Black Virginia lawmakers to boycott Trump’s Jamestown visit over racist tweets

Virginia’s black state lawmakers announced Monday that they will boycott a ceremony this week commemorating the beginnings of American democracy because President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend.

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said its members would not attend Tuesday’s event in historic Jamestown marking the 400th anniversary of the first representative assembly in the Western Hemisphere. The boycott comes after Trump’s weekend comments referring to U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings’ majority-black Baltimore-area district as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”

The caucus’s statement did not specifically mention Cummings but said Trump’s “repeated attacks on Black legislators and comments about Black communities makes him ill-suited to honor and commemorate such a monumental period in history.”

Caucus chair Del. Lamont Bagby said in an interview that the group unanimously reached the boycott decision more than a week ago. But he said the president has “continued his attacks” since then and that his remarks about Cummings’ district were more of the same.
Trump will join national and state leaders and dignitaries at Tuesday’s event, a commemorative session of the Virginia General Assembly at which Trump is to deliver remarks.

The convening of a legislative assembly in 1619 formed the basis of today’s representative system of government in the United States. The Virginia General Assembly is considered the oldest continuously operating legislative body in North America.

“The commemoration of the birth of this nation and its democracy will be tarnished unduly with the participation of the President, who continues to make degrading comments toward minority leaders, promulgate policies that harm marginalized communities, and use racist and xenophobic rhetoric,” the caucus said in a statement.

Trump’s comments about Cummings were the latest rhetorical shot at a lawmaker of color to spark outrage. Earlier this month, Trump drew bipartisan condemnation following his call for four Democratic congresswomen of color to get out of the U.S. “right now.”
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday that the caucus was pushing “a political agenda.”

“President Trump passed criminal justice reform, developed opportunity zones securing record-setting investment in distressed communities, and pushed policies that created the lowest unemployment rates ever for African Americans, so it’s a bit confusing and unfortunate that the VLBC would choose to push a political agenda instead of celebrate this milestone for our nation,” she said in a statement.

Caucus members said they will also boycott the rest of a weeklong series of events marking the 400th anniversary and have instead planned alternative commemorations Tuesday in Richmond, Virginia’s capital.

When the Richmond Times-Dispatch first reported earlier in the month that Trump would take part in the event, top Democratic lawmakers said they would not attend.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment said at the time that their decision was “disappointing and embarrassing.”

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney also resigned from a planning committee in protest.
Tuesday’s events are just one part of a yearlong commemoration called American Evolution meant to honor key milestones in the state’s colonial history, including the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded Africans in English North America.

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A$AP Rocky’s mom arrives in Sweden as rapper’s assault trial begins

American rapper A$AP Rocky and two other men believed to be members of his entourage went on trial Tuesday in Sweden in a high-profile legal case that has caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump and celebrities.

Swedish prosecutors allege that the Grammy-nominated rapper and the two other suspects “deliberately, together and in agreement” attacked 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari in a fight in central Stockholm on June 30.

Prosecutors alleged in more than 500 pages of court documents that the three suspects beat and kicked Jafari while he was on the ground and that he was hit by parts of or a whole bottle.

The trial of the recording artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, started in Stockholm District Court, which also has set aside Thursday and Friday for the case.

Mayers’ mother Renee Black was seen arriving at the court while his son was escorted in wearing a green shirt. She appeared “like she was about to burst into tears,” Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported.

Lawyers for both sides were to present their narrative of what happened on the night of June 30 at Tuesday’s court session. Testimonies are expected to take place on Thursday.
The trial was being held in a secure courtroom “because of strong interest from the media and the public,” the Stockholm court said, noting that no photographing or filming will take place during the proceedings.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison. Mayers, who has been in custody since July 3, has said he acted in self-defense.

The rapper’s lawyer, Martin Persson, told Swedish public broadcaster SVT on Monday that he would present the court with new evidence, including showing that “no bottle has been used to hit or injure anyone” and that the violence used was “within the limits of the law.”
A lawyer for Jafari, Magnus Stromberg, told The Associated Press on Friday the beating started when one of A$AP Rocky’s guards “grabbed him (Jafari) by the neck and dragged him away” and that Jafari didn’t provoke the assault.

