2018-04-27

Video Shows More Waffle House Racism Against Black Customers. Jacinda Mitchell claims she was locked out of the 24-hour franchise

Story by News One
Written By Parker Riley
Announcement of Townhall meeting by Kirk Tanter

Waffle House is in PR hell right now. First, on the early morning of Sunday, April 22, 25-year-old Chikesia Clemons was arrested by White police officers at a Waffle House in Saraland, Alabama. Three officers slammed her to the floor, expose her breasts and one officer threatens to break her arm. Rev. Al Sharpton and Attorney Ben Crump will hold a townhall meeting in Mobile, Alabama to discuss this case and policing in Alabama. Details at www.nationalactionnetwork.net

Watch the video below:



Waffle House immediately sided with police by saying they “strongly support the actions taken by the Saraland Police Department.” According to the Washington Post, the police then accused Chikesia of being drunk and threatening to “shoot this place up.” Chikeisa is taking legal action and powerhouse attorney Benjamin Crump is representing her.

Now there is another incident at Waffle House in Pinson, Alabama. According to AL.com, “In the video, apparently taken on April 22, the woman, Jacinda Mitchell, shows the locked front door of the restaurant at night. Inside, activity appears to be continuing normally, with customers eating and employees cooking food.” Waffle House is open 24 hours so there is no reason why the door should have been locked.

See the video below:



Mithcell wrote on social media, “I don’t need a lawsuit…. just needs to be brought to the public attention. This happened all before the shooting and incident in Mobile, Al. went viral.” Waffle House is reportedly “investigating the circumstances.”

The franchise clearly needs to firmly speak out against discrimination. Not immediately side with police officers or move as slow as molasses to “investigate.” Waffle House clearly needs that Starbucks and H&M treatment.

Louisville University's Quarterback Lamar Jackson is picked up by the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens stating: 'They're going to get a Super Bowl out of me'


Louisville’s Lamar Jackson was drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens. (AP)

Story by Yahoo Sports
Written by Frank Schwab

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens had one of the dullest offenses in the NFL. Sometime very soon, that is going to change.

The Baltimore Ravens, in general manager Ozzie Newsome’s final draft, made one of the most exciting picks of the first round when he traded up to the 32nd pick to draft Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson, the electric 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, will be a fun playmaker for Baltimore whenever he takes over for Joe Flacco.

And Jackson brings some confidence too.

“They’re going to get a Super Bowl out of me,” Jackson told Deion Sanders on NFL Network minutes after the pick. “Believe that. Believe that.”

Moving back up into the first round in a trade was smart for the Ravens. First-round picks have a fifth-year option on their rookie deals. Moving up to take Jackson at No. 32 allows the Ravens another year of cost control with their new quarterback.

Jackson almost sat in the green room the entire first round without hearing his name called. Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, was one of the most dynamic players in college football and one of the most debated players in this draft. It was speculated early in the process by ESPN analyst and former NFL general manager Bill Polian that he would be better suited moving to receiver. That was ridiculous, and Jackson instantly shot down that possibility, but it framed the entire debate on Jackson. Jackson is a great runner, but also a better pocket quarterback than he got credit for.

Jackson told NFL Network that he didn’t mind the wait.

“I’m happy to be a Raven,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t even matter.”

It will be an interesting dynamic in Baltimore because the Ravens still have Flacco, who helped the franchise win a Super Bowl ring. But Flacco’s play has been subpar for a few years, and it’s probably time for a change in Baltimore. It will be curious when the torch is passed. When it is, the Ravens’ offense will change dramatically to suit the athletic Jackson, after years of having Flacco anchored to the pocket.

The Ravens were not a lot of fun to watch last season, with an offense that seemed stuck in low gear. When Jackson gets his shot, that won’t be the case anymore.

2018-04-26

Chorus Of ‘Yeahs’ In House For Passage Of Music Copyright Bill.



Story by Inside Radio

It wasn’t even close as the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously approved a sweeping music copyright reform bill with a 415-0 vote. The Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447) doesn’t include a performance royalty for AM/FM airplay however it does encompass provisions that could wind up costing the radio industry more for music use in the years to come.

“The major players in the music industry are unified in supporting comprehensive music licensing reform to bring the state of our nation’s copyright laws into the digital age that the industry itself has already transitioned to,” said House Judiciary Committee chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), who sponsored the bill. “While no bill is perfect, by all accounts, this is a bill with overwhelming consensus behind it.”

The bill includes a change in copyright law to create a public performance right for songs recorded prior to Feb. 15, 1972. That means any station that airs pre-’72 songs would have to begin paying royalties whenever those songs are streamed online. On-air spins would remain exempt. The impact wouldn’t be as severe as a blanket performance royalty, since that catalog material makes up a shrinking portion of radio playlists. But it could lead some classic rock or classic hits stations to adjust their playlists or stop webcasting altogether in order to limit streaming expenses.

The bill would also impact how the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) sets broadcast radio’s ASCAP and BMI rates. Judges are currently not allowed to consider sound recording royalty rates as a relevant benchmark when setting performance royalty rates for songwriters and composers. The music industry argues that creates an uneven playing field which hurts songwriters.

To address that concern the bill would implement uniform rate setting standards to be used by the CRB for all music services. It would also bring an end to the current system whereby each performance rights organization is assigned to a single judge in U.S. District Court in New York when they’re unable to reach a deal with the radio industry. Instead, a federal judge would be selected at random. New York courts have been a favorable venue for radio but supporters of the change say the so-called “wheel” approach would ensure the judge takes a look at fresh evidence for each rate case, based on the record in that particular case, without relying on a lingering impression derived from prior cases.

No Radio Royalty Included

While an umbrella package of legislative proposals has passed the House, most notably for radio is lawmakers opted not to include the key element in the Fair Play Fair Pay Act (H.R. 1836) creating a performance royalty on AM/FM airplay. The Judiciary Committee has pushed the National Association of Broadcasters and the musicFirst Coalition to try to privately resolve the decades-long stalemate between the two industries and those discussions continue. Supporters of copyright reform chose not to wait to see how that process played out and potentially put passing the wider reform bill at risk of falling through cracks in the congressional calendar during an election year.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) made no mention that his radio royalty proposal was cut out when the Music Modernization Act came to the floor. Instead he said what did survive would resolve “longstanding inequities and inefficiencies” in the music marketplace. “We are at a unique moment in time where virtually all the industry stakeholders have come together in support of a common music policy agenda,” Nadler said, noting the measure has the support of more than 300 major artists. “This is an historic opportunity to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in decades,” Nadler added.

