One Dead, One Shot In Afternoon Shooting
(Prince George’s County, MD) — One person is dead following and another is injured in a shooting in Prince George’s County this afternoon. Police say two people were shot at an apartment complex near the 82-hundred block of Martin Luther King Jr Highway in Glenarden. One victim died at the scene. No other injuries have been reported. Police are searching for the shooter.
Documentary looks at the criminalization of black girls and the school to prison pipeline.
“We are honored to have Mr. Isiah Ike Leggett serve as the Opening Convocation speaker as we kick off the new school year,” says President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Mr. Leggett’s commitment to the community is an example of how public service is both a calling and a passion for those who want to create change within their communities.”
WASHINGTON (September 17, 2019) – Howard University announces former Montgomery County Executive, the Honorable Isiah “Ike” Leggett, will deliver the keynote address during the 152nd Opening Convocation on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 at 11 a.m. in Cramton Auditorium.
“We are honored to have Mr. Isiah Ike Leggett serve as the Opening Convocation speaker as we kick off the new school year,” says President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Mr. Leggett’s commitment to the community is an example of how public service is both a calling and a passion for those who want to create change within their communities.”
Howard University’s Opening Convocation is a time-honored tradition that officially signals the beginning of the academic year. Leggett’s address will welcome the Class of 2023 and acknowledge recent achievements of the university.
Leggett served three consecutive terms as Montgomery County Executive from 2006 to 2018. In 2016, he was president of Maryland Association of Counties and president of County Executives of America. Before his election as county executive, Leggett served as an At-Large member on the County Council from 1986 to 2002, and as council president three times. From 2002 to 2004, Leggett served as chair of the Democratic Party of Maryland.
Leggett received a Bachelor of Arts from Southern University, a Master of Arts degree and a Juris Doctorate degree from Howard University, and a Master of Laws from George Washington University. He graduated from Southern University in 1967 as a distinguished military graduate. In 1977, he was selected as a White House Fellow, one of a select number of citizens nationwide for his exemplary civic, professional and educational achievement. In 1981, he was selected as the Southern University Outstanding Alumni. In 1985, Leggett received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Howard University Law School. He has served as a board member on a host of civic and community organizations. Currently, Leggett serves as a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland.
He served as a professor of Law at the Howard University Law School from 1975 to 2006. Leggett also served as assistant/associate dean from 1979 to 1986. Leggett served as captain in the Army, which included a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Leggett has received numerous awards and honors during his 32 years of public service, including his selection as a “Washingtonian of the Year” in 2015. Additional awards include Distinguished Alumni Awards from Howard University and Southern University; the George Washington University Fulbright Public Service Award; the National Breakfast of Champions Award; and the Good Scout Award from the National Capital Area – Boy Scouts of America.
In early August, “The Rookie” co-star said she was quitting the show because of sexual harassment and racial discrimination she experienced during its freshman year last season.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Afton Williamson’s claims of misconduct against her on the set of “The Rookie” weren’t substantiated by an independent investigator, according to the ABC drama series’ producer.
Production company Entertainment One said Tuesday the investigation led it to conclude no unlawful or inappropriate behavior was committed by the co-workers accused by Williamson.
In early August, “The Rookie” co-star said she was quitting the show because of sexual harassment and racial discrimination she experienced during its freshman year last season.
The probe, which began in late June, involved some 400 hours of interviews and review of video and other evidence, Entertainment One said in a statement. The full report wasn’t released for privacy reasons, said the company known as eOne.
Williamson called the finding “heartbreaking” in a lengthy Instagram post Tuesday evening, saying the results were the result of lies and a cover-up. She vowed to continue to work to improve conditions for cast and crew on sets.
The executive producers, one of whom Williamson previously accused of mishandling her allegations, were found to have “addressed matters of which they were made aware promptly and in a fair and reasonable manner,” eOne said.
The company said it recognizes that people view situations through their own “experiences and perspectives,” adding that it regretted that “Ms. Williamson’s time on the series was not a positive one for her, and we respect her decision to move on to other projects.”
A separate statement from the Disney-owned network welcomed the probe’s completion.
“We are confident that eOne takes these matters seriously and that they will continue to look for the best ways to surface concerns and address complaints,” ABC and ABC Studios said in a joint statement.
The law firm of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp hired third-party EXTTI, a firm that investigates allegations of workplace misconduct and discrimination, to handle the probe, eOne said.
The Los Angeles-based crime drama, starring Nathan Fillion in the title role of a rookie police officer, returns Sept. 29 for its second season.
Officials are encouraging anyone who may have information in this case to contact the Montgomery County Child Exploitation Unit.
Yesterday police charged and arrested 28-year-old Dake Williams. The arrest follows an incident back in 2017. When police raided his home they also found more than 1,000 images of child pornography. Detectives say some of the images included children, little 3-year-old girls performing sex acts with adult men and even animals.
Williams worked as a volunteer wrestling coach at Quince Orchard High School. He has been charged with multiple counts of child porn possession. The principal at the school, Elizabeth Thomas does not believe the charges have anything to do with his time at the school. They are however making available to students in need psychologists, counselors and pupil personnel workers on hand for those in need.
Officials are encouraging anyone who may have information in this case to contact the Montgomery County Child Exploitation Unit.
Williams is due to make his next court appearance is next month. He is currently out on bond.
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The stage play “Fairview” runs through October 6th
A little drama for you this morning. We are hitting the theatre for the production of the Pulitzer Prize winning production of “Fairview” and it features one of Howard University’s very own talents. My guest is China Palmer – Actress in Fairview
Fairview won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2019 and this is the first production of the play since the original in New York City. Fairview now playing thru October 6that the Woolly Mammoth. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
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Supporters of DC Statehood discuss the issues and strategies for achieving it.
Justin Yaddiya Johnson, Community Activist and Founder of Long Live Go-Go (not pictured)
Antonio Brown faces more sex assault allegations.
(Undated) — A second woman is accusing New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown of sexual assault. In an article posted by Sports Illustrated Monday, a woman who chose to remain anonymous details how she met Brown at a charity event in 2017 and how he later paid to have her do some artwork at his home in the suburbs north of Pittsburgh. She claims that on her second day there, Brown exposed himself to her. The latest allegation comes after a former personal trainer filed a lawsuit against Brown saying he had sexually assaulted her on different occasions in 2017 and 2018. Brown has denied those allegations. The accuser in that case, Britney Taylor, met with NFL investigators on Monday.
Lewandowski On Hot Seat In House
(Washington, DC) — Former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski is on the hot seat in the House. Lewandowski told the Judiciary Committee that the American people continue to be “sold a false narrative” about the 2016 election. During his time as campaign manager, Lewandowski said he doesn’t recall having any conversations with “foreign entities.” He also condemned what he called a “fake Russia collusion narrative.” Lewandowski said the committee is going down a “rabbit hole” in an effort to bring President Trump down.
The panel is investigating alleged presidential obstruction of justice and abuse of power. It’s a step toward the possible opening of impeachment proceedings against President Trump. The White House ordered limits on Lewandowski’s testimony through executive privilege, even though he has never worked for the Trump administration.
The Los Angeles Times reported Netflix paid well above the speculated $500 million NBCUniversal paid to retake “The Office,” and the reported $130 million Hulu parent Walt Disney Co. paid for “Seinfeld.” Both of those deals are for U.S. streaming only — Netflix has bought the global rights to show “Seinfeld.”
LOS GATOS, Calif. (AP) — Move aside, “Friends” and “The Office.” Netflix now has a new gem — a show about nothing.
The company announced Monday it would start streaming all 180 episodes of “Seinfeld” in 2021, gaining a hugely popular addition to its library as the battle for viewers heats up.
Netflix Inc., which pioneered the binge-watching culture of streaming, was dealt a double blow this summer when it lost “The Office” and “Friends,” two of its most popular shows, as their respective owners pulled them to add to their own streaming services.
“The Office” will leave at the end of 2020 to join NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, and “Friends” will leave at the beginning of 2020 to join the upcoming HBO Max service.
It’s a battle not likely to wane as the streaming TV space grows more crowded. Netflix has created significant momentum with its original shows, but new competitors are constantly popping up, including streaming arrivals from Apple and Disney.
Still, Netflix has a head start in the online space, with its deep library of past and new shows. It struck the five-year deal with Sony Pictures Television for the global streaming rights to “Seinfeld,” the Emmy-winning television comedy which aired its final episode in 1998. Terms were not released.
The Los Angeles Times reported Netflix paid well above the speculated $500 million NBCUniversal paid to retake “The Office,” and the reported $130 million Hulu parent Walt Disney Co. paid for “Seinfeld.” Both of those deals are for U.S. streaming only — Netflix has bought the global rights to show “Seinfeld.”
“Seinfeld is the television comedy that all television comedy is measured against,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement.
Netflix noted it is still focused on producing its own shows — but it can’t ignore the demand for rewatching old hits. The company spent $12 billion on original and non-original programming last year.
Jerry Seinfeld’s show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and his standup special “Jerry Before Seinfeld” are already distributed by Netflix.
Smith’s reading will take place in Times Square in New York City. Mirren will appear in Trafalgar Square in London.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith and Dame Helen Mirren will read a bedtime story during a one-night fundraising event to help fight global homelessness.
Smith and Mirren will each tell their story from different locations during the World’s Big Sleep Out on Dec. 7. The campaign will encourage people in 50 cities globally to sleep outside for a night in hopes of raising $50 million for the charity.
