Author name: Admin

I’m struggling to find the words to capture the sheer panic I feel right now, but it’s a panic born of truth: the very foundation of our representative democracy is under threat. What’s unfolding before the U.S. Supreme Court over Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 isn’t a procedural argument; it’s an existential crisis that could permanently reshape the political landscape and silence the voices of millions of Americans—particularly those of color. On Wednesday, justices from the highest court in the land began weighing in on a case that will determine whether democracy is going to continue to weaken and be dismantled by questioning one of the most critical safeguards of the civil rights era, Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965; an act that ensures the government must continue to take proactive steps to ensure fair representation for Black and Brown people. The case sparking the review, Louisiana v. Callais, stems from a dispute over a single congressional district in Louisiana, drawn after the 2020 Census to ensure that African American voters could elect a candidate of their choice. The state initially drew maps that featured only one majority-Black congressional district, rejecting seven more racially fair maps. Voters sued, and federal courts ordered Louisiana to comply with the Voting Rights Act by drawing new maps in which Black voters would be a majority in a second district, thereby reflecting their share of the population and giving Black Louisianans an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice. The current case, presented by a group of people identifying themselves as “non-African-American voters” have sued to get those racially proportionate maps thrown out, arguing that enforcement of the VRA violates their own rights under the 14th and 15th amendments, claiming that the maps drawn to remedy racial discrimination against Black people instead constitutes racial discrimination against non-Black (aka: white) people. While the case appears to be localized, it will affect voting on the national level because, at the core, the case is about whether state governments can continue to address discrimination, both historic and ongoing, by taking intentional action to ensure fairness and representation. “Section 2 has had a major impact, definitely in the South, but really nationwide on improving political representation opportunities for voters in a lot of different communities of color and all around the country,” Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice’s office in Washington, D.C., said. “A decision that leaves the current understanding of Section 2 in grave doubt opens up, unfortunately, a lot of chaos throughout the country in a lot of different jurisdictions.” For decades, the landmark ruling has served as the precedent and legal tool to combat racial gerrymandering, especially in states with racially polarized voting patterns, like Texas, and their controversial decision to redistrict to find 5 Republican seats for the Trump administration to continue their reign of incompetence. The Court’s conservative majority, however, has signaled skepticism toward the continued use of race-conscious districting, seemingly siding with the plaintiffs. During recent oral arguments, several justices questioned whether such measures should have an “endpoint,” suggesting discomfort with what they view as race-based policymaking. Justice Brett Kavanaugh echoed that sentiment, stating that “race-based remedies are permissible for a period of time… but they should not be indefinite.” “The issue, as you know, is that this court’s cases in a variety of contexts have said that race-based remedies are permissible for a period time – sometimes for a long period of time, decades in some cases – but that they should not be indefinite and should have an end point,” Kavanaugh told the attorney representing a group of Black voters who successfully challenged Louisiana’s first map. Civil rights advocates argue that this framing ignores the persistence of racial polarization in American elections. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson underscored that point, reminding the Court that Section 2 “is not a remedy in and of itself but the mechanism by which the law determines whether a remedy is necessary.” In her view, the law’s enduring application is not a distortion of equality but an affirmation of it. During oral arguments, the plaintiffs’ attorney suggested that the defense were demanding a second majority-Black district, prompting Jackson to interject: “No, it’s not,” clarifying that the litigation was about addressing proven vote dilution, not entitlement to a specific remedy; underscoring the constitutional interest in remedying racial discrimination, a point echoed by Justice Elena Kagan earlier in the session. Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, highlighted the significance of the ruling and why the reversal would adversely affect communities of color’s ability to fully and fairly participate in democracy. “The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has affirmed what we’ve always known: Black voters in Louisiana deserve equal representation,” Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, said. “This is a vital step toward correcting generations of injustice, and we will not stop until every Black Louisianan has the full and fair representation guaranteed to all Americans.” The political consequences of a ruling against Section 2 could be profound. According to a report by the Black Voters Matter Fund and Fair Fight Action, if Section 2 is overturned, Republican-controlled states could redraw at least 19 additional congressional districts to their advantage. The impact would be immediate in states such as Texas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina, all regions with significant minority populations and deeply polarized voting patterns. Freed from the obligation to draw “minority opportunity districts,” lawmakers could fracture Black and Latino communities across the country in multiple districts by isolating them into single heavily Democratic districts and reducing their overall influence. According to the report, as much as 30% of the Congressional Black Caucus and 11% of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus could lose their seats. In states such as Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, Black voters could lose all federal representation. Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter Fund, warned that

Grammy-award-winning singer and songwriter Lauryn Hill took to Instagram to pay tribute to D’Angelo after news broke of his untimely passing. Hill Called D’Angelo An ‘Undeniable Beauty And Talent’ In Her Emotional Tribute Letter Hill, 50, collaborated with the neo-soul legend—who passed away after a private battle with pancreatic cancer—on the beloved track “Nothing Even Matters,” where he appeared as a guest vocalist. The soulful duet became a standout on her critically acclaimed, five-time Grammy-winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. “People need reflection,” the music veteran began her emotional tribute letter. “I regret not having more time with you. Your undeniable beauty and talent were not of this world, and a presence not of this world needs protection in a world that covets light and the anointing of God. You sir, moved us, stirred us, inspired and even intimidated others to action with your genius.” The music giant thanked D’Angelo for “being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us.” She continued, “Thank you for charting the course and for making space during a time when no similar space really existed. You imaged a unity of strength and sensitivity in Black manhood to a generation that only saw itself as having to be one or the other. It is my earnest prayer that you are in peace, far away from selfishness, fear, and/or controlling interests. Far from possessiveness, far from greed, far from manipulation, far from exploitation, far from intentionally designed chaos, and that you, Brother, are in peace, in bliss, and in eternal light and fulfillment with our Father in heaven.” Hill concluded her emotional tribute letter, “I love you and I miss you. May God grant peace and shelter to your family, true friends, and genuine appreciators, Brother, King.” D’Angelo Reflected On Working With Lauryn Hill During A 2008 Interview During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2008, D’Angelo reflected on his time working with Hill on “Nothing Even Matters,” calling his collaborative relationship with the songstress “warm and sweet.” “Originally, we were going to swap tunes for each other’s projects because I was working on Voodoo at the same time and my keyboardist James Poyser was also working with her,” D’Angelo told the publication. “I went to her house in New Jersey, she played a lot of songs for me, and gave me a rough copy to listen to. When Lauryn and I went into the studio together, I laid down my vocals in the course of an hour.” Jill Scott And Missy Elliott Also Paid Tribute Hill wasn’t the only celeb to write a tribute in honor of D’Angelo on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Jill Scott, another neo-soul titan, took to X to honor the singer’s legacy. She revealed that a mutual friend had informed her that the star was “unwell” a few days before his death. “I didn’t know he was leaving us TODAY” she added. “Oooooooh my condolences to his family, his musical fam and fans. I am a fan and I mourn. D. Keaton & now D’Angelo. Hurts.” In a follow-up post, she added, “I never met D’Angelo but I love him, respect him, admire his gift. This loss HURTS!! Love to my family that are family to him. I’m so sorry.  R.I.P. GENIUS.” Missy Elliott shared heartfelt condolences for D’Angelo’s son, Michael Archer II, whose mother, Angie Stone, tragically died in a car crash just seven months before D’Angelo’s passing. “Rest Peacefully D’Angelo,” The Rain singer wrote on X. “No parent wants to see their children go, but it’s painful for children to see their parents go too so send prayers up for his son, who also lost his mom this year, for strength.” RELATED: Remembering A Legend: 10 D’Angelo Songs That Shaped Neo-Soul The post Lauryn Hill Pens Heartfelt Tribute Letter To ‘Beacon Of A Generation’ D’Angelo—’May God Grant Peace & Shelter To Your Family’ appeared first on Bossip.

