Mark Your Calendar
The case against Derek Chauvin, the officer who murdered George Floyd, won’t be going to trial until March 2021. Meanwhile, the other 3 officers responsible for his death have all been released on bail.
Everybody Hates Trump
Back In February, yall’s President received a briefing that Russia was willing to pay Taliban soldiers to kill American troops and he did...absolutely nothing. Now Congress wants answers from the master of deflection, but we already know his game is to deny, deny, deny.
Also, Iran put out an arrest warrant for Trump after the shithole president ordered the assassination of the country's highest ranking general, Qassem Suleimani earlier this year. Is it considered snitching if we give them his address because...
Black Lives Matter’s Bittersweet Achievement
With over 500K people believed to have been protesting in a single day last month, the Black Lives Matter movement is now considered to be the largest movement in US history.
This Week’s Round Up of Changes Sparked by Protests
NYC mayor Bill DeBlasio agreed to cut $1B from the NYPD. The money will go towards education and social services instead.
The Los Angeles City Council took its first step in replacing police officers with crisis responders on non-violent calls. These types of calls include those for mental health issues, substance abuse, and disputes between neighbors.
The Los Angeles Unified School District also stripped $25M away from its school police department and will funnel that money into programs that will specifically benefit Black students.
The city of Oakland voted to get rid of school police entirely.
Richmond, Virginia’s mayor ordered the immediate removal of all confederate statues along the city’s Monument Avenue.
San Francisco police stopped releasing mugshots of suspects because the practice fed into racial bias. As a standard practice, the department released mugshots of anyone they arrested to the media and posted the photos online. This worked against the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” and perpetuated negative stereotypes, particularly for Black people, who were more likely to have their cases dismissed in the end.
A statue of Christopher Columbus’ colonizing ass was toppled in Baltimore and then tossed into the harbor.
Where Does Your Political Loyalty Lie?
According to this article, Black political thought is grouped into these 7 categories across both parties. Where do you fit in? Are you an Obama follower to the end? Anti-establishment? Or are you rolling with Candace Owens?
Congress, What’s Good?
The Senate is on a 2-week recess. Democrats pushed Mitch McConnell to have more discussions around pandemic relief because federal unemployment benefits will expire at the end of July, but it looks like his OOO replies were turned on early.
A few things the House is focusing on this week:
Helping more veterans receive their benefits
Challenges women- and minority-owned businesses face when trying to access capital
2020 Watch
Kanye West announced he’s running for president. In this year’s election. If he’s serious, there’s still some things he needs to do before getting on November’s ballot. Is he just blowing smoke?
Hundreds of officials from George W. Bush’s administration formed a super PAC in support of Joe Biden.
Two new names have emerged as contenders on Biden’s shortlist of VP picks: Susan Rice and Tammy Duckworth.
Sadly, Charles Booker didn’t win the Kentucky primary against Amy McGrath.
Around the Diaspora
Jamaica strengthens its climate plan under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Tanzania, Benin, and Mauritius have all had their economic statuses elevated by the World Bank. As of July 1, Mauritius is now a high income country while the other two are considered lower middle-income countries.
Somalia is postponing its election for the first time in 50 years due to the Coronavirus.
Getting to the Money
Love to talk? Have a great podcast idea? This course will help you create, launch, and monetize a podcast in 30 days.
Black Business Highlight: If you’re tired of looking at the same old walls that you’ve been seeing all quarantine, give your room/office/home a makeover with Clare paint. Yes, Black people make paint too.
Culture that Pops
More than his R&B sing-a-longs on IG Live, we love 21 Savage’s drive for helping young people. In his most recent move, he launched a financial literacy class for youth in Atlanta. Tell a youngin to tell a youngin.
Minister Louis Farrakhan spoke on Diddy's Revolt network about the state of America amidst the racial unrest and the pandemic. If the minister is your cup of tea (he’s not for everyone) and you have time (it’s nearly 3 hours long), give it a watch.
High school basketball star Makur Maker commits to Howard University over UCLA. Salute to him! We hope more young athletes take this route.