A petition has been launched by fans of Jeopardy!, calling for LeVar Burton to host the long running game show following the death of Alex Trebek.
Burton is best known for hosting the PBS classic Reading Rainbow, as well appearing in the Star Trek franchise and starring in the classic TV drama Roots.
At the time of this post, the petition has nearly 50,000 signatures.
“Between hosting 21 seasons of the educational Reading Rainbow, playing the brainiac engineer Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: the Next Generation, and filling the roll of Kunta Kinte in the ever important mini-series Roots, LeVar Burton has inspired and shaped the minds of several generations of trivia-loving nerds,” the petition states. “This petition is to show Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and producer Harry Friedman just how much love the public has for Burton, and how much we’d all love to see him as the next host of Jeopardy!”
Burton shared the link to the petition on his Twitter page, writing “Even if nothing comes from it, I can’t tell how much I appreciate all y’alls love and support!”
theGRIO previously reported, “Jeopardy!” debuted on NBC in 1964 with Art Fleming as emcee and was an immediate hit. It lasted until 1975, then was revived in syndication with Trebek.
Trebek presided over the beloved quiz show for more than 30 years. He died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.
“Jeopardy!” made him famous. He won five Emmys as its host, and received stars on both the Hollywood and Canadian walks of fame. In 2012, the show won a prestigious Peabody Award.
“Alex wasn’t just the best ever at what he did. He was also a lovely and deeply decent man, and I’m grateful for every minute I got to spend with him,” tweeted “Jeopardy!” champion Ken Jennings. “Thinking today about his family and his Jeopardy! family — which, in a way, included millions of us.”
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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany expects the turnout to be ‘quite large’
Supporters of President Donald Trump will descend on the nation’s capital this weekend for the Million MAGA March.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany expects the turnout on November 14 to be “quite large.”
“I think it’s going to be quite large, um, from what I’m hearing, don’t have an estimate for you,” McEnany said Thursday on Fox News, The Hill reports.
“People want to show up and have their voice heard. I mean this president — look, he got more votes than any Republican nominee, or for president I should say, in the history of our country and indeed he got more Republican votes as any nominee in the history of our party back in 2016,” McEnany added.
More than a dozen pro-Trump groups are behind the rally. The groups reportedly include Stop the Steal DC, the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Counterprotests are expected to go down nearby.
“People poured their hearts into voting against Trump. They fought through outrageous moves by Trump and the Republi-fascists to deny them the vote. And Biden has decisively won, and they rightly celebrated,” saidAndy Zee, of Refuse Fascism, one of the anti-MAGA groups expected at the event. “We must not allow the Trump/Pence regime to illegitimately overturn this election. That is why it is so urgent that people come out on Saturday to say no to Trump still trying to steal the election.”
The Million MAGA March will take place amid Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him via widespread voter fraud.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city is preparing for what is expected to be an overwhelming turnout by the MAGA movement.
“We continue to follow those activities and be prepared for those activities. Our police chief will have a similar posture this weekend as he did last week. And we will be there to support peaceful exercise of First Amendment demonstrations,” Bowser said.
Washington does not have open carry gun laws, so Bowser has warned police to handle any protester seen with firearms.
“The gun laws here are different than in other places. People who have a permit to carry a weapon can carry a weapon. We call it a concealed carry permit,” she added.
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Trump has yet to concede or begin the transition process
Trump’s re-election campaign is reportedly laying off staff as the president continues to refuse to concede to the 2020 race.
This Sunday (Nov. 15) will be the last working day for aides at the campaign’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. Others will remain employed until November 30, according to a report by McClatchy DC News. Aides helping with Trump’s election lawsuits have not been given an end date, according to the report.
“Unlike most campaigns which close down immediately after Election Day, because of the unprecedented nature of the 2020 race, we have long had a plan to continue on to see President Trump re-elected,” Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for the Trump campaign, told McClatchy DC.
