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Entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey is not done throwing her political support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to be the first Black woman — and woman in general — to serve as the president of the United States.
After showing up and showing out for Harris during the Democratic National Convention to honor Harris, who she called “the best of America,” Oprah will host a live-streamed event next week called “Unite for America” alongside political action group Win With Black Women and nearly 150 other groups that support the vice president.
“This ‘Unite for America’ call will be a powerful moment that demonstrates the urgency that we all feel in this moment and more importantly the impact of our collective activation to move our nation forward with Vice President Kamala Harris as our 47th President,” Jotaka Eaddy, social impact strategist and founder of WWBW, said in a statement, according to Deadline. “I cannot think of anyone better to host this event than Oprah Winfrey, who has brought Americans of different generations, backgrounds, and experiences together in conversation for decades.”
In July, on the same day President Joe Biden announced he would be stepping aside for Harris to run in November, WWBW launched an online event that nearly 100,000 attended, and the group raised more than $1.6 million within two hours. After that, damn near every demographic in America had its own group supporting Harris.
From Deadline:
After WWBW, more virtual meet-ups were soon in the mix with Win With Black Men, White Dudes for Harris, South Asians for Harris, Cat Ladies for Kamala, Comics for Kamala, White Women: Answer the Call and Show Up for Kamala Harris, Republicans for Harris, Latino Men for Kamala and of course, leaning in to a certain much desired endorsement, Swifties for Kamala. In the six weeks that the VP has been a candidate and now the Democrats’ official nominee for president, the Zoom call gatherings have raised over $20 million for her and running mate Gov. Tim Walz’ campaign.
(On a side note, the MAGA world has been extra salty about the “White Dudes for Harris” group. They don’t feel the same way about “Blacks for Trump” though.)
The virtual event kicks off on September 19 at 5 pm Pacific time and 8 pm Eastern time. Supporters who would like to view the shindig can RSVP for it here.
Donald Trump called into Fox & Friends before 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning (Sept. 11) to talk about Tuesday night’s (Sept. 10) debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, and while the hosts listened as he gave his spin on how he did in what may be the only time he faces off against his Democratic opponent, the most burning question was obvious.
What did Trump think of Taylor Swift‘s enthusiastic endorsement of Harris in the moments after the debate ended?
“Well, I actually like, uh… Mrs., uh [laughs] I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better if you want to know the truth. She’s a big trump fan,” Trump said, in seeming reference to Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Current co-owner and former soccer player who was swept into Swift’s orbit last year when the singer began dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
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“I was not a Taylor swift fan, it was just a question of time. She couldn’t, uh, you couldn’t possibly endorse Biden. You look at Biden you couldn’t possibly endorse him,” Trump continued during the interview in which he described Brittany as “the wife of the great quarterback.”
“But she’s [Swift] a very liberal person, she seems to always endorse a democrat and she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace,” Trump continued of the star who is about to wrap up her sold-out Eras Tour, which is on track to be one of the highest-grossing tours in music history. “But no, I like Brittany, I think Brittany’s great. Brittany got a lot of news last week she’s a big MAGA fan, that’s the one I like much better than Taylor Swift.”
Up until last week, the women were frequently seen passionately cheering on their significant others from luxury boxes across the country on game day. However, it appeared they were at a distance from each other during last Thursday’s Chiefs season kick-off, a week after Brittany Mahomes drew criticism for appearing to like a Trump Instagram post outlining his party’s 2024 platform.
Convicted felon Trump quickly thanked Mahomes for her apparent support, writing on his Truth Social platform, “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country.”
Mahomes later responded to criticism of her like by saying in an Instagram Story, writing, “I mean honestly, To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood. There’s no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well.”
Despite what appeared to be a chill in the friendship, just days later, the two women were spotted hugging it out at the U.S. Open on Sunday, seemingly dousing rumors of a rift.
Trump, who insisted to the Fox & Friends crew that he decisively won the debate, calling it “my best debate, actually,” was widely criticized by media pundits for his often rambling, vague answers during the tense, 90-minute showdown in which he frequently talked over the moderators. While Harris repeatedly pushed back on what she described as Trump’s “same old tired playbook” of lies and obfuscations, many pundits zeroed in on the twice-impeached former President’s false claim that Haitian immigrants are “eating dogs.. eating the cats,” an internet rumor that that debate co-moderator David Muir swiftly fact-checked in real time.
