Politics
Trump Rolls Back Health Care Protections For LGBTQ+ People On Pulse Anniversary
On Friday (June 12) the Trump administration finalized a rule to roll back Obama-era non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people when it comes to health care and health insurance. The plan was released on the fourth anniversary of the Pulse massacre, when a gunman opened fire at an Orlando gay bar, killing 49 people. The decision, which arrives amidst the national crises of COVID-19 and racial violence, changes Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to interpret sex discrimination based on “the plain meaning of the word ‘sex’ as male or female and as determined by biology,” according to a statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. The Obama-era rule previously prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender id...
Questlove, 50 Cent, John Legend & More React to Congressional Democrats Wearing Kente Cloth to Honor George Floyd
On Monday (June 8), House and Senate Democrats donned the Kente cloth, an indigenous Ghanaian textile that’s become a ceremonial stole for Black people in the U.S., while introducing the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020” police reform bill in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and resulting protests. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kamala Harris and more Democratic lawmakers wore the traditional cloth while kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds at the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall to commemorate Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for the same amount of time. But artists on Twitter took the whole day to criticize and mock what’s been labeled a senseless fashion disaste...
Village People Ask Trump to Stop Playing “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.” at Rallies
The Village People have asked Donald Trump to stop using their music at rallies, particularly legendary gay anthems “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man”, following his public threats to shoot protestors and looters. Earlier this week, the band’s longtime leader, Victor Willis, released a statement saying the President’s recent comments have pushed him to his breaking point, reports Stereogum. “If Trump orders the U.S. military to fire on his own citizens (on U.S. soil), Americans will rise up in such numbers outside of the White House that he might be forced out of office prior to the election. Don’t do it Mr. President!” Willis wrote on his personal Facebook. “And I ask that you no longer use any of my music at your rallies especially “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man.” Sorry, but I can no longer look the ...
Song of the Week: Run the Jewels’ “walking in the snow” Proves Tragically Prophetic
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. After months of being cooped up inside and watching a so-called “invisible” enemy take the lives of thousands of our fellow Americans (and many more of our global brothers and sisters), the idea of returning to normalcy has been on many of our minds. Sadly, for some, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a deadly reminder that some things haven’t changed much. Poor communities, of course, are being hit hardest by the virus, challenging living conditions and less access to proper health care leading to a disproportionate number of deaths in many Black neighborhoods and other minority communities. And despite our country being devastated by...
Louisville Leaders Approve ‘Breonna’s Law’ Limiting No Knock Warrants #RememberHerName #BreonnaTaylor
Source: JASON CONNOLLY / Getty City officials in Louisville have unanimously passed Breonna’s Law that severely limits and monitors no-knock warrants in the city. According to local news station, WAVE3, the new proposed law, if passed by the full Metro Council, will require officers to thoroughly justify any no-knock warrant before it is reviewed by the SWAT commander and police chief. In cases where the police chief is not able to approve such a warrant, they can give anyone with at least the rank of major the power to approve the warrant. The proposal also includes a rule about body cameras that states all officers must be wearing them and must activate them at least five minutes before any warrant is executed, noting that the videos from all warrants executed will be held for ...
#HBCUs4BlackLives Protest Scheduled For Saturday In Atlanta
Source: HBCUS4BlackLives / HBCUS As we march into the eighth day of protests denouncing of the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and police brutality, those committed to change show they aren’t giving up. According to published reports, on Saturday (June 6), #HBCUs4BlackLives: Centering Our Youth announced an HBCU protest will be taking place in Atlanta to give the youth a chance to share their thoughts on the current state of affairs in our country. [embedded content] In response to the incident that last weekend when two Atlanta students were drug out of their car and tazed by police, it’s clear both students and residents of the city have something to say. As previously reported, six Atlanta police officers are facing charges after reportedly pulling two colleg...
