In a video released on Saturday, the former first lady teamed up with the NAACP, the country's largest civil rights organization, in efforts to increase African-American voter turnout in the Nov. 6 midterm elections. Check out the video below.
Saturday, November 03, 2018
Video: Former President Obama rallies for Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams in Georgia
Former President Obama held a Friday night rally in Atlanta, Georgia for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Watch Obama's full remarks.
VIDEO: President Barack Obama campaign rally for Democrat Andrew Gillum in Florida
President Barack Obama rallied for Democratic candidates in Florida on the pivotal last leg of the campaign trail. He spoke at an event in Miami on Friday to rally voters for gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, Sen. Bill Nelson and others. Watch video of his entire speech below:
Thursday, November 01, 2018
VIDEO: Oprah Winfrey campaigning with and for Stacey Abrams
Billionaire media mogul Oprah Winfrey joined Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams at a campaign rally in Marietta Georgia. Winfrey, who took the stage to booming applause, said she wanted to come to Georgia to support Abrams because she saw how Abrams is "handling herself" amid an onslaught of "haters."
Watch the entire rally below:
Black Caucus wants one of their own as speaker or majority leader
The Congressional Black Caucus chairman is threatening a fight over House leadership if Democrats win the House.
In a move that could set off a nasty internal fight, the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus — a key voting bloc among House Democrats — is demanding that an African-American lawmaker hold one of the top two leadership posts if Democrats win the House on Election Day.
The demand by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the CBC's chairman, is seen as a potential threat to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland who have been slotted to return as speaker and House majority leader, respectively, if Democrats gain the majority on Nov. 6.
“Over the past couple of weeks, several of our colleagues have respectfully shared letters of intent expressing interest in various House Democratic Caucus leadership positions,” Richmond said in a “Dear Colleague” letter that went out Thursday. “It is within that context that I’d like to reiterate that if there is any change in our top leadership positions the Democratic Members of the CBC endorse African-American representation in at least one of the two top positions of elected House Democratic Caucus leadership.”
That means, according to Democratic sources, that the CBC would want one of their own to be speaker or majority leader.
[Black Caucus wants one of their own as speaker or majority leader
Oprah to hit campaign trail for Stacey Abrams
Media icon Oprah Winfrey will hit the campaign trail this week for Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
Winfrey will participate in two town hall events with Abrams -- one in Marietta and one in Decatur -- on Thursday to aide her campaign in what has become a highly competitive, closely watched race.
"Oprah Winfrey has inspired so many of us through the years with her unparalleled ability to form real connections and strengthen the bonds of family and community," Abrams said in a statement Wednesday. "I am honored to have Oprah join me for uplifting and honest conversations with voters about the clear choice before us in this election and the boundless potential of Georgians."
It's a rare political endorsement for Winfrey, who backed former President Barack Obama during the primaries in 2008 and lent her support to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. On Tuesday, she appeared in a video with NBC News' Maria Shiver to urge people to vote, saying she's a political independent before adding, "people think I'm a Democrat."
Read more: Oprah to hit campaign trail for Stacey Abrams
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Killing Of 2 African Americans At Kentucky Supermarket Is Being Investigated As Hate Crime
A white man charged with shooting and killing two African-Americans at a Kroger supermarket in Kentucky last week had first tried to enter a predominantly African-American church, police say.
Gregory Bush, 51, was charged with killing Maurice Stallard, 69, and Vickie Lee Jones, 67, at the supermarket in Jeffersontown, Ky., a suburb of Louisville.
As more information about the Wednesday attack and its alleged perpetrator have emerged, there are indications that Bush chose his targets because of the color of their skin.
Federal investigators are looking into the fatal shootings as "potential civil rights violations such as hate crimes," Russell Coleman, the U.S. attorney for the Western district of Kentucky, said in a statement.
Bush allegedly walked into the Kroger, pulled a gun and shot Stallard in the back of the head, then shot him several more times. Then he went outside and killed Jones, who also died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to The Associated Press.
Louisville resident Ed Harrell told the Courier-Journal that as he crouched in the Kroger parking lot clutching his own revolver, the gunman walked by him and said, "Don't shoot me. I won't shoot you. Whites don't shoot whites."
Police say that just a few minutes before heading to the Kroger, Bush first tried to get into the First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, a predominantly African-American church. Jeffersontown Police Chief Sam Rogers told reporters that surveillance video showed Bush yanking on the church doors. If Bush had come to the church an hour earlier that day, some 70 people would have been gathered there, and the door might have been unlocked, the Courier-Journal reported.
Read more: Killing Of 2 At Kentucky Supermarket Is Being Investigated As Hate Crime
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Andrew Gillum responds to Trump calling him a thief
Democratic candidate for Florida Governor Andrew Gillum took to Twitter to respond to Trump's ignorant remarks in which Trump referred to Gillum as a thief during a Fox News interview.