The NAB has remained neutral on the bill but it’s backed the proposal moving forward, saying it provides a “consensus solution” to music licensing issues facing songwriters, music publishers, and on-demand streaming services. NAB president Gordon Smith said they were also thankful key lawmakers were willing to work to “address the concerns” of broadcasters. Separately, Chris Israel, musicFirst’s executive director, called the vote an “historic day for music creators” but he also made no mention of the performance royalty issue.

At least one radio company supports the bill. In a statement iHeartMedia has called for “swift enactment” of the legislation. The parent of streaming radio service iHeartRadio said the House Judiciary Committee’s “collaborative, bipartisan and consensus-based process” resulted in legislation that “represents a significant step forward in creating a music marketplace that better serves and balances the interests of artists, music services and consumers.”

Had To Wait For The ‘Right Time’

The House vote was a significant accomplishment for Goodlatte, who has led the multiyear effort to update U.S. copyright law. Goodlatte announced he will retire at year-end and the weaving together of various proposals and legislation into a unified package with bipartisan support is seen as the music industry’s best opportunity in years to change how record labels, songwriters, and performers are paid. It comes just a month after the RIAA reported online music subscription service revenue topped $4 billion in 2017, accounting for nearly half of the industry’s $8.7 billion in revenue last year.

“Sometimes big pieces of legislation can come together only through the efforts of a large number of people who invest their time in making change happen—it also has to happen at the right time,” Goodlatte said. He noted the music industry needed to get past “an occasional bump” in order to bring songwriters, copyright owners, digital music providers, artists, artist guilds, and performing rights organizations together. “This bill fits right into the perfect sweet spot, on both timing and substance,” he said.

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) said near-unanimous support in the music industry for the legislation is remarkable, considering various factions wouldn’t even talk to one another about issues so contentious that some wondered whether they’d even be able to draft a bill. “They came together with overwhelming support and said this is where we need to be,” Collins said.

The bill now moves on to the Senate where companion legislation has already been introduced. Goodlatte said Wednesday he also believes President Trump will sign the bill.

Bill Cosby guilty of sexual assault, jury rules as trial ends


Bill Cosby arrives for his sexual assault trial, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown.(MATT ROURKE / AP)

Story by Philadelphia Inquirer
Written by Jeremy Roebuck & Laura McCrystal

A Montgomery County jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of the only criminal charges to emerge from a career-ending scandal fueled by dozens of women who accused the entertainer once known as “America’s Dad” of sexual assault.

After about 13 hours of deliberation, the panel of seven men and five women on Thursday convicted him of drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee who said she had seen Cosby as a father-figure and mentor until the early 2004 night that he accosted her at his Cheltenham Township home.

The 80-year-old entertainer could face up to 10 years in prison. As the jury decision was announced Cosby offered little visible reaction, but gazed down at the defense table, looking sullen; his spokesman leaned forward, his head in his hands.

The verdict cause some of the defendants accusers in the packed courtroom to let out audible sighs of relief, a few began to loudly sob and were removed.

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult case,” Judge Steven T. O’Neill told the jurors, Montgomery County residents who had been sequestered most of the month, as he thanked them for their service. “You have sacrificed much but you have sacrificed it in service to this country, this county and this town. And that is important.”

The verdict delivered the first celebrity conviction of the #MeToo era in a case that in many ways stood at its vanguard and shone a spotlight on the role sexual entitlement, a scandal-hungry media and Hollywood’s casting couch culture played in the ruin of a comedy icon.

But in the end, it was the 13-year-old account of one of Cosby’s very first accusers that now threatens to send him to prison, potentially for the rest of his life.

The decision — guilty on three counts of aggravated indecent assault stemming from the attack on Constand — was announced in a packed Norristown courtroom.

The outcome represented vindication for the 45-year-old Canadian massage therapist, whose story was rebuffed first in 2005 by prosecutors who doubted she could stand up to courtroom scrutiny and then last year by another jury that was unable to unanimously agree about her claims.

It also delivered a victory to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele who through two trial has come under attack from Cosby, his wife and a defense team that accused him of corruptly targeting an innocent man to feed his own political ambitions.

Still, Steele vowed to press on after Cosby’s first trial in June resulted in a hung jury and mistrial and returned to court April 9 with a case that was in many ways stronger than before

O’Neill is expected to sentence Cosby at a later date.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/bill-cosby-found-guilty-accusers-speak-after-verdict-1219967043526

2018-04-25

Congressmen Cummings, Lawrence, and Kildee Issue Statements on Anniversary of Flint Water Crisis


Washington, D.C. (Apr. 25, 2018)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Committee Member Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), and Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) issued the following statements on this week’s four-year anniversary of the Flint water crisis:

Ranking Member Cummings: “This anniversary of the poisoning of Flint’s water is a bitter milestone. On one hand, it is a solemn testament to the resilience and resolve of the good people of Flint, who were unnecessarily subjected to deadly abuse in the service of a flawed Republican governing theory that sacrifices public health at the altar of ‘austerity.’ On the other hand, it is a daily reminder of Governor Snyder’s ongoing lack of accountability—and the Republicans in Congress who shut down our investigation in order to protect him. The people of Flint are still recovering from a disaster they did not cause, and some will live with the impacts for the rest of their lives. For them, every sip of water remains tainted with the distrust of broken promises.”

Rep. Brenda Lawrence: “We must do all we can to support the victims in Flint. Congress allocated $170 million in federal aid for Flint families, and I pledge to continue to fight for the needs of the people of Flint. I am calling for a hearing from the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a member, for a thorough update on the allocation and outcome of the of the federal aid package. We must ensure that the needs of the people of Flint, with all its complexities are fully recognized and addressed. I am especially concerned with the long-term care needed for the children of Flint who are victims of dangerous lead poisoning. We must keep our commitment to these vulnerable children and to this community. This tragedy should never have happened in Flint, and it should never happen anywhere in America ever again. We must remain vigilant to protect America’s infrastructure and public health. We must hold our government responsible and accountable to their solemn duty of serving the America people. I am calling for a thorough hearing to make certain that we learn the lessons needed to prevent a crisis like this from happening again.”

Rep. Dan Kildee: “Four years later, it is important to remember that the Flint water crisis is far from over. While I am proud that Congress passed a $170 million Flint aid package to help remove lead pipes and expand health care for families exposed to high levels of lead, more must be done to ensure that Flint recovers from this man-made crisis. Four years later, Flint families still do not trust the water coming out of their taps because of a complete lack of faith in their state government that created this crisis. What happened in Flint is not an anomaly—rather, Flint is a warning to other communities across the country. We must get serious about improving America’s water infrastructure and making significant investments in communities like Flint so a similar crisis does not happen elsewhere.”

