April Reign Calls Out Ana Navarro For Being All Up In President Obama’s Face

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 22, 2024

April Reign Calls Out Ana Navarro For Being All Up In President Obama’s Face

April Reign doesn't think Ana Navarro should be the one to fix President Obama's tie.

“The View” co-host Ana Navarro thought she was helping Barack Obama by fixing his tie. But journalist April Reign thinks Navarro was “out of bounds.”

Reign reposted her response to Navarro’s touchy-feely photo op with Barack, in which she touched his chest and kissed him on the cheek.

“Somebody had to fix his tie. So Chacha and I pitched-in,” Navarro captioned her post.

But Reign shot back, telling Navarro to delete her post because it didn’t come off as wholesome as she intended.

“Girl, delete this. You are not that somebody, or whatever Aaliyah said,” Reign sarcastically wrote. “You know this is out of bounds, which is why you locked the responses.”

Girl, delete this. You are not that somebody, or whatever Aaliyah said. You know this is out of bounds, which is why you locked the responses. https://t.co/Ftc21NGjiQ
— April (@ReignOfApril) August 21, 2024

Reign went on to seemingly accuse Navarro of being inappropriate with Barack Obama while his wife Michelle Obama was just feet away.

“Because what you NOT gon do is imply YOU needed to fix his tie, when Michelle was right around the corner in the green room,” Reign continued.

“You and your purse dog need to remember your place, and it’s not within tie distance of our POTUS. Like literally how dare you.”

Another user called out Navarro for playing nice with the former President despite how much she publicly criticized him on “The View.”

“Not that it matters, but I remember her being very critical of him when he was in office. Now she’s the fixer? Lol,” the user wrote.

“YOU.SEE.IT,” Reign wrote in response.

“Wasn’t she a Republican up until Trump? Can never trust those types,” added someone else.

Another user called Navarro out for shutting down the comments section on the tweet of her touchy photos with Obama.

“Locked them comments down quick!” they quipped.

Navarro might have voted Republican in past elections, but this election year, she describes herself in her Twitter bio as a “proud Nicaraguan-AMERICAN.”

“I love America, imperfections and all. In 2024, I’m a single-issue voter: for Trump to lose,” she adds.

by Stacy Jackson

August 22, 2024

Voters Fired Up During Oprah Winfrey’s Speech At DNC Celebrating ‘Best Of America’

“Voting is the best of America!” Oprah hypes up Kamala Harris and tells DNC voters to vote based on values and loyalty to the Constitution.

Oprah Winfrey had Chicago fired up as she took the podium on Wednesday during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) to speak on the night’s theme of “freedom.”

The surprise speech, which the medial mogul gave ahead of the party’s vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, addressed the “best of America” and pumped up voters to back and elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States. “We can’t wait to leave here and do something!” Winfrey said to voters as they held up “USA” signs. She said the “best of America” are the new freedom fighters, the men and women fighting to keep the country from going back. “When we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.”

She shared her testimony about facing and witnessing racism firsthand in America and explained that the country is an ongoing project that requires commitment, hard work, and standing up to life’s bullies.

“I’ve seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division,” the 70-year-old television producer told voters. “I’ve not only seen it. At times, I’ve been on the receiving end of it.” Despite the adversity, Winfrey continued, “We are not so different from our neighbors.” She supported her remarks, stating, “When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. We just try to do the best we can to save them.”

She asserted her pride in Americans who prioritize lending a helping hand when it matters most, something the award-winning talk show host said she’s witnessed from both conservatives and liberals.

“And If the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.” The crowd cheered as she threw the indirect jab at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, who BLACK ENTERPRISE previously mentioned, slighted Democratic leaders in 2021, describing them as “childless cat ladies.”

She spoke to the room about the present state of America, which she labeled as “complicated,” and emphasized the importance of welcoming “adult conversations” and civilized debate.

