Because Martin had a dream that was the opposite of what we witnessed yesterday.
Before We Get into the Craziness
We want to first acknowledge those who lost their lives, loved ones, and/or their homes in the Palisades and Eaton wildfires that hit Los Angeles 2 weeks ago.
And because we love our people, we want to give special recognition to Altadena, a community that was one of the first places in LA County that allowed Black families to purchase homes. This same community has suffered great damage by the Eaton fire. If you have anything to give, we encourage you to consider donating to some of the families that were impacted by this tragedy. Not only will they have to rebuild their lives from the ground up, but there is a strong possibility that Altadena residents will face more hurdles than other communities seeking disaster relief.
Bye Bye Biden
Biden, Harris & crew have officially been evicted from the White House, but not before they…
Pardoned Marcus Garvey. Dr. Fauci and Biden’s family members also preemptively received pardons in anticipation of Trump & Co. coming after them
Warned of the latest US oligarchy taking shape before our eyes (nobody can tell us that this country isn’t already controlled by a small group of powerful people)
Brokered a long-overdue ceasefire in Gaza alongside Team Trump. Unfortunately, Israel is always looking for a way to get back to the bombings and it appears they may already have an excuse on deck with both presidents’ approval
Trump, Take Two
Welp, Donnie is back in office, and he didn’t waste any time getting down to business. On day one, he signed executive orders that: pardoned 1500 Capitol rioters; forced federal employees back into the office; threatened birthright citizenship (which has already been challenged), withdrew the country from global health and climate initiatives; and more.
Remember all the tech CEOs who shunned the MAGA movement the first time around? They finally kissed the ring at yesterday’s inauguration. (This incudes TikTok's CEO, whose app he miraculously "saved" after starting the movement to ban it in 2020.)
Thank goodness he had them though because Melania was not giving up any kisses. We are 1000% convinced that her inauguration hat was strictly for blocking her husband’s public displays of affection. See exhibit A for proof.
Oh yeah. And did you miss Elon Musk reminding everybody what time he’s on with his Nazi salute? The fascists are acting out again and what little discretion they had is gone.
BTW, if the Trump overload was too much and you don’t feel like MLK Day got enough shine, here are 5 films to watch about Dr. King to give us all some much-needed balance.
Congress, What’s Good?
Wasting no time, the Senate has already passed the Laken Riley Act, a bill championed by Trump that would mandate undocumented immigrants accused of theft or assaulting an officer be detained by ICE. The legislation will now go to the House for consideration and will likely be the first bill that makes it to Trump’s desk as the 47th POTUS.
And in case y’all haven’t noticed, the House really is the trailer park. GOP representative Nancy Mace challenged Dem rep Jasmine Crockett to “take it outside” after Crockett code switched and used the word “chile” during a discussion about transgender rights. Mace took offense, thinking she was literally being called a child, but later tried to clean up her reaction by saying she had no actual intentions to fight outside. Chile please.
Here are just some of the topics in this week’s committee meetings:
Nomination hearings for hella Trump appointees
Addressing the VA’s’ alleged violation of veterans’ 2nd amendment rights
Social Justice Round Up
Amazon has removed policies that protect Black and LGBTQ+ employees, much to the dismay of some of its employees. Unfortunately, we aren’t surprised because when is Amazon not disappointing its employees?
Meta has also walked back its representation goals to hire talent from underrepresented groups.
Incarcerated firefighters have been on the front lines battling the blazes in Southern California this month, but they only receive $10.24 for each 24-hour shift they work. Can the state still cling to its liberal image if its voters decided just 2 months ago that they were still okay with forced prison labor??
The Minneapolis Police Union wants to have a say in the agreement its police department made with the federal government on police reform. Judging by the fact that the orange man is back in office, police reform in the city may be quashed before they can even intervene.
What the Health
Red Dye No. 3 is finally banned from processed food 35 years after it was banned from cosmetic products for its link to cancer. ‘Bout damn time. Check out this list for foods that are commonly made with this chemical to ensure you’re steering clear.
Georgia has suspended all sales and other poultry-related activities after a case of bird flu was found at a farm a couple hours from Atlanta. This move comes after Louisiana had its first fatality from the virus earlier this month and after California declared a state of emergency in December.
Migraines love to come and mess up a good time, don’t they? Here are 7 herbal tea remedies that are said to get rid of those headaches.
Around the Diaspora
The violence in Haiti has displaced 1 in 8 children from their homes.
Burkina Faso’s president Ibrahim Traoré banned colonial-style wigs worn by judges as part of his widespread efforts to get the country to embrace its own cultural heritage and traditions. We’ve seen pictures of judges wearing these wigs in the courtroom and they do look absolutely ridiculous. That said, shout out to President Traoré.
Cuba was removed from the US’ list of state sponsors of terrorism for less than a week and subsequently made the decision to release 553 political prisoners, starting with a small batch. With Trump placing Cuba back on the list yesterday, the fate of prisoners who did not have a chance to be released is now in limbo.
Our Black Jobs & Our Black Money
With Donnie back in office, those of us who’ve been enjoying the pause on federal student loan payments should start preparing for the worst possible outcome. Learn what your options are now before the switch up.
Culture that Pops
Love her or hate her, Beyoncé is donating $2.5M to help fire victims in Altadena rebuild.
Will the rappers who performed at the inauguration (Snoop, Nelly, Rick Ross, and Soula Boy) be canceled like Chrisette Michele was or is there a double standard for Black women?
An Aaliyah Barbie hit the streets last week in honor of her 46th birthday. If you’ve been struggling to get your hands on one, try your luck at Target online or in-store.
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