006 - The Movement Is Still Moving
Protecting Black women should be a lifestyle, not a trend.
Welcome to the News Now NXT newsletter!
This newsletter accompanies the News. Now. NXT. podcast. If you’d like to dive deeper into any of the topics highlighted here, please be sure to listen to the podcast by clicking HERE.
As usual, you can click anything UNDERLINED in this newsletter to be taken to the source for the story.
Let’s jump in:
NEWS
Protests haven’t stopped since the death of George Floyd. Protesters in Portland, in particular, have been subjected to enforcement from “Secret” police - agents from Customs & Border protections have been dispatched to quell the protests. They aren’t wearing ID and they’re snatching people off the streets in unmarked cars.
President Trump says that he has no problem sending these same agents into cities like Oakland & Chicago where violence has been a problem. Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot rejected that, but the acting director of Homeland Security says that he doesn’t need her permission or invitation to do so.
Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp has sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for instituting a mask mandate and making recommendations for activity more in line with the Phase 1 reopening schedule. This, according to Kemp, is a greater restriction than he set in place for the state. Several other mayors within the state also issued mask mandates, but, Mayor Bottoms is the only one being sued. A hearing in the case was scheduled for Tuesday, but two judges assigned to the case have both had to recuse themselves to limit any question of impropriety.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was accosted and allegedly called a “F***ing B***h” by fellow congressperson Ted Yoho from Florida. All of this was based on her outspoken stance on policing and crime.
The Pentagon has banned the display of Confederate Flags at military installations but did so by announcing what flags were permissible, rather than explicitly calling out and banning the flag of the Confederacy.
The 15-year-old girl who was incarcerated after violating her probation by neglecting to turn in homework during online school will likely remain in custody until at least September. The judge presiding over the case has decided that the incarceration and treatment are working for her and that she needs to be away from her mother, something both she and her mother reject.
Twitter is reviewing safety protocols after the social media networked was hacked by Bitcoin scammers last week. The hackers were able to tweet from various celebrity verified accounts, requesting users to send bitcoin and have it doubled. The scammers got away with $100K in bitcoin from unsuspecting Twitter users hoping to make a come up.
The NBA is back today with scrimmages. They reported that after a week in the bubble, they’ve had zero confirmed cases of COVID-19. The WNBA kicks off their 22 game season on Saturday, also, live from their bubble in Florida.
NOW & NEXT
This week in the podcast - I ask a couple of simple questions: what does it take for Black women to be protected on a daily basis?
Rapper Talib Kweli has been harassing a woman for almost two weeks straight because she said something that he took offense to, although she did not directly address him.
People have been making jokes about shooting women after rapper Megan Thee Stallion was shot in LA, and while she’s recovering, she wonders why so many people thought it was a joke.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not honor and acknowledge the passing of both Congressman John Lewis and Reverend C.T. Vivian, two pillars of the Civil Rights movement. Now that these elders have become ancestors, I ask us to think about what kind of ancestors we’ll be.
Check out more on the News Now Nxt Podcast, which is available for you to listen to now, anywhere that you listen to podcasts. You can click HERE for a direct link.
That’s all for this week, until next time… keep your eyes open.