With a cheering crowd rooting for every remark from The Color Purple actress, she directed her speech to the topic of abortion. “If you cannot control how you bring your children into this world and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream.” Winfrey reminded voters of women like the late New Orleans native Tessie Prevost Williams, who BE previously remembered as one of four Black girls who bravely integrated New Orleans public schools in 1960 after the Supreme Court ruled segregation in schools was unconstitutional.

“Soon and very soon,” Winfrey said, the world will be teaching their children about how Harris, the daughter of two immigrants, an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, became the 47th POTUS. Bringing the crowd to chant “USA,” she said, “That is the best of America!”

Winfrey, who is registered as an Independent, said that as an American, she will vote again and again. “Voting is the best of America!” She encouraged voters to vote based on values and character. “Decency and respect are on the ballot for 2024,” she said. “Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect.” She further advised supporters to contribute to the “best of America” by choosing loyalty to the Constitution over any individual, optimism over cynicism, inclusion over retribution, common sense over nonsense, and the “sweet turn of tomorrow over the bitter return of yesterday.”

“We won’t be set back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back,” she asserted. “We’re not going back.” The crowd chanted the words after her as she urged the voters in the room to choose honor, joy, and freedom as they head to election polls this November.

Family Of Teenager Sues Detroit Judge Who Had Her Handcuffed And Jailed After Falling Asleep In Courtroom

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

August 22, 2024

Family Of Teenager Sues Detroit Judge Who Had Her Handcuffed And Jailed After Falling Asleep In Courtroom

Judge Kenneth King is being sued for $75,000 by the family of 15-year-old Eva Goodman.

A judge from Detroit was temporarily removed from the bench after he had a teen girl handcuffed and threatened to place her in jail for sleeping in his courtroom. Now, the family of that young girl has stated they are filing a lawsuit against that judge for his actions.

According to The Detroit News, Judge Kenneth King is being sued after a 15-year-old girl fell asleep while he was speaking to students on a field trip organized by a nonprofit group, The Greening of Detroit. When the teen was caught sleeping, he admonished her for it, and according to a YouTube video posted by WXYZ-TV, he said, “You fall asleep in my courtroom one more time, I’m putting you in the back, understood?”

According to the lawsuit, when he realized that she fell asleep once again, he ordered her to be jailed and handcuffed. He made her take off her clothes and placed her in prison wear. He then held a “fake trial” with her classmates as jurors, which was shown live on the internet.

“Then, making a mockery of the justice guaranteed by the due process clauses of the United States Constitution, while panning the camera to focus upon his juvenile audience for the benefit of his internet fans, Defendant JUDGE KING asked (the teen’s) peers to serve as a fake jury of public opinion and decide whether to let her go home to her mother and grandmother or to serve time in the juvenile jail that he had but moments before denigrated as unfit.”

Attorney James Harrington, representing the family, stated this incident occurred on Aug. 13 when the court was not in session.

CBS Detroit identified the teenager as Eva Goodman. It stated that the family seeks $75,000 for past, present, and future pain and suffering, medical expenses, including psychological and psychiatric treatment, exemplary damages, and attorney and expert witness fees.

Goodman’s mother, Latoreya Till, said, “I just want Judge King to take accountability for the way that he humiliated my daughter. It’s hard for her to sleep at night. She’s asking me, ‘Why did the judge do me like this out of all the kids?'”

King’s attorney, Todd Perkins, issued a statement on behalf of the judge:

“He is remorseful and sorry if any young person was hurt, as any actions by Judge King would never seek to have that as an intended consequence. He only wants the best outcome for this young person and all young people. She matters. They matter. They are our future.”

According to a statement from 36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico, King has been temporarily removed from his docket and will undergo training “to address the underlying issues that contributed to this incident. “

by Shanique Yates

August 22, 2024

Chick-fil-A May Soon Expand Beyond Chicken Sandwiches With Family-Friendly Streaming Platform

There are currently speculations that the casual fast-food restaurant is working alongside Glassman Media to produce a family-friendly gameshow to live on the company’s streaming platform.

