Jussie Smollett is making the news clear about his personal life.
The Fox hit drama Empire keeps pulling in.
Everybody love some Cookie. The character is played by Taraj P. Henson. Her and her estrange husband Lucious Lyon are co owners of Empire Entertainment. Cookie spent time in the iron college and she came out swinging. She became the breakout character of the show. Cookie is trying to get back with Lucious and bring the family back together. She is also a motivator. She is the woman who gets what she wants whenever she wants.
Lucious is dealing with the ALS disease that may end his life. He's trying to figure out who's capable of running his business in the likelihood he passes. He has three sons, Andre, Jamal and Hakeem. Lucious is caught between loving his fiance Anika and his ex-wife Cookie. He's also competing with his former mentor in this battle for success. Lucious is played by Terrance Howard.
Andre is the oldest son. He's ruthless, cunning and just about as cutthroat as his father. But deep within Andre is the fact he is bipolar. Lucious doesn't approve of his marriage to a White woman. Andre struggles with resentment towards his talented brothers. He felt that during his younger days, he lost out the childhood trying to help Jamal and Hakeem through their days. Trai Byers plays Andre.
Hakeem is the youngest. He's a rapper and the hard head of the family. He's spoiled. He's apparently the favorite son of Lucious. He is a player of sorts. He's trying to bound with his mother Cookie. While being the famed-obsessed son, Hakeem is the most controversial of the group. He went off on paparazzi and called out President Barack Obama. He is played by Bryshere Gray.
Fox's breakout series Empire broke records. This is the highest watched series. Black viewers make up 80% of the viewing audience.
The middle child is Jamal. Jamal was in the beginning a closeted gay singer. But in some episodes he came out and made Lucious upset. Jamal is the father of a daughter and is struggling to find himself in a world where gay Black singers are often ridiculed. Cookie loves Jamal and she is proud he came out despite Lucious threatening to end ties with him. The irony of this is that art intimidates life.
Jamal is played by Jussie Smollett, a famed actor and singer. He and his siblings are professional actors.
Today, the news broke that Jussie acknowledged his sexuality.
Smollett acknowledged that he's gay. And he's proud of that. It kind of forced out when Malik Yoba, told the junk food media that Jussie is "openly gay" and his passionate about LGBT rights.
"Empire" star Jussie Smollett opened up about his sexuality for the first time in an intimate interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
Interestingly, the 31-year-old actor opted to arrange a backstage chat with DeGeneres after his official appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which airs March 9, to speak about the subject. However, he stopped short of using the terms "gay" and "bisexual" in the clip.
"It was really important to me to make sure that it got across that there is no closet," he said. "There’s never been a closet that I’ve been in. I don’t own a closet, I got a dresser, but I don’t have a closet, but I have a home and that is my responsibility to protect that home."
He then quipped, "My mama knows, my mama likes me a lot and yes, I take her to 'The Sound of Music' sing-along every single year."
"Empire" has already received heaps of praise for its gay-inclusive plot. On the smash Fox series, Smollett plays Jamal Lyon, an openly gay singer-songwriter who is the ex-boyfriend of Michael Sanchez (Rafael de La Fuente).
In his "Ellen" appearance, Smollett revealed that he landed his "Empire" audition after sending co-creator Lee Daniels a private message on Instagram. He was called back for seven auditions before he got the role.
Smollett also signed a deal with Sony Urban this year.
Today marks another grave milestone in American music.
On March 9, 1997, a rap legend died. The legendary Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles after attending a party for Vibe Magazine. The 25 year old rapper's death still remains a mystery to this day.
I woke up to hearing the news. My mom told us that this rapper named Biggie was shot. I was shocked by this. We all knew this day was coming. I was just listening to the single "Notorious Thugs" on the radio two days ago and I had used the cassette tape to record it.
Never in my day, that rap lost two legends in a six month period.
If you're a real fan of hip-hop, you would know Biggie Smalls (aka Frank White).
The Brooklyn MC who is the real king of New York hip-hop.
No one can take that. Not even Nas or Jay-Z.
Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. When he released his debut album Ready to Die in 1994, he became a central figure in the East Coast hip hop scene and increased New York's visibility in the genre at a time when West Coast hip hop was dominant in the mainstream.
The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the growing East Coast/West Coast hip hop feud.
Before the release of his Life After Death album, got booed by some West Coast rappers at the Soul Train Awards after presenting an award.
