Kamala Refuses To Be Fake With JD Vance, Nancy Mace Spars With Jasmine Crockett At House Meeting, Michelle Obama’s Reason For Not Attending Trump Inauguration, The Scary Things Trump Vowed To Do On ‘Day 1’ And More

The Root’s most powerful political articles from the week.

Welp! Kamala, Like Michelle Obama, Refuses to Be Fake When it Comes to JD Vance’s Transition

Photo: Getty Images Win McNamee

Vice President Kamala Harris may be vacating her role on Jan. 20, but that doesn’t mean she has to participate in every part of the political transition. CBS News has reported that Harris is refusing to fully accommodate her successor JD Vance — and it feels purposely petty. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Dominique Thorne Reveals Why She Almost Passed on Ironheart

Rep. Nancy Mace Told Rep. Jasmine Crockett To ‘Take It Outside.’ This Is What Happened Next

Screenshot: CNN/YouTube

On Tuesday afternoon, a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing took an unexpected turn when Rep. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) asked Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) to “take it outside.” The taunt came after the two had a heated exchange. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Michelle Obama’s Reason For Not Attending Trump’s Inauguration is Shady in the Best Way

COLLEGE PARK, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 29: Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks at a When We All Vote rally on October 29, 2024 in College Park, Georgia. With one week until Election Day, top surrogates for Kamala Harris including the Obamas continue to campaign on her behalf in battleground states. Photo: Getty Images Elijah Nouvelage

In her eight years in the White House, Michelle Obama was an ideal First Lady. She was always gracious and kind, even when she wasn’t shown that same grace in return. We’ll always remember her encouraging her fellow Americans to go high when others inevitably go low. But now that she’s a private citizen, Mrs. Obama is all about keeping it real, including doing her best to avoid any and all encounters with President-elect Donald Trump. – Angela Johnson Read More

Don Lemon Goes Off On Obama For Exchanging Pleasantries With Trump At Carter’s Funeral

Photo: Getty Images Jason Mendez

The internet was on fire last week after former President Barack Obama seemingly had a chuckle with Donald Trump at the funeral for late President Jimmy Carter earlier this month. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Here’s All The Scary Things Donald Trump Vowed He’ll Do ‘Day One’ Of Presidency

Photo: Getty Images Michael M. Santiago

We already can see that Donald Trump’s impending presidency will be a tumultuous one that could potentially put people of color and marginalized groups in danger of further persecution. Aside from attacks on the Haitian population and bias claims against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has made a slew of promises for the first day he’s back in the Oval Office. Here are a list of those claims. – Candace McDuffie Read More

How Biden’s Last-Ditch Effort to Eliminate Student Loan Debt Will Help Black Folks

Photo: Getty Images Chris Kleponis

Student loan debt remains the highest among Black families when compared to other races. According to data from the Survey of Consumer Finances, Black borrowers face notably more student loan debt than their white or Hispanic counterparts. This is why President Joe Biden’s final plan to help alleviate this burden is significant. – Candace McDuffie Read More

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

Latest from The Root

'Mean Ushers, Peppermints' and 15 other Blackity-black Church Rules You Need to Know

‘Mean Ushers, Peppermints’ and 15 other Blackity-black Church Rules You Need to Know

From the usher stare to the peppermint grandmas, take a stroll down memory lane inside the Black church only those who grew up in it would understand …
13 Reasons Why 2026 Is Already A Hot Mess

13 Reasons Why 2026 Is Already A Hot Mess

From U.S. airstrikes and political shakeups to celebrity scandals and AI disrupting jobs, 2026 has already delivered chaos that’s impossible to ignore — and we’ve rounded up 13 of the wildest moments so far …
Ex-Cal State University Basketball Coach Accused of Pimping and More

Ex-Cal State University Basketball Coach Accused of Pimping and More

Kevin Mays, a former assistant basketball coach at California State University-Bakersfield, was charged with multiple felony counts including human trafficking …
The Internet is Losing Its Mind Over Oprah's Crop Top and  Fly Looks

The Internet is Losing Its Mind Over Oprah’s Crop Top and Fly Looks

Oprah Winfrey has been spotted with bestie Gayle King at Paris Fashion Week. Now, one red carpet look has the internet talking …
Trayvon Martin and Other Black People Who Were Unjustly Killed in America

Trayvon Martin and Other Black People Who Were Unjustly Killed in America

14 years after Trayvon Martin was killed, these other Black men and women were also murdered in shocking similarity …
Austin Police Release Body Cam Footage of Black Shooter at an Austin Bar

