While LeBron James made it clear that he was enjoying his most recent NBA Championship the joy did not last as long as he would have hoped. He is now assisting his associate in trying to secure justice for a loved one.

 

As spotted on TMZ King James is asking for help regarding a crime that occurred in his hometown. His friend and former co-worker Brandon Weems, Cleveland Cavaliers Director of Scouting, suffered a tragic loss earlier this week. On Monday, November 2 his sister Ericka Weems was found dead with a gunshot to her head in Akron, Ohio.

The 18 time all star took to Twitter to bring attention to the dreadful violation. “AKRON OHIO!! My brother’s sister was murdered this past weekend in her home! My brother family need answers to why and by whom. My city I need y’all to go to work and find out who did this awful, shameful, disgusting thing to such a caring, loving angel! #Justice4EricaWeems” he wrote. 

Her family members spoke to Cleveland News 5. “She just loved and cared about everybody. She had the biggest heart,” said her brother, Brandon Weems. “I’m going to miss her dearly.” Her father was the last individual to see her living. “She left me about 9 o’clock. I told her to call me when she got home, and she never called. I called her all day Sunday. No answer.” After placing more calls that went unresponded her family went to visit her at her residence. She was found dead in her bedroom upstairs.

Currently there is a $5,000 reward for information on the killer. Akron detectives can be reached at 330-375-2490 or 330-375-2TIP.

Photo: Nike

While there’s still a good possibility that the Racist-In-Chief will remain in office for another four years (or longer), Mississippi is still looking to distance itself from it’s prejudice past and has decided to ditch it’s most blatantly racist piece of history.

According to Raw Story, the people of the Hospitality State voted in a new measure which would change the state flag from that confederate battle emblem to a new banner which would feature the magnolia flower. Donald Trump and his cult of a political party isn’t gonna like that one bit.

The old flag was retired over the summer, as the US exploded with the biggest protests in decades against racism and police brutality.

The ongoing movement for racial justice in the US also prompted the removal of statues of Confederate figures, either formally removed by local governments or forcibly toppled by protesters.

The new and very much improved flag will not only bare the magnolia flower, but also have “In God We Trust” written on it. Not sure if that’s enough to keep the old school southerners of Mississippi happy but it’s worth a shot.

Though we have no designs yet of what the new flag will look like, we’re sure it’s a massive improvement over what is currently being used by white supremacists and Nazis to show their loyalty to racism.

Got a lighter?  Well, hand one to Cardi B because watching the election has her super stressed out.

The “WAP” rapper was spotted on Instagram sharing her Election Day journey with fans on Tuesday (Nov. 3) as the nation braced for the hot mess that comes with the 2020 Presidential race. 

Standing outside in a black fur coat, fresh cornrows, and laid baby hairs, the Bronx native stood close to the camera with a frustrated expression on her face. After shaking her head, the rapper raises not one, but three lit cigarettes to her mouth and deeply inhales without coughing.  A few seconds later, she looks away and exhales the smoke from her lungs without uttering a word.  

“How these elections got me watching these states turn red ,” she captioned on Instagram post. 

All of us, Cardi.  All of us.  

Earlier that day, she shared a video of her exercising her civic duty in an effort to encourage fans to vote.  Her outfit of choice was relatably casual. Wearing a scarf and a bonnet with a grey, baggy hoodie, the former reality TV star placed two voting stickers on her nose as her driver left her local polling place.

“I voted. It was easy peazy,” she had said in a video timestamped at 5:02 a.m. on Instagram. “The hardest part was getting out the f–king car. Go vote because … I don’t know it feels good after you vote, you feel like you just did something. I don’t know. I swear it’s like a weird feeling.”

Cardi has spent a great deal of her short time in the limelight discussing politics while criticizing lawmakers for their lack of leadership as citizens bear the brunt of their callousness. She’s also been a strong advocate of voting and has even chopped it up with Bernie Sanders and Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden.    

John Legend has never been shy about his disapproval of current sitting President, Donald Trump, but recently he had some choice words for rappers who were trying to help Trump sway the vote.

On Monday (Nov 2), while appearing at a campaign event for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, John Legend let all the Trump-supporting rappers know exactly how he felt about their endorsement. After performing “Glory” with Common at the event, the soul singer delivered a powerful speech denouncing Donald Trump’s “Platinum Plan” for Black Americans and its celebrity backers, including Ice Cube, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and Lil Pump.

