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Wednesday, July 8, 2020

The Media Monsters in the National Dialog

Journalists are the bane of your existence. Which is why we need to talk about spelling and computer history. Seriously.

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Kai-Fu Lee Gives AI a B-Minus Grade in the Covid-19 Fight

Robots and computer programs can help with social distancing and food delivery, but have been less helpful in developing a vaccine.

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Garmin Instinct Solar Review: A Great Backcountry Partner

Our favorite rugged and affordable outdoor watch can now recharge with the power of the sun.

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Global Warming. Inequality. Covid-19. And Al Gore Is ... Optimistic?

As vice president, he looked for big policy answers to hard global problems. Now he says all our crises are speeding us toward real solutions.

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Burkina Faso: 180 bodies found in 'killing field'

Pro-government forces battling jihadists were behind the deaths, Human Rights Watch says.

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Coronavirus: The fight to prove Covid-19 is real as cases rise in Africa

Fake news and mistrust in the government mean a lot of Nigeria's population thinks the pandemic is a hoax.

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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Bay Area couple charged with hate crime for painting over BLM mural

If convicted, Nichole Anderson and David Nelson face up to a year in jail over their act of vandalism caught on camera..

The Bay Area white couple who were captured on camera painting over a Black Lives Matter street mural have been charged with a hate crime.

Nichole Anderson and David Nelson were slapped with misdemeanor counts on Tuesday for their July 4 antics, TMZ reports. Viral video shows the couple sparring with activists as Anderson covers up a yellow ‘BLM’ mural with black paint.

The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said Nelson directly aided in Anderson’s criminal conduct, so both face multiple misdemeanors.

Read More: Missouri boy, 8, organizes Black Lives Matter march for kids

In the video, the couple proclaim “all lives matter” and that getting killed by the police is a consequence of disobedience, theGRIO previously reported.

The mural was authorized to be painted at the Martinez, California courthouse, but the couple wasn’t having it. They attempted to erase the tribute with black paint.

“No one wants Black Lives Matter over here, get the fuck outta here,” Nelson said. “All lives matter, you fuckin’ punk. The only reason why you are crying that white people practice police brutality, [is because] people were resisting arrest.”

“Don’t have a run in with the law and don’t resist arrest, and there won’t be a problem,” he continued.

Anderson and Nelson are charged with three misdemeanor counts, including a hate crime, violation of civil rights, vandalism under $400 and possession of tools to commit vandalism or graffiti, per CBS News.

Read More: Terry Crews, Don Lemon go head to head over Black Lives Matter

“We must address the root and byproduct of systemic racism in our country. The Black Lives Matter movement is an important civil rights cause that deserves all of our attention,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a press release.

“The mural completed last weekend was a peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives in Contra Costa County and the country. We must continue to elevate discussions and actually listen to one another in an effort to heal our community and country,” Becton added.

If convicted, the couple face up to a year in county jail. 

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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HBO Max orders ‘Young Love’ from Matthew A. Cherry

The series will be based on the Oscar-winning short film ‘Hair Love’

Matthew A. Cherry keeps on winning and it looks like fans of his children’s book turned short film, Hair Love, have something to look forward to.

HBO Max has ordered Young Love, an animated series based on the Oscar-winning short. Cherry will serve as showrunner alongside Carl Jones, best known for The Boondocks. The 12-episode season will feature characters from the Hair Love film.

READ MORE: ‘Hair Love’ filmmaker signs first look deal with Warner Bros. TV

 Here’s the official description:

The all-new animated series Young Love expands on the family introduced in Hair Love. Filled with comedy and heart, Young Love is an honest look into the world of the Young family – including millennial parents Stephen and Angela, their daughter Zuri and her pet cat Rocky – as they juggle their careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues, and multi-generational dynamics all while striving to make a better life for themselves.

“I am beyond excited to continue telling the story of Stephen, Angela and Zuri and further explore the family dynamics of a young Black millennial family we established in our short film Hair Love as an animated series,” Cherry said in a statement. “Couldn’t ask for better partners in Sony Pictures Animation and HBO Max in helping us get Young Love out to the world.”

Execs for the streamer seem to be equally excited about the news.

Hair Love struck a chord that is still resonating deeply with audiences of all ages,” Billy Wee, SVP, Original Animation, HBO Max, said in a statement. “Matthew and Sony Animation’s creative voices are a welcomed addition to the HBO Max family and we can’t wait to bring this joyous story to the world.”

READ MORE: ‘Hair Love’ director starts Twitter campaign celebrating 4-year-old girl

Karen Rupert Toliver, EVP of creative for Sony Pictures Animation and Hair Love producer has also signed on as a producer.

“It’s a privilege to continue our partnership with Matthew Cherry, who has a gift for tapping into meaningful stories that touch our hearts,” she said. “I personally can’t wait to collectively laugh and cry with the Young family.”

