Gabe's Musings

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Pence to continue campaigning after ‘close contact’ staff contract coronavirus

Multiple senior aides to the vice president have recently tested positive for COVID-19

While a number of people in Mike Pence‘s inner circle recently tested positive for COVID-19, the vice president reportedly has no plans to cancel his scheduled campaign events with the General Election drawing within a week away.

Pence apparently does not plan to self-quarantine to be sure not to spread coronavirus under the guise of being an essential worker, should he have unknowingly contracted the virus from one of his staff members. He and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative on Saturday and Sunday, as reported by The New York Times.

According to spokesman Devin O’Malley, Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short tested positive for the disease on Saturday. In addition to Short, four other members of his staff have also contracted the virus that has caused a global pandemic. Marty Obst, one of Pence’s advisors, also tested positive earlier this week, a person familiar with the matter said.

Vice President Mike Pence (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)

“While Vice President Pence is considered a close contact with Mr. Short, in consultation with the White House Medical Unit, the vice president will maintain his schedule in accordance with the C.D.C. guidelines for essential personnel,” O’Malley stated.

Pence, under his role as second in command to President Donald Trump, is in charge of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

Despite these positive tests affecting people so near to him, Pence is choosing to continue traveling around the nation under his separate capacity as a vice presidential candidate and surrogate for the Trump reelection campaign, less than 10 days out from the Nov. 3 election. This comes weeks after Trump and First Lady Melania Trump contracted coronavirus earlier this month. The disease hospitalized the president for days.

Since the President’s diagnosis, it was reported that several other members of the Administration had contracted COVID-19. This includes former political advisor Kellyanne Conway, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, policy advisor Stephen Miller and campaign manager Bill Stepien.

Questions surrounding the safety protocols at the White House concerning coronavirus have been raised heavily since it penetrated to heavily weeks ago. President Trump has also returned to holding public campaign rallies, and the Washington Post reported that during the first presidential debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden, guests of Trump opted not to wear masks during the broadcast.

Pence plans to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule this week despite an apparent outbreak of the coronavirus among his senior aides, the White House says. O’Malley said the vice president and his wife “remain in good health.”

Trump commented on Short early Sunday after his plane landed at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington.

“I did hear about it just now,” he said. “And I think he’s quarantining. Yeah. I did hear about it. He’s going to be fine. But he’s quarantining.”

Saskia Popescu, an infectious disease expert at George Mason University, called Pence’s decision to travel “grossly negligent” regardless of the stated justification that Pence is an essential worker.

“It’s just an insult to everybody who has been working in public health and public health response,” she said. “I also find it really harmful and disrespectful to the people going to the rally” and the people on Pence’s own staff who will accompany him.

“He needs to be staying home 14 days,” she added. “Campaign events are not essential.”

Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

After a day of campaigning in Florida on Saturday, Pence was seen wearing a mask as he returned to Washington aboard Air Force Two shortly after the news of Short’s diagnosis was made public. He is scheduled to hold a rally on Sunday afternoon in Kinston, NC.

Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force since late February, has repeatedly found himself in an uncomfortable position balancing political concerns with the administration’s handling the pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 Americans. The vice president has advocated mask-wearing and social distancing, but often does not wear one himself and holds large political events where many people do not wear face-coverings.

By virtue of his position as vice president, Pence is considered an essential worker. The White House did not address how Pence’s political activities amounted to essential work.

Pence’s handling of his exposure to a confirmed positive case stands in contrast to how Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris responded when a close aide and a member of her campaign plane’s charter crew tested positive for the virus earlier this month. She took several days off the campaign trail citing her desire to act out of an abundance of caution.

— The Associated Press’ Zeke Miller and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

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Irving McPhail, new president of St. Augustine’s University, dies of COVID-19

Several people associated with the HBCU gathered outside his residence to pay their respects to the educator

Dr. Irving P. McPhail, who took over as president of St. Augustine’s University this summer, died earlier this month just days after testing positive for coronavirus. He was 71.

McPhail became the 12th president of St. Augustine’s on July 15, succeeding Dr. Everett Ward as head of the private historically black college in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Several students and faculty members of the school have gathered outside McPhail’s residence to honor the short-lived president, local newspaper The News & Observer reports.

In September, McPhail went into self-quarantine after being exposed to someone with coronavirus, the fast-spreading novel virus that causes the COVID-19 disease that been attributed to more than 1 million deaths around the globe in less than a year. This prompted him to give his Sept. 17 SAU fall convocation via a pre-recorded message, according to Richmond Free Press.

McPhail first reported experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 on the weekend of Oct. 3 and was later taken to WakeMed Health and Hospitals, a health-care system in the capital area. An email from the university was sent out on Oct 12 saying that McPhail was “recovering” after “receiving expert care and treatment at a local hospital.”

The letter continued by reiterating that McPhail did not come into contact with COVID-19 while he was on the SAU campus and that he been taking every precaution whenever on campus.

“President McPhail has been a strong proponent of face coverings and social distancing. He has regularly communicated with the campus community about SAU’s COVID-19 protocols and expectations, through both formal and informal channels,” the message said.

James Perry, the chair of St. Augustine’s board of trustees, says McPhail stayed home and took over-the-counter medicine in the early stages of his quarantine, unaware if he had contracted the virus at the time. The late president was hospitalized after having trouble breathing.

Perry said that McPhail initially showed signs of improving health during his hospital stay, but his condition worsened as time went on.

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Minority communities question election-year push by EPA

Critics say new environmental spending is undercut by the White House’s rollback of environmental regulations and weak enforcement against polluters

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Theresa Landrum lives in southwest Detroit, where residents complain frequently about dirty air. Tree-shaded neighborhoods with schools, churches and parks lie on either side of an interstate highway and in the shadow of a sprawling oil refinery that belches soot and fumes.

Landrum, a Black retiree from General Motors and a longtime anti-pollution activist, wasn’t impressed when Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler recently pledged $200,000 to promote “community health initiatives” in her section of the city during his blitz of visits to battleground states in the presidential election campaign.

“Is this a joke?” she said. “It would take billions of dollars to fix what is wrong with our environment here. All of a sudden he’s going to throw somebody a grain of sand in a community where people have been poisoned for decades?”

Under President Donald Trump, the EPA has slashed support for some programs and regulatory protections benefiting disadvantaged communities. His budgets have proposed killing or cutting funds to enforce regulations promoting environmental justice — fair treatment of racial minorities and low-income residents who live near polluting industries and are disproportionately exposed to contamination — although Congress has continued most of the spending.

