Thursday, September 5, 2019
Former Nigeria coach Samson Siasia appeals Fifa's life ban
from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2UBcmR5
via
Eddie Murphy planning 2020 stand-up comedy tour
Guess who’s back!
Eddie Murphy has been gearing up to make a big comeback with a highly anticipated sequel on the way and a return to the Saturday Night Live stage as host in December for the first time in 35 years.
And now there’s news that the iconic comedian is also planning to return to his comedy roots with a new standup tour in 2020.
—Eddie Murphy set to return to ‘SNL’ as host for first time in 35 years—
This is going to be epic.
Murphy revealed in a Netflix podcast, Present Company with Krista Smith, that he plans to do a comedy tour, saying: “… and then next year in 2020 I’m going to go on the road and do some stand-up.”
That statement coincides with the rumors that swirled that he was inking a multimillion-dollar deal to do a Netflix standup special but he didn’t directly address that, Deadline repots.
Murphy recently wrapped up the movie Dolemite Is My Name about stand-up comedian Rudy Ray Moore for Netflix.
And he’s in the midst of filming the sequel to Coming 2 America which is currently filming around Atlanta.
— PHOTOS: Check out all the famous faces cast in ‘Coming 2 America’–
The storyline reportedly centers around Prince Akeem’s (Murphy) rise to become King and finding out that he fathered an illegitimate son back in the day during his time in Queens looking to sow his royal oats, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jermaine Fowler will play Prince Akeem’s long-lost son, who is now the heir to Zamunda.
Jones plays the mother of the son (named Lavelle) who Akeem had a one-night stand with. Morgan plays Jones’ street-hustling brother Reem. Akeem’s father (Earl Jones), the King of Zamunda, has a dying wish that Akeem find his son and prep him to become a Prince.
The post Eddie Murphy planning 2020 stand-up comedy tour appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/34u4G7Y
via
Atlanta HBCU campus shooting suspect arrested
A suspect has finally been arrested after a shooting near the campus of Clark Atlanta University that left four students wounded and a community reeling.
—Video shows terrifying aftermath when four Atlanta HBCU students are shot at block party—
Isaiah Williams, 21, reportedly turned himself in to police on Wednesday as a result of an arrest warrant that was issued.
Williams has been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and criminal attempt to commit murder, WSBTV reports.
Williams is accused of firing into a crowd of at least 200 people and shooting two students from Spelman College and two from Clark Atlanta. One student was shot in the chest, one in the leg and bullets grazed the two other girls.
The students were identified by WSB as Erin Ennis, 18; Maia Williams-McLaren, 18; Elyse Spencer, 18; and Kia Thomas, 19.
The shooting happened at a college block party celebrating the end of new student orientation near the library which is shared by Clark Atlanta, Spelman and Morehouse students, according to police.
The shooting reportedly began after an argument broke out between two parties and someone opened fire, investigators said.
“It appears there were two separate groups that were targeting each other, and these people were just caught in the crossfire,” Atlanta police Capt. William Ricker told reporters at the time.
Police are still looking for an additional suspect in the case.
The post Atlanta HBCU campus shooting suspect arrested appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/34mvpmR
via
Why the Porsche Taycan's Two-Speed Gearbox Is Such a Big Deal
Ghana's Agyemang Badu: I'll comeback from illness stronger
LaShawn Daniels, Grammy-winning songwriter for Beyonce, Michael Jackson and more, dies in car crash
LaShawn Daniels, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter who penned songs for Beyoncé, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga has died. He was 41.
Daniels’ wife April said in a statement that her husband died in a car accident Tuesday in South Carolina. He earned a Grammy in 2001 for his songwriting work on Destiny Child’s “Say My Name.”
Daniels co-wrote several Grammy-nominated songs including Tamar Braxton’s “Love and War,” Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and “The Boy is Mine,” a track featuring Brandy and Monica.
He also contributed on BeyoncĂ©’s “Telephone,” Jennifer Lopez’s “If You Had My Love” and Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World.”
His wife, April Daniels, called her husband a “man of extraordinary faith and a pillar in our family.”
The post LaShawn Daniels, Grammy-winning songwriter for Beyonce, Michael Jackson and more, dies in car crash appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2ZTnUAp
via
911 audio details horrific crash scene that injured Kevin Hart
A 911 call released Wednesday describes the moments after Kevin Hart was seriously injured after his muscle car crashed on a mountainous Southern California roadway.
The witness describes a man believed to be Hart and telling a dispatcher that he “looked like he’s hurting.”
The eyewitness account is part of 911 audio recordings released by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
A California Highway Patrol collision report said Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment early Sunday.
Also in the vehicle were Jared Black, who was driving, and his fiancee, Rebecca Broxterman. The report said Black was not under the influence of alcohol.
The witness also described Black as appearing to be seriously hurt. The witness also said the roof of the totaled vehicle was “crushed” with smashed in doors. He said he was at the accident “with another car that pulled over to help” adding “only one car” went off the highway.