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EPA says Lysol Disinfectant Spray effective in killing COVID-19

The products are able to kill the virus on surfaces within two minutes of use.

Two Lysol products have been tested by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and found to be effective against the coronavirus on surfaces.

Lysol Disinfectant Spray and Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist are the first to be tested against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and approved by the EPA, Fox Business reports. 

The products are able to kill the virus on surfaces within two minutes of use, according to the agency. 

“The EPA’s approval recognizes that using Lysol Disinfectant Spray can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on hard, non-porous surfaces. In the face of the pandemic, Lysol continues to work with a wide range of scientific and health experts to educate the public on the importance of hygiene,” Rahul Kadyan, executive vice president of hygiene for Reckitt Benckiser, the producer of Lysol, said in a statement.

Read More: Black therapists on how to cope with racial trauma amid COVID-19 pandemic

At the height of the pandemic in March, Lysol cleaners were more valuable than water as Americans began hoarding disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer. 

In a news release on Monday (July 6), The EPA noted that it will approve more disinfectants in the coming weeks. The Lysol products are at the top of a list of more than 420 cleaning agents said t be effective against “harder-to-kill” viruses on surfaces, per NBC New York

Those products “meet the agency’s criteria for effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2.”

President Donald Trump caught some major heat in April for suggesting that injecting disinfectants into one’s body could be a key to cure Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, theGrio previously reported.

“I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute, and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that,” Trump stated during a White House Coronavirus Task Force daily briefing. “It sounds interesting to me.”

Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of Lysol, was quick to respond to Trump’s remarks, urging against any internal use of its products to treat the potentially deadly virus.

“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” the company said in a statement in April.  “As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously confirmed that “a person could get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes,” but “the primary and most important mode of transmission for COVID-19 is through close contact from person-to-person,” the CDC has said.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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Facebook ‘boycott’ meeting with civil rights leaders ‘a disappointment’

Hundreds of brands have paused advertising for the entire month of July.

Civil rights groups say Facebook is all talk and no action when it comes to removing racist, hateful and misleading content from the platform. 

On Tuesday, leaders from the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Color of Change and Free Press met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, to discuss the demands of a massive advertiser boycott on the social networking service, CNBC reports. 

At the urging of several civil rights organizations, lead by the NAACP, hundreds of brands have paused advertising for the entire month of July as part of the #StopHateforProfit campaign that was launched in mid-June.

Read More: Facebook employee files complaint: ‘We have a Black people problem’

The movement calls on Facebook to do more to curb the spread of hate speech and misinformation. In a statement, the advocacy groups slammed the service for “allowing racist, violent and verifiably false content to run rampant on its platform.”

The meeting Tuesday, held via video conference, was meant to address the groups’ 10 demands and how Facebook is handling hate content. Instead of squashing tensions over the widespread advertiser boycott, that includes Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Levi’s, Zuckerberg served up a dry nothingburger

“The meeting we just left was a disappointment,” said Color Of Change Executive Director Rashad Robinson during a Zoom press conference. “They showed up to the meeting expecting an A for attendance.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also noted during the presser that the group outlined their 10 demands during the meeting and “we didn’t get commitments or timeframes or clear outcomes,” he said. 

“We expected specifics, and that’s not what we heard,” he added.

Read More: Facebook removes Trump ads with symbols once used by Nazis

“All Mark needs to do, all Facebook needs to do, is once and for all say ‘White supremacy, racism, anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hate, xenophobia — once and for all, it has to stop, and that stops now,’” Greenblatt continued. 

In a press release, Free Press also addressed the meeting, noting that the ″#StopHateForProfit didn’t hear anything today to convince us that Zuckerberg and his colleagues are taking action. 

The release went on to say, “Instead of committing to a timeline to root out hate and disinformation on Facebook, the company’s leaders delivered the same old talking points to try to placate us without meeting our demands.” 

A Facebook spokesman said the goal of the meeting was to listen, learn and commit to being “free of hate speech.”

“We know we will be judged by our actions not by our words and are grateful to these groups and many others for their continued engagement,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Facebook ‘boycott’ meeting with civil rights leaders ‘a disappointment’ appeared first on TheGrio.



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4G internet balloons take off over Kenya

The service has been delayed for two years but is now being rushed out to help in the coronavirus crisis.

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Thandie Newton recalls being ‘scared’ of Tom Cruise while filming ‘Mission: Impossible 2’

The ‘Westworld’ actress says his legendary perfectionism is all too real

Thandie Newton is a respected Hollywood veteran but even she gets nervous. She says that happened when she was working with Tom Cruise, who left her “scared” when the two filmed Mission: Impossible 2.

