AG Barr authorizes election probes despite little evidence of fraud

Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raises the prospect that Trump will use the DOJ to try to challenge the outcome

Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.

Barr’s action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raises the prospect that Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome. It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is formally certified.

Read More: Lindsey Graham: Trump shouldn’t concede or else US will ‘never’ elect GOP president

Experts allege that by allowing armed agents into vote centers, the Department of Justice, headed by Attorney General William Barr (above), could intimidate ballot counters, amounting to interference in the 2020 election process. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden’s favor.

Read More: Trumpism is White Supremacy and it’s not being repudiated anytime soon

(Photo: Getty Images)

Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states and there has been no indication of enough improperly counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome. In fact, election officials from both political parties have publicly stated the election went well, though there have been minor issues that are typical in elections, including voting machines breaking and ballots that were miscast and lost.

In a memo to U.S. attorneys, obtained by The Associated Press, Barr wrote that investigations “may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State.”

States have until Dec. 8 to resolve election disputes, including recounts and court contests over the results. Members of the Electoral College meet Dec. 14 to finalize the outcome.

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Parents of 666 migrant children missing, higher than originally thought

Lawyers who have been tasked with finding the parents of migrant children told a judge last month that the number was 545

Lawyers are now of the belief that 666 parents of migrant children separated from their children at the border cannot be located, a figure much larger than originally suspected.

Steven Herzog, the attorney leading efforts to reunite the separated migrant children with their families, made the declaration in an email obtained by NBC News. The outlet reported on Monday that sources who had viewed data claimed that 20% of the children separated were five and under when taken from their parents.

Read More: US judge blocks Trump immigration rule on public benefits

Herzog reportedly wrote in an email that the discrepancy was related to “for whom the government did not provide any phone number.”

This December 2019 photo shows Honduran asylum seeker, Christopher, 6, standing with his father on the international bridge from Mexico to the United States in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico. They were waiting to be taken by U.S. officials to an immigration court hearing in Brownsville, Texas. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Just last month, theGrio reported that attorneys appointed by a federal judge to locate these children believed they were unable to find 545 of the parents who were separated from their children. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union claimed two-thirds of those parents had been deported to Central America and there was no subsequent trace of their current location. Others may have returned to their home countries.

“What has happened is horrific,” Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, told NPR in October. “Some of these children were just babies when they were separated. Some of these children may now have been separated for more than half of their lives. Almost their whole life, they have not been with their parents.”

In 2017, the Trump administration adopted a zero-tolerance policy in which immigrants found crossing the U.S.-Mexico border would be prosecuted, even those who had underage children. Data from the Customs and Border Protection between May and June 2018 shows that almost 3,000 children were separated from their parents. Stephen Miller, a senior policy advisor to President Donald Trump, who crafted his immigration policy, wanted more separations to deter illegal immigration, according to multiple reports.

Hoisting paper dolls representing children in detention, protesters rally in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters, demanding the release of immigrants in ICE detention due to the dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic July 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“If we don’t enforce this, it is the end of our country as we know it,” Miller allegedly said.

Though Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen opposed the separations due to personnel limitations and the challenge of keeping up with the children, she ultimately signed off on the plan.

Read More: Trump fires Esper as Pentagon chief after election defeat

“Miller was tired of hearing about logistical problems,” one of the officials said. “It was just ‘Let’s move forward and staff will figure this out.'”

U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw rescinded the policy last April and ordered the children to be reunited with their families. Sabraw gave the government six months to account for the missing migrant families.

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Trumpism is White Supremacy and it’s not being repudiated anytime soon

OPINION: Trump lost his re-election bid, but gained more votes than last time thanks largely to white voters — proof that there’s more work to be done in defeating racism in this country. 

This was supposed to be a fairytale ending: Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in a race that could easily be summed up as a battle between good vs. evil. 

“It’s a history-making ticket,” 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton tweeted after Biden clinched the electoral votes from Pennsylvania to win the election. “A repudiation of Trump, and a new page for America.”

History-making? Absolutely. 

A repudiation of Trump?  Not by a longshot. 

Read More: Can Biden and Harris truly heal the nation after Trump?

