Featured
On Blood-Soaked Ground, a ‘Prayer for the Future’ of a Divided Land. By Dan Barry / NYT
On Nov. 19, 1863, on this very hill, President Abraham Lincoln unfolded his six-foot-four frame to stand and dedicate a national soldiers’ cemetery made necessary by the horrific Battle of Gettysburg just four months earlier. His 272 words became a civic prayer of unity and purpose for a nation riven by civil war: the Gettysburg Address.
Now, exactly two weeks after a contentious presidential election that seemed only to widen the American divide, it was the daunting honor of a Lincoln scholar named Harold Holzer to channel the 16th president and recite his immortal words.
He began: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” “That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Read more
Political / Social
Trump’s Cabinet Picks Threaten Black Americans’ Rights and Safety. By Brandon Tensley / Capital B News
His selections for his Cabinet and administration include a “great replacement theory” proponent and an alleged white nationalist.
With each announcement of a Cabinet or White House pick, President-elect Donald Trump is assembling a team of players with a long history of opposition to policies that support Black Americans and handing his team a policy agenda that deeply threatens our communities. Trump’s nominees are overwhelmingly anti-Black Lives Matter and anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion. They’re also peddlers of “reverse racism,” as well as outspoken opponents of the browning of the country. Read more
Related: How immigration swung voters of color to Trump. By Michael Tesler / ABC News
Related: Trump Cabinet Nominee Proposed Terrifying Role for Military. By Malcolm Ferguson / The New Republic
Related: 2024 election results map: Where Trump made his biggest gains. By Jasmine Cui / NBC News
Trump’s plan to dismantle DEI on day one is a “colorblind” path to Jim Crow 2.0. By Shari Dunn / Salon
Donald Trump’s vow to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in workplaces and educational institutions on day one of his administration is not about fairness—it’s about erasing decades of progress and reinstating systemic racial barriers under the guise of equality. This is not a neutral policy proposal but the blueprint for a modern-day colorblind Jim Crow 2.0.
Calling DEI “Didn’t Earn It,” as critics derisively refer to it, is not just insulting but echoes the rhetoric and practices of the Jim Crow era, which were designed to delegitimize the achievements and contributions of Black Americans by framing them as unqualified or undeserving. Read more
Related: RIP DEI? Trump poised to crack down on ‘woke’ corporations. By Jessoca Guynn / USA Today
Related: Is DEI in the Crosshairs at the U. of Michigan? Katherine Mangan / Chronicle of Higher Ed
Related: Republicans Target Social Sciences to Curb Ideas They Don’t Like. By Vimal Patel / NYT
Kamala Harris had a whirlwind 107-day campaign. What’s next for her? By David Smith / The Guardian
Vice-president’s next move could involve California politics, a re-run for 2028 or a thinktank, among others
Speculation has already begun as to what might come next. While Harris, 60, has not announced any specific plans, supporters suggest that options include a move into the private sector, a return to California politics – or another presidential run in 2028. Read more
Related: What Democrats Think Went Wrong. A political autopsy. A focus group. Astead W. Herndon / NYT Podcast
Is Progressive Journalism Being Systematically Destroyed? By Thom Hartmann
Comcast spinning off MSNBC bodes ill. Will rich liberals please wake up to the media crisis in this country?
Without the right-wing media juggernaut, Donald Trump probably wouldn’t be president next year and wouldn’t have won in 2016. That said, the progressive media landscape looks like it might be about to get a whole lot worse. Read more
Related: Activists gathered to strategize how to continue to fight inequities. By Deborah Barfield Berry / USA Today
Mississippi Segregation Academies Are Benefitting From Taxpayer Dollars. By Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon / ProPublica
ProPublica identified 20 schools in the state that likely opened as segregation academies and have received almost $10 million over the past six years from the state’s tax credit donation program.
On May 14, the final day for submitting new bills in the Mississippi Legislature, a bold new package of them landed on the desks of Mississippi lawmakers. The plans called for the creation of a voucher program that paid for students to attend private schools. Read more
“We don’t see our future”: Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio “panicking” after Trump’s victory. By Tatyana Tandanpolie / Salon
Amid false smears, Trump threatened to revoke Temporary Protected Status for people who fled Haiti to US
Since President-elect Donald Trump won the election earlier this month, Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, have been living with a renewed fear of what may come should he follow through on his vow to terminate their temporary legal immigration status. Many have packed their bags and left, while those who’ve called the Dayton suburb home for years and can’t easily relocate scramble for information on their options for remaining in the United States as the threat of deportation during Trump’s second term looms. Read more
Jury Awards Nearly $100 Million to Family of Texas Man Killed by Police Officer. Qasim Nauman / NYT
A jury in federal court concluded that a white police officer used excessive force and violated the constitutional rights of Botham Shem Jean, a Black man, in 2018.
A federal jury on Wednesday awarded nearly $100 million to the family of Botham Shem Jean, a Black man who was eating ice cream and watching television at home in Dallas when he was shot dead by a white police officer six years ago. Read more
President of Atlanta’s historically Black Spelman College steps down after leave of absence. By AP
Spelman College’s president won’t be coming back from her leave of absence and is stepping down permanently, the historically Black women’s college announced Thursday.
