Featured
Five Christian Nationalist Action Items for Trump’s Next Term. By Kiera Butler / Mother Jones
Over the last few months leading up to the election, I’ve been writing about an ascendant fundamentalist religious movement whose leaders believe that the United States is a Christian nation, that the Constitution is based on the Bible, and that Christians are called to take over the government.
These figures have found a powerful ally in President-elect Donald Trump. Just last week, days before the election, I attended one of his campaign events at a church in Georgia, where Trump promised the assembled crowd that he intended to put Christian leaders “directly in the Oval Office.” Read more
Related: Pete Hegseth and His ‘Battle Cry’ for a New Christian Crusade. Mike Baker and Ruth Graham / NYT
Related: The Klan, White Christianity, and the Past and Present. By Joel A. Brown / U. Chicago
Political / Social
How Trump could bring on a second civil war. By Robert Reich
Trump may force a second civil war on America with his plan to use the military to round up at least 11 million undocumented people inside the United States — even if it means breaking up families — send them to detention camps, and then deport them.
As well as his plan to target his political enemies for prosecution — including Democrats, journalists, and other critics. What happens when we, especially those of us in blue states and cities, resist these authoritarian moves — as we must, as we have a moral duty to? Read more
Related: Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth Have the Same Enemies. Carlos Lozada / NYT
Related: Trump’s cabinet picks aren’t just ‘loyalists’. They’re groveling, subservient yes-men. By Robert Reich / The Guardian
Where is the fierce urgency of now? By Chauncey Devega / Salon
Why are so many behaving like the battle to defeat Trumpism is lost before he has even taken office?
The Trump train keeps on rolling. The so-called resistance is still in shock if not prematurely surrendering. Some among the mainstream news media are already engaging in what historian Timothy Snyder describes as “anticipatory obedience.” As I desperately tried to warn the American people, the Democratic Party had no answer for such power; the elites have not and will not save we “the Americans” or our democracy and future. Now we are here, less than two months before Trump becomes president for a second time. Read more
DEI Is Experiencing Fabricated Chaos, What To Do About It. By Julie Kratz / Forbes
The origins of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace started in the 1960s around the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. With the introduction of systemic equal-employment laws and affirmative-action requirements, workplace diversity training became essential. Fast-forward 60 years, and affirmative action has been challenged by the U.S. Supreme Court for higher education and there is a perception of DEI backlash.
In my interview with Rhodes Perry, CEO of Rhodes Perry consulting, he said “We need to put the DEI backlash in perspective. This is a moment. We have been here before. Anti-DEI proponents are just finding new and more sophisticated ways to distract us from being successful. Let’s not concede to the perceived backlash. There are more allies than there are antagonists to DEI. Read more
The 2024 election revealed an uncomfortable question about Latino voters. By Christian Paz / Vox
Is the group too diverse to think of with just one word?
At first glance, both questions are simple to answer. Latinos are simply any of the 65 million people of any race living in the United States with cultural or ancestral ties to Latin America (and Spain, if you consider the term “Hispanic”). Overwhelmingly of Mexican descent (about 60 percent), they live primarily in two states, California and Texas, and make up about a fifth of the American population. For a time, this vote remained pretty uniform in both its makeup and its support for one party. That stability fueled the idea that there was such a thing as a Latino voting bloc, leading parties to have “Latino strategies” aimed at winning these voters over. Read more
Memphis Police Used Excessive Force and Discriminated Against Black Residents, Justice Dept. Finds. Emily Cochrane and Shaila Dewan / NYT
The Police Department has been under scrutiny since Tyre Nichols’s death last year. The report noted that children in particular had experienced “aggressive and frightening encounters with officers.”
The Justice Department released the results of its investigation into the Memphis Police Department on Wednesday, finding that it had used excessive force, treated Black people more harshly than white people and mistreated those with mental health issues. The report said that the civil rights violations had a “corrosive effect.” The 73-page report made special note of the treatment of children, saying that they had experienced “aggressive and frightening encounters with officers.” Read more
Georgia’s Black Drivers Pay More In Auto Insurance. By Kandiss Edwards / Black Enterprise
Black Georgia drivers may be paying up to 25% more in vehicle insurance depending on ZIP code, according to a study by ValuePenguin.
