Trump wants to try again with Congressional Black Caucus

UPDATE: The Congressional Black Caucus turned down an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump, telling him Wednesday they believe their concerns are falling on "deaf ears" at the White House and his policies are devastating to the millions of Americans in the nation's black communities: Read more here:CBC turns down Trump invitation

Almost three months after President Trump tried to mend fences with African American members of Congress at the White House, Mr. Trump is once again trying to restart talks with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

Mr. Trump's adviser Omarosa Manigault sent a letter to the CBC on June 9, inviting all members of the CBC back to the White House for a follow up meeting to "discuss issues pertinent to your members."

A source inside the CBC was skeptical about the latest invitation, saying, "We're willing to engage with the president, but it has to be a substantive policy discussion, not a photo op."

"The caucus has been quite clear that the policy proposals of this administration, from cutting early childhood education funding to dismantling the Affordable Care Act, would cause great harm to African American communities across the nation," the source added.

Mr. Trump's outreach to African American community leaders has resulted with more photo ops than actual results.

Presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) met with Mr. Trump at the end of February, when he signed an executive order that moved an HBCU task force into the White House from the Department of Education.

The college presidents sought a 5 to 10 percent increase in funding for black schools during the meeting. But Mr. Trump's recently released budget proposal revealed no new funding for the schools, despite signals otherwise.

[SOURCE: CBS NEWS]

Seattle Police release dashcam audio in shooting of Charleena Lyles

Her name was Charleena Lyles. She called 911 for help and was killed by those officers who arrived to "protect and serve".

Charleena Lyles a pregnant mother of four was gunned down at her own home after calling 911 due to a burglary. Police claim she had a knife and was coming at them. To back up their claims they released dash cam audio, but that audio shows that those same officers knew she had four kids who may be in the house and that she suffered from mental illness before entering the home. The audio has been redacted by Seattle Police in some places, listen to the audio below.

Camille Cosby slams the press and the DA in statement after mistrial

Camille Cosby, the wife of Bill Cosby released a statement after a mistrial was declared in Cosby's sexual assault trial. A statement in which she slammed the judge, the media, and the district attorney handling the case. Read that statement below.

Camille Cosby:

“How do I describe the District Attorney? Heinously and exploitively ambitious. How do I describe the judge? Overtly and arrogantly collaborating with the District Attorney. How do I describe the counsels for the accusers? Totally unethical. How do I describe many, but not all, general media? Blatantly vicious entities that continually disseminated intentional omissions of truths for the primary purpose of greedily selling sensationalism at the expense of a human life.

Historically, people have challenged injustices. I am grateful to any of the jurors who tenaciously fought to review the evidence; which is the rightful way to make a sound decision ... ultimately, that is a manifestation of justice, based on facts, not lies. As a very special friend once stated, ‘truth can be subdued, but not destroyed.’

Moreover, I express humongous gratitude to counselors Brian McMonagle and Angela Agrusa for their hard work. Mr. McMonagle for his passionate and powerful articulations of truths; Ms. Agrusa for her thorough research to bolster Counsel McMonagle; to Mr. Andrew Wyatt for his unequivocal skills in public relations; to our team, who worked diligently and intelligently; to our staffs for their continuous commitment to our family and me ... and to our children, grandchildren, and other family who loves us ... and to our dear friends and supporters, who never gave up on us, despite it all.”

Princeton professor named country's next poet laureate

Tracy K. Smith has a long list of accomplishments, from publishing three books of poetry to winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2012, and she just added one more prestigious achievement.

The Library of Congress named Smith its 2017-18 Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, an honor she shares with only 21 others.

"I am profoundly honored," sad Smith, a creative writing professor at Princeton University. "As someone who has been sustained by poems and poets, I understand the powerful and necessary role poetry can play in sustaining a rich inner life and fostering a mindful, empathic and resourceful culture."

"I am eager to share the good news of poetry with readers and future readers across this marvelously diverse country," she said.

Smith is the author of the poetry books "Life on Mars"; "Duende"; and "The Body's Question"; all of which have won awards. Her memoir, "Ordinary Light", was a finalist for the 2015 National Book Award in nonfiction and recognized as a notable book by The New York Times and the Washington Post.

Smith was appointed by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden on Wednesday, and is succeeding Juan Felipe Herrera.

Hayden called Smith a "poet of searching," and said she has a way with her poems.

"Her work travels the world and takes on its voices; brings history and memory to life; calls on the power of literature as well as science, religion and pop culture," Hayden said.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

NFL commissioner denies that Colin Kaepernik is being blackballed

If you believe in zombies, Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, and that Biggie, Tupac, and Elvis are all still alive then you might believe NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell about Colin Kaepernick. Goodell says that Colin Kaepernick refusal to stand during the national anthem last year has nothing to do with him remaining unsigned.

During a Rams fan event at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Goodell addressed the issue and insisted it’s not because the star once refused to stand for the national anthem.

Goodell tried to make the point that teams "all want to get better," so they'll all be looking to sign the best player available.

"If they see an opportunity to get better as a football team, they're going to do it," Goodell said, via ESPN.com. "They're going to do whatever it takes to make their football team better. So, those are football decisions. They're made all the time. I believe that if a football team feels that Colin Kaepernick, or any other player, is going to improve that team, they're going to do it."

"Those are decisions that the 32 clubs are going to have to make individually," Goodell said of signing players. "They're going to give whatever player they think can help them win that opportunity. And I think that's what's great about the NFL is that we're a meritocracy, and you earn your opportunities and you get to keep your opportunities on the way you perform, ultimately. That's what the NFL is about. I think that's why fans love the game. People go out and they earn those opportunities, and it's a competitive league, which is great for us."