Cupertino insists it did nothing wrong when it throttled aging handsets. But the decision will cost Apple hundreds of millions in payouts.
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Monday, March 2, 2020
‘The Proud Family’ reboot confirms more original cast members, headed to Disney+
Disney has confirmed that it’s bringing a reboot of its beloved animated series The Proud Family to its streaming service, Disney + and it will feature a LOT of the original cast members.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is already in production and will include its original star, Kyla Pratt as the voice of Penny Proud. Tommy Davidson (Oscar Proud), Paula Jai Parker (Trudy Parker Proud), and Jo Marie Payton (Suga Mama) will also reprise their roles from the original Disney Channel series that ran from 2001 to 2005.
Soleil Moon Frye (Zoey), Karen Malina White (Dijonay), and Cedric the Entertainer (Uncle Bobby) will return as well.
“In our minds, the show never really went away, as we still had tons of stories left to tell. It’s the perfect time to bring back this show, and we can’t wait to take fans, old and new alike, on this journey with us,” executive producers Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar said in a statement.
Jason Weaver: I turned down $2MIL from Disney in exchange for ‘Lion King’ royalties
Back in August, Tommy Davidson first tipped us off that a reboot of The Proud Family was in the works. He told @WhereIsTheBuzzTV that Disney+ would revive the series, but then we didn’t hear anything further for three whole months. Davidson played Oscar Proud on the show.
The show was created by Bruce W. Smith, and was one of only a few animated series at the time to feature an animated, middle-class Black family as main characters.
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NYPD drags sleeping Black couple off train after mistaking them for suspects
A couple in New York was enjoying an innocent date night when authorities forcibly removed them from the subway in what has now been confirmed as a case of mistaken identity.
In a video filmed by passenger Passenger Neely Grobani and then posted it on Twitter, the unidentified duo was seen pleading with police officers as they were dragged out of the train car.
READ MORE: L.A. County DA’s husband pulls gun on Black Lives Matter activists in video
“We all wondered what was going on as about 15 cops stood on one side the closed doors and we all sat on the other,” wrote Grobani wrote in the accompanying tweet. “As soon as the doors opened, the cops rushed in and grabbed the young man I was sitting across from. They grabbed his girlfriend as soon as she tried to follow him to figure out what was going on.”
According to the NY Post, authorities received a 911 call of a man with a gun responding officers swarmed the Brooklyn subway believing they’d found someone who matched his description.
READ MORE: ‘I’m a Black male’: Hispanic cop invokes ‘one-drop rule’ after being accused of racism
— Neely Grobani (@Neelstarr) February 24, 2020
“Get off of me! Get the f–k off of me!” the distraught woman can be heard screaming, at one point inquiring as to why they were bothering her date.
“It became really clear that whatever they were looking for was not on this couple,” the witness recalled while speaking to PIX11. “It was stressful and I wasn’t sure what I could do in that situation — and the one thing I could do was film it, so I did.”
She also pointed out that the man and woman were actually taking a nap together in their seats before the NYPD stormed the train car, and woke them up with no context.
“The fact that they were looking for something and there were people on the train, they could’ve asked: ‘Did anyone see something?’ They didn’t engage at all. It was upsetting and concerning to me,” Grobani said.
The post NYPD drags sleeping Black couple off train after mistaking them for suspects appeared first on TheGrio.
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CASTING NEWS: Lorraine Toussaint joins Queen Latifah in ‘The Equalizer’ pilot at CBS
Lorraine Toussaint is set to star opposite Queen Latifah in the highly-anticipated reboot of The Equalizer at CBS.
This take on the classic 1980s series that has also been adapted into two films starring Denzel Washington stars Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall, an enigmatic figure who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.
theGrio caught up with Debra Martin Chase, one of the pilot’s producers, to find out why Queen Latifah was the perfect choice for the series.
“What’s interesting about ‘The Equalizer’ is that it’s a person who is very grounded. The equalizer is a vigilante for the good guys,” Chase explained. “It’s someone who cares deeply about justice, about equality, about helping people, who can kick ass and who garners the respect of everybody and that’s Queen Latifah.”
BLACK WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD: Debra Martin Chase
According to Deadline, the Lorraine Toussaint will play Frieda “Aunt Fry” Lascombe, Robyn’s aunt and her rock who’s been living with Robyn and her daughter, Delilah, since Robyn’s divorce.
The post CASTING NEWS: Lorraine Toussaint joins Queen Latifah in ‘The Equalizer’ pilot at CBS appeared first on TheGrio.