During the night, he was with his entourage attending a Vibe Magazine party. Then when he was leaving for his hotel, a vehicle pulls up and opens fire on him. He was hit four times. Out of three bullets one managed to hit the vitals. He was rushed to the hospital and died that night.
That led to speculation that Big Suge ordered a hit on him in retaliation. There are some who believed that Tupac Shakur's murder was orchestrated by Biggie and Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Biggie and Shakur's death led to the decline of quality hip-hop. Although this decline in music still exist, many rappers dedicate their legacies to them.
Many in the law enforcement industry feels that hip-hop's no snitching philosophy doomed their chances to solve these mysteries.
But still we here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to family of the Notorious B.I.G.
Also R.I.P. to Christopher Rios (aka Big Pun), Chad Butler (aka Pimp C), Lisa Lopes (aka Left-Eye), Aaliyah Houghton, Tupac Shakur (aka Makaveli), Eric Wright (aka Eazy-E), Jason Mizell (aka Jam Master Jay), James Adarryl Tapp (aka Soulja Slim), Russell Jones (aka Ol' Dirty Bastard), DeShaun Holton (aka Proof) and every rapper or R & B singer who passed away.
They'll never be a fraternity that chants racism at the Sooner Nation. The University of Oklahoma puts the brakes on frat boys and their chapter.
Okie Dokie! Here's a controversy riding the horse. The University of Oklahoma had to do some apologizing for one of its fraternities and their "epic fail".
Sigma Alpha Epsilon got a major pull out! The Sooners had to pull the plug on the fraternity after it was revealed a disturbing video of White frat boys shouting and jigging on NIGGERS.
The frat boys' freedom of speech was captured on camera phone. They were chanting, "They'll Never Be A NIGGER here at ΣΑΕ (Sigma Alpha Epsilon)".
They'll never be a NIGGER in ΣΑΕ (clap your hands)
They'll never be a NIGGER in ΣΑΕ (clap your hands)
They'll never be a NIGGER
They'll never be a NIGGER
They'll never be a NIGGER in ΣΑΕ
You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me
They'll never be a NIGGER in ΣΑΕ!
The national organization of Sigma Alpha Epsilon closed the Oklahoma Kappa chapter at the University of Oklahoma after a video surfaced showing members singing a racist, unsanctioned chant. The students were boisterously singing and taking the NIGGER to the woodshed.
They parodied the popular children's song, "If You're Happy and You Know It."
The Sooners put protest in silence.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon quickly suspended the charter of the involved chapter and suspended it's members on Sunday, March 8, 2015.
The University of Oklahoma president, David Boren, subsequently evicted the fraternity members, leaving until the following midnight, on Monday, March 9 for all members to vacate the fraternity's campus dwellings.
This is the conservative movement in full swing. That's why it's dubbed the racist right.
This is privileged White people telling America, that NIGGERS have no place in college or America.
Former president George W. Bush was in Selma for historic event. The racist right upset that he was brush out. They're upset that Bush and President Barack Obama interacted with Rev. Perm.
They're outraged because the New York Times couldn't fit the former in.
George W. Bush, former first lady Laura and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA, Majority Leader) were in attendance, Of course there lawmakers and agitators were there. The most notable were Attorney General Eric Holder, Rev. Perm, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).
What got the folks over at FalseVolt, Breitfart, Newsclusters and The Daily Nothing pissed off was the "deliberate" brush out of Bush and McCarthy.
The Times was trying bias to the former and Majority Leader.
Now you know how conservatives look at the media. They would take a foreign source that got its source from an anonymous foreign source over American outlets.
You see how reactionary these people are.
Bush isn't the president. Barack Obama is. They're sworn enemy.
The complaint, courtesy of The Daily Nothing. The Selma March included the president, Rev. Perm, Holder but missing from the photo, though only a few people down to the right, were former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. The Times also focused quite a bit of their story on the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, even though the local and federal investigations into that event found race had zero role in it and they refused to bring charges.
For their front page, the Times curiously chose a picture that did not show the entire front line of marchers, choosing instead to leave the Bushes on the cutting room floor.
Anyway, I am not wasting too much time covering this. These agitators can't get over the fact that President Barack Obama is in the White House. They hate the fact he's even in there.
It's about RACE not about politics.
The First Family and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) got the front. Conservatives outraged that G.W. Bush got the back.
Republicans and their racist right allies are wasted space in America. Eventually that will be phased out.
