Source: Tom Williams / Getty Kamala Harris Proposes Controversial Plan To Benefit Working Families According to Fox 8, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduced legislation earlier this week that she says would match school hours with work hours to help out working families. The “Family Friendly Schools Act” proposes stretching the school day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Harris released a statement on her proposed bill: “My mother raised my sister and me while working demanding, long hours…So, I know firsthand that, for many working parents, juggling between school schedules and work schedules is a common cause of stress and financial hardship. But, this does not have to be the case. My bill provides an innovative solution that will help reduce the burden of child care on working families. It is time we modernize the school schedule to better meet the needs of our students and their families.” According to the bill, after care programs and summer daycare programs cost the United States economy close to $55 billion. The bill would allegedly “provide grants to local educational agencies to establish ‘‘Family Friendly School’’ policies at 500 elementary schools that align the school day with the work day to better support working families and to disseminate the learnings from these model schools so that other local educational agency’s may adopt these practices, and to establish a supplemental 21st century community learning centers grant program to support programs and activities during summer recess when school is not in session. “
Sad news out of the world of journalism today. Multiple outlets have now confirmed the death of iconic pundit and author Cokie Roberts. A family spokesperson says Roberts passed away due to complications from breast cancer. She was 75 years old. Roberts was an indispensable figure in the early days of National Public Radio, joining the upstart network as a political commentator in 1978. From there, she helped NPR grow into the institution that it is today, while simultaneously fostering a multimedia career that made her one of the most trusted names in TV news throughout the 1980s and ’90s. Having just one woman at the helm of a major media outlet was unusual in the 1970s. But Roberts helped to spearhead a female-led revolution at NPR. “[W]e called them the Founding Mothers of NPR, or sometimes we called them the Fallopian Club,” said NPR political correspondent Mara Liasson. “It is such a privilege — you have a front seat to history,” she said. Born into a politically-engaged family, Roberts was the daughter of two former U.S. representatives. Though Roberts was the only member of her immediate family not to run for Congress, her incisive reporting and unparalleled ability to translate complex, wonky issues for an audience of millions enabled her to make a unique contribution to the American political landscape. “You do get used to it, and you shouldn’t, because it is a very special thing to be able to be in the room … when all kinds of special things are happening,” Roberts once remarked in an interview. “I do feel strongly that informing the voters about what’s going on, trying to explain it in ways that people can understand and putting the issues out there is a form of participation.” Throughout her career, Roberts was applauded for her objectivity and her fairness in dealing with Democrats and Republicans alike “She liked people on both sides of the aisle and had friends on both sides of the aisle,” renowned journalist George Will told NPR. “If you don’t like the game of politics, I don’t see how you write about it well,” he added. “She liked the game of politics and she understood that it was a game.” These days the media landscape is both more crowded and more divided than ever before. But one common trait you’ll find among the denizens of that increasingly tumultuous world is a profound respect for the work and influence of Cokie Roberts. View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died in 2019: In Memoriam
Source: The Washington Post / Getty Cokie Roberts Dies Cokie Roberts , the legendary ABC News journalist, and political commentator has passed away. ABC News reports that Cokie passed away from breast cancer complications. She was 75-years-old. “We will miss Cokie beyond measure, both for her contributions and for her love and kindness,” her family said in a statement. Cokie named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress in 2008. She also won three Emmys and was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women. She is survived by her husband, fellow journalist Steven Roberts, her children, Lee and Rebecca and her six grandchildren.
Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Teens Wearing “Team Mitch” Shirt Are Photographed Groping And Choking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Cutout Once again, Republican voters are being mad trash and racist and sexist to the left-leaning women in Congress with any balls, also known as The Squad . In a recent instance, a picture surfaced online of a group of White guys wearing shirts for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ‘s re-election campaign. One of the guys in the photo is groping a cardboard cutout of Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez while another is fake-choking her. The rest of the young men in the photo are posing with a thumbs down beside her. Pictured: seven young white men in “Team Mitch” T-shirts, gathered round a distressed looking cardboard @AOC , groping and kissing her. The caption, “break me off a piece of that.” Future federal judges of America. pic.twitter.com/t877J7Pcye — feminist next door (@emrazz) August 5, 2019 Ocasio-Cortez saw the picture and retweeted it tagging McConnell and witing: “ Hey @senatemajldr – these young men look like they work for you. Just wanted to clarify: are you paying for young men to practice groping & choking members of Congress w/ your payroll, or is this just the standard culture of #TeamMitch ? Thanks.” Hey @senatemajldr – these young men look like they work for you. Just wanted to clarify: are you paying for young men to practice groping & choking members of Congress w/ your payroll, or is this just the standard culture of #TeamMitch ? Thanks. https://t.co/ysRJuwonUx — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 6, 2019 McConnell’s campaign manager, Kevin Golden, told The Washington Post that the young guys were not affiliated with them: “These young men are not campaign staff, they’re high schoolers and it’s incredible that the national media has sought to once again paint a target on their backs rather than report real, and significant news in our country.” Golden also said that the campaign “in no way condones” the photo. However, in true political finger-pointing fashion, he still had to redirect blame to Democrats, referring to an instance where former President Barack Obama ‘s speechwriter was caught groping a cutout of Hillary Clinton. “Team Mitch in no way condones any aggressive, suggestive, or demeaning act toward life sized cardboard cut outs of any gender in a manner similar to what we saw from President Obama’s speechwriting staff several years ago,” Golden said. He continued: “We’ve watched for years as the far-left and the media look for every possible way to demonize, stereotype, and publicly castigate every young person who dares to get involved with Republican politics.” An apology and calling out of your constituents would’ve sufficed. But tis politics. It should also be noted that some of the same teens in the picture above were also captured in a pic posted to McConnell’s campaign Instagram. They’re holding up posters of Supreme Cout Justices Neil M. Gorsuch and Bett M. Kavanaugh …the same man accused of sexual assault and misconduct and still got his Supreme Court nomination. View this post on Instagram #FancyFarm139 #FancyFarm A post shared by Team Mitch (@team_mitch) on Aug 3, 2019 at 4:40pm PDT And we’re surprised these teens are groping cardboard cutouts? Politics as usual.
