Ava DuVernay for The Hollywood Reporter May 2019
Ava DuVernay, 46, opened up in a new May 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming Netflix miniseries When They See Us.
The Oscar-nominated director revealed the importance of bringing the Central Park Five Case to light, why she's following her own path, and her decision to hire women and people of color.
When They See Us arrives on Netflix on May 31, and just like the 1989 Central Park Five case did, the limited series will likely foster dialogue about the criminal justice system while encouraging audiences to take political action. Fortunately, it's series director Ava DuVernay who is providing the necessary motivation.
In a May 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Queen Sugar creator shared her thoughts on the current commander-in-chief being an "opportunist." DuVernay suggested that President Donald J. Trump capitalized on the media frenzy enveloping the racially-charged incident that involved five young men of color wrongfully convicted of rape.
But, perhaps, the most impressive part of her candid discussion with The Hollywood Reporter was DuVernay's revelation that she's no longer asking for permission when it comes to creative projects and how she chooses to operate her company, Array Filmworks, and its various production arms.
Unlike the powerful Matthew 7:7 verse says, "knock and the door will be opened to you," DuVernay was adamant about constructing her own doors in Hollywood and kicking them down.
"I always used to say I'm not going to knock on closed doors—I'm going to make my own door," DuVernay said. "When I come here [the Array offices], I'm walking through my own doors. I built my own door, I built it."
Array Filmworks is housed in three buildings on a 14,000-square-foot property in downtown Los Angeles. Despite the campus being a work-in-progress, with plastic sheeting coverings, the foundation at DuVernay's company is sturdy and strong. Partly because the 46-year-old Selma and 13th director is unapologetically carving out her own space and making her own rules, employing a staff of 50, which, as The Hollywood Reporter noted, are all female and mostly of color.
It should come as no surprise for DuVernay to have such a inclusive and female-led team around her, considering she's been championing for inclusion riders, which, in Hollywood speak, means that an actor has a clause in their contract demanding for a film's cast and crew to meet certain diversity requirements. And with her OWN TV series Queen Sugar, DuVernay hired only women to direct all 13 episodes of the first season.
"It's not yet a movement," DuVernay said in her interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a trend. And time will tell if it will mature into an era of true systematic change."
And when The Hollywood Reporter followed up, asking DuVernay if she's ever received any pushback about hiring only females, her answer was far less about wishful thinking and more direct and urgent.
"We can have that conversation, if anyone wants to, in court," DuVernay said. "I will pull out every TV show that never hired a woman. I don't think that's a conversation that anyone's ready to have, but if anyone wants to, I'm happy to have it."
Thankfully, with docuseries like When They See Us, the CBS crime drama The Red Line, and OWN's Queen Sugar, DuVernay is keeping the conversation going in a more equal and productive direction.
#RHOA: Foxy Brown has a message for Kandi’s Fans who BOO’d her offstage at The Welcome To The Dungeon Tour!
Where Brooklyn at? Foxy Brown’s appearance during Kandi Burruss’ Welcome to the Dungeon tour didn’t quite go off as planned.
The legendary rapstress reportedly showed up three hours late to her performance and then proceeded to screw up her verses while onstage.
She also appeared to be off beat during the short performance, resulting in the audience booing her off the stage.
In the footage, Foxy Brown appears wearing dungeon gear complete with a bejeweled mask and sunglasses.
Brown tried to rock the crowd but they were clearly unimpressed and she was eventually pulled off stage.
To add insult to injury, the DJ promptly played ?The Jump Off? by long-time rival, Lil Kim as Brown was being escorted off.
For the record, Kandi proceeded to go on with the show despite Browns unfortunate performance and it seems Foxy is unbothered by the melee.
Less than 24 hours after being booed off the stage during Kandi?s Dungeon Tour, Foxy shared the following social media post, proclaiming she’s “STILL KING BITCH!!!”
So there…….
#Empire: Taraji P. Henson to Testify in Front of Congressional Taskforce at Mental Health Forum
She will testify at the "Mental Health in the Black Community" forum on Friday, June 7
Two weeks after announcing that her Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation will host a two-day mental health summit next month, Taraji P. Henson is further trying to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness in the African-American community.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the Empire actress will be testifying in front of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Taskforce at the “Mental Health in the Black Community” forum on Friday, June 7. The hearing will focus on Henson’s perspective in dealing with mental health and why talking about the issue will benefit the Black community.
