As Texas House Democrats face threats of civil arrests and removal from their offices amid a political battle over the voting rights of Black and Latino voters in the state, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is sending them support with a reminder of her own threatened arrest.

“Here is my beautifully framed warrant from ‘21!” Crockett wrote in the caption of a post with an image of her framed arrest warrant sitting on top of her office desk when she served as a Texas state representative.

In 2021, Crockett and more than 50 Democrats had civil arrest warrants issued against them by the State House of Representatives after they similarly fled Texas to prevent the passage of a controversial voting restrictions bill. The legislation imposed several restrictions that experts said disproportionately burdened Black and Latino voters, including mandating voter IDs, restricting voting-by-mail, and even barring election workers from distributing applications to request mail-in ballots.

Democrats argued that the bill, similar to other bills proposed in Republican-controlled states, was in direct response to the high voter turnout among Black and Brown voters in the 2020 election, which resulted in the loss of President Donald Trump in the presidential race against former President Joe Biden.

In July 2021, Crockett and other Texas Democrats successfully delayed the bill’s advancement when they crossed state lines in a procedural strategy that prevented Republicans from holding a quorum—the needed number of lawmakers to conduct legislative business.

Nearly four years later, Crockett, now a United States congresswoman, encouraged state House Democrats as they attempt to fight a congressional map drawn by Texas Republicans that would eliminate a majority-Black district represented by longtime Congressman Al Green and significantly divide Black and Latino communities, essentially diluting their voting power in districts shared with majority white, Republican-leaning voters.

Crockett reflected on her experience fleeing Texas in 2021 to protect her constituents’ voting rights. She did so while also slamming Trump (referring to him as “47,” representing the 47th president of the United States), who ordered Texas Republicans to redraw the map to give Republicans in Congress five additional seats to maintain their slim majority on Capitol Hill in next year’s midterm elections.

“Almost to the day 4 years ago, for the only time in my life, a warrant was issued for my arrest, not because I was sexually abusing people (coughs like 47), not because I was defrauding people (coughs like 47), not because I staged a coup (coughs like 47), but because I had the AUDACITY to represent for the people in my district that the Texas Republican legislature sought to trample upon,” wrote Crockett.

The popular Texas lawmaker added, “Well as the song says, I’m still STANDING!,” telling her fellow Democrats, “When a bully punches you, you KNOCK THEM OUT!”

Urging the public to support Texas Democrats, most of whom fled to Chicago, Crockett added, “Show Texas House Dems some love! They are beyond courageous and are frankly heroic! Follow them, share their message out, pray for them!”

Jamarr Brown, executive director of Color of Change PAC, said of the controversial Texas congressional map: “A lot of those lines are being drawn based on race and partisanship, and they’re being drawn in a process that already determines an outcome.”

“It doesn’t put people at a fair playing level in terms of running for office, in terms of showing up to vote, in terms of actually doing the things that democracy says we’re supposed to do,” Brown told theGrio. He added that in a democracy, lawmakers must “earn power,” not simply “draw and mandate and legislate their own power.”

7

Former President Donald Trump turned heads once again this week with a viral Truth Social post that praised actress Sydney Sweeney for her new American Eagle campaign while launching scathing critiques of luxury car brand Jaguar and pop icon Taylor Swift.

In a post on Monday morning, Trump celebrated Sweeney’s ad, writing:

“Sidney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ’em Sidney.”

Sweeney, best known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, has recently been in the spotlight for her denim campaign with American Eagle, which has been widely circulated across digital platforms.

The Anyone But You star has never been focal about politics but recently got exposed by Buzzfeed that she registered to vote as a republican next election.

Trump’s praise of Sweeney quickly went viral among his supporters online, with the post generating a wave of engagement from conservative influencers who hailed the actress as an example of “anti-woke” Hollywood.

But the former president didn’t stop at Sweeney. He went on to criticize a recent Jaguar ad campaign, calling it “stupid” and “seriously WOKE.”

“Jaguar did a stupid, and seriously WOKE, advertisement, THAT IS A DISASTER. The CEO just resigned, the company is in turmoil,” Trump wrote.

While Trump didn’t provide specifics about the Jaguar ad or name the campaign in question, the automaker has recently leaned into sustainability messaging and progressive branding, including DEI initiatives in their European and North American markets. It remains unclear whether the CEO resignation he referenced is accurate or related to marketing decisions.

Trump linked his criticism of Jaguar to what he has long dubbed the “Bud Light Effect” — a reference to the backlash the beer brand faced after a brief partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in 2023. Trump reiterated his belief that “going woke” leads to financial ruin:

“Shouldn’t they have learned a lesson from Bud Lite, which went Woke and essentially destroyed, in a short but very Woke campaign, the Company. The market cap destruction has been unprecedented, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS LOST.”

Finally, Trump took another swipe at Taylor Swift, reviving a feud that began during the 2020 election cycle when Swift began vocally supporting Democratic candidates. Trump wrote:

“Or just look at Woke singer Taylor Swift. Ever since I alerted the world as to what she was by saying on TRUTH that I can’t stand her…”

While Swift has not responded to the latest jab, she remains one of the most politically active celebrities of her generation, using her platform to endorse candidates, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and urge young Americans to vote. She’s also coming off a record-shattering year with her Eras Tour, which has boosted local economies and grossed over $1 billion globally.

