korea relationship was still apparent.

No agreements between the two leaders were announced, even on basic issues. Mr. Xi, in his public comments, made no reference to Mr. Kim’s expected meeting with Mr. Trump, an omission that may have reflected Mr. Xi’s displeasure at being left on the sidelines.

There was also no public comment in Beijing about what Mr. Kim was planning to offer Mr. Trump or what role China would play as the talks approached, questions that are of the utmost importance to China.

While China supports the international effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, it has also been careful not to press the North hard enough to risk a collapse of the Kim regime, which could potentially lead to a united Korean Peninsula, under an American security umbrella, on China’s border.

“China needs to know North Korea’s calculations,” said Da Wei, a professor at the University of International Relations in Beijing. “Kim knows the negotiations cannot fully succeed without China’s support. China’s involvement will make any solution more viable.”

Some analysts said Mr. Kim was repeating a pattern set by his father, who visited China shortly before his 2000 summit meeting with South Korea’s then-president, Kim Dae-jung. Kim Jong-il was then about six years into his tenure as North Korea’s leader, just as his son is now.

“Now six years into his own reign, Kim III seeks to play the role of the proactive, peace-seeking statesman,” said Lee Sung-yoon of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

He may hope to get Mr. Trump to settle for “another faulty, open-ended, non-biting nuclear deal” that would make it “politically near-impossible for the U.S. to talk about, let alone implement, a pre-emptive strike, John Bolton at the head of the National Security Council notwithstanding,” Mr. Lee said.
________________________________
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/world/asia/china-kim-north-korea-visit.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

2018-03-27

Naomi Wadler, 11 years old: "I Speak for Black Girls Victimized by Guns Whose Stories Don’t Make the Front Page"


Hundreds of thousands rallied for gun control in Washington, D.C., today for the March for Our Lives. The march was organized by survivors of last month’s school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Speakers included 11-year-old Naomi Wadler of Alexandria, Virginia.

Story by Democracy Now
Written by Naomi Wadler

NAOMI WADLER: Hi. My name is Naomi, and I’m 11 years old. Me and my friend Carter led a walkout at our elementary school on the 14th. We walked out—we walked out for 18 minutes, adding a minute to honor Courtlin Arrington, an African-American girl who was the victim of gun violence in her school in Alabama after the Parkland shooting.

I am here today to represent Courtlin Arrington. I am here today to represent Hadiya Pendleton. I am here today to represent Taiyania Thompson, who, at just 16, was shot dead in her home here in Washington, D.C. I am here today to acknowledge and represent the African-American girls whose stories don’t make the front page of every national newspaper, whose stories don’t lead on the evening news. I represent the African-American women who are victims of gun violence, who are simply statistics instead of vibrant, beautiful girls full of potential.

It is my privilege to be here today. I am indeed full of privilege. My voice has been heard. I am here to acknowledge their stories, to say they matter, to say their names, because I can, and I was asked to be. For far too long, these names, these black girls and women, have been just numbers. I am here to say “Never again” for those girls, too. I am here to say that everyone should value those girls, too.

People have said that I am too young to have these thoughts on my own. People have said that I am a tool of some nameless adult. It’s not true. My friends and I might still be 11, and we might still be in elementary school, but we know. We know life isn’t equal for everyone. And we know what is right and wrong. We also know that we stand in the shadow of the Capitol. And we know that we have seven short years until we, too, have the right to vote.

So I am here today to honor the words of Toni Morrison: “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.” I urge everyone here and everyone who hears my voice to join me in telling the stories that aren’t told, to honor the girls, the women of color who are murdered at disproportionate rates in this nation. I urge each of you to help me write the narrative for this world and understand, so that these girls and women are never forgotten. Thank you.
________________________________
Read more: https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/24/naomi_wadler_11_i_speak_for?utm_source=Democracy+Now%21&utm_campaign=ff0aac37ad-Daily_Digest&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fa2346a853-ff0aac37ad-190301493

Video of "March for our Lives": https://www.democracynow.org/live/watch_democracy_now_march_for_our

Linda Brown, Topeka, Kansas girl at center of landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, dies at 76


Linda Brown Smith standing in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan. on May 8, 1964. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951 led to the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education.

Story by ABC
Written by Kandis Mascall

Linda Brown, the namesake of the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that abolished school segregation, has passed away at age 76.

Cheryl Brown Henderson, Brown's sister, confirmed her death to the Topeka Capital-Journal. Brown's family has not confirmed the story to ABC News.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People expressed its condolences, tweeting, "RIP A hero for our nation!"

Brown's legacy of activism began in 1951 when she was in the third grade.

Because of segregation in her Topeka, Kansas, school district, Brown was forced to travel by foot and by bus to a school significantly out of the way.

The school district maintained four elementary schools for black children, compared with the 18 available for white children.

Her father, Oliver Brown, attempted to enroll her in Sumner Elementary School, which was a few blocks away from their home and all-white at the time.

At the request of the NAACP, Brown’s father and 12 other families similarly tried to enroll their children in all-white schools, expecting to be unsuccessful.

They were, and that gave the NAACP the leverage to file a lawsuit, led by future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Because Brown was the first name alphabetically on the plaintiff's list, the case was dubbed Brown v. Board of Education.

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause.

Long after her successful court case, responsible for dismantling "separate but equal," Brown continued to be a voice for school desegregation in Topeka.

In 1979, Brown reopened another school-segregation case that led to the desegregation of Topeka Unified School District 501 in 1993.

The Governor of Kansas, Jeff Colyer tweeted: "64 years ago a young girl from Topeka brought a case that ended segregation in public schools in America. Linda Brown's life reminds us that sometimes the most unlikely people can have an incredible impact and that by serving our community we can truly change the world.”

NO CHARGES to be filed against officers in Alton Sterling death, Louisiana Attorney General says



Story by CNN
Written by Jason Hanna
Photo of Alton Sterling by AP

No charges will be filed against two Baton Rouge police officers in the 2016 shooting death of Alton Sterling after an investigation determined the officers' actions were "well-founded and reasonable," Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Tuesday.

"This decision was not taken lightly. We came to this conclusion after countless hours of reviewing the evidence," Landry said.

Landry's announcement in Baton Rouge -- coming 10 months after federal prosecutors determined they wouldn't file civil rights charges against the officers -- was made moments after he met Tuesday morning with Sterling's relatives to tell them of his decision.

Outrage over Sterling's death led to renewed "Black Lives Matter" protests across the nation.