Prosecutors said that Mayers pushed Jafari to the ground and the court documents include numerous photos of Jafari’s cuts, bruises and blood-stained clothes.

Jafari, 19, is seeking 139,700 Swedish kronor ($14,700) in damages for his injuries, lost income and damages to his appearance.

Mayers’ arrest prompted Trump to intervene on behalf of the jailed rapper and sparked an unusual diplomatic spat when Swedish prosecutors charged the 30-year-old artist last week.

Trump urged Sweden to “Treat Americans fairly!” on Twitter, and criticized Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven “for being unable to act.”

“We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky,” he added.

The case has also drawn the attention of American celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Mayers’ fellow recording artists, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and Justin Bieber, and created the movement #JusticeForRocky soon after the rapper’s arrest.

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Beto O’Rourke debate guests are Black men who kneeled for anthem to protest police brutality

When Democrat Beto O’Rourke takes the stage in the second round of presidential primary debates on Tuesday, three young black men from Michigan who were inspired by ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick to kneel during the national anthem before their high school football games will be in the audience as guests of the former Texas congressman.
O’Rourke reached out to ex-Lansing Catholic High School football players Michael Lynn III, Matthew Abdullah and RoJe Williams and spoke with them by phone last week. Teammate Kabbalah Richards is away at college and unable to attend the debate but also was on the call.

O’Rourke had learned of the men’s story when one of their families donated to his U.S. Senate campaign after seeing his viral defense of NFL players who chose to take a knee to protest police brutality and racism, his campaign said.

In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, O’Rourke said the four “have served their community in one of the most American ways possible.”

As a Democratic primary candidate, O’Rourke has been outspoken on issues of race, particularly white identity and privilege. Earlier this month, he revealed that he and his wife, Amy, recently discovered they have ancestors who owned slaves.

As players at Lansing Catholic, the four took a knee together in 2017. Lynn, the team captain, said he decided to kneel after watching Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, and thinking about the racism he dealt with as one of a handful of black students at his high school.

“I was a senior. I was getting to the age where I wanted to say something,” said Lynn, who recalled trying to speak up when his white teammates would make inappropriate jokes or comments.

Lynn and his teammates were benched for their protest, and eventually Lynn and Abdullah transferred to other high schools.

It was nearly a year later that Lynn’s mother sent him the video of O’Rourke’s remarks, in which the then-Senate candidate explained to a mostly white crowd that Kaepernick’s protest was about focusing attention on the killings of unarmed black men by law enforcement.

“I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere or anyplace,” O’Rourke said to applause at an August 2018 campaign event that quickly went viral, thrusting the obscure O’Rourke into the national spotlight and propelling him to a 2020 presidential run.

Lynn recalled feelings of affirmation after watching the video.

“People on the other side of it make us feel like we’re not as American as them,” Lynn said. “The fact that he said that and feels that way, from his heart, that was really powerful. That’s what put Mr. O’Rourke on my radar.”

The three men have reached voting age and will meet O’Rourke for the first time Tuesday night.

Lynn said he is undecided about whom to vote for but looks forward to shaking O’Rourke’s hand and seeing all the candidates in person.

“That’s going to be cool,” Lynn said.

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Baltimore-area district pushes back against Trump’s racist tweets

As Latoya Peoples painted a mural with high school-age students Monday in Baltimore, she was determined not to let President Donald Trump’s recent tweets about the city “sink in too much.”

Peoples was in Sandtown-Winchester, the West Baltimore neighborhood where Freddie Gray grew up years before his death in police custody in 2015 prompted a racial uprising. Now Baltimore is in the spotlight again, this time because of the president’s recent attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings, a powerful Trump critic who has represented Maryland in Congress for decades. Trump called the congressman’s district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

While parts of Maryland’s 7th Congressional District have struggled with poverty and crime, it also includes more affluent areas and Baltimore landmarks such as Johns Hopkins University and its hospital, the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Elsewhere are cultural touchstones like the Baltimore Museum of Art and the world-class Walters Art Museum.