Theresa Landrum is photographed near the Marathon refinery, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, in Detroit. Landrum wasn’t impressed when told that Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler had pledged $200,000 to promote “community health initiatives” in her section of the city during his blitz of visits to battleground states in the presidential election campaign. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Now, the agency is portraying itself as a champion of such communities — an initiative skeptics contend is more about wooing Black and Latino support as Trump seeks re-election than protecting their air and water.

Wheeler’s approach amounts to “window dressing” intended to divert the attention of minority voters from the Trump administration’s weak environmental protection record, said Mustafa Santiago Ali, vice president of environmental justice, climate, and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation.

Wheeler and other top EPA officials have fanned out nationally in recent months, particularly in swing states such as Michigan, holding news conferences to distribute grants and tout the Trump administration’s record. During his latest Michigan visit Friday, he announced $10.7 million to replace lead service lines in disadvantaged communities in Grand Rapids and Benton Harbor, and educate the public about dangers of lead-tainted drinking water.

Trump’s EPA “has taken meaningful steps to improve the health and environmental conditions for Americans everywhere, especially those in low-income and under-served communities,” Wheeler said Sept. 30 in Traverse City, Michigan, where he announced the $200,000 for Detroit.

The funds will help develop strategies for notifying vulnerable residents more quickly about public health risks, including the coronavirus, EPA said.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat whose district includes the section of Detroit targeted for the spending, described it as “an insulting drop in the bucket.”

“These grants are a pitiful attempt to distract from the sky high, mounting costs of the Trump EPA’s prioritizing corporate polluters over Black and brown communities,” Tlaib said.

Nine other grants of the same amount were awarded this year for neighborhood and tribal projects. One in Minneapolis will provide education on lead paint dangers, asthma hazards and use of disinfectants to prevent coronavirus. Another will focus on minimizing air and water pollution during wildfires, floods and other disasters at the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians Reservation in California.

In a September speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of EPA’s founding, Wheeler said such efforts would be a focal point of a second Trump term. The agency would promote “community-driven environmentalism” built on restoring polluted industrial sites, better treatment of drinking water tainted with lead or chemicals, and other locally focused actions, he said.

Zug Island, a heavily industrialized island at the southern city limits of Detroit is seen, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020, in Detroit. The area in Southwest Detroit has been the subject of numerous air pollution and public health studies. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

The agency lost sight of its core mission before Trump’s arrival, Wheeler said, focusing excessively on climate change to impress “foreign capitals, over the interests of communities within their own country.”

But critics say the administration’s spending in those communities is undercut by its rollback of environmental regulations and weak enforcement against polluters.

“It’s like a doctor knowing what the root cause of a problem is but saying we’re going to just deal with the symptoms and not focus on a real cure,” said Ali, a former EPA senior adviser who worked on environmental justice for 24 years before resigning less than two months after Trump took office. “If you’re not willing to strengthen existing laws and make sure people are protected, it’s just sugar coating.”

Academic studies have shown low-income and minority communities suffer disproportionately from pollution, partly because so many landfills, factories and other sources are located there. Wheeler acknowledged that in his speech. But he said environmental regulation sometimes makes things worse by, for example, making it hard to build new factories on contaminated sites.

The Trump administration has hampered research identifying unfair burdens on such communities while weakening standards for pollutants that hit them especially hard, such as mercury, ground-level ozone and coal ash contaminants, the Union of Concerned Scientists said in a 2019 report.

Wheeler says “environmental justice is an important concern to the agency, but his agency’s actions aren’t following through with his promise,” said Anita Desikan, a research analyst with the nonprofit advocacy organization.

She also noted EPA’s decision to cut back on enforcing key regulations for polluting industries over the summer — a move Wheeler said was necessary to help businesses take coronavirus precautions.

Wheeler defended EPA’s enforcement record during his September appearance in Michigan. When proposing regulatory rollbacks, he said, the agency has offered replacements that would protect the environment in more cost-effective ways.

This photo taken Sept. 30, 2020, shows U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler during an appearance in Traverse City, Mich., where he announced an environmental justice grant for Detroit and pledged a more community-oriented focus in a second Trump administration. (AP Photo/John Flesher)

Southwest Detroit has been the subject of numerous air pollution and public health studies. The 250-acre Marathon Petroleum Co. refinery reached a proposed settlement with state regulators this summer for 10 air quality violations. The area also has a coal-fired power plant, steel mills and other industrial sites.

An hour’s drive north is Flint, a majority Black city of nearly 100,000 still recovering from lead contamination of its drinking water that prompted $100 million in federal assistance for replacing service lines and other infrastructure. Karen Weaver, who was mayor at the height of the crisis, said the problem might have been avoided if governments had given due regard to environmental justice.

“It seems late to be having this conversation, but of course better late than never,” Weaver said, adding that the city could have used one of the $200,000 grants.

Landrum, the Detroit activist and a member of the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, said the Trump administration must do more than provide modest grants and make promises to earn credibility with environmentally degraded communities.

“Environmental racism, systemic racism, exists in Detroit and Michigan and throughout the U.S.,” Landrum said. “But people don’t want to see.”

___

Associated Press reporter Ellen Knickmeyer in Oklahoma City contributed to this story.

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Black contractor braves threats in removing Confederate statues in Richmond

An accomplished Black businessman, Devon Henry took on a job the Virginia city says others were unwilling to do

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Devon Henry paced in nervous anticipation, because this was a project like nothing he’d ever done. He wore the usual hard hat — and a bulletproof vest.

An accomplished Black businessman, Henry took on a job the city says others were unwilling to do: lead contractor for the now-completed removal of 14 pieces of Confederate statuary that dotted Virginia’s capital city. There was angry opposition, and fear for the safety of all involved.

But when a crane finally plucked the equestrian statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson off the enormous pedestal where it had towered over this former capital of the Confederacy for more than a century, church bells chimed, thunder clapped and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Henry’s brother grabbed him, and they jumped up and down. He saw others crying in the pouring rain.

“You did it, man,” said Rodney Henry.

Devon Henry, owner of Henry Enterprises, gestures during an interview Tuesday Sept. 15, 2020, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Success came at some cost. Devon Henry faced death threats, questions about the prices he charged, allegations of cronyism over past political donations to the city’s mayor and an inquiry by a special prosecutor. But he has no regrets.

“I feel a great deal of conviction in what we did and how it was done,” Henry, 43, told The Associated Press in the only interview he has given.