The younger generation are tolerant of LGBT, interracial marriage, religious freedom, marijuana legalization and the safety net.
The older generation is what Republicans relish on. They want more looser gun laws, restrictive voting rights, restrictions on women's rights, restrictions on immigration and religious intolerance.
This is why the world should never take American conservatives seriously. They too damn immature.
They can't understand that the media is free. The lefties hate how Loserville operates. But no one is trying to silence them. You have the right to change the channel, avoid picking up the paper, never click on the link or visiting the blog. You have a freaking choice.
Why get upset over a decision you decided to take consideration into?
State Rep. Sheila Butt wrote a Facebook post in January that critics thought painted her as a racist, if taken at face value.
Any elected leader who believes this country needs an “NAAWP” deservedly would face scorn and ridicule. She never would be taken seriously again for the rest of her political career and likely have to go home in shame.
There’s just one problem. No one seems to hear what Butt is telling them.
The Republican from Columbia said she did not mean “National Association for the Advancement of White People,” as her critics charge. They thought she was playing off “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,” or “NAACP.”
In January, Butt responded to a social media comment on Islamophobia by writing, “It is time for a Council on Christian Relations and an NAAWP in the Country.”
The Republican from Columbia, 63, said she meant “National Association for the Advancement of Western Principles,” and she really doesn’t care whether critics believe her or not.
“I know what I was writing,” Butt said as I spent a morning and afternoon with her at the State Capitol last week.”I am not going to apologize for something that I did not mean. It’s not going to happen.”
Butt describes herself as a Christian, conservative woman, in that order. The second-term legislator said she’s the most non-judgmental person you would ever meet. Furthermore, she said she does not rate people by race, creed or color. And she’s offended by anyone who thinks otherwise.
- See more at: http://columbiadailyherald.com/news/local-news/unapologetic#sthash.Jy43MYz5.dpuf
My take: As you and I can see, Right wing racism is in your face in 2015. This occur in less than one month after the racially and religious motivated killing of a Muslim family in Chapel Hill, N.C. Islamophobia is at an all-time high. Keep it up, conservatives!
The death of a Madison man has sparked outrage. Once again an unarmed man was killed by police after a confrontation. The police officer who shot him is a veteran. He is on paid administrative leave which is standard procedure. He's getting his union rep, his lawyer, and his psychologist.
We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to the family of Tony Robinson. He was the suspect that was unarmed.
These events call for more training, the use of body cameras and the potential usage of non lethal weapons in the case of individuals who are low level criminals. Those who the law enforcement arrest for minor offenses (i.e. marijuana possession, jaywalking, soliciting, prostitution, traffic citations and unpaid fines).
The AP reports that the fatal shooting of an unarmed black 19-year-old by a white police officer, who authorities say fired after he was assaulted, prompted protesters Saturday to take to the college town's streets with chants of "Black Lives Matter." The city's police chief said he understood the anger, assuring demonstrators his department would defend their rights as he implored the community to act with restraint.
Tony Robinson died Friday night after being shot in his apartment following a confrontation with Officer Matt Kenny, who had forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance while responding to a call, authorities and neighbors said.
Madison Police Chief Mike Koval said Kenny was injured, but didn't provide details. It wasn't clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone.
"He was unarmed. That's going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept," Koval said of Robinson. The department said Kenny would not have been wearing a body camera.
Several dozen protesters who gathered outside the police department Saturday afternoon held signs and chanted "Black Lives Matter" — a slogan adopted by activists and protesters nationwide after recent officer-involved deaths of unarmed blacks — before walking toward the neighborhood where the shooting took place.
The shooting came days after the U.S. Justice Department said it would not issue civil rights charges against Darren Wilson, the white former Ferguson, Missouri, officer who fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed, after a struggle in the street last August.
The racist right already trashing the name.
Federal officials did however find patterns of racial profiling, bigotry and profit-driven law enforcement in the St. Louis suburb, which saw spates of sometimes-violent protests in the wake of the shooting and a grand jury's decision not to charge Wilson.
Other high-profile deaths of black suspects at the hands of police officers have prompted nationwide protests, including that of Eric Garner, who died in July after New York City officers put him in a chokehold and a video showed him repeatedly saying, "I can't breathe." A Cleveland police officer in November fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who had been pointing a pellet gun at a playground. A Milwaukee police officer who fatally shot Dontre Hamilton last April was found to have acted in self-defense, but was fired for ignoring department policy regarding mental illness.
