Trump’s Back, but Not Better
Seemingly having learned nothing from his bout with COVID-19, Donald Trump resumed his regular lying life last week with a new, more tangible sense of danger. He first claimed that there’s a cure, which he took while hospitalized and that will be made free for all seniors. The “miracle” drug he’s promoting, however, hasn’t even been tested on a significant size of COVID-19 patients. He later said he was immune to the virus, which is also false as people have been known to get infected by the disease more than once. He then took it one step further to spread those lies (amongst other things, like potentially the deadly virus) to Black and Brown supporters on the White House lawn.
Polls suggest the latest antics are hurting him, but we can expect that the lies and stunts will only get more bizarre leading up to November 3.
BLM Launches a PAC
You read that right. After 7 years as an organization and nearly 6 months of consistent protesting in 2020, the Black Lives Matter organization has decided to launch a political action committee. BLM founders will use the PAC to continue to encourage supporters to vote, officially endorse local candidates in the upcoming elections, and push for many of the policy changes that came out of this summer’s protests.
Congress, What’s Good?
There’s a lot of stimulus talk being talked, but it doesn’t feel like a new package will ever see the light of day. Last week, 45 and his administration appeared willing, unwilling and then willing again to negotiate a stimulus deal with House Democrats. We know Dems have been ready for another stimulus deal, so the back and forth is likely just political theater as Trump weighs the impact of a stimulus on his approval ratings. Time will tell whether Trump and Pelosi will actually agree to anything. Even if they do though, a bill still needs to pass the Senate, who appears to have grown a backbone. Republicans in the upper house are simply not interested in caving to the POTUS’ bullying so close to when their party could lose the Senate and the executive branch. This week, McConnell and crew will be confirming Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court instead.
2020 Watch
We’re sure you saw or heard all the buzz from Kamala and Pence’s VP debate last week. In case the fly was the only thing you paid attention to, here are some takeaways.
Trump’s refusal to participate virtually leads to the cancelation of the next presidential debate, originally planned for October 15.
Thank goodness for judges with sense. A federal judge threw out the Trump campaign’s attempt to position guards at ballot drop boxes in Pennsylvania.
Cousin Jamie Harrison, who’s coming for Lindsay Graham’s Senate seat on Election Day, raised a record-breaking $57M in the last 3 months of his campaign.
Around the Diaspora
Nigerian youth set out to solve a problem and they did. Protests in the country, around the world, and the online support they garnered led to the dissolution of the SARS police force, known for brutal abuse and violence against Nigerian citizens.
Namibia’s streets are also filled with protesters. They are calling for an end to domestic violence and femicide (the killing of women or girls on account of their gender) in the country.
South Sudan & UNICEF are working together to end child marriage.
Getting to the Money
Google is offering free scholarships to attend AfroTech. The conference, which will be virtual this year, will take place from November 9-14.
Megan Thee Stallion has launched a scholarship fund to help women of color who want to pursue (or are pursuing) undergraduate or graduate degrees. If this is you, you can apply to the scholarship here.
Buying Black
We all need a mental break from the TV, phone, and laptop screens that rule everyday life. Consider getting a book from a Black-owned bookstore. These are known to have been open and/or accepting online orders during the pandemic, but here’s a larger list of Black-owned stores that may be closer to your local area.
Culture that Pops
Princeton will name its first building after a Black woman, Mellody Hobson. The school will be removing racist-ass Woodrow Wilson’s name from the building to replace it with Hobson’s, who is an alum, philanthropist, and businesswoman.
Killer Mike is launching a Black-owned digital bank. You opening up an account or nah?
If you’re like us and don’t like paying for every single streaming service, you might wanna get your list of available Disney+ accounts together from now. Soul, Pixar’s highly anticipated film and their first with a Black protagonist, will skip theaters all together and debut on the streaming service this Christmas.
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