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Snoop Dogg slammed for mocking Oprah so soon after tearful ‘Red Table Talk’ appearance
Last week an emotional Snoop Dogg appeared on Red Table Talk to explain why he chose to apologize to Gayle King after lashing out on her on social media. But now many are questioning his sincerity given how quickly he joined in on fans mocking her best friend Oprah Winfrey after a video of her falling on stage went viral.
As we previously reported, Saturday evening Winfrey took a tumble in front of thousands during her “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” cross-country tour stop in Los Angeles.
READ MORE: OPINION: The Gayle King vs Snoop Dogg debacle woke up cells of pick-me’s & Black woman haters
“Here’s my definition of what wellness means to me … Wellness to me means all things in balance. And balance doesn’t mean all things are equal or at peace at all times,” Winfrey said before losing her balance and tripping over as the packed arena gasped and watched he came tumbling down.
“Wrong shoes,” she good-naturedly joked after falling.
But vocal rapper Rapper 50 Cent, who has recently made his disdain for the beloved talk show host clear, decided to dedicate an entire Instagram post to Winfrey’s fall.
READ MORE: Black Twitter responds to Red Table Talk promo clip of Snoop Dogg episode
Snoop Dogg and 50Cent react to Oprah Winfrey falling on stage while ironically talking about “balance”.
🎥: LA Times pic.twitter.com/u3HZF85WFD
— Laila Ijeoma | Lailasnews.com (@LailaIjeoma) March 1, 2020
“
what the f– happen here, 
Michael Jackson’s ghost trip her,” 50 Cent wrote in the video caption.
Snoop Dogg wasted no time sliding into the rapper’s comments section, writing, “Micheal and Kobe blew a gust of wind 
balance 
.”
He also added, “God don’t like ugly.”
“Aww, @SnoopDogg. I expect this horses**t from 50, but you? Raise your game. You’re better than this,” wrote one disappointed fan.
But despite those who think his latest comments are in poor taste, the debate rages on whether what Snoop said was even wrong. In fact, even after issuing his apology, he’s still receiving support from fans who believe that he was acting from a place of good intentions when he came out against both King and Winfrey.
The post Snoop Dogg slammed for mocking Oprah so soon after tearful ‘Red Table Talk’ appearance appeared first on TheGrio.
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Megan Thee Stallion calls out record label for refusing to renegotiate with her
Megan Thee Stallion says that ever since she has attempted to renegotiate her contract with her record label, she has been at an impasse.
TMZ is reporting, that the lack of an agreement with her label, 1501, is halting any new music from dropping, the rapper said on Instagram Live Sunday. Specifically, what is holding the music up for the “Hot Girl Summer” rapper is her asking that 1501 revise some language in her deal that better reflects her understanding of the fine print. Now that she’s older than when she first signed with them at 20 years old, she has some questions about the original contract.
READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion addresses 2015 arrest and mugshot
In addition to her getting older since her initial signing, Meg Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, said she has learned a lot from her new management company, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. When she and her new team went to the label to try and negotiate some of the fine points in the contract, she said things went “left,” according to TMZ.
“When I signed, I didn’t really know what was in my contract. I was young, I think was like 20 and I didn’t know everything that was in that contract. So when I got with Roc Nation, I got management, real management, I got real lawyers and they was like ‘do you know that this is in your contract?’” the rapper said on video. “And I was like oh damn that’s crazy, no I didn’t know. So, I’m not mad at 1501, I wasn’t upset cuz I’m thinking in my head oh well everybody cool, we all family, it’s cool, it’s nice. Let me just ask them n*ggas to renegotiate my contract. Soon as I said I want to renegotiate my contract, everything went left like it just all went bad, it all went left.”
“Now they telling a b*tch that she can’t drop no music,” the rapper adds in the video.
By left, Megan claims 1501 is not moving forward with any new music and is essentially ignoring her. She calls it pure greed.
“N*ggas gone be n*ggas. They gone be greedy. They gone be shady,” she says in the video. “You mad because I don’t want to roll over and bow down like a little b*tch and you don’t want to renegotiate my contract.”
TMZ had previously spoken to Carl Crawford, CEO, and co-founder of 1501, and he said he discovered Meg Thee Stallion and signed her. The news outlet said there wasn’t any hint of beef with the rapper at that time.
READ MORE: Megan Thee Stallion lands first major high fashion campaign!
But Meg seems to want to clear that aspect of the story as well.
“Megan Thee Stallion was Meg Thee Stallion before I even got over there. I been rapping, I been freestyling, been doing me,” she said on the IG video.
