Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty
Predictably, the GOP voted to forgo witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial. Two Republican Senators, Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, joined 47 Democrats in the push for witnesses, but it wasn’t enough to change course. Look for Y’alls President to be acquitted (aka not removed from office; his impeached status remains) on Wednesday when the Senate takes their final vote. Btw, this whole impeachment saga will have lasting effects for future cases in which presidential power might be abused. Be very afraid.
Ummm, Thanks.
Police in Washington, DC announced that they will stop handcuffing children aged 12 and under. Thanks for stopping a policy that disproportionately targeted Black and brown kids and should have never been a policy in the first place. We guess...
Are You About Your Paper?
Then listen up. There are some upcoming changes to FICO scores and the way they’re calculated that you should know about. Also, if you are the procrastinating type when it comes to filing your taxes, consider these reasons for getting them done early.
Congress, What’s Good?
As mentioned, you can expect the Senate to be wrapped up in impeachment proceedings for the bulk of this week.
Bills to land on the House floor aim to increase transparency about the details of government programs, name a Detroit post office after Aretha Franklin, and improve the transition process when switching from one president to another. Notable hearings for the lower chamber include those on the current administration’s attempt to get rid of public housing and recalculate the poverty line.
2020 Watch
With the Iowa caucuses happening today, MSNBC managed to find 5 Black Iowans (and 1 Latina) and asked them about their top candidates and issues.
Black people in South Carolina still love them some Joe Biden. Sort of. In under a year, he went from being 31 points ahead of the pack to now just 5 points ahead of Bernie Sanders in SC.
Worse than Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar is polling at 0% with Black voters. Could it be because she played a role in handing a life sentence to a Black teenager who may have been innocent?
After ignoring pleas from other candidates, the Democratic National Committee has chosen to loosen its debate requirements...for billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
Around the Diaspora
It’s official. Trump rolled out new travel guidelines for people from Nigeria, Tanzania, Eritrea, and Sudan. While visitors from these countries won’t exactly be banned, they will no longer be able to apply for visas that provide long term residence in the US. They will still be able to visit as tourists, however.
Like most of us, Trinidad & Tobago is not playing with this coronavirus outbreak. They’ve banned travelers from China (even Trinis currently visiting China) in an effort to prevent a spread across their islands.
Meanwhile, here’s how The Motherland is protecting herself from the virus.
Culture that Pops
Either Google gets it or they’re great at hiring people who do. Take a look at their Black History Month commercial. It’s powerful AF.
Last night’s Super Bowl halftime show was the first of many outcomes of Jay-Z’s partnership with the NFL. If you watched, how did you feel about the final product?
Outside of making us all sad beyond belief, Kobe Bryant’s death did do one thing that people have been saying we need more of: it normalized Black men showing emotion.