Koval struck a conciliatory tone Saturday while addressing the potential for more protests in Madison, saying he understood the community's distrust after "this tragic death."
"For those who do want to take to the street and protest," Koval said, his department would be there to "defend, facilitate, foster those First Amendment rights of assembly and freedom of speech." The promise echoed as a stark contrast to Ferguson, where an aggressive police response to protesters after Brown's death drew worldwide attention.
Koval also asked protesters to follow what he said was the lead of Robinson's family in asking for "nondestructive" demonstrations.
The chief said he had gone to Robinson's mother's house overnight and spoken with his grandparents and expressed sympathy to his family Saturday, saying, "19 years old is too young."
Family members at community meeting later read a statement prepared by Robinson's mother, Andrea Irwin.
Matt Kenny, the officer on paid leave.
"I can't even compute what has happened," Irwin's statement said. "I haven't even had a chance to see his body."
Koval said Kenny, a more than 12-year veteran of the Madison department, also shot and killed a suspect in 2007, but was cleared of wrongdoing because it was a "suicide by cop-type" situation. In that shooting, Kenny responded to a 911 call of a man with a gun and shot the man twice after police said he pointed the gun at officers. It turned out to be a pellet gun.
A picture of Kenny on the Madison department's website shows him with a police horse he trains, alongside a short first-person bio in which he says he served nine years in the U.S. Coast Guard before joining the department.
Kenny has been placed on administrative leave pending results of an investigation by the state's Division of Criminal Investigation.
A 2014 Wisconsin law requires police departments to have outside agencies investigate officer-involved deaths after three high-profile incidents within a decade — including one in Madison — didn't result in criminal charges, raising questions from the victims' families about the integrity of investigations.
Madison, about 80 miles west of Milwaukee, is the state capital and home to the University of Wisconsin's flagship campus. About 7 percent of the city's 243,000 residents are black. Neighbors said Robinson's apartment is in a two-story gray house on Williamson Street, known to many as Willy Street.
Chief Koval said police responded to a call about 6:30 p.m. Friday of a person jumping into traffic. A second call to police said the man was "responsible for a battery," Koval said.
Kenny went to an apartment and forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance. Koval said the officer fired after being assaulted by Robinson; Koval said he couldn't say how many shots were fired because it is part of the investigation.
The agitators of the racist right will use this.
One of Robinson's neighbors, Grant Zimmerman, said Robinson would run between his apartment and his roommate's mother's house across the street "all the time, even in the middle of traffic."
Wisconsin's online courts database shows that Robinson, a 2014 graduate of Sun Prairie High School, pleaded guilty to felony armed robbery in October and was sentenced in December to three years' probation. A police report said he was among four teenagers arrested in a home invasion in which the suspects were seen entering an apartment building with a long gun. They ran with electronics and other property and three of the four were captured. A shotgun and a "facsimile" handgun were recovered, according to the report.
Koval declined to discuss Robinson's background Saturday, saying he thought it was inappropriate.
"I'm not here to do a character workup on someone who lost his life less than 24 hours ago," Koval said.
A neighbor, Doris King, told the Wisconsin State Journal she asked Robinson about his involvement in the robbery because it seemed out of character for him.
"He felt he was under a lot of pressure from the others to do what he did," she told the newspaper. "He told me he would never do anything like that again."
Williamson Street appeared quiet Saturday evening. At least one Madison Police officer stood in front of the building where the shooting took place.
The Craigslist of conservative agitation spotlights The Weekly Standard article detailing President Barack Obama's speech in Selma, Alabama. He and the First Family are in the Alabama town showing solidarity. The 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday is being held and many civil rights leaders, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder are there.
The outrage meter comes from the big bold title "We're the slaves who built (sic) White House".
You got to admit that a historical event is now turned into a partisan escapade. The racist right goes right to town to claim that the president is a racist. The president doesn't love America. Blah, blah, blah, blah!
Good thing he doesn't care what the carnival barkers think of him?
The words in Obama's commencement of that horrible day in American history has driven the racist right crazy.
As explained in the 2012 post "Cut The Bullshit: You Conservatives Need Obama To Sell Your Stupid Books", this agitator relies on racial stories. Without them, he would just be a minor player in the political field.
Most of the news stories that are linked through this website attracts some of the most extreme members of society.
No matter how the story is found, his imprint makes a buzz worthy story. He takes pride in his work.
