5

The rookie class of 2024 is already making a lot of noise as the WNBA season enters Week 5. These rookies are proving that they belong on the professional stage by achieving excellent results across various parameters. Here’s a closer look at the top five rookies who have emerged as early leaders:

1. Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)

Angel Reese has been a dominant force for the Chicago Sky, leading in multiple categories. She ranks first in Rebounds, Steals, Player Efficiency Rating (PER), and Win Shares, showcasing her all-around game and impact on both ends of the court. Additionally, Reese is second in Points, Offensive Rating, and Defensive Rating, underlining her scoring ability and defensive prowess. Her versatility and consistent performance have set her apart as the top rookie so far.

2. Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)

Caitlin Clark is making headlines with her scoring and playmaking for the Indiana Fever. Clark leads all rookies in Points and Assists, demonstrating her offensive firepower and ability to facilitate her teammates. She also ranks second in Steals and PER, third in Blocks, and fifth in Offensive Rating, proving she’s a multifaceted threat on the floor. Clark’s dynamic play has been a key factor for the Fever this season.

3. Cameron Brink (Los Angeles Sparks)

Cameron Brink has been a defensive stalwart for the Los Angeles Sparks, leading the rookies in Blocks and Defensive Rating. She also holds the second spot in Win Shares, third in Rebounds, and fifth in Points. Brink’s ability to protect the rim and contribute offensively has been instrumental for the Sparks, making her a crucial part of their lineup.

4. Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics)

Aaliyah Edwards is proving to be a solid all-around performer for the Washington Mystics. She ranks second in Rebounds and Blocks, third in Defensive Rating and Win Shares, and fourth in Points and Offensive Rating. Edwards’ balanced contributions on both ends of the court have been vital for the Mystics, showcasing her versatility and consistency.

5. Rickea Jackson (Los Angeles Sparks)

Rickea Jackson, also of the Los Angeles Sparks, rounds out the top five with her impressive scoring and efficiency. Jackson ranks third in Points and Offensive Rating, fourth in Win Shares, and fifth in PER. Her ability to score efficiently and contribute to wins has made her an essential player for the Sparks.

The early performances of these rookies suggest that the future of the WNBA is bright. Angel Reese’s dominance in multiple statistical categories makes her a front-runner for Rookie of the Year, while Caitlin Clark’s scoring and playmaking abilities have made her an instant star. Cameron Brink’s defensive impact, Aaliyah Edwards’ all-around game, and Rickea Jackson’s scoring efficiency highlight the depth of this rookie class.

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TLC is set to captivate audiences this summer with its all-new relationship series, FORBIDDEN LOVE. Premiering on Sunday, July 21 at 10 pm ET/PT, the series delves into the lives of four couples whose deep love is challenged by their vastly different religious backgrounds. As they navigate the complex journey of conversion and cultural assimilation, viewers will witness a profound exploration of faith, love, and the ties that bind.

In FORBIDDEN LOVE, each couple must confront the daunting task of merging their lives while respecting the deep-seated traditions and beliefs that have shaped them. Can their relationships endure the trials of conversion, or will the weight of their decisions prove too much for their love to bear?

Meet the Couples

Laurie (36) and Eli (32):

Laurie (36) and Eli (32)

Laurie, who grew up devoutly Catholic but lost her faith after her father’s untimely death, faces a significant challenge as she prepares to convert to Orthodox Judaism to be with Eli. The process demands radical lifestyle changes, from altering her wardrobe to taking religious classes, prompting Laurie to question if she’s sacrificing too much for love.

Lindsey (34) and Elmer (23):

Lindsey (34) and Elmer (23)

Elmer’s departure from his Amish community to marry Lindsey has left him struggling to adapt to the modern world, compounded by the disapproval and disownment of his family. Lindsey, older and more experienced, had certain expectations about married life with Elmer, but quickly discovers the complexities of integrating their disparate upbringings, especially with a baby on the way.

Ashley (31) and Mohammad (31):

Ashley (31) and Mohammad (31)

Their whirlwind romance and subsequent marriage have placed Ashley, raised in a conservative Catholic family, at odds with Mohammad’s Muslim beliefs. Mohammad desires for Ashley to convert so their daughter, Rozie, can be raised in a Muslim household. This situation creates a rift, not just between Ashley and her family, who feel she should remain true to her roots, but also internally as she grapples with the demands of strict religious laws.

Lensa (32) and Kris (37):

Lensa (32) and Kris (37)

Kris, the son of a Pentecostal preacher, falls in love with Lensa, a Muslim woman with a history of arranged marriages. The couple’s desire for each other to convert puts them at odds with their respective families and religious communities. Their love story raises poignant questions: Will they forsake their faiths and families for each other, or will the pressure prove insurmountable?