(Photo: Getty Images)

Biden impressively achieved the most popular votes than any presidential candidate in modern American history. But such high voter turn-out also gave Trump huge numbers as well. While Biden outperformed Trump across the board, the now one-term incumbent improved in certain rural areas and major cities. Even in Philly, a city that helped secure Biden’s lock on Pennsylvania, Trump performed better there than he did in 2016. 

Trump didn’t take a massive loss in voters compared to his first run, he just got outpaced by another candidate. Had another Democratic candidate from the previous line-up that wasn’t Biden ran against him, I have no doubt now that Trump would have won. And for that undesirable truth alone, to call Biden’s victory a repudiation of Trump is to ignore reality. 

Read More: Trump faces calls to work with Biden team on transition

A repudiation of Trump would have looked like him doing extremely worse compared to 2016. Despite his poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic and reckless leadership, Trump still kept his predominately white majority of voters at around the same percentages as he did last time. The percentage pie of white voters didn’t get redistributed, they just increased in other demographics in certain key states.

In other words, 57% of the white vote doesn’t carry the same amount of power when there’s an increase of Black voters across different states showing up to the polls more. This is why, as a Black voter, I have doubts that much will change under a Biden-Harris administration in terms of confronting racism. 

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

For starters, Trumpism is white supremacy by another name. For four years, Trump emboldened hate groups, struggled to denounce white supremacy, pushed xenophobic policies, and unapologetically aligned himself with bigots. To the millions of Americans (mostly white) who still decided to vote for him again — that was a resounding co-sign that they wanted such racism to continue. 

It was devastating to see the exit polls that showed how many non-Black voters still desired to keep Trump in power. Even though I currently reside in a Democratic city like Philly, knowing that more people showed up to vote for him in my own town after four years of his incompetence gives me a level of unease. Trumpism has proven itself to be more popular now than when the president first campaigned on it. 

Biden’s victory was less of a repudiation — but more of a reprimand — of Trumpism. That reprimand came largely from Black voters who sent America a notice that we cannot and will not allow ourselves to be governed by leaders who seek to further marginalize us. But this shouldn’t have fallen on the shoulders of mostly Black voters alone.

Read More: Black America waited four years to tell Donald Trump ‘You’re fired!’

Self-proclaimed white allies who often present themselves as valiantly against racism dropped the ball this election cycle. Where were they in engaging their white peers and family members on changing their racist behavior and voting patterns? These disappointing exit polls would suggest that no real work was done between November 2016 and now.

Pro-Trump supporters gather at the Georgia State Capitol after major media outlets predicted a win for Joe Biden on November 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Instead, it appears that Black voters, especially Black women, mobilized their communities more to actively defeat Trump more than any other group did. Which is why we should all prepare ourselves for how Trumpism will continue to linger for many years to come. 

Until white people proactively confront the racism within the institutions they lead and the social networks they affiliate themselves with, Trumpism isn’t going anywhere. Black people alone can only put a band-aid on the matter through the power of the vote, but there’s a true reckoning that needs to take place outside of the ballot box.

Right now, as political pundits and analysts speak of a divided nation that’s between red and blue states, I’m reminded that it’s actually a country that’s still torn between Black and white.

---

Ernest Owens is the Editor at Large of Philadelphia magazine and CEO of Ernest Media Empire, LLC. The award-winning journalist has written for The New York Times, NBC News, USA Today and several other major publications. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and ernestowens.com.

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Blue Ivy narrates audiobook of Matthew Cherry’s ‘Hair Love’

Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s oldest is showing the same work ethic that made her parents successful

Blue Ivy Carter has been announced as the narrator for the audiobook “Hair Love” authored by Matthew Cherry.

Read More: Beyoncé reveals how she’s explaining state of world to Blue Ivy, twins

On Twitter, Cherry shared the link to listen to the 4-minute read on Audible. Audiences can also preview a sample of the eight-year-old reading the book. illustrated by Vashti Harrison, “Hair Love” follows the main character Zuri as her father attempts to style her big, kinky, curly hair. The story doesn’t just empower little Black girls to embrace their natural texture but also encourages their fathers to lend their hand to hairstyling.

https://t.co/MSZxGSkZJn pic.twitter.com/wQ8gWl30Oy

— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) November 9, 2020

Blue Ivy, daughter of superstar musicians Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter has already earned a BET Her Award, an NAACP Image Award and has landed on the Billboard charts. Despite her young age, she has faced public criticism and rude comments about her natural hair and looks, making her a perfect talent to read the book to the world.

Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter smile during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers at Staples Center on March 08, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

In 2014, actress and model Karrueche Tran faced backlash for making fun of Blue Ivy’s hair. As theGrio reported, as a guest-host on the music video countdown show 106th & Park she joked: “I really did wake up like this, because my parents never comb my hair!” about the then 2-year-old. (Tran later apologized saying the joke was written for her and that she didn’t like it either.)

At the beginning of the year, theGrio‘s Blue Telusma questioned why Blue Ivy triggers anti-Black remarks after a Vanity Fair writer tweeted how that he felt sorry for Blue because of her undeniably African American features. In her opinion piece, Telusma highlighted the long history of public figures coming for the eldest Carter child and her appearance.

“Blue Ivy’s biggest sin in the court of public opinion, was never about her parents “not combing” her hair. The only thing that child has ever really done to offend her “haters” is have the nerve to look so unapologetically Black,” Telusma wrote.

“Hair Love” is based on Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film of the same name.

As theGrio reported, HBO Max ordered Young Love, an animated series based on the short. According to the report on the 12-episode series, Cherry will serve as showrunner alongside Carl Jones, known for his work on The Boondocks. The characters from Hair Love will be featured in the series.

Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver, winners of the Animated Short Film award for “Hair Love,” pose in the press room during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rachel Luna/Getty Images)

“I am beyond excited to continue telling the story of Stephen, Angela, and Zuri and further explore the family dynamics of a young Black millennial family we established in our short film Hair Love as an animated series,” Cherry said in a statement, according to theGrio. “Couldn’t ask for better partners in Sony Pictures Animation and HBO Max in helping us get Young Love out to the world.”

Read More: Blue Ivy Carter wins her first NAACP Image Award at 8-years-old

“Hair Love struck a chord that is still resonating deeply with audiences of all ages,” Billy Wee, SVP, original animation, HBO Max, said in a statement.

Other celebrity parents tweeted in appreciation of Blue Ivy’s involvement.

Gabrielle Union tweeted “Being able to hear Blue Ivy give voice to this masterful story is so awesome. They try to bury us, not knowing we are seeds of strength and beauty.”

This is the gift that just keeps on giving!! Being able to hear Blue Ivy give voice to this masterful story is so awesome. They try to bury us, not knowing we are seeds of strength and beauty. LOVE! 🖤🖤🖤🖤 #Hairlove https://t.co/ldS5I7OrQ3

— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) November 9, 2020

According to Cherry, “Hair Love” is available everywhere audiobooks are sold.

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Meghan Markle, Prince Harry face backlash for Remembrance Day cemetery visit

Piers Morgan offered criticism of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after they took photos during Remembrance Day at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are criticized for taking photos while honoring commonwealth soldiers for Remembrance Day.

Read More: Meghan Markle first member of modern royal family to vote in US election: report

According to Insider, the couple faced backlash from Piers Morgan after publicly sharing a private visit to the Los Angeles National Cemetery. The Good Morning Britain host called the occurrence a “distasteful PR stunt,” during an on-air rant. He claimed the move was on Prince Harry to respond to the palace after he was denied a request to lay a wreath on his behalf at the British royal family’s official Remembrance service on Sunday.

(Credit: Lee Morgan)

Were Harry and Meghan looking for publicity for their Remembrance Day pictures or just paying their respects to the fallen?@Piersmorgan says it was a ‘distasteful PR stunt’… @Susannareid100 disagrees saying he has to show he’s paid respects.

Let us know👇 pic.twitter.com/WJ24CBpgiU

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 9, 2020

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex faced similar comments from Richard Palmer, the royal correspondent of the Daily Express in London. He wrote on Twitter, “The rift between the palace and Harry and Meghan is likely to deepen again. Why the need to take a PR photographer and publicise your “private” act of remembrance?”