Despite many who feel his impact isn't going to sway any potential election, this agitator ignores his critics and keeps his fingers crossed. The agitator is hoping he'll activate his infamous siren for a juicy scandal involving the president.
This website openly endorses stories that appeal to White supremacists, radical Christian fundamentalists, and ill-informed conservatives who all have a bone to pick against Obama. Those ill-informed conservatives are usually the birthers who refuse to believe the president's citizenship or hostile conservatives who believe Obama is a Communist.
President Barack Obama, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (left), First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Malia crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
Some conservatives think the president is an idiot. Of course, these are the people who couldn't finish a complete sentence. Conservatives can thank the Craigslist of conservative agitation when he finds pictures of President Barack Obama and use them in negative light.
Read some of the comment section online. Anything that is linked through this website usually has a word vomit that involves Obama.
Notice that idiot can't even post a complete sentence... That's how misleading this asshole is!
Yeah, it's true. Slaves did build the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
And voting rights is extremely important. The Republicans are trying to gut voting rights so they can build the last dynasty of White extremism. The very same extremists who flood comment sections (with hate in their hearts) in protest of civil rights, gay rights, immigrant rights and religious freedom.
About the Selma march:
Wikipedia puts it in simple words.
In the summer of 1964, a sweeping injunction issued by local Judge James Hare barred any gathering of three or more people under sponsorship of SNCC, SCLC, or DCVL, or with the involvement of 41 named civil rights leaders. This injunction temporarily halted civil rights activity until Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. defied it by speaking at Brown Chapel on January 2, 1965. He had been invited by local leaders.
Beginning in January 1965, SCLC and SNCC initiated a revived Voting Rights Campaign designed to focus national attention on the systematic denial of black voting rights in Alabama, and particularly Selma. Blacks had followed a campaign to register, thwarted by subjective tests administered by white registrars. More than 3,000 African Americans had been arrested, there was police violence against them, and economic retaliation. Jimmie Lee Jackson was killed in a cafe in nearby Marion after state police broke up a peaceful protest in the town. He was unarmed.
Activists planned a larger, more public march, from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery, to publicize their cause. It was initiated and organized by SCLC's Director of Direct Action, James Bevel. This march represented one of the political and emotional peaks of the modern civil rights movement. On March 7, 1965, approximately 600 civil rights marchers departed Selma on U.S. Highway 80, heading east to the capital. After they passed over the crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and left the boundaries of the city six blocks away, they were confronted by state troopers and county sheriff's deputies, who attacked them using tear gas and billy clubs, and drove them back to Selma. Because of the brutal attacks, this became known as "Bloody Sunday." It was covered by national press and television news, reaching many American and international homes.
Two days after the first march, on March 9, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. led a symbolic march to the bridge. By then local activists and residents had been joined by hundreds of protesters from across the country, including numerous clergy and nuns. Whites made up one-third of the marchers. That day King pulled the marchers back from confrontation with troops. But, that night white minister James Reeb from Boston was attacked and killed by white attackers in Selma.
King and other civil rights leaders filed to get court protection for a third, larger-scale march from Selma to Montgomery, the state capital. Frank Minis Johnson, Jr., the Federal District Court Judge for the area, decided in favor of the demonstrators, saying:
The law is clear that the right to petition one's government for the redress of grievances may be exercised in large groups...and these rights may be exercised by marching, even along public highways.
—Frank Johnson
On March 21, 1965, a Sunday, approximately 3,200 marchers departed for Montgomery. Marching in the front row, with King, were Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. They walked 12 miles per day, and slept in nearby fields. The federal government provided protection by military troops. Thousands of people joined them along the way. By the time the marchers reached the capitol four days later on March 25, their strength had swelled to around 25,000 people. Their moral campaign had attracted thousands more people from across the country.
The events at Selma helped increase public support for the cause; later that year the U.S. Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, an effort whose bill was introduced, supported and signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It provided for federal oversight and enforcement of voting rights for all citizens in state or jurisdictions where patterns of under-representation showed discrimination against certain populations, historically ethnic minorities.
The outgoing Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder wanted to go even further in this discussion. He's threatening to use all his powers to dismantle the controversial Ferguson police department.
Holder said, "If that's what's necessary, we're prepared to do that."
Civil rights lawyers have previously said the county could absorb the functions of the Ferguson Police Department.
The Justice Department issued a report this week that found that police in Ferguson overwhelmingly arrested and issued traffic citations to black residents, creating a "toxic" environment with its policing practices.