Sterling, 37, was shot and killed by one of two police officers who confronted him outside a convenience store in July 2016. Cell phone video showed Sterling, a black man, pinned to the ground by the white Baton Rouge police officers before he was shot; police said Sterling was shot because he was reaching for a gun.

The officers were responding to a call about a man with a gun. The call was from a homeless man who said that after he approached Sterling for money, Sterling showed him the weapon.

In May 2017, federal prosecutors found there wasn't enough evidence to warrant civil rights charges against Officers Blane Salamoni, who shot Sterling, and Howie Lake II.

The feds determined the officers' actions were reasonable under the circumstances -- including that the two used several less-than-lethal techniques before using force; that Sterling struggled with the officers and failed to follow orders; and that video evidence couldn't prove or disprove Salamoni's assertion that Sterling was reaching for a gun.

Despite the federal findings, Sterling's five children filed a wrongful death lawsuit last summer, alleging their father's shooting violated his civil rights and fits a pattern of excessive force and racism within the Baton Rouge Police Department.

Abdullah Muflahi, the owner of the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge where Sterling was shot, also sued Baton Rouge and its police department. Muflahi accused authorities of illegally taking him into custody and confiscating his security system without a warrant.

Sterling was shot on the ground

Sterling was known as the "CD man," who sold CDs and DVDs outside the convenience store where he was shot, according to local media.

The killing gripped the nation in part because two bystander videos, each less than a minute long, captured Sterling's struggle with the two officers.

The Department of Justice said last spring that Salamoni put a gun to Stering's head when Sterling refused the officers' order to put his hands on the hood of a car. Sterling complied then but eventually he took his hands off the hood, the Justice Department said.

Lake used a Taser on Sterling, and both officers tackled him to the ground, DOJ said.

At one point, videos show, someone shouts, "He's got a gun!" In one video, an officer draws something from his waistband and points it at Sterling. As the camera turns away, more yelling ensues, followed by loud bangs.

Afterward, the camera captures Sterling with a large bloodstain on his chest as an officer on the ground next to him keeps his gun pointed at him.

As Sterling lies fatally wounded, the other officer removes something from Sterling's right pocket.
__________________________________
Read more:
USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/03/27/alton-sterling-black-man-fatally-shot-louisiana/462243002/
NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/us/alton-sterling-baton-rouge.html
Yahoo News: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/louisiana-awaited-black-mans-2016-shooting-death-030752005.html
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/27/baton-rouge-police-officers-wont-be-charged-in-fatal-shooting-of-alton-sterling/?utm_term=.5317dd48e22a
Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-police-louisiana/no-charges-for-louisiana-police-who-shot-alton-sterling-official-idUSKBN1H329U

2018-03-26

What this incredible Final Four NCAA College Basketball field is missing

Story by Yahoo Sports
Written by Pat Forde

In Loyola Chicago, the 2018 Final Four has a Cinderella story for the ages. In Michigan, it has a traditional football power trying to win the Big Ten’s first basketball championship in 18 long years. In Kansas and Villanova, it has two bedrock basketball programs led by coaches aiming for their second national titles.

You know what this Final Four doesn’t have?

Freshmen.

At least not the five-star hot shots from the ballyhooed class of 2017, the guys who were supposed to shape the course of this season in their brief collegiate layover on their way to the NBA. The one-and-dones up and left Bracketville, eliminated by veterans. They can move on to the draft while the team hardware is distributed in San Antonio.

Of the 20 starters on the Final Four teams, just three are freshmen: forward Isaiah Livers of Michigan and centers Cameron Krutwig of Loyola and Omari Spellman of Villanova. Livers is a nominal starter who actually plays backup minutes. Spellman was redshirted last year for academic reasons. If any of the three go pro after playing one season in college, it would come as a considerable surprise.

The rest of the starters, by class: five true seniors; four fourth-year juniors; four true juniors; two third-year sophomores; and two true sophomores.
_____________________________
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/sports/incredible-final-four-field-missing-031830782.html

2018-03-23

Trump signs massive spending bill, backing away from veto threat

Full Speech: https://www.c-span.org/video/?443026-1/president-trump-signs-omnibus-spending-bill-veto-threat

Story by The Hill
Written by Jordan Fabian

Full Speech: https://www.c-span.org/video/?443026-1/president-trump-signs-omnibus-spending-bill-veto-threat

President Trump on Friday signed a massive $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, ending the uncertainty over whether he would force a government shutdown.

Trump made the announcement during an impromptu event at the White House where he highlighted the legislation's infusion of funds for the Pentagon in explaining why he was signing it.

"There are a lot of things I'm unhappy about with this bill," Trump said, arguing "nobody read" the bill. But he argued the defense spending and the need to take care of the military meant he had to sign it.

“As a matter of national security, I’ve signed this omnibus budget bill,” Trump said.
“There are a lot of things that we shouldn't have had in this bill, but were in a sense forced to if we want to build our military,” he added.

Trump, who has frequently been frustrated in working with Congress on spending bills and has surprised Democrats and Republicans alike with some of his tactics, vowed that he would not sign a similar bill going forward.

“I say to Congress, I will never sign another bill like this again,” he said. “I'm not going to do it again. Nobody read it. It's only hours old. Some people don't even know what’s in it.”

The president called on Congress for a line item veto for all government spending rules and called on the Senate to end its filibuster rule to make it easier to implement the Republican agenda.

The decision to sign the bill came just hours after Trump threatened to veto the measure because it did not funding for his border wall or a fix for young immigrants, undercutting guarantees from his own staff who said he would sign it all along.

If Trump had vetoed the bill, it would almost certainly have led to a government shutdown at midnight.

Conservatives have ripped the legislation for adding to the debt. They have also criticized a process that saw lawmakers approve the bill within 24 hours of its release — a timeline that left little time to read the bill.

A White House official earlier on Friday said Trump would sign the bill and told The Hill that the president wanted to add some "drama" to the day.

Trump's veto threat had sent Washington into a frenzy.

Some of Trump's own staff members were taken by surprise and the morning was dominated by speculation on cable news and social media over whether the president would sign the funding measure.
__________________________________
Full Speech: https://www.c-span.org/video/?443026-1/president-trump-signs-omnibus-spending-bill-veto-threat

Everything You Need to Know About the March for Our Lives



Story by The Cut
Written by Madeleine Aggeler

To Attend a March Near You: https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/


Who’s organizing it?

Less than a week after a gunman killed 14 students and three staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, survivors of the shooting have mobilized to launch the #NeverAgain movement, and the March for Our Lives, a nationwide protest on March 24 to protest gun violence.

