Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker tells MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that President Trump’s language is “causing pain, fear -- the way he's talking is making people afraid."
Monday, March 18, 2019
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Homeless 8 year-old, Tanitoluwa Adewumi is now a Chess champion
An 8-year-old Nigerian refugee was just crowned a chess champion in New York’s statewide competition.
Tanitoluwa Adewumi, who lives in a Manhattan homeless shelter with his family, won the kindergartener through third grade category in New York’s chess championship last weekend with an undefeated performance, according to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.
Tanitoluwa, known as “Tani,” learned to play chess just one year ago, and now tells the Times that he wants to be “the youngest grandmaster.”
Tani learned chess with his classmates at New York’s P.S. 116, and joined the school’s chess club. The club’s organizer waived the fees for Tani because of his family’s financial situation. Though he started out as the lowest-rated member of the club, he quickly improved and is now bringing his school statewide recognition, according to the newspaper.
P.S. 116's principal, Jane Hsu, told the Times that Tani’s win is “an inspiring example of how life’s challenges do not define a person,” and credited the third-grader’s supportive parents despite being homeless.
The Adewumis have applied for asylum, and are reportedly set for an immigration hearing in August. The hearing will take place just three months after Tani competes at the elementary national chess championship.
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Prairie View A&M wins SWAC tournament headed to NCAA Tournament
The Prairie View A&M Panthers (22-12) defeated the Texas Southern University Tigers (21-13) 92-86 to win the SWAC (South Western Athletic Conference) and a spot in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers were led by guards Gary Blackston and guard Dennis Jones, both of whom scored 17 points. Forward Devonte Patterson led the team in rebounding with six boards and chipped in offensively with 10 points.
Head coach Byron Smith has led his team to the NCAA Tournament in his second full season as head men's basketball coach at Prairie View A&M University. This is only the second trip for the Panthers to the big dance after getting there once before in 1998.
North Carolina Central University headed to the NCAA Tournament
With a 50-47 win over the Norfolk State University Spartans (21-3), the North Carolina Central University eagles (18-15) won the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Championship game and punched their ticket to the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The Eagles were led by Raasean Davis, who was voted the tournament’s most outstanding player. Davis scored eight points and snagged 14 rebounds. Zacarry Douglas chipped in to help with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
It's the third straight title for NCCU, securing its third consecutive trip to the Big Dance. NCCU is the first MEAC team to win three straight tournament titles since North Carolina A&T won seven in a row from 1982-1988.
“Typical championship game,” NCCU head coach LeVelle Moton said. “We knew we were going to be in for a dog fight. We knew there were going to be some high highs and low lows.”
The Eagles, have now won four MEAC tournament titles in eight years of being a full MEAC member.
“This is what we do it for,” Moton said. “You try to push and squeeze all the juice out of the orange and get them to believe in themselves. I’m thankful that they believed in themselves this week.”
The Eagles will now wait to see who they’ll face during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 17.
Mississippi Gov. ignores work of Rep. Bennie Thompson, takes credit for Medgar Ever's home being named a national monument
Last month, Congress passed a massive lands bill that, among other things, added four national monuments, including Medgar Evers' home located in Jackson, Mississippi. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law earlier this week.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, a Trump ally, felt it appropriate to thank the president and the state's Republican senators, but left out Bennie Thompson the African American congressman who has worked over the years, has testified at hearings, proposed legislation and called for a study of the feasibility of the National Park Service taking over the Evers' home.
"Thank you to @realDonaldTrump for signing legislation today to designate Medgar and Myrlie Evers home as a National Monument," he tweeted. "@SenatorWicker & @SenHydeSmith have worked very hard on this for some time and are to be commended."
The head of the Congressional Black Caucus weighed in Friday on a simmering dispute in Mississippi over who deserves credit for the push to designate civil rights icon Medgar Evers' home a national monument.
Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, called Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant "despicable" and accused him of ignoring the work of Rep. Bennie Thompson, the lone Democrat and African-American in the state's delegation, who has advocated for years for Evers' home to be named a national monument.
"I don’t know much about the governor of Mississippi, but he is clearly despicable," Bass said in a call with reporters Friday. "There is no way in the world that he should not have acknowledged the decades of work that Congressman Bennie Thompson has put in. So for him to specifically ignore him is really just an example of his pettiness."
“You can take my word the entire Congressional Black Caucus was highly offended that he would be so disrespectful of one our most important members and a member who chairs a full committee – the Homeland Security Committee," Bass said. “For him to disrespect him in the manner that he did, I hope the governor of Mississippi knows that the slight will not go unnoticed."
Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers-Williams, told SiriusXM radio host Joe Madison Friday she was "incensed'' that only a few were credited, noting that Thompson and others worked for 16 years to get the historic designation.
"I have given too much to sit down and be quiet about something that I feel is unjust,'' said the 87-year-old civil rights veteran. "How dare that be taken and given credit to one or two people who are new."
Thompson tweeted:
After years of working to enact the home of Medgar and Myrlie Evers as a national monument, I am proud to announce it has been signed into law. I hope this enactment affords my long-time friend Myrlie Evers some assurance that her husband’s legacy lives on. pic.twitter.com/lFInLfyZnW
— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) March 13, 2019
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