The rift between the palace and Harry and Meghan is likely to deepen again. Why the need to take a PR photographer and publicise your “private” act of remembrance? https://t.co/XM8fBCcb6E

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 9, 2020

Read More: Judge grants 9-month delay to Meghan Markle’s lawsuit against paper

Still, supporters of the couple defended the photos and used their own social media platforms to justify the act. Dionne Grant tweeted “If they didn’t post pictures of them marking Remembrance Day, the media would’ve turned that into a story. Now they have, it’s a publicity stunt? Just say you hate Meghan and go.”

The Royal Family didn’t lay a wreath on Harry’s behalf. He and Meghan laid one in LA. If they didn’t post pictures of them marking Remembrance Day, the media would’ve turned that into a story. Now they have, it’s a publicity stunt? Just say you hate Meghan and go. pic.twitter.com/np65yNXDoR

— Dionne Grant (@DionneGrant) November 9, 2020

According to PEOPLE, Prince Harry was upset his request was denied. The outlet reported there was a wreath ready and waiting for him and set it aside however palace officials decided that his wreath would not be added to those from other members of the royal family because he and his wife are no longer working members of the institution. 

He “understands that he doesn’t have the same formal role in the family as he used to,” a source informed PEOPLE. “But he was saddened and disappointed by the decision.”

Photos from the private Remembrance Service ceremony were uploaded to Instagram on the official Royal Family account.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Nov 7, 2020 at 2:03pm PST

Since their relationship became public, Meghan and Harry have faced unfair criticism and coverage from tabloids and fans of the royal family. theGrio reported in October that the former actress opened up about the weight of the bullying she experienced at the hands of the internet and various media. As a guest on the Teenage Therapy podcast, she shared how comments had a toll on her mental health.

“I’m told that in 2019, I was the most trolled person in the entire world ― male or female,”  she said.

“Even though our experience is unique to us and obviously can seem very different to what people can experience on the day-to-day, it’s still a human experience ― and that’s universal,” she said, adding, “We all know what it feels like to have our feelings hurt, we all know what it feels like to be isolated or othered.”

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TikTokers share viral videos of their Trump voter hotline pranks

TikTok users are tying up the hotline that Trump has set up to allege voter fraud

Donald Trump has long since gained notoriety for using social media to bully his opponents. Now he appears to be getting a taste of his own medicine thanks to tenacious TikTok users who have made it their mission to get under the president’s skin.

According to NBC News, the young people in question have started a campaign of calling into a hotline for voter fraud started by Trump’s team and using it to make outlandish false claims that tie up the phone system and therefore prevent actual MAGA supporters from using it.

READ MORE: Questlove opens up about ‘Karen’ incident at his new home

President Donald Trump is getting some pushback from social media giants Facebook and Twitter, who are labeling and obscuring his false election-related posts. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In an attempt to undermine what has been widely accepted as a projected win for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, POTUS created a voter fraud hotline for people to report any suspicious activities they noticed at their voting stations.

Critics say this is a blatant and thinly veiled attempt to normalize racial profiling and voter suppression but this move should come as no surprise given Trump had made false claims about voter fraud even before the ballot counting began.

I’m don’t want to tell anyone what to do, but if you felt like calling this number and, say, reporting the Hamburglar, I can confirm from personal experience that it would be very funny https://t.co/GIRoHn6jAa

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020

READ MORE: Lil’ Kim celebrates Kamala Harris’ victory despite past comments

“Help stop voter suppression, irregularities and fraud,” read a Twitter post by Trump’s son Eric promoting the hotline. “Tell us what you’re seeing.” 

Unfortunately for Trump, TikTokers like Alex Hirsch, creator of the Disney Channel series Gravity Falls, saw the hotline more as an opportunity to mess with the campaign than anything else.

“I’m don’t want to tell anyone what to do, but if you felt like calling this number and, say, reporting the Hamburglar, I can confirm from personal experience that it would be very funny,” Hirsch coyly tweeted on Friday.

In subsequent tweets he posted videos of himself trolling the line as characters from his show, confessing in one, “I went in there and I had a big ol’ sack and I just started taking ballots out of the box, and, you know, I didn’t even try to hide it.”

Hirsch’s tweets have garnered over 500,000 views and sparked several others to follow in his footsteps.

