Category: Uncategorized

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Muhammad Ali’s Son Detained By Florida Immigration

Muhammad Ali Jr., born in Philadelphia and son of one of the most famous men in the world, was detained for two hours at an airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

From the Courier-Journal:

The son of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was detained for hours by immigration officials at a Florida airport, a family friend told the Courier-Journal.

Muhammad Ali Jr., 44, and his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali, the second wife of Muhammad Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Feb. 7 after returning from speaking at a Black History Month event in Montego Bay, Jamaica. They were pulled aside while going through customs because of their Arabic-sounding names, according to family friend and lawyer Chris Mancini.

Immigration officials let Camacho-Ali go after she showed them a photo of herself with her ex-husband, but her son did not have such a photo. Mancini said officials held and questioned Ali Jr. for nearly two hours, repeatedly asking him, “Where did you get your name from?” and “Are you Muslim?”

When Ali Jr. responded that yes, he is a Muslim, the officers kept questioning him about his religion and where he was born. Ali Jr. was born in Philadelphia in 1972 and holds a U.S. passport.

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New York Times To Troll Trump During Oscars

As the Trump administration continues it’s assault on the media over stories deemed ‘less than flattering’ to Trump, the New York Times has a new marketing campaign: “The truth is more important now than ever.”

From CNN:

The New York Times is running its first television ad in seven years during the Oscars Sunday night. The subject? The truth. The ad begins with voices saying, “The truth is our nation is more divided than ever,” with those words spelled out against a white backdrop. The phrase then changes to “The truth is alternative facts are lies.” The ad repeats different versions of the “The truth is…” as the voices speed up and get louder. It ends with: “The truth is hard” and “The truth is more important now than ever.”

The ad’s mission is to tap into “national dialogue going on right now about facts and the truth” and what that means in today’s world, according to New York Times branding exec David Rubin. “The idea is to be a part of that discussion about what does it mean to find the truth,” he said. “What does that mean in a world of ‘fake news’? And what is the role of journalism and journalists in that process and what is the role of reader in supporting that journalism?”

While the Donald likes to refer to the NY Times as ‘failing,’ the truth is their subscriptions are up.

How do I know?

Because I’m one of those new subscriptions 🙂

Watch the new spot below:

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Shep Smith Defends CNN Again: “CNN’s Reporting Is Not Fake News”

Shep Smith

Yet again, Fox News’ Shepard Smith took to the airwaves today to defend CNN after White House press secretary Sean Spicer excluded CNN and others from a closed door press “gaggle.”

“For the record, ‘fake news’ refers to stories that are created, often by entities pretending to be news organizations, solely to draw clicks and views and are based on nothing of substance.

“In short, fake news is made up nonsense delivered for financial gain. CNN’s reporting was not fake news. Its journalists followed the same standards to which other news organizations, including Fox News, adhere.”

Watch below:

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Activists Prank CPAC With “Russian” Trump Flags

(image via Facebook)

Activists Jason Charter and Ryan Clayton of the group Americans Take Action pranked the conservative event CPAC today by passing out red, white and blue flags with the word “Trump” on them.

Only problem was – it was the wrong “red, white and blue.”

From Talking Points Memo:

Charter, 22, told TPM by phone that he and Clayton organized the prank in order to “honor Trump’s relationship with Putin.” He said almost no one at CPAC seemed to realize the flag he handed them bore the horizontal red, white, and blue stripes of the Russian Federation underneath Trump’s name.

“I asked people if they wanted a Trump flag and they took it,” Charter said. “Many Trump supporters were proudly waving their Russian Trump flag.”

“I think it says a lot about Donald Trump’s base and their education level,” he said. “I don’t want to insult anyone, but I think you should know what the Russian flag is. They are one of the world’s major powers, and it’s a pretty easily recognized flag.”

CPAC staff quickly confiscated the flags, but not before the embarrassing image went viral on social media.

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Viral Video: “The Big Deal”

An Australian birthday party turns tense when a young man stands and shares a secret about himself.

What happens when he comes out to his family regarding a very personal choice?

“A simple difference shouldn’t be a big deal”

From the organizers of The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival which is currently under way in Australia.

