by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 17, 2023

Trump Seeks Appeal Of Partial Gag Order In 2020 Federal Election Case

*Originally reported by Reuters

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday filed a notice to appeal a partial gag order in the case accusing the former U.S. President of illegally attempting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington on Monday barred Trump from making public statements that “target” U.S. prosecutors, court staff and potential witnesses involved in the case.

The judge found that Trump’s public statements and social media posts may influence witnesses and lead to threats and harassment against lawyers and other “public servants.”

“Defendant’s presidential candidacy cannot excuse statements that would otherwise intolerably jeopardize these proceedings,” Chutkan said in a written order published on Tuesday, a day after she outlined her findings at a court hearing.

Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, has sharply criticized Chutkan’s decision as a constraint on his free speech rights while running for president as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2024. He vowed to appeal the ruling during campaign speeches on Monday.

The gag order allows Trump to continue criticizing the U.S. Justice Department and denounce the prosecution as politically motivated. It also allows Trump to condemn former Vice President Mike Pence, a 2024 presidential rival and likely witness in the case, but prohibits discussion of Pence’s potential testimony.

presidential, Waka Flaka Flame, Donald Trump, endorsement

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 17, 2023

Waka Flocka Flame Endorses Donald Trump For President In 2024

In a surprising political twist, rapper Waka Flocka Flame added his name to the growing list of hip-hop artists expressing support for Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy, as reported by Newsone.

The announcement on Monday, Oct. 16, marked a notable shift from his previous stance. Waka Flocka Flame took to social media with a brief post, simply stating, “TRUMP2024,” and garnering over 40,000 likes and over 3 million views.

TRUMP2024

— Waka Flocka Flame 🔥 (@WakaFlocka) October 16, 2023

Trump’s campaign swiftly embraced this unexpected endorsement, sharing a graphic on social media featuring the rapper and the candidate side by side, bearing the proud message, “ENDORSED BY WAKA FLOCKA FLAME.”

pic.twitter.com/yEHzSItbr0

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 16, 2023

This endorsement from Waka Flocka Flame took many by surprise, considering that in 2015, during Trump’s initial run for president, the rapper had expressed a starkly different sentiment via social media: “F*ck Donald J. Trump.”

The reasons behind this change of heart remain unclear, but his support for Trump’s 2024 candidacy followed a recent interview with fellow rapper Sexyy Red, who had also expressed her backing for the four-time criminally indicted former president.

Sexyy Red cited Trump’s popularity “in the ‘hood,” attributing it partly to the “free money” from pandemic stimulus checks and presidential commutations and pardons. She declared, “Trump, we miss you.”

These two artists joined the growing chorus of rappers who have shown their appreciation for Trump. In light of this trend, exemplified by figures like Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Ice Cube, a wave of Black endorsements, as described by the New York Post, has become evident. Kodak Black, whose prison sentence was commuted by Trump in 2020, stated that America needs Trump “in office forever.”

In April, Swae Lee of the acclaimed hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd praised Trump for his leniency toward rappers like Kodak Black and Lil Wayne, affirming his willingness to vote for Trump in the 2024 election if he faces Joe Biden once again.

Georgia bus driver shortage, Florida, fire, Sea World, Broward COunty, School, field trip

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

October 17, 2023

Georgia Teachers Begin Training As Bus Drivers Amid Shortage

DeKalb County, Georgia, is still dealing with a shortage of bus drivers with the school year well underway by looking in the classroom.

Teachers in the DeKalb County School District have begun training in the additional role of bus drivers, as reported by 11Alive. With over 100 positions still open, their willingness to step up has eased the concerns of the county to have enough drivers for its student body.

Some teachers who have taken on the duty have a greater understanding of all that is required of the job, especially while on the road. Exavier Frazier, a teacher at Stone Mill Elementary School, is the first of this untraditional cohort to complete CDL training to become an official driver, a job he does not take lightly.

“You’re not just focusing on the road,” he said. “You have to actually focus on what’s behind you, those children, those people. You have to actually watch them, too. It’s a very intense job. I’ll put it like that.”

While standard work hours would have drivers preparing for the afternoon shift as kids are in class, Mr. Frazier’s schedule continues on in the media center. Throughout the school day, he spends his time in different classrooms reading to students.

It is a job he has spent over two decades thriving in, but is happy to expand his responsibilities to, literally, pick up where it’s needed.

According to the news outlet, districts across Metro Atlanta were scrambling even with new incentives such as increased wages to attract applicants. While those strategies did not fulfill the desired slots for bus drivers, teachers were asked.