The bizarre, debunked rumor had been amplified a day earlier by Trump’s VP pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, who feline fan Swift took a playful swipe at in her Harris endorsement by signing off as a “childless cat lady.” The latter was a reference to one of Vance’s controversial 2021 claims that Democrats were promoting an “antifamily” agenda led by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.”
Before Tuesday night, Swift had not endorsed a candidate yet in the 2024 presidential election, despite backing the 2020 ticket of President Joe Biden and Harris after a career in which she largely avoided weighing in on politics until Trump entered the White House in 2016. In her statement, the singer said her endorsement was driven, in part, by a false AI-generated image purporting to show her endorsing Trump that the former one-term president shared on his social feeds last month.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she wrote. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
During the Sept. 10 debate against Kamala Harris, Donald Trump stunned viewers with the baseless claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the dogs and cats” of local residents, referencing a viral Facebook post that circulated in the area.
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“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country and it’s a shame.”
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Debate moderator David Muir swiftly debunked the claim, saying that the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, said there were “no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Trump replied, “People on television say my dog was taken and used as food.” Muir reiterated, “Again the Springfield city manager says there’s no evidence of that.”
Understandably, the wild allegation quickly became the most talked-about moment of the night.
Flavor Flav wasted no time jumping into the conversation, quipping on X: “Pet Shop Boys better stay inside and lock the doors. You too, Snoop Dogg. And Pitbull.”
Other celebrities reacted with disbelief. Bette Midler called out the claim directly, tweeting, “Now he’s spreading that lie about eating cats,” while noting debate moderator David Muir had disproven Trump’s statement.
Pet Shop Boys better stay inside and lock the doors. You too Snoop Dogg. And Pitbull.— FLAVOR FLAV (@FlavorFlav) September 11, 2024
“People don’t leave my rallies.” Hahahahahaha. Now he’s spreading that lie about eating cats. Muir says NO PETS have been harmed.— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) September 11, 2024
Trump’s vice-presidential running mate J.D. Vance, who shared the viral post on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sept. 9, later doubled down on the pet-eating story in the post-debate spin room.
“We just heard a 911 call from a citizen in Springfield earlier today that some of the immigrants were capturing geese at the local pond, slaughtering them and killing them,” Vance told reporters. When pressed about the claim that migrants were eating pets, he responded, “I don’t know what are the full spate of animals being consumed there, but I know the geese are certainly among them.”
In a statement, Springfield police further clarified, “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
Reuters also fact-checked the claim, confirming there was no evidence to support widespread incidents of pet theft or harm by Haitian migrants.
The outlandish claim about pet-eating dominated social media, with many left shocked by the absurdity of the situation. Check out some of the best reactions below.
taylor swift heard people were eating cats & she stood tf up— bella (@a90strend) September 11, 2024
Wow, cats have had a hell of an election season huh?— Jasmine Wright (@JasJWright) September 11, 2024
Gov. Tim Walz has responded to Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as she runs for the office of President of the United States – and as a “fellow cat owner,” he’s happy. Walz, the Minnesota governor who is Harris’ VP pick on the Democratic ticket for the President of the United States, […]
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off Tuesday night (Sept. 10) for their first-ever debate in the 2024 presidential campaign — and musicians took to social media to share their reactions. The event, hosted by ABC News at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, marked the first meeting between the two presidential hopefuls, […]
Brothers Osborne‘s T.J. and John Osborne are set to lend their musical talents to one of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s upcoming presidential campaign rallies, set for Thursday (Sept. 12) in Greensboro, N.C.
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The news was first reported by Rolling Stone, with Brothers Osborne’s T.J. Osborne telling the outlet, “We’ve been hearing ‘shut up and sing’ for years, so we’re taking that great sage advice and are lending our singing voices in support of Kamala Harris this Thursday in Greensboro, North Carolina.”
In 2018, the duo performed during a Democratic fundraiser for then-Tennessee gubernatorial hopeful Karl Dean. Last year, they performed during President Joe Biden’s Fourth of July concert at the White House.