I heard @realDonaldTrump ran home to @FoxNews to lie about me. But as my grandmother told me — never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it. So ignore him and vote, Florida!
— Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) October 30, 2018
Ava DuVernay making Prince documentary for Netflix
Ava DuVernay the director of both 13th and Selma is now making a documentary about music legend Prince for Netflix.
“Prince was a genius and a joy and a jolt to the senses,” the Oscar-nominated filmmaker told Deadline tonight of the Purple Rain star who died in April 2016. “He was like no other,” DuVernay added of the Oscar winner and eight-time Grammy recipient. “He shattered every preconceived notion, smashed every boundary, shared everything in his heart through his music. The only way I know how to make this film is with love. And with great care. I’m honored to do so and grateful for the opportunity entrusted to me by the estate.”
As part of the development of the film, the estate has granted the ARRAY founder full access to the vast trove of archives recordings and, perhaps most immediately important to Prince’s global fanbase, the unreleased material by the prolific musician. The early stages of the project already have seen DuVernay, editor Spencer Averick and other members of her core production team visit Prince’s Paisley Park home and studios repeatedly during the past several months.
Monday, October 29, 2018
Pharrell Williams sends Donald Trump a cease and desist letter after Trump uses his song 'Happy'
Pharrell Williams sent President Donald Trump a cease and desist letter against using the song “Happy” after the song was played at a rally in Indiana on Saturday, the same day Robert Bowers allegedly killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Trump is accused of violating federal law (copyright and trademark infringement) for using the song without Williams’s permission.
“On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged ‘nationalist,’ you played his song ‘Happy’ to a crowd at a political event in Indiana,” read the letter. “There was nothing ‘Happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose.”
The White House and a Trump attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Michelle Obama And Live Nation Announce Community Ticket Giveaways For Upcoming Book Tour
Michelle Obama and Live Nation have announced a selection of the local and community organizations who will receive free admission to the former First Lady’s highly anticipated upcoming book tour, Becoming: An Intimate Conversation With Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama’s tour kicks off on November 13th in Chicago.
As previously announced, 10 percent of ticket inventory in each market was set aside for various local organizations including, but not limited to, local charities, schools, and community groups in each city the tour visits.
It is important to Mrs. Obama that her BECOMING tour events are accessible to as many people as possible. That’s why — in partnership with Live Nation — Mrs. Obama is giving away thousands of complimentary tickets to people around the country, particularly to young people growing up in communities like she did.
When asked about why these community tickets are so important to Mrs. Obama, she said
“It was important to me that all sorts of people could come to the tour events, not just those with means or who happened to be by a computer when the tickets went on sale. That’s why we are giving away thousands of tickets to people around the country, particularly to young people striving to be their best. I want them to see themselves in my story—to see the value in the fullness of their lives and to imagine who they might become in the years ahead.”
Several national and local organizations were selected to participate including the Mercy Education Project in Detroit who’s mission is to provide educational opportunities, life skills development and cultural enrichment for women and girls who have limited access to resources to enable them to improve the quality of their lives.
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Barack Obama Statement On The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
Former United States President Barack Obama released the following statement via Twitter on the tragic and senseless shootings at The Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
We grieve for the Americans murdered in Pittsburgh. All of us have to fight the rise of anti-Semitism and hateful rhetoric against those who look, love, or pray differently. And we have to stop making it so easy for those who want to harm the innocent to get their hands on a gun.
Cory Booker statement on Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
US Senator Cory Booker released the following statement via Twitter on the tragic and senseless shootings at The Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
My heart is broken over the horrific anti-Semitic acts in Pittsburgh and for all affected by the evil shooting at The Tree Of Life Synagogue.
We must counter this hate with love and love's public face which is justice - tireless work for justice and peace.
Saturday, October 27, 2018
Obama: ‘Nobody in my administration got indicted’
During a Democratic campaign event in Milwaukee former President Obama on Friday took a swipe at President Trump over those who have been caught up in special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.
'Nobody in my administration got indicted' — President of shade, Barack Obama pic.twitter.com/UDFuShnNNr
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) October 27, 2018
Thousands of absentee ballot applications “missing” in largely black Georgia county
Democratic officials in Georgia say that thousands of absentee voter requests have gone “missing” in one of the state's most heavily Democratic counties.
The Georgia Democratic Party reports that more than 4,700 vote-by-mail applications went missing in DeKalb County, a Atlanta-area county where more than 54 percent of residents are black.
The New York Times reports that county officials confirmed the missing applications in a phone call with Democratic officials and vowed to notify affected voters of the error. But a spokesman for the county elections board would not confirm the call and Sam Tillman, the chairman of the board, insisted that the county had received just 50 requests of the 4,700 names the party said it submitted.
