Doc Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

January 24, 2024

Milwaukee Bucks Fire Head Coach Adrian Griffin After 43 Games, Reportedly Hire Doc Rivers

The Milwaukee Bucks fired Griffin although the team has a 30-13 record.

The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Adrian Griffin Tuesday after just 43 games and an impressive 30-13 record.

“This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

Originally, the team announced assistant coach Joe Prunty as in the interim head coach—until they reportedly hired veteran basketball coach and current ESPN NBA analyst Doc Rivers.

The Milwaukee Bucks are currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference. The team gave no reason for letting Griffin go.

Less than 24 hours after the firing of Griffin, the Bucks reportedly hired Rivers, who won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and last coached the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

Milwaukee hired Griffin last summer after dismissing longtime coach Mike Budenholzer, who led the Bucks to an NBA title in 2021, but flamed out in the playoffs’ first round last year. The offseason featured another big move for the Bucks: a trade with the Portland Trailblazers for perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard.

Now, the pressure is on Rivers, a veteran coach who was fired from the 76ers last season after winning 50 games for the past two years. The team’s failure to get to the NBA Finals after losing the semifinals for three straight years sealed Rivers’ fate.

His next win will tie him for eighth with Larry Brown for NBA coaching wins. Rivers, who has also coached for the Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic, has a win-loss record of 1,097-763 in the regular season. His playoff record is 111-104.

RELATED CONTENT: Serge Ibaka Left Milwaukee Bucks Due To Lack Of Communication From Coaches

DOnald Trump, Nikki Haley, president, Biden, election. primary
by Sharelle Burt

January 24, 2024

Donald Trump Defeats Nikki Haley In New Hampshire Primary; Haley Vows To Stay In Race 

Is this what déjà vu feels like?

Donald Trump easily beat Nikki Haley, his final opponent for the GOP presidential nomination, in the New Hampshire primary on January 23.

Fox News projected the four-time indicted former president as the winner just minutes after the polls closed. Trump told reporter Brooke Singman he was “very honored with the results.” According to polls from the New York Times, Trump secured 54.5% of the votes over Haley’s 43.2%.

However, more data show Haley performed well in areas with more college-educated residents, while Trump was more popular in areas with fewer voters. 

“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory tonight. He earned it, and I want to acknowledge that,” Haley said.

However, she isn’t backing down.

“Now, you’ve all heard the chatter among the political class,” Haley added. “They’re falling all over themselves, saying this race is over. Well, I have news for all of them: New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over.”

Trump did not like her statement too much. Claiming she was being too celebratory, Trump took the low road, threatening Haley if she didn’t back down.

“Just a little note to Nikki, she’s not gonna win,” Trump said. “But if she did, she would be under investigation by those people in 15 minutes, and I could tell you five reasons why already.” 

President Joe Biden tapped in to see Trump claim victory and is prepared for a repeat 2020 battle. “It is now clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee,” his statement read. “And my message to the country is the stakes could not be higher.” 

Biden walked away a winner during the New Hampshire primary, defeating Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), as his name was written on ballots. The President thanked “all those who wrote my name in this evening in New Hampshire. It was a historic demonstration of commitment to our democratic process.”

Haley is correct in her remarks of the race being far from over as Trump has more hurdles to jump—his ongoing legal battles.

National Hispanic Foundation Seemingly Forgets Colman Domingo’s Afro-Latino Heritage In Oscar Shoutout
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 24, 2024

National Hispanic Foundation Seemingly Forgets Colman Domingo’s Afro-Latino Heritage In Oscar Shoutout

While many in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating Colman Domingo’s historical Oscar nomination, one Hispanic-based foundation is under fire for seemingly snubbing the actor’s Afro-Latino heritage.

While many in the Black and LGBTQ+ communities are celebrating Colman Domingo’s historical Oscar nomination, one Hispanic-based foundation is under fire for seemingly snubbing the actor’s Afro-Latino heritage.

Domingo made history on Tuesday, Jan. 23, when the 2024 Academy Award nominations were announced, and his name was included on the list for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Nominated for playing the title character in Rustin, Netflix’s biopic about the gay Black civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, an adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. and the architect of the 1963 March on Washington, Domingo made history as the first Afro-Latino nominated for Best Actor and is only the second openly gay man to earn a nomination for playing a gay character, via The New York Times.

