Report: A third of Ben Carson’s appointees have no housing experience

A third of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson’s appointees at the highest levels of the department have no experience with housing policy, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.

Twenty-four of the 70 people hired to the top positions at HUD under Carson apparently have no housing policy experience, according to the Post's analysis of their résumés and LinkedIn profiles.

However, 16 of them appear to have worked on Carson’s or President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaigns or maintain close personal connections to their families, the Post reported.

In a statement to The Hill, Caroline Vanvick, a spokeswoman for HUD, wrote that the department's senior appointees "have well over 100 years of housing and mortgage policy experience combined."

Vanvick listed 10 officials who have a background in housing policy, including Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude, who has led national housing initiatives.

HUD spokesman Raffi Williams in a statement to the Post wrote that hiring people with "varying experiences to government is not unusual" and pointed out the majority of the top appointees do have housing experience.

The Post found that five of those appointees without housing experience received promotions and significant pay increases within their first months on the job. All of the five appointees now make between $98,000 and $155,000 per year and worked on either Carson's or Trump's presidential campaign.

American Oversight, a watchdog organization formed to scrutinize the Trump administration, obtained the documents cited in the Post's analysis through the Freedom of Information Act.

Read more: Report: A third of Ben Carson’s appointees have no housing experience

BET Announces Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign BET GOES PINK

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women and the statistics further reveal that African American women are disproportionately affected by breast cancer. According to Susan G. Komen Foundation, African-American women are almost 40 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than white women in the U.S. and in some cities, that number is as high as 74 percent*. Today, BET Networks announces its national, multi-platform call-to-action campaign, BET GOES PINK, dedicated to raising awareness, encouraging early detection and initiating dialogue about the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the black community. The Network's integrated approach includes BET Her's first original film "HER ONLY CHOICE", the second annual "BET HER FIGHTS BREAST CANCER" hosted by comedian and talk show host Loni Love, original PSAs and more.


"BET Networks is dedicated to reducing breast cancer health disparities among African American women and ensuring that Black women are included in the conversation about this disease, said Nneka Norville, Director of CORPORATE Social Responsibility, BET Networks. "Although we make a concerted effort in October, breast cancer prevention and education is part of BET's larger year-round commitment to women's empowerment. By leveraging our platforms and content offerings, we are able to educate and empower our audience as they navigate this important aspect of their health."

This year's activations include:

BET HER's FIRST ORIGINAL MOVIE: "HER ONLY CHOICE" PREMIERES, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6 at 9 PM ET/PT ON BET HER.

Kicking off BET Her's original movie franchise "Her Only Choice," tells the story of a woman who after years of infertility becomes pregnant only to be diagnosed with a life-altering disease. She must make a choice to either fight for her life or sacrifice her child's. The film stars Denise Boutte, Timon Kyle Durett, Leon Robinson, Tiffany Snow, Tamara Tunie and Vanessa Bell Calloway. Christel Gibson serves as the film's director and Brett Dismuke, Rob Johnson and Nikki Love serve as Executive Producers for SoChi Entertainment.

"BET HER: FIGHTS BREAST CANCER" PREMIERES SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7 AT 7 PM ON BET & BET HER

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, BET Her will premiere the second annual "BET HER FIGHTS: BREAST CANCER" special, hosted by comedian and "The Real" co-host Loni Love. The one-hour special looks to raise awareness, and encourage more people to take action to prevent, diagnose, treat, & end breast cancer.

This year's honorees include Bershan Shaw and Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green. Shaw, a transformational coach, motivational speaker, author, and founder of URAWARRIOR.COM, is a two-time breast cancer survivor. Initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, it returned as stage 4 in 2009, she ultimately beat the odds is now nine years' cancer free. Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green, one of the first 100 African American women to earn a Ph.D. in Physics, is a physicist who specializes in targeted cancer therapeutics using nanotechnology and lasers. She founded the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation in memory of her aunt, Ora Lee "Auntee" Smith, whose tragic experience with cancer inspired her to develop a cancer treatment without side effects.

The concert will feature inspirational surprise performances and special guests. Last year's performers included Xscape, Keyshia Cole, Sevyn Streeter and Alice Smith. Viewers will have an opportunity to get involved during the program through a dedicated line provided by the Susan G. Komen Foundation, which will provide free, professional support services to anyone with breast cancer questions or concerns, including men diagnosed with breast cancer and their families.

"BET HER FIGHTS: BREAST CANCER" will tape Thursday, September 20, 2018, at the Riverside EpiCenter in Atlanta, GA. The broadcast will premiere on Sunday, October 7, 2018 at 7:00 P.M. ET/PT on BET & BET Her.