The police also faced heavy scrutiny after it was revealed that some of its officers traded racial jokes about Black people and the president.
The officer who shot and killed Michael Brown was not indicted sparking months of unrest in the metro St. Louis area. It became a political firestorm with the agitators favoring the verdict and others finding it a travesty of justice.
President Barack Obama was astonished by the report released by the Department of Justice. He believes that the systematic practices are not just done in small towns like Ferguson but others.
Ferguson city officials will meet with the Justice Department in about two weeks to begin negotiating an agreement on reforms, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles said.
If the two parties cannot reach a consensus, the Justice Department can sue and force reform.
Knowles said on Friday that the city would not settle with the Justice Department if the negotiations do not lead to "mutual satisfaction."
"There are a lot of things in that report that are very troubling and need to be addressed, but there are also things that are an overreach," Knowles said.
Today is the 50th Anniversary of the Bloody Sunday march in Selma.
The only Republican who is attending is former president George W. Bush. The elected Republicans House Weeper John Boehner (R-OH), Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Senate Majority Leader Mitch The Turtle (R-KY) and Pro Tempe Orin Hatch (R-UT) are skipping the event.
Even the insurgent Black Republican lawmakers Rep. Mia Love (R-UT), Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) refuse to attend.
They're too busy unzipping their pants and letting Benjamin Netanyahu plow his dick in their asses.
They probably planning an attack ad to claim that the president has more time to attend a rally that involves him apologizing for America rather than standing with leaders in France during the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.
Top Republican leaders on Capitol Hill won't join the largest bipartisan congressional delegation ever in Selma, Alabama, this weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday civil rights march.
President Barack Obama, along with his wife and daughters, will be in Selma on Saturday's anniversary, as will former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
It's worth noting that not all top Democrats are planning to be in Selma either.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is going, according to her spokesman, and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer and Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra will also be there, said Rep. John Lewis, the Georgia Democrat who was a leader of the Bloody Sunday march and is heading up the congressional delegation. South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat, is also going.
But Sen Minority Leader Harry Reid is not going as he recovers from eye surgery, his office said. The second and third ranking Senate Democrats -- Dick Durbin of Illinois and Chuck Schumer of New York -- also won't attend, according to their spokesmen.
On Wednesday, Lewis told CNN 96 members were expected on the chartered flight to Selma and some 15 to 20 more were planning to meet up in Birmingham and Selma, calling it "the largest group ever."
At least two dozen Republicans were expected to be part of that group, according to a congressional staffer.
Asked if he was disappointed more Republicans weren't making the trip, Lewis said, "no, we continue to work and continue to build, we cannot become disappointed."
He said it "certainly" would be helpful to have leaders there to further the discussion on the Democrats' efforts to push for voting protections.
"We will not give up on anyone," Lewis said.
Top House leaders have gone to the annual event before. McCarthy traveled to Selma in 2012 when he was the No. 3 House Republican and then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor attended in 2013. Cantor, who had been a key Republican supporter of efforts to update the Voting Rights Act in the last Congress, lost his primary in 2014.
CNN reports that on the same day last month that the House voted to approve a congressional gold medal for Selma marchers, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), both members of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2015, a bill aimed at updating and strengthening the law.
In 2013, the Supreme Court overturned a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that required certain states with a history of racial discrimination at the polls to "pre-clear" any changes to the law with the federal government before implementing them.
But there is no indication that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) plans to take up the legislation to update the law. At a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in January, he said he believed the Voting Rights Act was sufficient as it stands.
"We have continued to study this issue, but to this point, we have not seen a process forward that is necessary to protect people, because we think the Voting Rights Act is providing substantial protection in this area right now," Goodlatte said.
Stewart noted that a delegation of Republican senators is planning to attend, led by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and including Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who is a member of the leadership team in the Senate, serving as counselor to McConnell.
And as for Republican potential presidential hopefuls -- none of them will be in Selma either. Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Kent.) office said he will be in Kentucky. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will be in Iowa participating in an agricultural summit and Sen. Marco Rubio's office did not respond to questions about where he would be this weekend, except to say that he was not traveling to Selma.
Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said that while the speaker will not be in Selma to mark Bloody Sunday, he was looking forward to granting those who marched to Montgomery Congress' highest civilian honor.
"Speaker Boehner was proud last month when the House passed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the civil rights marchers in Selma 50 years ago, and will be proud to welcome them to a ceremony in the Capitol to bestow this honor," Steel said.