However, soon after the Oscar nominations were announced, one diversity-geared organization faced backlash for celebrating Latin Oscar nominees and failing to include Domingo’s name. The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts is under fire on X, formerly Twitter, after posting a celebratory tweet that only acknowledged actress America Ferrera and singer Becky G’s Oscar nominations.

Major congrats to two Latina stars for their #Oscars nominations: @AmericaFerrera, Actress in a Supporting Role (@Barbie), and @iambeckyg, Original Song (@FlaminHotMovie)! 🤩,” they wrote.

“These nominations open the door for future #LatinoRepresentation and recognition in film.”

Twitter users wasted no time calling out the foundation for what appeared to be a blatant snub toward Domingo’s Afro-Latino ethnicity. The Color Purple star was born in Philadelphia, but his father is from Belize, and his family is from Guatemala.

“You forgot Coleman Domingo, and we all know why,” one user wrote.

“Hmm, smell like colorism in here,” added someone else.

“You all are clearly racist & antiblack,” another user quipped.

One user blasted the foundation for omitting Domingo from a tweet highlighting the “Latino Representation” in this year’s Oscar nominations.

“The National Hispanic Foundation shouting out Latin Oscar nominees but leaving out Coleman Domingo who’s literally have his MOMENT while using the hashtag #LatinoRepresentation is exactly everything wrong w/ how my community treats Afro-Latinos,” they wrote.

It took over two hours later for the foundation to acknowledge the slip-up and respond with a tweet claiming Domingo was deserving of his own separate celebratory post.

“We completely agree that Colman Domingo’s historic nomination should be celebrated – and we wanted to call out this moment in a separate post,” they wrote. “We will continue working hard to bring light to the wins of the Latino community in the arts.”

It then took the foundation another three hours to finally post a tweet acknowledging Domingo’s history-making Oscar nomination as the first Afro-Latino to receive a nomination in the Best Actor category.

“We’re thrilled that Colman Domingo has been nominated for Actor in a Leading Role at the 2024 #Oscars for his powerful performance as Bayard Rustin, a key figure in the civil rights movement,” they wrote.

“Colman marks the first Afro-Latino nominated for best actor and the second openly gay man to earn a nomination for playing a gay character. This is a reminder that our storytelling must be as diverse as our racial and ethnic makeup. Congrats, Colman!”

But the damage was already done, and social media continued to let them have it.

“Just call yourself the National White Foundation for the Arts with the way you’re moving,” one user wrote.

“Your racism is showing,” added someone else.

Another user noted a hashtag the foundation seemingly forgot to use that was included in their initial tweet for Ferrera and Becky G.

“Y’all forgot something! #latinoRepresentation,” they quipped.

Konvict Muzik, T-Pain, grand theft auto, gaming, stream,
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 24, 2024

T-Pain Teases His Involvement In ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’

T-Pain’s gaming career is taking new heights as the singer/songwriter teases his alleged involvement in the highly-anticipated “Grand Theft Auto VI.”

T-Pain’s gaming career is taking new heights as the singer/songwriter teases his alleged involvement in the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.

The “Buy U A Drank” singer was doing a live stream on Jan. 12 when he confirmed his contribution to Rockstar Games’ eagerly awaited sequel to “GTA 5,” IGN reports. The news emerged when T-Pain explained his absence from role-playing on the popular GTA 5 role-play server NoPixel. 

It runs on third-party servers, and apparently, Rockstar asked T-Pain to stop role-playing on NoPixel because it created a conflict of interest in the new GTA 6.

“I used to be on NoPixel, then I started working on GTA VI, and they told me I couldn’t do RP anymore because it kind of goes against… they had this whole speech, like, ‘What if somebody took your album and re-recorded it, and more people were listening to that,’ and I’m like, ‘OK, I kind of get that, but I was having a good time. Alright, that’s fine,’” T-Pain explained in a clip captured by DJ Akademiks.

But T-Pain still called out Rockstar Games for allegedly recruiting the modding team responsible for role-play servers, including FiveM and RedM, despite telling him not to use its platform.