Smith’s reading will take place in Times Square in New York City. Mirren will appear in Trafalgar Square in London.
Each location is expected to feature live performances. The sleep out will also be held in other major cities including Chicago, Amsterdam, Madrid and Los Angeles.
All the proceeds raised will go toward registered charities helping homeless and displaced people.
Trebek told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his “numbers shot up” and doctors ordered him back on the treatment.
NEW YORK (AP) — “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek says he’s had a setback in his battle with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy again.
Trebek told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his “numbers shot up” and doctors ordered him back on the treatment.
The 79-year-old game show host announced in March that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. But he hasn’t missed a day on the show, which tapes its episodes in advance.
Trebek said his goals for the summer were to get his strength and hair back, and his progress on both fronts was “dismal.”
Twenty firefighters from 13 separate fire stations have tested positive for the microscopic mites. The mites burry into the skin and cause severe itching. The mites appear to look like a crooked raised rash.
Twenty firefighters from 13 separate fire stations have tested positive for the microscopic mites. The mites burry into the skin and cause severe itching. The mites appear to look like a crooked raised rash.
Scabies is spread by close skin to skin contact. The Prince George’s County Health Department believes it may have spread by the sheets used by the firefighters when they stay in the firehouse. Health officials also feel that is highly unlikely that any patient that was helped by a first responder caught Scabies. It is being recommended that if you feel you may have contracted it after being assisted by a firefighter to contact your physician immediately.
Chief Barksdale says this outbreak is not affecting service. Fire Chief Benjamin Barksdale, said they took quick action to stop the spread of scabies as soon as they were made aware of the mite. The issue came up last week as a result 205 firefighters were checked out.
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The victim was found on Annapolis Road and Atwell Avenue. The victim has not been identified.
The victim was struck early this morning in Mitchellville. The victim was found on Annapolis Road and Atwell Avenue. The victim has not been identified. There is no word if charges will be filed against the driver.
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Supporters anticipated his message as he spoke about the importance of voting and his quest to make a change in our country.
During Congressional Black Caucus week, hundreds of people were pretty excited to meet Senator Cory Booker on this past weekend. The Presidential Candidate and the New Jersey State Committee hosted a brunch at Smith Commons Restaurant in the District. Many supporters anticipated his message as he spoke about the importance of voting and his quest to make a change in our country. He also spoke about his love for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and what makes him different from other candidates.
The 20th Annual Donna Hopkins Breast Cancer Basketball Tournament is this weekend
We are hooping it up this morning to Slam Dunk Breast Cancer. The 20thAnnual Donna Hopkins Breast Cancer Basketball Tournament is this weekend. My guest is Donna Hopkins – CEO and Founder of Hopkins Breast Cancer, Inc.
The 20thAnnual Donna Hopkins Breast Cancer Basketball Tournament is September 20th– 22ndat Lake Arbor Community Center in Mitchellville. The tournament will feature top level men and women teams. More information here:
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Showon 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Listen to this mornings segment here:
Is the Cowboys/’Skins Rivalry still intense? What do the ‘Skins need to do get back on the winning track?
Fight back against prostate cancer. Join the Emmanual Health Education, Inc. for the 2019 Prostate Cancer Awareness Walk, Run Ride September 21st at Allen Pond in Bowie. www.emmanualhealthedu.com
Friendship Picnic
Meet new friends. Build a stronger community. Come out September 22nd for the Montgomery County Friendship Picnic at Wheaton Regional Park. www.montgomeryparks.org
NCNW
Support women and their families. Spend an evening with the National Council of Negro Women September 21st at the Leesburg Firehouse. www.ncnwrestondulles.org
Sickle Cell 5K
Get moving and help WHUR Stomp Out Sickle Cell. Come out for the Stomp Out Sickle Cell 5k Walk Run September 21st at Howard University Hospital. www.sicklecell.howard.edu
Caregivers Conference
The Prince George’s County Department of Family Services presents a Family Caregivers Conference September 25th. It’s free and open to county residents. 301-265-8658.
AKA
Do you need help preparing for college? Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity is hosting a SAT Test Prep and Financial Aid Information Forum September 28th at Oxon Hill High School. www.hlkapsi.org.
Second Chance Foundation
Enjoy music with a purpose. Join The GateWay Second Chance Foundation for the Lifting Our Youth In Song musical September 28th at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt. www.secondchance.org
Ivy Charities
Lace up your sneakers for the 24th Annual 5k Walk-Run September 28th. It’s hosted by the Ivy Community Charities of Prince George’s County, Inc. www.iccpgc5k2019.eventbrite.com
“It’s Russian roulette,” said James Neal-Kababick, director of Flora Research Laboratories, which tested the products.
Jay Jenkins says he hesitated when a buddy suggested they vape CBD.
“It’ll relax you,” the friend assured.
The vapor that Jenkins inhaled didn’t relax him. After two puffs, he ended up in a coma.
That’s because what he was vaping didn’t have any CBD, the suddenly popular compound extracted from the cannabis plant that marketers say can treat a range of ailments without getting users high. Instead, the oil was spiked with a powerful street drug.
Some operators are cashing in on the CBD craze by substituting cheap and illegal synthetic marijuana for natural CBD in vapes and edibles such as gummy bears, an Associated Press investigation has found.
The practice has sent dozens of people like Jenkins to emergency rooms over the last two years. Yet people behind spiked products have operated with impunity, in part because the business has boomed so fast that regulators haven’t caught up while drug enforcement agents have higher priorities.
AP commissioned laboratory testing of the vape oil Jenkins used plus 29 other vape products sold as CBD around the country, with a focus on brands that authorities or users flagged as suspect. Ten of the 30 contained types of synthetic marijuana — drugs commonly known as K2 or spice that have no known medical benefits — while others had no CBD at all.
Among them was Green Machine, a pod compatible with Juul electronic cigarettes that reporters bought in California, Florida and Maryland. Four of those seven pods contained illegal synthetic marijuana, but which chemical varied by flavor and even location of purchase.
“It’s Russian roulette,” said James Neal-Kababick, director of Flora Research Laboratories, which tested the products.
Vaping in general has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks because hundreds of users have developed mysterious lung illnesses, and several have died. The AP’s investigation focused on yet another set of cases, in which psychoactive chemicals are added to products presented as CBD.
The results of AP’s lab testing echo what authorities have found, according to a survey of law enforcement agencies in all 50 states. At least 128 samples out of more than 350 tested by government labs in nine states, nearly all in the South, had synthetic marijuana in products marketed as CBD. Gummy bears and other edibles accounted for 36 of the hits, while nearly all others were vape products. Mississippi authorities also found fentanyl, the powerful opioid involved in about 30,000 overdose deaths last year.
Reporters then bought brands that law enforcement testing or online discussions identified as spiked. Because testing by both authorities and AP focused on suspect products, the results are not representative of the overall market, which includes hundreds of products.
“It’s always been important to me before any success,” she told The Associated Press Thursday at her annual Diamond Ball charity gala. “As a kid, just seeing those commercials on television with the kids in Africa where it’s like, ‘it just takes 10 cent or 25 cents to help somebody,’ . I used to think, ‘When I grow up, I’m a gonna be rich and I’m going to make a lot of money and I could make a lot of 10 cents and a lot of 25 cents.’”
NEW YORK (AP) — Like many kids, Rihanna dreamed of someday growing up to be rich, but helping others was at the forefront of her vision.
“It’s always been important to me before any success,” she told The Associated Press Thursday at her annual Diamond Ball charity gala. “As a kid, just seeing those commercials on television with the kids in Africa where it’s like, ‘it just takes 10 cent or 25 cents to help somebody,’ . I used to think, ‘When I grow up, I’m a gonna be rich and I’m going to make a lot of money and I could make a lot of 10 cents and a lot of 25 cents.’”
She’s made a lot more than that as superstar singer and now fashion and beauty mogul, and with her Clara Lionel Foundation has doled out money around the globe to help support education programs, women’s health and emergency response organizations for people in need.
The foundation named after Rihanna’s grandparents raised more than $5 million Thursday night. Cardi B and Offset, A$AP Rocky, Karlie Kloss, DJ Khaled, 21 Savage, Pharrell Williams and others came out to support the glittering charity dinner, which even featured an impromptu performance by Rihanna and Williams.
“I’m a fan of her energy. She has a beautiful soul,” DJ Khaled said before entering the event at Cipriani’s in downtown Manhattan with his pregnant wife. “In my book, she keeps it mad real . It’s just a beautiful day, we’re putting beautiful energy out there.”
It was the second all-star event Rihanna staged this week. Khaled, Halsey and more turned out for her New York Fashion Week show on Tuesday, an extravaganza for her lingerie line Savage X Fenty that featured musical performances along with a catwalk.
The star wowed on the red carpet dressed in a black velvet turtleneck dress with a flared skirt.
“Just glam. She’s so glamorous, she’s so gorgeous. Anytime I think of Rihanna, I just think of just glam,” said rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
Rihanna told the crowd she was “humbled” by the support for Clara Lionel, and noted that her grandmother Clara Brathwaite, who died seven years ago, would tell her helping others is “about the collective joining forces.”
She told the AP her connection to her grandparents makes the event a sentimental one.
“So these things get really personal, emotional, and I just want to expand this every year to a different cause because I don’t feel like people deserve to be left out and that that’s really the core of the foundation,” she said.