I…may just do this all night pic.twitter.com/OFtKDeMBqE— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020

I…may just do this all night pic.twitter.com/OFtKDeMBqE

— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) November 7, 2020

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Can Biden fix America’s racism problem?

‘When Barack Obama was President, I was marching for Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner,’ said one activist

Deadspin reporter Chuck Modi took to the streets of Washington D.C. to speak with individuals in light of the 2020 Presidential elections.

One woman he spoke with was candid with the realities of America despite president-elect Joe Biden defeating Donald Trump.

“Maybe we can get back to normal. What was your normal? What was normal for you?” the woman asked. “Because when Barack Obama was President, I was marching for Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner fresh out of college.”

Read More: Biden-Harris campaign releases ‘Agenda for African Diaspora’

Though many feel as though the “work is done” after getting Trump out of office, there is a hard truth, according to the woman. “The work was never finished,” she said.

A CNN commentator said ‘maybe we can get back to normal’. But what’s normal? When Obama was President, I was marching for Trayvon Martin fresh out of college”#DCProtests on #Election2020 of #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/dzeX0ACV1O

— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) November 8, 2020

Illhan Omar retweeted the video with the caption, “Painful honest truths.”

Painful honest truths ⬇️⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/tmHplUFyi9

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 8, 2020

“Not one time when we were marching for George Floyd did those people on the news – mainstream news – say we had the right to be there,” she said.

In Biden’s Saturday victory speech, he acknowledged the pivotal role African Americans played in his success during the election cycle.

“The African American community stood up again for me. You’ve always had my back, and I’ll have yours,” Biden said to the crowd.

Joe Biden says he's proud to have built "the broadest and most diverse coalition in history" and thanks Black voters for supporting him in the toughest times of his campaign: "The African-American community stood up again for me. You've always had my back, and I'll have yours." pic.twitter.com/bHNjKhX86n

— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 8, 2020

Biden vowed to ease the racial tension and division in the United States and during the September presidential debate, he called out Trump for being a “racist,” according to NPR. Though Biden has said some promising things, many have called out his past actions.

In the same September debate, Trump challenged Biden on his past surrounding race: “You did a crime bill, 1994, where you call them super predators — African-Americans are super predators — and they’ve never forgotten it.”

NPR disputed that statement, acknowledging that Hillary Clinton was the one who used the phrase “super predators” in the 1990s and later apologized for that statement.

Biden’s role in writing the 1994 crime bill when he was a Delaware Senator is widely criticized today for the hardships it caused people of color. In a 2019 CNN article, Biden pushed back on the idea that the bill lead to mass incarceration.

“Folks, let’s get something straight. This idea that the crime bill generated mass incarceration—it did not generate mass incarceration.”

In 1972, after his election to the Senate, Biden criticized desegregating schools through the busing system. According to NPR, judges ordered buses be a remedy to segregation by sending Black students to white-dominated schools. The idea experienced push back from white residents.

“It was a classic liberal position to say, ‘I’m in favor of school integration in Little Rock or Montgomery and Selma, but not so much in Boston, Chicago, New York or Wilmington,” said historian and author Matthew Delmont.

He followed that Biden was “right” to focus his intentions on desegregation but “you can’t say you’re in favor of housing integration and not also be fighting for school integration at the same time.”

“There is academic ferment against it. There are young Black and young white leaders against it. There is social unrest which highlights it,” Biden said in a 1975 NPR interview.

It was a point that Sen. Kamala Harris, his future running mate, made in the 2019 presidential debate, asking, “Do you agree today that you were wrong to oppose busing in America?”

Eventually, perceptions surrounding Biden shifted and he became a widely-adored Vice President to Barack Obama.

“We got a blatant bigot and racist out of the way, but we still have to do the work to dismantle the system. Everyone here is going to keep fighting. If you’re not fighting & stopped fighting, ask yourself why?”#DCProtests on #Election2020 of #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/p8l6b4EWw5

— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) November 8, 2020

Just as the young D.C. woman emphasized, the racial injustices during Trump’s presidency, Obama’s presidency and before, will still prevail. We have to make the “system uncomfortable” in order to make real change, said the woman.