Residents of Maryland’s largest city say their home bears no resemblance to the place Trump described.

“People think you can’t walk through here. It’s intimidating,” Peoples said. “It’s nothing like that.”

Trump’s tweets paint an incomplete picture of a sprawling district that spans Baltimore City and parts of surrounding counties. It has stretches of empty storefronts and boarded-up homes, as well as trendy neighborhoods dotted with manicured parks and restaurants. It also has Pimlico Race Course, which is home to the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of horse-racing’s annual Triple Crown.

Sari Garbis, who lives in Clarksville, more than 20 miles from Baltimore City, said her community is diverse and well-educated and that she is “very proud” that Cummings represents her.

“You’re talking about a congressman that needs to represent very diverse interests,” Garbis said. “I believe that he represents my interests as well, and with the same sense of purpose, as he does the people of Baltimore City.”

Clarksville is in Howard County, which is routinely counted among the nation’s most affluent. So is Ellicott City, a historic mill town. As he stood outside a recreation center, longtime resident Mac Chrysskos said that nearby Baltimore has a crime problem that needs to be brought under control, but that attacks on the district were “totally uncalled for and totally unfair.”

Cummings’ district, which is nearly 53% black, has a median household income of $60,929, though there is a sizeable wealth gap between white and black residents.

Few residents will deny that Baltimore has problems with violent crime and drugs. The city’s murder rate has soared in recent years, with Baltimore recording more than 300 homicides in 2018, most from gunfire. Residents say those struggles have compounded over the years, owing to institutional segregation and neglect by the federal government.
The city’s previous mayor was forced to resign earlier this year. In the past five years, there have been five police commissioners.

Residents are clear-eyed about the community’s challenges but frustrated by Trump’s comments, which seemed to shrink the city to a crime-infested caricature.

Nancy O. Greene, who has lived in Baltimore for 15 years, pointed to the thriving arts community in her neighborhood of Charles Village and throughout the district. Green said she supports Cummings but complains about times when “money was needed and money wasn’t received” by district residents.

“You’re not going to keep Baltimore down,” she added. “Despite anything, people will come together to defend the city. It has a rich history from Edgar Allen Poe, F. Scott Fitzgerald — you name it. … You can’t say this city doesn’t have a lot going for it.”

Other parts of the city are represented by two other Democratic lawmakers: Reps. John Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersburger. Statewide, Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.
Earlier Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton held a news conference at a West Baltimore church alongside former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a Republican.

Trump has described Sharpton as “a con man” who “Hates Whites & Cops!” Sharpton said Trump “has a particular venom for blacks and people of color.”

For his part, Steele challenged Trump to visit blighted areas of West Baltimore and talk with residents to learn about their challenges and understand their “hard work and commitment.”

“Mr. President, come on down,” Steele said. “The streets are ready for you. The neighborhoods are ready for you … Put the tweet down, brother, and show up.”
But some local residents say they are not interested in a visit from Trump.

Benn Ray, who lives in the Remington neighborhood of Baltimore City and is the co-owner of Atomic Books in neighboring Hampden, said Trump “hasn’t ingratiated himself to the city, he hasn’t made himself welcome.”

“I don’t know what city he is describing,” he said of Trump’s attacks. “Like every other city, we have rats and crime. We have good neighborhoods and bad. But as a city, and a community, we endeavor to make things better.”

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New material could make it easier to remove colon polyps

More than 15 million colonoscopies are performed in the United States every year, and in at least 20 percent of those, gastroenterologists end up removing precancerous growths from the colon. Eliminating these early-stage lesions, known as polyps, is the best way to prevent colon cancer from developing.

To reduce the risk of tearing the colon during this procedure, doctors often inject a saline solution into the space below the lesion, forming a “cushion” that lifts the polyp so that it’s easier to remove safely. However, this cushion doesn’t last long.

