by Sharelle B. McNair

August 14, 2024

What Was That?! Donald Trump Rambles On During X Interview With Elon Musk

Could the interviews get any weirder?

Former President Donald Trump returned to the social platform X after being reinstated in 2023 for an interview with its owner, Elon Musk.

Trump and Musk spoke for almost two hours on Aug. 12 after dealing with some technical issues that stopped X users from joining. As users posted screenshots of their technical problems, Musk blamed the issue on a “massive DDOS,” or denial-of-service attack, that must’ve targeted the platform.

“As this massive attack illustrates, there’s a lot of opposition to people just hearing what President Trump has to say,” Musk said to listeners.

The two conservatives touched on an array of topics about the indicted businessman’s campaign, including the assassination attempt on Trump, immigration views, the future of energy being produced and the economy.

Musk, who has offered millions of dollars in financial support to Trump’s White House bid, provided his view on climate change, promoting how the United States should avoid vilifying the oil and gas industry but “should lean in the direction of sustainability.” In the past, Trump claimed to be an advocate for “clean air” and “clean water,” but has openly denied believing in climate change.

This is just completely insane:

Elon Musk goes into an incredibly detailed breakdown of CO2, clean energy and climate change that I think is very moderate and fair, and Trump responds quickly turning the conversation on its head to make it about the dangers of nuclear bombs.… pic.twitter.com/W9HggbOxpb
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) August 13, 2024

While discussing immigration, Musk, who was born in South Africa, said he thinks legal immigration is a good thing and labeled most of the people who cross the border illegally as “good people.” But he advocated for a more robust vetting process in an effort to stop dangerous migrants from crossing into the country. Trump’s extreme views on border patrol have prompted false narratives, including that other nations have emptied inmates of their prisons and mental institutions into the Southern border.

Trump even claimed that some are entering the United States and speaking languages no one has heard.

As conversation topics targeted some of the country’s leading business owners, some raised concerns about how Trump overpowered close to an hour of the conversation. According to Business Insider, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban noted how long Trump spoke over Musk.

“Aren’t most conversations a little more balanced?” he noted. “Shouldn’t both participants ask the other questions rather than only one asking?”

Other business owners like Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, took another route and asked Musk to request insight from the GOP presidential candidate on topics he has dodged, like celebrating the fictional cannibalistic villain from the 1991 film, The Silence of the Lambs. Levie later deleted his post.

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has a strained relationship with both Musk and Trump, called the interview a “complete failure.” “Glitchy. Tech issues. Uncomfortable silences. A complete failure to launch. And that’s just the candidate,” Newsom said on the platform.

Some CEOs praised the conversation, like Mark Pincus, the founder of Zynga and the creator of FarmVille. “Trump is strong in conversation. Hate me for stating truths!” he said.

by Daniel Johnson

August 14, 2024

NY Mayor Eric Adams Criticized For Alleged Pay-To-Play Scheme

A Queens waste hauling company won a series of licenses from the Adams administration following donations made by employees and owners of the company to his 2021 mayoral campaign.

After a Queens waste hauling company won a series of licenses from New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration following donations made by owners of the company to his 2021 mayoral campaign, some are accusing the administration of running a pay-to-play scheme.

According to The Gothamist, five employees of Royal Waste Services (RWS) allegedly donated a total of $10,800 to the Adams campaign on June 7, 2021. One employee donated $4,000, double the limit allowed by New York campaign law. As a result, half of this sum was returned to the employee by the Adams campaign.

Earlier in 2024, RWS was one of 18 waste management services that received a contract to pick up trash from businesses, part of a larger initiative to streamline the city’s commercial waste management system. As it relates to the donations, the company was flagged when Adams’ 2021 election fund was audited by the Campaign Finance Board.

The board is now demanding that the Adams administration explain how the money was raised and whether or not the company’s donations were bundled as a way to get around the legal limits imposed on campaign donations.

According to the sanitation department’s spokesperson Joshua Goodman, RWS received no special treatment in relation to its donation. “The ethical standards set forth in the contracts are above and beyond what many advocates expected, and we are not afraid to enforce them,” Goodman told The Gothamist.

However, according to Rachel Fauss, a policy advisor with Reinvent Albany, groups or companies suspected of bundling donations are subject to scrutiny because they could be using New York City’s matching funds program to illegally use taxpayer money to fund a campaign.