Newton opened up about her time working with the action star in 2000 in a new full-length feature with Vulture that was published Tuesday. She touched upon her career milestones and setbacks but it’s her account of her experience with Cruise that is causing a stir.

Read More: Thandie Newton, Lena Waithe, and Tessa Thompson are on a mission ‘Westworld’ trailer

Thandie Newton
(Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)

Newton played Nyah Nordoff‑Hall, the love interest of Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in the franchise. But despite the exposure being in the franchise brought her she didn’t totally enjoy the experience.

“I was so scared of Tom. He was a very dominant individual. He tries super hard to be a nice person. But the pressure. He takes on a lot. And I think he has this sense that only he can do everything as best as it can be done,” she shared.

The Beloved actress revealed one intense incident that took place while they were shooting in Spain. It involved them being on a balcony with extras and pyrotechnics. There was a lot going on in the scene and she got upset.

“And I don’t think it was a very well-written scene. I get angry with him. We’re frustrated with each other,” she recounted.

Thandie newton
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John Woo, the director of the film, was watching everything that happened on a monitor downstairs and made it a point not to speak English, Newton remembered. Cruise took command of the scene instead and decided they would do a role reversal.

“So we filmed the entire scene with me being him — because, believe me, I knew the lines by then — and him playing me,” she recalled.

“And it was the most unhelpful … I can’t think of anything less revealing. It just pushed me further into a place of terror and insecurity. It was a real shame. And bless him. And I really do mean bless him, because he was trying his damnedest.”

Read More: Michael B. Jordan creates summer drive-in movie series

Newton felt that Cruise wanted to get a certain type of response from her performance by pushing her so hard. She didn’t agree with his methods but did her job.

“And the next time we shot it, I went in there and I just basically manifested all the — because I realized what he wanted. He just wanted this alpha bitch. And I did as best as I could. It’s not the best way to get the best work out of someone,” she told the outlet.

Still, the 47-year-old British born actress does not have bad feelings for the Top Gun star despite his intensity.

“He wasn’t horrible. It was just — he was really stressed. I had the most extraordinary time, and you know who got me that role? Nicole Kidman,” she said.

Read More: ‘Westworld’ star Thandie Newton says she was left out of #TimesUp

“I’ve never actually outright asked her, but when your husband is like, ‘Who would you mind me pretending to shag for the next six months?’ You know what I mean? It’s kind of nice if you can pick together. Nicole was a huge advocate for me.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Thandie Newton recalls being ‘scared’ of Tom Cruise while filming ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ appeared first on TheGrio.



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Netflix on YouTube

Away | Official Teaser | Netflix
In the near future, a manned spacecraft is sent to Mars. For this high-stakes mission, a crew of elite astronauts are assembled from around the globe. They hail from the United States, Russia, China, India, and Great Britain. If all goes well, they will be away from the place they call home and the people they love for three years. During this time, their relationships both on Earth and in space will be tested, as they struggle to stay alive and stay on track in pursuit of humanity’s most important goal. The world will be watching. From the visionary who brought you Friday Night Lights and Parenthood comes an epic, emotional story of love and sacrifice, starring two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank. Watch Away, only on Netflix: https://ift.tt/2BPk4C2 SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 183 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Away | Official Teaser | Netflix https://youtube.com/Netflix


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Street Food: Latin America | Official Trailer | Netflix
The mouth-watering documentary series travels to Latin America to meet the local stars of Street Food in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia. Only on Netflix, July 21. SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 183 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments. Street Food: Latin America | Official Trailer | Netflix https://youtube.com/Netflix In this vibrant docuseries, Latin American chefs tell their stories and bring a taste of tradition and innovation to their delicious offerings.


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Black, Hispanic households struggling with food insecurity during pandemic

Democrats are hoping that these statistics may sway politicians to support programs to help feed the neediest Americans

A disheartening report claims that nearly four in 10 Black and Hispanic households with children are struggling with food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Non-white families are now twice as likely to be food insecure.

READ MORE: Minneapolis comes together to bring food to community devastated by protests

The report is based on data from the Census Bureau that gathers the figures from weekly surveys. The survey is known as the Household Pulse Survey and it is being closely tracked by economists and social scientists. Many are utilizing the tool to understand racial gaps that have persisted during the pandemic.

The report asks families about their ability to access food during the past seven days.

“This is uncharted territory,” said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, an economist, and director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University told POLITICO. “We’ve never seen food insecurity rates double, or nearly triple — and the persistent race gaps are just appalling.”

According to the report, food insecurity rates had been dropping before the pandemic. Now, approximately 39% of Black families and 37% of Hispanic families are struggling with food insecurity.

Brooklyn Nets, Barclays Center Partner With Food Bank For New York City To Host Mobile Food Pantry For New Yorkers Impacted By COVID-19 Pandemic in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Food Bank For New York City)

The statistics may sway politicians to support programs to help feed the neediest Americans. Democrats are trying to include a 15% increase in SNAP benefits to the next coronavirus aid package. However, Republicans have pushed back on the idea.