As recently as a few years ago, the removal of Richmond’s collection of Confederate monuments seemed nearly impossible, even as other tributes to rebel leaders around the U.S. started falling.

It was a particularly charged issue in a historic city with a central role in the Civil War. And the statues, especially along historic Monument Avenue, were breathtaking in size and valued for their artistic quality, drawing visitors like Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower.

The tide turned after the death of George Floyd in police custody, which ignited a wave of Confederate monument removals. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and the city council committed to removing the statues, something the Democrat-led General Assembly had authorized earlier in the year.

Stoney, who is Black and has also faced backlash to his role in the monument removals, including racist and threatening voicemails, said in a debate in early October that “what we did was legal, it was appropriate, and it was right.”

Henry “put his life on the line, put his family’s lives on the line, he put his business on the line. And we removed those monuments,” the mayor said.

This Wednesday July 1, 2020, file photo shows workers preparing to remove the statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson from its pedestal on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

The man who oversaw the statue removals is a Virginia native with an easy laugh and warm smile, the son of a single mother who had him at 16 and worked her way up from a crew member at McDonald’s to the operator of five stores. He, his college sweetheart and their two kids live in suburban Richmond. People who have worked with him describe him as humble and immensely likeable.

Henry is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., one of five Black intercollegiate fraternities and was founded at Howard University. The organization counts the late Congressman John Lewis, scientist George Washington Carver, author James Weldon Johnson and others among its ranks.

Records show his Newport News-based Team Henry Enterprises has won more than $100 million in federal contracts in the past decade. The company has handled projects ranging from invasive species removal to crane services for the U.S. Army to general construction. Team Henry was the general contractor on the recently completed Memorial to Enslaved Laborers at the University of Virginia.

He serves on several boards, including those of a bank and a health system foundation, and is a member of the Board of Visitors at his alma mater, Norfolk State University, where he endowed a scholarship.

Henry said the city’s Department of Public Works asked him in mid-June if he would be interested in the statue project. A contractor who turned the city down gave them his name, he said.

Henry huddled with his family to make sure everyone was on board. His son and daughter “started Googling” and “there was most definitely a level of concern” when they read about what happened in Charlottesville (where plans to remove a Robert E. Lee statue sparked a deadly white supremacist rally in 2017) and New Orleans (where a contractor had his car firebombed).

Ultimately, they all agreed to take the job. This was an opportunity to be a part of history.

This Tuesday July 7, 2020, file photo shows crews at they lower the statue Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart in preparation for transport after removing it from its pedestal on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

For safety, he said, he sought to conceal his company’s identity, creating a shell entity, NAH LLC, through which the $1.8 million contract was funneled.

Stoney’s administration initially declined to say who was behind the company, but the arrangement eventually came to light through public records requests and reporting by local news outlets. One blog ran a story headlined, “The Gory Details of Levar Stoney’s Statue Contract.” It was also reported that Henry had donated a total of $4,000 to Stoney and his political action committee.

Since his name and company became public, Henry said he’s received death threats. He’s added extra cameras to both his home and office security systems, he’s gotten a concealed carry permit, taken defensive shooting classes and now carries a weapon wherever he goes.

He said he’s also faced business repercussions. Some subcontractors have declining to work with him, he said, or doubled their prices.

An ongoing inquiry by a special prosecutor into the contract was initiated after Kim Gray, a city councilwoman who formerly opposed removing the monuments and is one of Stoney’s opponents in the November election, raised concerns about the deal.

Some of the mayor’s critics have questioned whether the price tag for the project, which included the removal of both large figures and smaller plaques, was reasonable. The statues are gone, but their enormous pedestals remain in place.

Some U.S. cities have paid more, like New Orleans, where it cost more than $2.1 million to remove four monuments. Others, like Baltimore, have paid far less. That city paid under $20,000 for four statues, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In this photo provided by Sanjay Suchak, Richmond sculptor Paul DiPasquale, left, talks with Devon Henry during the removal of the J.E.B. Stuart statue on Monument Avenue on Tuesday July 7, 2020 in Richmond, Va. Sanjay Suchak via AP)

Andrew Baxter, a nationally known conservator of outdoor sculpture who has worked on projects at the White House and the National Gallery of Art and has conducted extensive restoration work in the past on several of Richmond’s largest Confederate monuments, was critical of the mayor’s handling of the situation. Stoney acted without the city council’s formal sign-off and before completing procedural steps in the new law.

Still, Baxter said the amount the city paid seemed reasonable.

Henry said the safety considerations of the job were a consideration in setting the price.

“It’s not a situation where you’re just putting in a crane on the street and you’re putting an air conditioner on top of a unit,” he said.

There was trouble finding subcontractors. Even a company he worked with on the UVA memorial gave him a resounding “hell no” when asked to participate, Henry said. A representative of another company suggested he should go take down a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. Truckers involved didn’t want their vehicle logos showing. Workers ended up traveling in from Wisconsin and Connecticut.

Henry negotiated the security plans, eventually working with the city sheriff’s department because he said the police department was not willing to participate. (A police department spokesman declined comment.) He also hired private security.

In the end, the project went on without incident.

In an interview a block away from the pedestal that once held Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s statue, Henry mused about his participation in two very different projects reflecting this moment in the story of race and America.

Devon Henry, owner of Henry Enterprises, adjusts his mask in front of the pedestal that used to hold the statue of Confederate General J.E.B Stuart during an interview Tuesday Sept. 15, 2020, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

He helped build the UVA memorial, two nested granite rings, one with a timeline of the history of slavery at the school — a tribute to the enslaved people who built and maintained one of the country’s most prestigious public universities but had long gone unrecognized.

And he helped remove the Richmond statues, which he called tools of oppression against Black Americans.

“To be a Black man in the middle to do it, it felt pretty good,” he said.

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Indiana Barber Turns Tragedy to Triumph, Then Turns It All Into a Talk Show

Growing up in the then-murder capital of America, Gary, Indiana, local barber turned talk show host Jamie McGrone knows all too well what it means to have to turn tragedy into triumph. Although he grew up in a loving, large family, he understood that nothing would be given to him. He would have to earn it.

McGrone decided to step out on faith and create a platform where other business owners and everyday people could share their stories on how they have survived life’s most damnable moments.

“Living your most incredible life is a choice,” says McGrone.v

We had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with McGrone.

Please tell us about your new talk show?