In December 2016, then-Chairman Jason Chaffetz unilaterally rushed to shut down the Oversight Committee’s investigation—without any consultation with other Members of the Committee—after Snyder refused to produce documents requested by the Committee on a bipartisan basis.

Chaffetz subsequently rejected requests by Democrats to re-open the investigation even as criminal charges were filed by state law enforcement officials against individuals who testified before the Committee.

When Rep. Trey Gowdy became Chairman, Democrats sent a letter requesting that he issue a subpoena for the documents being withheld by Snyder or allow Committee Members to debate and vote on a motion to issue the subpoena. He rejected both requests.

During a Committee business meeting on November 2, 2017, Democrats moved to issue the subpoena, but Republicans blocked all debate on the motion.

The Committee’s probe into Snyder’s knowledge and handling of the crisis as it was unfolding was obstructed by him and his office. For example:

• Snyder refused to provide requested documents in the crucial time period when the state finally warned the public about the threat of Legionnaire’s disease and appropriated millions of dollars to address the crisis.

• Snyder refused to provide documents used to prepare for specific meetings with his top staff to discuss the Flint water crisis.

• Snyder refused to provide briefing documents on key events, including the announcement that General Motors would stop using Flint River water, concerns expressed by local leaders about poor water quality, the discovery of a Legionella outbreak, and the finding of high lead levels in Flint water.

• Snyder turned over very few emails with his top staff. The Committee learned that Snyder routinely destroyed his emails. His lawyers claimed that he preserved all relevant records pursuant to civil litigation brought against the state, but Snyder refused to provide the Committee with proof of his preservation efforts, and he refused a request for the Committee to interview the state official responsible for preserving certain records.

2018-04-24

Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr. were forbidden from being together in the 1950's



Story by NikkiSwift.com

In 1957, Rat Packer Sammy Davis Jr. reportedly invited actress Kim Novak, who had just starred in Vertigo, to the Chez Paree nightclub in Chicago to watch him sing, but he didn't get a moment alone with her. So, he asked mutual friend Tony Curtis to set something up. Curtis threw a party and invited them both — Novak and Davis hit it off. 

"I could see right from the beginning that they were getting along in an intense way, and that was the beginning of the relationship," Curtis later told Vanity Fair. Someone at the party called in the hot-couple alert to gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, who wrote this not-at-all blind item: "Which top female movie star (K.N.) is seriously dating which big-name entertainer (S.D.)?" 

According to Vanity Fair, Novak and Davis enjoyed quiet meals and trysts together in a futile attempt to avoid Columbia Pictures' allegedly aggressive and controlling head honcho, Harry Cohn, and his many studio spies. For as great as the '50s were for fashion and film, it was also a super racist time. If news of an interracial relationship came to fruition, Davis and Novak's careers could be over, or worse. To avoid a hit Cohn allegedly ordered through his many Mob connections, Davis was reportedly forced to marry an African-American singer named Loray White. "Davis offered her a lump sum (between $10,000 and $25,000) to marry him and act as his wife," reported the Smithsonian magazine. "She agreed." That put an end to anything he had going with Novak.

2018-04-23

Black voters warn Democrats with 2020 ambitions about taking them for granted - NAN Convention 2018

Story by Washington Post
Written by David Weigel

NEW YORK — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren condemned housing laws that “targeted communities of color.” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker focused on the injustice of climate change. California Sen. Kamala D. Harris railed against the Education Department as hostile to affirmative action.

Potential 2020 presidential candidates addressed the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention this week, tailoring their pitch to black voters who complain that Democrats have taken their support for granted and pressed for more from the party.

Democrats with State and National ambitions have responded, endorsing automatic voter registration, criminal justice reform and the decriminalization of marijuana.

“They’re going to have to articulate an agenda,” said Marc La­mont Hill, a professor at Temple University who supported the Green Party in 2016. “They can’t just come to us as a captured electorate — they can’t say, ‘Hey, you’re going to vote for us anyway.’ We can leverage our power and ask them to make responsible, responsive policy.”

Black support wasn’t an issue in 2008 and 2012, with Barack Obama seeking the presidency. But in 2016, with Hillary Clinton as the nominee, the black turnout rate fell to 60 percent, the first decline in 20 years.

[4.4 million 2012 Obama voters stayed home in 2016 — more than a third of them black] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/12/4-4-million-2012-obama-voters-stayed-home-in-2016-more-than-a-third-of-them-black/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d5b55e70f34d

Donald Trump, who had questioned whether Obama was born in the United States, did better with black voters than either of the Republican nominees who had challenged Obama.

To Sharpton, it seemed that Democrats, with plenty to offer black voters, had opted for a bland anti-Trump campaign.

“They had not engaged in a lot of these issues,” Sharpton said in an interview. “For a lot of them, 2016 was a wake-up call. If Hillary got more black votes in Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, she’d be president. They’re finally getting that they were behind the learning curve.”

Democrats have been working fast to change that. On Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D), another potential candidate for president, used the conference to announce that he would restore voting rights to felons on parole, potentially affecting 35,000 people. On Friday, in Washington, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation that would decriminalize marijuana, saying that it would allow “minority-owned business to have a fair shot in the marijuana industry.”

Trump has remained unpopular with black voters; in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, just 11 percent said that they approved of the job he was doing. But several of the Democrats seen as potential presidential candidates don’t have an obvious claim on the black electorate.

Warren related her own story of growing up poor in Oklahoma in a “paycheck-to-paycheck family” to what African Americans had experienced during the 2008 financial crisis.

“I can’t tell you how many women told me that they had to sell their wedding rings,” said Warren. When she began to quote a verse about poverty from the Gospel of Matthew, the crowd recited it by memory.

“You can always tell a Sunday school teacher,” said Warren. “Old school. I still do King James.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who struggled to win over black voters in his race against Clinton for the Democratic nomination in 2016, spoke to the conference about participating in the 1963 March on Washington. He said former Ohio state senator Nina Turner, a black woman, had taken over his political group Our Revolution and helped it elect a Philadelphia district attorney who was ending mass incarceration.

“We can’t talk about a strong economy when 34 percent of African American children today are living in poverty,” said Sanders. “We can’t talk about a strong economy when black high school graduates have an unemployment rate of over 40 percent — and then we wonder why bad things happen?”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) promoted her support for a ­government-funded full employment plan, saying that Coretta Scott King had fought for it and it was time for Democrats to embrace it.

“Coretta refused to accept the concept that full employment, a job for everyone, was impossible,” said Gillibrand. “I agree with Coretta.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder also spoke to the conference.

“None of them have announced. They’re on what we call a temperature tour,” said Sharpton.

But in the crowded conference rooms, it was hard to miss the enthusiasm for Harris and Booker — two of the three African Americans in the Senate.