“Not one more,” the March’s Mission Statement reads. “We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students. We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never comes. Our schools are unsafe. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save these lives.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the march and related events.

When and where is it happening?

The main march will take place in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 24 at noon, just blocks away from the Capitol on Pennsylvania Avenue. Supporters are also planning sister marches in New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; Chicago; Miami; San Francisco; Dallas; Boise; West Palm Beach; Liverpool, England; and hundreds of other cities across the world. Currently, there are over 800 March for Our Lives events planned around the world.

To find a march near you, search “March for Our Lives” on Facebook, or check out the map here: https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/

Who’s organizing it?

The event is being put together by #NeverAgain, a group of survivors of the Stoneman Douglas shooting, like senior Emma González, and junior Cameron Kasky, who have been working tirelessly to make sure the national outrage in the wake of last month’s shooting translates to real action. But they are not mobilizing alone. According to their website, “March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar.” Gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety is also helping the students plan and coordinate the event.

Who are they partnering with?

March for Our Lives organizers have received significant funding from a number of celebrities like George and Amal Clooney, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Oprah Winfrey, all of whom pledged $500,000 for the rally.

Numerous other celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West, Justin Bieber, Bette Midler, and Debra Messing have also expressed their support on Twitter, calling on their followers to sign the march’s petition, and find a demonstration near them.

Businesses have also offered their help. The ride-sharing company Lyft is offering Stoneman students free rides to the march, and dating app Bumble banned imaged of guns on its platform, and donated $100,000.

And there are grassroots supporters too. According to the Washington Post, teens from high schools around Washington, D.C., are opening their homes and organizing “a network of host families that live along the D.C. metro system that can host out-of-town students for the march.”

What do they hope to accomplish?

In addition to showing their support for victims of gun violence, march organizers hope the rally will inspire concrete legislative outcomes. In their Mission Statement, march organizers write:

School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing. The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues.

Participants are also coming together to register voters at various marches, to ensure that outrage today will translate to high turnout during November’s midterm elections.

Is this related to the National School Walkout?

Yes and no. The National School Walkout was put together by Women’s March organizers, who are called for students, teachers, administrators, and allies across the country to walk out of their classrooms for 17 minutes at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14 — one minute for every victim of the Stoneman Douglas shooting. Although the two events are being organized by two different groups, their goals are the same. Per the National School Walkout’s website:

“Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship,” organizers wrote.

Students have also called for a National School Walkout on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. No time has been set, but a Change.org petition has been signed over 80,000 times.

What is Stay Amped?

On March 23, the night before the march, artists like Bebe Rexha, Lizzo, Fall Out Boy, and G-Easy will perform for Stay Amped, a concert to benefit Everytown for Gun Safety, and Gabby Giffords’s Courage to Fight Gun Violence. Tickets are between $100 and $175 and, according to the event’s website, “For every Super Excellent Seat purchased, a ticket will be donated to a student activist attending the March for Our Lives rally from Parkland and elsewhere in the country.”

You can buy tickets here. https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1663730?__utmx=-&__utmv=-&__utmk=237095936&__utmz=1.1521826037.1.1.utmcsr%3Dthecut.com%7Cutmccn%3D%28referral%29%7Cutmcmd%3Dreferral%7Cutmcct%3D%2F2018%2F03%2Fmarch-for-our-lives-for-gun-control-will-be-on-march-24.html&__utma=1.631604904.1521826037.1521826037.1521826037.1&_ga=2.128169996.147883026.1521826038-1579312004.1521826037&__utmc=1&__utmb=1.2.10.1521826037&q=fc560785-12fa-45e5-9f72-3f2e6bd20fec&p=949939b9-9b9a-4e11-991a-739e9f9411cf&ts=1521826640&c=ticketfly&e=007488&rt=Safetynet&h=e62ab96f79a56bdd9a528bc608a32485

If for whatever reason you can’t attend a rally on March 24, there are other ways to help. You can donate to the GoFundMe page Stoneman Douglas students put together for the event (any money they receive beyond their $2 million goal will go to victims’ funds) or sponsor a student to travel to the march by contacting info@marchforourlives.com.

You can also sign the organizers’ petition, calling on Congress to pass legislation to address gun violence. Read it here: https://marchforourlivespetition.com/

And if you can go to a rally, get out and march with students and families across the country to tell lawmakers #NeverAgain.

https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/

2018-03-22

Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network's Annual National Convention is April 18-22, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


* If you are a member of the media and would like to register for credentials to cover the 2018 NAN Convention, please use the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/dY5hPrby7oiTp4f62 *

MAJOR INFLUENCERS TO ATTEND REV. AL SHARPTON & NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK’S ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION APRIL 18-22 AS COUNTRY MARKS 50th ANNIVERSARY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S ASSASSINATION

NAN to welcome Senators Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders & Elizabeth Warren along with prominent civil rights and elected leaders from around the country, as community refocuses efforts to stand united in this year’s midterm elections against President Trump’s anti-civil rights policy agenda

NEW YORK (March 21, 2018) — Civil Rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton today unveiled the preliminary schedule for the National Action Network Annual Convention, taking place at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel from April 18-22. The Convention, the largest of its kind in the country, will welcome civil rights leaders and allies from around the country as the civil rights community refocuses its efforts to resisting a hostile presidential administration in the upcoming midterm elections.

The NAN convention will bring together influential national leaders from the civil rights movement, government, labor, religion, business, media, the Black church and the activist community – to reflect on King’s legacy and impact while celebrating today’s civil rights leaders and examining the path forward.

** Members of the media interested in attending and covering the convention should register for credentials at the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/dY5hPrby7oiTp4f62 **
__________________________________________
Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. addresses London, days before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964: https://kirktanter.blogspot.com/2018/01/newly-discovered-december-7-1964-rev-dr.html

United States President Donald J. Trump Is Expected to Hit China With $50 Billion in Tariffs Today



Story by Bloomberg

President Donald Trump is set to announce about $50 billion of tariffs against China over intellectual-property violations on Thursday, according a person familiar with the matter.

The president is considering targeting more than 100 different types of Chinese goods, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The value of the tariffs was based on U.S. estimates of economic damage caused by intellectual-property theft by China, the person said.

“Tomorrow the president will announce the actions he has decided to take based on USTR’s 301 investigation into China’s state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal U.S. technologies and intellectual property,” White House official Raj Shah said in an emailed statement on Wednesday.

It will be Trump’s first trade action directly aimed at China, which he has blamed for the hollowing out of the American manufacturing sector and the loss of U.S. jobs. The decision comes as policy makers including IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warn of a global trade conflict that could undermine the broadest world recovery in years.