“Then I started working on the game with them and then they teamed up with the people that make the RP sh*t, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, what? What the f**ck?…Y’all tell me I can’t do this sh*t and then you team up with the people that enable the RP?” T-Pain said with a laugh. 

The reveal comes one month after Rockstar Games announced GTA 6 would be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2025.

The company announced in a press release that “Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet. “

HBCU Tournament, EA Sports
by Derek Major

January 24, 2024

Fourth Annual EA SPORTS Madden NFL 24 X HBCU Tournament Finals To Take Place At NFL Pro Bowl Games

Are you ready for some football? Video game football?

The fourth annual EA SPORTS Madden NFL 24 x HBCU Tournament will be held during the week leading up to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games in Orlando.

Former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green, ESPN commentator and HBCU graduate Tiffany Greene, and former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson will serve as special guest hosts for the tournament. Last year’s Madden HBCU Tournament was hosted by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

After punching their tickets in the men’s and women’s open qualifiers and in video submissions, eight HBCU student finalists will travel to Orlando’s EA Studio and participate in an “experienceship” with the NFL to learn about the business side of sports and gaming throughout the week.

“The Madden HBCU tournament is a prime example of the NFL’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in both traditional sports and esports,” Ed Kiang, vice president of video gaming for the NFL, said in a statement. “The program has experienced significant growth the past four seasons with 56 HBCU schools represented and player participation expanding by 200 percent year-over-year. We can’t wait to showcase the Pro Bowl Games for this year’s finalists and deliver an unforgettable experience for them.”

Additionally, the finalists will take part in on-site media interviews before, during, and after competitive play, meet with EA executives behind the popular Madden NFL video game franchise, as well as shadow NFL executives. Students will also attend a special Disney on the Yard activation, where they will get a campus tour of Flamingo’s Crossing and speak with Disney executives regarding career opportunities at Disney.

Ahead of the NFL Pro Games on Feb. 4, finalists will tour Camping World Stadium with the opportunity to interact with NFL players. They’ll also receive a ticket to attend the game.

The eight finalists are: Dametri Hill, Fort Valley State University; DaSean Wade Neclos Jr., North Carolina A&T; Alon Anwoju, Albany State University; Egypt Garrett and Kiara Davis, Tennessee State University; and Taylor Adams, Ernest Walker, and Germaine Bozeman, Florida A&M University.

Exclusive highlights will be available on the NFL’s official YouTube channel on Feb.10 at 5 p.m. ET. 

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Maryland Legislative Black Caucus Advocates For Comprehensive Reforms In Healthcare, Housing, Criminal Justice, And Business Opportunities
by Daniel Johnson

January 24, 2024

Maryland Legislative Black Caucus Advocates For Comprehensive Reforms In Healthcare, Housing, Criminal Justice, And Business Opportunities

The Maryland Black Caucus, the largest legislative Black caucus in the country, unveiled a suite of measures on Jan. 18.

The Maryland Black Caucus, the largest legislative Black caucus in the country, unveiled measures Jan. 18 seeking to prioritize healthcare, housing access, business opportunities for minorities, and criminal justice and education reform, the Associated Press reports.

According to Jheanelle Wilkins, Maryland’s Legislative Black Caucus’ chair, the package’s healthcare portion is aimed at solving health inequality.

“Our agenda seeks to address health disparities and maternal health and cancer that plague our communities and lead to high mortality rates,” Wilkins said at a news conference announcing the package. “We will seek to increase access to housing and create a more stable environment for renters and Marylanders.”

Part of the healthcare portion of the legislative body’s proposal deals with creating a more streamlined process for medical forms for pregnant women once they leave the hospital, as well as getting patients into contact with community-based services that cater to their needs.

Additionally, the legislators support the expansion of Maryland’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board’s authority to limit how much people pay for prescription drugs. They also would like increased awareness of the availability of screenings for cancer. 

The Caucus is backing an expansion of the practice of criminal record expungement laws. Though the state has made some progress as far as expungement laws go, advocates for the bill say that there are quite a few misdemeanors—for example, driving without a license or without insurance—that are ineligible for expungement. They also want an office created that will allow for the incarcerated to express the conditions they live in.