Watch below:

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Utah House Committee Advances Bill To Criminalize Non-Disclosure Of HIV+ Status

By a vote of 9-2, the Utah state House Judiciary Committee has approved new legislation that would require folks to disclose HIV/AIDS status or face criminal penalties.

By a vote of 9-2, the Utah state House Judiciary Committee has approved new legislation that would require folks to disclose HIV/AIDS status or face criminal penalties.

House Bill 369 now heads to the full House for debate.

LGBT advocates and AIDS support groups worry that such legislation could discourage people from getting tested for HIV. Executive director of the LGBT rights group Equality Utah, Troy Williams worries that enacting statutes like HB369 were “starting down a path toward criminalizing people with HIV.”

But Republicans on the committee say there’s no reason status shouldn’t be disclosed by consenting adults. “To knowingly put another person at risk of harm to their body,” Rep. Kim Coleman, R-West Jordan, said. “Why should that not be a crime?”

At one point, a proposal was put forth that would include disclosing any sexually transmitted disease, but that amendment failed.

(source)

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White House Press Secretary Holds “Invite Only” Press Gaggle With Select Media Outlets

Sean Spicer

Several White House reporters were surprised and outraged today as White House press secretary Sean Spicer chose to hold a private press gaggle in his office inviting “friendly” media outlets but blocking several that President Trump has publicly deemed as having less-than-favorable reports on his administration.

From The Hill:

Spicer decided to hold an off-camera “gaggle” with reporters inside his West Wing office instead of the traditional on-camera briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

Among the outlets not permitted to cover the gaggle were news organizations that President Trump has singled out for criticism, including CNN.

The New York Times, The Hill, Politico, BuzzFeed, the Daily Mail, BBC, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Daily News were among the other news organizations not permitted to attend.

Several right-leaning outlets were allowed into Spicer’s office, including Breitbart, the Washington Times and One America News Network.

A number of major news organizations were also let in to cover the gaggle. That group included ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Reuters and Bloomberg.

The White House Correspondents’ Association sharply criticized the decision.

“The WHCA board is protesting strongly against how today’s gaggle is being handled by the White House,” Jeff Mason, the association’s president, said in a statement.

“We encourage the organizations that were allowed in to share the material with others in the press corps who were not,” he added. “The board will be discussing this further with White House staff.”

A White House spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

The “invitation only” presser drew quick rebuke from journalists.

From the New York Times:

“Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties,” Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, said in a statement. “We strongly protest the exclusion of The New York Times and the other news organizations. Free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest.”

And then these from Twitter:

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Hillary Clinton For Democrats: “Let Resistance Plus Persistence Equal Progress”

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reaches out to fellow Democrats just a day before the party is set to elect it’s next party chair.

During the three minute video, Clinton rallies the Dems for the work and elections that lie ahead.

“Ideas we championed are now inspiring leaders and activists across our country. Nearly sixty-six million votes are fueling grass roots energy and activism.

“And everywhere people are marching, protesting, tweeting, speaking out and working for an America that’s hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted.

“We as Democrats must move forward with courage, confidence and optimism, and stay focused on the elections we must win this year and next,” she said. “Let resistance plus persistence equal progress for our party and our country.”

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President Trump Plans To “Do Something” About Press Use Of Unnamed Sources

President Trump told the crowd at CPAC today he plans to “do something about” the media’s use of unnamed sources.

Via Deadline:

“They shouldn’t be allowed to use sources unless they use somebody’s name,’ Trump told an enthusiastic crowd of conservatives at their annual gathering outside Washington, D.C.

“I want you all to know we are fighting the fake news. Phoney. Fake,” he said to roars of approval.

“I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are.. because they have no sources; they just make them up when there are none. They make up sources” he said.

“And they shouldn’t use ‘sources’,” he said, adding they should be required to put the names of everyone to whom they speak into their reports. The end result he explained, “you will see stories dry up like you’ve never been before.”

Considering we have the First Amendment, I don’t think El Trumpo will be doing anything about how the free press utilizes named or unnamed sources.

You’ll recall back in the day, the president liked to call NYC media and pretend to be “Donald Trump’s publicist” to drop blind items about himself in the newspapers.