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The duo has consistently incorporated their social views into their music — after T.J. Osborne came out as gay in 2021, the duo released the song “Younger Me,” which finds Osborne giving advice to younger generations of people who struggle with being accepted. Their video for “Stay a Little Longer,” released in 2015, features a range of couples, including gay couples, black couples and older couples. The 2017 video for the duo’s song “It Ain’t My Fault” featured robbers wearing masks of four U.S. Presidents –George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump (while others get away, the robber in the Trump mask is stopped when he is trapped against a wall).
Harris will face off against former president Trump tonight (Sept. 10) in their first Presidential debate, which will broadcast live on ABC at 9 p.m. ET. The debate, held at Philadelphia’s National Center, will be moderated by ABC News anchor David Muir and ABC News Prime anchor Lindsey Davis.
Other country artists have expressed their support for the presidential candidates in recent weeks, with The Chicks, Jason Isbell, Mickey Guyton and Maren Morris taking part in the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood, Chris Janson, Brian Kelley and Kid Rock were seen at the Republican National Convention.
Universal Music Group is revving up its Use Your Voice voter education campaign to mobilize eligible voters ahead of election day on Nov. 5. This year’s efforts range from a digital content series outlining important issues, an outreach program targeting HBCU’s and a get-out-the-vote initiative aimed at driving voting registration — and then ensuring people can get to the polls.
Use Your Voice, which launched its first campaign in 2020, is supported by three UMG entities: All Together Now Foundation, the Task Force for Meaningful Change and °1824, the company’s creative marketing division. For this election season, UYV will provide information and resources to help power the work of partners including the ACLU, BallotReady, HeadCount, the NAACP, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation, the National Council for Negro Women (NCNW), the Voto Latino Foundation, When We All Vote and Xceleader.
Susan Mazo, evp and chief impact officer of UMG, said that “since we started the program in 2020, it has helped tens of thousands of voters get to the polls and vote with confidence. This year, it will do so again through the work of our colleagues, our passionate artists, songwriters and labels, and our incredible voter resource partner organizations.”
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One such partner, HeadCount, will work alongside UMG for Use Your Voice and Vote About It, a short-form digital content series taking a much-need look at issues that voters may see on their local ballots. The initiative includes a voter hub with information, resources and digital tools, plus there’s a corresponding tote bag sold by Social Goods benefiting HeadCount. UMG is also supporting HeadCount’s Vote HBCU ‘Say It Louder’ Tour of 10 campuses with the goal of registering more than 10,000 students to vote. The program, built in partnership with Xceleader, and will collaborate with UMG to amplify messaging around National Voter Registration Day, coming up on Sept 17.
This year, HeadCount has also partnered with artists from UMG’s labels including AJR, Ariana Grande, Barenaked Ladies, Billie Eilish, Clairo, Chappell Roan, Chelsea Cutler, Em Beihold, Glass Animals, Gracie Abrams, Hootie & the Blowfish, Maggie Rogers, Mt. Joy, Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Rapsody and Remi Wolf, among others.
“As we head into this pivotal election, our partnership with Universal Music Group through the ‘Use Your Voice’ campaign is about more than just registering voters,” said HeadCount executive director Lucille Wenegieme. “Together, we’re making sure that every voice is not just heard, but impossible to ignore. At HeadCount, we partner with organizations that see the value of a multi-pronged approach to civic engagement to ensure we are reaching as many voters as possible – this is no different. We are so grateful for UMG’s strategic support during this election cycle. Together, we’re inspiring a new generation to actively participate in shaping their future.”
Additionally, UMG’s °1824 is producing a digital content series called By the Numbers targeting young people and possible first-time voters to check their registration status and inform them on their potential impact on election results. BallotReady and UYV are also jamming on a series of co-branded assets urging users to make a fully-informed voting plan.
UMG’s Task Force for Meaningful Change unveiled its Pull Up to the Polls initiative providing resources including a plan to provide 15,000 ride share codes to voters through NAACP, NCNW and When We All Vote. TFMC is also working with Voto Latino Foundation with the goal of registering over 7,200 eligible voters, and will work with Black Voters Matter, the National Coalition of Black Civic Engagement/Black Women’s Roundtable and others to mobilize and educate voters ahead of Nov. 5.
“The NAACP is proud to work with UMG in ensuring that democracy works, for everybody. Black voices matter, and we know that when our communities Pull up to the Polls, we’re heard,” said Dominik Whitehead, NAACP svp of campaigns and mobilization. “That’s why partnerships like these are so important in bringing the resources and tools necessary to ensure that every vote is counted, and every voice is heard. Let’s make this an election to remember!”