MIT researchers have now devised an alternative — a solution that can be injected as a liquid but turns into a solid gel once it reaches the tissue, creating a more stable and longer-lasting cushion.

“That really makes a huge difference to the gastroenterologist who is performing the procedure, to ensure that there’s a stable area that they can then resect using endoscopic tools,” says Giovanni Traverso, an assistant professor in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Traverso is the senior author of the study, which appears in the July 30 issue of Advanced Science. The lead authors of the study are former MIT postdocs Yan Pang and Jinyao Liu. Other authors include MIT undergraduate Zaina Moussa, technical associate Joy Collins, former technician Shane McDonnell, Division of Comparative Medicine veterinarian Alison Hayward, Brigham and Women’s Hospital gastroenterologist Kunal Jajoo, and David H. Koch Institute Professor Robert Langer.

A stable cushion

While many colon polyps are harmless, some can eventually become cancerous if not removed. Gastroenterologists often perform this procedure during a routine colonoscopy, using a lasso-like tool to snare the tissue before cutting it off.

This procedure carries some risk of tearing the lining of the colon, which is why doctors usually inject saline into the area just below the lining, called the submucosal space, to lift the polyp away from the surface of the colon.

“What that does is separate those tissue layers briefly, and it gives one a little bit of a raised area so it’s easier to snare the lesion,” Traverso says. “The challenge is that saline dissipates very quickly, so we don’t always have enough time to go in and intervene, and may need to reinject saline.”

Complex lesions can take 10 to 20 minutes to remove, or even longer, but the saline cushion only lasts for a few minutes. Researchers have tried to make the cushions longer-lived by adding thickening agents such as gelatin and cellulose, but those are very difficult to inject through the narrow needle that is used for the procedure.

To overcome that, the MIT team decided to create a shear-thinning gel. These materials are semisolid gels under normal conditions, but when force is applied to them, their viscosity decreases and they flow more easily. This means that the material can be easily injected through a narrow needle, then turn back into a solid gel once it exits into the colon tissue.

Shear-thinning gels can be made from many different types of materials. For this purpose, the researchers decided on a combination of two biocompatible materials that can form gels — Laponite, a powdery clay used in cosmetics and other products, and alginate, a polysaccharide derived from algae.

“We chose these materials because they are biocompatible and they allow us to tune the flowing behavior of the resulting gels,” Pang says.

Using these materials, the researchers created a shear-thinning gel that could be injected and form a stable cushion for more than an hour, in pigs. This would give gastroenterologists much more time to remove any polyps.

“Otherwise, you inject the saline, then you change tools, and by the time you’re ready the tissue is kind of flat again. It becomes really difficult to resect things safely,” Traverso says.

This approach could offer “an elegant solution” to the problem of keeping lesions elevated during a surgical removal, says Jay Pasricha, a professor of medicine and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

“It’s a growing unmet need,” says Pasricha, who was not involved in the research. “In the last decade, we’ve shifted toward trying to resect more complex tumors from the colon endoscopically, rather than through traditional forms of surgery. It would be great to have a material that can last throughout the duration of the procedure.”

Controlling viscosity

By varying the composition of the gel components, the researchers can control features such as the viscosity, which influences how long the cushion remains stable. If made to last longer, this kind of injectable gel could be useful for applications such as narrowing the GI tract, which could be used to prevent acid reflux or to help with weight loss by making people feel full. It could also potentially be used to deliver drugs to the intestinal tract, Traverso says.

The researchers also found that the material had no harmful side effects in pigs, and they hope to begin trials in human patients within the next three to five years.

“This is something we think can get into patients fairly quickly,” Traverso says. “We’re really excited about moving it forward.”

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Division of Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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Google's New Gesture Controls Aren't Just for the Pixel

The Pixel 4 smartphone is being built to house a chip called Soli that could eventually power gesture-based user interfaces in everything from VR headsets to cars.

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Now Even Funerals Are Livestreamed—and Families Are Grateful

With friends and relatives dispersed, a growing number of funeral homes will stream services, and demand is increasing.