I’m so excited about my talk show, That’s Why I’m Here. I created this platform because I wanted to give people the opportunity to come and tell their story of how they turned tragedy into triumph. It was for those who may have never got a chance to be bold and be vocal about life’s traumatic events and to talk about their brokenness in the midst of people who were there for support as well. I saw the need for broken men and women to be restored through life, love, and relationships and I wanted every guest and my viewing audience to get to the greatest part of life.

What is it you want people to take away from being on your show/watching your show?

I want my guests and my viewing audience to be motivated and inspired to do something greater with their lives. I want to touch the hearts of people because at the end of the day, it’s all about living your best life. And you get to define what that is.

What is next for Jamie McGrone for the rest of the 2020?

Well, I’m ending the year with a red carpet premiere for the media world, giving them an opportunity to see what I have created and why television needs this platform. It’s entitled, “The Oscars in November” and I am looking to have a blast. Also, I’ll be filming more episodes for the 2021 season.

What can people expect from you in 2021?

In 2021, I expect my talk show to be well on its way for its introduction to the media world and to be on pace to change the face of television one episode at a time. I expect to help my guests get to their greatest part of life and begin to live life beautiful.

Dr. Jessica Mosley is a serial entrepreneur who loves teaching fellow CEO women how to show up in their truth & power. As Steward Owner of MizCEO Entrepreneurial Media Brand, Sovereign Care Home Care, Sovereign Care Medical Training Center, and Deborah’s Place for Battered Women, Jessica is busy making moves that impact her community & those connected to her.

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The 15 Best Wireless Headphones for Everyone

These cans and earbuds sound like a million bucks, even if you're on a budget.

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How to Shop for Halloween Costumes in This Bizarre Year

There are still safe ways to celebrate and break the stress. Here are some places to find costumes, including adaptable and accesible ones—and DIY advice.

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On the Week of the Election, Social Media Must Go Dark

CEOs should voluntarily shut down their platforms to help stanch the spread of misinformation—and protect democracy.

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Scientists Discover the First Room-Temperature Superconductor

Physicists finally achieved the long-sought goal, but there’s a catch: Their compound requires crushing pressures to keep from falling apart.

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4 Ways to Sell or Trade In Your Old iPhone

If you plan to upgrade to Apple's new models, don't forget to cash in on your old one.

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Seychelles election: Wavel Ramkalawan in landmark win

The opposition wins the presidency for the first time since independence from the UK.

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I Didn’t Want to Love Zooming on My Facebook Portal—but I Do

Stop trying to duct-tape a ring light to your laptop, and get yourself a dedicated videophone.

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How to Clean Up Your Digital History

There are plenty of reasons to declutter your online traces. Here's how to tidy up.

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The Unsinkable Maddie Stone, Google's Bug-Hunting Badass

The Project Zero reverse engineer shuts down some of the world's most dangerous exploits—along with antiquated hacker stereotypes.

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Saturday, October 24, 2020

Offset arrested following confrontation with police

Offset streamed the confrontation on IG live

Offset went live on Instagram on Saturday to chronicle a confrontation with police, and was subsequently arrested.

Over 35,000 people were watching the live video on Instagram when the incident occurred.

Whoa Offset was just arrested on IG live, like just now pic.twitter.com/PTp4sEtAA5
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 25, 2020

“Because you got guns out – I’m not finna move my hands from the steering wheel,” the rapper said.

It is not immediately clear why he was pulled over, but the police officers in the video said that they were told the rapper or people around him, were waiving guns around.

“You just watched somebody beat my car up with a flag – what are you talking about?” said Offset in response.

The Migos star continued arguing with police about his rights when another officer forced him to open his door.

“You’re going to get out of this car right now,” said the officer.

Offset told the officers that he was going to sue them, but they still pulled him out of the car.

Offset and Cardi B attend the UGG 12X12 Sneaker Launch During AW20 Paris Fashion Week Men’s on January 16, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For UGG)

Offset was also stopped in July 2018 for a traffic violation in Georgia. He was subsequently arrested and faced multiple charges including improper lane change, marijuana possession, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime.

After his 2018 arrest, Offset was released on $17,000 bail. His wife, Cardi B, received gifts from Dior, Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue as an apology.

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Trump-Kushner might sue The Lincoln Project for ‘defamatory’ ads

The Trump-Kushner family has not publicly responded to ads

The First Daughter, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, said they may sue an anti-Donald Trump Republican coalition.

The Lincoln Project is in hot water with the Trump-Kusher family after the group’s anti-Trump billboards in Times Square.

The Trump-Kusher family sent a letter to the Lincoln Project, with their Attorney, Marc Kasowitz, warning that the ads are “false, malicious and defamatory” — as well as “outrageous and shameful libel.”

The advertisements show a smiling Ivanka next to the number of American deaths due to COVID-19, subtly implying that the Trump-Kushner is not concerned what is happening in the U.S., Huffington Post reported.

The ads also attributed an anonymous quote from Kushner in a September Vanity Fair article. Kushner was critical of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for not doing enough to work with the White House to secure protective gear against the coronavirus, saying, “His people are going to suffer and that’s their problem.”

Jared and Ivanka’s lawyers are threatening to sue @ProjectLincoln for putting up these billboards up in Times Square so please don’t hit that retweet button pic.twitter.com/xm7nHtaOxQ
— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) October 24, 2020

Portions of the letter written by Kasowitz stated the following: “Ms. Trump smiling and gesturing toward a death count of Americans” and “attribute to Mr. Kushner the statement” that New York residents will “suffer and that’s their problem.”

The Trump-Kushner family has not publicly responded to ads, but the Lincoln Project said the letter was “nuts,” further saying that “their empty threats will not be taken any more seriously than we take Ivanka and Jared. It is unsurprising that an administration that has never had any regard or understanding of our Constitution would try to trample on our First Amendment rights, but we fully intend on making this civics lesson as painful as possible.”

As theGrio previously reported, cases of COVID-19 in New York City area is on the rise, but the Lincoln Project is adamant that a Billboard in Times Square, “ the crossroads of the world,” is the perfect location to remind voters and the American people of the Trump adminstration’s “lack of empathy.”

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Marvel’s Blade TV reboot will have all Black writing team

Mahershala Ali is set to play the main character, Eric Brooks

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) TV reboot of Blade, the story of a Black vampire slayer, will be getting the same editorial treatment as Black Panther – a mostly Black writing team to tell the story.

President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige took part today in the Walt Disney Studios presentation at Disney’s D23 EXPO 2019 in Anaheim, Calif. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

The Blade TV series, which does not have a scheduled release date on Disney+, will have Black talent writing the film’s script. Like other studios, Marvel Studios wants to diversify its movie production.