Henson, who has been vocal about her personal struggles with depression and anxiety, will support her foundation’s fight to end the stigma of mental illness by publicly speaking during the Can We Talk? Conference and Benefit Dinner in Washington D.C. on June 7-9.
The Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce, led by New Jersey Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, was launched on April 30 and is dedicated to compiling research towards addressing the issue of Black youth suicide and creating better access to mental health.
“This is an incredible opportunity to address the people who can not only help shine a light on this devastating problem in our community, but who also have the power and resources to help us truly make a difference in young Black lives,” the star said in a statement.
“It is an honor to have the support and attention of members of Congress who are truly invested in working towards a solution,” she added.
Henson founded her nonprofit in 2018, naming it after her father, Boris Lawrence Henson, who struggled with mental health challenges as a result of his tour of duty in the Vietnam War.
The summit will kick off June 7 with a 300-person benefit dinner with a keynote address delivered by Dr. Altha J. Stewart, the first African-American to be named President of the American Psychiatric Association.
Proceeds from the benefit will go towards BLHF’s “You Got This!” Fundraising Campaign in an effort to support access to therapy for African-Americans who may not have the means to cover expenses.
The Oscar-nominated actress recently opened up to Variety about her own struggles, revealing the lack of Black mental health professionals is what pushed her to start her foundation.
“You can talk to your friends, but you need a professional who can give you exercises,” she said. “So that when you’re on the ledge, you have things to say to yourself that will get you off that ledge and past your weakest moments.”
#NewMusic: Listen to the Icon Dionne Warwick’s New Album ‘She’s Back’
Legendary Songstress Dionne Warwick has returned to her R&B roots on her new full-length album, She’s Back.
For her first dedicated R&B/soul album since 1969’s Soulful, Warwick enlisted Kenny Latimore, Krayzie Bone of Bone, Thugs & Harmony, and Musiq Soulchild for the ten new songs. She re-recorded Burt Bacharach/Hal David’s classic “What’s the World Need Now is Love” for a second time and made it the lead single for She’s Back.
LISTEN AND STREAM HERE
“The world needs Iove,” she told PEOPLE in a recent interview. “I hope they’re paying attention this time around. It’s time for that healing factor and it’s called love.”
In addition to the new material, Warwick treats fans with all 19 remastered recordings from her 1998 album, Dionne Sings Dionne, which features some of her greatest hits including “Walk On By” and “I Say A Little Prayer For You.”
#HipHopNews: New TuPac Music coming? Suge Knight’s son says so!
This past February, notorious Death Row Records founder Suge Knight claimed that he still owned unreleased recordings from Tupac Shakur. We haven't heard much more about those tracks since, but according to Suge's son, Suge Knight Jr., they're on the way.
https://youtu.be/3T8l630y9NM
Speaking to the folks at Los Angeles' Real 92.3, Suge Jr. spoke on his New Death Row label, his Tupac Shakur-focused conversations with his now-incarcerated father, whether he believed 'Pac is still alive and unreleased tunes from the late rapper. For the latter, he offered up a simple answer.
"Correct," the younger Suge said after radio show hosts asked if there was still unreleased 'Pac music he was working on. Elsewhere, he reveals that, despite his earlier claims that Tupac is still alive and living in Malaysia, he doesn't actually believe the West Coast icon is still breathing.
Suge Knight's son doesn't offer up much else in the way of details regarding the new 'Pac music, but such a prospect is obviously welcome.
Since his death on Sept. 13, 1996, six posthumous solo 'Pac albums have been released. The last one, titled 'Pac's Life, hit stores in November 2006, seemingly concluding what at one point felt like a limitless stream of posthumous albums from the revered rapper. Maybe there's one more in store.
All in the Family’ & ‘The Jeffersons’ Live Shines Taking us down Memory Lane!
He flew 52 bombing runs over Germany during World War II. He started his TV career in 1950. He created the most influential TV program in American TV history. He most recently rebooted the best of the current crop of TV reboots (Netflix's "One Day at a Time").
He is 96. He is Norman Lear.
There are your reasons — a few of them — for Wednesday's “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons.’ ” Lear isn't going to live forever. Time for the tribute. So what was the tribute like?
At first, weird. A detour down memory lane that took a hard right to funkytown — and on to references that were even older than the word "funkytown." Also puzzling.
The accents mostly. Woody Harrelson is an actor with many gifts but clearly no gift for New York-area accents. His Archie Bunker (originally played by Carroll O'Connor) sounded like Jersey by way of Slovakia. Those who still remember Jean Stapleton's Edith don't think of Marisa Tomei — love her as most do — in a ragged wig.