Source: George Rose / Getty Viral Father And Son Star In Denny’s Commercial By this time many of you, millions of you perhaps, have seen the following video of a father and his unintelligible baby boy having a full-blown conversation. The viral moment has led to Detzin and Kingston Pryor becoming the stars of their very own Denny’s commercial. find cute baby from viral video and bring him to Denny’s … pic.twitter.com/f6BvdfnzaB — Denny's (@DennysDiner) June 16, 2019 Denny’s hasn’t always had the best reputation when it comes to their treatment of Black folks, but good on them for showcasing positive images of Black fatherhood.
Tevin Campbell has been rarely seen since his prime in the 90’s but it looks like we will be seeing a whole lot more of him in the near future. Campbell took to social media to make a big announcement that he was on the set of Queen Sugar and will be joining the cast! Evidently, the diehard fans of Tevin Campbell are the reason he’s been added to the cast. During season 3 fans took to Twitter and braided writer and creator of the hit series Ava Duvernay with tweets requesting that Campbell is added to the cast showing the power of social media does in fact work! No word on what his role entails or if it’s a reoccurring role but with Ava DuVernay behind this we know it’s gonna be good! Queen Sugar will make it’s return to OWN with season 4 on June 12th. The Latest: Rasheeda Stepped Out On Kirk, Spice Bleaches Her Skin, Scrapp + Moniece… & More Mess In #LHHATL Super Trailer Justin Bieber And Hailey Baldwin Are Putting Their Wedding Plans On Hold Rasheeda Alludes To Cheating On Kirk In ‘Love & Hip Hop Atlanta’ Super Trailer Congrats Hov: ‘The Blueprint’ To Be Inducted Into The National Recording Registry Tevin Campbell is About to Make a Big Television Appearance Blissful Black Queen: All The Reasons We’ll Never Stop Obsessing Over Bianca Lawson Michael Sterling Lets The Saints Know Why He Referred To God As ‘Her’ In His Wedding Vows Jay-Z’s ‘Blueprint’ Among Recordings Library of Congress is Preserving Tevin Campbell To Appear On ‘Queen Sugar’ After Ava DuVernay Pulled Some Strings Negative Phrases You Need To Stop Saying
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty Jay-Z ‘s focus is on reforming the criminal justice system right now, but make no mistake, he’s still winning on the music front too. A total of 25 recordings are being inducted into the National Recording Registry and Hov’s work is among those being honored. Alongside Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly,” Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual,” and Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” Jay-Z’s The Blueprint will be recognized. “The most contemporary recording is hip-hop mogul Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint , which solidified his reputation as one of the greatest rappers in music,” a press release for this year’s additions states. “The National Recording Registry honors the music that enriches our souls, the voices that tell our stories and the sounds that mirror our lives,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in the announcement. “The influence of recorded sound over its nearly 160-year history has been profound and technology has increased its reach and significance exponentially. The Library of Congress and its many collaborators are working to preserve these sounds and moments in time, which reflect our past, present and future,” she states. With songs like “Never Change,” “Song Cry,” “Renegade,” “Takeover” and more The Blueprint is definitely an unforgettable moment in Jay-Z’s career—not to mention the album debuted at number one in the U.S., selling over 400,000 copies in its first week. Congrats to the GOAT. Photo: Getty
“I did want to give up. I thought things were over.” Toni Harris, first female football player to get a scholarship to play defense at four-year university, talks about receiving an ovarian cancer diagnosis four years ago pic.twitter.com/YO4tP3lE2N — TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 27, 2019 College Football Star Toni Harris Talks Making History The Knowles women aren’t the only ones doing what they can to save Black History Month . Meet Toni Harris, the first female football player to get a scholarship to play defense at a four-year university. Ever. The 22-year-old living legend sat down on TODAY this morning and opened up about making history and more. It turns out, she’s not only badass because of her abilities on a football field—she was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 18 years old, yet here she stands. Harris tells TODAY: “I did want to give up. I thought things were over.” But the young warrior is strong—and certainly it was her mindset about the word “can’t” that helped to keep her going in dark times. “I think my biggest pet peeve is people telling me that I can’t, and so I have to prove them wrong,” she said. She also had her family, friends, and pastors by her side. Peep the clip up top to get familiar with the young football star if you don’t already know her name, plus the full interview here . Salute, Queen!
Source: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Stacey Plaskett’s Reaction To Jim Jordan Is The Toast Of Twitter Michael Cohen is currently testifying against Donald Trump in front of Congress and despite the bevy of charges and accusations that he’s made, the reaction of Black congresswoman Stacey Plaskett to abrasive a$$hole Jim Jordan is one of the most talked about moments trending on social media. Stacey Plaskett is all of us looking at Jim Jordan, the last person who should address anyone’s character pic.twitter.com/z2fKUVHwYa — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 27, 2019 Caption that, then flip the page a few times to see the rest of the reactions to Congresswoman Plaskett’s palpable disdain.