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Strap on Your Exoskeleton and Dance, Dance, Dance

At San Francisco's Gray Area Festival, attendees immerse themselves in art and technology—and even surrender control of their bodies to robots.

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French champions sign Senegal midfielder

Idrissa Gueye moves from Everton to Paris St-Germain for around £30m and signs a four-year deal with the French champions.

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Kelly Rowland shuts down Destiny’s Child reunion rumors

It has been 20 years since Destiny’s Child released their first album, The Writings on The Wall and ten years since the group recorded new music together. Rumors have been swirling that the trio may be reuniting, but Kelly Rowland shut down the idea during a recent interview.

Lupita Nyong’o reacts to shout-out in Beyoncé’s ‘Brown Skin Girl,’ internet turns song into joyful challenge

According to Rowland, she hasn’t discussed a reunion with Beyonce and Michelle Williams and insists the idea “hasn’t been on our radar.”

All three of the ladies have been focused on other projects and are constantly supporting each other’s individual endeavors.

“Everybody’s, like, basically doing their own projects right now and we’re just supporting each other,” she added.

Kelly Rowland speaks on hair discrimination and finding her own beauty

 Both of the ladies Beyonce calls her “best friends” and former group mates were one deck to support Beyonce at the premiere of The Lion King in Los Angeles a few weeks back. Rowland brought along her adorable 4-year-old son, Titan and revealed he has a bone to pick with the film’s villain, Scar.

“Titan left the movie saying he does not like Scar. He wanted to punch Scar in the face,” she told PopCulture.com.

Ever since the trio reunited at Coachella in 2018, fans have been begging for them to launch a reunion tour or at least consider recording another album together.

Even though Kelly Rowland made it clear that’s not in the cards, we’re still hoping the ladies could have a change of heart in the future.

 

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REPORTS: Nicki Minaj and Kenneth Petty obtain marriage license in Beverly Hills

It looks like Nicki Minaj may be ready to walk down the aisle if these rumors are true.

According to reports, the rapper and her beau, Kenneth Petty, obtained their marriage license in Beverly Hills on Monday.

TMZ has reported that the couple was spotted at the Beverly Hills courthouse and witnesses saw them at the marriage license bureau window. Of course, they could have been there conducting other business but considering how Minaj has been flaunting their love on social media, marriage doesn’t seem like a stretch.

Another hint? The window they were at reportedly had a sign over it that read: “marriage licenses and ceremony appts. ONLY.”

Back in June, Nicki Minaj told listeners of her QUEEN Radio podcast that she and her man had already obtained a marriage license. The document that’s required to tie the knot is only good for 90 days, so chances are they’re looking to make things official pretty soon.

Nicki Minaj stands by her man: ‘Money cannot buy me happiness and good sex’

Although Nicki Minaj has been open about her love for Kenneth Perry, whom she dated as a teenager and reunited with last year, some folks have been concerned about his sketchy past. Minaj has bitten back at haters and recently explained her loyalty to her lover on her podcast.

“When a person is with a n—- that loved them before they had a dime in their pocket? How do you not understand that? How do you not understand happiness vs clout?” Minaj said, according to E! News.

Nicki Minaj drops controversial new video plus Queen Radio is back

“How f—ing dare you talk about lowering standards,” she added. She then scolded her critics telling them to “wake up” and expressed how deeply her love for Petty runs.

“It’s the truth, money cannot buy me happiness and good sex,” Minaj said.

 

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A Hacker Stole Data From 100 Million Capital One Customers

In a criminal complaint, the FBI detailed how a hacker allegedly stole data from 100 million people—and how she got caught.

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Bow Wow vexes Wendy Williams supporters by posting body shaming

Shortly after dissing his ex-girlfriend Ciara, it looks like Bow Wow is now throwing daggers at talk show host Wendy Williams.

The 32-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shad Moss, took to Twitter to post a photo of Williams in a black, two-piece bathing suit under the body-shaming caption: “They say it’s a hot girl summer” followed by several emoticons meant to poke fun at Williams.