Having enough bus drivers to fulfill all routes is crucial to students’ accessibility to school, with the transportation being a necessity in many households to ensure kids can make it to class, as well as on time. While the work hours can be “long,” teachers like Frazier are happy to get students back and forth.

“You don’t just do one route. You do two or even three routes. There’s a lot of work because we’re still shorthanded,” he said.

“It’s a long day, but for some reason, I don’t mind.”

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

October 17, 2023

Ye’s Italy Gig Postponed Due To Weather As Protests from War Veterans Over Hitler Comments Persist

Kanye West’s, also known as Ye, highly anticipated gig in Reggio Emilia, Italy, was postponed, attributed to a combination of unfortunate circumstances, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Originally scheduled for October 20, concerns arose due to an impending rail strike and a weather forecast predicting heavy rain. The prospect of 100,000 fans attending an open-air venue further complicated matters.

Authorities delayed the event for safety reasons. A spokesperson for the Reggio Emilia prefecture said, “Given the fact that a rail strike was planned the same day, and that heavy rain is due, it was thought prudent to postpone the event.”

The concert’s organizers have offered an alternative date of October 27, pending their acceptance.

However, not everyone is pleased that Ye is performing at all, the Daily Mail reports, given the rapper’s past remarks praising Adolf Hitler and Nazism. Local veterans’ groups expressed anger over the gig, with Albertina Soliani, vice president of the National Association of Italian Partisans, condemning West’s statements and scheduled performance.

“Someone can be a fantastic singer, but then they are also judged by what they say, and West has made some inhumane declarations, and with what’s happening in the world today, we cannot accept this concert,” Soliani said.

Ermete Fiaccadori, ANPI regional president for Reggio Emilia, echoed these sentiments, expressing concerns about West’s message.

“I’m speechless that he cannot understand what he is saying, broadcasting a gross misunderstanding of what Adolf Hitler was in the course of history.” Fiaccadori argued that the concert was entirely out of order and emphasized Reggio Emilia’s history of opposing the ideas of Adolf Hitler.

While the concert remains in question, it is likely that if held differently than originally planned, it may be a listening event streamed online.

West, who has been in Italy since August, is reportedly working on a follow-up album to Donda, named after his late mother. His last live performance in Italy was in August at a Travis Scott gig in Rome, which made headlines for various reasons, including incidents involving pepper spray and fan-induced vibrations resembling a minor earthquake.

Terell Owens, basketball, car, argurment

by Sharelle Burt

October 17, 2023

Terrell Owens Hit By Car Following Argument During Pickup Basketball Game

Retired NFL player Terrell Owens was hit by a car on Oct. 16 after a fight following a pickup basketball game, TMZ reported.

Owens was playing basketball in Calabasas, Calif. when an argument broke out between him and another player. After the game, the unidentified baller got into his car and allegedly drove the vehicle directly into Owens’ knee. While no arrests have been made, officers listed the incident as assault with a deadly weapon on the police report. An investigation is still pending, and Owens didn’t need medical attention.

This adds to a long list of incidents involving the former wide receiver since his 2010 retirement. According to the New York Post, in 2022, he got into an altercation with a female neighbor inside the Deerfield Beach gated community, which ended with her being charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. The charges were dropped in February 2023.

A few weeks later, the Hall of Famer was seen on video punching and knocking down a heckler outside of a CVS Pharmacy in Los Angeles. In a statement at the time, Owens claimed he acted in self-defense when the man “made offensive gestures and threatening statements” to him and a fan he was talking to. Owens stated the issue started inside the store, and he walked outside to cool things down. “The aggressor continued threatening the fan just as he did in the store,” Owens said.

“Once again, attempting to diffuse the ongoing situation, I placed myself between the fan and the aggressor I made verbal demands, asking the aggressor to stop his threatening behavior.”

Owens took down more than aggressors during his time in the NFL. He caught over 1,000 during his 15-year career in the NFL.

colorado buffaloes, Deion Sanders, college football

by Derek Major

October 17, 2023

Deion Sanders Rips Into Team After Second Half Collapse Against Stanford University

Colorado Buffaloes Head Coach Deion Sanders didn’t mince words when addressing his team following their Friday night 46-43 double overtime loss to the Stanford Cardinal.

The Buffaloes were riding high at the start of the game, building a 29-0 halftime lead. However, they couldn’t hold the lead and an interception in double OT by quarterback Shedeur Sanders led to Joshua Karty’s game-winning 31-yard field goal, snapping the Cardinal’s four-game losing streak.