Inside the event, which started two hours late and was hosted by Seth Meyers, stars mingled in a hall that was decorated with a tropical, colorful motif. A$AP Rocky, recently freed after a legal battle in Sweden that saw him behind bars there for weeks, held court at one table as he chatted with 2 Chainz and others; Cardi B bid a very exact $109,000 for a rare copy of a book on Rihanna, along with a two-thousand pound marble stand designed to hold it.
The night was not without some controversy: One of the honorees, activist and journalist Shaun King, has been accused of mishandling money he claims he’s received for various causes he supports. The Clara Lionel Foundation was almost immediately met with backlash after it was announced King would be a Diamond Ball honoree, forcing King to release a 72-page report in an attempt to defend himself against the allegations.
The foundation’s executive director stood by the decision to honor King, who has been a supporter of Clara Lionel.
“We decided to honor Shaun King for a reason, and we decided to honor Shaun King for that same reason tonight,” said Justine Lucas, executive director of the foundation.
King, who defended himself on Twitter just before the event, did not address the allegations as he accepted his honor, instead imploring the crowd to work harder to fight injustice: “It’s not good enough to have good intentions.”
Cardi B stood up for King just before the event.
“One of the main reasons why is so important for me to be here is because Rihanna is honoring Shaun King. A lot of people need to follow Shaun King on Instagram. He protests so much for all minorities, he protests so much for the whole entire world,” said the Grammy-award winning rapper.
Also honored was Mia Mottley, the prime minister of Barbados, where Rihanna was born. Mottley is the first woman to ascend to the position, and Rihanna personally presented her with an award.
Mottley said no matter how global Rihanna is, she always brings Barbados with her.
“Rihanna is one of our citizens of whom we are very, very proud,” Mottley said. “When you come from 166 square miles and you can produce people who make a global impact, it gives your heart a certain amount of warmth.”
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AP Entertainment Writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody contributed to this report.
In a letter posted to subscribers on its website, Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass, wrote,” In August 2017, MoviePass began a transformation of the movie going industry by introducing its low monthly price subscription service. Since then, others in the industry have followed our lead. ”
NEW YORK (AP) — MoviePass, the movie ticket subscription service that allowed subscribers to buy up to three movie tickets per month for a small fee, shut down Saturday.
Its future is unclear.
Helios and Matheson Analytics, the parent company of MoviePass, said Friday in a release that it was interrupting service for all its subscribers because its efforts to seek financing have not been successful.
It says it’s “unable to predict if or when” MoviePass will continue. The company says it’s planning to study all options including the sale of the company in its entirety.
MoviePass drew in millions of subscribers, initially luring them with a $10 monthly rate. But that proved unsustainable. Because MoviePass typically pays theaters the full cost of tickets — $15 or more in big cities — a single movie can put the service in the red. The company was forced to make changes. Those efforts, however, never stopped the losses.
In a letter posted to subscribers on its website, Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass, wrote,” In August 2017, MoviePass began a transformation of the movie going industry by introducing its low monthly price subscription service. Since then, others in the industry have followed our lead. ”
MoviePass said it will be providing subscribers with “appropriate” refunds for their period of service already paid for. Subscribers will not need to request a refund or contact MoviePass customer service to receive a refund. Subscribers will not be charged during the service interruption, according to the website.
Helios acquired a majority stake in the subscription service in 2017.
This is a very big week for the Nations Capitol. On Thursday, Mayor Bowser will make history by testifying before a House committee looking into making the District the 51st state.
The move comes as a hearing is set for this Thursday in the House of Representatives on the DC Statehood issue. “I was born in this city without voting representation. I will not die that way,” said Bowser. The mayor rode on a bus filled with veterans carrying 51-star flags and shouting 51, 51, 51 hoping to send a message that DC is ready for statehood. It’s believe the bill to make the District the 51st state has enough support in the Democratic controlled House to pass. The battle is expected to be much tougher in the Republican controlled Senate. 
Today’s action is just one of several statehood events scheduled for this week. Tuesday, the Mayor will unveil a list of businesses who support DC Statehood followed by a roundtable discussion on Wednesday. Friday, Bowser will unveil art exhibits in all 8 wards and Saturday DC Statehood will be highlighted in the 2019 Fiesta DC Parade.
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The Howard University Student Led non-profit organization is participating in the 2019 International Beach Cleanup.
We are hitting the beach this morning on Taking It to the Streets. But no, it’s not about swimming. It’s all about cleaning up the environment. There’s a big effort underway this weekend to get more African Americans engaged in sustainability efforts. It’s the 2019 International Beach Cleanup. My guest is Rachel Clark – Founder and President of Waves of Change
Waves of Change, is a Howard University student led non-profit organization participating Saturday, September 21stin the coastal clean-up. Crews will gather at 8:15am at Banneker Park. Follow them on IG or Twitter @WavesofChangeHU
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
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Dr. Wayne Frederick chats with David Bennett, the Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations at Howard University.
ABOUT
Philanthropy is viatl to Howard’s commitment to provide an education experience of exceptional quality and produce distinguished global leaders. As a second-generation fundraiser, his life’s mission is to connect people who have the capacity to change the world with people who have the financial resources to make it happen. On this episode of “The Journey,” Dr. Wayne Frederick chats with David Bennett, the Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations at Howard University.
Air Date: September 15, 2019
Young voters talk about the political climate ahead of the 2020 election
Huffman gets 14 days behind bars in college scam
Actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the sweeping college admissions scandal .
The “Desperate Housewives” star was sentenced in Boston’s federal court Friday after pleading guilty in May to a single count of conspiracy and fraud.
She was also given a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year of supervised release.
She has admitted to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s SAT exam answers in 2017.
Prosecutors had recommended a month in prison and a $20,000 fine. Huffman’s lawyers said she should get a year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $20,000 fine.
Huffman said before sentencing that “I am deeply ashamed of what I have done. I have inflicted more damage than I could ever imagine.”
She’s the first parent to be sentenced among 34 charged in the scheme.
“Forward” is a concept that Howard University and all Bison embody. Howard’s community of scholars and leaders are tenacious, constantly driving progress at the University, within local communities and across the globe. Howard’s recently unveiled strategic plan, Howard Forward: 2024, outlines the University’s vision to advance the mission over the next five years. As the Bison community returns to campus with fond memories and proud reflections of the rich Howard legacy, Homecoming is also an opportunity to look ahead toward future accomplishments and milestones to come.
WASHINGTON – Howard University presents “Forward” as the theme for the 2019 Howard Homecoming festivities, scheduled Oct. 5-13, 2019. The full calendar of events is available online at https://homecoming.howard.edu/ including the highly anticipated 2019 homecoming football game. Howard Bison will compete against the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, October 12.
“Forward” is a concept that Howard University and all Bison embody. Howard’s community of scholars and leaders are tenacious, constantly driving progress at the University, within local communities and across the globe. Howard’s recently unveiled strategic plan, Howard Forward: 2024, outlines the University’s vision to advance the mission over the next five years. As the Bison community returns to campus with fond memories and proud reflections of the rich Howard legacy, Homecoming is also an opportunity to look ahead toward future accomplishments and milestones to come. This year’s theme reflects this sentiment.
“In alignment with our Howard Forward: 2024 strategic plan, the essence of Howard’s approach to a contemporary education can be captured in five pillars: to enhance academic excellence, inspire new knowledge, serve the community, improve efficiency and effectiveness and achieve financial sustainability,” says President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Forward describes the energy, passion and goals of the faculty, staff, students and alumni, and is a perfect reflection of the current attitude across campus. We are firing on all cylinders, across all areas, to aggressively advance Howard forward.”
The week of festivities will begin with the annual Howard University Day of Service on Saturday, October 5, a continuation of the volunteer spirit connecting Bison to the surrounding community. Service will segue into a day of praise at Howard’s legendary “Call to Chapel” on Sunday, October 6. Howard University’s Department of Athletics and its student athletes will host a campus-wide pep rally on Monday, October 7.
“Howard is fortunate to have an engaged alumni base, talented faculty and staff and a student body who are passionate about purpose. We invite everyone to experience the energy of Howard Homecoming first-hand,” says Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations David P. Bennett. “This is an incredible time to be a Bison and Homecoming is a wonderful opportunity to come to campus see how Howard is, indeed, leading and moving forward.”
Homecoming Week will feature many time-honored, fan favorite activities designed for Bison of all ages, including the Student Fashion Show, the Greek Step Show, and President Frederick’s State of the University Address. The week-long festivities will close out with the Alumni Jazz Brunch and the Gospel Concert on Sunday, October 13.
“As we welcome alumni and friends back to campus, we invite the entire Howard community to get in the Homecoming spirit, fellowship and collaborate on ways to move the institution forward,” says President Frederick.
For a complete list of events, visit https://homecoming.howard.edu/. To follow the latest homecoming news on social media, use the hashtags #HUHC19 and #HowardHomecoming
Day of Service
Date: Saturday, October 5
Location: Various communities surrounding Howard University
Start time: 9 a.m.
Continuing in the tradition of Truth and Service, volunteers will serve Howard’s local community and celebrate the University’s rich legacy. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, Bison families and friends of the University are all welcome to join us and volunteer.
Service opportunities throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area coming soon.
Call to Chapel
Date: Sunday, October 6
Location: Cramton Auditorium
Start time: 11 a.m.