The study looked at the insurance costs for majority Black and white neighborhoods. The analysis indicates that the higher the percentage of Black people in any given zip code, the higher the insurance premium. “In areas where Black residents make up at least 50% of the population, annual auto insurance premiums average $3,929. That compares with $3,537 across all Georgia ZIP codes—a difference of 11.1%. In areas with 70% or more Black residents, the disparity jumps to 25.1%.” Read more
World News
Ghana’s ruling party candidate concedes presidential election to his opposition rival. By Francis Kokutse / ABC News
Ghana’s vice president and ruling party candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat Sunday to opposition candidate and former President John Dramani Mahama (shown) in the West African nation’s presidential election seen as a vote of no-confidence in the current government’s handling of an ailing economy.
Ahead of the official announcement, Bawumia told reporters that he respects the decision of Ghanaians to vote for change. “I’ve just called His Excellency John Mahama to congratulate him as president-elect of the Republic of Ghana,” he said at his residence in the capital, Accra. Read more
‘Specific Intent To Destroy Palestinians’: Amnesty International Concludes Israel Is Carrying Out Genocide In Gaza. By
Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the human rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday, in a campaign that’s benefited from huge military and diplomatic support from the United States. The declaration from Amnesty, an influential watchdog organization with wide international reach and respect, represents a significant addition to the chorus of accusations that the U.S.-backed Israeli offensive constitutes a genocide – one of the gravest possible violations. Read more
Ethiopia’s Agony: ‘I Have Never Seen This Kind of Cruelty in My Life.’
Ethics / Morality / Religion
Obama makes plea for pluralism, citing interfaith partnerships, megachurches. By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
“Pluralism is not about holding hands and singing ‘Kumbaya,’” he said in his remarks, which were posted on Medium. “And building bridges may require you to deal with people who not only disagree with you, but do not respect you.” He said he experienced that as president, “where I was negotiating with people who made it pretty clear they didn’t think I should be president, legally, morally,” but he and they strove nevertheless to listen, foster relationships and find compromise. Read more
Rev. Barber seeks to revive NC Moral Monday protests but faces a surprising obstacle. By Ned Barnett / The News and Observer
At a time when Democratic leaders say President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA movement threaten democracy, there seems surprisingly little interest in using a hallmark of democracy – the right to assemble and protest – to defend it. Despite this quiet but tense national lull of protest, the Rev. William Barber II seeks to revive political outrage in North Carolina.
If Barber hopes to lead a revival of street-level activism among progressives, he will first have to clear the fog of resignation — or at least reluctance — clouding their ranks. Read more
Related: How do pastors lead amid cultural division? By Brad Hill / RNS
First woman pastor of historic Mother Bethel AME calls her appointment ‘mind-boggling.’ By Adelle M. Banks / RNS
The Rev. Carolyn Cavaness is the first woman to lead Mother Bethel. A fourth-generation preacher, Cavaness, 41, long knew she was going to enter the ministry. “I had a preacher’s license before I had a driver’s license,” she said in an interview. Read more
Historical / Cultural
What Reconstruction Still Has to Teach Us. By Brandon Tensley / Capital B
Doris ‘Dorie’ Miller became the first Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism at Pearl Harbor. By Todd Neikirk / War History Online
White and Black activists worked strategically in parallel in Detroit 50 years ago, fighting for civil rights. By Say Burgin / The Conversation
Since the murder of George Floyd in 2020, some white people have been wondering how they can work with Black people to fight racial inequality.