Sharpton, who congratulated Warren for being attacked as “Pocahontas” by Trump — “we call her Sister Po-Po,” he said — introduced Harris as “Honest Kamala” and compared her to Abraham Lincoln. After quoting Trump’s “what do you have to lose” line, she rattled off the things that “we” had to lose, from fair housing laws to health care.

Booker took a similar tone, sometimes chiding the Democrats who had come around on black issues by asking what had taken them so long.

“I know all these people want to talk about legalizing marijuana,” Booker said. “Well, marijuana has been decriminalized for the privileged for a long time. There’s nobody stopping and frisking on college campuses!”

Sharpton, who has tangled with Trump for decades, said that he had asked the Trump administration if it wanted to send representatives to the convention in 2017 and 2018.

“Last year they sent us Omarosa,” said Sharpton, referring to White House aide Omarosa Manigault-Newman, who has since been dismissed. “I guess they don’t have another Omarosa.”

Waffle House murder suspect Travis Reinking is now in custody


BREAKING: Travis Reinking apprehended moments ago in a wooded area near Old Hickory Blvd & Hobson Pk. (CNN)

After a frantic day-long manhunt, the gunman accused of killing four people at a Nashville-area Waffle House is now in custody, police said Monday.

Metro Nashville police say Travis Reinking, 29, unloaded an assault-style rifle at the restaurant in Antioch early Sunday morning.

The tragedy sparked a cycle of shock, grief and anxiety among residents throughout Nashville.

Nashville public schools started "lock-out" procedures Monday while Reinking was on the loose, and police warned residents to keep their doors locked.

But it's not clear what Reinking did during his roughly 35 hours on the run. And the motive for the attack remains a mystery.

Waffle House shooting in Nashville from James Shaw Jr's perspective


James Shaw Jr., a customer who saved countless lives at a Nashville-area Waffle House, speaks out after a semi-nude gunman killed four people. Shaw Jr. in shooting states: "He was going to have to work to kill me" (CNN)

2018-04-20

Thousands sign petition asking President Donald J. Trump to let White Farmers in South Africa migrate to U.S. after country votes to force them off land


In October last year, thousands of predominantly white protesters took to the streets throughout South Africa to protest a string of deadly attacks in rural areas of the country. (Photo by David Harrison/AFP/Getty

Story by Newsweek
Written by Chantal Da Silva

More than 12,000 people have signed a petition asking President Donald Trump to let white people in South Africa emigrate to the U.S. amid a vote by the country's parliament favoring a motion that could see South Africa's constitution amended to allow for land to be stripped from owners without any compensation.

The motion, which will still need the approval of the South African Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee before an amendment can even be drafted, has once again stoked fears among the country's white farmers of a violent and disastrous land redistribution akin to that which crippled Zimbabwe in the 2000s.

The online petition calls on Trump to "take the steps necessary to initiate an emergency immigration plan allowing white Boers to come to the United States." Boer is the term used to describe South Africans of Dutch, German or Huguenot descent, who are also commonly referred to as Afrikaners.

The petition suggests that Trump should stop admitting refugees from Somalia and the Middle East, claiming they "cannot be properly vetted," and allow white South Africans into the country instead.

A similar petition, calling on European Union President Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May to allow white South Africans into EU countries, has gained nearly 17,000 signatures.

The motion was put forward by the Economic Freedom Fighters and supported, but amended by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), with the party promising reforms that will address racial disparities in land ownership. Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the move, with the motion passing 241-83.

It was a key part of recently elected President Cyril Ramaphosa's platform. Ramaphosa, who has long supported Nelson Mandela's vision for South Africa, took office last month, replacing former President Jacob Zuma.

More than two decades after white-minority rule came to an end in South Africa, most of the country's profitable farming land is owned by white residents. A recent land audit conducted by Agri SA, a South African agricultural industry association, found that white farmers still control 73 percent of the country's profitable farming land.

Agri SA expressed concerns over the parliament vote, saying that while it "fully understands the need for land reform and the frustration with the apparent slow process and is committed to orderly and sustainable land reform...politics and emotion dominated the debate."

Dan Kriek, Agri SA’s president, warned that the rights of all property owners in South Africa were at stake. He said that amending the country's constitution property clause would be a step backward into a past where the protection of property rights was not applied across the board.

Julius Malema, the leader of the EFF opposition party, which introduced the motion told parliament, told lawmakers "we must stop being cowards. We must stop working around the white minorities who are governed by the fear of the unknown when it comes to the question of land expropriation without compensation."

He said land expropriation would end disparity caused by "criminals who stole our land."

Malema also said "the time for reconciliation in South Africa "is over," News.com.au reported. "Now is the time for justice," he said, adding, "We must sensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land."

Malema has been a strong supporter of confiscating land from white farmers, saying in 2016 he was "not calling for the slaughter of white people–at least for now."

South African parliament members' support for land expropriation comes at a time when the Zimbabwean government has established a compensation committee under its land acquisition act to allow for former commercial farmers whose land was seized 18 years ago under Robert Mugabe to be compensated.

The move to compensate displaced farmers, led by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was recently elected to replace Mugabe after he stepped down in November under military pressure, represents a significant departure from the approach of his predecessor.

According to the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFU), more than 4,000 white farmers were affected by the often violent land reform program.

It also had disastrous consequences to the country's economy, with land reform accelerating Zimbabwe's economic decline with a collapse in farm production.

Ramaphosa has urged people in South Africa not to panic over the results of the vote.

South Africa's Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department echoed that sentiment in a series of tweets. "This is a serious matter. It'll be handled through dialogue and in a stable manner. No need for beating war drums and creating unnecessary panic! South Africa belongs to all who live in it!" the CGTA wrote.

"As we address the land issue, we'll ensure that equitable land is distributed to our poor people in a way that will ensure continued stability," the CGTA added.

Earlier, the department had tweeted, "Land is our heritage, our identity and essentially our dignity. We owe it to our children to dispel the myth that Africans are not interested in commercial farming."

"We'll continue to help improve the lives of South Africans through making tough decisions. This is a moment where we all need to rise and tackle this issue and emerge victorious," the CGTA added, including the hashtag "#LandExpropriation."

Despite the South African government's assurances, creators of the petition demanding that Trump admit white South Africans into the U.S. as refugees claim land expropriation will "dispossess whites of their history, culture, farms, property and jobs, will inevitably lead to a complete genocide of South Africa's white population" if the U.S. does not "intercede."

In October last year, thousands of predominantly white protesters took to the streets throughout South Africa to protest a string of deadly attacks in rural areas of the country. Protesters claimed that farmers were more likely to be murdered than the average South African, with some claiming that the attacks were racially motivated.