Chick-fil-A is taking its talents beyond the food industry with its streaming platform.

The fast-food giant will reportedly launch original content in the streaming world. Deadline reported that the company has already begun working with major production companies to create family-friendly shows within the unscripted, or reality television, space.

While the platform’s name and launch date have not been set, the source says Chick-fil-A will begin rolling out content toward the end of the year.

Since its inception in Hapeville, Georgia, in 1946, under its initial name, The Dwarf Grill, the casual fast-food restaurant is best known for its fried chicken sandwiches and having its doors closed on Sundays as well as meeting customers with the warm “it’s our pleasure” greeting at some point during an interaction. Today, Chick-fil-A operates more than 3,000 restaurants across the United States.

According to the source, Chick-fil-A’s foray into the entertainment industry is said to be positive for reality television, which, per Deadline, has witnessed a decline in viewership and interest in recent years. Another insider noted that this is good for the casual fast-food chain compared to branded content.

The company isn’t the only non-entertainment brand making a foray into original content; Airbnb previously produced a documentary, Gay Chorus Deep South, that aired on MTV. Ride-share company Lyft also created a game show, Lucky Lyft, hosted by Bob the Drag Queen.

There is speculation that the casual fast-food restaurant works alongside Glassman Media to produce a family-friendly gameshow on the company’s streaming platform. However, this isn’t the first time that Chick-fil-A has created content for its brand. Previously, it launched a series of short, animated films titled Stories of Evergreen Hills on its website.

Moreover, the restaurant is no stranger to branching out beyond the food service industry, with a line of children’s puzzles and games created under its Pennycake brand imprint.

by Daniel Johnson

August 22, 2024

IRS Issues Guidance On Employer Matching Of Student Loan Payments

After initially offering limited guidance on the revised contribution plan, on Aug. 19, the IRS released more robust guidance, defining what constitutes a qualified student loan payment, who qualifies for regular employer-sponsored matches, and sets the minimum number of contributions at one per fiscal year.

In December 2023, the Secure 2.0 Act was passed, and a number of provisions in the act were set to go into effect in 2024; among them was the ability of employers to match student loan payments similar to 401(K)’s. According to Business Insider, the program allows student loan payments to be treated as qualifying contributions toward 401(K) plans, 403(b) plans, or other retirement savings plans. It uses the same calculation as contributions pulled directly from an employee’s paycheck.

After initially offering limited guidance on the revised contribution plan, on Aug. 19, the IRS released more robust guidance, defining what constitutes a qualified student loan payment, who qualifies for regular employer-sponsored matches, and sets the minimum number of contributions at one per fiscal year.

According to the IRS, “For a qualified education loan to be treated as incurred by an employee, the employee who makes a payment on the qualified education loan must have a legal obligation to make the payment under the terms of the loan. In general, a cosigner has a legal obligation to make payments under the terms of a loan, but unless the primary borrower defaults under a loan, a guarantor does not have a legal obligation to make payments under the loan. For example, if an eligible employee is a cosigner on a qualified education loan for the employee’s dependent, both the eligible employee and the dependent may have a legal obligation to make payments under the terms of the loan. However, only the individual who makes payments under the qualified education loan can receive a QSLP match on account of those payments.”

According to Teresa Greenip, a CFP and senior wealth manager at Aspirant, “Student loan debt can be a significant drain on household income, shifting resources away from basic necessities, retirement savings, and other goals such as purchasing a home,” Greenip told Business Insider. “Eliminating student loan debt can benefit the economy by shifting household resources from debt repayment to investment and spending, as well as increased personal productivity.”

Greenip continued, “Employee deferrals to retirement plans are administered by employers themselves, so it’s relatively easy to track contributions. Since employers do not track student loan repayments, this adds a layer of complexity and administrative support that will be needed to offer the benefit.”

