Michelle Obama said Biden and Harris ‘are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House’
As the Associated Press declared Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden the 46th President of the United States, celebrities took to social media to celebrate.
Among the celebrities were Grammy-award winning rapper Cardi B, who has been vocal during the presidential election season.
“I haven’t been fussing cause I know deep down we finna win. BIDENxKamala,” the rapper said on Instagram with a clip of Harris dancing to her song “I Like It.”
She followed up with a video of her reaction to Biden winning and commented on the bullying she and her family have endured from Trump supporters.
“You know why God put Biden in place? Cause you Trump supporters were getting out of line. Y’all were becoming real bullies,” she said. In September, the rapper and her sister were sued by Trump supporters.
Other celebrities have gone to social media to share their excitement for a Biden-Harris presidency.
Actress Lauren London shared a photo of Biden and Harris on Instagram with the caption: “It’s a new day!”
Director Ava DuVernay took the moment to criticize Trump while shining a light on the Exonerated 5 – the central focus of her 2019 Netflix film “When They See Us.”
“Imagine the person who took out full-page ads to call for your execution being voted in as President of the United States,” DuVernay tweeted. “Now, imagine that person being fired in shame. Sending my love to Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef. Enjoy this day, my brothers. #exonerated5
Former First Lady Michelle Obama congratulated Biden and Harris on their victory and shared her excitement saying the two “are headed to restore some dignity, competence, and heart at the White House. Our country sorely needs it.”
She added, “and after we celebrate — and we should all take a moment to exhale after everything we’ve been through — let’s remember that this is just a beginning. It’s a first step. Voting in one election isn’t a magic wand, and neither is winning one.”
Check out the reactions below:
Woooooohooooo!!!!!! PHILLY!!!!! AMERICA!!!!!! BLACK FOLK!!!! BLACK PEOPLE!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!!! πππππΏππΏππΏ Now….let’s fight for that Senate!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/MAxsrFDcRp
The people have spoken! Thank you to everyone who used your vote and your voice to make history. PRESIDENT Joe Biden and VICE PRESIDENT Kamala Harris pic.twitter.com/EdWQc5rpYD
Sent packing by the first Black woman Vice President in this history of this country and millions of nameless Black women all over this land. What a damn day. Just hugged my daughter so tight.
Think about that… Countries around the world are CELEBRATING the election of Joe Biden & Kamala Harris.
and the ousting of 45. Unprecedented. #bidenharis2020https://t.co/8WZY9V8C5u
Congratulations to President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris! Thank you for choosing to serve your country during these challenging times. pic.twitter.com/PEEPFexKFF
The two-hour virtual induction will premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Saturday
Years after their deaths, Whitney Houston and Notorious B.I.G. will be inducted into the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
With coronavirus cases continuing to surge throughout the U.S., the Rock Hall’s annual live induction ceremony will be replaced with a virtual celebration. Premiering on HBO and HBO Max on Saturday (8 p.m. EST/PST), the two-hour special will lack an audience cheering on electrifying performances, but the virtual format will feature appearances by a number of A-listers who taped salutes to this year’s class.
Here's how to watch the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Induction Special tonight https://t.co/OOCqffuRLb
In moving tributes, Alicia Keys described her beautiful friendship with Houston and called the Grammy-winning singer “the greatest voice of all time.”
Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, 87, gave a speech on her daughter’s behalf. “I’m so very, very proud that Whitney is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She wanted to be something — not anything. She worked hard at it too,” she said.
“I’m proud of who she was,” Cissy added. “What can I say now? If I talk too long, I’ll cry. I don’t want to cry.”
Singer Whitney Houston accepts the Winner of International – Favorite Artist Award onstage at the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Brooklyn rapper and hip-hop trailblazer, Notorious B.I.G.’s two adult children — Tyanna, 27 and C.J., 24 accepted the award for their late father.
“When my dad passed away, I was only three years old,” Tyanna said. “Even though I didn’t get to know him as well as I wanted, through his fans and our family I was able to see through my own eyes that his music transcended the hip-hop industry. He was able to become not only the ‘King of New York,’ but the king of the culture.”