An investigation by the BBC last November determined that the claim that farmers are more likely to be murdered than the average South African "is not supported by reliable data."

The BBC found that farm murders in South Africa are at their highest level since 2010-11. The country's police service says 74 people were murdered on farms between April 2016 and March 2017, compared with 58 in the previous year. Those numbers, however, reflect the number of murdered farmers, farmworkers and visitors to farms regardless of race, the BBC notes.

The land expropriation motion is set to be put before Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee for review. South Africa's Parliament has given it until August 30 to come to a decision.

It is unclear where people who are signing the petitions on Change.org are based.

A spokesperson for Change.org told Newsweek it would look into whether the petitions violate any company policies and whether the website plans to take any action. The website later added a note stating it had "received flags from some Change.org users that facts contained in this petition may be contested," adding: "You may consider researching this issue before signing or sharing."

An earlier version of this story cited reports that South Africa's Parliament voted in favor of land expropriation, but did not state that the motion still requires approval from the South African Parliament's Constitutional Review Committee. This story has also been updated to include comments from Change.org.

2018-04-18

Donald Trump tweets about the death of former first lady Barbara Bush



2018-04-17

Mignon Clyburn Announces FCC Departure - Clyburn’s Exit Comes During Pivotal Time For Radio At The FCC.

Story by Inside Radio

In the coming months the Federal Communications Commission will launch a new quadrennial ownership review process. It will arrive not only with raised expectations among broadcasters that additional ownership deregulation is within reach, but also without the most outspoken consolidation critic on the Commission. Mignon Clyburn surprised her fellow commissioners Tuesday and said she’ll be gone by the time they meet again in May.

The timing of the announcement may have been known to Clyburn alone, but her exit was something that had been expected for months in Washington. One of two Democrats on the Commission, Clyburn’s term officially ended in June 2017, although under federal guidelines she has been allowed to continue serving through the end of the current congressional session or until her successor is sworn-in. With no one waiting in the wings, Clyburn is opting to leave nevertheless. With a 3-2 Republican majority, her move is unlikely to have a significant impact on which way any upcoming votes swing.

Clyburn, 56, was nominated by President Obama and has been an FCC commissioner since August 2009. She even served a stint as interim chairman in 2013, the first woman to have led the agency. “It’s been the most incredible opportunity for me,” she said, struggling to keep her composure. “In my wildest dreams, if I could have crafted my destiny I never would have dreamed of this.”

FCC chair Ajit Pai and Clyburn have had a warm rapport, and as a new commissioner five years ago Pai found an ally in Clyburn when he pushed the agency to launch the AM revitalization initiative. “I think her legacy is one of consistently striving for the public interest, trying to find common ground, and staying true to what she believes in,” Pai told reporters. He said it was only fitting that during her final Commission meeting, all six items on the agenda passed with unanimous votes.

It has been on higher-profile and controversial proposals where the partisan divide has appeared. Among the most notable during the past year have been the GOP majority rollback of Obama-era net neutrality rules and relaxing some media ownership limits—including lifting the newspaper-broadcast and radio-TV cross-ownership prohibitions. As the 2018 quadrennial review of media ownership rules begins, some speculate that it may be easier for Pai to push through his proposals in a four-person Commission where he’ll no longer have to work to bring Clyburn onboard.

“We’re about to find out,” Pai told reporters. Behind the scenes he said Clyburn has consistently put her ideas forward to see if there was a middle ground that could be reached. That has at times delayed some decisions as the Republican majority tried to bring their counterparts onboard. “I’m hopeful that a Commission of four people will find itself similarly inclined to want to find consensus and practical solutions,” Pai said.

‘A Champion Of Diversity In The Media’

Clyburn has long been skeptical of allowing further media consolidation. Just minutes before she announced her departure plans Tuesday, she complained the current Republican majority’s efforts to modernize media regulations have been more about rolling back the rules to appease broadcasters. But Clyburn noted she’s also been open to eliminating some regulations. “While I still worry that the cumulative effects leave consumers worse off, as long as the public interest is served, I will support the examination of certain rules to determine whether they remain useful or are necessary,” she said.

Clyburn’s positions haven’t always put her on the same page as radio and TV operators. When the FCC last November voted to do away with main studio rules to the applause of broadcasters, Clyburn worried the change would only help big media companies grow even larger. Yet at the same time Clyburn’s moves to help rescue AM left her with plenty of goodwill within the industry.

“Mignon Clyburn has served the Commission with distinction, dedication and humility over the past eight years,” National Association of Broadcasters president Gordon Smith said. “She has been a passionate voice on behalf of consumers and a champion of diversity in the media marketplace during her tenure.”

In announcing her departure, Clyburn said she’s unsure what her next move will be. There had been speculation the former South Carolina public utility regulator would return to her home state to run for the congressional seat held by her father. But Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has said he intends to run for re-election. The 77-year old is the highest-ranking African American in Congress as assistant minority leader in the House.

In the near-term the Commission will likely be reduced to four members with Rosenworcel the remaining Democrat, alongside three Republican commissioners. Democrats in Congress have reportedly coalesced around Geoffrey Starks as Clyburn’s successor but so far there’s been no announcement from the White House. Starks has served as assistant chief of the Enforcement Bureau since November 2015, where he’s headed the Bureau’s Investigations and Hearings Division—whose team of attorneys is responsible for working out settlements to complaints on non-technical matters such as indecency, underwriting, and unauthorized transfer of control.

2018-04-16

The Obama Foundation's first class of Fellows



Kirk,

Today is an exciting day. I couldn't be happier to introduce you to our inaugural 2018 class of Obama Foundation Fellows.

Join me in welcoming Erin Barnes, Veronica Crespin-Palmer, Clarissa Delgado, Nedgine Paul Deroly, Celina de Sola, Tiana Epps-Johnson, Sasha Fisher, Harry Grammer, Zarlasht Halaimzai, Ashley Hanson, Preethi Herman, Navdeep Kang, Moussa Kondo, Sandor Lederer, Kalani Leifer, Melissa Malzkuhn, Koketso Moeti, Alex Smith, Dominique Jordan Turner, and Keith Wattley.

Read more about these exceptional individuals who represent our 2018 Fellows class: https://www.obama.org/fellowship/2018-fellows/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=obamafound&utm_content=2+-+Read+more+about+these+exceptional+indivi&utm_campaign=20180416_BO_Fellows_full&source=20180416_BO_Fellows_full

I want you to remember their names.

These 20 leaders, representing 11 countries, are tackling some of the toughest challenges in their communities. They are doing the hard work — not for recognition, often without enough resources — because they have a vision of the world as it should be: a little more just, less isolated, more connected.