“We got a blatant bigot and racist out of the way, but now we still have to do the work to dismantle the system what constantly oppresses black, brown and Indigenous people, period,” she concluded.

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Rep. Jim Clyburn was instrumental to Joe Biden’s success

Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, is the highest-ranking African American member of Congress

In a conversation with CNN‘s Dana Bush on Saturday, Rep. Jim Clyburn revealed he privately urged President-elect Joe Biden to choose a Black woman as his running mate.

House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn speaks to rally goers during a drive-in rally for Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison on October 17, 2020 in North Charleston, South Carolina. Harrison is running against incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). (Photo by Cameron Pollack/Getty Images)

With Biden securing the win by surpassing 270 electoral votes after gaining the battleground state of Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris makes history as the first female and Black-South Asian vice president elect.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you. pic.twitter.com/s76oHFkr66

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 8, 2020

“Joe and I talked about it several times when he was trying to make his decision,” Clyburn told Bush. “He had said it would be a woman. And I don’t mind saying now, I said to him in private that I thought that a lot of the results would turn on whether that woman (would) be a Black woman.”

Congratulations to the 46th President, Joe Biden.

Your victory marks a new chapter for our country.  

As we face unprecedented challenges, Americans have chosen you to lead us out of the chaos and to build a stronger community.

Today, I am hopeful for a brighter future. pic.twitter.com/HV7gefLKRz

— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) November 7, 2020

Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, is the highest-ranking African American member of Congress.

According to CNN exit polls, 91% of Black female voters voted in favor of Biden in comparison to 8% who voted for Trump.

Read More: Kamala Harris has a message for toddler niece who aspires to be president

Clyburn endorsed Biden in February prior to South Carolina’s Democratic primary. “My buddy Jim Clyburn, you brought me back,” Biden said of Clyburn in February.

Clyburn told Bush he was cautious to not give Biden advice publicly so as not to “diminish” him.

“I gave all my advice to him in private. But I’m very pleased that it was a Black woman selected — I think it cemented his relationship to the Black community,” Clyburn said.

In an Instagram post, journalist Ed Gordon acknowledged the pivotal role Clyburn played in the Biden-Harris campaign including rallying in South Carolina.

“Be clear, NO ONE has more to do with @joebiden winning the Presidency than @whipclyburn Biden’s candidacy was all but dead before the majority whip put his name behind the former VP,” Gordon said. “Clyburn then rallied his state of South Carolina and brought victory and momentum to Biden that ultimate lead to him becoming the Democratic nominee. A big salute to the Congressman, well done.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ed Gordon (@edlgordon) on Nov 7, 2020 at 3:22pm PST

In her victory speech, Harris acknowledged making history as the first female vice president-elect and encouraged young girls to follow in her footsteps.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.” she said. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

While I may be the first, I won’t be the last. pic.twitter.com/R5CousWtdx

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 8, 2020

Clyburn echoed those sentiments, saying, “I’m the father of three daughters and I have two granddaughters, and to me this breaks a glass ceiling … for them and all other daughters and granddaughters in the world.”

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AOC might quit politics after Democrats blame progressives for House loss

AOC was re-elected in 2020 after many believed her first victory was luck

In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), aka AOC, said she might quit politics because of resistance from fellow Democrats.

Despite remaining the majority, House Democrats lost some seats in this election. Many of them went on to blame progressive members like AOC, according to Business Insider.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), is seen as U.S. Postal Service Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies during a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee is holding a hearing on “Protecting the Timely Delivery of Mail, Medicine, and Mail-in Ballots.” (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

Read More: AOC responds to Lindsey Graham’s attack on her at debate

“I don’t even know if I want to be in politics,” she told The Times. “You know, for real, in the first six months of my term, I didn’t even know if I was going to run for re-election this year.”

“I chose to run for re-election because I felt like I had to prove that this is real. That this movement was real. That I wasn’t a fluke,” AOC told The Times. “That people really want guaranteed health care and that people really want the Democratic Party to fight for them.”

With her stance on Medicare for All and a strong alliance with the Black Lives Matter movement, AOC is seen as a nuisance among center-left Democrats who favor liberal ideas but like to compromise with the right.

.@AOC tells @jaketapper that "not a single member of Congress that I'm aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election."