“It’s definitely a way of increasing the amount of influence you want to show if you’re gathering donations from a bunch of people,” Fauss told The Gothamist. “It’s a way of amplifying your standing with a campaign in a way you can’t do on your own because you are subject to limits.”

Council member Sandy Nurse, who chaired the city’s sanitation department until 2024, seems to believe that the Adams administration is not acting appropriately.

“It seems like based on the investigations surrounding different people both in the administration and potentially with the mayor, pay-to-play is standard operating procedure for this administration,” Nurse told the outlet. “I’m not surprised, but it is disappointing.”

Prior to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s overhaul of the commercial sanitation system, it was the focus of several protests from labor groups accusing the private companies of employee mistreatment.

Thus, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards supported the reforms and expressed hope to The Gothamist that the reformed system would allow for watchdogs to keep a close eye on companies like RWS.

“One of the reasons we did waste zones obviously was to make sure that we could narrow the companies down, that we can really see some signs of accountability when it comes to worker safety, when it comes to pollution when it comes to garbage in our neighborhoods. We’ll be watching with a keen eye to make sure that if Royal does not adhere and do better by the community that they’re held accountable.”

Black-owned Businesses, New Orleans, Startup Noir NOLA

by Sharelle B. McNair

August 14, 2024

Black Businesses Feel Their Success Is Ignored By Media ‘Best Of’ Lists

Support Black-owned businesses!

NHPR reports that Black businesses are frustrated about being left off popular media “best of” lists and feel their success is being ignored.

Magazines and online publications are known for publishing “best of” lists to promote local businesses and give residents an open window to the “go-to” places in their cities and towns. But what’s missing are Black-owned businesses, and their owners and advocates feel overlooked. Hairdresser DeAndrea Abrahams says she sees close to eight customers a day, which equates to over 150 customers a month.

Despite her success, Abrahams has been left off the West Hartford, Connecticut list. “It definitely crosses my mind; it is a bit bothersome,” she said.

The process of curating these lists varies depending on the city. However, advocates feel the process needs to change. “It would be good for these other larger publications to start embracing the richness of the culture that exists in Connecticut,” ShopBlackCT.com owner Yvette Young said.

“Are [publications] willing to say, ‘Let’s make sure we put in a more diverse group of businesses so that the output will be more representative of the communities that we serve?’”

Young’s website, an online directory created to find Black-owned businesses across the state, was created during the COVID-19 pandemic. She noticed how a lack of support for Black businesses resulted in closures at alarming rates, and the trend was happening across the country. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York report revealed Black businesses experienced a 41% decline, the most of any racial demographic, between February and April 2020. “There’s no reason why in 2024 we’re having this conversation,” Young said.

“It is not an all-white state. It shouldn’t take these special projects to be able to bring forth 2,000-plus Black-owned businesses and give them a space to exist.”

The finger points to the lack of media coverage, translating to fewer business opportunities to grow and be recognized. “It’s a cycle,” Young said. “Without media coverage, Black businesses don’t get the same foot traffic, they don’t get the same sales, and they can’t grow at the same rate.”

However, some media outlets, including Black Enterprise, promote lists conducive to Black business growth, including the best places for startups and financial resources. In March 2024, Atlanta topped the list of best cities for businesses to be creative. For Black Business Month, BE comprised a list of the best financial resources as many Black entrepreneurs struggle to find bank loans, seed money, expansion funds, and credit.

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For Abrahams, being featured on these lists isn’t just about the accolades but the opportunities that come with it. “It opens doors,” she said. “People take you a little more seriously.”

In June 2024, CNN put together a list of 50 Black-owned businesses to support, breaking the businesses down by industry, including beauty, cookware, games, and more.

Paris, 2024, sport, breaking, breakdancing, Olympics, Jeffrey Louis, U.S.A., U.S., competition

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 14, 2024

Was Breakdancing At The Olympics A One-Trick Pony?

The hip-hop artform competition will not take place at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Breakdancing debuted at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and although there was a mixed reaction from fans and non-fans of the dance form, which originated in hip-hop, the competition will not take place in the 2028 Summer Olympics.

That’s not the only change we will witness in four years.

According to NBC News, there will be some changes with the next set of games pitting athletes from around the globe coming back to the United States. The Los Angeles Olympics marks the the first time the games have been on domestic soil since Atlanta hosted the 1996 Olympics. It feels like breakdancing would be a natural fit there given its hip-hop (and distinctively American) roots.