Both the House and Senate passed legislation in February to grant the awards.
Okay, when you hear those concern troll claim that it was the Democrats that were ones who turned the water cannons on American civil rights leaders, you kindly tell them, "Where are the Republicans now?"
The Democrats nominated and the American people elected the first Black president twice. So it's time to do the walk.....Republicans.
McCarthy and Scott had a change of heart. What about the Weeper and The Turtle?
Not going down without a fight... The words of embattled Democratic politico Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
You got served! Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Menendez got his ass caught up in a corruption probe.
Paging Melanie Sloan of the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. We got another one.
The longtime Democratic Senator from New Jersey is going up the creek soon and he's acting like nothing is happening. Signs of trouble for Menendez.
The U.S. Justice Department is preparing criminal corruption charges against New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, CNN reported on Friday.
Citing unnamed sources briefed on the case, CNN said the charges center on allegations that Menendez used his office to promote the business interests of a Democratic donor and friend in exchange for gifts.
Menendez's office denied any wrongdoing.
"As we have said before, we believe all of the senator's actions have been appropriate and lawful, and the facts will ultimately confirm that," Tricia Enright, Menendez's communications director, said in a statement.
Noting that the official investigation of the matter was ongoing, she said the senator's office "cannot address allegations being made anonymously."
CNN said Attorney General Eric Holder has given the green light for prosecutors to proceed with charges and an announcement could arrive in coming weeks.
Holder, who was traveling in South Carolina with President Barack Obama, said he could not comment.
Justice Department officials declined to comment.
If charges are brought against Menendez it is possible he would have to step down from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he is the top Democrat.
Federal authorities have probed Menendez's relationship with Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen, a Democratic donor who has been accused of overbilling the Medicare program.
CNN said the government's case focuses on Melgen and, in part, on plane trips that Menendez took in 2010 to the Dominican Republic as a guest of Melgen.
Prosecutors also are focusing on whether Menendez advocated for Melgen's business interest in a Dominican Republic government contract for port screening equipment, CNN said.
Menendez is one of the critics of President Barack Obama's approach with disarming nuclear weapons with Iran. He was one of the many butt kissers for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This wasn't the first time. He was being probed in a child sexual abuse case in the Dominican Republic. The guy being his money man who is also indicted took him to the country.Them big time Democratic donors were inviting him to meet some hoes. Some of them hoes were underage.
He, Stallmigo Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are the Cuban-American politicos currently serving in the Senate.
Cory Booker is the Democratic senator from New Jersey. He is an ally to Menendez.
I know that the Republicans and their conservative allies are not worried about the improving economy. They're concerned about radical Islam and ass kissing Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to them, 92 million are out of work. Again according to the fact checkers, the ones who claim that are wrong, wrong and just plain wrong.
But seriously, the real unemployment numbers are here and for the month of February, the Department of Labor reports 295,000 jobs were added despite bad weather affecting most of the United States. It dropped the job rate to 5.5%.
The Republican-controlled Congress is ineffective. They stalled many of the president's proposals during the Democratic Party control and now they'll try to take credit for it.
But the decline in the rate occurred mainly because some people out of work stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.
The strong job gains weren't enough to boost wages by much. The average hourly wage rose just 3 cents in February to $24.78 an hour.
Still, over the past 12 months, 3.3 million more Americans have gotten jobs. More jobs and lower gas prices have led many consumers to step up spending. That's boosting the economy, offsetting sluggish economies overseas and giving employers the confidence to hire.
The strengthening job market could give the Federal Reserve room to move toward raising interest rates from record lows. Most analysts expect the Fed to pave the way for higher rates by adjusting the statement it issues after its March policy meeting, to be followed by the first hike in June or September.
After the jobs report was released Friday morning, investors sold ultra-safe U.S. Treasurys, a sign that many anticipate a Fed rate hike. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.18 percent from 2.11 percent before the report was issued.
The U.S. job market and economy are easily outpacing those of other major nations. Though Europe and Japan are showing signs of growing more than last year, their economies remain feeble. The euro currency union's unemployment rate has started to fall, but at 11.2 percent it remains nearly twice the U.S. level.
The U.S. economy expanded at a breakneck annual pace of 4.8 percent in last year's spring and summer, only to slow to a tepid 2.2 percent rate in the final three months of 2014. Many economists estimate that growth is picking up slightly in the current quarter to an annual rate of 2.5 percent to nearly 3 percent.