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JD Vance, the candidate for Vice President of the United States and Donald Trump’s running mate, gets a little weirder and racist after making an explosive claim. JD Vance shared a baseless rumor that Haitians converging in an Ohio town are taking pets from homes and eating them.
On Monday (September 9), JD Vance took to X to share a video of him appearing on the CNBC network and used the caption field to attack Vice President Kamala Harris and her position on immigration.
“Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio,” Vance wrote. He added, “Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
Springfield, Ohio has become ground zero for an ongoing debate about immigration laws in the country and part of Trump and Vance’s strategy to highlight any perceived weaknesses in Vice President Harris’ plans to protect the border. Trump has been running his campaign from the standpoint of bringing the country back from ruin without mentioning his showing in the White House and handling of several policy matters he is now aiming attacks at the Harris and Gov. Tim Walz presidential campaigns.
Melanie D’Arrigo, the Executive Director of The Campaign for NY Health organization, shared a reply on X debunking the rumor spread by Vance and others who shared those sentiments across social media. In the reply
D’Arrigo’s reply caption read as follows:
• No local police reports of pets being stolen
• Man mentioning the ducks is a local podcaster promoting his mayoral bid
• Photo *taken in Columbus* of the guy holding the duck isn’t an immigrant
• Woman arrested for eating a cat isn’t an immigrant
All GOP fan fiction:
• No local police reports of pets being stolen
• Man mentioning the ducks is a local podcaster promoting his mayoral bid
• Photo *taken in Columbus* of the guy holding the duck isn’t an immigrant
• Woman arrested for eating a cat isn’t an immigrant https://t.co/dUjAMTxlff pic.twitter.com/kMAoZLIm2w
— Melanie D’Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) September 9, 2024
There have been several reports from major outlets regarding the Haitian immigrants in Ohio in recent times, including NPR and the New York Times. On X, users are shooting down JD Vance and his racist and xenophobic remarks regarding the Haitians in Springfield.
Those replies can be viewed below.
—
Photo: Getty
Chappell Roan caused a stir earlier this year when she rejected the White House’s invitation for her to perform at a Pride event in June. Now, the singer is saying that had she attended, she would have done much more than just perform.
For the latest cover of Rolling Stone, Roan told the publication that she originally intended to accept the White House’s invitation to the event — but she planned to protest the Biden administration’s involvement in Israel’s attacks on Gaza instead of performing one of her songs.
“I had picked out some poems from Palestinian women. I was trying to do it as tastefully as I could because all I wanted to do was yell,” she said. “I had to find something that’s tasteful and to the point and meaningful, and not make it about me and how I feel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that close in direct sight of the president ever in my life. This is my shot.”
While Roan said that her publicist ultimately talked her out of her protest (saying, “You f–k with the president and the government, your security is not the same, and neither is your family’s”), she firmly stands by her decision not to attend the event. “I’m not going to go to the White House because I am not going to be a monkey for Pride,” she explained, before criticizing the administration’s walked-back statement about gender-affirming surgery for minors. “Thank God I didn’t go because they just made a huge statement about trans kids.”
When performing at Gov Ball, Roan took a moment during her show to tell her audience that she refused the White House’s invitation to perform, dedicating her song “My Kink Is Karma” to the administration. “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all,” she said. “When you do that, that’s when I’ll come.”
The “Good Luck, Babe!” singer also dispelled a rumor that her distaste for the Biden administration’s treatment of Palestinians and trans youth meant that she was a supporter of former president Donald Trump. “I saw a couple of TikToks where they were like, ‘So she’s pro Trump?’ It is not so black and white that you hate one and you like the other. No matter how you say it, people are still going to be pissed for f–king some reason,” she said.
The singer later told the publication that she was supporting Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House this November. “Right now, it’s more important than ever to use your vote, and I will do whatever it takes to protect people’s civil rights, especially the LGBTQ+ community,” she said. “My ethics and values will always align with that, and that hasn’t changed with a different nominee. I feel lucky to be alive during an incredibly historical time period when a woman of color is a presidential nominee.”
Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion may have collaborated on “34+35,” but their stance on whether people should vote in the upcoming election is as simple as 1+1. Shortly after the “WAP” rapper opened up to Billboard in her September cover story about the importance of acting on one’s American civic duty — especially in […]