• Idris Elba’s Modest Reaction to James Bond Rumors

    Perhaps one of the best things to emerge from the Sony email hacking debacle was word that Sony Pictures Entertainment Co-Chairman Amy Pascal suggested that Idris Elba be the first black James Bond. Pascal’s idea, which surfaced last week, has garnered widespread praise from fans of the handsome British actor and haters alike. Conservative talk…

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  • GOP Lawmakers Warm to Loretta Lynch for US Attorney General

    Loretta Lynch, President Barack Obama’s pick to replace outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., is reportedly winning over some key Republican lawmakers ahead of what is expected to be contentious nomination hearings early next year, according to Politico. The U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York reportedly has met with several…

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  • Key Ferguson Protester Arrested on Arson Charge

    A vocal 19-year-old protester who rose to prominence this summer after the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., was arrested this weekend on an arson charge in a neighboring community, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Joshua Williams, 19, was arrested Friday and charged Saturday with setting fire to a convenience store in Berkeley,…

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  • Over 20,000 Mourn Slain NYPD Officer; Cops Turn Backs on Mayor

    Thousands of law-enforcement officers from across the nation gathered Saturday at a New York City funeral to mourn the death of an officer who was gunned down along with his partner Dec. 20, the Associated Press reports. A sea of blue uniforms stretched for blocks outside the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens as police helicopters…

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  • 5 Black Students Named Rhodes Scholars

    Five black students have been selected as Rhodes scholars in one of the highest academic achievements for U.S. college students, according to the Rhodes Trust, which administers the program, and the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. The 2015 class of Rhodes scholars was chosen from a pool of 877 students who were endorsed by…

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  • Chef Sam Kass Is Leaving the White House

    Sam Kass, the personal chef of President Barack Obama and also a senior adviser for nutrition policy at the White House, is leaving his post after a six-year stint, the Associated Press reports. Kass, who recently married MSNBC host Alex Wagner, said he has decided to leave the White House to be with his wife…

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  • Bar Owner Apologizes for Michael Brown Shot Special

    Owners of a bar in St. Joseph, Mo., apologized this month after offering a Michael Brown six-shot special, Fox 4 News reports. The unarmed Brown was fatally shot by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, with at least six bullets striking the 18-year-old. The killing touched off protests that continue across the…

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  • North Korea Compares Obama to Monkey in Hacking Battle

    Accusing the U.S. of shutting down the country’s Internet and angry over the release of the movie The Interview, North Korea has compared President Obama to a monkey, the Associated Press reports. The North’s National Defense Commission, which is headed by Kim Jong Un, the country’s leader, and is the country’s top governing body, blamed…

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  • The Top 20 Most Searched African Americans in 2014

    Which African-American sports figure sparked a national conversation on spanking? Whose wedding photos had everybody in a frenzy? With all the news that happened in 2014, it’s always interesting to look back to see who had us furiously typing into that search box. According to Google, which compiled the rankings based on data from trillions of searches,…

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  • Poll: Did We Miss Your Favorite Denzel Washington Movie?

    It was no easy task to come up with a Denzel Washington top 10 list. The arguments among The Root staff continued long after this video stopped rolling. You’ve seen our list. So now let’s hear from you about which Denzel movie classics you think we missed.

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