They say its a hot girl summer 😂⚠️ 😷 🤢 pic.twitter.com/IcZgN9XsVg

— Bow Wow (@smoss) July 28, 2019

The post, which received plenty of backlash, is believed to be in response to Williams calling Bow Wow out last week for his “very distasteful comments” about Ciara, in which he called his ex a “b—h” during a nightclub appearance and talked about “having her first.”

READ MORE: Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

In defense of Ciara, Williams, 55, took Bow Wow to task and didn’t mince words.

“Bow Wow, I am mad at you … What’re you doing?” Williams said at the beginning of her “Hot Topics” segment. “Bow Wow, I’m not hating on you, but young man, so what?”

“It’s very distasteful. We’ve all had somebody before we had you, man. We’ve all lived, but to be shirtless in a club and calling her a ‘b—h,’ you were so wrong for that,” Williams added.

Now Williams’ supporters are also firing back at the former rapper.

wendy flying in private jets while you posting google images and flying coach, beyloved

— 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 | fan account (@payolapapi) July 28, 2019

Yet she out here making much more money than you and ended you

— Megatron (@normaninicki) July 28, 2019

when u failed as a rapper so you gotta turn to making fun of older (more successful) women on the TL 🤣🤣🤣 log out shad

— chels (@chelseannna) July 28, 2019

Earlier this year, Bow Wow was in the news for a domestic dispute with a girlfriend that left him with several scars on his face and posing for a mugshot. In the February incident, he claims that he was the victim and the woman, Leslie Holden was the aggressor. He claimed that he was wrongfully arrested, but faced misdemeanor battery charges.

READ MORE: Bow Wow claims that his girlfriend threw a lamp at him during violent brawl

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Trump calls Al Sharpton a “racist” in latest rant

President Trump continued his attacks on Black leaders Monday, by setting his sights on Rev. Al Sharpton.

After seeing that Rev. Sharpton was in Baltimore, holding a press conference in part to address Trump’s attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings, the President went on a tirade:

“I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He “loved Trump!” He would ask me for favors often. Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing. Must have intimidated Comcast/NBC. Hates Whites & Cops!”

After tweeting more attacks on Rep. Cummings and blasting Rev. Sharpton for showing up to “complain and protest” then stating “nothing will get done for the people in need,” Trump continued his wild rant:

“Al Sharpton would always ask me to go to his events. He would say, “it’s a personal favor to me.” Seldom, but sometimes, I would go. It was fine. He came to my office in T.T. during the presidential campaign to apologize for the way he was talking about me. Just a conman at work!”

Its no secret that the President and Sharpton once had a relationship

Rev. Sharpton recently told The New York Times about his encounters with Trump in NYC: “I’ve never heard him say anything racial. I always sensed he was not comfortable being around us. He reminded me what he was — a Queens guy. He saw us as entertainers or athletes that he had to do business with.”

Sharpton was clear to point that out, by tweeting a photo of Trump cozying up to himself and other civil rights leaders:

“Trump at NAN Convention 2006 telling James Brown and Jesse Jackson why he respects my work. Different tune now.”

Trump at NAN Convention 2006 telling James Brown and Jesse Jackson why he respects my work. Different tune now. pic.twitter.com/mvNQmPdLUh

— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) July 29, 2019

In an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Sharpton also responded by pointing out Trump’s potential strategy.

“[Trump’s] going to attack the most visible black person that comes across his desk and he thinks can set a tone. I’m not going to bite the bait.”

Earlier this month, Sharpton called out Trump’s strategy in 2016 and how it relates to Vice President Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign:

“Donald Trump won playing the race card but he also played that he was going to undo everything President Obama did,” Sharpton said on MSNBC.

“He was the co-pilot of the years that Mr. Trump is now trying to displace.”

This morning’s rant is the latest attack in a line of attacks on leaders of color, including: Rep. Elijah Cummings, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Rashidah Tlaib, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep. Maxine Waters.