2018’s Black Panther is the 12th highest grossing movie in U.S. box offices after making $1.3 billion worldwide and in order to keep up the momentum, Disney is searching for a Black writing team for Blade, The Direct reported.

Information on the TV show is scarce, but as theGrio previously reported, Mahershala Ali is set to play the main character, Eric Brooks.

Marvel Studios is looking for Black writers to hire for their upcoming film, 'Blade'.

(Source: https://t.co/IrGTGnPMW6) pic.twitter.com/37PJWHyexO
— Geeks of Color #BlackLivesMatter (@GeeksOfColor) October 23, 2020

Ali is more than qualified for the role having won two Oscars for his work in Green Book and Moonlight. Ali has also played in countless other roles in movies like Hidden Figures, Alita: Battle Angel and most recently in the third season of HBO’s drama series True Detective.

The original Blade franchise starred Wesley Snipes and was first released in 1998. The movie had two spin-offs, Blade II in 2002 and Blade: Trinity in 2004.

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So You Want to Write for Data Science Central

You're a writer on AI, ML, or various and sundry other data-oriented TLAs, and you'd like to write an article for Data Science Central. Great! This article is for you. Becoming a blogger on DSC is a good way to promote your proficiency in the field, to get the word out about interesting topics, or to gain the respect of your peers.

The mechanics of publishing on Data Science Central are straightforward:

If you are not already a member of DSC, set up an account on Data Science Central or one of its related accounts (we're working on single sign-on, but we're not quite there yet).
Wait for approval (you should receive an email letting you know when we add you to the membership roster.
Once you are a member, log in, then select Home/Add Blog Post from the menu at top.
You can use the WYSIWYG editor for content, or slip into HTML Editor mode. We hope to add support for Markdown and code display blocks early next year, but for now, you're somewhat limited in working with code.
Save your draft with the Save Draft button. When you're ready to publish, select the Publish button.
All content is moderated. This means that if the editor decides not to publish your article, they will not publish your article. If they do, then it will be published, typically within 2-3 days. If you have any questions, please contact the editors (including me).
Data Science Central currently does not pay for content. On the other hand, the platform has more than half a million subscribers, so it is a fantastic place to post for exposure, and we do our best to promote content that we feel is worthwhile.

While the mechanics are important, it's also worth spending some time trying to understand what DSC is looking for in content:

First up: Topics. When DSC was a brand new site, way back in 2012, the term Data Science itself was very novel, and it usually meant people who were able to use a new breed of programming tools (most specifically R, but later Python), to do analytics work, in the wake of the Big Data and Hadoop revolution that was going on at the time. Data Science Central was a cool, pithy name for the site, and as interest in the field grew, so did DSC.
Coming up on a decade later, things have changed. Being a data scientist has overtaken programming as the wish list career topper that all aspiring nerds want to be when they grow up. Machine learning algorithms and convolutional neural networks are increasingly replacing traditional programming for a variety of activities, and data is becoming strategic within organizations rather than simply tactical.
To that end, what we at DSC are looking for are stories about data. This can include data analysis tools and modeling, neural networks and data storage and access strategies, modeling, and knowledge representation. It also includes the strategic uses of data, governance, provenance, quality and protection, visualization and creative data story-telling. We're also expanding into those areas of artificial intelligence that are critical to cognitive computing, knowledge graphs, mathematics, and science. Why? Because data science is as much about science as it is about algorithms. Finally, DSC will focus more on the implications of data transformations on businesses, government, manufacturing, society and the individuals within it.
We're looking for journalism. Some examples:
- "How AI is transforming retail",
- "Will GPT-3 win the Pulitzer Prize?",
- "Data scientists and the political realm",
- "Challenges of contact tracing in a post-COVID world",
- "Penrose, Tiles and the Nobel Prize".
We're looking for in-depth technical articles -
- "How to digitally transform a company",
- "AI in the Browser",
- "Deep Fakes and the Algorithms That Drive Them",
- "Knowledge Graphs for Publishing".
We're looking for case studies
- "Point of Failure: When AI Goes Rogue", "
- Wrangling Drones",
- "What happened to the Self-Driving Car?".
Finally, we're looking for thought leadership -
- "Where Do We Go From Here",
- "Trolley Ethics",
- "Who Really Benefits From AI?".
We're looking for you to put on your teacher's hat, your prognosticator's hat, your analyst's hat, and tell us the about the world that YOU see.

All this being said, it's also worth understanding what we're NOT looking for.

We are not looking for marketing pieces. If your product has an interesting toolset and you can dig into how to work with that toolset to solve complex problems, we might consider it, but we're more likely to send our sales-people to you to talk about ways that we can benefit one another (that's beyond of this editor's paygrade ... thankfully).
We are not yet posting advertisements for jobs (or posting resumes, for that matter). This is not to say we aren't considering doing this, but like everything else, there's complexity in the implementation. If you have questions about either of these, feel free to contact the editors directly, and we can talk. We also have educational promotional products for universities and private institutions.
Similarly, if you have events that you want to promote, talk to the editors. With the pandemic, we're awash in virtual seminars and conference notifications, but they do have value to the community.
We occasionally do webinars and interviews, though in general this is likely to be something that we will handle directly. If you LIKE to interview others, either via video or digital print, please contact the editors.
If you are the author of a book that you'd like to promote in the data science or knowledge engineering space, contact the editors.

Finally, a bit on style - things that will make your editors all tingly with delight, rather than awash in apathy.

We prefer original content. If you have a paper on ArXiv, for instance,write up a story that summarizes the importance of that content, in more readable and less academic terms. If you want to repost elsewhere, you can do so, but we generally do not repost to existing articles not on the site unless they are exceptional, and that's usually at the editor's discretion, not the writer's.
DSC is NOT a peer-reviewed journal. We welcome code and data samples (especially as we migrate to a new platform) but ultimately your audience is going to likely be technically proficient but not necessarily deep experts. As a rule of thumb - write to a tenth-grade audience, not a post-doctoral one.
We LIKE pictures. Diagrams, illustrations, photos, the whole worth a thousand words thing. However, if you do use pictures, make sure you have the rights to them. Our lawyers get unhappy when we have to speak with the other guy's lawyers. While on the current platform it's a bit awkward to do, we would also like to start including a splash graphic at the top of the article, primarily to generate thumbnails.
Also, make sure you upload a good image of yourself when you are making your account.
In general, we prefer articles that run between about 600 and 1800 words.
We're looking for professional writing - concise, easy to read, broken up into clear paragraphs.
Identify your name, your title, and work or school affiliation.
If you can, include a three to six bullet point list (called Data Points) covering the highlights or takeaways for the article itself. If these correspond with section headers, even better, but try to provide to your reader something to make them want to read your article.
In general, DSC editors prefer fewer (or no) links to outside references, especially if they are promotional in nature. We also reserve the right to link to definition content on other TechTarget properties. If you do include links, try to make sure that they open in a separate pane (should be easier to do shortly), and in general such links should only appear at the bottom of the article, rather than inline (think footnotes)
Include a short bio at the bottom of your article. You can link to a personal website or linked in page in the bio.
Articles that are in draft form for longer than three months will be deleted.
If you wish for an editor to review your comment and give you feedback, add an [Editor] tag at the bottom of the article with your questions. This will be deleted once the article is ready for publication.
DSC makes no guarantees that it will publish an article once it has been submitted, though we will attempt to get back to you as quickly as possible about whether the article was accepted or not.