The college, which has more than 3,000 students, hasn’t said why Dr. Helene Gayle initially left or why she won’t return. Trustees said in a statement that they are working on a plan to select the college’s next president. In the meantime, interim President Rosalind “Roz” Brewer remains in charge. Read more
World News
I.C.C. Issues Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. By Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Aaron Boxerman / NYT
The I.C.C. rejected Israel’s challenges to its jurisdiction and also issued a warrant for a top Hamas official. Its chief prosecutor is seeking the arrests for war crimes in Israel and Gaza.
The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and dealing an extraordinary blow to Israel’s global standing as it presses on with wars on multiple fronts. Read more
Related: Orban Invites Netanyahu to Hungary, Flouting I.C.C. Arrest Warrant. Andrew Higgins / NYT
Trump wants a deal on Ukraine. But a bad deal is worse than none. By the Editorial Board / Wash Post
If Trump leaves Ukraine dismembered, America will look weak and dictators will feel emboldened.
Both Russia and Ukraine have been escalating their bloody conflict, now past the 1,000-day mark, seeking maximum advantage before Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump will take office and probably bring a different U.S. policy toward the war. For Russia, escalation is about saving face — expelling Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk region — and grabbing as much Ukrainian territory as it can. For Ukraine, it’s a matter of surviving with its sovereignty and as much of its preinvasion territory as possible. Read more
I Watched Orbán Destroy Hungary’s Democracy. Here’s My Advice for the Trump Era. By Gabor Scheiring / Politico
President-elect Donald Trump is following a playbook pioneered by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.
Trump’s goal this time is to remake the American government to enhance his power. He isn’t the first modern right-wing populist to attempt this — he is following a playbook pioneered by Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. I lived through Orbán’s power grab as a member of Hungary’s parliament and have been researching populism since. I’ve learned a few things along the way that might help Trump’s opponents understand how he won and how they can fight back. Read more
Ethics / Morality / Religion
Watch “Georgia Sen. Warnock reflects on election in Sunday sermon at Ebenezer Baptist” on YouTube
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock reflected on the disappointment he felt following the election in remarks during his Sunday sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The Ebenezer Baptist pastor touched on the theme of re-establishing a “firm foundation in a shaky world.” “This past Tuesday was a tough reminder that we live in a shaky world,” the Democratic senator said. Listen and watch here
The Black Women Missing from Our Pews. By Sarita Lyons / Christianity Today
America’s most churched demographic is slipping from religious life. We must go after them.
Despite Black women historically being considered the backbone of the church and earning the distinction of outnumbering men in the pews, there is a disturbing trend that we must address. Though we as Black women are among the most religious groups in the United States, there is an exodus of Black women missing from churches for a variety of reasons, and some of us aren’t just leaving a specific congregation; we are leaving the faith completely. Read more
Texas approves new Bible-based curriculum for elementary schools. By Erum Salam and Martin Pengelly / The Guardian
Teachers can opt in, but state is offering financial incentive of $60 a student for participating school districts
The Texas board of education voted 8-7 on Friday to approve a new Bible-based curriculum in elementary schools. The curriculum, called “Bluebonnet Learning”, could be implemented as soon as August 2025 and affects English and language arts teaching material for kindergarten through fifth grade public school classes. Read more
Historical / Cultural
Scholars Thought White Women Were Passive Enslavers. They Were Wrong. Rachel L. Swarns / NYT
For generations, scholars argued that white women were rarely involved in the active buying and selling of Black people. A growing body of research says otherwise.
The buyers flocked to the slave auctions held at the Georgia estate, eager to inspect the human property on display. There were cooks, carriage drivers, washer women and ladies’ maids. The trader — a woman named Annie Poore — paraded the Black captives before the buyers, haggled over prices and pocketed the profits. She was working in a field dominated by men. But that did not dissuade her from pursuing a thriving business in Black bodies. Read more
The Democrats Are in Trouble. This Man Can Save Them. By Daniel Chandler / NYT
Defeating Mr. Trump in the future will require liberals, progressives and others on the left to articulate a positive vision that can capture the imagination of a broad majority of Americans.
But where can they find the inspiration for such a vision? The answer lies in the work of the towering 20th century political philosopher John Rawls. Read more
A decade after Marion Barry’s death, many show they haven’t forgotten him. By Keith L. Alexander and Emma Uber / Wash Post
From leaving flowers at his gravesite to gathering for the unveiling of a mural in his honor, people paid respect to D.C.’s mayor for life.
“I wanted this to give people an understanding of what Marion stood for, what he fought for and most importantly, what he lived his life doing,” Barry’s widow, Cora Masters Barry said as members in the audience burst into applause. She said the mural was “about the people who worked with him and for him and shows the history of Washington, D.C.” Read more
Percival Everett, Author of ‘James,’ Wins National Book Award for Fiction. Alexandra Alter /NYT
Percival Everett won the National Book Award for fiction on Wednesday for his novel “James,” a propulsive and slyly funny retelling of Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Huck’s companion, an enslaved man named James.