The CHP said Hart, 40, and Black, 28, suffered “major back injuries.” Hart’s wife has said the actor-comedian will be fine.
Broxterman, 31, only complained of pain.
The report said Hart had left the scene to his nearby residence to get medical attention. He and Black were ultimately taken to different hospitals.
It remains unclear how the accident will affect Hart, who has emerged from his roots in standup comedy to become one a major Hollywood star. His next major release, “Jumanji: The Next Level,” is scheduled for release in December.
The accident, which remains under investigation, occurred on a stretch of road in the hills above the city of Malibu.
The post 911 audio details horrific crash scene that injured Kevin Hart appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2LlA94B
via
Black votes will define 2020 presidential electability for Democrats
For all the strategic calculations, sophisticated voter targeting and relentless talk about electability in Iowa and New Hampshire, the Democratic presidential nomination will be determined by a decidedly different group: black voters.
African Americans will watch as mostly white voters in the first two contests express preferences and winnow the field — then they will almost certainly anoint the winner.
So far, that helps explain the front-running status of former Vice President Joe Biden. He has name recognition, a relationship with America’s first black president and a decadeslong Democratic resume. Black voters have long been at the foundation of his support — his home state of Delaware, where he served as a U.S. senator for nearly four decades, is 38 percent black — and until another presidential candidate proves that he or she can beat him, he is likely to maintain that support.
In the 2008 campaign, Hillary Clinton held a strong lead among black voters over Barack Obama until he stunned her by winning the Iowa caucuses and proved to black voters that he was acceptable to a broad spectrum of Democrats. Those same voters returned to Clinton in 2016.
This cycle, many black voters are also making a pragmatic choice — driven as much or more by who can defeat President Donald Trump as the issues they care about — and sitting back to see which candidate white voters are comfortable with before deciding whom they will back.
At the same time, the early courtship of black voters, overt and subtle, is part of a primary within the primary that includes detailed plans on issues like criminal justice reform, reparations, maternal mortality among black women, voter suppression and systemic racism.
“As black voters and movers and drivers of national politics, our self-image and awareness of our power and influence is evolving,” said Aimee Allison, found of She the People, which hosted the first presidential forum aimed specifically at female voters of color.
Trump appealed to black voters during the 2016 campaign by saying “What the hell do you have to lose?” and ended up with only 8 percent of the black vote. But the president again is saying he will try to win over black voters, frequently citing low unemployment and his own success in signing criminal justice legislation. So far, there is no evidence to suggest that he will succeed.
But the first test of the decisiveness of black voters will come in the primaries. African Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population but 24 percent of the Democratic primary electorate. That number is more formidable in the early primary state of South Carolina, where black voters are two-thirds of primary voters, and in other early voting states like Georgia, Alabama and Virginia.
Biden reminded black reporters in a recent roundtable that his strength is not just with working-class whites, but with the black voters he’s known for more than half a century in politics.
“After all this time, they think they have a sense of what my character is and who I am, warts and all,” Biden said. “I’ll be surprised if you find any African Americans that think I’m not in on the deal, that I’m not who I say I am … I’ve never, ever, ever in my entire life been in circumstances where I’ve ever felt uncomfortable being in the black community.”
He acknowledged that his familiarity is no assurance of success. And he noted that black voters may ultimately prefer black candidates like Sens. Kamala Harris of California or Cory Booker of New Jersey. First, though, one of them would have to prove to black voters that they were viable alternatives.
Black voters can be decisive not only in determining the Democrats’ nominee but also the ultimate winner. While Democrats have peaked in recent cycles with white voters at around 40 percent, black voters have been their most loyal constituency.
But in 2016, a drop-off among black voters had consequences. Black voter turnout dropped from 65.3 percent in 2012 to 59.6 percent, and Hillary Clinton received 89 percent of the black vote, compared with 93 percent for Barack Obama in 2012 and 95 percent in 2008.
“It comes down to a strategy decision that campaigns have to make: Do they believe that the way to win the White House is to win white voters, or do they believe that the way to White House is to mobilize voters of color?” said Leah Daughtry, who recently hosted a 2020 Democratic forum for black faith voters in Atlanta.
“Is there a strategy that allows you to do both? Perhaps,” Daughtry said. “But one is a sure bet. If you get us to the polls, we are most likely to vote Democrat. If you get white folks to the polls, you don’t know what they’re going to do.”
In the past, Biden would have been a prohibitive favorite, said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter. But black voters are demanding that candidates deliver on their priorities in a way they haven’t done in recent history.
“Black folks are looking to figure out who white voters are going to align with, but I don’t think that’s the driver that it has been in the past,” she continued. “Black voters, like white voters, are increasingly frustrated with the process. No longer is it good enough to choose between the devil or the witch.”
