State Champ Radio politics
Page: 5
Nicki Minaj is standing with Donald Trump on the issue of alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria.
In response to the president’s recent threat to deploy military action in the West African country in the name of religious freedom, the rapper wrote in a Saturday (Nov. 1) post on X that she felt a “deep sense of gratitude” to be able to “freely worship God” in the United States and thanked Trump for “taking this seriously.”
“No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion,” Minaj continued, sharing a screenshot of one of the twice-impeached politician’s Truth Social posts about intervening in Nigeria. “We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other.”
“Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice,” she added. “God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”
Minaj’s post comes as the Trump administration has re-added Nigeria to its “Countries of Particular Concern” list, which also includes China, North Korea, Russia, Pakistan and several other nations that the White House has classified as having violated religious freedom. In another post on Truth Social, the president called Nigeria a “disgraced country” and promised that America’s military intervention would “be fast, vicious and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”
But despite Trump’s claim that “radical Islamists” were murdering “thousands of Christians” in the region, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rebuked the claims. “The characterization of Nigeria as religiously intolerant does not reflect our national reality, nor does it take into consideration the consistent and sincere efforts of the government to safeguard freedom of religion and beliefs for all Nigerians,” he said in a recent statement, according to Reuters.
Regardless of whether or not there’s truth to Trump’s remarks about Nigeria, some of Minaj’s fans have expressed disappointment in the hip-hop star for aligning herself with the polarizing politician in any capacity. One person, for instance, told Minaj on X that MAGA Republicans have been attempting to “weaponize religion so YOUR GAY FANS can be pushed into a corner and silenced,” to which the hitmaker reportedly had a biting reply.
“Imagine hearing that Christians are being MURDERED & making it about you being gay,” Minaj wrote in a since-deleted post, per The Independent.
Billboard has reached out to Minaj’s reps for comment.
Samuel Corum / Donald Trump
If you needed any more proof that Donald Trump doesn’t know how to read a room and doesn’t care about the plight of the American people, this latest moment should be enough.
While 42 million Americans are starving after missing their first SNAP payment due to the ongoing government shutdown, Donald Trump hopped on Air Force One to party up with the 1% at a Great Gatsby–themed Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
As expected, he is rightfully getting called tone-deaf for the decision.
“Trump and Rubio at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party, on day 31 of the shutdown,” a post from Danny Kemp, the White House correspondent for AFP, said in a social media post Friday night. “Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody,’ we’re told.”
Social Media Points Out The Irony of Donald Trump Partying At a Great Gatsby-Themed Party
Others on social media were quick to point out the irony of Trump and members of his administration at a party based on the 1925 novel that put social and economic inequality, fueled by greed and government corruption.
“This is truly perfect, they were cosplaying the Great Gatsby, while we’re in a shutdown and people are losing their SNAP benefits and health benefits,” @MFTGuyHasThoughts wrote on social media. “I don’t think you could script it better.”
Trump partying it up is his latest middle finger to the country, following the construction of his ugly ballroom at the expense of the now-demolished east wing of the White House, which continues to balloon in price.
He also refuses to utilize the $6 billion set aside for emergencies such as this one to help the roughly 12 million Americans, including 16 million children, who depend on SNAP.
A federal judge recently called out Trump and his administration on that and ordered them to pay SNAP benefits, even though the government remains closed.
You can see more reactions below.
Brad Vest / JD Vance / Erika Kirk
Social media thinks something weird is going on between JD Vance and Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk.
Vice President JD Vance took time out of his “busy schedule” to speak at Turning Point USA’s event held at the University of Mississippi, honoring its deceased founder, Charlie Kirk.
Before Vance opened his mouth to say something that surely would come off strange, it was Erika Kirk’s weird introduction that had gone viral.
“I am tremendously blessed and honored tonight to be able to introduce to you a very, very dear friend and his wife. They are incredible,” Kirk began.