And then, like all funkytown TV, the party started. Jamie Foxx, as George Jefferson, fumbled a line during the opening episode, but naturally had to say something. ("It's live," he ad-libbed. "Everyone sitting at home just think their TV messed up.")
It didn't and he did, and from that moment on, this had our attention. We all entered a time machine (per Jimmy Kimmel, who actually thought this whole project up) and there we remained, until Marla Gibbs turned up during "The Jeffersons" episode to remind viewers that she was once a real star on this long-ago hit (1975-85).
Of the two live episodes, "The Jeffersons" was easily the better, and also made the unexpected case that it was possibly the better series all along. Foxx nailed Sherman Hemsley's George, Wanda Sykes nailed Louise (originally played by Isabel Sanford), Jackée Harry nailed Diane Stockwell (Paulene Myers), Will Ferrell nailed Tom Willis (Franklin Cover) and Kerry Washington nailed Helen Willis (Roxie Roker).
But in the end, this night was about Lear. His comedies once forced viewers to face a tragic part of American history and to somehow laugh about the fact that history hadn't gone anywhere.
Kudos to Kimmel for reminding us of all that — and of him — too.
Or as Norman Lear told Jimmy Kimmel tonight, “I sit in a chair in an audience and I was had!”
Kendall Jenner and Ben Simmons reportedly have broken up
Kendall Jenner and NBA star Ben Simmons have split, according to sources.
Sources said that at the same time a new Australia Vogue cover story dropped — quoting supermodel Jenner saying of potentially marrying Simmons, “Maybe. Definitely not now, but maybe one day” — Simmons was partying solo in Atlantic City, NJ, with pals.
Simmons was spotted with friends at Kuro at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino celebrating a pal’s birthday.
We hear that the group later turned up at Scores, and that there was buzz among Ben’s entourage that he and Jenner called it quits last week.
Another source familiar with the couple said they have broken up. Adding fuel to the rumors, Jenner was posting some cryptic Instagram Story posts the same night — including the new Tyler, the Creator tune, “I Don’t Love You Anymore” as well as lyrics to another of the rapper’s songs, “Puppet,” which includes the line: “I wanna call you and talk.”
Sources said Simmons’ crew included a “tall, supersexy brunette.”
However, the source added of any Scores ladies: “Ben was at a center booth by the stage, but when the topless girls came to the booth, he had security send them away.”
This isn’t the first time the pair’s been on the rocks: Jenner was spotted smooching Gigi and Bella Hadid’s brother, Anwar Hadid, last fall. Reps didn’t comment
Ike Turner’s Daughter says That Rape Did NOT Happen! In the Rape Scene In ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’!
One of the more disturbing and talked about scenes in the 1993 Academy Award-nominated film What’s Love Got To Do With It, involves Tina Turner (played by Angela Bassett) being raped by her husband at the time, Ike Turner (played by Laurence Fishburne.) In a new interview, one of Ike Turner’s children is defending her father—and vehemently denies that the rape ever took place.
Although the film is over 25 years old, it’s still hard to watch the brutal rape scene depicted in What’s Love Got To Do With It, a film that was based on legendary singer Tina Turner’s 1986 biography, I, Tina. Tina has always been very forthcoming regarding the severe past abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike Turner during their marriage and career together back in the 60s and 70s.
When the film was released, fans and audiences were shocked to learn of the private hell that Tina endured for decades. She lived to tell her truth—and as a result embarked upon a successful solo career that took her to professional heights she never had while with Ike.
Fast forward to present day, and Ike Turner’s 50-year-old daughter, Mia Turner, is crying foul and claiming that the infamous rape scene in the film never happened and that it was completely fictionalized. Turner flat out says, “that rape did not happen” and she never witnessed her father abusing Tina in any way during her childhood. Mia’s mother is former Ikette Margaret Ann Thomas, who became pregnant with Mia during his marriage to Tina.
Mia is currently prepping a documentary about Ike and Tina, and wants to set the record straight from her perspective of their relationship during her childhood. Mia admits that she still struggles to believe her father was ever abusive.
She stated, of the rape in question: “Obviously I wasn’t there that night…but after I saw the movie I called Tina’s sister Aillene and said: ‘What in the world?’ She then called Tina and [Aillene] confirmed to me that it never happened.”