On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce cautioned against the U.S. taking measures “detrimental to both sides”. The nation strongly opposes such unilateral and protectionist action, and will take “all necessary measures” to firmly defend its interests, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Declaration of War

“If Trump really signs the order, that is a declaration of trade war with China,” said Wei Jianguo, former vice commerce minister and now an executive deputy director of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a government-linked think tank.

“China is not afraid, nor will it dodge a trade war,” Wei said. “We have plenty of measures to fight back, in areas of automobile imports, soybean, aircraft and chips. On the other hand, Trump should know that this is a very bad idea, and there will be no winner, and there will be no good outcome for both nations.”

Trump instructed Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer last year to probe allegations that China violates U.S. intellectual property. After seven months of investigation, U.S. officials found strong evidence that China uses foreign-ownership restrictions to compel U.S. companies to transfer technology to Chinese firms, said an official with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office who spoke to reporters Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. also suspects Beijing directs firms to invest in the U.S. with the purpose of engineering large-scale transfers of technologies that the Chinese government views as strategic, said the USTR official. The investigation also found strong evidence China supports and conducts cyberattacks on U.S. companies to access trade secrets, according to the official.

American officials have been raising their concerns about China’s IP practices since Bill Clinton was president, and Beijing has repeatedly failed to deliver on promises to reform, said the official, adding the administration is still open to discussing the issue with the government of President Xi Jinping. The official declined to comment on the remedies planned, emphasizing it’s Trump’s decision.
________________________________________
REad more: http://fortune.com/2018/03/22/trump-chian-tariffs-intellectual-property/

Queen Latifah’s Mother Dies After Long Battle With Heart Failure



Story by Black America Web and People.com
Written by Tonya Pendleton

Queen Latifah is in mourning tonight. Her beloved mother, Rita Owens has died. The rapper/singer/actress has been her mother’s caretaker for several years while she battled a heart condition. Born Dana Owens in New Jersey, she turned 48 on March 18th.



Latifah shared the news in a statement to People.com:

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news my mother, Rita Owens passed away today,” says Latifah. “Anyone that has ever met her knows what a bright light she was on this earth. She was gentle, but strong, sweet, but sassy, worldy but pragmatic, a woman of great faith and certainly the love of my life.”

“She had struggled with a heart condition for many years and her battle is now over,” Latifah shares. “I am heartbroken but know she is at peace. Thank you for your kindness, support and respect for our privacy at this time. Much Love, Dana Owens (aka Queen Latif‎ah), forever Rita Owens’ daughter.”

_________________________________________
Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/22/entertainment/queen-latifah-mom-dead/index.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Culture/queen-latifahs-mother-rita-owens-died/story?id=53930922
http://people.com/movies/queen-latifah-mother-rita-owens-dead/

2018-03-21

Austin bombing suspect's family speaks out about his 'darkness'


Austin Bomber Mark Anthony Conditt is now dead, after designating a bomb in his car after being cornered by the police.

Story by ABC News
Written by Matt Gutman, Aaron Katersky, and Josh Margolin

The family of suspected Austin bomber Mark Anthony Conditt said they were stunned and “broken” that he was behind the deadly bombings in Austin over the last month.

"We are devastated and broken at the news that our family member could be involved in such an awful way," the family said in a statement.

It continued, "We had no idea of the darkness that Mark must have been in. Our family is a normal family in every way. We love, and we pray and, we try to inspire and serve others. Right now our prayers are for those families who have lost loved ones, for those impacted in any way, and for the soul of our Mark. We are grieving, and we are in shock. Please respect our privacy as we deal with this terrible, terrible knowledge and try to support each other at this time.”

Law enforcement sources named Mark Anthony Conditt as the suspect in the bombings that killed two and injured at least four others.

Conditt, 23, was killed by one of his explosives earlier this morning.

He is believed to have been a resident of Pflugerville, Texas, a town just north of Austin.

A family friend, who does not want her name shared publicly, spoke to ABC News about Conditt and his family.

“The family is a normal Christian family. There was nothing going on with Mark when I knew him, I knew him as a teenager. He reminded me of every teenage boy, it was hard to get a smile out of him," the friend said.

“These people are hurting and will have to bury their son in pieces, their family is good,” she said.

More details about the suspect’s personal life are being made public.

Austin Community College confirmed that Conditt attended classes at the school from 2010 to 2012.

He was a business administration major and took classes at two of the community college’s campuses, the school said in a statement.

Conditt did not graduate but “left the college in 2012 [in] good academic standing,” the school said.

The incidents associated with Conditt included three package bombs that detonated at residences in Austin, then an explosive triggered by a tripwire, a package bomb that went off at a FedEx distribution center about 65 miles southwest of Austin in Schertz, and finally a second package that was found intact at a different FedEx center.

The final explosion, which killed Conditt, took place early this morning when he reportedly detonated the bomb as police approached his car.

Agents rebuilt several of the bombs and were able to determine that they had a telltale signature, which included the components in the bombs and the explosives used.

Investigators then did gumshoe detective work – finding out which stores sold the materials, and figuring out who bought them. That ultimately led them to a vehicle, address and identity.

According to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who was briefed by the FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety this morning, the suspect purchased bomb making material at Home Depot near his house. The materials included nails for shrapnel and battery packs.

McCaul said that investigators tracked Conditt using his car and cellphone, zeroing in on him as the primary suspect after spotting him on surveillance video trying to mail a package from a FedEx shipping center in Southwest Austin.

In spite of earlier suggestions that the suspect may have had military experience given the sophisticated nature of the explosives used, records indicate that Conditt never served in the military.

Police are still concerned that other packages may have already been sent or placed elsewhere in the city and warned the public to stay vigilant in reporting suspicious items.

Authorities are actively searching Conditt’s house, looking for more information and a possible motive, McCaul said.
____________________________________
Read More: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/austin-bombing-suspect-identified-155903115--abc-news-topstories.html

2018-03-19

Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys from wealthy families - Earning less in adulthood than White Boys with similar backgrounds

Story by NY Times
Written by Emily Badger, Claire Cain Miller, Adam Pearce and Kevin Quealy

Black boys raised in America, even in the wealthiest families and living in some of the most well-to-do neighborhoods, still earn less in adulthood than white boys with similar backgrounds, according to a sweeping new study that traced the lives of millions of children.