“However, staffers related to events, trips, door knocking and grassroots organizing played roles that ended on Election Day and obviously play less of a role after Election Day,” Murtaugh continued. “We are raising significant amounts of money to fuel the president’s challenges and will retain appropriate staff to see the post-election process through to the president’s victory.”
Trump has yet to concede or begin the transition process. Instead, the president has taken aim at major media networks for allegedly conspiring with Democrats to steal the election.
Despite offering zero substantial evidence to support his claims, Trump has filed lawsuits in several states to overturn the election outcome.
Election officials in 49 states (excluding Texas) have confirmed to the New York Times that there was zero evidence of widespread voter fraud.
In Texas, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has offered $1 million for any evidence that votes/ballots were compromised. The move comes after he claimed in a radio interview with The Mark Davis Show last month that Democrats were attempting to steal the election.
“The bottom line is that there is no truth to any of this and, at some point, we all have to collectively accept that yelling ‘voter fraud’ when there is no evidence whatsoever of it, is yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theater,” said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on CNN. “It is harming the democratic franchise of our country and the peaceful transition of power, and we cannot accept that.”
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The bank proposes the tax for workers who make a salary of $55K
Deutsche Bank says those who work from home should pay a tax for the ‘luxury.’
The bank’s researchers say those that are opting to work from home should pay a 5% tax to support those who cannot work from home through a “privilege tax,” according to USA Today.
“Our calculations suggest the amounts raised could fund material income subsidies for low-income earners who are unable to work remotely and thus assume more ‘old economy’ and health risks,” added in the report by the global head of fundamental credit strategy and thematic research at Deutsche Bank, Jim Reid.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit back in the spring, many employers instructed their employees to work from home to prevent the spread of the infection.
The report titled, What We Must Do to Rebuild, says those that work from home are saving money because they are able to reduce the cost of transportation, food, and clothing.
But the tax will only impact those who choose to work from home when the government says it is OK for employees to go back to work once the pandemic is over. According to Stanford News 42% of the current workforce in the United States is working from home.
“The sudden shift to WFH means that, for the first time in history, a big chunk of people have disconnected themselves from the face-to-face world yet are still leading a full economic life,” said Luke Templeman a researcher, in the report. “That means remote workers are contributing less to the infrastructure of the economy whilst still receiving its benefits.”
The bank proposes that for a person who makes a salary of $55K, they should pay about 5% which will equal out to about $10 a day, but would generate a whopping $48 billion a year for low-income people.
But the fine print does alert donors where the funds will funnel to.
President Donald Trump solicited his supporters to help pay for the legal fight against alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election. But some are questioning why the funds are being allocated to other causes.
His team requested the funds from supporters with text messages like, “The Left will try to STEAL this election!” per Reuters. The outlet reviewed the fine print and small donations made by his supporters will be paid to Save America, a new Trump political action committee or to the Republican National Committee, not the “Official Election Defense Fund,” as advertised.
“It’s important to be upfront with people – especially those who are digging deep into their pockets to come up with $25,” said Michael DuHaime, former political director at the RNC, “If you tell them it’s going for legal fees, well then, it should go for legal fees.”
A donor would have to contribute $8K or more for it to actually make it to the Official Election Defense Fund. The website urges supporters to donate and encourages them to make the payment reoccurring. It adds, “We need your help to ensure we have the resources to protect the results.”
But the fine print does alert donors where the funds will funnel to.
It says Save America will receive 60% of funds, and the RNC will receive 40%. Funds won’t be allocated to the recount fund until Save America reaches a legal contribution limit of $5K.
Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and is spewing baseless claims of fraud in the election. Many Trump supporters believe this narrative. But a North Carolina Republican who spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters said Trump should state in a clearer way where the money will end up.
“They should be more transparent,” he said. “If they are soliciting money to help with a legal challenge, and instead the money is going to pay the salary of the political director, that doesn’t seem right.”
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‘There is no evidence that any voting system was in any way compromised.’
Top U.S. government officials declared on Thursday that the 2020 presidential election was “the most secure” in history, saying there was no evidence that votes were compromised.