Mia continued, adding: “A high percentage of Tina’s account has been accurate. When she signed off on the movie it was the way she wanted it, but it was edited heavily afterwards. We find out later it was tweaked. It was made Hollywood, so there’s quite a few scenes, primarily the rape scene. It didn’t happen. In Hollywood, sex sells, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent.”
Mia claims that all she ever remembers is her childhood being filled with laughter and happy times:
“They didn’t argue much in front of me. When it came to rehearsals, daddy was the choreographer and composer, so they might quibble over things, but I never saw him hit her. I’m not saying those things didn’t happen, I just never saw that.”
However, Turner doubled down on her claims of abuse at the hands of her former husband and has never waivered from her initial claims.
In her 2018 official autobiography, My Love Story, Turner, 79, described what sex was like with Ike:
“For me, though, sex with Ike had become an expression of hostility — a kind of rape — especially when it began or ended with a beating.”
Mia says she lived between both her grandmother’s and Ike and Tina’s homes as a child—she lived with her grandmother during the week and Ike and Tina on the weekends. She also revealed that Tina was aware of her father’s affair with her mother, which was also depicted in What’s Love Got To Do With It.
Despite her denial of Tina’s recollections of physical and sexual abuse, Mia still think fondly of her:
“Tina was like a second mother to me, I have a lot of love and respect for her, I still do. I was like the daughter she never had, we did everything together. Tina will always have a very special place in my heart because that’s my other mother. If I saw her today, I would hug her and say, ‘I love you and I miss you.’”
Ike Turner died on December 12, 2007 at the age of 76 of an apparent cocaine overdose. He and Tina divorced in 1978 and he eventually married Mia’s mother in 1981 before divorcing in 1990 due to his drug use.
Drake Responds After Milwaukee Bucks Coach Calls Out His Courtside High Jinks
Drake is known to be the life of the party whenever he stops by a basketball game — but Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer is not exactly a fan.
The “Nonstop” rapper, 32, was particularly lively while rooting for the Toronto Raptors during their game against the Bucks on Tuesday, May 21. At one point, he even stood up to give a quick shoulder rub to Raptors coach Nick Nurse. In the end, Drake turned out to be good luck for his hometown team, which won 120-102 and tied the Eastern Conference finals 2-2.
A day after the game, Budenholzer, 49, shared his brutally honest thoughts on celebrities receiving special treatment and having access to the court.
“There’s certainly no place for fans and, you know, whatever it is exactly that Drake is for the Toronto Raptors,” he said during a conference call, via ESPN. “You know, to be on the court, there’s boundaries and lines for a reason, and like I said, the league is usually pretty good at being on top of stuff like that.”
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s former agent Georgios Dimitropoulos also took aim at Drake in a since-deleted tweet on Wednesday, May 22. “Imagine a gig & an athlete on VIP seats, right next to the band, stands up on the stage just to show off during the entire game, knowing cameras are on him, occasionally even massaging the singer,” he wrote. “Security&him both allow it. Never seen anything as disrespectful as this before.”
The four-time Grammy winner took to Instagram later on Wednesday to respond to the criticism. He uploaded a photo of himself celebrating the Raptors’ success on the court, captioned with three emojis: a laughing-crying face, a salt shaker and a man shrugging.
Drake then posted a screenshot on his Instagram Story that showed him “liking” a fan’s comment that read, “If you don’t want the opposing team to celebrate and dance, prevent them from scoring, winning, or achieving their objective. Get over it and keep it moving.”
Nurse, for his part, told reporters on Wednesday that he “didn’t even feel” the MC’s shoulder rub because he was “so locked into the game.”
Rihanna Debuts Her Luxury Fenty Collection in Paris
The Paris debut of Rihanna's historic LVMH-partnered luxury Fenty collection is drawing high praise and equally high levels of stokedness from fans.
The launch went down by way of a pop-up boutique, with guests including Balmain's Olivier Rousteing and Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri. Writing on the launch event for British Vogue, Sarah Harris noted that the event was initially delayed by an hour, then delayed again, ultimately kicking off three hours after the previously announced start time. However, this understandably appeared to bother no one in attendance, a fact Harris says is a sign Rihanna has "another hit on her hands."
Pieces range in price from 200 Euros (roughly $223) for a white waist-cinched tee to roughly 1100 Euros for a reversible parka. Speaking to attendees in Paris, Rihanna explained how elements of the design are inspired by what she wishes she could find with ease on her own shopping trips.