The Caucus is also seeking greater protection for those who rent in Maryland, supporting two bills that protect tenants. One bill seeks to require a landlord to provide just cause in order to deny a renewal of a lease and establish clear protections for tenants from an eviction process. Another bill seeks to prohibit landlords from looking at the criminal history of an applicant three years post-release.

The Caucus plans to invest in minority businesses by increasing important contracting opportunities for minority businesses and by creating an interactive dashboard for Maryland’s Board of Public Works, which is responsible for approving many of the state’s contracts. Taken together, these reforms represent the Caucus’s focus on increasing the transparency of the state contract-awarding process while increasing opportunities for minority-owned businesses.

RELATED CONTENT: Study: Single Women Are Owning More Homes In These States

Claudine gay, Harvard, investigation
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 24, 2024

Harvard Releases Details Of Former President Claudine Gay’s Plagiarism Investigation

Harvard is revealing how the university investigated plagiarism claims brought against the school’s former president Claudine Gay. 

Harvard is revealing how the university investigated plagiarism claims brought against the school’s former president Claudine Gay. 

Gay resigned earlier this month after facing pressure from a Congressional committee about responses to antisemitism on their campuses and allegations accusing her of plagiarism. A memo released on Friday reveals the numerous corrections that were made to Gay’s work after a New York Post reporter accused the former president of plagiarism in October, AP News reports.

The school reached out to the authors Gay was accused of plagiarizing and none objected to the claims. Harvard then appointed an independent body that reviewed two of Gay’s articles published in 2012 and 2017 and determined they “are both sophisticated and original,” and found “virtually no evidence of intentional claiming of findings” that were not her own.

However, it was found that nine of 25 plagiarism claims found by the Post reporter were “of principal concern” and featured “paraphrased or reproduced the language of others without quotation marks and without sufficient and clear crediting of sources.” Gay was also accused of including “fragments of duplicative language and paraphrasing” in her past works which could be seen as her taking credit for another academic’s work despite there being no proof of that being her aim.

A paper Gay wrote in graduate school was also found to include “identical language to that previously published by others.” The findings led to Gay making corrections to articles published in 2001 and 2012.

The subcommittee presented its findings to the Harvard Corporation on December 9, concluding that Gay’s “conduct was not reckless nor intentional and, therefore, did not constitute research misconduct.” However, less than one month later, Gay submitted her resignation as the school’s first Black president.

She held the position for just six months and two days, making her the shortest-tenured president in the school’s history, the school revealed. Amid her resignation, Gay revealed the emailed death threats she faced and numerous callings of the N-word ahead of her resignation.

“My character and intelligence have been impugned. My commitment to fighting antisemitism has been questioned. My inbox has been flooded with invective, including death threats. I’ve been called the N-word more times than I care to count,” Gay wrote in the 870-word New York Times op-ed titled “What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me”.

RELATED CONTENT: Over 300 Black Women In Washington State Sign Letter Supporting Former Harvard President Dr. Claudine Gay

Aliko Dangote, Nigeria, oil, refinery
by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

January 24, 2024

Africa’s Richest Man Opens Multi-Billion Oil Refinery In Nigeria

Nigeria is now home to one of the world's largest oil refineries, built by Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote.

Africa’s wealthiest man, confirmed by Forbes to be Aliko Dangote, has opened one of the world’s biggest oil refineries in Nigeria. The $19 billion project began production in mid-January.

According to Business Insider, Dangote opened the facility to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on other countries for its oil imports. The billionaire made his fortune through his eponymously named cement company, emerging as the continent’s largest cement producer. Through his success, the Nigerian entrepreneur has since become chairman and founder of the Dangote Group, officially launching the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to aid his native country.

The establishment is located off the coast in Lekki, yet it was not an overnight project, having faced years of delays before beginning production this year. Dangote sought to remedy an ongoing and costly problem for Nigeria, as most of its imports were in fuel, lacking the refining infrastructure to pull petroleum from its own soil.  

The entrepreneur grew his wealth from an already substantive beginning, being the great-grandson of Alhassan Dantata, who once held the title of Africa’s richest man from trading and distribution. 