White boys who grow up rich are likely to remain that way. Black boys raised at the top, however, are more likely to become poor than to stay wealthy in their own adult households.
_________________________________________________________________
Most white boys raised in wealthy families will stay rich or upper middle class as adults, but black boys raised in similarly rich households will not.
_________________________________________________________________
Even when children grow up next to each other with parents who earn similar incomes, black boys fare worse than white boys in 99 percent of America. And the gaps only worsen in the kind of neighborhoods that promise low poverty and good schools.

According to the study, led by researchers at Stanford, Harvard and the Census Bureau, income inequality between blacks and whites is driven entirely by what is happening among these boys and the men they become. Though black girls and women face deep inequality on many measures, black and white girls from families with comparable earnings attain similar individual incomes as adults.

“You would have thought at some point you escape the poverty trap,” said Nathaniel Hendren, a Harvard economist and an author of the study.

Black boys — even rich black boys — can seemingly never assume that.

The study, based on anonymous earnings and demographic data for virtually all Americans now in their late 30s, debunks a number of other widely held hypotheses about income inequality. Gaps persisted even when black and white boys grew up in families with the same income, similar family structures, similar education levels and even similar levels of accumulated wealth.

The disparities that remain also can’t be explained by differences in cognitive ability, an argument made by people who cite racial gaps in test scores that appear for both black boys and girls. If such inherent differences existed by race, “you’ve got to explain to me why these putative ability differences aren’t handicapping women,” said David Grusky, a Stanford sociologist who has reviewed the research.

A more likely possibility, the authors suggest, is that test scores don’t accurately measure the abilities of black children in the first place.

If this inequality can’t be explained by individual or household traits, much of what matters probably lies outside the home — in surrounding neighborhoods, in the economy and in a society that views black boys differently from white boys, and even from black girls.

“One of the most popular liberal post-racial ideas is the idea that the fundamental problem is class and not race, and clearly this study explodes that idea,” said Ibram Kendi, a professor and director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. “But for whatever reason, we’re unwilling to stare racism in the face.”

The authors, including the Stanford economist Raj Chetty and two census researchers, Maggie R. Jones and Sonya R. Porter, tried to identify neighborhoods where poor black boys do well, and as well as whites.

“The problem,” Mr. Chetty said, “is that there are essentially no such neighborhoods in America.”

The few neighborhoods that met this standard were in areas that showed less discrimination in surveys and tests of racial bias. They mostly had low poverty rates. And, intriguingly, these pockets — including parts of the Maryland suburbs of Washington, and corners of Queens and the Bronx — were the places where many lower-income black children had fathers at home. Poor black boys did well in such places, whether their own fathers were present or not.

“That is a pathbreaking finding,” said William Julius Wilson, a Harvard sociologist whose books have chronicled the economic struggles of black men. “They’re not talking about the direct effects of a boy’s own parents’ marital status. They’re talking about the presence of fathers in a given census tract.”

Other fathers in the community can provide boys with role models and mentors, researchers say, and their presence may indicate other neighborhood factors that benefit families, like lower incarceration rates and better job opportunities.

The research makes clear that there is something unique about the obstacles black males face. The gap between Hispanics and whites is narrower, and their incomes will converge within a couple of generations if mobility stays the same. Asian-Americans earn more than whites raised at the same income level, or about the same when first-generation immigrants are excluded. Only Native Americans have an income gap comparable to African-Americans. But the disparities are widest for black boys.

“This crystallizes and puts data behind this thing that we always knew was there because we either felt it ourselves or we’ve seen it over time,” said Will Jawando, 35, who worked in the Obama White House on My Brother’s Keeper, a mentoring initiative for black boys. Even without this data, the people who worked on that project, he said, believed that individual and structural racism targeted black men in ways that required policies devised specifically for them.

Mr. Jawando, the son of a Nigerian father and a white mother, grew up poor in Silver Spring, Md. The Washington suburb contains some of the rare neighborhoods where black and white boys appear to do equally well. Mr. Jawando, who identifies as black, is now a married lawyer with three daughters. He is among the black boys who climbed from the bottom to the top.

He was one of the 20 million children born between 1978 and 1983 whose lives are reflected in the study. Using census data that included tax files, the researchers were able to link the adult fortunes of those children to their parents’ incomes. Names and addresses were hidden from the researchers.

Previous research suggests some reasons there may be a large income gap between black and white men, but not between women, even though women of color face both sexism and racism.

Other studies show that boys, across races, are more sensitive than girls to disadvantages like growing up in poverty or facing discrimination. While black women also face negative effects of racism, black men often experience racial discrimination differently. As early as preschool, they are more likely to be disciplined in school. They are pulled over or detained and searched by police officers more often.

“It’s not just being black but being male that has been hyper-stereotyped in this negative way, in which we’ve made black men scary, intimidating, with a propensity toward violence,” said Noelle Hurd, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia.

She said this racist stereotype particularly hurts black men economically, now that service-sector jobs, requiring interaction with customers, have replaced the manufacturing jobs that previously employed men with less education.

The new data shows that 21 percent of black men raised at the very bottom were incarcerated, according to a snapshot of a single day during the 2010 census. Black men raised in the top 1 percent — by millionaires — were as likely to be incarcerated as white men raised in households earning about $36,000.

At the same time, boys benefit more than girls from adult attention and resources, as do low-income and nonwhite children, a variety of studies have found. Mentors who aren’t children’s parents, but who share those children’s gender and race, serve a particularly important role for black children, Ms. Hurd has found. That helps explain why the presence of black fathers in a neighborhood, even if not in a child’s home, appears to make a difference.

Some of the widest black-white income gaps in this study appear in wealthy communities. This fits with previous research that has shown that the effects of racial discrimination cross class lines. Although all children benefit from growing up in places with higher incomes and more resources, black children do not benefit nearly as much as white children do. Moving black boys to opportunity is no guarantee they can tap into it.

“Simply because you’re in an area that is more affluent, it’s still hard for black boys to present themselves as independent from the stereotype of black criminality,” said Khiara Bridges, a professor of law and anthropology at Boston University who has written a coming paper on discrimination against affluent black people.

This dynamic still weighs on Mr. Jawando. He has a good income, multiple degrees and political aspirations — he is running for county council in Montgomery County, where he grew up. But in his own community, he is careful to dress like a professional.