"I love strong silhouettes, and for women to look confident, that's what I want to achieve with this collection," she said.
For a proper look at the full collection, Vogue's got you. The general public can get their hands on the new Fenty starting May 29 online. The next drop is slated for late June.
When offering T Magazine an early glimpse at the line last week, Rihanna told Jeremy O. Harris that she took a "very hands-on" approach to this partnership, as she does with all her projects. "I already had a relationship with [LVMH] after the Versailles campaign and the makeup line, so they extended the offer to me and it was a no-brainer because LVMH is a machine," she said.
Halle Berry Plants a Big Kiss on Lena Waithe During 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Monologue
While Jimmy Kimmel was off working on Live in Front of a Studio Audience, which included live recreations of All In The Family and its groundbreaking spin-off, The Jeffersons, Waithe was guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday.
During the Masters of None star's monologue, she received a surprise visit from Halle Berry, who gave her more than just a pep talk. "Baby, what can I do for you?" Berry asked Waithe.
"I need some inspiration. Like that Oscars speech you gave, that got me hyped," Waithe answered, referencing Berry's acceptance speech at the 2002 Academy Awards. "I need you to give me some of that Halle Berry juice."
The 52-year-old actress did just that! "Lena, you know I know you, right? We've worked together. So I know that you are a force of nature. You are a beautiful African American queen," she exclaimed. "...Lena, tonight you are a writer, an actor, a producer and tonight you are a late-night comedian. You about to slay this show!"
Berry quipped, "And you are already winning, girl, because you are dressed way better than Jimmy ever was."
After her inspiring words, the John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum star asked Waithe, "Now, you good or do you need something else?"
Waithe said that the pep talk worked but Berry had something else in mind. "No, I think you need something else," she proclaimed before planting a big kiss on the 35-year-old star.
After their smooch, Berry announced, "Now you're good!"
Mario Batali to Be Arraigned on Indecent Assault & Battery Charge
Mario Batali is expected to be arraigned on an indecent assault and battery charge on Friday (May 24) in Boston, Mass.
A spokesperson for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the news on Wednesday (May 22) in a statement to NBC Boston.
The incident involving the 58-year-old celebrity chef reportedly occurred at a restaurant in the Back Bay area on March 31, 2017.
In a criminal complaint, a woman told police she saw Mario and tried to take a selfie over her shoulder at the restaurant. He apparently noticed, called her over, grabbed her chest and kissed her without consent and invited her to his hotel room according to a Boston Globe report.
A woman in Massachusetts filed a lawsuit back in August of 2018 with similar allegations at the same restaurant. It’s not yet known if the reported criminal complaint and civil suit involved the same person and incident.
“Mr. Batali denies the allegations in both this criminal complaint and the civil complaint filed last August. The charges, brought by the same individual without any new basis, are without merit. He intends to fight the allegations vigorously, and we expect the outcome to fully vindicate Mr. Batali,” said his attorney Anthony Fuller in a statement.
He could face two and a half years in prison if convicted.
Mario was fired from The Chew in December of 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
“Much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong, and there are no excuses,” he said at the time.
‘Braxton Family Values’ Star Towanda Braxton Goes Back to School to Learn Personal Finance Following Bankruptcy
“Braxton Family Values” star Towanda Braxton was forced to go back to school and learn some things about how to manage her money after having to file for bankruptcy.
According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Braxton recently completed an online class on personal financial management.
Braxton completed her class on May 18 and now is one step closer to having her $450k in debt wiped clean. The class was required as part of her bankruptcy and teaches those with money problems how to properly manage their finances moving forward.
As reported, Towanda Braxton filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last month, listing $277,650 in assets but $547,056.39 in liabilities.
She says her monthly income is $4,692 but expenses per month total $6,020, leaving her in the red.
has vandalized his home, and now he wants the man kept away.
Her assets include a new Georgia home she bought recently (worth about $275k), $1,500 in household goods, $1k in clothing and only $150 in her checking account … with zero in her savings.
Towanda’s debt includes $417,715 to a mortgage company, $76k to her former landlord, $982 to Comcast, over a thousand to collection attorneys, $8,480 to Covenant Christian Academy, $6,211.30 in medical bills, $35,000 to her sister Tamar who gave her a personal loan and various other debts.
The case is ongoing.