“No one will ever replace my husband, no, but I do see some similarities of my husband in JD,” she continued, which also had a lot of folks saying Huh?
After calling him an “amazing man,” Kirk left the stage to let a montage of Vance play before returning to the stage for a very interesting, to say the least, embrace.
Rocking leather pants and a white t-shirt, the two friends hugged, but it’s Kirk’s hands on Vance’s head that is garnering a lot of attention on social media.
“This man made the worst move of his life. I tried to excuse it for pure denial but if I was married to him he would be walking the golden streets with Charlie,” one post read.
Another post read, “If a broad hugs my man like this whilst gingerly cupping the back of his head with her hand, she’s getting TOUCHED.”
As we mentioned above, all of this happened before Vance opened his mouth and said he wished his wife would convert to Christianity.
Yikes.
You can see more reactions below.
If Zohran Mamdani were to assemble a soundtrack for his race to become New York City’s next mayor, it would feature tracks by Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Drake and more.
While speaking to Pop Base at a recent voter event, the mayoral candidate was all smiles when asked which three songs he’d choose to represent his ongoing campaign. “OK,” he began in a video posted Thursday (Oct. 30), preparing himself to give the best answer possible.
The Queens, N.Y., representative went on to name “Hate It or Love It” by The Game featuring 50 Cent — “gotta put that one in there,” he emphasized — as well as “Right Above It” by Lil Wayne featuring Drake.
Lastly, Mamdani said, “Shout-out to Taylor Swift, ‘Only the Young.’”
The latter choice premiered in the pop superstar’s 2020 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, which chronicled Swift’s decision to begin speaking out about politics following several years of silence on the matter. The song’s lyrics describe the power of young people to make positive political change with the hook, “Only the young can run.”
Mamdani’s music picks come with just a few days left to go in the NYC mayoral race, which will conclude on Election Day on Nov. 4. The democratic socialist as been the face of one of the largest grassroots campaigns in history, running on a platform of decreasing the cost of living for New Yorkers through lowered rent prices, free public transit and affordable groceries and childcare.
One of his biggest supporters has been Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also attended the voter event with Pop Base. When asked for her holy trinity of pop albums, AOC — at first declaring, “This is sooo hard!” — named The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Britney Spears’ Blackout and Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
Watch Zohran Mamdani share his campaign soundtrack below.
Trending on Billboard
New York voters will go to the polls on Tuesday (Nov. 4) to pick a new mayor, and in at least one late-breaking survey, leading contender Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani is on top again when it comes to his knowledge of iconic New York musicians. The democratic nominee who is facing off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, popped in to the Track Star podcast this week to test his music IQ with host Jack Coyne, and the results were an across-the-board sweep.
Well, except for one legendary Long Island-based songwriter whose music Mamdani was surprisingly unfamiliar with.
Coyne started with a layup, with Mamdani smiling as he instantly identified Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ 2009 classic “Empire State of Mind.” Coyne suggested that his music test was “more important” than running for mayor, with Mamdani joking that despite his double-digit lead at press time, he feared he was “about to lose the race” if he blew the quiz.
He aced the next one as well, singing along to the chorus of the Strokes’ 2001 classic “Someday,” and casually dropping that his pal, band singer Julian Casablancas, is a “great guy,” who, despite working in a “pretty dirty” profession is a “straightforward, sincere, nice” person.
And you know track three was no worry, since it was his own song with HAB, “#1 Spice,” released under his nom de rap “Young Cardamom,” in 2016. If having a candidate who has dropped bars didn’t already make you feel old, the 34-year-old aspiring city leader said he recorded his first verses for an AP Lit class in high school before a friend from his native Uganda hit him up to record the track that he later heard a different politician using to hype his own campaign.
Within seconds, Mamdani blew a kiss to indicate that he knew Coyne was rocking Yonkers MC Jadakiss’ 2001 single “We Gonna Make It,” with the candidate revealing that his dream walk-on music is Ja Rule and Jada’s 2004 anthem “New York.”