Have fun, be creative, and take a chance. Welcome to Data Science Central.

Kurt Cagle
Community Editor
Data Science Central

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Jeezy and T.I. set to battle in Verzuz Season 2 opener

Season 2 of Verzuz is set to begin on November 19

The second season of Verzuz is set to begin on November 19 at 5pm PT/8pm ET and viewers are invited to watch the epic battle between Atlanta rappers, T.I. and Jeezy, on Instagram or in HD on Apple Music.

T.I. has been campaigning for a spot on Verzuz ever since the Timbaland and Swizz Beatz-created series first began.

After T.I. respectfully declined to go head-to-head with Busta Rhymes, reasoning that the generation gap between him and the New York based artist might be too much, Tip put out a call to Jeezy.

“Everybody keep saying me and Young [Jeezy]. But if Young wanted this smoke, he’d say it. If y’all want it, tell him to say it,” T.I. said on Instagram Live.

Jeezy responded to the “Whatever You Like” rapper by posting a cryptic video message on Instagram in which he didn’t call T.I. by his name, but indirectly let him know he was ready to battle.

Greatness is worth waiting for.
— Miss E (8/24 ♍️💜) (@missesoxclusive) October 24, 2020

“Say, bruh. You done been around the whole world on your campaign. Now you back here,” Jeezy said. “I don’t know what you avoiding me for.” Jeezy then challenged T.I. to “put a date on it.”

Confirming fan’s speculations, T.I. popped up in Jeezy’s comments, writing, “Hmmm. Could this long time constituent of mine be referring to me???”

Later in his own Instagram post, T.I. tagged Jeezy, Swizz and Timbaland, letting them know he’s ready to schedule the face-off ASAP.

Though excited about the upcoming Verzuz battle, fans of both artists aren’t thrilled that the long-awaited match-up is so far off in the future, but admit that greatness is worth waiting for.

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Illinois officer who shot Black couple in Chicago suburbs, killing one, has been fired

The unnamed officer was fired for ‘multiple policy and procedure violations,’ local police say

An Illinois police officer has been fired for his role in a police shooting in the Chicago suburbs that left a Black man dead and a Black woman hospitalized earlier this week, according to media reports.

The man, Marcellis Stinnette, was a passenger in a car with the woman, Tafara Williams. Williams was in the driver seat when another officer began “investigating an occupied vehicle” in Waukegan, Illinois late night Tuesday, local authorities said. She then “fled” the scene, and the vehicle was later spotted a roughly half mile away by the now-fired officer, CNN reports.

Waukegan is about 45 miles north of Chicago.

The ex-officer, a Hispanic man who was a five-year veteran of the Waukegan Police Department, was approaching the car when it began to reverse in his direction, prompting the officer to fire his semi-automatic pistol at the car, as reported by CBS News. Waukegan Police Chief Wayne Walles said the officer was “in fear for his safety” when he discharged his weapon, but he was fired for “multiple policy and procedure violations,” violations that were not identified. The officer was initially placed on administrative leave.

Sherrellis Sheria Stinnette, grandmother of Marcellis Stinnette, 19, speaks to the media during a protest rally for Marcellis Stinnette who was killed by Waukegan Police last Tuesday in Waukegan, Ill., Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. (Brian Hill/Daily Herald via AP)

Stinnette, 19, died after being taken to the hospital, while Williams, who is in her 20s, is expected to make a recovery from the gunshot wounds. Williams, who is identified as Stinnette’s girlfriend, made a video statement from the hospital, asking why the officer felt the need to use his firearm on the vehicle.

“I didn’t do nothing wrong,” Williams stated in a video posted by WLS-TV. “I have a license. You didn’t tell me I was under arrest. Why did you just flame up my car like that? Why did you shoot?”

The Illinois State Police has now been brought in to investigate the police shooting, while the family of Stinnette is receiving legal representation from Ben Crump, the attorney who represents the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who were also killed at the hands of police.

“We do not trust the police narrative in this case,” Crump said. “We have seen over and over that the ‘official’ report when police kill Black people is far too often missing or misrepresenting detail.”

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Harris appeals directly to Black men: ‘Honor the ancestors’

The Joe Biden campaign sees Kamala Harris playing a critical role in its efforts to urge Black turnout

ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic vice presidential hopeful Kamala Harris made a direct appeal to Black men Friday, defending her record as a prosecutor, blasting President Donald Trump as “racist” and vouching for Joe Biden as a man capable of addressing systemic racism and leading a diverse country.

“I’m not going to tell anybody, including Black men, that they’re supposed to vote for us. We need to earn that vote,” Harris told a roundtable of Black men in one of several stops across Atlanta, the Democratic base of Georgia, an emerging battleground state.

The California senator warned that Trump wants to “turn 20% of Black men in favor of him,” a mark that could tilt a range of battleground states in the South and Upper Midwest to the president. But Harris, the first Black woman on a major party’s national ticket, said Trump’s pitch is rooted in “spinning” and misrepresenting her record and the Democratic ticket’s proposals.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks during a campaign event at Morehouse College , Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

“Joe Biden has the ability to say the words ‘Black Lives Matter,’ unlike that other fella,” Harris told a group of students from Atlanta’s historically Black college campuses.

Still, Harris faced new questions Friday about her record as a prosecutor. She cast herself as a change agent in a “flawed” structure and promised that a Biden White House would understand that “Black boys and Black men have to be seen through the prism of life” and that “these systems have failed them.”