As for why it’s not on the schedule, according to the World DanceSport Federation, the LA28 organizing committee made that decision. Starting with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the hosting country determines which new sports will be included in that country’s year of having the games. That rule was put in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the game’s governing body. While Paris placed breakdancing in the schedule, Los Angeles opted for baseball-softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse, and squash for 2028.

“It’s up to each local organizing committee to determine which [additional] sports to put forward that fit with their vision of the Games,” said IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell. “Obviously, breaking fits very clearly with Paris’ vision of a very youth-focused urban engagement.”

There is still hope that breakdancing returns to the Olympics when it is held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2032. Maybe adding the various new entries in Los Angeles will allow the absence of the hip-hop art form to be brought back in time for the Olympics in eight years.

Another sport that may not be part of the Summer Olympics in 2028 is boxing. Its return seems unlikely, NBC News noted, because ” a new world governing body will have to coalesce in coming months to make sure the sweet science will be practiced in Los Angeles.”

Male Wellness Agency, Black Men's Wellness

by Daniel Johnson

August 13, 2024

5th Annual Black Men’s Wellness Day Seeks To Save Black Men’s Health

Kenny R. Hampton, the president of the African American Male Wellness Agency, said in the press release that he hopes to spur a movement that creates health equity and empowerment for Black men.

The African American Male Wellness Agency published a press release on Aug. 1 announcing that it will hold its 5th Annual Black Men’s Wellness Day on Sept. 14, 2024, on the campus of Morehouse College.

According to The Atlanta Voice, the free event is aimed at getting Black men to participate in onsite health screenings that measure various vital signs such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, HIV/STD/STI status, prostate cancer, and more.

Keith Dobbins, the Atlanta coordinator for the African American Male Wellness Agency, told the outlet that the event is about saving Black men’s lives.

(Photo: Courtesy of African American Male Wellness Agency)

“We do this every year to save the lives of Black men,” Dobbins said. “If you save a Black man’s life, you save his family. When you save the family, you save the community. And that’s what we’re all about, affecting massive change through the health of Black men.”

According to the press release, Greg Clay, the City of Atlanta’s executive director with the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services, will serve as the Honorary Chair at the event. Clay indicated his excitement, saying, “I am extremely excited to lead this annual effort here in Atlanta, as we work to impact health disparities, along with other issues, in my role with the city on a daily basis,” Clay said. “This proactive movement is a true depiction of Atlanta’s Group Project, working together to fight our community’s biggest challenges facing Black men.”

Kenny R. Hampton, the president of the African American Male Wellness Agency, said in the press release that he hopes to spur a movement that creates health equity and empowerment for Black men.

“Black Men’s Wellness Day in Atlanta is more than just an event–it’s a movement toward health equity and empowerment for African American men,” Hampton said. “By addressing the health disparities that disproportionately affect our community, we are not only improving individual lives but also strengthening families and communities. Our mission is to provide the tools and resources necessary for Black men to lead healthier, longer lives, and this event is crucial to making that vision a reality.”

The event’s sponsors include Johnson & Johnson, CareSource, Genentech, Kaiser Permanente, Kroger Delivery, Care Access, and Inside Edge Consulting.

According to the release, since 2004, the group Hampton presides over has produced or held a 5K walk and run in more than 15 cities, which it uses as an awareness campaign to illuminate the health disparities Black men specifically face. It has been the work of the organization over the last 20 years to help save the lives of Black men, close the health disparity gap, and help Black men survive preventable diseases.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 13, 2024

Angel Reese Wants Spotlight Back On Current Team USA As Media Eyes 2028 Squad

Despite her own Olympic dreams, Angel Reese wants the focus to stay on the current Team USA.

Angel Reese slammed the media for focusing on the next Olympic squad right after the U.S. Women’s Basketball team won gold in Paris.

The critique came after the WNBA rookie spotted an ESPN article on prospects for Los Angeles’ 2028 summer games. Considering the piece dropped the same day as Team USA’s historic win, Reese quickly shut down any conversation on X.

Let’s just congratulate these women & let them enjoy this moment! Leave me out of this until my time comes! 😇 https://t.co/tMK1jr9tdZ
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) August 11, 2024

“Let’s just congratulate these women & let them enjoy this moment,” expressed the Chicago Sky star. “Leave me out of this until my time comes!”