Andy Banducci, the senior vice president for Retirement and Compensation Policy at the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a national advocacy organization representing large employers that provide health, retirement, paid leave, and other benefits to their employees. According to Banducci, ERIC lobbied Congress for a tax law change and issued the following statement to Forbes: “ERIC’s member companies are committed to the financial wellbeing of their employees, including those with outstanding student loans. That is why we lobbied Congress to enact a tax law change allowing employers to make retirement plan matching contributions on account of workers’ qualified student loan payments. We applaud the IRS for issuing interim guidance implementing this change and look forward to providing technical comments to the IRS in the coming weeks.”

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 22, 2024

Craig Mack Real Cause Of Death Revealed To Be Complications From HIV/AIDS

A look into Craig Mack's personal health records has revealed his real cause of death to be from HIV/AIDS complications.

A look into Craig Mack’s personal health records has revealed his real cause of death to be from HIV/AIDS complications.

At the time of Mack’s 2018 death, his family reported his passing as the result of congestive heart failure. However, according to a recent article from Rolling Stone, the Bad Boy rapper’s death certificate confirmed HIV/AIDS as the cause of death.

It’s rumored that Mack denied treatment for his ailing health due to his involvement in a religious cult. The article makes mention of the “last day prophet” Mack allegedly followed who believed that barcodes on items were reportedly “a mark of the beast.”

In 2007, Craig Mack left the music industry and lived his final years with an extremist religious group.

The church was run by a “last day prophet,” who believed barcodes bore the mark of the beast and warned about an imminent third world war.

Story: https://t.co/eBkC2DeDQA https://t.co/eYm6wQCQzw pic.twitter.com/OAeEXG5EXn
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) August 16, 2024

During his life, Mack was hailed as a pioneer within Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment record label. His 1993 hit “Flava In Ya Ear” served as a hip-hop anthem in the early 1990s and helped put Diddy’s then-burgeoning record label on the map.

In 1994 Mack released his debut album Project: Funk da World which featured the hit single and earned him a Grammy nomination. His rap career was short-lived as he found it difficult to follow up the success of his debut single. With Diddy going on to sign big name artists to Bad Boy like The Notorious B.I.G., Mase, and 112, Craig Mack was easily overlooked before being forgotten entirely.

Born in Queens, New York, Mack eventually relocated to Walterboro, South Carolina where he passed away in March 2018 at age 47. During his time on Bad Boy, Mack was working hard to try and get out of the label, his family says.

He initially filed for bankruptcy to get out of his deal after his sophomore album, Operation: Get Down. When that didn’t work, Mack met with Suge Knight to consider signing with his Death Row records. Suge reportedly offered Mack a $1.25 million recording budget and a $200,000 advance.

However, once Diddy found out, he forced Mack to drop his bankruptcy claim and buy out his Bad Boy contract in order to leave the label.

“Puff was pissed [Mack was] leaving Bad Boy and the fact that he was going to go with Suge,” Mack’s ex-wife Roxanne Alexis Hill Johnson said. “From what I understand, Puff was enraged. Puffy became a vindictive bastard and really stuck it to him for doing that.”

Johnson claims Mack was afraid of Diddy and blames the hip-hop mogul for the rapper’s career downfall. The revelations into his real cause of death come amid a drastic fall from grace for Diddy, who’s locked in a series of legal battles based on allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking.

Buy From A Black Woman, Hilton Hotels, Racist, Racism

by Mitti Hicks

August 22, 2024

Black Couple Acquires A 120-Room Full-Service Hotel In Louisiana After Raising $2.8M

This is the second property Norland and Dr. Amina James acquired in the south.

Norland and Dr. Amina James, the Black couple who made history by purchasing the Quality Inn in Memphis Northeast, just secured another property in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, in 2022, the two acquired the 70-room Memphis property for $3.85 million with the help of a cohort of first-time African American hotel investors. They then raised $2.8 million to purchase Wyndham Lake Charles – a 120-room full-service hotel.