She says Dems' problem is a weak party operation that needs to become "stronger and more resilient to Republican attacks."

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) November 9, 2020

AOC said that some of her colleagues would appear to be supportive of her progressive causes in front of the media, but inside the chambers, she is met with hostility.

“Externally, there’s been a ton of support,” she said, according to The Times. “But internally, it’s been extremely hostile to anything that even smells progressive.”

The Bronx native said that fellow House members should embrace progressiveness, stating that “they’re just setting up their own obsolescence.”

Read More: AOC calls for expanding court, slams Trump for ‘classist, disgusting’ comments

She also praised activists, many of whom share her progressive opinions, on Twitter.

AOC was re-elected in 2020 after defeating former CNBC contributor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (MCC) in the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th congressional district.

Many of her opposers believed her 2018 victory over former Rep. Joseph Crowley was a fluke.

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Fans react to the death of Alex Trebek

People took to Twitter to send their condolences and pay homage to Trebek

Alex Trebek, the long-running host of the beloved game show Jeopardy!, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Sunday. He was 80.

When Trebek arrives, I hope the good Lord states His answer to the meaning of Life in the form of a question. That might actually be appropriate, come to think of it. https://t.co/RdIS70D01Z

— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) November 8, 2020

In March 2019, the Canadian-born host announced his cancer diagnosis to the public but assured fans that despite the prognosis, “I’m going to fight this.”

“Just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” Trebek said.

Read More: Alex Trebek, long-running ‘Jeopardy!’ host, dies at 80

Trebek passed away at his home surrounded by his family and friends.

Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020

Pat Sajak, game show host of Wheel of Fortune, commended Trebek for his “courage, grace and strength” and their friendship.

Alex Trebek’s courage, grace and strength inspired millions and awed those of us who knew him. A tremendous loss for his family, friends, co-workers and countless viewers. I was honored to be a friend and a part of his professional family for all these years. A very sad day.

— Pat Sajak (@patsajak) November 8, 2020

Since the news of his passing, people took to Twitter to send their condolences and pay homage.

One fan shared his favorite clip of The Simpsons where Trebek made an appearance.

RIP Alex Trebek. Still my favorite Jeopardy Episode. pic.twitter.com/pfIIbUa1X0

— Charlie Schneider (@AwesomEmergency) November 8, 2020

Actress Rosario Dawson thanked the host for sharing his life with viewers.

Thanks for sharing so much of your life w us Alex Trebek. You have brought me to tears so many times w your cheeky humor, kindness & brilliance & esp. as I watched you bravely take on the same cancer my father has been battling these past years. Blessings. https://t.co/9su4mERiQE

— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) November 8, 2020

Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon wished their fellow host well.

Alex Trebek was a gentleman, and it was a privilege to share the stage, even briefly, with such a kind, thoughtful guy. Rest in Peace. pic.twitter.com/moZrpOhLwA

— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) November 8, 2020

The best in the business. You will be missed, my friend 🙏🏻 Rest In Peace #AlexTrebek… pic.twitter.com/2lWZCFeYwE

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) November 8, 2020

Read More: Alex Trebek to Rep. John Lewis: Let’s survive cancer in 2020

Many news outlets including CNN and E! News, shared videos of former Jeopardy! contestant Burt Thakur. Thakur shared an emotional story about the revered host who he said taught him how to speak English.

“My grandfather who raised me – I’m going to get tears right now – I used to sit on his lap and watch your everyday,” Thakur said to Trebek during his appearance on the show. “So, it’s a pretty special moment for me, man. Thank you very much.”

Thank you for everything, Alex Trebek. ❤️ (🎥:@jeopardy) https://t.co/G83TbU8W7G pic.twitter.com/55raPBIaLI

— E! News (@enews) November 8, 2020

Thakur would go on to win the game with a total of $20,400.

It’s not the first time a contestant has shown appreciation for Trebek. In November 2019, contestant Dhruv Gaur gambled away his $2,000 earnings in Final Jeopardy with a message that made the host choke up: “What is: We love you, Alex!”

The gesture went viral with the hashtag #WeLoveYouAlex resulted in Gaur being invited to The Ellen Show.