FORBIDDEN LOVE is produced by Sharp Entertainment, a part of Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction, for TLC. The series promises an intimate look at the intersections of love and faith, challenging the notion of whether love can truly conquer all.

Tune in to TLC on July 21 at 10 pm ET/PT to witness these compelling stories unfold and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #ForbiddenLoveTLC.

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Vice President Kamala Harris came out swinging against her yet-to-be-named Republican vice presidential opponent, making it clear she’s ready to duke it out on the debate stage with whoever and whenever Donald Trump chooses his 2024 running rate. 

“I’m planning on being at the CBS studios … in either July or August,” the vice president said over the weekend of the upcoming debate planned for this summer during an interview with Politico’s Playbook. “And let’s see if the other side shows up. I’m ready to make the case — whoever he picks, no matter who it is.”

Democratic strategists who spoke with theGrio praised America’s first Black and first female vice president for getting ahead of the televised vice presidential debate – which will be held on July 23 or Aug. 13 – showing her ability to play the offensive in what analysts predict will be a close and most certainly consequential race. 

Though Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has yet to announce his pick for vice presidential running mate, he reportedly launched a formal vetting process. The shortlist includes U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

While some political analysts believe Trump will pick a running mate to appeal to independent and moderate voters, Vice President Harris appeared to paint the crop of Republicans as extremists. 

“What we know is that Donald Trump wants an enabler. He doesn’t want a governing partner. He doesn’t want another Mike Pence, and I think that is clear,” said the VP. “The litmus test is, are they going to be absolutely loyal to Trump over country or their oath of office, or, frankly, the American people?”

Political commentator Reecie Colbert said the VP’s proactive onslaught of Republicans displayed a “boss energy.” The Sirius XM host of “The Reecie Colbert Show” noted the stakes are particularly high for Harris because many people are “trying to make this campaign into a referendum on Biden’s age and implicitly that Vice President Harris would step in should something happen to him.”

Colbert told theGrio that while “people have spent the last four years underestimating her capabilities,” Harris proved during her 2020 vice presidential debates with former Vice President Mike Pence that she can go “toe-to-toe” with whoever is ultimately on the stage with her.

“One of her greatest moments in the campaign last cycle was the ‘I’m speaking’ interaction with Mike Pence…[it] did her a lot of favors,” she recalled. 

Democratic strategist Joel Payne similarly noted that Harris “wiped up the floor” with Pence. He noted that the vice president has been battle-tested throughout her political career and has shown herself as an effective debater and communicator. 

“Anytime she’s been asked to do a public back and forth with a Republican, even if you kind of go back to her Senate days when she was a part of those Supreme Court hearings, those are moments where she’s tended to shine,” Payne explained. “During the Democratic primary debates when she was a candidate for president herself, she performed pretty well, including, frankly, landing some points on Joe Biden.” 

Harris could potentially face off with a Black man, as Scott, Donalds and Carson are on Trump’s shortlist. During her interview with Politico, the vice president specifically called Congressman Donalds, who recently was in the hot seat for arguing that Black families were stronger during Jim Crow.

“It’s sadly yet another example of somebody out of Florida trying to erase or rewrite our true history,” Harris said, referring to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ school curriculum that argued Black people benefited from slavery. “I went to Florida last July to call out what they were trying to do to replace our history with lies. And apparently, there’s a never-ending flow of that coming out of that state.”

Colbert pointed out that the VP was “superb” when she, on a whim, traveled to Florida to deliver a fiery speech condemning Florida’s Black history curriculum. On matters of race, she said it’s a “losing issue” for Republicans. Even if the Republican Party were to choose a Black vice presidential candidate, Colbert maintained, “The contrast isn’t just being a Black man versus a Black woman. The contrast is being competent and actually being conscientious of our racist history.”

Colbert said, ultimately, she doesn’t believe any of the Republican VP hopefuls are “equipped to measure up” in a debate with Harris. “All they have is propaganda, disinformation, and towing Trump’s line,” she said. 

Colbert said of Donalds: “We’ve seen [him] fall apart in all of the interviews he’s done around this Jim Crow situation. He especially doesn’t have the temperament to go back and forth [with Harris].” Senator Scott, she said, also tanked during the Republican presidential primary debates.

“I don’t see anybody who is as poised and as substantively prepared for this level of scrutiny compared to Vice President Harris,” she insisted.

Antjuan Seawright, a longtime Democratic strategist, described Harris as “perhaps the most consequential vice president ever to serve” and who demonstrated that she is “ready to lead on day one.”

“If engaging means fighting, she’s ready to do that. If engaging means defiling the opposition, she’s clearly prepared and ready to do that,” Seawright told theGrio. He continued, “If it means laying out and leaning into a policy agenda that she can proudly say she helped shape the mold, she’s ready to do that. Or even if she’s stepping on the world stage, representing our country, our allies, and our community, she’s ready to do that as well.”