Still, economists remain bullish about hiring despite the slowdown in growth. The fourth quarter's slowdown occurred largely because companies reduced their stockpiles of goods, which translated into lower factory output.
But companies focus more on consumer demand in making hiring decisions, and demand was strong in the October-December quarter. Americans stepped up their spending by the most in four years.
And though consumers are saving much of the cash they have from cheaper gas, spending in January still rose at a decent pace after adjusting for lower prices.
Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, expects the economy to grow 3 percent this year, which would be first time it's reached that level in a decade. That's fast enough to support hiring of about 250,000 a month, he said.
Conrad Hilton, the epitome of upper class white privilege.
He's the epitome of upper class white privilege. He and his sisters, they get away with far and away more stuff than poor people, Blacks, People of Color, and Mixed ethnicity people period. ____________________________
The following article comes from Salon Magazine regarding Conrad Hilton's arrogant behavior:
The 6 most outrageous details from Conrad Hilton’s in-flight meltdown
A GQ report from the flight reveals Conrad Hughes Hilton III's outrageous antics
Last month the monstrous behavior of the youngest Hilton heir, Conrad Hughes Hilton III, was revealed to the public. In July aboard a 10-hour trans-Atlantic flight, Hilton threw an epic (and threatening) tantrum, and was charged with intimidating and assaulting several British Airways flight attendants.
GQ Magazine put together a detailed timeline of what happened during the flight: “based on 1) the criminal complaint filed on February 2, which is a sworn affidavit by the FBI agent who investigated the case, and 2) my extensive interview with Mitchell, in 81H, who does, after all, analyze human behavior for a living.”
Conrad’s arraignment was scheduled for March 5 (two days after his 21st birthday). He agreed to plead to one account of simple assault on Feb. 23, according to GQ, and he faces a maximum of six months imprisonment. Given the public’s tendency to both relish and scoff at the bizarre behavior of the rich and famous, here are the juiciest details from the in-flight meltdown:
1) Let’s set the stage, shall we? Mitchell describes Hilton’s appearance:
“He was dressed posh casual, expensive haircut. He looked like a polo player and walked with a sure-footed march, being loud. He said something like they had attacked him. I heard a lot of “fucks.” The staff were being really low key, but it was monstrous. Inhuman. I mean, really, it was.”
2) Five minutes after takeoff Hilton was reportedly walking down the aisles, when nobody else is supposed to be up. The complaint later alleges that:
“Four members of the crew ask Hilton to return to his seat, but he refuses, saying that if they are standing, he should be allowed to stand, too. He’s cursing and being aggressive. He says he has ‘a fucking problem’ and threatens to hit someone seated four rows behind him.”
3) Mitchell describes watching him later on the flight:
“I was about to video it, but he looked at me, really threatening. I don’t often watch horror movies, but you know how the walking dead have a look in their eye? I thought, ‘He’s going to come at me next.’ He turned around and said, ‘Now everybody’s judging me.’ That’s when they closed the curtains.”
4) The report details him lashing out at a customer service manager:
“As Hilton wanders around the plane, he lashes out at the customer service manager who is shadowing him to protect the passengers and his 21-member crew. ‘Stop following me!’ Hilton yells, adding: ‘I am going to fucking kill you!’ Hilton points his finger in the attendant’s face, shouting, “I will fucking rip through you!” and ‘I will fucking own you!’”
5) The infamous “peasants” line is reportedly repeated many times, according to the report. Oh, and he also smokes weed in the lavatory:
“Numerous times, Hilton yells, ‘I will fucking own anyone on this flight; they are fucking peasants!’ At one point he approaches another flight attendant and brags that he is already banned by other airlines. He says he has issues, that he’s just broken up with a girlfriend, and that his behavior will probably turn into a lawsuit for his father to pay. He laments that he wants to smoke marijuana. At around 9:15 p.m., he locks himself in a lower deck restroom; soon the smell of weed is detected in the cabin.”
6) According to Mitchell he’d be the “weakest link,” if he were stranded on an island:
“If you were on a desert island, Hilton would be the weakest link, wouldn’t he? Let’s face it. He’d be the one about whom everyone would say, ‘Oh, shit, don’t get him to do anything. He’ll balls it up.’”
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Is it any wonder why Americans don't like upper class folks because those people feel entitled to do whatever the heck they want to do without any consequences whatsoever?