He ran the board on the next three, correctly bagging the Beastie Boys’ party starter anthem “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”, grooving to the “incredible” Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” and bobbing his head to Queens’ own Mobb Deep and their 1995 single, “Survival of the Fittest.”
“M-O-B-B-D-E-E-P,” Mamdani chanted.
And then things went off the rails.
As the legendary piano intro to Long Island legend Billy Joel’s 1976 homage to his home, “New York State of Mind,” played over his headphones Mamdani had to get real. “You know, as a politician it’s important to be honest,” he said as Coyne tried to help out by noting that the musician plays piano and is, as we said, from Long Island.
Nothing.
“That’s not on your go-to playlist?,” Coyne asked. “Got to be honest, no,” Mamdani said, hoping that his fellow New Yorker’s won’t ding him for not knowing the track from the artist who holds the record for the most shows by an act at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden at 150.
Mamdani proved his music bona fides last week as well, when he popped up for a surprise cameo on Friday (Oct. 24) at PinkPantheress’ Brooklyn show at the Kings Theater. When the camera cut to him in the audience, he flashed the get out the vote message, “Our Time Has Come Vote Nov 4,” which was scrawled across his hands.
Watch Mamdani on the Track Star show here.
NICHOLAS KAMM / Microsoft / Donald Trump
Well, this isn’t surprising. Microsoft is biting its tongue following Donald Trump’s latest AI-generated slop featuring himself as Master Chiefand DHS using Halo to promote ICE.
While the country faces a wave of uncertainty amid the government shutdown that is now in day 28, the Trump administration showed how unserious it is after White House officials shared an AI-generated photo of Trump as Halo’s main protagonist, Master Chief, standing in front of the White House while saluting an American flag with only 40 stars.
Trump’s ridiculous AI-generated image managed to steal Halo Studios’ thunder, which just announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, a complete remake of the 2001 game Halo: Combat Evolved that will also mark Master Chief’s arrival on the PlayStation 5.
But that wasn’t the only disgusting post. The Department of Homeland Security also got in on the act, sharing a Halo-themed photo with the “DESTROY THE FLOOD JOIN. ICE. GOV.”
Microsoft’s silence shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has already kissed Trump’s ring, attended his inauguration, and Microsoft has donated to the construction of the ugly White House ballroom, plus has many federal contracts.
You know who’s not staying silent, the White House, and they responded to journalist Alyssa Mercante when she reached out for comment on the matter.
Like we said in our previous post on the image, Trump would probably take credit for ending the “console wars,” and that’s precisely what happened in the statement.
“Yet another war ended under President Trump’s watch—only one leader is fully committed to giving power to the players, and that leader is Donald J. Trump. That’s why he’s hugely popular with the American people and American Gamers.”
This administration is definitely the worst.
People Who Used To Be Involved With Halo Are Speaking Out
But some individuals who were involved with Halo at one point have expressed their displeasure with DHS/ICE’s recent posts.
Marcus Lehto, co-creator of Halo and lead designer of Master Chief, spoke with Game File’s Stephen Totilo, calling the DHS’s post “absolutely abhorrent.”
He continued, “It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this.”
Jaime Griesemer, a chief designer on several of the early games, told Game File that he found Trump’s Master Chief post funny but opposed the ICE post.
“Using Halo imagery in a call to ‘destroy’ people because of their immigration status goes way too far, and ought to offend every Halo fan, regardless of political orientation,” Griesemer said. “I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil space zombie parasites and are not an allegory to any group of people.”
You can see more reactions below.
With growing resistance to the current administration’s political stances, many are finding ways to use their constitutional right to free speech despite the backlash it can inspire. In Virginia, an owner of a popular dive bar has a direct message to President Donald Trump and his policies, riling up some of the former business mogul’s MAGA base.