Join us at the Homecoming edition of the weekly Chapel service to worship with the University community. The incomparable Reverend Al. Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network is the guest speaker. #SundaysAreForChapel
Bison Madness: The Trilogy (Pep Rally)
Date: Monday, October 7
Location: Burr Gymnasium
Start time: 7 p.m.
Join us as the Howard University Basketball and Football teams join forces to host “Bison Madness,” a joint pep rally in Burr Gymnasium. In honor of the start of Homecoming week and the basketball seasons, the rally will include music, entertainment, giveaways and more. The event will be open to all and will include an opportunity to win tickets to Saturday’s game.
LGBTQ+ Lavender Reception
Date: Wednesday, October 9
Location: Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library Atrium and Lobby
Start time: 8 p.m.
The Lavender Reception is an evening focused on inclusion, scholarship and activism. The reception honors Howard University undergraduates driving change in local and global communities. Honorees are awarded a scholarship from the Lavender Fund that celebrates their engagement, commitment to raising awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues and dedication to activism in the larger community. Donations raised contribute to the Lavender Fund.
Student Fashion Show
Date: Thursday, October 10
Location: Cramton Auditorium
Start time: 8 p.m.
Howard University’s Annual Homecoming Student Fashion Show never fails to electrify the masses! Year after year, it proves to be a staple Homecoming event – don’t miss out! Howard is regularly cited as one of the most fashionable universities in the nation, and that style radiates at the fashion show. Powered by HU talent, student models and stylists will define chic in their presentation. Missing the fashion show will be a fashion faux pas!
Tickets can be purchased at the Cramton Auditorium Box Office.
State of the University Address
Date: Friday, October 11
Location: School of Business (SOB) Auditorium
Start time: 10 a.m.
President Wayne A. I. Frederick will engage the entire University community at his annual State of the University. During this address, President Frederick will provide key updates on academics, University finances, Howard University Hospital, enrollment, student initiatives and much more! He will share what continues to drive the progress of the University and what’s in store for Howard. You will leave this session ready to educate the world about Howard’s continued success and bright future. So, don’t miss this!
HU Ideas Symposium
Date: Friday, October 11
Location: School of Business (SOB) Auditorium
Start time: Noon
The HU Ideas Symposium is back for a second year! Like last year, it will feature dynamic and provocative discussions led by leading industry experts on topics that matter most to the African-American community. The HU Ideas Symposium is a forum for presenters and attendees alike to discuss their ideas, opinions and issues facing Howard University’s local and global community. You won’t want to miss any of these important discussions!
Schools & Colleges Open Houses
Date: Friday, October 11
Location: Various schools and colleges
The Yardfest
Date: Friday, October 11
Location: The Yard (Upper Quadrangle)
Start time: Noon
A cherished tradition, Yardfest will continue to reinvigorate Homecoming with a live stage, featuring a diverse range of top tier artists and entertainment that reflects the Howard diaspora. In addition to the celebrity musical appearances, Yardfest attendees will delight in a mainstay of food and merchandise vendors.
Greek Step Show
Date: Friday, October 11
Location: Burr Gymnasium
Start time: 8 p.m.
The Annual Greek Step Show features the University’s Divine Nine and other student organizations showing off their creativity and showmanship through step. Steeped in Howard tradition, the step show signifies brotherhood and sisterhood throughout the University community. Expect nothing less than a live, high-stepping event, one of the most exciting of the weekend! Tickets can be purchased at the Cramton Auditorium Box Office.
Homecoming Tailgate
Date: Saturday, October 12
Location: Howard Center Parking Lot
Start time: 10 a.m.
A time-honored tradition of Homecoming weekend, the tailgate is an engagement experience for alumni of all ages. Recapture your Bison experience by coming together for food, fun, and music. Held in the Howard Center parking lot, this event is a traditional outdoor gathering before, during and after the Homecoming football game.
Please check back for the official registration link.
The Yardfest: Day 2
Date: Saturday, October 12
Location: The Yard (Upper Quadrangle)
Stop by the Office of Development and Alumni Relations tent for an afternoon of fun, fellowship and giveaways.
The Parade
Date: Saturday, October 12
Location: Howard University and surrounding communities
Start time: 10 a.m.
The Howard Homecoming Parade is a community staple led by the Howard University Showtime Marching Band and showcases bands, student organizations and community partners. Join us in your most festive Howard University gear and come together for the prelude of the Homecoming game.
HUPAC Welcome
Date: Saturday, October 12
Location: Front Courtyard of Cramton Auditorium
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The Howard University Parent Advisory Council (HUPAC) is committed to engaging the parents and family members of current HU students as partners in supporting student success through the provision of information, resources, tools, intentional programming as well as leadership and volunteer opportunities. HUPAC serves as Howard University’s parent and family member liaison office, connecting parents to campus departments and student services and advocating the needs and concerns of parents and family members to the institution.
Stop by and learn more about how parents can get involved in the Bison Community.
Homecoming Football Game
Date: Saturday, October 12
Location: Greene Stadium
Start time: 1 p.m.
Howard Bison will take on the Norfolk State University Spartans in one of the signature games of this football season. Always a sell-out, don’t miss the special performance by the illustrious Showtime Marching Band. Tickets can be purchased at www.BisonTickets.com
Call to Chapel
Date: Sunday, October 13
Location: Cramton Auditorium
Start time: 11 a.m.
Join us to close out the homecoming week with a thoughtful oration by Senior Pastor of Friendship -West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, Reverend Dr. Frederick D. Hayes, III. #SundaysAreForChapel
Alumni Jazz Brunch
Date: Sunday, October 13
Location: Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Time: 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Wrap up Homecoming weekend at the Alumni Jazz Brunch, where fellowship, style and music all come together for a delightful time for alumni and friends to share in the rhythmic expressions of Step Afrika! plus a showcase of Jazz artists and performers. WHUR-FM radio hosts Allison Seymour & Marc Clarke will emcee the event. Purchase tickets at https://alum.howard.edu/homecomingjazzbrunch
Gospel Concert
Date: Sunday, October 13
Location: Cramton Auditorium
Start Time: 7 p.m.
Rankin Chapel presents a foot-stomping, spirit-filled evening of Gospel melodies to culminate the Homecoming weekend engage in fellowship all around.
Tracee Ellis Ross, one of the leading actors on “black-ish,” was also the star of “Girlfriends,” which ran from 2000 to 2008 and chronicled the lives of four black women living in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fans waiting for a “Girlfriends” reboot are getting a little tease: the cast of the early 2000s sitcom is reuniting on an episode of “black-ish.”
Tracee Ellis Ross, one of the leading actors on “black-ish,” was also the star of “Girlfriends,” which ran from 2000 to 2008 and chronicled the lives of four black women living in Los Angeles.
Ross teased the reunion on social media , posting a video of herself on the “black-ish” set with Golden Brooks, Persia White and Jill Marie Jones, as she squealed with delight. “Girlfriends” had a strong and loyal fan base, and some have lobbied it to return in some form — perhaps a movie.
The episode will air Oct. 8 on ABC.
She leaves behind three children and four grandchildren. The cause of death was not released. Juanita Abernathy was 89-years-old.
Juanita played an important roll in getting African Americans involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She was also active in the Civil Rights Movement.
She leaves behind three children and four grandchildren. The cause of death was not released. Juanita Abernathy was 89-years-old.
Juanita and her husband the late Rev. Abernathy were close friends with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and his wife Corretta Scott King. They had bonded over their activism for rights for African Americans everywhere. Ralph David Abernathy died of a heart attack in 1990. He was only 64-years-old.
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Officers responding to a call of a burglary in progress showed up at an apartment building at 301 North Beauregard Street. Once there they notice a suspect armed with two weapons. The two exchanged fire and the suspect was hit.
Officers responding to a call of a burglary in progress showed up at an apartment building at 301 North Beauregard Street. Once there they notice a suspect armed with two weapons. The two exchanged fire and the suspect was hit.
The unidentified man was rushed to the hospital where at last check he was listed in stable condition. The state police will now take over the investigation.
In the District of Columbia police officers shot a man who was randomly shooting at 51st and “F” Streets in Southeast. The suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Dennis Byrd of Southeast. His injuries are not said to be serious. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
Then in Laurel police there fired at a man suspected of selling drugs. There was a brief chase before the vehicle the man was in slammed into a minivan while trying to elude police. Three officers responded to the scene and opened fire.
Investigator’s know who they are looking for. He has been identified as 20-year-old Alpha Mansaray and he was able to escape capture. Police say he should be considered armed and dangerous.
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It’s an action packed weekend here in the DMV, so get out and enjoy.
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on Facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Listen to this mornings segment here:
Black hair and black women entrepreneurs.
The line includes professional attire such as a blazer, tote bag and trousers. The launch came the day before London Fashion Week starts.
LONDON (AP) — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has launched a clothing line for a British charity that helps unemployed women find work.
The wife of Prince Harry attended a reception at a John Lewis department store to showcase a collection of workwear and accessories she created with designer and friend Misha Nonoo.
The line includes professional attire such as a blazer, tote bag and trousers. The launch came the day before London Fashion Week starts.
The Smart Set collection supports Smart Works. Meghan is royal patron of the charity that provides women with training and interview clothes.
Meghan said: “As women, it is 100% our responsibility, I think, to support and uplift each other.”
The reception was one of her first royal engagements since the birth of her and Harry’s son Archie in May.
