Barack Obama
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The sister and niece of Barack Obama were tear-gassed during protests in Kenya’s capital city during a live broadcast.
Protesters filled the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday (June 25), in fierce opposition to a new tax policy levied by the government after a controversial vote. The protests became more tense and violent after the military was summoned, and the elder half-sister of former President Barack Obama, activist Auma Obama, and his niece, Akinyi Obama-Manners, were caught up in a wave of tear gas deployed by police as they were being interviewed by CNN’s international correspondent Larry Madowo. The moment was captured live as Obama explained that she was compelled to take part in the protests because “young Kenyans are demonstrating for their rights.”
“I can’t even see anymore. We are being tear-gassed…” Obama continued as the entire group was subdued by the wave of tear gas, forcing them to leave the scene. “This is one of the most heavy military responses I have seen,” Madowo said on-air, noting the heavy military response to the unarmed protesters turning the streets of Nairobi into “what appears to be a war zone.”
The interview resumed over a minute later, as the 64-year-old activist told Meadow, “I can’t believe that these young people are just trying to demonstrate for their rights… and we are being tear-gassed. We have flags and banners, nothing else.” She went on to describe how the new tax policies – which include a 16% sales tax on bread and a 25% tax increase on cooking oil – would particularly hurt the younger generation of Kenyans. “Over 50% of our population who are under 35 have no jobs. We cannot tax them when they have no jobs,” Obama said.
Protesters would seize access to parts of Kenya’s parliament building at the height of the protests. However, the protests would result in 23 people reported killed by the police, with 50 people alleged to have been abducted by security forces, according to Faith Odhiambo, the president of the Law Society of Kenya. President Rufo addressed the nation and declared that he would not sign the bill in the wake of the violence. “Listening keenly to the people of Kenya who have said loudly that they want nothing to do with this finance bill, I concede, and therefore, I will not sign the 2024 finance bill, and it shall subsequently be withdrawn,” he said in a speech aired on Wednesday (June 26).
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Donald Trump has raised questions about his mental acumen again, after confusing Barack Obama for President Joe Biden at a campaign rally.As questions of age and performance dominate the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump’s recent gaffe at a campaign rally involving former President Barack Obama and current POTUS Joe Biden has observers again wondering how mentally sound he is. “Shortly after we win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” Trump began on Saturday (March 2) while speaking to the crowd gathered in Richmond, Virginia. “I know them both very well and we will restore peace through strength. Get that war settled. It’s a bad war. And Putin has so little respect for Obama that he’s starting to throw around the nuclear word,” he continued. The crowd present at the rally reportedly fell silent.
This isn’t the first time that Trump has made this sort of error at the podium during a speech involving Obama. At the “Pray, Vote, Stand Summit” last September, he spoke out about Obama as a “radical left thug” in a rant about enforcement before saying: “The country is very divided and we did– With Obama, we won an election that everyone said couldn’t be won.” The problem is, that Trump ran for president against Hilary Clinton. He also made the same error last month saying he was beating Obama at the polls. Trump has also gone on record confusing his GOP primary opponent Nikki Haley for Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi.
The mental gaffes have put a spotlight on the 77-year-old and his apparent mental decline, with some speculating that it could be more serious than his campaign team and supporters are admitting. Observers also note the large disparity in coverage of President Biden’s verbal miscues and questions of his age compared to Trump, who has either not faced those questions from right-wing media outlets and figures or has claimed he “purposely” made those errors. The online reaction from social media to the latest Trump verbal faux pas ranged from ridicule to genuine concerns about his mental acuity given that he’s running for president to avoid criminal prosecution on several fronts. We’ve compiled a list of the most notable below.
1. Russell Drew
2. Yasmine Mary
3. Adam Parkhomenko
4. Tom Nichols
5. Keith Boykin
6. Cary Clack
7. Prof. Tonya M. Evans
8. Trouble Man 90
9. Joyce Vance
10. Veronica Sixsmith
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Source: Brandon Bell / Getty / Nikki Haley
Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley stopped by The Breakfast Club to continue her ridiculous narrative that America is not a racist country, and the morning show hosts, DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God, proved they are still inept at handling interviews with people like her.
For whatever reason, Nikki Haley was invited to The Breakfast Club to speak about her soon-to-be-dead campaign to be the GOP’s candidate for President of The United States.