“Now, some people see the meanness, the bullying, the selfishness of Donald Trump and they mistake it for strength, a kind of twisted masculinity,” John Legend said. “Some see his greed and they mistake it for being good at business. Some of your former favorite rappers have been taken in by these lies. I think they even founded a new supergroup. It’s called the Sunken Place.”

John Legend expounded on his statement pointing out that Trump’s two-page “Platinum plan” shouldn’t be praised based on the fact it was created a week after Trump publicly told known white supremacist group Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

“Trump’s Platinum Plan for Black folks is nothing but fool’s gold because you can’t bank on a word he says,” Legend continued. “Ask the students of Trump University. Ask all of the contractors he stiffed. Ask people his charity was supposed to help before it was shut down for being a fraud. Ask all the Black and brown Americans who are dying from this virus and losing their jobs under his watch. The president isn’t strong. He’s a coward. We’ll choose “a country where The President encourages police brutality and cannot bring himself to condemn white supremacists or neo-Nazis, or one where we hold our police accountable and begin to root out the systemic racism in our society.”

Check out John Legend’s full speech below.

Lil Wayne’s alleged ex-girlfriend, Denise Bidot, has broken her silence regarding her relationship status.

The internet slowly sipped their drinks after it was reported that curvacious baddie, Denise Bidot, dumped Lil Wayne after he showed support for Donald Trump and his bootleg “platinum plan.” Now Bidot has broken her silence on the matter and is claiming that was not the case.

Initially, a “source” reportedly close to the situation claimed, “She broke up with Wayne. It wasn’t just his Trump support, but that was a big part,” and “was shocked when she saw Wayne come out with Trump. She’s so disappointed in him.” Bidot responded to a tweet on Twitter and flat out denied Weezy’s caping for Trump ended their months-long relationship stating, “I did not. This is absolutely false.”

It still looks like it’s a wrap for Weezy and Bidot’s relationship. Before she deleted her Instagram account, which is a big deal for a model, the  Puerto Rican and Kuwait baddie shared a cryptic message in her Instagram Stories stating, “Sometimes love just isn’t enough [HEARTBROKEN EMOJI].” They even unfollowed each other on social media, which also this generation’s way of saying IDFWU.

Weezy hasn’t said much since coming out in support of Donald Trump. He did, however, dropped this head*ss tweet, which sounds like a bar from a song he has in the stash.

“I live the way I love and love the way I live. I’m a lover not a lighter bekuz they burn out. I am an eternal fire and burning love, either leave with a tan, a 3rd degree burn, or stay and die in love. You’re sweating. Sincerely, the fireman.”

Whatever the hell that means, it’s clear Weezy is down in the dumps. That’s what happens when you support Donald Trump.

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Photo: Gonzalo Marroquin / Getty

As far as political commentators go, Keith Olbermann may no longer be a go-to pundit for some but that hasn’t kept him from becoming a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. In one of his Twitter missives, the former ESPN and MSNBC host made a weird tweet referencing LeVar Burton‘s iconic Kunta Kinte character from the Roots miniseries, and the actor made sure to school Olbermann on his mishap.

In a now-deleted tweet that got some burn before its disappearance, Olbermann wrote the following in connection to a Fox News segment focused on President Trump.

“Yes, @realDonaldTrump has always been, will always be, and on the day of his bid for re-election, still is: a whiny little Kunta Kinte,” Olbermann wrote on Election Day.

The tweet got a measurable amount of critique and flabbergasted response from the Twitterverse before Olbermann saved himself from further ridicule by deleting it altogether. Olbermann offered a confusing and unbelievable apology tweet, which Burton took aim his reaction towards.

“I was using an old 70’s-80’s technique for calling somebody a c*** without writing/saying c***, just using a sound-alike to call Trump a c***,” Olbermann tweeted. “Deleting previous, largely because this one clarifies the c*** part.”

In response, Burton wrote, “Dear @KeithOlbermann, #Kunta is pronounced with a long “u” as in unity, not a short “u” as in cup. Try again! Love, Kunta.”

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Photo: Getty

As election day kicked off and Joe Biden battles Donald Trump for control of the Oval Office, Kanye West seems to be content in defeat knowing that though he didn’t get to even sniff Washington with his “third-party” run, he did take his pound of flesh from the American electorate.