“After reviewing the list of names, there is only evidence that the county received 50 of those voter absentee ballot request forms,” he said. “All 50 of those forms have been processed. At this time, there is no evidence that there are any missing or lost absentee ballot request forms. The Elections Department receives request forms daily and processes them within three days of receipt. At this time there are approximately 250 forms pending processing.”
Georgia Democratic Party spokesman Seth Brigman rejected the denial and said the episode is another example of voter suppression, a charge that has been leveled repeatedly in the state against Secretary of State Brian Kemp and other officials. Kemp is running in a tight gubernatorial race against former state legislator Stacey Abrams, who would become the nation's first black female governor if elected.
“Our message to voters is this: If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot from your county and your county did not send you a ballot, go in-person if you are able to an early voting site,” Brigman told the Times. “We will not allow Brian Kemp’s voter suppression or mistakes by election officials to take away your right to vote.”
Read more: Thousands of absentee ballot applications “missing” in largely black Georgia county
Friday, October 26, 2018
Barack Obama aims to boost Wisconsin, Michigan Democratic turnout
Former President Barack Obama has appearances in Wisconsin and Michigan on Friday aimed at boosting turnout to aid Democrats, including black voters.
Low turnout in Milwaukee by African-Americans proved costly for Hillary Clinton in 2016 when she narrowly lost Wisconsin. One analysis found turnout fell nearly 20 points compared to Obama’s 2012 run.
It was much the same story in Detroit, and Clinton also lost Michigan.
Obama’s Friday appearance at a Milwaukee high school in a majority black neighborhood is aimed at helping Democratic candidates including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Tony Evers, who is challenging Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
The former president will be in Michigan later Friday for an event at a Detroit high school.
Suspicious package sent to Sen. Cory Booker intercepted
An explosive "pipe-bomb" style device similar to those targeting Democratic politicians and activists critical of President Trump was sent to the Camden office of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., NJ Advance Media has learned.
Booker has been both a frequent and vocal critic of Trump, as well as a putative 2020 Democratic challenger to replace him.
The package containing the explosive device was intercepted at a South Florida U.S. Postal Service center mail sorting facility in Opa-locka, according to a source familiar with the investigation, which is on-going. The Opa-locka facility handles packages mailed from Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.
An FBI spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., confirmed that the explosive device addressed to Booker was intercepted in Florida, but declined to be more specific about the location.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Waller County, Texas expands early voting for Prairie View A&M students
Two days after students at Prairie View A&M University sued Waller County over allegations that the county is suppressing the voting rights of black residents, the rural county said it is expanding early voting opportunities for students at the historically black university.
The county will now open a Sunday polling place at Prairie View City Hall and expand voting hours at the university's campus center on Monday through Wednesday of next week to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., instead of the original 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the NAACP. Students can continue to early vote at the Waller County Community Center in Prairie View on Thursday and Friday of next week.
Waller County Judge Trey Duhon, a Republican, and Elections Administrator Christy Eason announced the expanded early voting opportunities for the students in a statement released Wednesday, but said that the county will be “vigorously opposing” allegations of voter disenfranchisement.
“We have analyzed our resources in an attempt to extend additional hours and times, and have done so, but all citizens of Waller County must be accommodated with the limited resources of a small county,” the statement said.
In a statement released Thursday, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund called the expanded early voting plan “an improvement over the original plan, but still not equal to what other Waller County residents were offered.”
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
HBCU Students sue Texas county, allege voting rights violations
UPDATE: Waller County, Texas expands early voting for Prairie View A&M students
A group of students from a historically black university have filed a lawsuit alleging a southeast Texas county is suppressing the voting rights of its black residents.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in Houston on Monday, five Prairie View A&M University students allege Waller County election officials are violating the civil rights of black students and residents in Prairie View — which is predominantly African-American — by not providing any early voting locations on campus or anywhere in the city during the first week of early voting, which started Monday.
In the second week of early voting, the county is providing five days in Prairie View, but two of them are off-campus and at a site that is not easily accessible to many students who lack transportation, according to the lawsuit.
Prairie View is located about 50 miles northwest of Houston. The historically black university, which has about 8,400 full and part-time students, represents a significant voting bloc in Waller County.
Read more: HBCU Students sue Texas county, allege voting rights violations
Judge moves to block Georgia election officials from tossing out absentee ballots
A federal district court judge said she will issue an order to temporarily block election officials in Georgia from tossing out absentee ballots or applications when a voter’s signature does not match the signature on their voter registration card.
Judge Leigh Martin May, on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, said election officials should have to notify voters first before they can reject absentee ballots with mismatched signatures.
May gave Georgia's Secretary of State office as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Georgia Muslim Voter Project against Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp and county registrars, until noon on Thursday to respond to her proposal.
The judge said she will then consider their suggestions and immediately enter an injunction.
"This is not meant to be an opportunity to readdress the propriety of entering the injunction — only its form," she said.
Read more: Judge moves to block Georgia election officials from tossing out absentee ballots
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