The game, which took place in Boulder, was another star-studded event. Broncos wideout Emmanuel Sanders and former Pittsburgh Steelers/Jacksonville Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich were spotted on the sidelines along with actors Cedric The Entertainer, Anthony Anderson, and Luke Grimes.

After the game, Sanders took his team to task, letting them know that the critics would be coming for them and that they’d be practicing the next day.

“What we just did today was pathetic,” Sanders said. “All the love that you received and all the love that we were receiving, oh you be getting ready to see that flip. And don’t get beside yourself on social media and start responding to the foolishness, because [the critics] are right. They’re right. … And we are practicing tomorrow [on Saturday].”

Coach Prime’s postgame speech following CU’s 2nd Half collapse on Friday…

🎥 @DeionSandersJr @WellOffForever pic.twitter.com/cgpngC83M2

— Mat Smith (@RealMatSmith) October 15, 2023

The Buffaloes put up some gaudy stats on offense. Shedeur Sanders completed 33-of-48 passes for 400 yards and five touchdowns and Travis Hunter, playing in his first game since being injured in week three against Colorado State, caught 13 passes for 140 yards and two TDs.

However, Colorado’s defense gave up 26 straight points in the second half, and Hunter, who also plays cornerback and played more than 100 snaps by the end of the third quarter, began to show fatigue as Cardinal receiver Elic Ayomanor had 12 catches for 264 yards and two TDs—in the fourth quarter alone.

The loss puts the Buffaloes at 4-3 on the season, including 1-3 in the Pac-13 Conference. The Buffaloes are off this weekend and play 25th-ranked UCLA Saturday, Oct. 28.

by Daniel Johnson

October 17, 2023

Hells Angels Used California Funeral Home To Cremate Bodies, According To The Feds

A federal lawsuit reveals that Hells Angels members were secretly cremated at a California funeral home. According to Inside Edition, a Fresno funeral home was referred to by members of the gang as “the pizza oven.”

The news comes as the state of California sentences 54-year-old Merl Hefferman, former leader of Fresno’s Hells Angels chapter. Hefferman pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for using the funeral home to cremate Joel Silva, president of the organization’s Sonoma chapter.

According to the prosecution, Silva was shot in the back of the head, execution style for “creating problems.” Three other members were convicted of his murder in 2022 and prosecutors alleged that the facility was also used to burn the bodies of Robbie Huff, Arthur Carasis, and Juan Guevara.

The allegations stemmed from the testimony of the manager of the facility, who said that the group forced him to let them use the facilities to burn the bodies of several people.

James Bustamente, Hefferman’s lawyer, is petitioning the court for a sentence of 30 months for his client. He alleges that the evidence is insufficient to sentence Hefferman to a lengthy sentence, writing to the court in a memo, “The bottom line is if it is information not credible or sufficient to indict by way of grand jury, then it is not sufficiently reliable to consider for sentencing.”

In the memo, Bustamente also claims testimony about his client has been inconsistent, writing, “Despite ample opportunities to do so, it is clear that the Government did not find (the manager) credible enough to seek additional charges by way of the grand jury or for inclusion in the conspiracy charge.”

According to The Business Journal, Yost & Webb’s manager testified that Hefferman became obsessed with the crematory and told him that he had a desire to “make something disappear.” According to the manager’s testimony, July 16, a day after Silva’s murder, two men came to the funeral home and threatened the manager at gunpoint before loading Silva’s body into the incinerator.

Hefferman has only pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, but he has not yet been charged with any other crimes in connection with the murder. The federal government is seeking a prison sentence of at least seven years.

by Derek Major

October 17, 2023

Eric Adams Accuses Democratic Socialists Of Carrying Swastikas, Calling For Jewish Extermination

New York City Mayor Eric Adams appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday and accused the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) of calling for the extermination of Jewish people.

Now many in the organization are accusing him of defamation.

During the segment, host Joe Scarborough asked Adams whether all city and state leaders can be unified and speak out against anti-semitism like Adams has. Adams started his answer by saying some city leaders don’t have the consistency he has when it comes to standing up for the rights of individuals before attacking DSA.

“While our Jewish brothers and sisters were mourning the immediate aftermath of the slaughter that we saw in Israel, that, you had the DSA and others carrying swastikas and calling for the extermination of Jewish people,” Adams said (at around the 3:17 mark). “That’s not acceptable.”

An Adams spokesperson told City and State New York the mayor was referring to a Palestinian solidarity rally that was held in Times Square on Oct. 8., one day after the Hamas attacks on Israel. The event received significant media attention as a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation made insensitive comments concerning Israeli victims of the attacks.