Maybe there’s a reason the people of Chicago have been rebelling against ICE agents and other feds who have been deployed into their neighborhoods, supposedly, to arrest violent, undocumented criminals. Perhaps Chicagoans simply don’t believe the Trump administration is trying to make their streets safer by ridding them of dangerous migrants, because these agents keep snatching up day laborers and U.S. citizens whom they think are “illegals.” It could also be that folks are having a difficult time believing that it’s ICE that is “under siege” when what we see is agents detaining people for no discernible reason, deploying tear gas near schools and residential areas, beating up on protesters, bystanders, and media personnel, and, occasionally, shooting people. Also, why should we believe a word that comes out of a Border Patrol cop’s mouth when they keep lying about what led to so many of these incidents? According to the Guardian, last week, Debbie Brockman, a U.S. citizen and employee at Chicago’s WGN TV station, was temporarily detained during an ICE operation in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. Video footage of the arrest that has since gone viral on social media shows Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents, whom she can be heard identifying herself to before telling them where she works. It also appears that, for whatever reason, her pants were pulled down. In one video, a person off-camera can be heard asking the masked agents, “Do you guys want to share your names too, or you just gonna cover your face?” Brockman was reportedly handcuffed and put in a van, but then she was released without charges, which is odd, considering ICE agents accused her of throwing “objects at Border Patrol’s car” before she was “placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer,” according to a DHS official. Yeah, because — you know — a person being released without charges after attacking an officer is totally a thing that happens. (To be fair, you can do it at the Capitol to stop Democratic votes from being certified, and the current president will issue you a pardon and contemplate paying you reparations.) Brockman’s attorneys denied their client did anything she was accused of, which, again, is believable because it’s the kind of thing people typically go to jail for. From the Guardian: In a news release issued by attorneys representing Brockman on Tuesday, which was sent to the Guardian as well as several Chicago news outlets, her lawyers disputed the government’s account. They said they “adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone” and that “Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work” on 10 October. Her lawyers say that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was “not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for WGN” but that she was just “walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents. “Brockman, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue,” the statement continues. “As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name.” The statement says that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that “someone would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day”, her attorneys said. According to her lawyers, Brockman was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being released. “She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions,” the statement adds. One of Brockman’s lawyers, Brad Thomson, probably said it best: “If armed, masked, federal agents are snatching U.S. citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them.” Only we don’t need to imagine it, because we’ve seen it on camera. Here’s a video we reported on earlier this month that shows federal immigration agents confronting and attempting to detain a man in the West Lawn neighborhood on the Southwest Side. Here’s what I wrote about that incident at the time: The man in question refused to go with the men willingly, which, normally, would result in a resisting arrest charge in addition to whatever the civilian was being arrested for in the first place. However, in this case, the scene ended with the men who appeared to be officers appearing to give up on arresting the man altogether and leaving the man alone after being confronted by angry bystanders. Bootlickers, of course, claimed it was an example of ICE being harassed just for doing their jobs, but those at the scene, including the man who recorded the video, said it was an example of the neighborhood stepping in to defend a human being from the Trump administration’s Gestapo. According to CBS News Chicago, a DHS spokesperson declined to explain why agents would simply leave the scene without taking the man into custody, which is a good question to ask, because, again, it just wouldn’t happen if the agents had a legitimate reason to arrest the man in the first place. As scary as it is to be confronted, roughed up, and arrested by ICE agents — who are often doing so without a proper warrant or probable cause — it becomes even more alarming once you realize not all people who are wrongfully arrested are simply released. Earlier this month, Mario Guevara, an award-winning, Spanish-language journalist, was deported to El Salvador, despite being in the U.S. legally, after he was arrested in June for livestreaming an anti-Trump “No Kings” protest near Atlanta. Guevara, who had been in the U.S. for more than two decades and has

Blac Chyna took to Instagram to post a carousel of pictures of herself in an all-white outfit posing by a Ferrari on the side of the road. What caught her followers off guard, however, is the caption, tagging her ex, Rob Kardashian, even though the photos don’t seem to have anything to do with him. The model—who now goes by her birth name, Angela White—didn’t say anything further about her confusing decision to tag Kardashian, but he did give the post a like, seemingly approving whatever message she’s trying to send. Chyna, 37, and Kardashian, 38, are co-parents to their 8-year-old daughter, Dream. The pair got engaged in 2016 after a rollercoaster romance, but their relationship ended shortly after, in 2017. In the years since their split, the former couple has had their fair share of drama, with Chyna suing Rob’s mother, Kris Jenner, and his sisters Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner for defamation. She alleged in her $140 million lawsuit that E! did not renew their reality series, Rob & Chyna, for a second season because of his family’s influence at the network. Eventually, a judge ruled in favor of the Kardashian and Jenner family, saying they did not unjustly harm Chyna’s career. At the height of their breakup in 2017, things got even worse, with Kardashian exposing naked pictures of his ex, causing Chyna to enlist powerhouse lawyer Lisa Bloom for a “revenge porn” lawsuit. The case ended up being settled privately in June 2022, just before it was scheduled to go to trial. That same year, Rob claimed Blac Chyna attempted to choke him with an iPhone charger during an intense fight last at sister Kylie Jenner’s house. The reality star and his sister filed a lawsuit against Rob’s ex-fiancé for battery, assault and vandalism. Rob ultimately filed to dismiss the case in 2022 to focus on co-parenting their daughter, Dream. Things between the couple have been quiet over the last few years, which (hopefully) means the drama was officially put to rest. But, now that they’ve seemingly figured out how to coparent together, they may be spinning the block in an attempt to bring their family back together. If you need to catch up on all of Rob and Chyna lore amid their suspected rekindling, check out a timeline of their relationship here. The post Run It Back?! Blac Chyna Sparks Rob Kardashian Reconciliation Rumors With Mysterious Social Media Post appeared first on Bossip.