Austin Police Release Body Cam Footage of Black Shooter at an Austin Bar

Austin police are piecing together the motive behind Ndiaga Diagne, the Black man who killed three and injured over a dozen in a March 1 mass shooting …
F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Calls for a Movement to 'Take Africa Back' as He Tries to Bring Racing to the Continent

F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton Calls for a Movement to ‘Take Africa Back’ as He Tries to Bring Racing to the Continent

The first and only Black driver in F1 history is empowering the people of the continent to “take Africa back” from European powers …
Jill Scott's Break From Music is Part of a Growing Trend of Black Women Pausing With Purpose

Jill Scott’s Break From Music is Part of a Growing Trend of Black Women Pausing With Purpose

Jill Scott, Beyoncé, Teyana Taylor and Simone Biles are part of a growing wave of Black women who have embraced the idea of stepping back …
Selma Was Not Just History, It Was a Warning

Selma Was Not Just History, It Was a Warning

Opinion: Sixty-one years after “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, we are once again watching the machinery of state violence turn toward Black and Brown communities …
Melyssa Ford Reveals the Unexpected Remedy That Helped Her Cope With Her Mother’s Death

Melyssa Ford Reveals the Unexpected Remedy That Helped Her Cope With Her Mother’s Death

Melyssa Ford is pulling back the curtain on her mental health journey, proving that sometimes, unconventional healing can help with unimaginable grief …
Big News On Sidney Dorsey, The Ex-Georgia Sheriff Convicted of Murder Conspiracy

Big News On Sidney Dorsey, The Ex-Georgia Sheriff Convicted of Murder Conspiracy

Sidney Dorsey died in prison after serving a life sentence for the shocking 2000 political murder after losing his reelection bid …
Eric Benét's Viral New War Protest Song is Exactly What We Needed

Eric Benét’s Viral New War Protest Song is Exactly What We Needed

The “Spend My Life With You” singer gave us a much-needed soulful protest anthem calling out the Trump administration decision to bomb Iran …
This Viral Content Creator is Keeping Our Black Food Traditions Alive - And Looking Great While Doing it!

This Viral Content Creator is Keeping Our Black Food Traditions Alive – And Looking Great While Doing it!

Sonja Norwood (aka Wick’d Creations) has built a massive social media following sharing the Black recipes you won’t find in cookbooks …
Queen Latifah Death Rumor Spurs This Unusual Development

Queen Latifah Death Rumor Spurs This Unusual Development

After a viral rumor spread on Facebook that Queen Latifah was dead, she hopped on Instagram to address her fans’ concerns …
Viral 'Sinners' Test Footage Has Fans Wanting More Behind-the-Scenes Content

Viral ‘Sinners’ Test Footage Has Fans Wanting More Behind-the-Scenes Content

Test footage from the first days of filming “Sinners” has fans wanting more behind-the-scenes content …
Why Stefon Diggs Is Having The Worst Week Ever, Black Twitter Responds

Why Stefon Diggs Is Having The Worst Week Ever, Black Twitter Responds

The NFL veteran wide receiver has been racking a bunch of L’s this week …
Black America Explodes After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Black America Explodes After Trump Fires Kristi Noem

Kristi Noem spoke in Nashville during a conference right as Trump dropped the bombshell news of her replacement …
Is the Fear of Getting ‘Too Dark’ in the Summer a Personal Choice for Black Folks or Deep-Rooted Colorism?

Is the Fear of Getting ‘Too Dark’ in the Summer a Personal Choice for Black Folks or Deep-Rooted Colorism?

After a tweet calling out Black folks who avoid the summer sun went viral, a debate about loving one’s complexion versus colorism had the timeline on fire …
What Will Happen to Rep. Al Green Now That He Is Forced into a Runoff Against Rep. Christian Menefee?

What Will Happen to Rep. Al Green Now That He Is Forced into a Runoff Against Rep. Christian Menefee?

Rep. Al Green up against Rep. Christian Menefee– the new kid on the block– in the upcoming Texas runoff election …
Teyana Taylor Wants 'One Battle After Another' Sequel, But Fans Aren't Feeling It

Teyana Taylor Wants ‘One Battle After Another’ Sequel, But Fans Aren’t Feeling It

Though Teyana Taylor’s role in ‘One Battle After Another’ earned her an Oscar nomination, it looks like fans aren’t so hyped to see a spinoff of her character …