Virginia Lt. Gov. Fairfax sues CBS over accuser interviews
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax filed a $400 million lawsuit Thursday against CBS, alleging the company defamed him when it broadcast interviews with two women he says have falsely accused him of sexual assault.
The lawsuit filed in federal court Thursday alleges nobody at the company investigated or adequately fact-checked the allegations made by Meredith Watson or Vanessa Tyson before airing them. It says CBS’ actions have damaged Fairfax’s reputation and “once promising career and political prospects.”
“Fairfax brings this action to restore his reputation and clear his name, ensure the truth prevails, stop the weaponization of false allegations of sexual assault against him, and vindicate his rights under civil law,” the lawsuit says.
CBS stands by its reporting and will “vigorously” defend the lawsuit, the company said in an emailed statement.
Fairfax, previously considered a rising star of the state Democratic Party, has faced calls to step down from his part-time government job. This summer, he resigned from the law firm where he had worked.
Tyson says Fairfax forced her to perform oral sex in 2004. Watson says Fairfax raped her in 2000 when both were students at Duke University.
Fairfax has adamantly denied their allegations, saying the encounters were consensual and that the women’s actions were politically motived.
Tyson and Watson’s allegations came to light at a moment when Fairfax seemed poised to ascend to the governorship. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was facing a crisis after a racist photo showing a person in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan costume was found on his medical school yearbook page.
The lawsuit says CBS amplified the women’s “intentionally fabricated, false, and politically-motivated statements” without thoroughly investigating. It also alleges that a CBS attorney who was a Duke classmate of Watson and Fairfax “had information all along that Fairfax did not rape or sexually assault Watson.”
An attorney for Watson said in a statement, “We look forward to everyone testifying under oath, now that this matter is in court.”
Attorneys for Tyson said she stands by the statements she made in the interview with Gayle King.
“This lawsuit appears to be yet another desperate stunt by Mr. Fairfax to preserve his political career at the expense of survivors of sexual assault,” the attorneys, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks, said in a statement.
Fairfax’s lawsuit suggests CBS was trying to “align itself on the side of perceived victims” because of sexual misconduct allegations against several high-profile CBS employees, including former CEO Leslie Moonves, who was ousted last September.
“In light of its need to improve its public image and put these incidents in its rearview mirror by currying favor as a media outlet for accusations against public figures, the network sought to visibly align itself with alleged victims of sexual misconduct and, therefore, had a strong incentive to hype and air the false allegations by Watson and Tyson against Fairfax,” the lawsuit says.
CBS’ actions have damaged Fairfax’s “extraordinarily successful” career in law and public service, the lawsuit claims. It says he had “little choice” but to resign from a partnership at a private law firm where he would have earned “millions of dollars” over the years.
As lieutenant governor, Fairfax presides over the state Senate in a part-time role that pays around $36,000 a year.
Fairfax’s wife and young children have also suffered “emotional trauma, public ridicule, threats to their safety, and invasions of privacy,” the lawsuit says.
“There are pictures of her that have been painted from the wrong time period almost,” said Erivo, the Tony-winning actress of the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple. “It’s important to know this was a really young woman who took a lot of risk in what she was doing.”
TORONTO (AP) — Hard as it may be to believe, “Harriet” is the first feature film about Harriet Tubman.
Kasi Lemmons’ movie about the Underground Railroad leader premiered Tuesday night at the Toronto International Film Festival where festival director Cameron Bailey, introducing the film, noted the cinematic injustice of Tubman only now making it to the big screen.
“There are 30 films about Gen. Custer,” said Bailey. “This is the first film about Harriet Tubman.”
“Harriet,” starring 32-year-old British actress Cynthia Erivo, presents a younger, more vibrant picture of Tubman, whose accomplishments have often been entombed in middle-school history books. And the best-known appearance of Tubman, who was in her late 20s when she escaped from slavery and began going back South to help others to freedom, has largely been of her as an older woman.
“There are pictures of her that have been painted from the wrong time period almost,” said Erivo, the Tony-winning actress of the Broadway revival of “The Color Purple. “It’s important to know this was a really young woman who took a lot of risk in what she was doing.”
Tubman, whose original name was Araminta Ross, was born into slavery in 1820 or 1821 on the eastern shore of Maryland. In 1849, she fled to Philadelphia, after which a reward for her recapture was posted. But Tubman returned to the South to lead other slaves to freedom, conducting more than 70 people through the Underground Railroad network of abolitionists.
She worked as a scout, spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1863, she helped lead 150 black soldiers on a gunboat raid in South Carolina. With Col. James Montgomery, she rescued more than 700 slaves. Tubman also became a noted suffragette before dying in 1913.
“Harriet,” which will be released in theaters on Nov. 1, focuses on her escape from Maryland and, a year later, her returning raids.
“When we think of Harriet, we kind of don’t see her womanhood. That’s partly because in the pictures we have of her, she’s an older woman,” said Lemmons, the “Eve’s Bayou” filmmaker. “There’s a picture found fairly recently of Harriet as a young woman, and that was my inspiration. There was this very small, young woman who managed to do incredible things.”
Earlier this year, that previously unknown photograph of a more youthful Tubman, believed to be taken in the 1860s, was put on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
Efforts to make a movie about Tubman have been going on for several years, with Viola Davis (who Erivo co-starred with in Steve McQueen’s “Widows”) once in line to play the part. But the project came together around Erivo, a casting choice some have criticized because she isn’t American.
Erivo, however, believes there is more in common between the experiences of British and American black people. She defended her passion for Tubman in an earlier Instagram post: “I fought for the role of Celie, and spilled blood, sweat and tears playing her.”
Lemmons believes the production was guided spiritually by Tubman. She doesn’t think of the film as righting a wrong in film history.
“I didn’t think in those terms. I really thought about this as a task I took very solemnly of bringing Harriet to life so that young girls could see this young woman heroine, and that the world could see her as this fierce, strong, feminine presence that she was,” said Lemmons. “You want to remind people of what can be and what has been done through sheer force of will and courage.”
Traffic is snarled for miles. Avoid the area if at all possible. Stay tune to WHUR for the latest on this breaking news out of Prince George’s County.
Officials say four people were hurt. Two people inside the plane are reportedly OK. Two people in the car where taken to the hospital with non life threatening injuries. Hazmat crews, fire fighters and State Troopers are on the scene.
Traffic is snarled for miles. Avoid the area if at all possible. Stay tune to WHUR for the latest on this breaking news out of Prince George’s County.
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Black transgender women have been killed this year in Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Michigan and Florida. Advocates tracked the deaths of 26 transgender people in 2018.
LUMBER BRIDGE, N.C. (AP) — “Okay, Mommy. I love you.”
That was Brenda Scurlock’s last text from her son, Avery, before he was shot eight times, his body abandoned in a field in eastern North Carolina.
Scurlock had always worried about Avery’s safety. He was young and black in a society where those qualities could make him vulnerable.
And to multiply her worries, he was transgender.
Her fears came true June 5, when the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of gunshots and found Avery Scurlock’s body. Friends say he was meeting a man he had met on a dating website.
Avery, 23, was one of 18 transgender people slain so far this year in the U.S., according to the Human Rights Campaign . Seventeen were black transgender women , including two killed within two weeks of each other in South Carolina. A woman in Dallas who became a vocal advocate for transgender rights after she was attacked in April was killed in May in what the mayor described as “mob violence.” In Detroit, a black transgender woman and two gay men were killed in an attack that two other people survived.
The majority of transgender people killed yearly typically are black women, said Sarah McBride, the campaign’s national press secretary. “When transphobia mixes with misogyny and systemic racism, it can often have deadly consequences,” she said.
Black transgender women have been killed this year in Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Texas, Michigan and Florida. Advocates tracked the deaths of 26 transgender people in 2018.
Although Brenda Scurlock supported her child and was accepting of his gender identity, she used male pronouns and always called him Avery, just as everyone else did. His friends say he insisted on his female name, Chanel, only when dressed as a woman in public. Because of that, The Associated Press is using Avery and male pronouns for the sake of clarity.
Avery told his mother about four years ago that he was gay. “The way he dressed, you know, that was just him,” Brenda Scurlock said.
He would leave their home in Lumber Bridge in women’s clothes and makeup — he loved false eyelashes and his jean jacket. “He dressed how he wanted to dress,” Brenda Scurlock said. “I never really hit on the transgender part. He just dressed how he wanted to dress.”
On the evening of June 4, Avery told her he was going to a Chinese restaurant in nearby St. Pauls, then coming home. At 9:49 p.m., she texted him: “Are you Okay?” Two minutes later, he responded: “Yes Mommy.” She asked him to call or text when he was on the way home.
At 9:53 p.m., he responded: “Okay Mommy. I love you.”
What Brenda Scurlock didn’t know was that Avery — presenting as Chanel — had connected with someone on a dating website who wanted to meet that night, said his best friend, 19-year-old Shania Aguirre. He left St. Pauls and first met with Aguirre at a hamburger joint in nearby Lumberton, Aguirre said.
They discussed the man who wanted to meet him, she said, and Avery told Aguirre that he had decided against it. She reminded him that another person whose friends said he was bisexual had been murdered in that same area in May 2018.
Then Shania uttered words that she wishes hadn’t come true: “I said if something happened, we’re not going to find out until the next morning or whenever.”