The post Black votes will define 2020 presidential electability for Democrats appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2HQgY0G
via
NBA player says $400k offer to settle lawsuit over violent arrest caught on video needs to come with admission of guilt
An attorney for Bucks guard Sterling Brown says Milwaukee’s $400,000 offer to settle Brown’s lawsuit against the city over his arrest last year is insufficient because it doesn’t include an admission of guilt.
Attorney Mark Thomsen said Wednesday that any settlement would have to include such an admission.
The city’s Common Council has given Brown 14 days to accept or decline the settlement offer.
Brown contends in his lawsuit that police used excessive force and targeted him because he is black when they confronted him for parking illegally in a handicapped-accessible spot in January 2018. He was talking with officers while waiting for his citation when the situation escalated. Officers took him down and used a stun gun because he didn’t immediately remove his hands from his pockets, as ordered.
The post NBA player says $400k offer to settle lawsuit over violent arrest caught on video needs to come with admission of guilt appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2ZzQQlu
via
Algorithms Should’ve Made Courts More Fair. What Went Wrong?
South Africa closes embassy in Nigeria after xenophobic violence
Africa's road to 2022 World Cup in Qatar underway
Google Wants to Help Tech Companies Know Less About You
CNN Climate Town Hall:
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Lynn Whitfield on the joys of playing “layered” character Lady Mae on ‘Greenleaf’
Ever since Greenleaf premiered on OWN in 2016, Lynn Whitfield has been masterfully playing the role of Lady Mae Greenleaf and the actress insists there are tons of surprises in store in the show’s fourth season.
theGrio caught up with the lovely lady to find out how she feels about the character she calls “resilient.”
On the series, Whitfield’s character is the matriarch of the Greenleaf family, which runs a prominent megachurch, Calvary Fellowship World Ministries.
“I love her spirit and I love that she really loves her family and absolutely has dedicated her life to them,” she says of Lady Mae. “She’s very witty in a very subtle kind of way. I love that. I like her style.”
WATCH: OWN drops explosive trailer for ‘Greenleaf’ Season 4
Lynn Whitfield admits that there have been some challenging parts of the role as well. “Her need to control everything is a challenge. She’s not sensitive. She isn’t going to cry. She’s always strong,” she says. ” Also, I have such a great relationship with my own daughter, so to have such a complex relationship with Grace where we haven’t been getting along for years, is not something I can relate to.”
According to Whitfield, viewers will start to see some other sides of Lady Mae this season.
“She’s so layered. This season will be just like pulling back the layers of an onion,” she reveals. “You have an idea of the things she’s carrying inside of her. We know she has experienced trauma. Underneath the style and beautiful hair and beautiful table settings you know that there’s something more going on. So the strength isn’t always straight.”
Check out the season 4 synopsis:
Season four finds the Greenleafs attempting to maintain a united front in the face of losing Calvary to Bob Whitmore (Beau Bridges) and Harmony & Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family’s fragile foundation. Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) and Grace (Merle Dandridge) form an uneasy alliance as they endeavor to reclaim their church from Harmony & Hope — Grace from within the church where she’s operating as interim head pastor and Lady Mae using her persuasive ways from the outside.
But Grace’s mission becomes complicated when a mysterious phone call sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to reveal her biggest secret yet. The Bishop (Keith David) continues working to mend his rift with his wife Lady Mae, while day by day Harmony & Hope’s grip on Calvary tightens.
Greenleaf airs Tuesday night at 10/9c on OWN.
The post Lynn Whitfield on the joys of playing “layered” character Lady Mae on ‘Greenleaf’ appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/32tLULP
via
The mixed children Belgium took from their mothers under colonial rule
University student charged with hate crime after hanging noose in dorm elevator
A 19-year-old University of Illinois student is facing a felony hate crime charge after he was accused of hanging a noose in an elevator inside a residence hall on campus.
—Black student enrollment in Illinois colleges and universities on the decline—
A woman who reportedly was with Andrew Smith, reported seeing the student handle the noose.
Smith, a sophomore, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and committing a hate crime, a felony for allegedly committing the racist act, Yahoo reports.
“Our mission at the University Police Department is to maintain a safe and secure environment where our campus community members feel supported and successful,” said Chief of Police Craig Stone, who is also Executive Director of Public Safety.
“We do not tolerate incidents that are perceived by others to be a threat to their safety, and we will always respond quickly to identify offenders and hold them accountable for those actions.”
Smith was released on $5,000 bond after pleading not guilty. He is expected back in court Oct. 22.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, denounced the hateful act.
“I’m committed to fighting intolerance and bigotry everywhere in our state and building a culture of learning at our universities that serves all students,” Pritzker said on Twitter Tuesday. “Hate has no place in Illinois or in its educational institutions, and I’m glad swift action was taken to address this incident.”
—Indianapolis Metropolitan Police cop suspended without pay for punching student—
The university has been under fire for alleged racial harassment as noted in a federal lawsuit filed by three Black employees earlier this year.
The post University student charged with hate crime after hanging noose in dorm elevator appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2ZvN4JK
via