Seawright, a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), said as a former prosecutor, Harris “knows how to prosecute the case and close the case.” As a history-making Black vice president, he said Harris can also uniquely “speak directly to the needs, concerns, fears and hopes and aspirations of our community with shared values and shared experiences.”

Payne said Harris is “held in pretty high regard” in Black communities not just because of her representation as a Black woman but also because of “what she’s advocated for as a senator and as vice president.”

“She’s really stitched together a pretty clear case of issues of real salience for African-American voters,” he said. Ultimately, as a Democrat, Payne said, “I’m not concerned about Kamala Harris holding her own in a debate setting.”

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Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter is making waves with her latest single, “Please Please Please,” which debuted at #9 on the global Spotify chart, amassing an impressive 6.317 million streams on its first day. This achievement marks Carpenter’s highest debut on the platform, signaling a significant milestone in her burgeoning music career.

The success didn’t stop there; Carpenter also earned her biggest debut on YouTube with the single, garnering 6.5 million views. This makes “Please Please Please” the third biggest debut for a solo female song on YouTube this year, trailing only behind “lunch” with 8.2 million views and “yes, and?” with 7 million views. This strong performance highlights Carpenter’s growing influence and fanbase.

In the days following its release, “Please Please Please” continued to gain momentum on Spotify. On its second day, the track saw a rise to 6.679 million streams, and on its third day, it surged to 7.889 million streams, propelling it to a new peak at #3 on the Global Spotify chart. Notably, this surge occurred on a Sunday, a day when streaming numbers typically dip, underscoring the song’s widespread appeal and Carpenter’s star power.

Comparing the performance of “Please Please Please” with Carpenter’s previous hit “Espresso” further illustrates her upward trajectory. While “Espresso” had strong opening numbers—3.67 million, 3.29 million, and 3.6 million streams over its first three days—”Please Please Please” more than doubled these figures, showcasing Carpenter’s growing dominance in the music industry. “Espresso” also recently hit a milestone, surpassing 500 million streams on Spotify faster than any of her previous releases.

On the day “Please Please Please” saw its significant spike in streams, Carpenter celebrated her biggest streaming day ever on Spotify with a total of 27.4 million streams across her catalog. This achievement highlights her increasing popularity and the broad appeal of her music.

As anticipation builds, “Please Please Please” is predicted to debut at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, potentially marking another career high for Carpenter. This prediction, if it comes to pass, will further cement her status as a formidable force in the music industry.

Overall, the success of “Please Please Please” on both Spotify and YouTube, coupled with the continued achievements of “Espresso,” exemplifies Sabrina Carpenter’s rapid ascent and enduring impact on the global music scene. Fans and industry watchers alike are eager to see what milestones she will conquer next.

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Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

One of my favorite movie franchises is “Fast & Furious” — not because it’s a world full of tremendous acting and amazing storytelling but because it started out as a movie about the real world and morphed into a movie series that sent Ludacris and Tyrese into outer space in a car and that wasn’t even the craziest thing that happened throughout the films. 

That is how I feel about the “Power” franchise (nobody has been to space…yet) and why I love “Ghost” so much. It wasn’t more than a few years ago when everybody who watched “Power” (the original series that has, so far, launched three spin-offs) wanted Tariq St. Patrick dead. He was an annoying, privileged rich-kid-turned-criminal whose father seemed to hate him (even in death) with one goal: graduate from Stansfield University as quickly as possible so he could get his trust fund and get his family back together. In the time since that first season, we have been gifted with the worst mother of all time in Monet Tejada (more on this later), arguably the flyest, most expensive wardrobe on television, an English 101 class called canonical studies that somehow equates to a year’s worth of college and the most nonsensical top NBA draft prospect of all time. “Ghost” checks every single box when it comes to WTF? and/or the “Ain’t No Way” Olympics. Oh, that family he was trying to get back together? Non-factor. 

I love it. The writers of this show are some of the most creative minds ever. Why do I say this? I’m glad you ask. 

This new (and unfortunately, final) season is off to a wonderful start. 

We pick right back where the last season left off: Brayden shows up at the warehouse where Tariq is about to be killed by Kane and Noma. Kane believes that Tariq tried to kill Monet, which is only partly true. If you’ll remember, Diana and Dru wanted Tariq to do that, but his mother showed off and let off the blicky. Anyway, point is, Tariq and Brayden get away and we pick up with them trying to figure out what to do. Here’s where it gets fun. 

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Tariq and Brayden SOMEHOW have Army guns stashed and turn into special ops shooters from “Call of Duty.” Listen, I’m not saying that Tariq and Brayden don’t go to a shooting range on occasion, but we never see it, and they always seem to be running from somewhere trying to get this paper. Yet, they have true-to-life army guns and start shooting people up at an airport. I love it. This makes no sense but I’m 100% here for it. 