In the meantime, looks like fans may have to wait a while for some new music.
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Kazunori Akiyama receives 2020 Young Astronomer Award
Kazunori Akiyama, a Jansky Fellow of National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) at MIT Haystack Observatory, has received the 2020 Young Astronomer Award from the Astronomical Society of Japan (ASJ). Akiyama will receive a medal, plaque, and $1,000 prize for his significant contributions to the first-ever images of a black hole taken with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
The awards program, established in 1988 via donations from members of the ASJ society, annually recognizes up to three early-career scientists who are under 35 years of age and who have made outstanding contributions to astronomy in the past five years. This year, Akiyama shares the prize with two other awardees.
“It is a great honor and pleasure to receive the Young Astronomer Award. This award reflects the tremendous efforts and giant accomplishments made by many highly skilled EHT colleagues across the world,” Akiyama says.
In 2010, as a graduate student at the University of Tokyo and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Akiyama joined an international project later named the Event Horizon Telescope. He made significant contributions to early EHT observational experiments in the early 2010s, including those of the supermassive black hole M87— images of which were finally captured and published in 2019. His PhD work won the President Award and the Research Award of the University of Tokyo in 2015.
Akiyama has been working at Haystack Observatory, a radio science research center in Westford, Massachusetts, as a postdoc of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science since 2015 and as a NRAO Jansky Fellow since 2017. Akiyama developed new imaging techniques and a software package named SMILI, one of the three software packages used to create the first images of M87.
"Kazu authored one of the three algorithms used by the EHT; his work was an essential part of the historic first imaging of a black hole by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration," says Colin Lonsdale, director of Haystack Observatory and vice-chair of the EHT board. "Kazu's achievements honored by this award provide an example of the important contributions being made by early-career scientists, and of the value of strong collaboration amongst academic research institutions worldwide. We are proud to have him working with us at Haystack and contributing to EHT research."
More than 200 scientists officially established the EHT collaboration in 2017. Akiyama serves as a co-leader of the EHT imaging working group. Akiyama co-led the fourth of the six EHT papers on the first M87 EHT results, which reports on how the imaging process of the EHT data revealed the shadow of the black hole M87, illuminated by surrounding light-emitting plasma. The entire Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration has received many prominent honors and awards, including the 2020 Breakthrough Prize, and is funded by the National Science Foundation, the European Research Council, and funding agencies in East Asia, including the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
“The first images of M87 opened up a new era of black hole astrophysics, where the enigmatic nature of the black holes will be studied with images or even movies filmed with the EHT,” Akiyama says. “I plan to continue exploring new facets of black hole research in the next decades of the exciting EHT era.”
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Public Enemy’s Chuck D fires Flavor Flav from the iconic group
Chuck D announced in a statement that Public Enemy has booted its legendary hype man, Flavor Flav, from the group.
“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the group released in the statement Sunday. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”
READ MORE: Public Enemy will perform at Bernie Sanders LA rally
The move came days after Flavor Flav sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders to force the presidential hopeful to stop using his “unauthorized likeness, image and trademarked clock” to promote a campaign rally yesterday in Los Angeles in which Public Enemy performed, according to Rolling Stone.
But Chuck D said it was brewing for years.
On Twitter, Chuck D said his relationship with Flavor Flav was strained years ago.
“… my last straw was long ago,” Chuck D wrote. “It’s not about BERNIE with Flav… he don’t know the difference between Barry Sanders or Bernie Sanders. He don’t know either. FLAV refused to support Sankofa after Harry Belafonte inducted us. He don’t do that.”
Belafonte started Sankofa to help fight for injustices around the country.
… last final note the last final note was my last straw was long ago. It’s not about BERNIE with Flav… he don’t know the difference between BarrySanders or BernieSanders he don’t know either. FLAV refused to support @Sankofa after @harrybelafonte inducted us. He don’t do that pic.twitter.com/5Ky9dTnzmd
— Chuck D (@MrChuckD) March 1, 2020
The letter Flav’s lawyer Matthew Friedman sent to the Sanders’ campaign expressed that the iconic hype man had not endorsed a candidate for president and that Chuck D’s voice backing Sanders is his alone.
“While Chuck is certainly free to express his political view as he sees fit — his voice alone does not speak for Public Enemy,” Flav’s cease-and-desist letter said.
“The planned performance will only be Chuck D of Public Enemy, it will not be a performance by Public Enemy. Those who truly know what Public Enemy stands for know what time it is. There is no Public Enemy without Flavor Flav.