Deadline is reporting that the rapper turned fashion designer turned GOP operative had received at least 60,000 votes for President of The United States as of 7:45pm last night with 10,000 coming from Tennessee.

Kanye’s updated state-by-state breakdown is as follows, according to the AP:

Arkansas: 4,040

Colorado: 6,254

Idaho: 3,631

Iowa: 3,202

Kentucky: 6,259

Louisiana: 4,894

Minnesota: 7,789

Mississippi: 3,277

Oklahoma: 5,590

Tennessee: 10,216

Utah: 4,344

Vermont: 1,265

Taking to Twitter to admit defeat, Yeezy teased another Presidential run in a now deleted tweet writing “WELP KANYE 2024.” This just a day after expressing excitement that he’d be voting for someone he trusts to run the country: himself.

https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/1323641120778145792

Interestingly enough this comes a day after his wifey, Kim Kardashian posted on social media that she had already taken to the polls to cast her ballot, only for her followers to demand to know whether she voted for her husband or an actual candidate in the race. She has yet to reply to those demands.

As much of America experiences a range of emotions anxiously waiting for every presidential vote to be counted, there seems to be a growing sense of satisfaction from civil rights advocates as final results in certain statewide elections have provided somewhat of a silver lining to the national political fray.

The race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump to secure 270 electoral college votes has dominated the news cycle amid an election whose results have been delayed in part because of a record number of absentee ballots cast during a pandemic. But other items on various ballots across the country were decided in no uncertain terms, prompting civil rights groups to rejoice over the bright spots in an otherwise stormy political forecast.

Criminal justice reform advocates were delivered several key victories, including the election loss for a Georgia district attorney who investigated Ahmaud Arbery‘s killing earlier this year. Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson — who recused herself from the case of racist vigilantism after it was discovered her office worked with one of the three jailed white men charged with playing separate murderous roles in the killing the Black jogger racially profiled, chased down, trapped and shot dead in the middle of a road in February — came up short against Keith Higgins, an independent candidate who qualified for the race at the last minute. Prior to Higgins’ candidacy, Johnson, a Republican, was running unopposed.

Voting rights advocates saw their hard work pay off in California when the state’s voters approved a measure to allow parolees cast ballots in elections. In addition to restoring the right to vote for people on parole, Proposition 17 also lets parolees run for public office. The measure means that an estimated 50,000 people will be able to participate in the democratic process.

“Let’s not overlook the huge win in California tonight for voting rights,” Color of Change President Rashad Robinson accurately tweeted Tuesday night while most eyes were watching presidential election results tricking in.

Prior to Tuesday’s vote, Californians on parole and in state prison had their voting rights revoked. The Los Angeles Times reported that Proposition 17 earned 59 percent of the statewide vote.

In Mississippi, voters passed a measure to end an electoral system that originated in the Jim Crow era and was designed “to dilute the Black vote and ensure white voters would be able to choose governors and other statewide officials,” the Mississippi Free Press reported. The electoral-college style system was created in 1890 as an amendment to the state constitution because the state’s “constitutional convention was held for no other purpose than to eliminate the nigger from politics—not the ignorant, but the nigger,” Mississippi House Rep. James K. Vardaman — a white supremacist — said at the time.

Trump may have won the state, but election advocates won the right for the state to move to a more conventional system based on the popular vote. In another win for human decency, Mississippi voters also approved a new state flag design that will eliminate its existing Confederate theme.

Lastly, marijuana advocates declared cannabis as the real winner of Tuesday’s elections as voters in Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota moved to legalize the plant in some way, shape or form. The move is a significant step in addressing the racial disparities in the criminal justice system as Black and brown people remain disproportionately suffering the brunt of related arrests.

After Tuesday’s election, there are now 15 states that have either enacted or voted to enact adult-use marijuana legalization laws. Thirty-six states have either enacted or have voted to enact medical marijuana access laws, too.

Erik Altieri, the executive director of NORML, said the federal government needs to listen to what voters are saying about marijuana.

“The public has spoken loudly and clearly. They favor ending the failed policies of marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a policy of legalization, regulation, taxation, and public education,” Altieri said in an emailed statement. “Elected officials — at both the state and federal level — ought to be listening.”

SEE ALSO:

Results Trickle In As Data Show Roles Black Voters Are Playing In 2020 Election

Jaime Harrison Falls Short In Historic Bid For Lindsey Graham’s South Carolina U.S. Senate Seat

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Common and Tiffany Haddish are still going strong despite breakup rumors last week.