Aguirre said she left the restaurant parking lot about 11:50 p.m. Avery had pulled out a few minutes ahead of her. At 12:13 a.m. June 5, she texted him and got no response. A few hours later, she said she learned police had responded at 12:07 a.m. to a report of shots fired.
About 20 minutes had passed since Aguirre saw her friend pulling out in his car, she said. Before leaving, he had asked to be godfather to her 2-year-old daughter and told her he wanted eventually to have sex-reassignment surgery, she said.
Avery’s absence leaves an empty place in Aguirre’s life. She said she alternates between being too depressed to leave her home and too afraid.
“He was very supportive, always there,” she said. “We were there for each other.”
Meanwhile, Brenda Scurlock wants the death penalty for Javaras Hammonds, the 20-year-old charged with first-degree murder in Avery’s death. He’s being held without bond in the Robeson County Detention Center. Neither his attorney nor the district attorney responded to email or phone messages from the AP about the case.
She also wants authorities to charge Hammonds with a hate crime. However, Capt. Forest Obershea of the sheriff’s office says authorities believe robbery was the motive because Avery’s car and other belongings were stolen.
McBride, the Human Rights Campaign spokeswoman, says that’s another part of the safety issue for transgender people, who are more likely to live on the edges of society and take chances. While the killer might have planned a robbery, he also probably knew that a transgender woman named Chanel was more likely to risk meeting a stranger in the dark along a lonely road, McBride said.
Avery had told Aguirre he knew he took too many chances and worried his mother. He knew he had to change his ways soon, she said.
“I had told him not to meet up with anybody,” Brenda Scurlock said. “I told him it was dangerous.”
She’s learning more about what it means to be transgender and getting support from LGBTQ advocates, some of whom go to court with her. She’s determined to get justice for Avery’s memory.
“That was my child. And I had to accept him, whatever he was — gay, bisexual, whatever,” she said. “That was my child. And it shouldn’t give nobody a right to kill him.”
“We know this level of convenience resonates” with our customers, said Tom Ward, senior vice president of digital operations at Walmart U.S. “If you need milk, bananas and birthday presents, this is a fantastic solution.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart is rolling out an unlimited grocery delivery subscription service this fall as it races to gain an advantage in the competitive fresh food business.
The service will charge an annual membership fee of $98 for subscribers to access unlimited same-day delivery, which will be offered in 1,400 stores in 200 markets. By year-end, it will extend to a total of 1,600 stores — or more than 50% of the country.
The move allows the nation’s largest grocer to further tap into time-starved shoppers looking for convenience at a time when Walmart is locked in an arms race with Amazon and others to expand fresh-food delivery — one of the fastest growing e-commerce sectors.
“We know this level of convenience resonates” with our customers, said Tom Ward, senior vice president of digital operations at Walmart U.S. “If you need milk, bananas and birthday presents, this is a fantastic solution.”
The grocery services will be fulfilled by local stores and require a minimum order of $30. With same-day delivery, there’s a four-hour minimum wait time between placing order and having it delivered. Walmart will also allow shoppers to order groceries online and pick them up at their local store or curbside for free. Curbside pickup is available at 3,000 stores and will expand to another 100 stores by the end of the year.
About 100,000 items, which include fresh food and pantry staples as well as select general merchandise like lightbulbs and basic toys, qualify for both grocery pickup and delivery. Walmart will also offer a monthly subscription option for $12.95; customers will still be able to pay a per-delivery fee of $7.95 or $9.95 for same-day delivery if they decide against the subscription service.
Walmart says it will rely on its more than 45,000 personal shoppers to pick products off store shelves to fulfill orders. It will also continue using the same patchwork of delivery services as before, including Postmates and DoorDash.
Walmart is facing increasing pressure to expand its fresh grocery delivery service amid fiercer competition in that space. About two years ago, its key rival Amazon purchased Whole Food Market Inc. and now is offering same-day grocery delivery in various cities. Meanwhile, AmazonFresh costs $14.99 a month and is available to Amazon Prime customers, who pay an annual membership fee of $119, in select cities.
Grocery delivery startup Shipt, whose store partners include Costco and Piggly Wiggly, currently charges $99 annually. Target, which bought Shipt in December 2017, announced in June a new option for Shipt shoppers to pay a per-order fee of $9.99 for the first time. It also integrated Shipt on Target.com. And last year, Instacart slashed its annual subscription fresh grocery service fee to $99 from $149.
Amazon changed consumer expectations when it launched two-day delivery for Prime members back in 2005 and forced other retailers to step up their game. But then the online behemoth needed to cut the delivery time in half to make its membership more attractive since others like Walmart offered free two-day deliveries without any membership.
This past spring, Amazon cut its two-day delivery to one day for Prime members. Soon after, Walmart began rolling out free next-day delivery for its most popular items with a minimum order requirement of $35 . It plans to roll out the service to 75% of the U.S. population by year-end.
But the fight in state legislatures has been fierce. Lobbyists for the vaping and tobacco industry fought bans on flavors in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Connecticut.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Efforts to ban flavored e-cigarettes and reduce their appeal to youngsters have sputtered under industry pressure in over a half-dozen states this year even as one state, Michigan, moves ahead with its own restrictions and President Donald Trump promises federal ones.
In many cases, the fight by the industry and its lobbyists has focused on leaving the most popular flavors — mint and its close cousin, menthol — alone. But public health experts say that all flavors should be banned, and that menthol can still hook kids on vaping.
The proposal Trump outlined on Wednesday, which would supersede any state inaction, includes a ban on mint and menthol, and an industry giant quickly indicated it would capitulate.
“We strongly agree with the need for aggressive category-wide action on flavored products,” read a statement released by Juul Labs Inc. “We will fully comply with the final FDA policy when effective.”
But the fight in state legislatures has been fierce. Lobbyists for the vaping and tobacco industry fought bans on flavors in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and Connecticut.
Such bans failed or stalled, even as Michigan’s governor this month ordered emergency rules prohibiting flavored e-cigarettes. New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday expressed a desire to ban flavored e-cigarettes.
Trump’s federal proposal, as it stands, would require no congressional approval, meaning lobbying efforts to defeat it could be less effective than in state legislatures. Juul spent $1.9 million in the first half of the year to try and sway the White House, Congress and the Food and Drug Administration.
The Vapor Technology Association has reported spending $78,000 this year in its lobbying fight against California’s proposed flavored e-cigarettes ban, while one of the world’s largest tobacco producers, Altria, reported spending over $100,000 last fall solely to lobby such legislation. The bills have since stalled.
Reynolds American, which sells Vuse Alto e-cigarettes, reported spending $240,000 on paid lobbyists in New York this year. At least $23,000 alone went to fund their lobbying push against a flavored tobacco ban that failed to pass this year.
Altria — which is also Juul’s biggest investor— also spent over $70,000 in Maine alone this spring on an online social media and email campaign in its efforts to defeat a ban on flavored e-cigarettes and all tobacco products, according to lobbying reports filed with state ethics officials. Maine still has no flavor ban.
The global e-cigarette and vape market was valued at as much as $11 billion in 2018. The rise in teen vaping has been driven mainly by flavored cartridge-based products such as Juul, which controls roughly three-quarters of the U.S. e-cigarettes market.
The proposals and the lobbying fight come as health authorities investigate hundreds of breathing illnesses reported in people who have used e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified, though many cases involve marijuana vaping.
Supporters of flavors argue that adult cigarette users say flavors helped them quit, and that legislators should instead focus on companies that are trying to hook young nonsmokers with clearly kid-friendly marketing and packaging.
“One of the things that we are finding is that state legislatures are reflexively reacting to media stories and without a scientific basis making determinations that flavors are the problem so we need to get rid of all the flavors,” said Tony Abboud, president of the Vapor Technology Association.
There had been concern that the tobacco and vaping industries were winning their fight to keep at least the most popular flavors — mint and menthol — in play. That concern has now been tempered by Trump’s announcement Wednesday that his ban would include menthol and mint.
Last November, the FDA announced plans for a crackdown that could lead to federal regulators pulling all e-cigarette flavors besides menthol and mint — thought to be useful to adult smokers — from shelves. The FDA also said it would also seek to ban menthol cigarettes.
The FDA’s announcement came just two days after Juul announced the halting of in-store sales of mango, fruit, creme and cucumber flavors in retail stores.
The company’s CEO has said that Juul never intended for young people to use their products but that they are “sensitive” to concerns raised by the FDA.
And a spokesman for Juul, Ted Kwong, said before Wednesday’s announcement by Trump that the company would support an outright ban on flavors that mimic kid candies, foods and drinks.
Still, in line with the FDA’s proposed policy, Juul Labs still distributes mint, menthol and tobacco flavors in retail stores. The company also sells flavored products through its website.
Anti-tobacco and -vaping groups say there’s no scientific basis for leaving menthol or mint alone. They warn menthol has been unethically marketed toward African Americans, and that such flavors can still increase the appeal of e-cigarettes for young people who aren’t smokers by overcoming the harshness of nicotine.
“Anything that is overcoming the harshness of tobacco flavoring is something that kids are going to find more appealing,” said Hillary Schneider, director of government relations in Maine for the American Cancer Society Action Network.
But banning minty flavors has been politically contentious.
In Maine, convenience store owners upset by a proposed flavor ban argued that mint, wintergreen and menthol represent 30% of flavors offered in stores statewide and $32 million in tax revenue.
