Politics
-
For Sexual Assault Victims, Donald Trump Is Triggering
“Grab her [p—sy].” —Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump First, my grandmother’s spirit lives through me, and I literally clutch my pearls in absolute shock and disgust. Second, this race is no longer about a partisan fight for me. This is a fight for humanity, decency and respect. It is a fight for the 27-year-old me…
-
Yusef Salaam of the Central Park Five: Trump ‘Unfit to Be President’
Yusef Salaam has been living in the dark shadow of Donald Trump since he was a teenager accused, and convicted, of raping a woman in New York City’s Central Park more than 27 years ago. It was a crime of which he was innocent. “I still have to defend myself,” says Salaam. “I still have…
-
The #TrumpTape Debate: Either Hillary Clinton Wins the Debate or America Has Lost Its Way
Donald Trump is in serious trouble with his own party heading into the crucial town hall debate against Hillary Clinton on Sunday night. Not because he denies climate change, threatens to nuke half the world, won’t share his finances, most likely didn’t pay taxes for 20 years, stiffed hundreds of employees, offers a safe haven…
-
For Black People, Donald Trump Is America
As Donald Trump inches closer to the Oval Office, half of America seems to be coming down with a collective case of the bubble guts at the prospect of having to endure four years of an apricot-colored buffoon in chief. One of the biggest mysteries in the minds of the global coalition of handwringers (known…
-
Promises and Compacts: What a Hillary Clinton Presidency Means for HBCUs
In August 2015, Hillary Clinton released a plan to make the first two years of college free at public HBCUs and dedicate $25 billion to support private nonprofit institutions that serve low- and middle-income students. In practical terms, the plan is only aspirational because presidents don’t unilaterally control the federal budget. The president proposes a…
-
In VP Debate, Mike Pence Goes on 90-Minute Shaggy ‘It Wasn’t Me’ Defense
Unless you’re one of those people whose Pandora/iTunes/Tidal service features no music that dropped before “Trap Queen,” you might remember a pop-reggae song called “It Wasn’t Me” from one-hit wonder and Rick Fox look-alike Shaggy. The song notes Shaggy’s tale of woe as he is busted by his girlfriend for “creepin’ with the girl next…
-
Criming While White: Why Would Trump Change a Tax System That Made Him Rich?
The 2016 election’s first manufactured “October surprise” is a full-length investigative story from the New York Times about Donald Trump’s taxes. More specifically, the fact that after running up almost a billion dollars in losses and debts in 1995, Trump has likely not paid any taxes in almost 20 years. This in and of itself…
-
The Politics and Faces of Angela Rye
On the eve of the first presidential debate, Angela Rye, along with the rest of the world, was anticipating just how Donald Trump would shoot himself in the foot as he went one-on-one with Hillary Clinton. Of course, Trump seemed unprepared to match wits with Clinton, but when it comes to being one of CNN’s…
-
For Black Voters, Russians and Republicans Are a Bit Too Close for Comfort
Back in the day, Russians were like the Antichrist to Republicans. Today they appear thick as thieves, both seemingly involved in a two-front, rigged-election war to blow up the black vote. A Trump presidency catapulted by angry, white populism is already a scary thought. But as bad as that is, consider the possibility of the…