“Flav … has not endorsed any political candidate in this election cycle. …The continued publicizing of this grossly misleading narrative is, at a minimum, careless and irresponsible if not intentionally misleading,” Friedman continued in the letter.
“It is unfortunate that a political campaign would be so careless with the artistic integrity of such iconoclastic figures in American culture.”
The letter included a note at the bottom written by Flav that said simply: “Hey Bernie, don’t do this.”
But Chuck D’s lawyer countered saying, “From a legal standpoint, Chuck could perform as Public Enemy if he ever wanted to; he is the sole owner of the Public Enemy trademark. He originally drew the logo himself in the mid-80s, is also the creative visionary and the group’s primary songwriter, having written Flavor’s most memorable lines.”
Public Enemy Radio, which featured DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws, performed at Sanders rally on Sunday at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
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Is Debra Lee Considering Launching A Tech Fund to Back Women of Color?
Debra Lee, the former CEO of BET, recently hinted at the idea of starting a black women tech fund at the Upfront Summit in Pasadena, CA, according to Yahoo! Finance.
Lee was first asked by reporter Julia Boorstin about California’s mandate that boards of directors overseeing public companies include women; a law that passed in late 2018 that is being considered in numerous other states. Boorstin then asked about Goldman Sachs’s announcement from Davos that beginning in July, it won’t take public any company that doesn’t have at least one “diverse” board member, with a particular focus on women.
The initiative would have cost Goldman up to $101 million in underwriting fees from as many as 18 U.S. IPOs had the policy been effective in 2019, according to a new analysis by Bloomberg Law. That’s an estimated one-third of the $318.68 million that Goldman earned in advisory fees from the 59 U.S. IPOs it underwrote last year.
“I mean, we’ve been talking about this for so long that I understand why they did it,” Lee answered. “I think both initiatives are a good thing, because the companies aren’t going to do it. We’ve been talking about it for 30 years, and for a company to have a board now with no women or no people of color, they should be truly embarrassed. But there’s still a lot out there . . . it’s sad to see that we have to implement either, you know–California, Goldman–but we really have to hold these companies’ feet to the fire.”
The former BET chairman also hinted that she and others of her powerful friends are talking about creating a fund that would support women of color in tech. Boorstin then took the opportunity to joke around with Lee. “So if you do create a fund, perhaps there’s some potential LPs [you could talk with here].”
“I would love that,” said Lee. “If you all know of anyone…”
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Changes To Medicare Premiums In 2020
Medicare Premium Differences in 2020
Medicare premiums are on the rise. For seniors living on a retirement income, it’s important to know where the increase in cost is coming from. More importantly, it’s essential to learn how you can keep your monthly premiums as low as possible without sacrificing quality healthcare coverage. We will provide a cost breakdown for 2020 and will help you determine how you can save while still ensuring maximum coverage.
Medicare Deductibles 2020
Original Medicare comes in four parts – Part A, B, C, and D.
Part A: Covers hospital stays and expenses. Part A is automatically applied to anyone with Medicare.
Part B: Covers doctor expenses. Part B is optional but highly recommended.
Part C: Covers hospital, doctor, and often prescription drugs. Part C is optional, known as Medicare Advantage, and may help reduce overall healthcare costs.
Part D: Covers prescription drugs. Part D is optional but highly recommended.
Part B, C, and D all have deductibles.
Part A is usually free unless the person applying has worked less than 30 quarters and did not contribute to social security payments.
All premiums are adjusted based on income and change yearly. For 2020, all premiums will increase regardless of your income bracket.
Cost Adjustments
Here is a brief look at changes from 2019 to 2020 Medicare costs.
| Part | 2019 Cost | 2020 Cost |
| Part A Premium | Usually free* | Usually free* |
| Part A Deductible | $1,364 deductible per benefit period | $1,408 deductible per benefit period |
| Part A Coinsurance per benefit period | Days 1-60: $0 per day | Days 1-60: $0 per day |
| Days 61-90: $341 per day | Days 61-90: $352 per day | |
| Days 91+: $682 per “lifetime reserve” day up to 60 days | Days 91+: $704 per “lifetime reserve” day up to 60 days | |
| After lifetime reserve: All costs | After lifetime reserve: All costs | |
| Part B Premium | $135.50+ | $144.60+ |
| Part B Deductible | $185 | $198 |
| Part B Coinsurance per benefit period | 20% after deductible is met | 20% after deductible is met |
| Part C Premium | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Part D Premium | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
*To qualify for free Part A Medicare coverage, an individual must have worked and contributed payment toward social security benefits for a minimum of 30 quarters or 7.5 years.