They are ensuring access to literacy tools for deaf children, working with parents and teachers to improve our schools, and changing the way we treat addiction and approach the opioid crisis. They're building digital platforms to help South African women get connected and start organizing. They're incorporating mental health care into refugee relief.

In Oakland, they're giving young people convicted of serious crimes a second chance when no one else will. In London, these folks are connecting seniors to young people to fight loneliness. In Chicago, our Foundation neighbors are helping at-risk youth finish college and become the next generation of city leaders. In El Salvador, they're mobilizing youth to resist poverty and cycles of violence. And in the Philippines, they're transforming public school teachers into community leaders.

I couldn't be prouder of this group, and I can't wait to learn from them and watch them grow over the next two years. The Foundation will facilitate hands-on trainings, leadership development, coaching, and personalized plans and strategies to help these leaders scale the work they've already started.

These Fellows, and the over 20,000 impressive applicants to the program, are exactly why this Foundation exists. We are successful when we connect and support the next generation of civic leaders. So that's what we're going to do.

Thanks for being part of this work, and for joining me in welcoming our inaugural class of Obama Foundation Fellows. https://www.obama.org/fellowship/2018-fellows/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=obamafound&utm_content=2+-+Read+more+about+these+exceptional+indivi&utm_campaign=20180416_BO_Fellows_full&source=20180416_BO_Fellows_full

- Barack

2018-04-13

Grace Jones on Jay-Z's Tidal


Grace Jones on Jay-Z's Tidal

No, Diamond And Silk Were Not Banned, Blocked, Or Censored From Facebook

Either they were lying or don't know any better. This is why Republican Majority Congress is failing, concerned about this "two characters", and not about what matters.


Diamond and Silk on CONGRESS floor? Really????? This country is doomed under the "CURRENT" Trump administration if this is an issue.

Story by Newsone.com
Written by Parker Riley

Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerburg spoke on Capitol Hill this week. The hearing was supposed to be about privacy concerns, Russia’s interference in elections and the use and abuse of data . However, Republicans made the conversation about alleged Facebook “censorship” with Trumpers Diamond and Silk as the examples.

FAILED Presidential candidate Ted Cruz began the foolishness by whining Facebook “blocked Trump supporters Diamond and Silk’s page, with 1.2 million Facebook followers, after determining their content and brand were, quote, ‘unsafe to the community.’ To a great many Americans that appears to be a pervasive pattern of political bias.”

Yesterday, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) brought up them up again, saying, “Why is Facebook censoring Conservative bloggers such as Diamond and Silk? That is ludicrous. They hold conservative views. That isn’t ‘unsafe.’” Zuckerburg answered, “In that specific case, our team made an enforcement error and we have already gotten in touch with them to reverse it.” See below:

To make matters even more foolish, Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) held up a poster of Diamond and Silk, and read to Zuckerberg a question from the duo, “What is unsafe about two Black women supporting President Donald J. Trump?” Zuckerberg responded with “nothing is unsafe about that” and tried to explain more, but Long continued babbling.

Diamond and Silk were loving the attention. They appeared on Fox News, claiming they were being discriminated against because they are Black women.

However, this is all a big farce. One, Facebook did accidentally send Diamond and Silk a message saying that were blocked because they were “unsafe,” but that message was sent in error. How do we know? Their page was never deleted or temporarily taken down. When Shaun King or several other transgender activists were blocked, then were banned completely with no access or activity on their page. Unfortunately, when the question was posed to Mark Zuckerburg, he clearly was not ready for a left-turn about whining Internet hacks. He assumed the Republicans thought they knew what they were talking about, but they did not.

Why did Diamond and Silk think they were blocked? Either they were lying or they didn’t understand that Facebook’s algorithm changed, which affected everyone who uses Facebook and was a national conversation in the tech community. ThinkProgress reports:

“Data from Crowdtangle, a social media analytics platform owned by Facebook, show that total interactions on Diamond and Silk’s Facebook page were steady. The “total interactions” metric covers the total number of reactions, comments, and shares of content posted to the page. Diamond and Silk’s Facebook page actually received more total interactions in March 2018 (1,088,000), when they were supposedly being censored, than in March 2017 (1,060,000). Diamond and Silk received more interactions in January 2018 (1,328,000), when they began complaining about censorship, than in any month the previous year.”

In addition:

When you compare Diamond and Silk’s total interactions to liberal-leaning pages that also frequently post video content. From March 2017 to March 2018, the total interactions on the Rachel Maddow Show page, went from 3.3 million to 1.6 million. Rachel Maddow hosts the most widely watched cable news show in America, and her page has 2.6 million fans to Diamond and Silk’s 1.2 million. Over the same time period, on the Facebook page of The Young Turks, perhaps the most popular independent provider of liberal videos online, total interactions declined from 2.3 million to 760,000. Meanwhile, interactions on Mic’s Facebook page, a left-leaning publisher with 3.8 million Facebook fans, plummeted from 8.9 million to 475,000. … Over the last year, views of original videos posted to Rachel Maddow’s Facebook page have declined from 6 million to 1.2 million. Diamond and Silk’s video views have declined from 4.1 million to 1.8 million. In other words, Diamond and Silk videos now get more video views on Facebook than Rachel Maddow, even though Maddow’s show has a much larger page and is the most popular cable news program in the country.”

ThinkProgress also reports, “Facebook’s spokesperson, however, categorically denied that any page, including Diamond and Silk, was targeted or penalized due to their political beliefs. Rather, any changes to their page performance over the last few months were not targeted at them, but the result of broader shifts across Facebook.”

When people heard their page was “censored” or “banned,” most believed their page was taken down or removed, though it never was. Also, Diamond and Silk claimed Facebook never reached out to them, but Facebook provided countless receipts to BuzzFeed.

These two are clearly loving the attention, and Republicans care less about Russians meddling in our elections and more about Diamond and Silk. Damn shame.
__________________________________________
Read more: https://newsone.com/3792582/diamond-and-silk-banned-censored-facebook/?utm_source=moengage&utm_campaign=diamond_silk&utm_medium=push

2018-04-12

Trump Signs Order to Require Recipients of Federal Aid Programs to Work

Story by New York Times
Written by Glenn Thrush

President Trump quietly signed a long-anticipated executive order on Tuesday intended to force low-income recipients of food assistance, Medicaid and low-income housing subsidies to join the work force or face the loss of their benefits.

The order, in the works since last year, has an ambitious title — “Reducing Poverty in America” — and is directed at “any program that provides means-tested assistance or other assistance that provides benefits to people, households or families that have low incomes,” according to the order’s text.