Biggie’s friend and collaborator, Sean “Diddy” Combs gave a tribute to the late rapper. “They say time heals all wounds. I kind of wait for that day,” said Combs. “But I also think time doesn’t heal all wounds. Some you have to live with.”
Diddy's tribute song to Biggie "I'll be missing you" will always be emotional, best friends ♥️
Whitney Houston died in 2012 at age 48 from accidental drowning associated with heart disease and cocaine use and Christopher Wallace aka Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in 1997 at age 24.
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Although he has won, Biden will not take office until January 20, 2021
On Saturday morning, the Associated Press, CNN, and NBC News announced Biden as the projected winner of the 2020 presidential race after getting more than 270 electoral votes.
Now that Joe Biden has won the presidency, bringing an end to four tumultuous years under President Donald Trump, there are more key steps to accomplish even after the selection of the 46th president of the United States.
“When American citizens vote for a presidential candidate, they really are voting for electors in their state. Those electors in most cases are committed to support the voters’ candidate of choice,” wrote the Associated Press. “The number of electors is equal to the number of electoral votes held by each state. State laws vary on how electors are selected but, generally, a slate of electors for each party’s candidate is chosen at state party conventions or by a vote of a party’s central committee.”
Electorates will betray their state's vote and go for Trump?
Following Election Day, states must count and certify the results of the popular vote. Once completed, each governor by law must prepare documents known as “Certificates of Ascertainment,” which list the names of electors and the number of votes that were cast for both the winner and loser.
The document, which carries the seal of each state, is then sent to the archivist of the United States.
Dec. 8 is the deadline to resolve any election disputes that may exist at the state level and all state recounts and court contests over the results of the election are expected to be completed.
Dec. 14: Electors have to vote by paper ballot in their states and the District of Columbia. Thirty-three states and D.C. have laws in place or party regulations that requires the electors to “vote the same way the popular vote goes in the state, and in some states, electors can even be replaced or subjected to penalties, according to the Congressional Research Service.” The votes for both the president and vice president are then counted and the electors sign six “Certificate of the Vote” documents. The documents are then sent by registered mail to various officials.
Dec. 23: The certificates are then delivered to the designated officials. If they aren’t delivered, the law then provide an alternative route for getting the results delivered to Washington.
Jan. 6, 2021: The House and Senate then holds a joint session to count all of the electoral votes. If one ticket received 270 or more electoral votes, the current president of the Senate – Vice President Mike Pence – will announce the results.
Jan. 20, 2021: The new president-elect will be sworn into office on Inauguration Day.
In the United States, a presidential candidate can win the popular vote, but lose the electoral vote like Hillary Clinton in 2016.
According to the Baltimore Sun, as of Saturday, Biden lead Trump by millions in the popular vote and ultimately in electoral votes, leading to his victory.
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“This election has not been called!” yelled Jake Angeli, a regular at Trump rallies in Phoenix, Arizona. “Don’t believe that lie! They got their hands caught in the cookie jar and we’re going to the Supreme Court!”
“Trump always looks like he’s going to lose. And then he wins,“ Angeli said.
THE OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED INTO THE COUNTING ROOMS. I WON THE ELECTION, GOT 71,000,000 LEGAL VOTES. BAD THINGS HAPPENED WHICH OUR OBSERVERS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE. NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WERE SENT TO PEOPLE WHO NEVER ASKED FOR THEM!
Self-described Afghanistan veteran Keith Owen, who was carrying a a black, semiautomatic assault rifle and wore a handgun in a holster strapped to his leg, protested in Phoenix.
Owen is one of the hundreds who gathered for three straight days in front of the Phoenix elections center, where hundreds of workers were processing and counting ballots.
Many view armed Trump supporters outside of ballot counting center as intimidation, but Owen insisted, “I’m here to protect a peaceful protest.”
“We just want them to know we won’t let them get away with anything. We want to make sure all the legal ballots are counted, and fairly,” said Travis Fillmore, 34. Fillmore is another self-described Arizonan military veteran who carried a rifle to the protest.
71,000,000 Legal Votes. The most EVER for a sitting President!