Let’s talk Monet right quick. I’m glad she’s not dead yet. Monet is in surgery after being shot, and in a dream sequence while we wait for her to live or die, she’s visited by Mecca and Lorenzo (her ex-husband and kids’ father) who point out just how horrible a mother she is. I’ve written about this already, but it was really nice to hear them say it. She killed Mecca herself and then had Lorenzo killed. She is the reason her son, Zeke, died. Point is, Monet is terrible but I need her to live a little longer. Don’t get it twisted; she needs to die at some point … just not yet. 

Dru and Diana need to die as well. For one, they tried to have their mother killed because she had their father killed, which I totally get. But do your own dirty work, guys. Secondly, Diana then totally backs off the kill-Monet plan because Monet tried to save her WHILE she tried to have Monet killed. Diana is a horrible decision-maker; she needs to go. It’s just time for Dru. I don’t have any real reason for him to go but I just look forward to it. I cannot tell you how excited I was when I thought Tariq was going to kill him in the first episode. 

This brings us to the point of the first episode: EVERYBODY is trying to get to Tariq and Brayden. Noma. Cane. Diana. Dru. This should be a fun season, folks. 

Oh, oh!!! I forgot that Davis is still around, too. That was fun. Oh, and the ghost of Angela Valdez still haunts this St. Patrick family as Angela’s nephew just started working at the DEA and catches a hot one already thanks to Tariq (well it’s really his own fault, but if we acknowledge that then there’s no reason for this new character played by Michael Ealy to show up). 

For a first episode of a final season, I think I’m fully ready to buckle back up into this season, and I’m really lamenting that this is the final one. But since this is life, let me go ahead and lay out a prediction: Cane is the only one left standing. 

If Tariq and Brayden are still alive, we can’t end the show so at least one of them has to die. And I just WANT everybody else to die, for closure. 

For me. 

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).

39

Popular streamers Heelmike and Zherka have been handed permanent bans from the live-streaming platform Kick, following allegations that they solicited a 16-year-old girl named Yuli. The girl’s father has confirmed her age, leading to swift action from Kick administrators.

Zherka’s controversy extends beyond the current allegations. He is a known associate of Nick Fuentes, who has reportedly expressed a desire to marry a 16-year-old girl when he reaches the age of 30. Fuentes has also advocated for the practice of forced child marriage. Zherka himself has allegedly admitted to having pedophilic tendencies.

The situation surrounding Zherka took another disturbing turn when Isabella Riley Moody, another associate of Fuentes, promised her newborn daughter to Zherka as a future bride.

Case and point.

How is this “Christ Like” or remotely related to Christian behavior?

Isabella Riley Moody @isabellarileyus is a prime example of an evil person pretending to be Christian, but her mask keeps slipping off.

Video Credit: @kinocopter pic.twitter.com/PvszEnsYp5

— Tree of Logic 🇺🇸 (@Tree_of_Logic) August 7, 2023

In response to the ban, Zherka took to platform X to issue a statement. He claimed he had met Yuli through a podcast girl who identifies everyone and that he had checked her ID and received a vouch from a friend. Zherka expressed outrage, stating, “I’ve been nothing but good to that stupid bitch. We never had one issue in past collaborations. She always just did her job as the ‘girl finder’ for the streams. I swear to God she had no reason to try and get me got. Can you imagine how much worse that could have got. I don’t know the motive but I am going to ruin that bitch’s life for farming that clip off my perfectly clean record. She did not even apologize, she just kept saying that I am tripping for no reason and the girl is not lying. What a nasty fucking bitch.”

Heelmike has also found himself at the center of the controversy, posting a photo that appears to show him in bed with the 16-year-old girl identified as Yuli. A purported ID circulating online lists a birthdate of 2005, which would make her 18, but her father has confirmed that she is only 16 and that the ID is fake.

Heelmike released a secretly recorded conversation, along with a driver’s license, to defend himself. However, Florida, where the recording allegedly took place, is a two-party consent state, meaning both parties must be aware they are being recorded.

Heelmike responded to the backlash on the X platform, saying, “Last night we got set up by a trusted worker, this is me kicking out the girls. (Secret recording) She wanted fame so bad that she tried taking us down for it. They are both snakes, nasty and evil women. Told you we are innocent you stupid fucks.”

Last night we got set up by a trusted worker of mine, this is me kicking out the girls. (Secret recording)

She wanted fame so bad that she tried taking us down for it.
They are both snakes,
Nasty and evil women.

Told you we are innocent you stupid fucks pic.twitter.com/ckFcFTM6UP

— Heelmike (@Heelmike) June 10, 2024

The bans from Kick mark a swift and severe response to the allegations against Heelmike and Zherka. Do you think the streamers should be arrested?

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