As a history professor who studies social movements, I know this is not a new question. In the 1960s, civil rights activists deliberated how to channel white support for racial equality. These conversations took place in cities across the country. In Detroit, white residents responded with particular enthusiasm. There, as I documented in my 2024 book, their joint deliberations led to a strategic innovation in organizing that became foundational to Black Power. Read more
The Twenty-first Century’s Best Books About Native America. By The New Yorker
Black Women Know the Real Truth about Glinda, Elphaba’s Relationship in Wicked And It’s Time Everyone Does Too. By Shanelle Genai / The Root
While Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande nail their respective characters, there’s a bigger message behind their dynamic that needs to be talked about.
For context, the film—which is a movie musical adaptation of the Broadway production of the same name—explores the history and relationship between Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch (Grande) and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West (Erivo) in the land of Oz. When the film first begins, the two women are at odds as Glinda is the popular, socially privileged person whereas Elphaba—thanks to her green skin and her affinity to consistently fight for what’s right as opposed to sticking to the status quo—is not. Read more
Caribbean Matters: Afro-Cuban heroes Antonio Maceo and Mariana Grajales Cuello. By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos
Cuban leaders take part in a military parade in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Cuban Army, at the Antonio Maceo Square in Santiago de Cuba.
Maceo, a leading anti-slavery, anti-racism advocate and freedom fighter, would harshly reject today’s politics of Cuban Americans who voted for Donald Trump, the anti-Black racism within the Cuban American community, and parallel racism that still exists in Cuba. (I addressed some of these issues here.) It should also come as no surprise that Cuban Americans were the only Latino group with a majority vote for Trump. Read more
Sports
The Lakers face an uncomfortable reality: LeBron James needs to do less. By Ben Gulliver / Wash Post
Truly fixing the Lakers will require something more fundamental: a deconstruction of the team’s overdependence on James in pursuit of a healthier and more balanced team concept.
While that’s no easy task, a careful review of James’s play this season makes it clear his burden is too heavy. The 39-year-old forward has averaged 22.3 points, 9.0 assists and 7.9 rebounds — a stat line matched only by reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets — but his age and fatigue have emerged as significant limiting factors. Read more
Deion Sanders reportedly interested in coaching offers allowing him to be ‘full self.’ By Kris Miller / SI
Sanders’ tenure at Colorado has been marked by extraordinary player development and a complete cultural overhaul.
Despite Sanders’ accomplishments, questions remain about the program’s long-term viability. Colorado has invested heavily in football since Sanders’ arrival, but it lacks the financial resources and infrastructure of college football’s blue-blood programs. With Hunter, Shedeur, and Shilo likely heading to the NFL, Sanders will lose his most prominent players and, by extension, much of the personal connection that drew him to Colorado. Read more
Kevin Garnett’s Message to Stephen A. Smith All but Confirms Over $100 Million ESPN Deal. By Rohit De / Essentially Sports
The Big Ticket has recently posted an Instagram Story that read, “Congratulations bro @stephenasmith.” In light of the latest developments, it is not wild to assume that Garnett is sending his wishes to the ESPN veteran on earning his new achievement: a much-talked-about $120 million deal for six years fetching him $20 million per year. So is it really done?
Smith currently makes $12 million a year at ESPN, which is divided into $8 million in salary and $4 million for his production company. He also currently has multimillion separate sports gambling deals. Since 2011, SAS has been a regular on the five-day-a-week program “First Take.” With an average of 482,000 viewers on each episode, he has worked tirelessly to deliver the show its 21st consecutive month of year-over-year growth in April of this year. Smith, who is now seen as the face of ESPN, is aware of his value. Read more
Kendrick Perkins, Who Sealed Million-Dollar ESPN Deal, Reveals Plans for “Next Career” in Honest Admission. By Khelendra Kumar Yadav / Essentially Sports
Going forward, the ’08 NBA champ will be a constant part of ABC editions of NBA Countdown along with ESPN’s counterpart of the show. Apart from this NBA Today, Get Up, First Take, SportsCenter and Hoop Streams will also be regulars for the ex-Celtics star. However, Perkins’ foray into sports media was never part of a grand plan.
But just because it all started by accident, Perk never took the job lightly. His takes can be controversial but he brings traction. And he intends to do even better, as he revealed on the podcast. Read more
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