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Barack Obama co-signs op-ed piece signed by 149 Black former administration members blasting Trump

Former President Barack Obama shared his support for a blistering op-ed piece condemning President Donald Trump’s latest attacks, flatly calling them “racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia.”

—Donald Trump writes racist tweet about congresswomen of color—

The op-ed piece titled: “We are African Americans, we are patriots, and we refuse to sit idly by,” was published by The Washington Post on Friday and Obama tweeted the link which was signed by 149 African American members of the former President’s administration.

On Saturday, Obama shared the scathing op-ed and praised his former team for taking up the fight against Trump’s rabid racism.

“I’ve always been proud of what this team accomplished during my administration. But more than what we did, I’m proud of how they’re continuing to fight for an America that’s better,” Obama wrote.

And Trump’s nasty attacks have been persistent and non-stop.

He tweeted: “So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly……

“….and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how….

“….it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”

Obama administration members took a stand on Friday against Trump’s vitriol.

“We stand with congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, as well as all those currently under attack by President Trump, along with his supporters and his enablers, who feel deputized to decide who belongs here — and who does not,” the article read.

—Rep. Ayanna Pressley proposes bill to abolish the reinstatement of capital punishment—

“There is truly nothing more un-American than calling on fellow citizens to leave our country — by citing their immigrant roots, or ancestry, or their unwillingness to sit in quiet obedience while democracy is being undermined.”

The article also outlined that Trump’s “go back where you came from” rhetoric is a racist trope that is a loud and clear reminder of the ugliness that has long existed in America.

“We’ve heard this before. Go back where you came from. Go back to Africa. And now, “send her back.” Black and brown people in America don’t hear these chants in a vacuum; for many of us, we’ve felt their full force being shouted in our faces, whispered behind our backs, scrawled across lockers, or hurled at us online. They are part of a pattern in our country designed to denigrate us as well as keep us separate and afraid,” the article read.

“As 149 African Americans who served in the last administration, we witnessed firsthand the relentless attacks on the legitimacy of President Barack Obama and his family from our front-row seats to America’s first black presidency. Witnessing racism surge in our country, both during and after Obama’s service and ours, has been a shattering reality, to say the least. But it has also provided jet-fuel for our activism, especially in moments such as these.”

The article continues tearing into Trump.

“We come from Minnesota and Michigan. The Bronx and Baton Rouge. Florida and Philadelphia. Cleveland and the Carolinas. Atlanta and Nevada. Oak-town and the Chi. We understand our role in this democracy, and respect the promise of a nation built by, for and of immigrants. We are part of that tradition, and have the strength to both respect our ancestors from faraway lands and the country we all call home.

“Our love of country lives in these demands, and our commitment to use our voices and our energy to build a more perfect union. We refuse to sit idly by as racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia are wielded by the president and any elected official complicit in the poisoning of our democracy.”

The post Barack Obama co-signs op-ed piece signed by 149 Black former administration members blasting Trump appeared first on theGrio.

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TESS discovers three new planets nearby, including temperate “sub-Neptune”

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, has discovered three new worlds that are among the smallest, nearest exoplanets known to date. The planets orbit a star just 73 light-years away and include a small, rocky super-Earth and two sub-Neptunes — planets about half the size of our own icy giant.

The sub-Neptune furthest out from the star appears to be within a “temperate” zone, meaning that the very top of the planet’s atmosphere is within a temperature range that could support some forms of life. However, scientists say the planet’s atmosphere is likely a thick, ultradense heat trap that renders the planet’s surface too hot to host water or life.

Nevertheless, this new planetary system, which astronomers have dubbed TOI-270, is proving to have other curious qualities. For instance, all three planets appear to be relatively close in size. In contrast, our own solar system is populated with planetary extremes, from the small, rocky worlds of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, to the much more massive Jupiter and Saturn, and the more remote ice giants of Neptune and Uranus.