“I think if I’m putting on a sweatsuit, if I go somewhere, will I be seen as just kind of a hood black guy?” he said. “Or will people recognize me at all?” Those small daily decisions — to wear a blazer or not — follow him despite his success. “I don’t think you escape those things,” he said.
____________________________________________________________
Read More - Stats/Graphs inclusive: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/19/upshot/race-class-white-and-black-men.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

1963 Loyola of Chicago Ramblers – NCAA Champs


1963 Loyola Ramblers – NCAA Champs

Written by Lawrence Tanter

This Thursday (3/22/18)...the small university on Chicago's near north side will be the subject of many newscasts and sports commentators across the country. I've attached an articile I wrote 8 years ago to refresh the memory, and add a bit of perspective to the historical significance of the 1963 NCAA basketball tournament.

The Loyola Ramblers are one of many schools that have made "March Madness" a national phenomena. Although it's only a basketball game...the 'game of change' has become a powerful reminder of the social fabric and political landscape of America during the 1960's.

________________________________________________________

1963 Loyola Ramblers – NCAA Champs
Lawrence Tanter 2010


Now that Hoop season reaches an apex this month – a stroll down Basketball lane would be timely. The year was 1963 (47 years ago)...Loyola University of Chicago played Mississippi State in the NCAA regional basketball tournament. The Bulldogs of MSU took the bold step of defying the Mississippi governor's wishes, going up to East Lansing, Michigan, to play a predominantly-black Loyola squad. Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett banned the Mississippi school from traveling to the tournament to play against Loyola's black players. Sending a decoy team to divert state police, the Mississippi State team successfully sneaked out of the state to play the Ramblers. Loyola won 61-51. Jerry Harkness, the Loyola guard still remembers all the camera flashbulbs that went off simply because Joe Dan Gold, the MSU captain, shook his hand before tipoff.

The NCAA sponsored a special screening of the documentary "Game of Change," that chronicles the historic 1963 NCAA regional semifinal game between Loyola University of Chicago and Mississippi State University. The documentary detailed events surrounding that 1963 game.

Loyola went on to play two- time defending champion Cincinnati later in the tournament at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout most of the game it looked as if the Bearcats were headed for a third straight title. They were dominatingthe Ramblers and were up 15 points (45-30) midway through the second half. Loyola though, made a remarkable comeback, and in the final seconds of regulation, tied the score at 54, sending the NCAA title game into overtime.The Ramblers were able to pull it out in overtime, winning the game 60-58. Loyola won the game despite shooting only 27.4% from the field, and playing the starting line-up the entire game.

The Ramblers only committed three turnovers for the game. So when you’re clued to the tube this month...remember how tiny Loyola University opened the door, and helped this nation move in a positive direction.

2018-03-16

1300 Radio Stations Now Under The Bankruptcy Umbrella

Story by Radio Ink
Written by Deborah Parenti

Should we look at that statement as good news? Of the approximate 11,300 AM and FM radio stations in America, over 11% of them (iHeart with 850/Cumulus with 445) are now under the umbrella of bankruptcy. And there are many in our industry who are cheering that fact. Why are they cheering? Why is this good news to them? It’s not because they wanted those two companies to fail. Rather, they see light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Radio’s two big companies are finally facing the elephant in the room and working on plans to shed over $22 billion in debt that for years has been kicked down the road.

Many radio executives have been prognosticating, even hoping, this day would come. They were hoping radio’s two biggest companies would get their restructure in motion, get it over with, and get back to business. Since the day Mary Berner took over Cumulus she has been very forthcoming that the debt situation she inherited needed to be addressed. And she’s following through with addressing their $2 billion in debt.

Since the day Bob Pittman inherited iHeart’s massive debt load, while unable to move that needle, he transformed a radio company into a multi-media platform giant. Many may not agree with all of the decisions made, but conventional wisdom alone was never going to be enough to erase that massive debt. Bold moves are never sure bets but credit should go to those who dare to try.

It appears 2018 may be the year it all gets cleaned up, and certainly that IS good news for all. Of course, anything can happen along the way; these bankruptcy plans could fall apart, which would be catastrophic (and rare). Other radio companies could find themselves in the same position. And for sure, there are going to be many who are not repaid a penny in these situations. For them, none of this is great news.

Industry watchers have said for a long time that the enormous amount of debt iHeart and Cumulus have been carrying around, combined with their inability to pay it down, has been marring the entire industry. It has cast a dark shadow over everyone, including advertisers, and the sooner they both clean up their balance sheets and come out on the other side stronger, the better it will be for everyone.

When you really think about it, shouldn’t we all be rooting for Mary Berner and Bob Pittman to succeed? Shouldn’t we hope both Cumulus and iHeart emerge as more solid companies, making the industry stronger? We all know there were a lot of layoffs along the way, and there may be more, but there are still many thousands of employees we should also be cheering for, championing their efforts to create great content, market and sell that great content, and best of all, serve their communities all across the country better than any other medium. This could be the dawn of a new day for radio.
________________________________
Read more: http://www.insideradio.com/free/iheartmedia-to-have-a-capital-structure-that-matches-its-strong/article_efb334b4-2898-11e8-8b49-13a5fe32cfc7.html

2018-03-15

iHeartMedia, Largest U.S. radio company, files for bankruptcy

Story by Reuters
Written by Tom Hals

Updated info: http://www.insideradio.com/free/iheartmedia-to-have-a-capital-structure-that-matches-its-strong/article_efb334b4-2898-11e8-8b49-13a5fe32cfc7.html

IHeartMedia Inc (IHRT.PK) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Thursday as the largest U.S. radio station owner reached an in-principle agreement with creditors to more than halve its $20 billion in debt.

The company said it ‍reached the agreement with holders of more than $10 billion of its outstanding debt that would restructure its balance sheet by transferring 94 percent of the stock in the reorganized company to its lenders.

IHeartMedia has struggled with debt that was taken on to finance a $17.9 billion leveraged buyout in 2008 of what was then Clear Channel Communications Inc. That deal led by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP closed just as a financial crisis began to undermine the U.S. economy.

In the years that followed, the operator of 849 radio stations has faced intensifying competition for advertisers and listeners from internet platforms such as music streaming services.

“The agreement ... is a significant accomplishment, as it allows us to definitively address the more than $20 billion in debt that has burdened our capital structure,” Chief Executive Bob Pittman said in a statement.

The company, which traces its roots to the 1972 purchase of KEEZ-FM in San Antonio, Texas, where it is currently headquartered said it would fund the business and bankruptcy process from cash on hand and cash generated from operations.

It said in a statement it was seeking to maintain business as usual during the bankruptcy, and to “uphold its commitments” to its staff. It employs 12,400 people, according to court records.

The filing comes less than four months after Cumulus Media Inc, which operates 445 U.S. radio stations, filed for Chapter 11.