The statement from high-ranking experts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — part of the Department of Homeland Security — strongly rebukes Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that Biden won the election through widespread voter fraud.
“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” the statement said.
“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should, too,” officials added in their statement. “When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.”
An earlier report on theGRIO noted that Trump’s claims of voter fraud have been debunked by election officials in every state in the union.
Both Republicans and Democrats alike have reported no evidence of widespread voter fraud or other irregularities that could change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
The New York Times claims the iconic newspaper reached out to officials in every state through interviews and supplied statements that tell the exact opposite story. Election authorities nationwide report “remarkable success despite record turnout and the complications of a dangerous pandemic.”
Trump has launched a series of legal challenges to overturn the election outcome. Many of those challenges have been tossed out by judges.
“It is most unfortunate that the Republicans have decided that they will not respect the will of the people, and let me just say: It’s like the house is burning down and they just refused to throw water on it,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said.
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Melania Trump has thus far ignored protocol by not contacting Biden who will assume her role in January
Hillary Clinton posted two throwback pictures on Instagram of herself and two other first ladies on Thursday.
The first photo shows Clinton with Barbara Bush, who was the first lady from 1989 to 1993, about to embrace during Bill Clinton’s transition to the White House. Clinton won the election against incumbent President George H. W. Bush.
The second photo shows Clinton holding hands with incoming first lady Laura Bush after Bill Clinton served his two terms. Clinton captioned the post, “Barbara welcoming me, November 1992; me welcoming Laura, December 2000.”
According to CNN,Melania Trump has not yet reached out to Jill Biden, which is customary. Though presidential elections can often be contentious, relationships between first ladies are said to usually be gracious.
When Trump won the election in 2016, Melania and Michelle Obama met and walked through the White House together. According to an insider, Melania Trump’s plans do not include meeting with the first lady-elect any time soon.
“I’m not sure it’s fair for anyone to expect them to start transitioning when the president has not yet conceded,” a confidential source said to CNN.
“If the president concedes, I’m sure the East Wing will be gracious and professional to the incoming administration, that’s just how they work,” the source continued.
It seems as though many people are nostalgic for a time when a peaceful transition of power was an inevitable reality.
As theGrio previously reported, former President George W. Bush’s daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, shared pictures of her showing Malia and Sasha Obama around the White House during the 2008 transition of her father’s administration to Barack Obama’s.
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A text message Travis McMichael sent last year used a slur for Black people when referring to a ‘crackhead … with gold teeth.’
The man who fatally shot Ahmaud Arbery had previously used racial slurs in a text message and on social media, a prosecutor said Thursday as a judge weighed whether to grant bond for the defendant and his father.
Travis McMichael and his father, Gregory McMichael, have been jailed since their arrests in May, more than two months after Arbery was slain. The McMichaels, who are white, chased and fatally shot the 25-year-old Black man after they spotted him running in their neighborhood just outside the port city of Brunswick.
Questions about whether racism played a role in the killing sharpened during a previous hearing when an investigator testified that a third defendant, who took cellphone video of the shooting, told authorities he heard Travis McMichael, 34, utter a racial slur after he blasted Arbery three times with a shotgun.
In the courtroom Thursday, Zachary Langford — a friend of Travis McMichael’s since boyhood — testified his friend was a jokester who got along with everyone and had at least one Black friend.
Then prosecutor Jesse Evans asked Langford about a text message Travis McMichael had sent him last year that used a slur for Black people when referring to a “crackhead … with gold teeth.”
Langford at first said he didn’t recall receiving the message. Then after reviewing a transcript of the exchange, he answered: “He was referring to a raccoon, I believe.”
Evans also cited a photo Langford posted to Facebook last year to which Travis McMichael replied: “Sayonara,” along with an offensive term for Asians followed by an expletive. Langford said he didn’t recall that, either.
Defense attorneys for both McMichaels have denied any racist motives in the shooting. Right after the Feb. 23 shooting, Gregory McMichael told police that he and his son armed themselves and got in a pickup truck to pursue Arbery because they suspected he was a burglar.
