Trump, Black History Month, Tiger Woods, grants, whitney Plantation, — (Photo: Public Domain)

by Jameelah Mullen

August 22, 2024

Donald Trump Gets Testy After Being Told Not To Personally Attack The Obamas

The republican presidential candidate stood behind a bullet-proof vest as he took shots at the Obamas

Donald Trump responded to the Obamas’ speeches at the Democratic National Convention. The former two-term President and First Lady delivered back-to-back speeches where they endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The couple also took shots at her opponent which garnered cheers and laughter from the crowd. Trump responded to Obama’s speeches at a North Carolina campaign rally Wednesday.

“Did you see Barack Hussein Obama last night taking little shots? He was taking shots at your president and so was Michelle,” the convicted felon said.

The failed 2020 presidential candidate later made a reference to his advisors who encouraged him to “stick to policy” and refrain from making personal attacks.

“You know, they always say, ‘Sir, please stick to policy, don’t get personal,’” Trump continued.

“And yet they’re getting personal all night long, these people. Do I still have to stick to policy?”

Michelle Obama skillfully lambasted the republican hopeful by calling out his personal attacks against his democratic adversaries.

“Going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and, quite frankly, it’s unpresidential,” Michelle Obama said.

“It’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better.”

She also referenced Trump’s anti-immigration rant where he suggested that immigrants were taking “Black jobs.”

“Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs, ” Michelle Obama asked.

Her question garnered cheers both at the convention and on social media.

Barack Obama also took a jab at the republican presidential nominee.

“This is a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago,” Obama said, referencing the disgraced former president.

“The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd size,” he said, as he made a hand gesture that may have implied that ‘crowd size’ meant something else. The crowd erupted in laughter.

During his speech Donald Trump promised to “get critical race theory and transgender insanity the hell out of our armed forces” which drew a roar of applause from his supporters, Politico reports.

IVF, Alabama, court ruling, lab, doctor — In vitro fertilization process close up. (Getty Images)

by Sharelle B. McNair

August 22, 2024

Here’s An Inside Look At The Expensive IVF Journey

That's a hefty bill...

Fox 4 News reports that in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, can be an expensive journey depending on where a person lives.

The process allows a human egg to be fertilized outside a person’s body until it develops into an embryo. Once that happens, the embryo can be transferred into the uterus. The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 5, or 19% of married women between the ages of 15 and 49, who have never been pregnant, are unable to conceive after one year of trying. The number of attempts can get expensive.

In the U.S., the average cost of IVF can range close to $20,000 or more, regardless of whether the process is successful or not. Since IVF has become a political hot topic following the controversial ruling of the Alabama Supreme Court, which decided frozen embryos are legally considered children in the state, people undergoing treatment are sharing the financial frustrations behind it. Since health insurance companies are not required to cover IVF treatments in the state of Georgia, Jinsol Madak Hwang said she ended up paying $40,000 for a treatment package.

Her package included just about everything except medications. It also excluded other genetic testing that some parents opt for to determine if the child is at risk for certain diseases or hereditary genetic mutations.

Michigan resident Hana Schoenherr found a less expensive option offered by a clinic in New York for a little under $14,000 after shopping around; however, she said. ”Because I reside in Michigan, this was not an option for me.” Overall, Schoenherr paid $42,000 out of pocket for her treatment, which included medications, egg retrieval, and embryo transfers.

There is one important element of IVF treatment that isn’t included in any package: the cost to keep additional embryos frozen for future pregnancies. The addition costs Hwang nearly $800 a year, while Schoenherr pays $500 annually.

During the 2024 Democratic National Convention, IVF has been at the forefront of announced policies surrounding reproductive health rights. According to The Hill, the DNC released plans that would change the U.S. healthcare system, and it hopes it will entice voters to put Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz in the White House. Democratic lawmakers claim they want to protect access to IVF, strengthen access to contraception, and repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bans abortions from being federally funded.

The process can be a little more complex than meets the eye. Walz, who has made his family’s fertility struggle a core part of his campaign’s narrative, issued a statement with his wife, Gwen, detailing their experience with intrauterine insemination, or IUI. The Walz family disclosed the process as being a little different than those of other people. Under certain circumstances, IUI is often attempted before IVF but isn’t under the same level of political scrutiny since there are limited risks of destroying unused embryos that anti-abortion advocates equate to unborn children. “Like so many who have experienced these challenges, we kept it largely to ourselves at the time – not even sharing the details with our wonderful and close family,” Gwen Walz said in the statement.

“She was a nurse and helped me with the shots I needed as part of the IUI process.”