But its programmatic goals are considerably more modest, officials said. Many of the initiatives outlined have already been set into motion by the affected agencies, particularly the Department of Health and Human Services, which has begun issuing waivers to Republican governors who want to impose stricter work requirements on Medicaid recipients as a way to reduce costs.

And advocates for poor people questioned whether the order could achieve even modest goals, saying most able-bodied adults who receive noncash federal aid either already work or face significant impediments to doing so.

The order gave all cabinet departments 90 days to produce plans that impose work requirements on able-bodied aid recipients and block ineligible immigrants from receiving aid, while drafting “a list of recommended regulatory and policy changes” to push recipients off the rolls and into jobs.

“President Trump has directed his administration to study policies that are failing Americans,” said Andrew Bremberg, the president’s domestic policy chief, who briefed reporters on the order’s contents in a telephone call late Tuesday. Journalists were not provided with copies of the document beforehand.

The aim, Trump aides said on the call, is to prod federal and state officials to take a tougher stance with aid recipients — millions of whom currently receive exemptions from existing work requirements because they are in training programs, provide care for relatives or volunteer their labor.

The Agriculture Department is already pressuring states to impose work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the program formerly known as food stamps. Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services granted a waiver to Arkansas so it could require Medicaid recipients to get jobs, participate in job training or engage in job searches at least 80 hours a month.

Advocates say most able-bodied adults who do not already have jobs face obstacles including mental problems, criminal records that deter employers from hiring them and complicated family situations.

A 2017 study of Michigan’s Medicaid program by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation found that three-quarters of those enrolled in the program were already working or physically unable to do so. Another 12 percent were people likely to be exempt, including the elderly and students.

“It’s a little bit of a solution in search of a problem,” said Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow with the nonpartisan Urban Institute, who has studied food assistance programs and other government entitlements. “The administration is reflecting a larger narrative that many low-income individuals avoid work — but there’s just not a lot of data to support that position. Many of these people have significant barriers to working full time.”

But the greater significance of the order might be semantic — and political.

The order — signed in private on a frenzied news day dominated by congressional testimony from Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook chief executive, a potential military response in Syria and the president’s rage at the raid on Monday on his personal lawyer’s office — tries to redefine “welfare” to fit the catchall term Mr. Trump used in campaign speeches.

The word “welfare” — politically loaded and often pejorative, especially among the president’s conservative supporters — has historically been used to describe cash assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The Trump administration wants to change the lexicon. On Tuesday, Mr. Bremberg sought to stretch the term to encompass food aid and Medicaid — programs even many conservative lawmakers view as a necessary safety net for families and individuals on the economic margins through no fault of their own.

“Our country suffers from nearly record high welfare enrollments,” Mr. Bremberg said. But Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments to poor people are approaching record lows.

Mr. Trump, several aides said, is unconcerned — or perhaps even unaware — of the distinction between cash assistance and other safety-net programs.

He calls all of them “welfare,” they said.

Cathy Hughes Receives The Lowry Mays Excellence In Broadcasting Award



Congratulations to Founder and Chairperson of Urban One/TV One, Cathy Hughes, who received the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award at the Broadcasters Foundation of America Breakfast in Las Vegas during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show yesterday morning.

The award is one of the most prestigious awards in media and is bestowed annually on an individual in broadcasting whose work exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship. It salutes its namesake Lowry Mays and is underwritten by The Mays Family Foundation.

The award was presented by the Broadcasters Foundation which has distributed millions of dollars in aid to broadcasters who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or unforeseen tragedy.

2018-04-10

The Lakers surprised a 32-year-old G League veteran with a promotion to the NBA during his team's exit interview


New Laker Andre Ingram and Head Coach Luke Walton after Ingram signs contract

Story by Business Insider
Written by Scott Davis

* The Los Angeles Lakers signed 32-year-old guard Andre Ingram for the remainder of the regular season.
* Ingram has spent ten years in the G League and has never played in the NBA.
* The Lakers surprised Ingram by bringing him to his exit interview for the G League and announcing they were signing him.

The Los Angeles Lakers helped facilitate a feel-good story on Monday by calling up Andre Ingram from the G League to play the remaining two games of the regular season.


Ingram hitting 3's in the G League

Ingram is a 32-year-old guard who has spent ten years in the G League, having never made it into the NBA. He's the all-time leader in three-pointers made in the developmental league.

The Lakers made the story even better when they filmed the process and showed that Ingram was heading to his exit interview with the South Bay Lakers when they surprised him by bringing in Lakers president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka to tell Ingram they were signing him.


2018-04-09

‘Black Panther’ passes ‘Titanic’ in box office record, becomes third highest-grossing of all time



Story by New York Daily News
Written by Kate Feldman

“Black Panther” has sunk “Titanic.”

The Marvel superhero has now surpassed $665 million at the domestic box office, putting it ahead of James Cameron’s 1997 flick and its $659.4 million gross income (without accounting for inflation).

That total makes the Ryan Coogler-directed movie the third highest-grossing picture of all time, behind just “The Force Awakens” ($760 million) and “Avatar” ($937 million).

The wild success of “Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Angela Bassett, had Marvel Studios co-President Kevin Feige talking about a sequel before the movie even hit theaters.

“We always say we work on one movie at a time. If you have any good ideas, put it in the movie you’re making. If you don’t, you might not be able to make another one,” he told Variety in February.

“That said, Panther has been around for more than half a century in the comic books and there are many, many stories to tell.”

By the end of March, “Black Panther” had passed “The Avengers” to become the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time.

2018-04-06

BREAKING NEWS: WTOP Does It Again

Story by Radio Ink

Hubbard Radio’s WTOP in Washington, DC is once again radio's highest-billing radio station, taking in $67.8 million in 2017, according to BIA/Kelsey. That's three years running now for the all-news station.

IHeart's KIIS-FM (CHR) was second, with $63.2 million, and tying for third were iHeart-owned WHTZ-FM in New York and KBIG/Los Angeles, with each bringing in $45 million.

The top 10 can be found now at www.radioink.com

2018-04-04

Remembering the assassination of MLK 50 years later


NBC interview on strategy with Rev. Dr. King in 1967, one year before Dr. King was assassinated.


This year marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. Take a look back at the news coverage from that day.

Congressman John Lewis:

Fifty years ago today, I was with Robert Kennedy in Indianapolis when we heard that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed.

The leader of our movement for civil rights was gone, assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis.

And I believe something died in all of us that day. Something died in America.

But I've also always held the belief that what he left us — the way of hope, the way of peace, the way of love, a philosophy and discipline rooted in nonviolence — cannot be taken away. These things are eternal.

On Monday, I had the privilege of meeting with President Obama and a group of young men in Washington, D.C. for a My Brother's Keeper Alliance roundtable. Together, we commemorated the legacy of Dr. King, celebrated his life, and looked to the future.

