Ayanna Pressley Upsets Capuano in Massachusetts House Race

Ayanna Pressley upended the Massachusetts political order on Tuesday, scoring a stunning upset of 10-term Representative Michael Capuano and positioning herself to become the first African-American woman to represent the state in Congress.

Ms. Pressley’s triumph was in sync with a restless political climate that has fueled victories for underdogs, women and minorities elsewhere this election season, and it delivered another stark message to the Democratic establishment that newcomers on the insurgent left were unwilling to wait their turn. Ms. Pressley propelled her candidacy with urgency, arguing that in the age of Trump, “change can’t wait.”

Her victory carried echoes of the surprise win in June by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who trounced a longtime House incumbent, Joseph Crowley, in New York. Ms. Pressley is also among several African-American progressives who beat expectations, and in some cases performed far better than polling projections; they include Stacey Abrams of Georgia, Andrew Gillum of Florida and Ben Jealous of Maryland, who each won the Democratic Party’s nominations for governor.

There is no Republican on the November ballot in this storied Boston-based district, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy and is one of the most left leaning in the country.

Addressing jubilant supporters at a union hall in Dorchester Tuesday night, Ms. Pressley said: “It seems like change is on the way.”

Speaking in abnormally hushed tones, in contrast to her fiery and impassioned style on the campaign trail, she told supporters “we have together ushered in something incredible.”

“People who feel seen and heard for the first time in their lives, a stakehold in democracy and a promise for our future,” she said. “That is the real victory, that is bigger than any electoral victory. And I want to thank you all for being foot soldiers in this movement and for ushering in this change.”

[SOURCE: NY TIMES]

Kamala Harris Opening Statement Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearing

Kamala Harris makes her opening statement during the Brett Kavanaugh U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearing on 9/4/18.

Tyler Perry offers Geoffery Owens a job

UPDATE: Geoffery Owens gets role on Tyler Perry's "The Haves and the Have Nots"

Former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens appeared on Good Morning America in an interview with Robin Roberts to explain why he was working at Trader Joes and that every job is valuable and worthwhile. A few minutes after his interview writer, director, producer, and actor, Tyler Perry Tyler Perry sent him a tweet offering him a job.

#GeoffreyOwens I’m about to start shootings OWN’s number one drama next week! Come join us!!! I have so much respect for people who hustle between gigs. The measure of a true artist.

— Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) September 4, 2018

Check out the Good Morning America interview below:

Aretha Franklin's family says pastor's eulogy was offensive

The late Aretha Franklin's family said Monday that it found an Atlanta pastor's eulogy delivered at the Queen of Soul's funeral last week to be offensive and distasteful.

The eulogist, the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., was criticized for a political address at the Friday funeral that described children being in a home without a father as "abortion after birth" and said black lives do not matter unless blacks stop killing each other.

"He spoke for 50 minutes and at no time did he properly eulogize her," said Vaughn Franklin, the late singer's nephew, who said he was delivering a statement for the family.

Franklin said that his aunt never asked Williams to eulogize her, since she didn't talk about plans for her own funeral. The family selected Williams because he has spoken at other family memorials in the past, most prominently at the funeral for Franklin's father, minister and civil rights activist C.L. Franklin, 34 years ago.

His eulogy "caught the entire family off guard," Vaughn Franklin said. The family had not discussed what Williams would say in advance, he said.

"It has been very, very distasteful," he said.

He said it was unfortunate because everyone else who participated in the ceremony was very respectful.

[SOURCE NBC NEWS]

Republican official resigns after calling kneeling NFL players baboons

A racist Republican county official in Pennsylvania has resigned over social media posts where she called NFL players who protested by taking a knee during the national anthem “baboons” and “ignorant blacks.”

“Tired of these overpaid ignorant blacks telling me what I should believe in. I will tell you what I believe in and that is our Flag the National Anthem and America period end of story,” wrote Carla Maloney, the ex-Republican Committee of Beaver County’s secretary, on Facebook under the name Carla Belich Fueller, local outlet The Beaver Countian reported.

“You don’t like it here go to Africa see how you like it there. We are all Americans not African American not Hispanic American. WE ARE ALL AMERICAN,” she added.

The racist posts were made before Maloney was named secretary earlier this year, Chip Kohser, chairman of the RCBC told the Beaver County Times.

Most of the comments were made after many of the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in their locker room for the anthem before their game on Sept. 24, 2017, Kohser added.

“Steelers are now just as bad as the rest of the overpaid baboons… How many men and women have lost limbs or died to protect this country and you baboons want respect,” she wrote in one post. “Let’s see how the baboons get paid when white people stop paying their salaries.”

In a letter sent Friday, Maloney resigned as both secretary and as an elected member of the committee, and apologized for her “distasteful, inappropriate and insensitive social media posts.”

“I know my posts and comments were disrespectful to not only the people that I love, but families across the country,” she wrote.

The posts were made public this week as a result of “an ongoing family dispute,” Maloney added.

Kohser, the committee chairman, said Maloney’s comments “do not reflect the opinions of the Republican party as a whole” – though he admitted to knowing about the posts last year.

[SOURCE: NY POST]