Lawmakers then considered a tweak to only allow menthol, mint and wintergreen flavors. Maine ended up passing a bill — backed by the tobacco and vaping industries, as well as small retail stores — that instead makes it illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under 21 and give them to minors under 16.
Officials in Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration discussed exempting mint and menthol flavors from the e-cigarette ban, but “determined that the action taken was the best path forward to protect youth,” said Bob Wheaton, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services.
A court challenge is expected for Michigan’s ban.
Abboud argued before Wednesday that states should hold off on further action for now.
The Democratic Party’s strongest presidential contenders — according to polls and fundraising, at least — meet on the same debate stage for the first time Thursday night.
WASHINGTON (AP) — And then there were 10.
The Democratic Party’s strongest presidential contenders — according to polls and fundraising, at least — meet on the same debate stage for the first time Thursday night.
The lineup in Houston will be different but the dynamic familiar: Former Vice President Joe Biden will fight to preserve his front-runner status as a crowded stage of lower-tier candidates scrap for attention and momentum any way they can. Opportunities and risks abound for a race that is far from settled.
Seven big questions heading into the third Democratic debate, to be carried on ABC:
HOW WILL INTERNAL DIVISIONS PLAY OUT WITH A COMPLETELY NEW GROUP?
These 10 have never shared the stage before. Biden and Elizabeth Warren will stand shoulder to shoulder for the first time and may attract much of the pre-event hype, but any number of significant friction points could emerge in a group that highlights the extraordinary diversity of the 2020 class. There will be three women on stage, four racial minorities, one gay man and an age gap that spans four decades. Don’t forget about the ideological divide that features a democratic socialist on one side and an establishment-backed moderate on the other. There will almost certainly be fireworks on multiple fronts, especially with the second-tier candidates desperate for a breakout moment.
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WHERE HAVE ALL THE MODERATES GONE?
This moment marks a dramatic contraction of the Democratic Party’s 2020 class of candidates, which has essentially been cut in half — for now, at least. Suddenly gone are several outspoken moderate voices — former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan — who were not shy in previous debates about warning the party against nominating someone too far to the left. Their absence leaves Biden with far fewer allies in his push for pragmatism over ideological purity. And it may make it easier for progressive policy besties Bernie Sanders and Warren to continue pulling the party leftward on health care, taxes, immigration and education. President Donald Trump is only too happy to let Democrats showcase their plans to transform America.
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HOW FRAGILE IS THE FRONT-RUNNER?
Biden holds a significant lead over the crowded field, despite signs of soft support, a weak organization and repeated missteps. His performance on Thursday will either create more anxiety for his supporters or strengthen his claim on the mantle of undisputed front-runner. What’s clear is that Biden will be at the center of the action. He plans to be aggressive if provoked, and his opponents are prepared to test him. Kamala Harris wounded Biden in a testy exchange over race in June, but Biden effectively deflected attacks in last month’s meeting. Which Biden will show up?
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CAN WARREN WIN?
Of all the candidates, Warren has shown the most upward trajectory so far, still trailing Biden but consistently placing among the top three. But that status will invite more scrutiny, including on the debate stage, of her many plans and the price tags they carry — issues that Trump could easily use against her in a general election. And unfortunately for Warren, no quality matters more to Democratic primary voters in the age of Trump than the ability to win. Warren has a prime-time opportunity to answer that question directly as she stands alongside Biden for the first time on the debate stage. Can she stand up to him, literally and figuratively, to help convince skeptical voters that she can take down an older, outspoken and unapologetic man?
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DOES AGE MATTER?
South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has something the rest of the top tier does not: youth. At just 37 years old, he’s more than three decades younger than Biden, Sanders and Warren. He has so far been reluctant to seize on his opponents’ age to help himself, but with voting set to begin in less than five months, he’s under increasing pressure to use his comparative advantage more aggressively — especially as the 76-year-old Biden faces increasing questions on the campaign trail about whether he’s lost a step after four decades in politics. It’s a delicate issue that cuts both ways. But the generational divide is a key factor as Democrats work to reassemble the coalition that twice elected President Barack Obama.
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DO THEY REALLY WANT DIVERSITY?
Democrats were quick to highlight the diverse slate of candidates they sent to Congress last year, but the top tier of the Democrats’ 2020 presidential field has been dominated by white people. The people of color in the race — Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julián Castro and Andrew Yang — are fighting to change that. But Harris’ early-summer surge has disappeared, and the others have been mired in the single digits. That’s even as they have proved to be dynamic candidates on the campaign trail. But as Trump embraces a strategy that focuses almost exclusively on winning white voters, Harris, Booker and other minority candidates are tasked with convincing voters that diversity is both the nation’s strength and its future.
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CAN ANYONE IN THE LOWER TIER BREAK OUT?
Ten candidates have already been cut from the debate stage altogether (yes, a few may return next month). But anyone on stage has a path to the nomination — on paper, at least. But time is getting short for those now participating in their third debate and still stuck in low single digits like Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Castro and Yang. It’s quickly becoming time to put up or shut up. To break out they may have to get creative. Reports suggest that Yang, who has been captured on video crowd-surfing in recent days, is promising to do something Thursday night that’s never been done by a presidential candidate before.
Anne Arundel Count State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess says it’s important that all children know that their bodies are their own and not to allow anyone to touch them and if someone does you must tell an adult.
Officials say 33-year-old Joseph Earl Carter of Davidsonville has been given the maximum prison time of 60 years for an unthinkable crime. Sexually abusing a 3-year-old child of a family friend.
Prosecutors say it happened last year when the victim was a friends house and told the parent that he would watch the child as they took a nap.
The child told her parent after the incident. She even testified in the case. Prosecutors say she was very forthcoming and clear about what happened. Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess says “Children need to know that they should tell us if something has happened to them.” They were very impressed and proud of the little girl.
Leitess says it’s important that all children know that their bodies are their own and not to allow anyone to touch them and if someone does you must tell an adult.
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @taylorthomas963
he process that Democratic lawmakers are taking is nothing new. It’s the same procedures that have been used on past U.S. presidents.
The Judiciary Committee is preparing to meet today to discuss and then vote on the parameters for possible impeachment proceedings. Nothing has been decided.
The committee is looking at five areas of possible obstruction in the matter involving former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe in Russians interference in the U.S. 2016 Presidential Election.
Leaders will also look at hush money paid to two women who claim that they had affairs with him. Other concerns include claims that the president used his office to benefit his private business even though he agreed to separate from them during his time at the White House.
The process that Democratic lawmakers are taking is nothing new. It’s the same procedures that have been used on past U.S. presidents.
If you are wondering how the numbers look right now. Of the 235 Democrats in the House 134 of them reportedly support impeachment proceedings. It is not something Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi supports right now. In fact, she told lawmakers if you want to get Trump out of office the party needs to win the 2020 Presidential Election.
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It’s “Pay it Forward Thursday” and teaming up with our partners Wells Fargo, giving back.
DMV do you know what day it is? It’s Thursday and that means WHUR and Wells Fargo will be hitting the streets for our Pay It Forward Thursday. Joining me this morning to talk about this goodwill campaign is Monica Mitchell – Vice President, Community Relations and Corporate Responsibility for Wells Fargo.
Pay It Forward Thursday is a partnership between Wells Fargo and WHUR in which we have been crisscrossing the DMV for the past two months caring out random acts of kindness. We have been popping up at local businesses to pay the bills of unsuspecting customers.
Tune in to Taking it to the Streets, weekday mornings at 6:15, 7:08 and 8:40 on the Steve Harvey Morning Show on 96.3 WHUR.
Follow me on facebook and twitter at @bobbygailes for updates and to stay connected.
Listen to this mornings segment here:
Wide ranging discussion about the future of historically black colleges and universities and the how the Congressional Black Caucus is impacting their success.
Four years ago North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams founded the Bi-partisan HBCU Caucus to help promote and protect the interest of HBCUs.
“The Ball family is grateful for the prayers, donations and immense support of Neiron and his recovery,” Myricks said in her statement. “Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace.”
Former Oakland Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball, who played college football at Florida after recovering from brain surgery, has died at age 27.
Ball’s sister, Natalie Ball Myricks, released a statement announcing her brother’s passing early Tuesday. Ball’s agency, the Sports & Entertainment Group in Washington, D.C., confirmed his death to The Associated Press.
Ball’s death came nearly a year after he suffered a brain aneurysm and was placed in a medically induced coma at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. In late July, the Ball family announced that the Georgia native was out of the coma but was a quadriplegic.
A GoFundMe effort raised nearly $137,000 to help cover his medical expenses. Former Florida teammates and current NFL players Jon Bullard, Jaylen Watkins, Max Garcia, Keanu Neal and Jordan Reed gave between $1,000 and $10,000 each. Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Khalil Mack, who played with Ball in Oakland, gave $7,000.
“The Ball family is grateful for the prayers, donations and immense support of Neiron and his recovery,” Myricks said in her statement. “Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace.”
Added the Sports & Entertainment Group: “Neiron was a rare and special spirit with the ability to touch anyone he met. His talent was met with relentless drive, no matter the obstacle. … Neiron was a loving and cherished father, brother, and teammate. He will be missed dearly.”
Ball sat out his sophomore season at Florida in 2011 because of a congenital condition called arteriovenous malformation, which causes the brain’s blood vessels to get tangled and rupture. He recovered after a year away and played in 33 games — with 16 starts — during his final three seasons in Gainesville.