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DMX recalls being introduced to crack at age 14

DMX said the person who introduced him to hip-hop is the same person who handed him a crack-laced blunt

Rapper DMX has spoken candidly about his addiction to crack cocaine, which began at the tender age of 14, after he smoked a blunt laced with crack.

The embattled rapper has made tabloid headlines for years as he struggled with substance abuse. In an emotional clip from next week’s episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli, DMX recounted his ongoing battle with addiction.

DMX performs at Masters Of Ceremony 2019 at Barclays Center on June 28, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

“I learned that I had to deal with the things that hurt me,” DMX said. “I didn’t really have anybody to talk to… in the hood, nobody wanted to hear that… Talking about your problems is viewed as a sign of weakness when actually it’s one of the bravest things you can do. One of the bravest things you can do is put it on the table, chop it up, and just let it out.”

Read More: DMX on having multiple personalities: ‘I wouldn’t want anybody to know anything about those people’

DMX, whose government name is Earl Simmons, disclosed that the person who introduced him to hip-hop is the same person who handed him a crack-laced blunt. This unnamed person, whom he considered a mentor, declined to tell him that he was smoking a highly addictive substance. The incident and its aftermath traumatized X and led to the confessional aspect of his raps.

“He passed the blunt around and… I hit the blunt,” an emotional DMX recalled in the interview. “I never felt like this before. It fucked me up. I later found out that he laced the blunt with crack. Why would you do that to a child? He was like 30, and he knew I looked up to him.”

Listening to dmx playlist drugs really fucked his life up he was too hot

— Poop (@King_DOM_Come) November 7, 2020

The talented rapper and actor is keenly aware of how that critical moment set him on a path that would provide the framework for his music career, and he said he sees himself as “blessed with a curse.”

Read More: DMX reached 14,000 while reading Bible verses on Instagram Live to get through pandemic

“Drugs were never a problem,” he said. “Drugs were a symptom of a bigger problem. There were things I went through in my childhood where I just blocked it out.” He went on to say that it was time for him to start opening up and dealing with his problems.

The complete UPROXX podcast interview is scheduled to drop on Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. EST.

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Man arrested in Chicago after killing girlfriend and her family

John Matthews was sent to jail without bail on three counts of first-degree murder

A Chicago man was arrested for killing his girlfriend, her mother and her sister because his girlfriend did not agree to cook him breakfast or braid his hair.

On Friday, John Matthews was sent to jail without bail on three counts of first-degree murder for the death of his 24-year-old girlfriend, Shonta Harris, her mother, 56-year-old Frances Neal, and her sister, 27-year-old Jasmine Neal.

via Chicago PD

Read More: Colorado mom of 4 killed by boyfriend in murder-suicide

Harris was dating Matthews for two years when the fight took place. Matthews’s grandmother tried to defuse the situation by leading Harris outside, but Matthews followed her.

Harris made attempts to call her mother for help, but Matthews took her phone and broke it. His grandmother eventually allowed Harris use her phone to get help, summoning Frances and Jasmine to the rescue.

Matthews told Harris’s relatives to leave his property after they were trying to get the four-month old baby he and Harris shared, Daily Mail reported.

John Matthews,25, shot the mother of his 4-month son dead when she said she was too tired to cook his #breakfast and braid his #hair. https://t.co/qrNMgWgxCK

— Blac Goss (@Blacgoss) November 8, 2020

Harris’ sister decided to call 911, reporting that Matthews gave Harris a black eye and refused to surrender their son.

In the heat of the moment, Matthews pulled a gun from his waist and shot and killed Frances with seven shots in her chest, back, arm and leg. He then shot Harris once in the chest.

Jasmine ran into the street, scared from the eight shots he fired at her mother and sister. Matthews chased Jasmine down and shot her in the head. 

Read More: Thousands of Denver protesters march for justice for Elijah McClain

Frances and Jasmine were pronounced dead at the scene, according to WBBM-TV, a CBS News affiliated in the Chicago area. Harris was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was treated for her wounds.

Prosecutors said she had bullet fragments lodged in her chest, fractures to her ribs and spine, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

Eventually, Harris passed away on Sept. 5 due to complications.

Matthews is due back in court on Nov. 30.

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