I believe we can always do more to embody the teachings of Dr. King, not just on the anniversary of his death, but every day.

And young people are demonstrating that spirit to us. They are organizing and speaking up. They're marching. They're demanding more for themselves and their generation.

And so I had a message for the young folks I met with this week.


Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Congressman John Lewis

When I was growing up as a child in Alabama, I saw crosses that the Klan had put up. I saw signs that said "white" and "colored." There were places we couldn't go. The majority of African Americans could not participate in a democratic process in the South. We could not register to vote. And when I first came to Washington to go on the Freedom Rides in 1961, black people and white people couldn't be seated together on a Greyhound bus leaving this city.

When I got involved in the Civil Rights Movement as a young man, we'd sit in at restaurants. People would spit on us, put their cigarettes out on us, pour hot coffee down our backs. I was arrested 45 times in the 1960s. I was beaten, left bloody and unconscious.

But I never gave up. And today, you cannot give up.

That's what Dr. Martin Luther King can teach us today. His message is as important now as it was 50 years ago:

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Because of King and the actions of so many others, we brought those signs down. We earned the right to sit in those restaurants. We earned the right to vote.

Now, all across the South and all across America, there are elected officials who are people of color. In the recent elections in Virginia and around the country, more people of color and more women were elected to positions of power. They are African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American. Our country is a much better place — a much different place — in spite of all the setbacks and interruptions of progress.

Dr. King taught us to be brave, to be courageous, to be bold. I don't know where America would be, where many of us of color would be, were it not for him.

His legacy was to speak up, stand up. When you see that something isn't right or fair, you have to do something — you have to get in the way. Get into good trouble.

The young men I met with this week give me so much hope for our future.



- Congressman John Lewis

2018-04-03

South Africa's First Lady Winnie Mandela Will Receive State Funeral, South African President Says

Funeral Arrangements : Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral service will be on Saturday April 14th., 2018 at Orlando Stadium, Soweto, South Africa.

Story by NewsOne
Written By Clarissa Hamlin

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, celebrated as an anti-apartheid champion for South Africa’s oppressed and poor, will receive a national funeral later this month, newly installed South African president Cyril Ramaphosa said.

The death of the former first lady of South Africa and former wife of the late Nelson Mandela was announced on Monday after she battled a “long” illness. She was 81.

Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral will be on April 14, with an official memorial service on April 11.

Ramaphosa paid condolences to the family of Madikizela-Mandela, befittingly referred to as the “mother of the nation,” at the late activist’s home in the Soweto township in Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday night, according to UK’s The Independent. The anti-apartheid hero was a “champion of justice and equality” whose “dedication to the plight of her people gained her the love and the respect of the nation,” Ramaphosa said in a televised tribute.

“For many years‚ she bore the brunt of the senseless brutality of the apartheid state with stoicism and fortitude,” Ramaphosa continued. “Despite the hardship she faced‚ she never doubted that the struggle for freedom and democracy would triumph and succeed. She remained throughout her life a tireless advocate for the dispossessed and the marginalised. She was the voice for the voiceless.”

Julius Malema, who heads the South African radical economic emancipation movement known as the Economic Freedom Fighters or EFF, visited Madikizela-Mandela’s home on Monday, as well. Hundreds of EFF members also marched to her home, and Malema referred to the late activist as a friend, The Punch, a Nigerian newspaper, reported.

Malema, who was once a member of the ruling African National Congress party which Madikizela-Mandela and Nelson Mandela had belonged, said he was “never ashamed” of the former South Africa first lady. She will be terribly missed, many folks have said on social media.




2018-04-02

Dow drops 700 points as Amazon tumbles, trade war fears rise

Story by CNN
Written by Matt Egan

Trade war fears and a presidential attack on Amazon are rocking Wall Street.
The Dow dropped more than 700 points and the Nasdaq plunged 3% on Monday. All three major indexes are now in the red for the year.

The sell-off on the first day of the second quarter came after President Trump once again attacked Amazon on Twitter. Amazon (AMZN), one of the biggest drivers of the 2017 market rally, tumbled 5%, wiping out more than $37 billion of its market value.

Trump once again accused Amazon of taking advantage of the US Postal Service, and he suggested that Amazon does not pay its fair share of tax.

In fact, Amazon pays the same lower rate that the post office charges other bulk shippers, and it collects sales tax in every state that charges it. Amazon does not collect s

"You've got the president of the United States attacking a single company over what he considers to be unfair practices," said Ian Winer, head of equities at Wedbush Securities.

Amazon wasn't the only tech stock in trouble. Tesla (TSLA), Netflix (NFLX) and Cisco (CSCO) all dropped by at least 4%. Intel (INTC) plunged 8% on a Bloomberg News report that Apple plans to switch to its own chips. Almost every stock in the Nasdaq 100 lost ground.

The Nasdaq has plunged more than 10% from its all-time high on March 12.

"When investors see market leaders suddenly stumble, they become more cautious about the entire group," said Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones.

Wall Street is also fretting about rising trade tensions, especially with China. Beijing responded to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs on Monday by following through on its threat to impose tariffs on $3 billion of US imports. The tariffs apply to 128 products, ranging from pork and meat to steep pipes.

Trump plans to place additional tariffs on about $50 billion worth of Chinese goods — and Beijing has promised to respond.

John Toohey, head of equities at USAA, blamed the sell-off on concerns about the China tariffs. "Global trade could slow down, global supply chains could be impacted, and CEOs could be more cautious on capital spending," Toohey said.

NAFTA worries are also on the rise after Trump took aim at the trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Trump on Sunday linked NAFTA to his efforts to build a wall along the border with Mexico.

"They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!" Trump tweeted.

"It's a cause for concern. That mixing of issues is contributing to uncertainty," said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco.

No matter the cause, signs of fear abounded. The VIX (VIX) volatility index jumped more than 15%. CNNMoney's Fear & Greed Index of market sentiment dropped further into "extreme fear." Crude oil plunged about 3%. Gold, which tends to do well when investors are worried, climbed more than 1%.

"None of it makes a lot of sense," said Michael Block, chief strategist at Rhino Trading Partners. "I don't know what we learned that was new. Chinese tariffs are not surprising."

After spiking last year, the stock market hit extreme turbulence during the first three months of the year as investors worried about tariffs, inflation and tech stocks. The Dow snapped its longest quarterly winning streak in 20 years.

Stocks may be volatile, but the backdrop looks bright. Global economic growth is expected to accelerate and corporate profits are likely to surge, thanks in part to Trump's corporate tax cuts.

"It's unlikely to be the end of the bull market," Warne said. "The underlying fundamentals remain positive."