In Washington D.C., people headed to Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House, the AP reported, commemorating Biden’s victory over Trump by taking pictures, singing and dancing — all while live streaming the event.
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The family of Walter Wallace Jr. seeks to convince Philadelphia to divert money toward mental health service from the police budget
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The family of Walter Wallace Jr. called Friday for the officers who fatally shot the young Black man to be fired and asked that some of the city’s more than $700 million police budget be diverted to mental health services.
However, on the eve of his funeral, they said they won’t press for the two relatively junior officers who opened fire to be charged in the death. The family will instead accept the decision made by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Lawyer Shaka Johnson spoke for the family at a City Hall news conference a day before Saturday’s planned funeral for Wallace, a 27-year-old father of nine who had been receiving mental health services.
Sheila Rhames rests her hands on a banner honoring Walter Wallace Jr. in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Wallace, a Black man, was shot and killed by police in West Philadelphia, last month. Rhames was his neighbor. (Joe Lamberti/Camden Courier-Post via AP)
Both city officials and the family agree he was killed less than a minute after police arrived at the address for a third time on Oct. 26. The Fraternal Order of Police — the union for police officers — said the officers did nothing wrong as Wallace ignored repeated commands to drop a knife during the encounter outside the family home. Both officers are in their mid-20s, with a few years on the force.
Johnson called for the city to divert some of its police budget to a separate hotline that families could call to get trained professionals, instead of armed officers, to respond to mental health crises.
He also noted that city voters in Tuesday’s election approved a ballot measure to create a citizen oversight panel for the police department. Police reform activist Gwen Carr, whose son Eric Garner was killed during a 2014 police chokehold in New York, echoed the call for change.
(Credit: Walter Wallace/CBS Philly)
“You never hear of a black police officer going into Scarsdale shooting down a mentally ill person,” Carr said at the news conference, referring to a suburban New York city. “That is unheard of.”
Johnson also called for the city to follow 2015 Justice Department recommendations and issue all patrol officers Tasers so they have other ways to assert control in similar situations.
The family plans to file suit against the city, Johnson said. They endorsed the city’s decision to release the police body camera video and tapes of the 911 calls earlier this week, and joined officials at a news conference Wednesday, when Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw promised reforms.
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The Grammy winner also dishes on her single with Ciara and fighting through depression.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard has a booming career as one of gospel music’s biggest stars and an arsenal of awards to show for her hard work, but the talented vocalist who inspires millions with her songs has had to battle through her fair share of obstacles.
theGrio caught up with the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter who has collaborated with everyone from Nicki Minaj to Kierra Sheard, and most recently, Ciara, on her new single “In Spite of Me.”
“We were actually done with choosing all of the songs for the album and I was like, I feel like I need another song,” Cobbs Leonard said of the latest song that features vocals from the new mom.
“She reached out to me in a DM and said she and her family had been listening to my songs and my name was such a blessing to their house. I knew she was nine months pregnant and due in two weeks, but I really felt like I’d love to see her be a part of this. I shot her a text and sent her the song and she and Russell fell in love with it. I believe it was like a week or two after she had the baby, she went into the studio and recorded the song and it sounds incredible.”
The artist who released her latest album, Royalty: Live at the Ryman in September says she has been especially busy this year and her music has helped her fans cope with the hardships of 2020.
“I think in times like these, people always need good news. We get a lot of bad news. The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ, so I think it’s an amazing opportunity to spread good news and inspiration to people. It’s an honor to be called to do this. It is an honor to sing about God and to bring glory to him with our gifts. It’s about someone greater than us,” she says.
Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Photo Credit: JD Barnes)
“I think we’ve done great as a nation of people to try to keep it moving and I’m really proud about that. Watching the way the churches have made that pivot to do this online, to stay in touch with the membership makes me proud. We’ve got to keep inspiring people and spreading the gospel.
“I’m proud of the creative spaces being innovative, like the award shows. Everybody has been so creative. I think a lot of people have done things that they never thought they would do and that’s to be commended.”
Despite her continued success, the award-winning singer knows that this year has been a struggle for so many. Still, she’s hopeful we will come out better on the other side.
