‘High On The Hog’ Renewed For Season 2 At Netflix

Netflix has renewed docuseries High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America for a second season.

This follows the four-part show’s launch in May.

Adapted from food historian Jessica B. Harris’ book, the series is part culinary show and part travelogue. It follows food writer Stephen Satterfield as he reveals an expansive, eclectic culinary history shaped by slavery, the Civil War, Juneteenth and the present day featuring Western African stews, soul food, barbecue and fine dining.

The series is directed and exec produced by Roger Ross Williams and exec produced by Fabienne Toback and Karis Jagger. It is a One Story Up Production, the company founded by Ross Williams and Geoff Martz.

[SOURCE: DEADLINE]

Sen. Cory Booker Statement on Senate Passage of Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement on Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021:

“After months of bipartisan negotiations, I applaud the Senate for passing the most extensive infrastructure investment our country has seen in decades. This landmark legislation will help create millions of good-paying jobs throughout our country, strengthen our national security, and bolster our economy -- making us more economically competitive with other nations. 

“New Jersey and our country badly need federal investment to modernize our nation’s rail and transit systems, repair our crumbling roads and tunnels and deteriorating water systems, strengthen cyberinfrastructure, expand broadband access, and combat climate change. 

“The IIJA also includes key funding for Amtrak and transit that will support completion of the Gateway Program, funding for the construction and refurbishment of household decentralized wastewater systems that I’ve worked to advance for years, and a toll credit exchange pilot program, ferry operators provision, and wildlife crossing safety program based on my legislation.

“I am proud to have worked with my colleagues in passing this bipartisan legislation and look forward to following it up with a budget bill that will make significant and transformative investments to lower costs for American families, create additional American jobs, and move our country forward in addressing the climate crisis.”

Specifically, the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 will include the following:

 

• $66 billion for passenger and freight rail including $30 billion in dedicated funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor that will address the region’s backlog of repairs and improve service.

 

• $39.2 billion of new investments over baseline funding for a total of $89.9 billion to modernize transit.

 

• $111 billion in new investments in roads and bridges including a $40 billion dedicated program to rebuild our nation’s aging bridges, $16 billion for major projects, and a new program for reconnecting communities that have been historically divided by transportation infrastructure.  

 

• Authorizes $250 million over five years for a new decentralized wastewater systems grant program based on bipartisan legislation by Senators Booker and Capito for the construction and refurbishment of individual household decentralized wastewater systems for low-and moderate income individuals.

 

• A toll credit exchange pilot program, based on legislation by Senator Booker and Senator Shaheen. Senator Booker has long championed this program that will allow New Jersey to potentially sell their excess toll credits in order to increase investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure.

 

• $350 million over five years for a wildlife crossing safety program Senator Booker worked with Senator Barrasso to get over the finish line.

 

• $400 million over five years to create a new grant program that Senator Booker and Senator Whitehouse have championed to reduce emissions from seaports. 

 

• Provisions Senator Booker championed to ensure that certain privately-owned ferry boats and terminals that are deemed essential to a region’s transportation network are eligible for Surface Transportation Block Grant funding to secure that ferry operators in the state are able to provide critical transportation options for commuters. 

 

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is running for U.S. Senate

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is running for U.S. Senate.

Barnes, 34, joins a growing field of Democrats running for the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson. Johnson hasn’t announced yet whether he will seek reelection in 2022.

The lieutenant governor was elected to his current office in 2018, alongside Gov. Tony Evers. He was the first Black lieutenant governor in Wisconsin and the second Black person elected to statewide office. Prior to serving as lieutenant governor, Barnes was a state Assembly lawmaker from 2013-2017. He made a failed bid for state Senate in 2016.

Barnes announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in a tweet:

I’m Mandela Barnes and I’m running to be Wisconsin’s next Senator.

Hard-working families deserve every opportunity, but politicians like Senator Ron Johnson aren’t delivering. Instead of changing our dreams, we need to change the game. Join us.

Barnes said, if elected, he would make racial justice and inequality major focuses of his time in office.

Barnes also pledged to push for higher wages, environmental protections, voting protections, health care accessibility and high speed internet access.

[SOURCE: WPR]

Andrea Stewart-Cousins in line to become next NY Lt. Governor

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation over a sexual harassment scandal means Lt. Gov Kathy Hochul will soon become the state’s first woman governor.

New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is next in line to replace Hochul as lieutenant governor. She would be the first Black woman to serve in the role in New York. Stewart-Cousins was already the first woman Senate majority leader in the state’s history.

“Today is a somber day for the state of New York, but one that demonstrates our ability to build a more accountable system of government. Governor Cuomo’s resignation opens the door to a restorative future,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement.

U.S. Senate to award Congressional Gold Medal to Harlem Hellfighters

The Senate on Monday passed the Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act to award a Congressional Gold Medal to a Black infantry regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters.

The Harlem Hellfighters, the 369th Infantry Regiment, are regarded as the most celebrated African American regiment in World War I, having fought against Germany's forces longer than almost any other American WWI soldiers. The regiment was mostly made up of New Yorkers, with the majority of the enlistees hailing from Harlem.

The Harlem Hellfighters served our nation with distinction, spending 191 days in the front-line trenches, all while displaying the American values of courage, dedication and sacrifice,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the bill's sponsor, said in a statement.

“The Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act honors these brave men, who, even as they faced segregation and prejudice, risked their lives to defend our freedoms," Gillibrand added.

The Hellfighters are the third African American military group to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, after the Tuskegee Airmen in 2007 and the Montford Point Marines in 2011, both of whom fought in World War II.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]