Nikki Haley, who is still far behind the twice-impeached former president Donald Trump, has been in hot water due to ridiculous statements regarding America and its well-known ties to slavery and racism.
During her interview with The Breakfast Club, Haley confirmed that she is still very much delusional when it comes to this country’s past and current problems regarding race.
Haley ridiculously claimed with some minimal pushback that the racial decision, clearly exacerbated by her former boss, Donald Trump, began under former President Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House.
Haley was asked why she is so against Vice President Kamala Harris being president of the United States. One of Haley’s talking points during her campaign stops is a vote for Trump brings us one step closer to Harris becoming POTUS.
Per NewsOne:
“With Obama, if you go back. That’s when we really started to feel the division,” Haley said to The Breakfast Club hosts. “Everything was exaggerated with the Obama administration. It became more about gender, it became more about race, it became more about separating Americans instead of bringing them together,” Haley continued, claiming Obama made Americans “feel boxed in.”
It’s Everybody’s Fault, Not Just White Folks, According To Nikki Haley
She wasn’t done. Charlamagne correctly pointed to “white supremacy” as the main reason for the racial division during the Obama presidency; Haley, as expected, found a way to say everyone is to blame.
“Everybody is at fault. I’m not saying one person did this, but I’m saying under that administration, it really did cause some… You just felt — people felt like they were being put in camps through that administration,” Haley said.
Really?
The interview was a hot ass mess, where Haley did her best to separate herself from Donald Trump while trying to woo his cult-like MAGA supporters.
The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy and *insert sarcasm* political maverick Charlamagne Tha God are also facing criticism for their lack of interviewing skills when it comes to talking to people in politics.
You can see more reactions to Nikki Haley’s Breakfast Club interview in the gallery below.
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While Donald Trump continues to lash out at the justice system for holding him accountable for the crime spree he participated in while in office, former President Barack Obama is comfortably spending the holidays with his family and giving his followers something to groove to while he enjoys his best life not having to hire lawyers to defend him across courts in America.
During the last days of December, the 44th President of the United States used his free time this holiday season to list both his favorite movies and favorite songs of 2023. Of course, some of President Obama’s favorite films were films that most of us would only watch on cable (maybe) such as Anatomy Of A Fall and Past Lives, but he did sneak in blockbusters like Oppenheimer and Air in there. The man is a Jordan fan.
As for the songs that the man bumped throughout the past 365 days, Obama had some of your favorite artists on his playlist including Megan Thee Stallion, Karol G and Burna Boy. Y’all already know they’re hype to have cracked this man’s rotation. We know we’d be!
Now we wait and see what kind of conspiracy theories the MAGA crowd creates out of Obama’s favorite film and music lists of 2023. Should be a doozy.
What do y’all think of Barack Obama’s lists? Let us know in the comments section below.
Barack Obama is taking the aux. With just three days left of 2023, the former president of the United States revealed which tunes he was grooving to the most over the past year, featuring pop music, country, R&B and more. The annual list comes on the heels of Obama’s yearly book and movie favorites, which […]
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Former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani, blamed former President Barack Obama for setting race relations in the United States back decades.
Rudy Giuliani leveled a claim against former President Barack Obama on his WABC radio show Sunday (Dec. 10), that he was responsible for the degradation of race relations in America. He began his tirade by stating that the Democratic Party is “the party of slavery.” The Republican politician then said, “These miserable anti-American leaders of the party of slavery have taken us back 40 or 50 years on race relations with Obama. It began with Obama.”
Giuliani would continue: “You think it’s accidental; I know it’s Marxist planned and executed over a long period,” he stated. “Open border is not coincidental. The open border comes right out of Karl Marx. It comes right out of [communist activist] Saul Alinsky, who, by the way, Saul Alinsky and his acolytes taught Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.”
The attacks by the 79-year-old on Obama are nothing new – he’s been a repeat offender in claiming that the 44th POTUS was never born in America, a racist smear that was constantly tossed out during Giuliani’s failed attempts at becoming the GOP’s choice for president and vice-president.He would also bring up the controversial former President Donald Trump in his rant, noting that he has been often called a racist. “Trump gets into a psychological illness I think they have about Trump,” Giuliani said. “Trump derangement syndrome is real – so obsessive.”