“I believe that God has really shown us that as a nation we were cluttered, we were selfish, we were consumed in our routines. Things were revealed in this season that many people thought were suppressed and thought we had gotten over. The social injustices we have witnessed have brought one of the most painful seasons for a lot of people,” she continues.
“The pandemic, the COVID-19 deaths have made 2020 one of the most eye-opening seasons that we’ve ever seen, but I think we need to see it all in order to become better. I really, really pray that there have been lessons learned and that we can be more of a loving, kind, nation.”
Tasha Cobbs Leonard has been open about battle with depression and she knows a thing or two about pushing through hard times.
“For me, success has always come with some level of sacrifice. When I think back to winning the Grammy, (a lot of people may not have known this) but seven days prior to that, I lost my father. Here I am, standing on the stage accepting one of the greatest awards you could ever get, but my heart was broken,” she explains.
“A lot of people didn’t know that I was in very, very dark season where I could see people being set free through the songs that I was singing, but I would go home and struggle with my own war against depression.”
Her experience has taught her how to hang on to her faith and accept the good with the bad.
“We have these seasons of mountaintop experiences, but with those also come the valley experiences. I’ve learned to celebrate the joys when they come and also embrace those seasons that are not so comfortable because I have to believe what the Bible says when it says that all things are working together for our good,” she continues.
“I celebrate the joys as they come and then I also embrace those seasons when I’m not so joyful because I know that there’s a lesson in it for me.”
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Martin Folsom, an 18-year old high school senior student from Florida, is graduating as valedictorian of his class despite the challenges of being homeless over the years.
“It’s been a rocky road, a lot of hardships. But seeing myself now about to graduate, about to go to college — it feels good knowing all the stuff I’ve done was worth it,” Folsom said in a video featuring the 2020 graduates of Duval County Public Schools.
Folsom, who is graduating from A. Philip Randolph Career Academies in Jacksonville, says that he wants a better future for him and his family and it is what inspired him to strive harder to finish as valedictorian.
Aside from excelling academically, Folsom also served as the president of the class from his freshman to senior year. His classmates turn to him if they need help and trust his advice.
Folsom is very grateful for his mother who was with him throughout the hardships that he faced living in shelters. He said he wouldn’t have made it to the top of his class without his mother and the other people around him who helped him.
Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, graduations for the class of 2020 has been canceled. But Folsom didn’t let it put his spirit down.
“Take advantage of any opportunity you can because you never know where it’s going to take you,” he said during an interview with CBS 47.
Moreover, Folsom is planning to attend Valdosta State University in Georgia to study accounting and finance. He is apparently the first one in their family to enter college.
This article was originally published by BlackNews.com.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2U5BmAp
via Gabe's Musing's
The Chief of the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) Workplace Discrimination Office has been relieved of his duties and placed on modified duty after a City Council investigation discovered hundreds of racist, anti-semitic, homophobic comments on a police message board.
The investigators believe that between July 2019 and September 2020 Deputy Inspector James Kobel sent hundreds of offensive messages on The Rant “Law Enforcement Rant” message board. Kobel’s messages attacked Black people, Muslims, the Hasidic Jewish community, and the LGBTQ community with extremely derogatory language under the name of “Clouseau.”
According to NBC 4 New York, Kobel referred to Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark as a “gap-tooth wildebeest,” and made jokes about Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who suffers from Tourette’s syndrome. Kobel also called former President Barack Obama a “Muslim savage” and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s son, Dante, a “brillohead.”
De Blasio commented on the news about Kobel, saying if the allegations are true, Kobel will be fired.
This vile, racist language is an attack on every New Yorker and an insult to our city’s values
This is under investigation, and if it’s true, he will be fired. End of story. https://t.co/3s4NzuknxD
NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea also has harsh words for Kobel calling his actions “abhorrent” and “utterly disgusting.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo questioned why the message board exists in the first place, saying the comments are widespread, but no one in the department has done anything about it.
Kobel did speak to the New York Times and said it was not him who sent the messages, but he added that the allegations alone are enough to end his career.