There’s nothing in our solar system that resembles an intermediate planet, with a size and composition somewhere in the middle of Earth and Neptune. But TOI-270 appears to host two such planets: both sub-Neptunes are smaller than our own Neptune and not much larger than the rocky planet in the system.

Astronomers believe TOI-270’s sub-Neptunes may be a “missing link” in planetary formation, as they are of an intermediate size and could help researchers determine whether small, rocky planets like Earth and more massive, icy worlds like Neptune follow the same formation path or evolve separately.

TOI-270 is an ideal system for answering such questions, because the star itself is nearby and therefore bright, and also unusually quiet. The star is an M-dwarf, a type of star that is normally extremely active, with frequent flares and solar storms. TOI-270 appears to be an older M-dwarf that has since quieted down, giving off a steady brightness, against which scientists can measure many properties of the orbiting planets, such as their mass and atmospheric composition.

“There are a lot of little pieces of the puzzle that we can solve with this system,” says Maximilian Günther, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and lead author of a study published today in Nature Astronomy that details the discovery. “You can really do all the things you want to do in exoplanet science, with this system.”

Compare and contrast worlds in the TOI 270 system with these illustrations. Temperatures given for TOI 270 planets are equilibrium temperatures, calculated without the warming effects of any possible atmospheres. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

A planetary pattern

Günther and his colleagues detected the three new planets after looking through measurements of stellar brightness taken by TESS. The MIT-developed satellite stares at patches of the sky for 27 days at a time, monitoring thousands of stars for possible transits — characteristic dips in brightness that could signal a planet temporarily blocking the star’s light as it passes in front of it.

The team isolated several such signals from a nearby  star, located 73 light years away in the southern sky. They named the star TOI-270, for the 270th “TESS Object of Interest” identified to date. The researchers used ground-based instruments to follow up on the star’s activity, and confirmed that the signals are the result of three orbiting exoplanets: planet b, a rocky super-Earth with a roughly three-day orbit; planet c, a sub-Neptune with a five-day orbit; and planet d, another sub-Neptune slightly further out, with an 11-day orbit.

Günther notes that the planets seem to line up in what astronomers refer to as a “resonant chain,” meaning that the ratio of their orbits are close to whole integers — in this case, 3:5 for the inner pair, and 2:1 for the outer pair — and that the planets are therefore in “resonance” with each other. Astronomers have discovered other small stars with similarly resonant planetary formations. And in our own solar system, the moons of Jupiter also happen to line up in resonance with each other.

“For TOI-270, these planets line up like pearls on a string,” Günther says. “That’s a very interesting thing, because it lets us study their dynamical behavior. And you can almost expect, if there are more planets, the next one would be somewhere further out, at another integer ratio.”

“An exceptional laboratory”

TOI-270’s discovery initially caused a stir of excitement within the TESS science team, as it seemed, in the first analysis, that planet d might lie in the star’s habitable zone, a region that would be cool enough for the planet’s surface to support water, and possibly life. But the researchers soon realized that the planet’s atmosphere was probably extremely thick, and would therefore generate an intense greenhouse effect, causing the planet’s surface to be too hot to be habitable.

But Günther says there is a good possibility that the system hosts other planets, further out from planet d, that might well lie within the habitable zone. Planet d, with an 11-day orbit, is about 10 million kilometers out from the star. Günther says that, given that the star is small and relatively cool — about half as hot as the sun — its habitable zone could potentially begin at around 15 million kilometers. But whether a planet exists within this zone, and whether it is habitable, depends on a host of other parameters, such as its size, mass, and atmospheric conditions.

Fortunately, the team writes in their paper that “the host star, TOI-270, is remarkably well-suited for future habitability searches, as it is particularly quiet.” The researchers plan to focus other instruments, including the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope, on TOI-270, to pin down various properties of the three planets, as well as search for additional planets in the star’s habitable zone.

“TOI-270 is a true Disneyland for exoplanet science, and one of the prime systems TESS was set out to discover,” Günther says. “It is an exceptional laboratory for not one, but many reasons — it really ticks all the boxes.”

This research was funded, in part, by NASA.

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