The Raiders selected Ball in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He played in six games as a rookie before landing on injured reserve. He was on IR again in 2016 and then waived with a non-football injury designation in July 2017.
“Anybody that came in contact with Neiron Ball liked him,” former Florida coach and current South Carolina coach Will Muschamp told the Orlando Sentinel last month. “I don’t know if I could find anybody on earth that did not like Neiron Ball. He’s just one of those people that just has that certain personality that is just electric with people.
“It’s just really a sad situation.”
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And she brought her baby daughter along for the ride: As she made her traditional post-show bow, wearing a snakeskin-style miniskirt that she designed, she was carrying little Olympia, 2, in her arms.
NEW YORK (AP) — Talk about a quick recovery. Only three days after her shocking loss in the U.S. Open final, Serena Williams went from the court to the runway to present the latest collection of her fashion label, S by Serena.
And she brought her baby daughter along for the ride: As she made her traditional post-show bow, wearing a snakeskin-style miniskirt that she designed, she was carrying little Olympia, 2, in her arms.
As befitting a tennis legend, Williams had some prominent fans in attendance, notably Kim Kardashian, TV host Gayle King, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
Also attending: #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke, who said Williams was “strong in so many ways, not just physically. I’ll always support her.”
The runway show in midtown Manhattan began with a lush brown trench-style coat, followed by a suit in the same fabric with an asymmetrical wrap skirt. Pants and slouchy sweaters followed, then a series of dresses, tops and coats in an animal-style print.
The 37-year-old Williams showed herself to be a fan of bold prints, in hues like purple or bright blue, or in black and white. And she is also clearly partial to bright colors, as in one hot pink ensemble that was part midriff-baring pantsuit, part long skirt.
But perhaps the most striking and creative sight on the runway came when two models wore the same outfit together, side by side, one in a plus size and one not — an effective statement about size diversity.
Williams noted later on the red carpet that she her intention was “to show diversity of all colors and all backgrounds and all sizes — just beautiful women.”
Burke praised Williams’ runway for being truly diverse. “I love Serena,” she said, adding that fashion is “another world for her to conquer.
It may be sheer coincidence that the cost of paying for both Apple and Disney subscriptions will still be a dollar less than Netflix’s main plan, priced at $13 a month. But the intent to disrupt Netflix’s huge lead in the streaming business couldn’t be clearer.
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple is finally taking on Netflix with its own streaming television service and, uncharacteristically for the company, offering it at a bargain price — $5 a month beginning on Nov. 1.
Walt Disney Co. is launching its own assault on Netflix the same month, for just $7.
Apple delivered the news Tuesday while also unveiling three new iPhones that won’t look much different than last year’s models other than boasting an additional camera for taking pictures from extra-wide angles.
The aggressive pricing is unusual for Apple, which typically charges a premium for products and services to burnish its brand. Most analysts expected Apple to charge $8 to $10 per month for the service, which will be called Apple TV Plus.
But Apple is entering a market that Netflix practically created in 2007 — around the same time as the first iPhone came out. And Netflix has amassed more than 150 million subscribers, meaning that Apple needed to make a splash.
“You have to expect they’re going to do something, considering how hyper competitive the streaming video space is,” said Tim Hanlon, CEO of Vertere Group.
Apple CEO Tim Cook did not have much new to say about the TV service beyond its pricing and debut date, although he did show a trailer for a new Jason Momoa-led series called “See.”
Netflix declined to comment. In the past, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has depicted the increased competition as a positive for everyone, allowing consumers to create their own entertainment bundles instead of accepting bundles put together at higher prices by cable and satellite TV services.
Like Netflix and similar services from Amazon and Hulu, Apple has been spending billions of dollars for original programs. The most anticipated so far seems to be “The Morning Show,” a comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell. The service will launch with nine original shows and films, with more expected each month. It will only carry Apple’s original programming and will be available in 100 countries at launch.
Since it began focusing on exclusive shows and movies six years ago, Netflix has built a huge library of original programming and now spends upward of $10 billion annually on its lineup.
Apple also announced a new videogame subscription service that will cost $5 a month when it rolls out Sept. 19. Called Apple Arcade, the service will allow subscribers to play more than 100 games selected by Apple that are exclusive to the service.
Disney, one of the most hallowed brands in entertainment, is also muscling its way into the market with a streaming service featuring its treasured vault of films and original programming.
That means both Apple and Disney will be undercutting the industry leaders. Besides Netflix, there is Amazon at $9 per month and Hulu at $6 per month.
The price war is unfolding as Netflix tries to bounce back from a rough spring in which it suffered its first quarterly drop in U.S. subscribers since 2011. Apple’s pricing tactics caught investors’ attention. Netflix’s stock fell 2% on Tuesday.
Each new entry into the crowded video subscription market stretches the limits of just how many monthly plans viewers are willing to pay for.
The Apple streaming service will, at least for now, offer fewer viewing options than Netflix or Disney but also at a significantly lower price.
Apple’s pricing shows it is serious, and the company will probably take a loss “as it plays catch-up,” said Colin Gillis, director of research at Chatham Road Partners.
Hoping to propel its streaming service to a fast start while also boosting iPhone sales, Apple will give a year of free TV access to anyone who buys an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac.
The new iPhones were accompanied by an unexpected price cut for the cheapest model, which underscored the company’s efforts to counteract the deepest slump in sales for its flagship product since the phone was unveiled 12 years ago.
IPhone shipments are down 25% so far this year, according to the research firm IDC, putting pressure on Apple to generate revenue from services such as music, video streaming, games and its App Store. Revenue from services rose 14% to nearly $23 billion during the first half of this year.
Apple is cutting the price of the iPhone 11 to $700 from $750, the price of last year’s XR. The lower prices reverse a trend in which premium phones get more expensive as people upgrade them less often.
The new phone models resemble last year’s iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. And they have the same design — with more display space, less bezel and no home button — that Apple switched to with the iPhone X in 2017.
Unlike some of the other devices coming out this year, the new iPhones won’t support upcoming ultrafast cellular networks known as 5G. Apple paid billions of dollars to settle a royalty dispute with chipmaker Qualcomm in April to gain the technology it needs for 5G iPhones, but those models will not be ready until next year.
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AP technology writers Mae Anderson in New York and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this story.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape.”
New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape by a former trainer.
Britney Taylor says Brown sexually assaulted her on three occasions, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of Florida.
Brown has denied the allegations. Darren Heitner, a lawyer representing Brown, told The Associated Press his client plans to countersue.
“He will pursue all legal remedies to not only clear his name, but to also protect other professional athletes against false accusations,” Heitner said in a statement.
Heitner said Brown and Taylor had “a consensual personal relationship.”
The New York Times first reported about the lawsuit.
The AP does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, but Taylor was identified in the federal lawsuit and was quoted in a statement provided by her lawyer, David Haas.
“As a rape victim of Antonio Brown, deciding to speak out has been an incredibly difficult decision,” Taylor said. “I have found strength in my faith, my family, and from the accounts of other survivors of sexual assault. Speaking out removes the shame that I have felt for the past year and places it on the person responsible for my rape.”
Taylor also said in the statement she will cooperate with the NFL and any other agencies.
A spokesman for the NFL declined to comment, but the Patriots said the league told the team it will launch an investigation.
“We are aware of the civil lawsuit that was filed earlier today against Antonio Brown, as well as the response by Antonio’s representatives,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We take these allegations very seriously. Under no circumstance does this organization condone sexual violence or assault. The league has informed us that they will be investigating. We will have no further comment while that investigation takes place.”
The 31-year-old Brown, a Miami native, was released by Oakland last week after clashing with the team throughout training camp. He agreed to a contract with New England on Saturday but has yet to play for the Patriots.
Brown and Taylor met through a Fellowship of Christian Athletes group at Central Michigan University, according to the lawsuit.
Taylor said Brown reached out to her via Facebook in June 2017 and asked the former gymnast for help with improving his strength and flexibility.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor was sexually assaulted by Brown on separate training trips to Pittsburgh and Florida that same month. The suit includes what it says are text messages from Brown bragging about the second assault.
Taylor says in the suit she then cut off ties with Brown. But she agreed to work with him again after she says he apologized and agreed to provide hotel accommodations for each training trip.
According to the lawsuit, Taylor and Brown were in Miami in May 2018 when he raped her in a bedroom at his home. Taylor says she shouted “no” and “stop,” but Brown refused.
Heitner said in his statement Taylor invited herself to join Brown and his friends on a night out on the town, and then came on to Brown before they engaged in consensual sex at his residence.
Brown was approached by Taylor in 2017, according to Heitner, about making a $1.6 million investment in a business project. But he declined.
Heitner said Taylor reached out to Brown again last year, and she traveled to his residences on multiple occasions. Heitner said she asked for tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
“Mr. Brown, whose hard work and dedication to his craft has allowed him to rise to the top of his profession, refuses to be the victim of what he believes to be a money grab,” Heitner said in his statement.
Brown was originally traded from Pittsburgh to Oakland in the offseason. But a bizarre foot injury, fight with the NFL over his helmet, skipped practices, multiple fines, a run-in with general manager Mike Mayock and his social media posts ultimately led to the decision to release him.
Brown agreed to a deal with the defending Super Bowl champions hours after the Raiders let him go, granting his request.
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AP Sports Writers Bob Lentz and Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.