Lauren London Speaks Out About Gun Violence, Nipsey Hussle’s Legacy: ‘It’s Like He’s Touching People Still’
Lauren London sat down with Jada Pinkett-Smith on Wednesday (June 3) to discuss the impact of growing up around gun violence, the legacy of her late parter Nipsey Hussle and how she educates her sons about handling police interactions. “What I instill in them is more about the police. How to handle yourself when you get pulled over. That’s more of my education, protecting them being black men in America,” said London about what she talks about with her three-year-old son with Hussle, Kross, and her 10-year-old with former partner Lil Wayne, Kameron. London said that growing up in Los Angeles she had schoolmates who were in gangs, and by summertime “they were gone… they had transitioned from gun violence.” And while she never got numb to hearing that one of them had ...
Gary Clark Jr. Is ‘Tired of Being Angry’ and Worrying He ‘Could Die Today’ for Walking Out of His House
Gary Clark Jr. shared his thoughts on the ongoing racial tensions in America with a powerful video message on Sunday (May 31). Simply captioned “Thoughts,” the nearly 10-minute black-and-white clip finds the Grammy winner addressing the death of George Floyd and the history of racism in this country. He also pointedly called on his white colleagues in the music industry to do better as allies to the black community. “I’ve been quiet a few days cause I don’t know what to say … but I’m tired. I don’t have any more words,” he began. “I said everything I needed to say on a record, I think. Expressed myself, did all kinds of press and ended up being that guy in the little box on whatever news program talking about this s–t. ...
The Weeknd Donated $500K to Racial Justice Initiatives: ‘Please Give What You Can Even If It’s a Small Amount’
The R&B star also challenged major labels and streaming services to “go big and public” with their donations. The Weeknd is urging his nearly 23 million followers to follow his lead in donating to nonprofit organizations committed to racial equality. On Monday (June 1), the star detailed receipts of $500,000 in donations he split between Black Lives Matter Global Network, Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp and National Bail Out. “Keep supporting our brothers and sisters out there risking everything to push for actual change for our black lives,” he captioned the Instagram slideshow. “Urging everyone with big pockets to give and give big and if you have less please give what you can even if it’s a small amount.” In a follow-up post t...
Movement For Black Lives Is Seeking Policing Reforms on Black Out Tuesday
The music industry is taking a day to reflect on Tuesday (June 2) as part of Black Out Tuesday/#TheShowMustBePaused, an industry-wide effort to “disconnect from work and reconnect with our community.” In conjunction with the day of reflection — which was coordinated by Atlantic Records executives Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang in reaction to the police-involved killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others — the Movement 4 Black Lives, a coalition of 100 black-led organizations, is calling for five days of action, each focused on a specific set of demands. “It feels important to really move the needle on how we’re relating right now and call for very specific national asks that people can drill down at a local level in response to persisten...
Halsey Calls Out Police Violence Against Protestors at L.A. Demonstrations: ‘This Is War on Americans’
The singer was on the scene, providing first aid assistance to injured protestors. On Monday (June 1), Halsey shared a number of powerful images of her experience on the ground at Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles. “It’s become very clear to me that some of you need to see what I’ve seen,” she captioned a slideshow of videos and photos featuring peaceful protestors being tear-gassed and shot at by police. “It’s easy from the comfort of your home to watch looting and rioting on television and condone the violent measures being taken by forces. But what you don’t see is innocent peaceful protestors being shot at and tear gassed and physically assaulted relentlessly. “You think it’s not happening, it’s only the ‘thugs’ and the ‘riots,’ ...
Krist Novoselic Praises Trump for “Strong and Direct” Law and Order Speech
On Monday afternoon, Donald Trump emerged from his underground bunker and made his first public comments on the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests filling city streets. Well, sort of. Trump only made a passing reference to Floyd’s death, and he failed to mention police brutality, institutional racism, and other societal issues that have allowed such tragedies to become commonplace in America. Instead, Trump threatened to illegally unleash the United States Military on American citizens. Then, after police gassed peaceful protestors, Trump walked to a nearby church for a bizarre photo shoot. The whole thing was one of the more disturbing moments in the three-and-a-half year history of Trump’s presidency, which is really saying something. But there’s at least one person w...