“Nonetheless, despite my denial, it will likely end my career,” Kobel told the Times. “Where do I go to get my reputation back?”
Kobel has been in the NYPD for more than 25 years and served as the second-in-command in the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) office for four years before being elevated to commanding officer earlier this year.
The EEO office is responsible for preventing and investigating employment and harassment claims. The office has recently allowed officers to wear religious head coverings and provided lactation rooms for NYPD officers who are also mothers.
City Council investigators linked the messages to Kobel by matching information in the “Clouseau” messages to publicly available details about Kobel’s life and career. Investigators found both Kobel and Clouseau joined the force at the same time, held the same rank last year, and served in the same NYPD Housing Bureau as former Chief Joanne Jaffe, among other similarities.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/355cxLd
via Gabe's Musing's
Two senior administration officials confirmed Friday that Meadows had tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows has been diagnosed with the coronavirus as the nation sets daily records for confirmed cases for the pandemic.
Two senior administration officials confirmed Friday that Meadows had tested positive for the virus, which has killed more than 236,000 Americans so far this year.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Meadows traveled with Trump in the run-up to Election Day and last appeared in public early Wednesday morning without a mask as Trump falsely declared victory in the vote count.
He had been one of the close aides around Trump when the president came down with the virus more than a month ago, but was tested daily and maintained his regular work schedule.
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Biden says he is already preparing to assume the presidency even though he has not been declared the winner in his race against Trump.
Joe Biden says he is already preparing to assume the presidency even though he has not been declared the winner in his race against President Donald Trump.
“I want people to know we’re not waiting to get the work done,” he said late Friday in remarks to the nation.
Biden said he and his running mate, Kamala Harris, have held briefings on the coronavirus and the economy this week as the U.S. records record daily cases.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, joined by vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), speaks one day after Americans voted in the presidential election, on November 04, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden spoke as votes are still being counted in his tight race against incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump which remains too close to call. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
He noted nearly 240,000 people have died from the pandemic and said he wants those families to know they aren’t alone.
He also addressed the millions of Americans who remain out of work and are struggling to pay rent or buy food.
“We don’t have any more time to waste on partisan warfare,” he said.
The Associated Press has not yet declared a winner in the race between Biden and Trump because neither candidate has reached the 270 Electoral College votes needed to carry the White House.
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Neither Perdue or Ossoff was able to clear the 50% threshold needed for an outright win.
Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff will face off in a Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia for Perdue’s Senate seat.
Libertarian candidate Shane Hazel was able to get enough votes so that neither Perdue or Ossoff was able to clear the 50% threshold needed for an outright win.
Thousands of absentee ballots and in-person votes cast early needed to be counted after Election Night passed, forcing a long and tense wait before the race could be called.
Left to right: Joe Ossoff and Georgia Sen. David Perdue. (AP Photo/John Amis,John Bazemore)
The contest has already seen huge spending from outside groups on both sides and millions of dollars more are expected to pour into the state ahead of the runoff.
The race between Ossoff and Perdue, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has been characterized by sharp attack ads but relatively moderate political positions.
Both candidates pivoted to the middle vying for a state Trump won handily four years ago, but where swaths of suburbia have shown signs of disillusionment with the president.
Perdue sought to cast Ossoff as backing a “radical socialist agenda,” while Ossoff portrayed Perdue as a “corrupt” Washington insider who has been part of a botched pandemic response.
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The rapper’s older sibling, Glen Johnson, died on Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Rapper DaBaby says he is in need of therapy following the recent death of his older brother, Glen Johnson.
Johnson, 34, died on Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. TMZ reported that he shared a video to social media of himself in a car visibly upset and crying while holding a gun. In the clip, Johnson claimed he had been wronged a lot in the past. He shot himself in the head and died shortly after recording the video.
#MentalHealthAwareness ❗️
If you can’t get over depression GET HELP, you see a loved one struggling get them help, they refuse the help, MAKE em get treated anyway.
You suffer from PTSD take that shit serious & get help!