Prosecutors say Arbery was merely jogging when the McMichaels pursued him. Their defense attorneys insisted in court Thursday that’s not true.
“We have substantial evidence that, on the day in question, Mr. Arbery was not a jogger,” said Robert Rubin, one of Travis McMichael’s attorneys. “He was there for nefarious purposes.”
Rubin gave no evidence in court that Arbery was doing anything wrong the day he was shot.
Langford’s wife, Ashley Langford, testified that Travis McMichael expressed remorse about shooting Arbery.
“He told me he wished it never happened like that,” she said. “He prayed for Ahmaud’s mother and his family daily.”
Superior Court Judge Timothy Walmsley made no decision on bond for either of the McMichaels. He was still hearing testimony Thursday afternoon.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said outside the Glynn County courthouse that the McMichaels should remain jailed pending trial because “those guys are dangerous.” She also said she doubted they had regrets.
“I live right there in the community,” Cooper-Jones said. “Nobody reached out to say, `I’m sorry for your loss.’ I don’t think they are remorseful at all.”
The McMichaels weren’t arrested until the cellphone video of the shooting leaked online and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. In June, a grand jury indicted both McMichaels and a neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, on charges.
Each is charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
Travis McMichael’s mother, Lee McMichael, testified that he lived with her and his father, has a 4-year-old son and doesn’t have a passport. His attorneys cited his past service as a U.S. Coast Guard mechanic as proof of his character.
“In no way, shape or form is Travis hateful towards any group of people, nor does he look down on anyone based on race, religion or beliefs,” Curt Hall, a former Coast Guard roommate of Travis McMichael who described himself as “multiracial,” wrote in a letter supporting bond for his friend.
Gregory McMichael, 64, is a retired investigator for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit district attorney’s office and a former Glynn County police officer.
The McMichaels’ attorneys are also asking the judge to reject the indictment’s malice murder charge, saying it was written in a way that improperly “charges two crimes in one count.” They made a similar argument for tossing out a charge of criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.
Bryan was previously denied bond. His attorney has argued in court motions that the entire indictment should be dismissed.
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Local activist group Detroit Will Breathe calls for police chief James Craig to resign citing disparities in protest response.
A social justice organization in Detroit that is suing the police department questioned why demonstrators protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election weren’t met with the same force as ones over the summer advocating for racial equality.
A lawsuit was filed in August by Detroit Will Breathe accusing the police of using excessive force during a protest on Aug. 22. The Detroit police department filed a countersuit against the organization. According to Fox 2Detroit, police claim the initial lawsuit resulted in a conspiracy against the department.
Detroit Will Breathecalled out the police department for the difference in their response to election-related events as citizens took to the streets to protest against President Donald Trump losing the state’s electoral votes.
Detroit police chief James Craig countered by claiming the recent protests were peaceful.
“What they conveniently left out, they were peaceful. They were chanting and we gave them – just like we gave Detroit Will Breathe – an opportunity to exercise their right to free speech,” Craig said, according to the report. “But not one time did they attack this police department and the one instance when we made an arrest, it was made without incident and it had nothing to do with the protest. And so, factually wrong once again.”
Detroit Will Breathe is a movement committed to local, national, and global change. According to its website, the group practices “militant resistance and mass collective actions, our collective achieves meaningful local change and joins our brothers and sisters and siblings across the country and globe to oppose any and all forms of police brutality, systemic racism, and exploitation.”
On Sept. 4, a judge sided with the organization. Judge Laurie J. Michelson prohibited police from using certain tactics for 14 days unless directly approached with violence.
This list included chokeholds, which were already banned from use by Detroit police, striking weapons including batons and shields, chemical agents including pepper spray, rubber bullets, and arresting any demonstrators in large numbers. Tristan Taylor, an organizer with Detroit Will Breathe told Fox 2 Detroit the group was happy with the decision and is committed to their cause.
“We are feeling good, I feel in a lot of ways vindicated,” Taylor said. “We certainly are non-violent tactically, but we don’t back down to bullies and shields.”