William McCormack, the owner of McCormack’s Irish Pub in Richmond, Va., was profiled in local outlet RVA Mag, highlighting his line of t-shirts that take direct aim at Trump, ICE, and fascism overall. As a result, McCormack has attracted detractors who used Yelp to review bomb his establishment from thousands of miles away. The shirts, which feature the words “F*ck ICE, F*ck Nazis, F*ck Trump” in a circular setup with an “Antifascist AF” stamp in the middle of a shamrock.
From RVA Mag:
The conversation, which started on Facebook and quickly spilled into Google and Yelp reviews, has spread nationally with a predictable mix of support and outrage from commenters in California, New Jersey, North Carolina, and elsewhere. A debate McCormack has welcomed, “I’m protesting our government,” he told me. “It’s literally the very definition of the First Amendment.”
Love News? Get more! Join the Hip-Hop Wired Newsletter
We care about your data. See our privacy policy.
For those not familiar with McCormack, his Irish Pub is something of an institution in Shockoe Bottom. It’s one of the city’s last original dive bars with a deep punk history stretching back to the 1990s. But over the years, he’s successfully branched out as a restaurateur, with his two whisky bars earning recognition both nationally and internationally.
“I’ve never hidden my politics there,” said McCormack, referring to his Irish pub. “It’s bigger than just the bar, it’s what you believe. And it’s what I believe one hundred percent.”
Naturally, the MAGA faithful and other so-called “patriots” are flooding McCormack’s social media feeds with insults and threats to not support his establishment. Sticking to his guns, McCormack didn’t seem necessarily concerned about the potential loss in business and is instead focused on serving those who share his values.
See the shirt and the chatter here.
—
Photo: Getty
Peter Dazeley / Tylenol
RFK Jr. and Donald Trump’s headassery claiming Tylenol can be linked to autism in children is beginning to bear dumb fruit in the form of a lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Philanderer Ken Paxton is doing whatever he can to keep the focus off his problems, and is now suing the makers of Tylenol on Tuesday, alleging the companies hid the risks of the commonly used drug to the brains of children.
The lawsuit is a direct result of Donald Trump’s baseless claims last month that Tylenol usage during pregnancy can lead to autism.
Per The New York Times:
Mr. Paxton filed the suit against Johnson & Johnson, which sold Tylenol for decades, and Kenvue, a spinoff company that has sold the drug since 2023.
The Texas lawsuit claims that the companies knowingly withheld evidence from consumers about Tylenol’s links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The suit also claims that Kenvue was created to shield Johnson & Johnson from liability over Tylenol.
The Texas lawsuit marks the first time a state has taken legal action based on Trump’s claims that acetomenaphin, a word he can’t even pronounce, is the cause of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.
Kenvue has defended the safety of Tylenol and has rebuked Trump’s claims that using it during pregnancy leads to autism in children.
“We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims and will respond per the legal process,” Melissa Witt, a spokeswoman for Kenvue, said on Tuesday. “We stand firmly with the global medical community that acknowledges the safety of acetaminophen and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as these claims lack legal merit and scientific support.”
This Lawsuit Has Only One Goal: Curry Favor With Donald Trump & His Base
The unproven claim has been a longstanding concern among followers of our current head of HHS, and there have been many lawsuits brought by families in state and federal courts claiming the drug has led to their children being diagnosed with autism or ADHD after using the drug.
A U.S. judge in New York dismissed lawsuits making claims about Tylenol, citing the lack of evidence proving the drug’s direct link to autism. The plaintiffs appealed the decision and will participate in a hearing before an appellate panel scheduled for Nov. 17.
As for Paxton, his move can easily be chalked up to a decision to please his orange lord and savior, Donald Trump, and comes as he seeks to unseat the incumbent, Senator John Cornyn.
Paxton has been very pro-Trump, doing ridiculous things like challenging the results of the 2020 election, suing nonprofits that protect immigrants’ rights, and trying to remove Democrats who dared fight for Black and Brown people during partisan redistricting efforts to ensure Republicans stay in control during Trump’s term.
Social media has thoughts on Paxton’s lawsuit; you can see them below.