I’m bouta get a therapist my damn self! #LongLiveGπ€π
DaBaby, 28, tweeted about “#MentalHealthAwareness” on Thursday, urging his fans, “If you can’t get over depression GET HELP, you see a loved one struggling get them help, they refuse the help, MAKE em get treated anyway.”
In a tweet posted on earlier this week, DaBaby wrote, “Death don’t phase [sic] me at all, watching my family suffer does.”
He continued, “GOD watch over my family, my mama, my nieces & nephew & they mama, my brother. Don’t worry bout me take whatever you was do for me and pour it into them. & keep me cool.”
Death don’t phase me at all,
watching my family suffer does.
GOD watch over my family, my mama, my nieces & nephew & they mama, my brother. Don’t worry bout me take whatever you was do for me and pour it into them.
theGRIO previously reported, DaBaby’s father was killed shortly after the release of his first LP, 2019’s Baby on Baby.
The rapper addressed the loss of his brother in an Instagram Story on Tuesday, sharing lyrics from “Intro” on his Kirk album: “My brother be thinkin’ that we don’t love him and let him struggle like we ain’t family/Like I won’t give up all I got to see you happy, n—–,” he raps in the song. DaBaby captioned the post, “I would’ve gave up all I had to see you happy n—.”
Critics praised the intimate nature of Kirk, titled after his last name, on which the hip-hop star talks at length about his family.
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Several NBA teams turned their facilities into voting centers for the election in Detroit and Atlanta
During a conversation with LeBron James, Barack Obama made a suggestion that could have possibly made an impact on the election.
The former president spoke with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar in August after the shooting of Jacob Blake and the NBA games were canceled as part of a boycott. Obama called in while the players were in the bubble and their discussion was recently revealed on The Shop, James’ barbershop talk show that airs on HBO.
“One of the suggestions I had for the players was: Is it possible for you guys to set up an office that allows you, on an ongoing basis, to take best practices that are going to start making incidents like [the Blake shooting] less likely?” Obama said.
After that conversation, several NBA arenas and workout centers around the country decided to use its space as voting centers particularly in underserved areas. James’ organization “More Than A Vote” collaborated with players and 23 teams turned facilities into voting centers and polling places, per NBA NBC Sports.
The teams really took activism to a new level. The Detroit Pistons used their practice facility, Henry Ford Performance Center, as a voting center. Atlanta’s State Farm Center used its facility as a voting and counting location. The Phoenix Suns also transformed its facility, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, into an early ballot drop off location.
Back in June when announcements of the initiative began to roll out James tweeted, “The easiest way to keep us from changing anything is to keep us from voting. As athletes, we stand on the shoulders of giants. We must continue their fight on behalf our community.”
The easiest way to keep us from changing anything is to keep us from voting. As athletes, we stand on the shoulders of giants. We must continue their fight on behalf our community. @morethanavote#BlackLivesMatterpic.twitter.com/VXqJBgtO2n
The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia was not approved to become a voting facility. The 76ers were told no thank you when they offered it to the city. It is unclear the direct impact these facilities made on the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election but the camaraderie of the NBA teams are exemplary.
The impact of these arenas are unquantifiable for now. There is no way to determine how many people voted at each location or who they voted for yet, but for one NBA player, this election season made a difference.
“I can selfishly say I was that person four years ago, and eight years ago,” said Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards said over the summer at his home court, Capital One Arena, per NPR. “I was someone who didn’t take registration seriously, and I was someone who thought my vote didn’t count.”
“I had a conversation with my parents, my grandparents … just understanding what they went through in order to have that right to vote, in order to have that privilege for their voice to be heard,” he said. “I clearly took that for granted for eight to 10 years, and so I definitely want to nip that in the bud.”
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A Donald Trump supporter has been taken into custody by the FBI after he threatened to “do a school shooter” in Los Angeles if Joe Biden is declared the next president of the United States.
“At this point, like, if Biden gets in I’m just gonna do like a school shooter and just take out all of these Democrats,” the unidentified man said in a video posted to social media. He also threatened to take “a few pedophiles on the way out.”
The short clip concludes with him making clear that “If I go to hell I’m taking these motherf**kers with me.”