The embattled politician is currently dealing with a slew of problems due to his involvement with Trump, notably his having to pay two Black women election workers after being found guilty of defaming them during the 2020 election. That decision of how much is set to be announced soon by a jury. Giuliani is also trying to raise money for his legal defense related to Trump’s RICO case in Fulton County, Georgia.
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Controversial sportscaster, Sage Steele, is officially a free agent after settling her lawsuit with ESPN after being suspended by the network for her public comments previously made on an outside podcast about getting vaccinated, how women dress, and former President Barack Obama’s lineage.
Taking to social media, Steele, who joined ESPN in 2007, announced that she recently settled a lawsuit with her employer after she was suspended in 2021 for the problematic comments.
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“Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” Steele said. “I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”
As noted previously reported, in a 2022 lawsuit, Steele charged the companies had breached her contract and violated her free-speech rights; alleging that Disney and ESPN retaliated against her for the comments she made during the podcast, hosted by Jay Cutler, taking away high-profile assignments.
An ESPN spokesperson confirmed her departure in a statement to CNN, noting that the decision to depart was mutual.
“ESPN and Sage Steele have mutually agreed to part ways. We thank her for her many contributions over the years,” the network said.
As previously reported, in 2021, Steele made a number of controversial comments on a podcast. While talking about ESPN’s company vaccine mandate, Steele said she respects an individual’s decision to get the Covid-19 vaccine “but to mandate it is sick, and it’s scary to me.”
In addition to questioning mandates, she also questioned former President, Barack Obama’s, decision to identify as Black on the national census, saying:
“I’m like, ‘Well, congratulations to the president.’ That’s his thing. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found, but his White mom and grandma raised him, but hey, you do you. I’m going to do me.”
Steele also trended heavily that year, for the comments she made regarding female sports reporters and sexual harassment, saying that women need to “be responsible” and it “isn’t just on players and athletes and coaches to act a certain way, saying:
“I’ve had talks with young women … they’re like, ‘Oh, would you look at my tape?’ and I’ve said listen, I would love to. But the way you present yourself is not something I want to be associated with. So when you dress like that, I’m not saying you deserve the gross comments, but you know what you’re doing when you’re putting that outfit on, too.”
As noted by CNN, in response, Steele apologized saying her comments “created controversy” and that “we are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
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Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte significantly impacted the world during his time here, so it should come as no surprise that many fondly remember him following his passing.
On Tuesday, April 25, the world collectively grieved at the news that Harry Belafonte died at 96 from congestive heart failure.
Immediately following the news, his friends, peers, and admirers paid tribute to the “Calypso King,” who has sold millions of albums and used his earnings to fight for civil rights, South Africa’s anti-apartheid campaign, and other social justice matters around the world.
“Another “GREAT TREE” has fallen: Harry Belafonte, a Trailblazer and Hero to us all. Thank you for your music, your artistry, your activism, your fight for civil rights and justice—especially risking your life back in the day to get money to the movement. Your being here on Earth has Blessed us all,” Oprah Winfrey wrote in the caption of an Instagram post remembering Belafonte.
“Thank you for your music, your artistry, your activism, your fight for civil rights and justice — especially risking your life back in the day to get money to the movement,” Winfrey said in a statement to ET.
Barack Obama Remembers Harry Belafonte As A “Barrier-Breaking Legend”
“Harry Belafonte was a barrier-breaking legend who used his platform to lift others up. He lived a good life – transforming the arts while also standing up for civil rights. And he did it all with his signature smile and style. Michelle and I send our love to his wife, kids, and fans,” Our forever president, Barack Obama, said in a tweet.
Bernie Sanders Called Belafonte A “Courageous Leader”
“Harry Belafonte was not only a great entertainer, but he was a courageous leader in the fight against racism and worker oppression,” US Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted. “Jane and I were privileged to consider him a friend and will miss him very much.” Belafonte endorsed Sanders to be president in 2016.
Belafonte’s physical presence is gone, but he will live on forever because his spirit to fight is embued in souls worldwide. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
“Harry Belafonte is one of the greatest social activists and freedom fighters ever to have lived,” said Cathy Hughes, Chairwoman & Founder of Urban One Inc. “Humanity has just suffered a significant wound to its consciousness.”
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Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
1. Colin Kaepernick
3. Bernice King fondly remembers Belafonte being there for her family.
4. Touching story from Spike Lee