According to Development Wyndham, less than 2% of hotel owners nationwide identify as Black.

While the hotel is currently open for reservations, renovations are underway to transform the property into an upscale Wyndham resort with a restaurant, bar, and meeting space by 2025.

“We’re creating a space that is for everyone,” Dr. Amina says. “It will be the perfect choice of accommodations for vacations, family reunions, and business trips alike.”

Black Business reports that the hotel project is backed by a majority of Black investors and managed by the Black-owned management company Synergy Hospitality Group.

Inside the hotel, guests will immediately notice what the owners call “affordable luxury.” The hotel features a two-story lobby with charming black-and-white tiled flooring, abundant natural light, and the newly branded hotel restaurant Renaissance Bar & Grill, which will offer southern comfort food with a Creole flair.

Located three hours from Louisiana’s bustling city, New Orleans, Lake Charles is considered the state’s playground, with a beautiful blend of Cajun, Creole, and Native American influences.

There’s no shortage of fun in Lake Charles. The city hosts approximately 70 festivals, attracting thousands of visitors annually.

“Lake Charles is such a great place to visit with family and friends,” Norland said in a statement. “There’s so much to do from the casinos to sports and festivals. It’s ideal for a long weekend or quiet getaway.”

fannie lou hamer, NJ, Mississippi Freedom Trail, marker

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

August 22, 2024

It’s Been 60 Years Since Fannie Lou Hamer’s ‘Is This America’ Speech At The DNC

The 2024 Democratic National Convention comes 60 years after Fannie Lou Hamer's famed "Is this America" speech at the 1964 DNC.

The 2024 Democratic National Convention is seeing the country unite to nominate someone who could become the first Black woman president. The historical event comes 60 years after Fannie Lou Hamer’s famed “Is this America” speech, where she called out the seating of Mississippi’s all-white delegation.

It was during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that Fannie Lou Hamer sat before the credentials committee to give testimony about her experience as a sharecropper in Mississippi who was fired from her plantation job in retaliation for trying to register to vote.

Hamer described the abuse she sustained while in jail for encouraging other Black people to exercise their right to vote, AP News reports.

“It wasn’t too long before three white men came to my cell. One of these men was a state highway patrolman,” Hamer told the crowd. “He said, ‘We going to make you wish you was dead.”

She recounted the arbitrary tests imposed by white authorities to block Black people from voting, along with other unconstitutional tactics used to keep white elites in power throughout the segregated South.

“All of this is on account of we want to register to become first-class citizens,” Hamer told the committee.

Hamer went to the DNC as part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which helped organize Freedom Summer, a campaign to educate and register Black voters. In response to Mississippi holding whites-only primaries, activists like Hamer formed the racially integrated Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to confront leading Democrats on a national stage.

President Lyndon B. Johnson attempted to distract the public from Hamer’s speech by calling a news conference during her testimony. However, networks later showed her speech on television, giving the masses a chance to hear her impassioned plea.

“If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question America,” Hamer told the credentials committee. “Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?”

Her work and voice continue to resonate within the modern Democratic Party with figures like U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, who will speak Wednesday at the 2024 Democratic National Convention who first registered to vote after Hamer urged him to while he was a college student in Mississippi.

“Our challenge as Americans is to make sure that this experiment called democracy is not just for the landed gentry or the wealthy, but it is for everybody,” Thompson said.

Crossword Puzzles Get Black Culture Spin In New Book Release

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

August 22, 2024

Crossword Puzzles Get Black Culture Spin In New Book Release

The book will offer pages of puzzles with clues that reference Black culture.

For diverse crossword lovers, this new book release will provide clues primarily from Black culture.

Its inception was sparked by a Black woman who frequently found herself unable to relate to other crossword themes. Juliana Pache’s desire to play a game that spoke to her cultural norms and phrases led her to create blackcrossword.com in January 2023.