Though Reese would rather her name be kept out of the media’s mouth until she’s on the international court, she does want to earn her own Olympic gold medal one day. She recently shared her ambitions in a pre-game chat with reporters.

“I want to be an Olympian by 2028,” revealed Reese in July, as reported by Sports Illustrated. “I think I have time to just be able to continue to grow.”

She added, “I take pride in everything—being able to be from the United States and being able to wear those three letters across your chest. So that’s something that I do have as one of my goals, to be an Olympian and being able to play with a special class and great players like the women that are playing right now.”

Reese’s dream could definitely come to fruition, given her already impressive WNBA rookie season. In her first year alone, she earned a spot on the league’s All-Star roster. She helped secure a win for Team WNBA against USA Basketball during the All-Star weekend in July.

by Daniel Johnson

August 13, 2024

Terminated Southwest Airlines Supervisor Sues Airline For Harassment, Racial Discrimination

Joseph Pitts, a former Southwest Airlines supervisor, filed a lawsuit against his former employer on July 29 in San Mateo County Superior Courts.

Joseph Pitts, a former Southwest Airlines supervisor, filed a lawsuit against his former employer on July 29 in San Mateo County Superior Courts, alleging that the airline engaged in racial discrimination, harassment, wrongful firing, and retaliation.

“It makes me have this anxiety, it makes me feel, ‘Was it the right thing that I did?’ Because you’re jobless, you don’t have any income,” Pitts, 53, told The Mercury News.

Pitts said he was referred by other employees, including Black employees, as the n-word. He said he did not want to be addressed in that manner, but the behavior continued. “I didn’t want to come to work and hear that, ” he explained. “I knew it was going to stir up a pot, but these working conditions are not right. For a Fortune 500 company, I wouldn’t think they would have this going on.”

As a result of his repeated complaints to his supervisors, Pitts was informed that a ramp agent had allegedly threatened to lodge grievances against him in an attempt to get him fired.

According to the lawsuit, in October 2023, Pitts asked a Southwest Airlines administrator if he had heard about the frequent use of the n-word at the Southwest facility. After the administrator responded affirmatively, Pitts told him about three employees he alleged were targeting him.

Pitts also received threats from a manager to fire him over his attendance and threatened to fire or demote him, his lawsuit claims. In November, Pitts and another supervisor were talking in a supervisor’s office, next to the employee break room, and a ramp agent walked into the break room, where they allegedly loudly complained that workers were not allowed to “say the b-word and the n-word anymore,” then used profanity before saying the n-word.

According to the lawsuit, shortly after, when Pitts walked into the break room, he was glared at menacingly.

In December, Pitts was informed by a manager that he was fired after it had been determined that he failed to assist in the investigation. As a result, Pitts had to go into his retirement funds and has yet to find a job. His sick wife has puts off necessary medical expenses.

“Why would you do this to somebody who was trying to make changes, who was trying to tell you that these people are violating company policy?” Pitts told The Mercury News. “Why would you do this to me?”

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 13, 2024

After Recent $2M Investment, Dallas Wings Becomes Most Valuable WNBA Team

The Wings currently having a valuation of $208 million, topping the Las Vegas Aces $140 million.

Having the worst record in the league has not stopped the Dallas Wings from becoming the most valuable team in the WNBA.

According to Front Office Sports, the Wings, currently tied for last place in the WNBA standings with a 6-19 record, have emerged as the team with the highest valuation after recent moves. The Texas-based team is valued at $208 million after two investors (Jed Kaplan and Randy Eisenman) recently purchased a 1% stake at $2.08 million. Based on the numbers posted earlier this year, that figure places the Wings as the top-valued team.

Sportico posted estimates for each WNBA team in June. The media outlet estimated that the current WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, were on top with $140 million. The Seattle Storm was in second with an estimated worth of $135 million, and the New York Liberty was right behind them with $130 million.

The Sports Journal reported that recent moves by the Wings, listed as being worth $75 million in June, were able to surpass that total based on several factors. The team plans to move into a new arena after the city of Dallas provided it with a $19 million cash incentive. The city wants the Wings to be the primary tenant of a renovated Memorial Auditorium that will open in 2026. There is a proposed practice facility, gains in attendance and sponsorships this season, an expected new local television contract, and the WNBA’s proposed over $2.2 billion media rights deal.