Her Georgia itinerary — small events with Black audiences, a stop at an iconic Black-owned restaurant near Atlanta’s HBCU campuses and a drive-in rally at Morehouse College, whose alumni include Martin Luther King, Jr. — highlighted how critical the Biden campaign sees Harris in its efforts to urge Black turnout.

“We’re not going to let anyone mess with our right to vote,” she said at Morehouse, calling voting a way “to honor the ancestors.”

The drop-off in Black votes from President Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012 to the 2016 election was a critical factor in Trump managing narrow victories over Democrat Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, a trio of Great Lakes states that gave the president his Electoral College majority. Higher Black turnout also could push North Carolina, Georgia and Florida into the Democratic column.

Harris visited Georgia a day after the final presidential debate, which Trump used to claim that “nobody has done what I’ve done” for Black Americans, “with the exception of Abraham Lincoln — possible exception.” The president blamed Biden for the mass incarceration of “young Black men” via a sweeping 1994 federal crime bill when Biden was a senator representing Delaware.

In this Oct. 1, 2020, file photo, people cast their vote early in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Biden touted his support of civil rights measures over the years and said Trump “pours fuel on every single racist fire.” But it was Harris in Atlanta who confronted the issue of race with a personal pitch that neither of the white men at the top of the ballot can muster.

Citing her time as a local district attorney and state attorney general, Harris said she learned that the “war on drugs was, by every measure, a failure, and Black men were hit the hardest.” She said Biden would push to decriminalize marijuana and expunge existing convictions from records — though the former vice president has opposed legalizing it altogether. She promised sweeping programs to expand health care access, capital for small businesses and educational opportunities for struggling communities, all matters aimed at racial disparities.

Among the friendly audiences, though, Atlanta rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri told Harris that “you put a lot of Black brothers away in your past” and asked her to explain her record.

“Yes, I decided to go up the rough side of the mountain, as we say in church,” Harris told him, framing her career choice as a conscious decision to change a “flawed” system from within. She rattled off several efforts, describing a reentry program that she said steered young men arrested or convicted of nonviolent drug offenses into jobs. “They referred to my program as a ‘hug a thug’ program,” she said.

Harris acknowledged she didn’t “change the whole system,” but pushed back on the criticism. “It suggests Black people shouldn’t be prosecutors. … It suggests that you don’t love your community, or you don’t want to reform the system if you decide to go in it.”

Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., left, speaks with a supporter at the Busy Bee cafe during a campaign event, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

She told the group of Black men that Trump is “spinning” her record and Biden’s to obscure his own priorities on race and ethnicity, from his “birtherism” lies about Obama’s birthplace to his insults of certain political opponents and entire nations.

Trump, Harris said, pushed “the theme that the first Black man to be president of the United States was illegitimately there” and referred “to countries on the continent as ‘shithole’ countries” and “refused to condemn white supremacists.”

At Morehouse, she mused about sometimes being asked whether Trump is racist. “Yes,” Harris said. “It’s not like it’s some random one-off.”

Biden, she added, would be a president “who acknowledges systemic racism, who acknowledges the history of America, and uses that bully pulpit and that microphone in a way that speaks truth … and brings our country together.”

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Ex-NBA Player Shawn Kemp To Open Seattle’s First Black-Owned Cannabis Dispensary

Legendary Seattle Supersonics power forward and six-time NBA All-Star Shawn “Reign Man” Kemp has announced that he has entered the cannabis business.

Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis opens later this month in Seattle.

The business is located at 3035 1st Ave. in the heart of the city near the Climate Pledge Arena and famed Space Needle. When it opens its doors on Friday, Oct. 30, it will become Seattle’s first Black-owned dispensary. Kemp’s former teammate, NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, will join the celebration with a green ribbon-cutting ceremony slated to start at 12:45 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, the store will open to the public.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming Sonics fans on a regular basis, starting with opening day,” said Kemp in a statement.

The opening will feature the unveiling of an art piece on the building’s exterior from well-known local muralist Jeff Jacobson, who also goes by the moniker Weirdo. The 30-by-80-foot mural is rich in color and depicts Kemp playing basketball in his Sonics uniform.

Kemp, who is venturing into the fast-growing cannabis industry for the first time, is partnering with industry veterans Matt Schoenlein and Ramsey Hamide. Schoenlein and Hamide are two of the co-founders of Main Street Marijuana, the top cannabis retailer in Washington state since the company started in 2014. The brand’s three shops have surpassed $150 million in sales and have contributed more than $55 million in excise tax.

“My name is on this company and I have worked hard to bring Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis to fruition,” said Kemp. “I want to provide nothing short of the best selection, customer experience, and prices in Seattle. I have incredible partners in Matt Schoenlein and Ramsey Hamide to make sure we deliver on that promise to our customers, who are our top priority.

“I hope that Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis will be an inspiration for people to get involved with the legal cannabis industry, especially people of color.”

Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. and will offer express order kiosks, online ordering, and curbside pickup. Health and safety measures will include social distancing protocols and mask requirements per state mandates. More information is available by calling (206) 345-0009, at www.KempsCannabis.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Seattle SuperSonics legend Shawn Kemp is officially opening up his cannabis shop next week. It will become Seattle’s first Black-owned dispensary.

The Reign Man will he joined by former teammate Gary Payton for the grand opening on Oct. 30 at 12:45pm.

Shop is at 3035 1st Ave pic.twitter.com/4l64lQxi0P

— Ben Arthur (@benyarthur) October 22, 2020

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Did a Security Researcher Guess Trump's Twitter Password?

Plus: An Among Us spam attack, China's favorite vulnerabilities, and more of the week's top security news.

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There's No Turning Back on AI in the Military

In the digital arms race with China, the only thing worse than fearing AI itself is the fear of not having it at all.

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The iPhone 12 Finally Gets Magnets Right

Motorola's Moto Mods failed to pull off a long-lasting smartphone trend. But Apple's MagSafe series looks like it might actually stick.

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The Best Locks for Protecting Your Bike—or Ebike

The only thing better than buying a new bicycle is keeping it. We tested a bunch of bike locks and these are our picks—and some advice for using them.

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Russia's Laptev Sea Should Have Started to Freeze by Now

Normally, the 'birthplace of ice' freezes by late October. For the first time in recorded history, it hasn't. That could have knock-on effects across the Arctic.

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How Aston Martin is trying to save its iconic brand

Two years after Aston Martin's initial public offering, shares are trading at a fraction of a dollar. The company is looking to its DBX sport utility vehicle to help turn things around.

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Ethiopia River Nile dam: PM condemns 'aggressions' after Trump comment

Its PM condemns "aggressions" after Donald Trump says Egypt might destroy a controversial Nile dam.