However, this latest endeavor is worth as much as the businessman’s net worth. His wealth is estimated to be $18.5 billion, and he is ranked No. 98 amongst all the world’s richest people on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. 

His refinery hopes to ramp up production in its inaugural years, aiming to produce over 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily. However, that efficiency level is not expected until 2027, according to a projection by Rafiq Raji, a senior associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Africa Program, in conversation with the news outlet. 

In the meantime, the refinery is continuing its mission to meet Nigeria’s diverse oil needs and eliminate its reliance on other countries in the near future. 

Mary J. Blige Finally Set to Launch A Boot Line, ‘I’m Working It Out’
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

January 24, 2024

Mary J. Blige Finally Set to Launch A Boot Line, ‘I’m Working It Out’

Mary J. Blige has been listening to her fans and has a long-awaited boot line coming that will give us all the power to two-step like the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.

Mary J. Blige has been listening to her fans and has a long-awaited boot line coming that will give us all the power to two-step like the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.

The decorated songstress appeared on “The Big Tigger Morning Show” on Monday, January 22 where she teased her inception into the footwear industry with her first official line of signature boots.

“Ladies have been waiting for the Mary J. Blige boot line. Where is the boot line,” Big Tigger asked.

“It’s coming,” Mary confirmed. “Yeah, it’s coming.”

When Tigger asked if he would be able to buy a pair this upcoming Christmas, Mary revealed the boot line hasn’t gone into production yet and wouldn’t be available so soon.

“Christmas?! We ain’t even go into production yet,” she said. “It’s coming maybe in two years or something.”

When Tigger declared how Mary fans have been pressing him to ask the “Family Affair” singer about the boot line, she assured they might come sooner than two years.

“Okay, one year. I’m working it out,” she said.

Fans expressed their excitement in the comments section to let the singer know she doesn’t need to worry about attracting customers since they’re already eagerly awaiting the shoe line’s release. 

“Yass wide calf me please,” one user wrote.

“YESSSS! Take my moneyyyyy!!!” added someone else. 

One quick Google search of “Mary J. Blige boots” will show you how long the soul singer has been celebrated for her high-fashion collection of boots. Her 2023 Grammy performance left fans demanding for a signature boot line from Queen of R&B.

“Mary J Blige gotta stop playing with us and come out with a boot collection already!!!” one fan tweeted at the time.

“A boot collection would he MJB’s FENTY. she gotta come on cuz she leaving money on the table and I’m ready to give her my shoe moneyyyy!!!

https://twitter.com/Luvvie/status/1622433134808649730

It’s clear that Mary has been listening and is putting the plan in motion to make her boot line a reality.

THE ROCK, JOHNSON, Dwayne Johnson
by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

January 24, 2024

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Becomes Board Member of TKO Group, Owner Of WWE

"I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build."

Dwayne Johnson, aka ‘The Rock,’ wrestler-turned-movie-superstar, has joined the board of directors of the company that owns the wrestling organization WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), where he originally started his professional wrestling career.

TKO Group Holdings, Inc., a sports and entertainment company, announced Johnson’s appointment to its board of directors.

The news also comes with the announcement that his moniker, “The Rock,” is now an owned trademark for Johnson. WWE inked a services and merchandising agreement with the “Fast Five” star. The company will help with his promotional, licensing, and other services regarding intellectual property.

In a written statement, Johnson said, “My grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson, would’ve never thought this day would come. Which is why I’m very humbled to have a seat at the table that has decades of history and family legacy for me. A table that my family helped to build. Being on the TKO Board of Directors and taking full ownership of my name, ‘The Rock’, is not only unprecedented but incredibly inspiring as my crazy life is coming full circle.”

“I’m very motivated to help continue to globally expand our TKO, WWE, and UFC businesses as the worldwide leaders in sports and entertainment — while proudly representing so many phenomenal athletes and performers who show up every day putting in the hard work with their own two hands to make their dreams come true and deliver for our audiences. I’ve been there, I’m still there and this is for them.”

Johnson is a third-generation professional wrestler following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He made history as the only person to have had a parent and grandparent come before him who participated in the WWE. Now, his daughter, Simone Johnson, who uses the wrestling name Ava Raine, has become the first fourth-generation wrestler.

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