The platform allows fellow Black crossword enthusiasts to play with familiar clues. The site’s motto even includes “If you know, you know.”

She told ABC News that the site boasts around 2,200 daily visitors. However, her new book, “Black Crossword: 100 Mini Puzzles Celebrating the African Diaspora,” takes the games up a notch. Released on Aug. 20, the book contains multitudes of puzzles that once drove Black people to her original website.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Juliana Pache (@thecityofjules)

While “making it with Black people in mind,” the puzzles contain abundant Black cultural references. However, they also remain “challenging” like the comparable The New York Times version.

“I also want to make it challenging, not just for people who might be interested in Black culture, but people within Black culture who might be interested in other regions,” said Pache. “Part of my mission with this is to highlight Black people from all over, Black culture from all over. And I think … that keeps us learning about each other.”

She added, “And then, if anyone else enjoys it, they learn things from it; that’s a bonus, but it’s not my focus.”

Pache is not the only one who has called out the Times’ not-so-inclusive crossword. The criticism even pushed the platform to boost representation for its fan-favorite game. In the meantime, however, Pache is putting the power into her own hands, becoming the game master where Black history and culture are the standard.

Avid players can purchase “Black Crossword: 100 Mini Puzzles Celebrating the African Diaspora” from various retailers.

Angela Alsobrooks, Maryland, house, senate, U.S. Senate Seat, Democratic Nomination, tax breaks, report

by Stacy Jackson

August 21, 2024

Democratic Candidate Angela Alsobrooks Fights To Solidify Historic Win In Bid For Maryland Senate Seat

The Democratic candidate is fighting to become the first Black woman to represent Maryland in the senate and to change policy in Congress.

Prince George’s County executive Angela Alsobrooks, who addressed the nation on Tuesday night from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, is looking toward a historic win in November if she is elected to represent the state of Maryland in the Senate.

As she fights to become the first Black woman senator of Maryland, Alsobrooks faces Republican candidate and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin. According to NBC News, the race predicts a possible reshaping of the Senate, which comprises a thin majority of Democrats. Polling data has reflected the edge Alsobrooks has in the race, even though it’s not as much as the typical leading Democratic candidate.

“People like me, stories like mine, don’t usually make it to the United States Senate,” the Democrat said on Tuesday as she told the DNC crowd she’s the legacy of her grandmother whose dream was to work in government. Alsobrooks shared that her inspiration stems from women like her grandmother and those like Vice President Kamala Harris, who envision a better future and make it a reality.

Not only does Alsobrooks look forward to potentially making history, but she’s also committed to using her platform to shape policy in Congress with plans to endorse a $15-per-hour minimum wage, healthcare for all, gun manufacturer accountability, and abortion access. “We are looking at a time that is like a time we’ve never seen before,” she said. “This election will help us decide the kind of future we want for our children and grandchildren and what kind of state and country we will build for them.”

As Alsobrooks and Hogan go head-to-head, their campaigns have presented opposing visions for the state. “Larry Hogan continues to mislead and misrepresent,” the Alsobrooks campaign stated in response to a July statement from Hogan.

She is the first woman and youngest elected state’s attorney in Prince George’s County, boasting a drop in crime under her tenure and the establishment of a first-of-its-kind investigation and prosecution unit to hold police and officials accountable for misconduct. The core of her work has included improving employment and economic opportunities, youth investment and education, healthcare access, and mental health and addiction treatment. Throughout her campaign for Maryland’s senate seat, she has addressed rally crowds on a range of issues, including the protection of the environment and women’s reproductive rights.

Alsobrooks has received support from VP Harris, who endorsed her, and President Joe Biden, who has previously referred to the 53-year-old Democrat as a “soon-to-be senator.” Additionally, Alsobrooks’s campaign has seen a $2.6 million investment from Women Vote, the PAC, and Higher Heights for America PAC support.