According to Taylor, the American Civil Liberties Union is supporting Detroit WIll Breathe in their effort to have the lawsuit dismissed. The organization has also called for Craig’s resignation.
Craig told Fox 2 Detroit that he believes a majority of the protestors with the social justice group are not even from Detroit. Taylor said his group was unfairly attacked by Detroit police during an Aug. 22 demonstration, and told the news outlet Detroit Will Breathe is not a membership group and they do not collect information on where protesters are from.
After eight years in Detroit, Craig says things have improved between the community and police and told Fox that recent uprisings across the country sparked by the death of George Floyd have diminished police staff across the country due to politics.
“You’ve lost confidence in your police department, morale is at the very bottom and police officers are saying we don’t want to work here. And it’s not just happening in Minneapolis. There’s no surprise that in New York police officers are leaving at alarming rates. Even in my old city of LA, I hear from so many Los Angeles police officers that are sick and tired of the politics and the fact that they are not being treated fairly,” Craig said.
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Terry McMillian, the author of the groundbreaking 90s book ‘Waiting to Exhale’ that became a top-grossing film, shared the news on social media
Fans of the 1995 movie Waiting to Exhale based on the best-selling Terry McMillan book are rejoicing today after the author announced that the beloved work would now be a TV series.
“So, WAITING TO EXHALE is going to be a TV series,” McMillan posted Thursday. “Produced by Lee Daniels. Attica Locke and Tembi Locke are writing. Anthony Hemingway will direct. I lucked out.”
The 1995 movie directed by Forest Whitaker starred Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon and Whitney Houston, and included appearances by Dennis Haysbert, the late dancer/actor Gregory Hines,Wire alum Wendell Pierce, Micheal Beach, and Wesley Snipes. Based on the 1992 book of the same title, it showcased the love lives of four affluent Black women in Phoenix, Arizona and the various scenarios they encountered while looking for, losing, and finding love.
In the 90s when the book was released the themes were controversial and McMillan was accused of promoting stereotypes of Black women and men. But the book, McMillan’s second novel, was a New York Times bestseller that sold over three million copies and put not just her, but contemporary Black fiction, on the map.
The film grossed over $80M at the box office and its Grammy-winning soundtrack, produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds featuring Houston’s hit “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” sold over 12 million copies. It was Houston’s second #1 hit from a soundtrack after The Bodyguard.
Though McMillan didn’t announce any further details, or even what network it will air on, it appears she’s jubilant given the talent that has already signed on to do the series.
Daniels is, of course, an award-winning filmmaker and producer, most recently with Fox’s Empire. Attica Locke is an author and screenwriter who has written four novels in the crime genre and was a writer and producer on Empire,Little Fires Everywhere and When They See Us. Her sister Tembi Locke is a writer and actress who most recently played Dr. Grace Monroe on the Syfy series Eureka. Hemingway directed the feature film Red Tails and has been directing film and TV for over two decades working on shows like True Blood, The Wire and American Crime Story.
None of the main actresses from the original film have made any announcements about their involvement or lack thereof, though it’s possible they may be worked in some way or the series will take up the same themes with a new group of actresses.
According to Cheatsheet, a sequel was in the works at one time with Whitaker slated to direct it. But Houston’s 2012 death stalled the project and McMillan told Sister2Sister magazine in 2015 that she didn’t see it continuing without her.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen. I really don’t,” she told the publication. “It’s been horrible since Whitney [Houston] passed away for a whole lot of reasons. Fox wanted to basically eliminate that character altogether from the story. How they thought that was going to work, I don’t know.”
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The top app on both Google and Apple's app stores this week promises conservatives a safe space—but gives priority treatment to its most high-profile users.
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Hospitalizations for the disease are at their peak, but the death rate is way down. The simple procedure of flipping people over may be an important reason why.
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In April, I started 'Coronavirus News for Black Folks.' It gave me a kind of second sight. I could see where the country is headed—and how blind it’s been.
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