DEBT-CUTTING DEAL

IHeartMedia had $3.58 billion in revenue in 2017 and reaches 271 million radio listeners. The company also sells advertising on digital platforms, at live concerts and on syndicated programs featuring personalities such as Rush Limbaugh and American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

However, the company spent $1.4 billion on interest payments last year and has more than $8 billion in debt maturing by the end of 2019.

Under the company’s debt-cutting deal, holders of secured loans and secured notes, who are owed nearly $13 billion, agreed to accept about $5.6 billion in new debt and 94 percent of the equity in a reorganized iHeartMedia, according to court documents.

These creditors also will receive iHeartMedia’s 89.5 percent stake in Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc (CCO.N), the world’s largest billboard company, which did not file for bankruptcy.

IHeartMedia also proposed that junior debt holders, who are owed more than $2 billion, will receive their pro rata share of 5 percent of the equity in the reorganized company and $200 million in new secured notes.

Existing shareholders would receive 1 percent of the stock in the reorganized company, according to court documents.

The junior debt holders are expected to actively oppose the agreement, said Brian Coleman, iHeartMedia’s treasurer, said in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston.

Investors led by funds affiliated with Angelo, Gordon & Co took iHeartMedia to a New York court last month in a failed bid to protect what they said was the seniority of the debt.

IHeartMedia has also drawn interest from John Malone’s Liberty Media Corp (FWONA.O), which proposed on Feb. 26 a deal to buy a 40 percent stake in a restructured iHeartMedia for $1.16 billion. Such a deal would unite iHeartMedia with Liberty’s Sirius XM Holdings Inc (SIRI.O) satellite radio service.

Shares of iHeartMedia lost three-quarters of their value in the second half of 2015 and have not recovered. The pink sheet stock traded at 62.5 cents in early Thursday trade. Shares of Clear Channel Outdoor climbed 2 percent to $5 on the New York Stock Exchange.

2018-03-14

Craig Mack, American rapper on Diddy's Bad Boy label, dead at 46


Craig Mack "Flava in Ya Ear"

Story by NY Daily News
Written by Kyle Eustice

Craig Mack, the Long Island rapper who found fame on Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records in the mid-1990s, has died at age 46, his producer confirmed to the Daily News.

Mack — who launched to hip-hop acclaim with the platinum hit “Flava in Ya Ear” in 1994 before being overshadowed by fellow artists such as the Notorious B.I.G. — died of heart failure at a hospital near his Walterboro, S.C., home Monday.

@Diddy
Craig Mack, you were the first artist to release music on Bad Boy and gave us our first hit. You always followed your heart and you had an energy that was out of this world. You believed in me and you believed in Bad Boy. I will never forget what you did for hip-hop.


"Flava in Ya Ear" The Re-Mix
________________________________
Read more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/craig-mack-new-york-rapper-diddy-bad-boy-label-dead-46-article-1.3871459
https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.46217/title.diddy-thanks-craig-mack-for-contributions-to-hip-hop#

Register NOW: PUSHTech2020 Summit April 12-13, 2018 in the Bay Area


Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pushtech-2020-2018-annual-summit-rainbow-push-coalition-and-citizenship-education-fund-tickets-43701599661

2018-03-13

United States President Donald Trump fires Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, names CIA Director Mike Pompeo as successor at State

Story by The Hill
Written by Morgan Chalfant and Max Greenwood

President Trump has removed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo in a move that stunned Washington with its timing.

Trump is nominating Gina Haspel, Pompeo’s current deputy, to lead the CIA.

Trump told reporters Tuesday morning that he made the decision “by myself,” signaling he did not speak with Tillerson before firing him.

“I actually got along great with Rex, but really, it was a different mindset,” Trump said from the White House.

Those comments belied the fact that Trump and Tillerson had repeatedly clashed, most famously when the secretary of State reportedly referred to Trump in private as a "moron." The report clearly got under Trump's skin, and the president responded by challenging Tillerson to an IQ test.

Trump tweeted the news of the staff changes shortly after Tillerson's firing was first reported by The Washington Post.

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State," Trump tweeted.

"He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!"
________________________
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378073-tillerson-ousted-as-secretary-of-state-report

2018-03-12

‘Black Panther’ Launches With Solid $66.5 Million in China



Story by Variety
Written by Dave McNary

Underlining its global power, Disney-Marvel’s “Black Panther” has opened solidly in China with $66.5 million in its first three days.

The opening weekend made China the largest international territory for “Black Panther,” as it leaped past the U.K. at $55.8 million, South Korea at $42.8 million and Brazil at $29.6 million. “Black Panther” is also the first major Hollywood title to release since Chinese New Year in February and the end of the unofficial blackout period during which local films are given distribution priority.

“Black Panther” took in 53% market share in China and represented the fourth highest opening of a Marvel Cinematic Universe title. It launched 16% ahead of Disney-Marvel’s “Thor: Ragnarok” and is the biggest opening of a Western title in China in 2018 to date.

China is the final foreign market for the superhero tentpole, which has generated $517 million internationally — passing “Captain America: Winter Soldier” ($454 million), “The Dark Knight” ($470 million), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” ($474 million), “The Amazing Spider-Man” ($496 million), “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” ($506 million) and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ($514 million).

With $562 million domestically, “Black Panther” has a worldwide box office total of $1.078 billion. It became the 33rd film to cross the $1 billion worldwide mark on Saturday and currently ranks 21st on the all-time list, about $6 million behind “The Dark Knight.” It trails “Transformers: Age of Extinction” by $26 million for 19th place.

Chinese action holdover “Operation Red Sea” scored the second-highest weekend number internationally with $23.8 million from seven markets, lifting the worldwide gross to $530 million, according to comScore. Zhang Yi, Huang Jingyu, Hai Qing, Du Jiang and Prince Mak star in the story of the evacuation of foreign nationals and Chinese citizens from Yemen’s southern port of Aden during the 2015 Yemeni Civil War.

Fox’s “Red Sparrow” took in $15.7 million from 6,774 screens in 69 markets, led by its second weekend in Germany with $2 million and in the U.K. with $1.7 million. The Jennifer Lawrence spy thriller has grossed $51.8 million overseas.

Warner Bros.’ international launch of “Tomb Raider,” starring Alicia Vikander, pulled in $14.1 million at 3,525 locations from nine markets ahead of its March 16 domestic release. South Korea was the top market with $2.9 million.

Fox’s “The Shape of Water,” following its Oscar wins for best picture and director, grossed $11.3 million from 5,686 screens in 52 markets as the majority of markets outperformed the prior weekend. The international total stands at $87.4 million with China opening on March 16.