On Friday (Oct 30), during his interview on The Karen Hunter Show, Common gushed over his relationship with the comedian, stating that the two are doing “wonderful.”

“She’s a really incredible human being, and the more I get to know her, I just see how dynamic she is as a person. How intelligent, how selfless she is, how she stands up in Hollywood for black women. I’m learning,” Common said. “You know what I mean? She takes it like the law, especially within – any area of life – but then the Hollywood structure, sometimes you have to shake them up and say ‘hey, y’all, this is what it has to be.”

Despite rumors that the two had previously called it quits after it was noticed they stopped following each other on social media, the Beautiful Revolution rapper added that Haddish’s heart is what keeps him captivated the most before noting that he likes the fact the two have “fun” together.

“She’s also fun. She’s fun,” Common continued. “Tiffany has a good heart at the end of the day.”

Tiffany Haddish also recently gushed over Common.

During her interview with Extra, the Girl’s Trip actress revealed that she believes that the two are in it for the long haul before adding that she “has never felt this way about anyone else” previously.

“I feel like it’s gonna work,” Tiffany Haddish shared with Extra‘s Rachel Lindsay. “I haven’t felt like this about a relationship ever.”

The happy couple also dispelled breakup rumors on social media after saying “I love you” to each other via Instagram Live.

Check out Common’s interview below.

The presidential election will most likely continue to dominate the news cycle for much of the week if not longer as the race is still far too close to call. Despite the slim margins, President Donald Trump has prematurely declared victory over Joe Biden and it remains to be seen how the ending plays out.

Election Day (Nov. 3) was, as observed by many a commentator, pundit, and anchor, a nail-biter with Biden owning 238 electoral college votes to Trumps’s 213 according to The Associated Press. And like the presidential election, the U.S. Senate race is also undecided with the Democratic Party gaining one seat thus far but are still sitting at 45-47 with the Republican Party holding the slim majority.

President Trump, taking to his favored vehicle of Twitter after being largely silent on Election Day, got right back to the antics Wednesday morning (Nov 4).

“Last night I was leading, often solidly, in many key States, in almost all instances Democrat run & controlled. Then, one by one, they started to magically disappear as surprise ballot dumps were counted. VERY STRANGE, and the “pollsters” got it completely & historically wrong,” Trump wrote in a tweet that has been blocked by the service.

He continued with, “How come every time they count Mail-In ballot dumps they are so devastating in their percentage and power of destruction?”

In the Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, that side lost four seats while the Republicans gained four, although Democrats still hold a 189-183 majority as of this writing. But while doom and gloom seem to be the order of the day for those who hoped for a landslide in Biden’s favor or flipping of the Senate, there has been some historic good news afoot.

Cori Bush is now the first Black congresswoman for Missouri’s 1st District. Bush, who was among the many activists on the ground in Ferguson after the killing of Mike Brown, took to Twitter and shared her gratitude and a promise to continue fighting for equal rights on the behalf of Missourians.”

“Mike Brown was murdered 2,278 days ago. We took to the streets for more than 400 days in protest. Today, we take this fight for Black Lives from the streets of Ferguson to the halls of Congress. We will get justice,” Bush began in a Twitter thread.

She added, “I am the first nurse going to Congress from Missouri—in the middle of a pandemic. Nurses all across the country have risked their lives to save others. Working class people need representatives who look like them and who have experienced their struggles. I am that champion.”

For the proponents of marijuana legalization, four states passed measures for adult recreational use, while a southern state passed a measure for medical usage. Arizona, New Jersey, Montana and South Dakota will now move towards allowing the use of cannabis for leisure purposes. In addition, South Dakota also passed a medical marijuana measure. Mississipi will now allow medical marijuana usage in the state.

Millions of votes are still being counted and most are awaiting the results of the tight races in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with most analysts suggesting Biden needs to carry his state of birth in Pennsylvania and perhaps Michigan in order to pull further away. Georgia is still continuing its count but most observations are leaning towards Trump winning the state.

Drug policy advocates and those on the frontlines for decriminalization have reason to celebrate in Oregon after it became the first state to decriminalize hard drugs such as heroin, meth, and cocaine for personal use. Some say this is an effective strategy to mitigate the rash of drug convictions and offer a pathway to substance abuse treatment.

As details develop, we’ll return to update this post.

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Photo: WENN