Breaking: The FBI is investigating a Los Angeles Trump supporter who threatened violence if Biden wins, according to the LAPD. In a video posted on his IG last night, he warned he would “do a school shooter” if Biden won.
Once FBI agents saw the video, they were quick to pay the man a visit and determine that it was best to place him under a psychiatric hold, TMZ reports. He has not yet been charged with any crime.
Agents reportedly searched his home for weapons over concern that he was targeting a demonstration planned in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. Samuel Braslow, a reporter for the Beverly Hill Courier, posted a screenshot of messages allegedly showing the man threatening to stab another Instagram user. He describes how he’ll be wearing a mask and disguised as a protester “and then when you don’t suspect it will stab you right in the f**king back.”
He then called the user the N-word and said “hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.”
In an exchange with another user on Instagram last night, he threatened to disguise himself as a counter protester at an event today and “stab you right in the fucking back.” pic.twitter.com/J2hj4TcwR0
The man’s video threat coincides with reports about plans being made to increase security measures for Biden.
The Washington Post reports the Secret Service is sending additional agents to Wilmington, Delaware due to the possibility he may soon claim victory in the 2020 presidential election, according to two people familiar with the plans. The agents were deployed to add to the protective bubble around Biden after his campaign informed the agency he would continue to use a local convention center in preparation for a likely prime-time speech on Friday night.
While the votes are still being tallied, dozens of security agents are already on duty protecting Biden’s campaign stronghold at Wilmington’s Chase Center on the Riverfront convention center, theGRIO previously reported.
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The comedian and actress claims that members of the Hollywood elite have cost her money, not just now but for years to come
Mo’Nique has more to say in her ongoing crusade about the evils and abuses of the entertainment industry.
The Oscar-winning actress has been forthcoming in the past about her sour relationships with Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels, and Tyler Perry but during a recent episode of Fox Soul’s Out Loud with Claudia Jordan she says the three stars didn’t just cost her money, they cost money for her generations to come.
But she told Jordan she doesn’t regret her comments.
Per Shadow and Act, Mo’Nique told Jordan: “For so long, people in power feel like ‘I can use you like a piece of trash and ball you up and throw you away when I’m done with you.’ For me, that stage is my therapy. That night, I had to say it because they were sitting by watching my career be snatched.”
She added, “Its cost my family millions. Its cost us generational money.”
Jordan opened up the conversation by asking Mo’Nique about a conversation she had with fellow actress and The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who Mo’Nique says advised her in private to leave her husband and manager, Sidney Hicks, because he’s the reason she’s missing out on work opportunities.
Mo’Nique and Sidney Hicks attend the BET Hip Hop Awards ’10 at Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on October 2, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
“I was heartbroken that day in her dressing room, personally, because I was watching our icon and our legend be scared,” said the actress. “As she was looking into my eyes and she said to me, ‘It’s your husband, you gotta get rid of your husband,’ and I said, ‘Whoopi, my husband negotiated the biggest deals I’ve had in my career, along with our attorney Rickey Anderson, two Black men,’ and she went dead silent. And then she said, ‘Listen, you better stop worrying about that little girl coming behind you and you better worry about you.’ And at that moment, I knew Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t worried about me because I’m the little girl coming behind her.”
After Mo’Nique won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her heartbreaking role in Precious in 2010 she believes her opportunities in Hollywood dried up because she was blackballed for failing to participate in a promotional tour for the film for free.
The actress called out Winfrey saying she added fuel to the fire when she refused to dispute claims that Mo’Nique was hard to work with. She says she had a conversation with Perry about the situation and that while he agreed with her privately he won’t support her publicly.
The actress tells Jordan, “When you have Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, and Lee Daniels saying you are right in your position, so what happens historically, when you understand what a Black woman has to deal with in a place called Hollywood, it is always, we will get them on the next one…”
She continued: “Well g****** it, I’ve been showing up for 30 years… and when you know the history of Hattie McDaniel, when you know the history of Eartha Kitt…they gave everything, and the moment they say something ain’t right, they became difficult, they became blackballed and most of them died in despair, alone with no families, because they gave it all to a place called Hollywood.”
Check out the full conversation below.
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