ORIGINAL BET GOES PINK ON AIR, ONLINE AND ON SOCIAL

On Air: For the month of October all of BET Networks' brand bugs will go Pink to bring visual awareness to viewers on all of our platforms.
BET.com: BET Goes Pink's online portal - BET.com/BETGoesPink features articles, video vignettes and resources to ensure our audience is armed with the information needed to stay informed and healthy. For more information on "BET Goes Pink" and resources on breast cancer, please log onto www.bet.com/betgoespink.
BET Social: Follow @BET on Twitter and Instagram for updates and health news. Use the hashtag #BETGoesPink to join the conversation with patients, survivors, friends and family.
*Source: American Cancer Society & Susan G. Komen

ABOUT BET NETWORKS

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA) (NASDAQ: VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in nearly 85 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, France and South Korea. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER (formerly CENTRIC), a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET Networks around the globe.

Harvard black culture awards to honor Colin Kaepernick & David Chappelle

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and comedian Dave Chappelle are among eight people being honored by Harvard University for their contributions to black history and culture, the university announced Thursday.

All eight recipients of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal will be honored Oct. 11 by the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard.

“The medal honors those who have made significant contributions to African and African-American history and culture, and more broadly, individuals who advocate for intercultural understanding and human rights in an increasingly global and interconnected world,” the Hutchins Center said.

Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers, created a firestorm when he began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice. He has more recently been the centerpiece of an advertising campaign by Nike.

He has donated and helped raise millions of dollars for organizations fighting social injustice, and founded the Know Your Rights Camp.

Chappelle is a writer and producer who has appeared in several movies, hosted his own show on Comedy Central and earned a Grammy and two Emmys.

The other honorees are Kenneth Chenault, chairman and a managing director of General Catalyst; Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Pamela Joyner, founder of Avid Partners, LLC; psychologist and author Florence Ladd; Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative; and artist Kehinde Wiley.

“Emerging from a variety of backgrounds and professions, each represents the quest for knowledge, freedom of expression, and pursuit of truth that are foundational to black history and culture, and that were foundational to Du Bois as a thinker and activist,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center.

Michael Jordan donates $2 million for Hurricane Florence relief

Michael Jordan grew up playing high school basketball in Wilmington, North Carolina. So when the former NBA star watched the destruction caused by Hurricane Florence to his hometown and surrounding area, he acted quickly to help.

The six-time NBA champion and Charlotte Hornets owner donated $2 million on Tuesday to assist residents of the Carolinas -- $1 million each to the American Red Cross and the Foundation For The Carolinas' Hurricane Florence Response Fund.

"It just hits home," Jordan told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I know all of those places: Wilmington, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach, New Bern, and Wallace, which is where my father is from. So quite naturally it hits home, and I felt like I had to act in a sense that this is my home."

"At the end of the day, it makes you think about the path that you have taken, and where your life has taken you," Jordan said. "And I just feel like, well, maybe if I can help in some sort of way all of the people, and all of the places, that have helped me along the road."

Jordan said it's fulfilling to have the resources to help.

"I have been one of the lucky ones to move on and build an unbelievable career," said Jordan, who played college basketball at North Carolina. "It just makes it a little more special when you can actually help out an area you know very, very well."

"We reached out to try to find as many partners who are willing to sacrifice and give to this cause," Jordan said. "The Red Cross will deal with the immediate food and shelter and the Foundation For The Carolinas will deal more with the long-term assistance. This is not a short-term thing. This is going to be a process, but it is going to take time."

[SOURCE: ESPN]

Sixers promote VP of basketball ops Elton Brand to General Manager

The Philadelphia 76ers hired Elton Brand as general manager on Tuesday, completing a meteoric rise in the franchise's front office, league sources told ESPN.

Brand made a strong impression on ownership and coach Brett Brown in the interview process, beating out several more-experienced candidates inside and outside the Sixers organization, sources said. Ultimately, ownership believed Brand had sold them on vision, preparedness and the ability to grow into the role at a crucial time for the organization.

Brand, 39, had been recently promoted to executive vice president of basketball operations after serving the past year as GM of the Sixers' G League affiliate in Delaware.

After retiring as a player in 2016, he spent two years in the organization before this elevation to oversee the front office.

Among those considered for the vacant GM role were Utah Jazz assistant GM Justin Zanik, Houston Rockets vice president Gersson Rosas and assistant Golden State Warriors GM Larry Harris.

The team also talked to internal candidates, including assistant GM Ned Cohen and senior VP of player personnel Marc Eversley.

Brand replaces Brown, who had been the interim GM since Bryan Colangelo resigned in June after his wife admitted to operating Twitter accounts that criticized team members and propped up her husband.

[SOURCE: ESPN]