READ MORE: Obama praises Chicago food bank amid coronavirus pandemic

“I would hope that they would see the need” for another package, Pelosi said of Republicans during her weekly press conference in May. “Yes, I’m concerned about the national debt,” she said, “but I think it would be penny foolish to say, ‘I’m sorry, we can’t do SNAP to give you food because there’s a national debt.'”

This week, one Republican, Rep. John Katko of New York joined with House Democrats to write a letter to the House and Senate supporting a SNAP increase. 

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Black, Hispanic households struggling with food insecurity during pandemic appeared first on TheGrio.



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ICE: International students must leave U.S. if classes are online only

Harvard president says that the modification undermines the students’ commitment to ‘advance their education’

On Monday, the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications that will remove international students from the country, if their schools go fully online this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has established the new exemptions as a Temporary Final Rule. The exemptions state that nonimmigrant students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States.

READ MORE: Trump to suspend immigration to ‘protect’ American citizens

Nonimmigrant students who are attending schools with a hybrid model will be allowed to take more than one class online, however, their school must certify their scheduled students through the SEVP.

The rules further state that if a school begins with an in-person model and then converts to all online classes, they must leave the country, or take steps to maintain their nonimmigrant status such as reducing their course load or taking a medical leave.

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Spelman College (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox)

“Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status,” read a release from ICE’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program obtained by NPR. “If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”

READ MORE: Maryland man accepted into Harvard Law after working as sanitation worker

Fiona McEntee, an immigration lawyer, told NPR that in this time of “unprecedented public health crisis” allowances should be made for these students who contribute to their universities and to the U.S. economy.

Harvard University is one institution that is planning to conduct all classes online. The university’s president, Larry Bacow, called the new ICE policy a “blunt, one-size-fits-all approach to a complex problem.” The university has committed to ensuring its students can continue their studies without “undermining the commitments —and sacrifices— that many of them have made to advance their education.” 

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

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Teen dies after party exposes her to COVID-19, mom gives drug as cure

Florida girl’s parents give her hydroxychloroquine after she catches the coronavirus from church party

In a tragic story related to an already tragic illness, a teenage girl died after her parents took her to a church party and gave her hydroxychloroquine after she showed signs of being infected by the respiratory disease.

Carsyn Leigh Davis had already battled cancer at the age of 2 and suffered from a rare autoimmune disorder. Still, her mother Carole Brunton Davis took her to the event where she could have possibly been exposed to the virus.

READ MORE: 11-year-old boy becomes youngest patient to die of coronavirus in Florida

According to The Washington Post, First Youth Church held an event on June 10 called a “Release Party.” The church’s Facebook page has been taken down but preserved by Rebekah Jones.

Carsyn was the youngest victim of coronavirus in her small Fort Meyers community when she died on June 23.

However, the recent release of the medical examiner’s report is raising questions about how she died.

The teen went to the party where she did not wear a mask and social distancing was also not enforced. Also, when she became sick, her family waited more than a week before taking her to the hospital. Instead, her mother, who is a nurse, and her stepfather, who is a physician assistant, gave her azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine. The drug has been touted by President Donald Trump as a treatment for the virus.

It is unclear if the teen had a prescription for the drug.

Once admitted to the hospital, Carsyn’s family refused to have her put on a ventilator. The family first opted for plasma therapy, which didn’t work. She was later put on the ventilator, but doctors said that it was too late.

Upon her death, her family told the Fort Meyers News-Press, “We will truly miss her, but look forward to seeing her in heaven.” Her mother, Brunton Davis continued, “We are incredibly saddened by her passing at this young age, but are comforted that she is pain-free.”

READ MORE: Florida governor accused of undercounting COVID-19 cases

According to the report, Brunton Davis also had a number of anti-mask posts on her social media pages.

The case gained national interest after being promoted on social media by Rebekah Jones who was fired by the Florida Department of Health in May for refusing to manipulate the state’s coronavirus data.

There are currently no charges pending against the teen’s parents.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

The post Teen dies after party exposes her to COVID-19, mom gives drug as cure appeared first on TheGrio.



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India's TikTok Ban Dispels the Myth of the 'China Bogeyman'

Mark Zuckerberg and US tech giants argue that regulation will allow China to dominate. But in reality, the global market rejects unregulated, invasive tech.

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The 7 Best Turntables for Your Vinyl Collection (2020)

Looking for fresh indoor hobbies? Why not start a record collection? Here are our favorite entry-level turntables to help you enjoy analog audio at home.

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Tech That Could Help Pro Sports Adapt to the Pandemic

As pro leagues return to stadiums, here are a few novel technologies people are exploring as ways to keep fans and players safe.

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