In accepting the award, Everett said that seeing people coming together to celebrate books gave him a sense of optimism during what was, for him, a challenging moment. Read more
Denzel Washington commands ancient Rome and movie theaters with ‘Gladiator II.’ By
“His grand purpose,” Washington told NBC News of his opulent, power-hungry character, “is to take over the world.”
The biggest surprise of “Gladiator II” is not that Denzel Washington is great. Instead, it’s how pivotal his character Macrinus is to the long-awaited sequel starring Paul Mescal as the heir of Russell Crowe’s iconic character Maximus. The sequel revolves around Mescal’s character stepping into his destiny as Lucius, the son of a great warrior and grandson of an emperor. But it’s Washington’s Macrinus who moves “Gladiator II” forward. Read more
Related: The Piano Lesson’ movie is a Denzel Washington family project. By Brian Truitt / USA Today
Everything to Know About the Wicked Musical Movie Adaptation. By James Grebey / NBC Insider
The Broadway show is headed to the big screen this fall with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the lead roles.
In short, Wicked is an origin story for Elphaba, aka The Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, aka Glinda the Good. It reveals how the green-skinned, socially maligned Elphaba, a talented student at the magical school Shiz University, went from an underdog protagonist to a so-called Wicked Witch — and it asks the important question of whether or not she’s actually so bad. Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu, hits theaters in the United States on November 22, 2024. Read more
Beyonce, American Requiem, and Reclaiming Genre. By Elizabeth Gonzalez / AAIHS
Beyonce on stage for Beyonce Performs NBC Today Show Concert, 2006 (Shutterstock).
On March 29, 2024, Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, the first country-inspired album released by the artist. The album’s release sparked debate over numerous questions: What is country music? Who can create within the genre? Who is it for? Through the album, Beyoncé explores the nebulous boundaries of race and genre. Read more
Sports
Sports should keep their distance from Trump and his endless drama. By Kevin B. Blackistone / Wash Post
The president-elect has disrupted the world of sports before, and he will again.
What a new Trump administration’s potential threat to NLRB general counsel Abruzzo’s job, who declared that college athletes particularly those who play football and basketball should be viewed as employees, reminded me of was not just the difficulty the college athlete class will have maintaining its momentum toward fair treatment. It was, more broadly, the disturbance Trump ushered into sports during and after campaigning for and winning election in 2016. It hasn’t been that long. Have we forgotten already? Read more
Related: Athletes will come to regret their ‘Trump dance’ celebrations. By Nancy Armour / USA Today
Deion Sanders says Colorado got ‘intoxicated’ by success, now faces uncertain road ahead. By Brent Schrotenboer / USA Today
Colorado football coach Deion Sanders told his players after a damaging loss to Kansas on Saturday that they started liking the scent of their success too much and ended up “intoxicated” from it.
The question now for the Buffaloes (8-3) is if they can sober up in time to win the Big 12 Conference championship. It’s still mathematically possible, but they no longer control their own destiny after a 37-21 loss at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Read more
Allen Iverson checks in at No. 49 in ‘The Basketball 100’: ‘You could never question his heart.’ By Marcus Thompson II / The Athletic
“The Basketball 100” is the definitive ranking of the 100 greatest NBA players of all time from The Athletic’s team of award-winning writers and analysts, including veteran columnists David Aldridge and John Hollinger. This excerpt is reprinted from the book, which also features a foreword by Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
“The Basketball 100” is available Nov. 26. Read David Aldridge’s introduction and all of the excerpts here. Read more
Earl Monroe changed the NBA. At 80, he is still making moves. By Paul Schwartzman / Wash Post
“The Pearl” revolutionized professional basketball with his flashy style of play. As he reaches a milestone birthday, he is slowed but proud.
He moved through the crowd slowly, pushing his walker across the Bronx asphalt until he reached a folding chair, where he sat and rested the legs that once delivered him to basketball brilliance. “Hanging in there,” he said to someone who greeted him. “Another day.” More than a generation ago, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was to professional basketball what James Brown was to performance, a man of a million unplanned moves who thrilled his audiences and left them clamoring for more. Read more
Humbled Magic Johnson Promises To Expand $1.2 Billion Empire After Sports & Business Honchos’ Key Lessons. By Rohit De / Essentially Sports
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, the legendary NBA Hall of Famer, has never been one to rest on his laurels. With an infectious smile and an unparalleled drive, he conquered the NBA, earning five championships.
Yet, his greatest triumphs might be his business endeavors, where he has built a $1.2 billion empire with the help of cinema halls and sports teams. Now after a business meet, the Lakers icon appears poised to reach even greater heights. Read more
‘I said it wasn’t my driving!’ Hamilton rallies to top Las Vegas F1 GP practice. By The Guardian
Lewis Hamilton during practice at the Las Vegas Circuit.
“I am feeling pretty good,” said Hamilton. “That is the first time I have had a day like that this year. The car was feeling really good in P1 and in P2 less so. We have work to do overnight. It is difficult to know exactly where we are and why we are where we are but I am really enjoying driving the track. We will see whether the car is still the same tomorrow. As I said heading into this weekend, I know it is not my driving.” Read more