According to City and State, the rally was organized and sponsored by a bevy of leftist and pro-Palestinian groups, including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation, New York for Palestine, The People’s Forum, and American Muslims for Palestine.

The DSA did tweet the location, date, and time of the rally adding, “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and the right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid.”

The organization later deleted the tweet and released a statement apologizing for any confusion concerning its involvement in the event.

“On Saturday, in anticipation of escalatory violence to come, we tweeted a promotion of a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine,” the group tweeted. “We understand why many, including our allies, were shocked by the timing and the tone of this message in a moment of profound fear and grief. We are sorry for the confusion our post caused and for not making our values explicit.”

Our community is suffering immense trauma. Every synagogue in NYC is overwhelmed with grief & pain. And now we have to contend with cynical politicians like Eric Adams trying to weaponize our pain to make headlines, enabling hate-based violence from Bay Ridge to Israel/Palestine. https://t.co/s0hbrLzuS9

— Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (@JFREJNYC) October 16, 2023

DSA members and Jewish groups have blasted Adams, who is coming off a visits to Mexico, Ecuador, and Columbia, to convince migrants not to come to New York. The DSA is rumored to be considering whether to bring a defamation suit against the mayor for his comments, according to City and State.

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

October 17, 2023

Monica Vents About Being ‘The Most Forgotten’ Artist In The Industry

Monica might be celebrated by R&B fans, but the singer feels like she’s one of “the industry’s most forgotten” artists.

The “Boy Is Mine” singer was recently a guest on LeBron James’ The Shop’s Uninterrupted Live Tour in Atlanta, where she shared how she’s been able to “enjoy” her three decade-long career despite feeling overlooked during award season.

“I was able to really enjoy my career because I didn’t have any expectations,” she said.

“I was not looking at stats, I was not worried about awards. I’m actually a person that for all the records I’ve broken, I really have never won any awards. I’m really the most forgotten, if you think about it.”

https://twitter.com/JadenLoveLungi/status/1713099909736394866

She described herself as an “underdog” in the music industry who can get booked to host an award show but won’t take home any for herself.

“I sit very comfortably in it because I can still go where I want, do what I want, live how I want,” she explained. “But when I say that, I am often forgotten; I was hosting the Soul Train Awards, was nominated for five, three of my songs in one category and still lost. But I went out to eat and kicked my regular s**t after.”

Since mainstream fame and awards were never Monica’s goal for making music, she’s been able to enjoy her life while getting paid to do what she loves.

“I was not bothered because that’s not what I do it for,” she said. “That is really my point when I say that oftentimes I’m forgotten in those spaces.”

After the clip was shared online, fans expressed their love for the R&B star behind multiple Billboard Top 100 hits, including “Before You Walk Out of My Life,” “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days),” and “The Boy Is Mine” featuring Brandy, which reached No. 1 in the U.S. with five million copies sold.

“You will never be forgotten Monica!” one fan wrote.

“Sis don’t care about that because she can still live a beautiful luxurious life and take care of her family,” added someone else.

by Sharelle Burt

October 17, 2023

Who Said That? Oprah Winfrey Denies Claims She Asked Mitt Romney To Run With Her On 2020 Presidential Ticket

Oprah Winfrey denied claims that she asked Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney to run with her for president in 2020, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

“In November 2019, Ms. Winfrey called Senator Romney to encourage him to run on an Independent ticket,” the spokesperson said. “She was not calling to be part of the ticket and was never considering running herself.”

In McKay Coppins’ upcoming Romney: A Reckoning, which features interviews with Romney, Coppins writes that Winfrey, a Democrat, called Romney to suggest they should form a unity ticket “to save the country.” According to Axios, Romney ignored the proposal, thinking that campaign would help Trump.

According to Rolling Stone, Romney, who failed to take the Oval Office after running for President in 2012, announced in September 2023 that he is retiring at the end of his term.

“Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders,” said Romney in a press release. “They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.”

Winfrey has endorsed Democratic candidates, although she has mentioned being an independent voter. Some high-profile endorsements include ex-President Barack Obama in 2008, and most recently, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who ran against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz, a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

While she is no stranger to the political world, Winfrey openly denied interest in running for public office during a speech while campaigning for former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in 2018.

“I don’t want to run,” Winfrey said. “I am not trying to test any waters, don’t want to go in those waters.”

Romney: A Reckoning is expected to hit shelves on Oct. 24 and is filled with hours of interviews and quotes from Romney’s diaries and journals.