Medicare Part B Premiums 2020
Knowing how much you’ll be expected to pay for healthcare premiums is important when living on a fixed income. To determine the cost of your Part B premium you’ll need to check your 2018 tax information, as your income from two years prior determines 2020 premium costs.
| If your yearly income for 2018 was: | Your 2020 premium will be: | ||
| Individual filing | Married filing jointly | Married filing separately | |
| $87,000 or less | $174,000 or less | $87,000 or less | $144.60 |
| $87,001 to $109,000 | $174,001 to $218,000 | N/A | $202.40 |
| $109,001 to $136,000 | $218,001 to $272,000 | N/A | $289.20 |
| $136,001 to $163,000 | $272,001 to $326,000 | N/A | $376.00 |
| $163,001 to $499,999 | $326,001 to $649,999 | $87,001 to $412,999 | $426.70 |
| $500,000 + | $750,000 + | $413,000 + | $491.60 |
Part D Premium 2020
The same rules apply for your Part D coverage. Premium costs are associated with your 2018 tax return and vary by plan. The change for 2020 is that, depending on your income level, you will cover the cost of your Part D premium in addition to a surcharge. A higher income results in a greater surcharge. Here is a general estimate:
| If your yearly income for 2018 was: | Your 2020 Premium will be: | ||
| Individual filing | Married filing jointly | Married filing separately | |
| $87,000 or less | $174,000 or less | $87,000 or less | Plan premium only |
| $87,001 to $109,000 | $174,001 to $218,000 | N/A | Plan premium + $12.20 |
| $109,001 to $136,000 | $218,001 to $272,000 | N/A | Plan premium + $31.50 |
| $136,001 to $163,000 | $272,001 to $326,000 | N/A | Plan premium + $50.70 |
| $163,001 to $499,999 | $326,001 to $649,999 | $87,001 to $412,999 | Plan premium + $70.00 |
| $500,000 + | $750,000 + | $413,000 + | Plan premium + $76.40 |
Income Changes
If changes in your income have occurred, call the Social Security office and submit proper documentation so you won’t have to pay more than necessary. Applicable changes include:
- Marriage, divorce, or widowhood.
- One or both parties stop working or reduce working hours.
- Loss of income-producing property due to natural disaster or another uncontrolled event.
- One or both parties experience ceasing, termination, or reorganization of an employer’s pension plan.
- One or both parties receive a settlement from an employer or former employer due to an employer’s business closing, bankruptcy, or reorganization.
Ways To Save On Medicare Costs
If you’re one of the 7.5 million seniors struggling to afford healthcare necessities like prescription drug coverage, there are savvy ways to save.
Medicare Advantage or Part C
Original Medicare Parts A and B only cover hospital and doctor fees, as seen in the first chart in this article. Unfortunately, this means necessities such as vision, dental, and hearing coverage are not included. If you want a prescription drug plan, you’ll need to purchase a separate plan, either Part D or a Medicare Advantage plan.
With a Medicare Advantage plan, you apply for Part A and B coverage, pay for it together and often receive extras such as vision, dental, and drug coverage. Here’s a snapshot of plan differences between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage in 2020.
| ORIGINAL MEDICARE | MEDICARE ADVANTAGE | |
| Coverage | Part A and B | Part A, B, D + vision, dental, and hearing* |
| Maximum Out-of-Pocket Costs | No Maximum on OOP costs | Yearly limit on OOP costs. After OOP limit, members pay nothing. |
| Doctors and Hospitals | Any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare | Doctors and hospitals in your plan’s network. Out-of-network doctors and hospitals may incur higher costs. |
| Premiums | Part A – No premium
Part B – Around $144.60+/mo. |
Part B – Around $144.60+/mo. + plans start as low as $0/mo. |
| Deductibles | Part A – Around $1,408
Part B – Around $198 |
Deductibles and copays vary |
| Prescription Drug Coverage | Must purchase Part D or standalone drug coverage | Varies by plan |
*Not all Medicare Advantage plans cover vision, dental, and hearing.
The biggest savings when choosing a Medicare Advantage plan is the included extras such as vision, dental, hearing, and drug coverage. Often, your Medicare Advantage premium will cost less than if you purchased Part A, B, D, and a hearing or vision plan individually.
Choose Medicare Plans 2020
Choosing the right Medicare plan for your health care is an important step to ensure a healthy and fulfilling future. Making a choice doesn’t have to be overwhelming or complicated. Talk with a Medicare advisor to determine which plan and cost are right for you.
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