“I would say the value of anything is what the market’s willing to pay,” said Bibb, the Wings’ president, CEO, and partner. “I can make a compelling case for why that $208 million number is justifiable.

“Certainly, we’re not talking about a business that’s stagnating … it’s quite the opposite. What we are doing today is going to be significantly outpaced by what we do tomorrow.”

CEOs, corporate America, Kamala Harrs, endorsement

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 13, 2024

It’s A Serious Matter! Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Forms PAC To Support Kamala Harris

The members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. are mobilizing their political power with the launch of AKA 1908 PAC.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign gained momentum this week as her sorority formed a political action committee.

On Monday, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority PAC, Inc., or AKA 1908 PAC, was announced in response to Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Harris. Now, through the PAC, the historically Black sorority can accept donations of up to $5,000 from its members and their families to support federal campaigns and political parties, according to Politico reports.

Kiahna Davis, the regional director for the sorority’s central region, is listed as the PAC’s treasurer. The move makes the organization the first Black sorority to launch its own official PAC. It follows other Greek organizations with official federal fundraising operations, including fellow Divine Nine organization Phi Beta Sigma, which operates its own PAC and the Fraternity & Sorority Political Action Committee launched by fraternity and sorority leaders in 2005 to support candidates “who defend and enhance the fraternity and sorority experience.”

Harris is a proud Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. member who refers to sorority members as her “family.” She most recently attended a national gathering for another Divine Nine sorority, Zeta Phi Beta’s Grand Boulé, earlier this summer.

Since being named as the Democratic nominee following Biden’s exit, every Divine Nine president pledged in a statement to “meet this critical moment in history with an unprecedented voter registration, education, and mobilization coordinated campaign.”

Harris has never had an issue garnering support from her sorority. When she was announced as Biden’s running mate in 2020, their campaign received an onslaught of donations totaling $19.08, a nod to the year the sorority was founded at Howard University.

Following the official launch of her presidential campaign, Harris became the first to host an event at the White House for the leaders of the Divine Nine. With a network of over two million alums, the Divine Nine represents a significant political force both parties are eager to mobilize before the November election.

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 13, 2024

Jordan Chiles’ Sister Weighs In On Olympic Medal Scandal: ‘Racism Is Real’

Chiles' sister proclaimed that "racism is real" amid the backlash the gymnast has faced in the medal controversy.

Jordan Chiles’ sister, Jazmin, who was ordered to return her Olympic bronze medal, claims racism is at play in the public backlash.

Chiles secured bronze during the gymnastics floor final after submitting an initially successful inquiry that boosted her score. The score increase led to Chiles beating Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu for the medal.

However, upon the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee requesting a review and potential appeal of the scoring, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reversed the decision. As it stands, CAS has asked Chiles to return her bronze medal.

Upon learning the heartbreaking news, Jazmin took to social media on Aug. 10 to defend her younger sibling from the racist backlash.

“Racism is real, it exists, it is alive and well,” she wrote in her Instagram stories, as restated by People. “They have officially, five days later, stripped her of one of her medals. Not because she didn’t win, not because she was drugged, not because she stepped out of bounds, not because she wasn’t good enough.”

Jazmin continued, “But because the judges failed to give her difficulty and forced an inquiry to be made. Her bronze was stripped over 4 seconds of time that would have never needed to happen if the judges did their job.”

Jazmin clarified that the racism she was denouncing stemmed from public comments, not the Olympic committee itself. However, she still noted that Chiles was being subjected to the usual treatment by the committee.

She added, “…In the HISTORY of the Olympics, NO ONE has ever been stripped of their medal for this. Also, there are only TWO ways you can be stripped of a medal. Cheating or Doping. She did neither…Just give the other girls a bronze and leave it at that! Period.”

Chiles, who still won gold in the all-around Gymnastics finals, has remained off social media to protect her mental health amid the controversy. While she has stayed offline, the Olympic & Paralympic Committee has continued its fight on her behalf. However, CAS rejected their appeal of the new ruling.

As we continue to celebrate the successes of Team USA Gymnasts on social media, know that we are still working full-time to pursue justice for Jordan.
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) August 13, 2024

Despite the outcome, USA Gymnastics declared their ongoing commitment to pursuing justice for Chiles and maintaining her medal.