Tamron Hall Spills Tea on Megyn Kelly Taking Her ‘Today’ Show Time Slot, Why She Hid Her Pregnancy
On March 4 Tamron Hall seemingly shocked many when she announced that she wasn’t only married but pregnant. The former “Today” host shared the news in her 32 second week of pregnancy and explained why she waited in a new interview with People.
“My doctor said, ‘This is your body, your health. You share of your journey what you want to share,'” said the 48-year-old. “I was terrified I would lose this baby, and I would have to go back and tell everyone that now it was bad news, and after this pregnancy had gone so far.”
“I just wasn’t mentally prepared to deal with that,” she added. “That’s why I waited. And trust me, if I could’ve gone the whole way to delivery, I would’ve.”
Hall and her husband, music manager Steven Greener, welcomed their son Moses on April 24, and the new mom said her pregnancy was high risk — not only due to her age, but because of “other medical factors.”
Moses is also Hall’s first child, and she talked about trying to conceive back in her younger years.
“I knew that the clock was not on my side” she explained. “When I tried in my 30s, I still felt like I had some time, and the fertility clinic felt like a bright room. In my 40s I saw all the gray: The faces looked gray, the walls were gray, nothing seemed shiny and optimistic.”
“Just like with my job search during that time, there were so many frustrations: I’m putting in the work, I’m taking care of my mind and my body and I’m being rejected,” she added. “I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute. What have I done wrong here?'”
And regarding Hall’s career, things suddenly shifted when she left NBC and stopped co-hosting the third hour of “Today,” “Today’s Take.”
She suddenly learned the time slot was given to Megyn Kelly, who would eventually be terminated for defending people wearing blackface on Halloween.
But Hall said she holds no bitterness towards the ousted host.
“Let me be clear, I have no ill will toward Megyn,” she explained. “They made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. And they made me an offer I could refuse. But afterward, after 25 years in the business, I felt some of the offers that were coming in were insulting.”
“Like, ‘Wait a minute. I’ve been doing this a long time, and you’re coming to me with these odd little things?'” added Hall. “I felt like, ‘Wow, I’ve put in all this work thinking the right thing will come.’ Well, it was June, and the right thing had not come.”
The Texas native has a new syndicated talk show that premieres Sept. 9, and in retrospect she believes the career change was a huge blessing.
“I’m from the South, and there’s a saying: ‘It’s not a setback; it’s a setup for something else,'” she stated. “That loss set me up for, yes, a dream job but also my baby, my husband, my family. I just couldn’t see it coming.”
Trump Administration Postpones Harriet Tubman $20 Bill Release
Harriet Tubman will not grace the front of the $20 bill until 2028, Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.
Tubman, known as the female Moses, is one of the first Black women who risked her life as a slave to free others through the Underground Railroad. Tubman’s efforts as an activist and abolitionist were honored nearly two years ago when it was decided she would be replacing Andrew Jackson as the new face of the $20 bill.
The Obama Administration initiative specified the bill would be released in 2020 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. But Mnuchin says the bill “most likely” won’t be printed until 2028.
“It’s not a decision that is likely to come until way past my term, even if I serve the second term for the president,” Mnuchin told the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. “So I’m not focused on that for the moment.”
Mnuchin said a redesign of the bill’s security feature will come out in 2020. However, the bill itself won’t be revealed for eight years. He did not explain why the bill wouldn’t be produced at this time. Mnuchin’s announcement sparked many opinions, including from Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Pressley took to Twitter and pointed out Mnuchin’s questionable decision. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“People other than white men built this county. And Sec Mnuchin agrees, yet he refuses to update our #currency.”
Sam Champion returning back home to WABC's 'Eyewitness News'
Weather forecaster Sam Champion is returning to WABC/7, where he had been a popular presence from 1988 to 2006 before going on to "Good Morning America" and The Weather Channel. The station, the flagship of ABC network, announced Wednesday that Champion will join the weekday morning and noon teams starting June 3.
"Sam has a fascination and passion for weather that is absolutely contagious," said WABC president and general manager Debra O'Connell in a statement. "I am thrilled to have Sam join our outstanding Eyewitness News team, bringing with him a tremendous track record for accuracy in weather forecasting along with his genuine care for our tri-state area communities and viewers.”
Champion, 57, has not commented on social media.
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
‘INSERT SPACKLE HERE’
Why do all the cracks always need something on the bottom shelf?
#EGGPLANT NATION Meet KING!
Meet KING! Well to see more you can GO HERE TO SEE THE PICS! And remember they’re NSWF!
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ENJOY!
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!
EFREM