WNBA, Angel Reese, reese's puffs, cereal — Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

by Stacy Jackson

August 22, 2024

Angel Reese Releases First Collection Of Fan-Requested Reese’s Pieces Partnership

The WNBA star and Reese's Pieces finally joined forces to give fans what they've been begging for with three exclusive collections.

In a collaboration she’s been trying to land for several years, WNBA star player Angel Reese has officially locked in an endorsement deal with The Hershey Company’s Reese’s brand. Fans now have access to a new collection of limited-edition Reese’s-branded apparel.

On Aug. 21, the Chicago Sky player and the candy brand released the Angel Reese x Reese’s Pieces Logo Collection, the first drop of three waves of merchandise. A press release by The Hershey Company stated that the partnership celebrates the fans with nods to the WNBA rookie and the brand. “This collection is for my Reese’s Pieces — who’ve been with me every step of the way, and the design elements bring together things that I love –basketball, style, and of course, Reese’s!” the 22-year-old athlete said.

The Angel Reese x Reese’s Pieces Logo Collection features eight pieces of custom merchandise, including a cropped tee, t-shirt, hoodie, and hat offered in white and cream. The custom designs embrace the American candy’s aesthetic and capture the unique style of the LSU alum who’s made back-to-back fashion statements in the league.

https://twitter.com/Reese10Angel/status/1826273749869772802

It’s not only the thousands of comments from fans that the WNBA star credits for the partnership. Reese also shouted out her manager, Jeanine Juliano, on X for making the deal happen after four years of trying without an agency. “I appreciate the fan support, but @JeanineJuliano DID THIS,” she wrote.

For fans who can’t get their hands on a piece of merchandise from the first collection, stay tuned for the release of two more: the Angel Reese x Reese’s Basketball Jersey and the Angel Reese x Reese’s Cup Logo Collection. Designed in collaboration with the IP and commerce platform Athlete Studio, the custom-made jersey will give fans a fashionable way to represent the athlete and the treat. An additional eight designs will be released in the Cup Logo Collection featuring a custom logo the company says will give fans the ultimate way to “crown” their queen and celebrate the popular peanut butter-filled chocolate.

The Angel Reese x Reese’s Pieces Logo Collection is now available exclusively on the WNBA star’s website.

Gerald Johnson

Gerald Johnson

COMPANY
EVP, Global Manufacturing of General Motors Co.

BOARD
Caterpillar Inc.

startups — (Photo: pixdeluxe/Getty Images)

by Shanique Yates

August 22, 2024

Boom To Bust: Why Startups Are Skyrocketing—And So Are Bankruptcies

According to Carta, a provider of services to private companies, 254 venture-backed startups went bankrupt within the first quarter of 2024. That is seven times higher than the rates in 2019.

Despite an influx of startups across America, the number of business owners filing for bankruptcy has risen equally.

The number of Americans who have turned to entrepreneurship has increased significantly this year. With more than three million new business applications filed in 2024, Inc. reports that this has outpaced the level of eight of the last 10 years, with 420,802 applications filed in July. Currently, the monthly average sits at a rate of 92% higher than numbers before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Carta, a provider of services to private companies, 254 venture-backed startups went bankrupt within the first quarter of 2024. That is seven times higher than the rates in 2019.

Yet, there is still a rising problem around startups closing shop, frequently leaving hundreds of people without employment.

“The number of company closures has been steadily rising for the past two years,” said the company in a statement. “Between Q1 2022 and Q1 2023, the number of shutdowns experienced a 124 percent year-over-year increase. Between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024, the count grew by another 58 percent.”

A September 2023 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center revealed that more than 1 in 5 Black adults in the States believe that “owning a business is essential to financial success.” There are an estimated 3.7 million Black-owned businesses in the U.S.; in 2021, roughly 3% of U.S. businesses were Black-owned.

In 2023, Inc. reports that startups “saw the lowest dollar amount of venture funding since 2018,” which many believe is directly linked to the increasing rate of failed businesses nationwide. With higher rates and bank failures, traditional lending is not an option for many businesses, especially Black-owned companies, who have been widely omitted from financial support when scaling and growing a business.

Due to systemic racism and lack of acces s to resources needed to survive and grow, Black-owned businesses, unfortunately, know all too well what it is like to be denied funding from VC firms, and now other businesses are experiencing the same as investors have pulled back from funding.

Experts cite the overall state of the economy as the reason for the decline in VC firms backing startups across America. Still, DropboxDocSend senior data and trends analyst Justin Izzo remains hopeful for the future.

“If a company plans to raise money in the next six to eight months, I believe the climate will be better than it has been over the past 18 months,” Izzo told Inc. “There’s more likely than not to be a steady drip of funding, then turning more into a stream.”

Still, the alarming bankruptcy rates aren’t stopping aspiring entrepreneurs from hoping to receive a slice of the “American dream” pie.