President Trump and Congresswoman Maxine Waters again show they do not care much for each other


U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles on March 10, 2018. (Dan Steinberg/Invision/Associated Press)

Story by Los Angeles Times
Written by Laura King

Video link of Representative Waters: https://www.facebook.com/humanrightscampaign/videos/10156244050893281/?t=67

President Trump and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) engaged in a sharp war of words through the weekend, with Trump calling Waters a "very low-IQ individual" and Waters firing back by calling Trump "con man Don."

Trump started the exchange at a raucous Pennsylvania rally Saturday night for Republican House candidate Rick Saccone, Trump derided Waters, who has called for his impeachment, apparently imitating her as supposedly declaring, "'We will impeach him. We will impeach the President. But he hasn't done anything wrong. It doesn't matter; we will impeach him.'"

"She's a low-IQ individual — you can't help it, she really is," Trump said.

Waters responded Sunday on MSNBC, saying that "this is what this con man does. He diverts attention from himself by attacking others."

"He can keep calling names," Waters said. "I've got plenty for him.… Everyone knows he's a con man. He's been a con man all his life."

Waters appeared undaunted by the President's latest swipe at her, telling MSNBC's Joy Reid that she plans to continue calling for his impeachment.

"I believe he should be impeached," Waters said. "I think we're on the road to it. I think it is possible and I'm going to keep going after him also."

Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin on Sunday defended Trump's spree of name-calling, saying on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the verbal assaults were intended to be humorous.

"The President likes making funny names," Mnuchin told interviewer Chuck Todd, who himself was slammed by Trump in the Pennsylvania speech as a "son of a bitch."

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), also appearing on NBC, urged fellow Republicans not to "normalize" the President's behavior. Flake, who is not seeking reelection, said Trump's continual name-calling and continuing attacks on the news media are a threat to democratic norms.

"It's our responsibility at some point when he goes so far to stand up and say, 'This is not normal,'" said Flake, who has also been subjected to repeated Trump insults.

2018-03-09

A Word About Louis Farrakhan and Tamika Mallory


Louis Farrakhan; Tomika Mallory (Photo: Carlos Osorio (AP Photo); Bebeto Matthews (AP Photo))

Story by The Root
Written by Terrell Jermaine Starr

Women’s March Co-President Tamika Mallory’s public image has been taking a drumming all week since news broke of her attendance at the Nation of Islam’s annual Saviour’s Day, during which Minister Louis Farrakhan delivered a speech with anti-Semitic commentary.

The speech was delivered at the end of February, but Twitter went ablaze last weekend after CNN’s Jake Tapper posted footage on Twitter with time stamps indicating where Farrakhan made the incendiary remarks. An Instagram post Mallory shared from the event was amplified on social media, further drawing sharp reactions from progressives and others.

Public statements from the Women’s March and from Mallory, released on NewsOne Wednesday explaining how the NOI was with her when the father of her son was killed some 17 years ago, haven’t abated media scrutiny.

On Thursday, CBS ran with the headline, “Women’s March Leader Tamika Mallory Defends Relationship With Farrakhan.” The Washington Post ran a column Wednesday titled, “The Anti-Semite Who’s Haunting the Left.” Headlines with even harsher critiques of Mallory and other co-leaders of the Women’s March ran in days prior.

Some of Mallory’s supporters wonder why she’s being held accountable for Farrakhan’s words and that pressure for her to do so reinforces how black women are held accountable in ways white women rarely—if ever—confront. Kellyanne Conway, Hope Hicks, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other white women are regularly interviewed on network television as officials of the Trump administration, but face no consequences for supporting a white supremacist president. White female Trump supporters are often painted in a sympathetic light in mainstream media, never pressed to answer for electing a racist and alleged sexual abuser.

A letter emailed to The Root by a group of black women outlined their support of Mallory, reading in part, “We denounce any effort to smear Ms. Mallory’s reputation as one of our country’s most promising bridge builders of people of all backgrounds. We stand united against those attacks and encourage the Women’s March to stand united as a diverse body of women and to guard against judgements based on association.”
____________________________________
Read more:
The Root: https://www.theroot.com/a-word-about-louis-farrakhan-and-tamika-mallory-1823607435
CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/womens-march-leader-defends-relationship-with-farrakhan/
Washington Times: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/mar/9/planned-parenthood-cuts-ties-womens-march-leader-o/

2018-03-08

The late Michael Jackson spoke out about Black artists institutionalizing their Music in 2002


Michael Jackson speaks about Sony's mishandling of mostly Black artists signed with Sony

Former First Lady Michele Obama on International Women's Day:


Hi Kirk, and Happy International Women's Day.

Growing up, my parents always had a clear message for me and my brother: There is nothing more important for your future than getting a good education. Nothing.

Even though neither of them had a college degree, they were determined to give us that opportunity. And let me tell you, my education changed everything for me -- opening doors I never could have imagined and allowing me to pursue the career of my dreams.

For me, education meant freedom and empowerment; the chance to fulfill my potential and make my voice heard in the world. And it breaks my heart that today, there are millions of girls across the globe who don't have the chance to attend school.

We know the kind of impact educating girls can have -- not just for them and their families, but for their communities and their countries as well.

Girls who go to school marry later, have lower rates of infant and maternal mortality, are more likely to immunize their children, and are less likely to contract malaria and HIV. Girls who are educated also earn higher salaries -- 10 to 20 percent more for each additional year of secondary school. And sending more girls to school and into the workforce can boost an entire country's economy.

That's why, as First Lady, I started an initiative to help more girls worldwide attend school, and before I left the White House, I committed to working on this issue for the rest of my life.

I want every girl on this planet to have the same kind of opportunities that I've had, and that my daughters have -- and I need your help.

Every single one of us has a role to play in helping girls get the education they deserve, and International Women's Day is the perfect time to make that commitment.

Will you join us in creating opportunities for girls around the world? https://go.obama.org/page/s/international-womens-day-em?source=20180308_IWD_top&utm_medium=email&utm_source=obamafound&utm_campaign=20180308_IWD_top&utm_content=2+-+Will+you+join+us+in+creating+opportuniti

I look forward to sharing more about our work with you soon, and I hope you'll join us in this effort. Thank you for everything you've done and continue to do to support the Obama Foundation.

Michelle


Donate today to support the Obama Foundation's work, including our ongoing investment in young people across the globe. https://go.obama.org/page/contribute/IWD?utm_medium=email&utm_source=obamafound&utm_content=3&utm_campaign=20180308_IWD_langA_above&source=20180308_IWD_langA_above