Getty Images / Donald Trump / Halo: Campaign Evolved
Donald Trump and his extremely corrupt administration continue to use video games to push his divisive agenda.
Halo Studios is coming off the announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of the iconic first game, Halo: Combat Evolved, that will bring Master Chief to the PlayStation for the first time, and now the studio is probably big mad that Donald Trump and his administration are using their game to promote divisiveness within the country.
In what has become “I can’t believe this is really a moment,” the official White House account on social media shared more AI-generated slop of Donald Trump wearing Master Chief’s Spartan armor while saluting an American flag with a pronounced and egregious error.
The White House’s headscratching post was a response to GameStop’s latest cringeworthy post announcing the end of console wars, and finally, the announcement of Halo coming to the PlayStation 5.
Clearly, the White House intern in charge of posting on the account knows a bit about gaming, as the post’s caption read “Power To The Players,” which is GameStop’s slogan.
We have no idea why the White House would comment on this, but we assume it has to do with Trump’s unproven claims that he has “ended eight wars,” so now he thinks he can add this one to that list.
Don’t be shocked if Trump moronicaly mentions this as a war he brought to an end.
DHS Also Used A Halo-Themed Meme
But that wasn’t the only Halo-themed meme shared by this disastrous administration.
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) also got in on the act and shared a photo from Halo featuring Master Chief in a Warthog with “Destroy The Flood, Jone. ICE. GOV” written across the picture, referring not to the symbiotic alien species from the game but to undocumented immigrants.
This latest video game-themed post follows the distasteful Pokémon video putting detained undocumented immigrants’ faces on Pokémon cards, and another video using DaBaby’s music to show its new vehicles to harass law-abiding immigrants.
It remains to be seen if this tactic is actually helping with recruitment, as ICE is currently struggling to grow the numbers, and some ICE recruits are showing up without being properly vetted.
We wished we could hit reset on this trash video game immediately. All you folks had to do was vote for Kamala Harris.
Just saying.
Also, we can’t count on Microsoft to handle this because ceo Satya Nadella is one of the many who have already kissed Trump’s ring.
You can see more reactions below.
Source: Pool / Getty
There used to be a time where journalism would hold powerful people accountable, unfortunately those days are long behind us as Time magazine has bent the knee to the Trump administration and released a new cover for its upcoming Nov. 10 issue featuring President Trump after the president was reportedly unhappy with the original image.
According to Deadline, Time unveiled the second version of the cover earlier this week centered around the reported peace deal between Gaza and Israel, that Israel violated almost as soon as the ink was dry. The original image was an upward photo that showed the president jowls looking X-rated, with the words “His Triumph.”
Trump hated this photo and took to social media to voice his displeasure.
“Time Magazine wrote a relatively good story about me, but the picture may be the Worst of All Time. They ‘disappeared’ my hair, and then had something floating on top of my head that looked like a floating crown, but an extremely small one. Really weird! I never liked taking pictures from underneath angles, but this is a super bad picture, and deserves to be called out. What are they doing, and why?”
Love Politics? Get more! Join the Hip-Hop Wired Newsletter
We care about your data. See our privacy policy.
The new photo shows Trump sitting at the Hayes desk with his hands clasped in front of his chin. The new caption reads, “Trump’s World.”
Time magazine and the president have a relationship. Since Dec. 2024, the president has appeared on the cover of the news outlet some 40 times. Trump is currently third in the race of Republican presidents who have owned the front cover trailing only Ronald Reagan and record holder and fellow disgraced president Richard Nixon.
Deadline points out that this cover count doesn’t include the fake covers hanging in at least five of his golf clubs that feature cover lines like “Trump is hitting it on all fronts … even TV!” “The existence of the bogus covers, reported by the Washington Post, prompted the magazine to ask Trump to remove them. Since then, several real covers currently hang in various locations inside his Mar-a-Lago residence. Time also named him the Person of the Year in 2016 and 2024,” Deadline reports.