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It's OK to Play One Game Forever

If you ignore new releases or your massive backlog to return to that one comfort game after a long day, don't feel bad about it. You're not alone.

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The 14 Best Weekend Deals on Cold Weather Gear, TVs, and More

Cozy up with our favorite discounts from Patagonia, Sony, Nintendo, and others.

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Nigerian-American activist Opal Tometi: 'Why I co-founded Black Lives Matter'

Nigerian-American activist Opal Tometi co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement in 2013.

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Friday, October 23, 2020

Lenny Kravitz on gigantic scarf that went viral: ‘It was cold’

‘It’s funny to see, especially on Halloween.’

Lenny Kravitz admits he is amused by all the memes inspired by the infamous giant scarf that he wore to run errands in 2012.

“Okay, the scarf is big, but the internet has made the scarf enormous,” the singer tells GQ in a new interview. “You look at some of those [images] and it’s just like, “Okay guys, the scarf is three times bigger than it really is in this picture, but it was big and it was cold,” he adds.

“It’s funny to see, especially on Halloween. People either do the Lenny Kravitz look—the onstage look — or they do the scarf. And it’s funny, I saw some pictures yesterday of this little kid who did the whole thing perfectly down to the plastic bag coming from the grocery store,” Kravitz continues.

Kravitz explained in a 2018 interview with Jimmy Fallon that the scarf was a gift from a friend, and it came in handy when he needed to shop for groceries in the cold weather.

“I live in the Bahamas, I’m used to hot weather, and I had to go to the store. I was buying some groceries, and I thought I’d put on a little scarf to protect my throat, and that’s the scarf I had,” he told Fallon on his late night show.

When asked if he still owns the giant scarf, Kravitz said, “Oh yeah, absolutely,” he shared with GQ.

The artist details the first 25 years of his life in a new memoir titled “Let Love Rule,” named after his 1989 debut studio album.

In the book, the musician describes his relationship with his mother and five godmothers, noting that “Black feminine energy kept me sane.”

“I recognized their strength: how much love they could give, how supportive they could be, how talented they were and how they were the rock of the family, and their families,” Kravtz says in his GQ interview. “I always felt seen by them, even as a child. I marveled at their God-given talents. These women were just juggling everything,” he explains.

“Not only were they trailblazers in their fields, they were also taking care of their families, their men and their lives. Having those kinds of women around me was really nurturing.”

“Let Love Rule” is available at bookstores now.

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Wearing masks could save over 100,000 lives through February: study

There are more than 8.4 million confirmed COVID cases in the U.S and more than 223,000 deaths

More than 100,000 COVID-related deaths could be prevented in the next few months if 95% of Americans wear masks in public, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation analyzed data on Covid-19 cases, testing, mask use, and deaths from February 1 through September 21, which helped inform model projections for the course of the contagion through March 2021, CNN reports.

According to the study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on Friday, nearly 130,000 lives could be spared if mask compliance was at 95 percent, for each state with or without social distancing. The analysis also estimates that more than 95,000 COVID deaths could be prevented if 85 percent of the U.S. population wore face coverings in public.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the US should probably mandate mask use, even if people complain about the trouble with enforcing it.

“If people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it,” says Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert. https://t.co/CAJYWWLuJw pic.twitter.com/B6IF8SJvSn
— CNN (@CNN) October 24, 2020

Health officials continue to stress the importance of mask use in slowing the spread of the virus, most especially as the U.S enters into flu season. The nation is also experiencing a new wave of infections.

“The potential life-saving benefit of increasing mask use in the coming fall and winter cannot be overstated. It is likely that US residents will need to choose between higher levels of mask use or risk the frequent redeployment of more stringent and economically damaging [social distancing mandates]; or, in the absence of either measure, face a reality of a rising death toll,” the analysis states.

“We think the key point here is that there’s a huge winter surge coming and our models have been showing that for many months,” said IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray.

“You can see in the paper what universal masks can do and they blunt quite a bit of the surge or delay it,” Dr. Murray continued. “I think it’s very difficult at the point where we are in the US — where there’s so much community transmission of the virus — to prevent some fall winter surge, but we can certainly make it much smaller.”

“The fall/winter surge will intensify in November and December, reaching a peak in January. Many states will face enormous pressure on hospital capacity and will likely have to re-impose some social distancing mandates,“ IHME said in its weekly update. ‘The best strategy to delay re-imposition of mandates and the associated economic hardship is to expand mask use.”

There are more than 8.4 million confirmed COVID cases in the U.S and more than 223,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

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Lena Waithe, Laverne Cox, and the Cast of Hulu’s ‘Bad Hair’ on the Politics of Black Hair

Just in time for Halloween, Justin Simien, the writer and director best know for the TV series and movie “Dear White People,” released a new project that has turned the pressures Black women face to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards into a satirical horror film. Titled “Bad Hair,” the film follows the story of Anna played by Elle Lorraine who she succumbs to the hair discrimination Black women commonly face at work and ends up getting a weave from hell — literally.

The film takes place in 1989 as Anna pursues her dream of becoming a VJ at a Black music video TV network. However, she realizes that her natural coils are standing in the way of her aspirations after her manager, a light-skinned, straight-haired woman played by Vanessa Williams, encourages her to adopt a more white-friendly appearance. As a result, she reluctantly gets a weave, which turns out to be possessed by a demonic force. The evil weave becomes more than just the film’s antagonist: it’s a metaphoric symbol of the generations of oppression Black women have faced in lieu of white beauty norms.

“This young woman is incredible at her job. She has all the tools,” said Lorraine ahead of the film’s release on Hulu on October 23 to, BLACK ENTERPRISE. “But somehow she is not able to be seen because she’s not meeting this standard according to other people’s ideas of beauty.”

The Insecure star also admitted that she, too, still feels pressured by the same social stigmas. “There are times I question how I should look at an audition if they’re able to see past what my hair looks like and see what I’m giving and the work that I put in.”

Actress and LGBTQIA+ activist Laverne Cox said the film emphasizes the compromise Black women have had to make to their identities in order to get ahead. “Bad Hair is about the horror of white supremacy intersecting with the horror of capitalism.”

Waithe added, “This is Justin’s love letter really — a scary, funny love letter — to Black women and what they go through, particularly in the workplace.”

Watch Lena Waithe, Elle Lorraine, Laverne Cox, Blair Underwood, and Jay Pharoah open up about “Bad Hair” in the video below.

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