Related

On July 31, President Donald Trump—through an executive order—reinstated the national fitness test, which anyone who attended public schools in the United States (or in Department of Defense schools for kids of military parents overseas) from 1956 until 2013 is familiar with.

According to NBC News, “Students were generally asked to perform some combination of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, running, and reaching for their toes while seated. Starting in the 1960s, those with the highest fitness scores were eligible to receive a Presidential Physical Fitness Award.”

In 2013, President Barack Obama replaced the fitness test with the Presidential Youth Fitness Program, focusing more on individual health than the requirements of the original fitness test.

In his executive order, Trump also established his Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, which would be tasked with determining the criteria for the new fitness test and performance awards associated with it. It is chaired by professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau. At the press conference announcing the return to a national fitness test and the council, several high-profile athletes and entertainers were named as members of the council, but one of those athletes reportedly declined the invitation. 

According to CBS News Philadelphia, during a press conference at the Philadelphia Eagles’ training camp, recent Super Bowl winning running back Saquon Barkley clarified that he, in fact, declined the invitation to join the panel. Apparently, he declined the invite some time ago and didn’t expect to hear his name mentioned as a member, leaving him “a little shocked.”

“A couple of months ago, it was brought to my team about the council. So, I’m not really too familiar with it. I felt like that I’m going to be super busy [with the football season], so me and my family thought it probably was in our best interest to not accept that. [I] was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned, but I’m assuming it’s something great. But [I] was a little shocked when my name was mentioned.”

While Barkley cited his work commitments as reasons he ultimately decided not to join the president’s council, in February of this year, Barkley was the subject of significant media and public backlash after playing golf with Trump and flying aboard Air Force One with the president. He was also one of several Eagles players who attended the White House, as is often tradition for the team winning the Super Bowl (and various other sporting events). 

At the time, Barkley shot back on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Some people are really upset cause I played golf and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have [an] amazing day.”

Other (reportedly confirmed) members of the President’s Council on Youth, Sports, and Nutrition include Tony Romo, Wayne Gretzky, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Jack Nicklaus, among others. The rollout for the new fitness test will be administered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

1

After nearly two decades apart, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington are back in action. Apple and A24 have officially unveiled the first trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, a contemporary crime thriller inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 masterpiece High and Low. The film is set to premiere in theaters on August 15, with a streaming release on Apple TV+ following on September 5.

From Kurosawa to Concrete Jungle

Highest 2 Lowest transposes the moral tension of Kurosawa’s original story from post-war Japan to present-day New York City. In this reimagining, Washington plays a powerful hip-hop mogul whose life is upended when a ruthless kidnapper mistakenly abducts his chauffeur’s child instead of his own. As the plot unravels, the mogul is faced with a gut-wrenching ethical dilemma: pay the ransom for a child not his own or preserve his empire’s standing.

The film pays direct homage to High and Low, itself based on Ed McBain’s crime novel King’s Ransom, but with a sharp Lee lens on race, class, power, and the cost of redemption in modern America.

A Reunion 19 Years in the Making

Highest 2 Lowest marks the first collaboration between Washington and Lee since 2006’s Inside Man, a box office hit and critical success. Their reunion alone is cause for celebration, but the film also boasts a striking supporting cast. Rapper A$AP Rocky makes a rare screen appearance, joined by Emmy-winner Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and breakout star Ice Spice.

The film debuted out of competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to considerable buzz. The screening was especially meaningful for Lee, marking his sixth appearance in the Official Selection and falling exactly 36 years after the Cannes debut of Do the Right Thing in 1989.

A New York State of Crime

While Kurosawa’s film leaned on long takes and black-and-white contrast to evoke its moral fog, the trailer for Highest 2 Lowest promises a kinetic, neon-lit descent into New York’s underworld. Spike Lee’s signature visual style, bold colors, dolly shots, and politically charged backdrops, is on full display. The trailer hints at a layered narrative with whispers of police procedural, media manipulation, and the seductive power of wealth.

The film was written by Lee and screenwriter Alan Fox. It was produced by Todd Black (Escape Artists) and Jason Michael Berman (Mandalay Pictures), with executive production by Lee through his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Peter Guber for Mandalay, and Katia Washington, Denzel’s daughter, alongside Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Jordan Moldo.

Apple and A24 Double Down on Auteur-Driven Cinema

Highest 2 Lowest is the latest prestige collaboration between Apple and A24, following their critically acclaimed efforts like The Tragedy of Macbeth and Beau Is Afraid. With both studios known for championing bold, auteur-driven projects, this film adds further weight to their reputations for redefining what studio-backed streaming films can look like.

Spike Lee, who’s been outspoken about systemic inequality in both his documentaries and narrative films, appears poised to once again ignite cultural conversation, this time through the prism of ransom, reputation, and revenge.

Check out the official trailer for Highest 2 Lowest now and mark your calendar for its theatrical debut on August 15. The film will stream exclusively on Apple TV+ starting September 5.

Related

Anderson Clayton wanted a headline name to speak at North Carolina Democrats’ summer gala — but the state party chair bypassed familiar Capitol Hill figures, looking instead to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

She described him as “a real fighter” against President Donald Trump, someone who gets things done because he actually controls levers of government — unlike any Democrat in Washington.

“I wanted people to hear from one of the Democratic governors who has defended their state, who could look at the president and say, ‘I’m in a position of power right now just like you are, and I’m doing good things,’” Clayton said.

Indeed, some Democratic activists see the party’s 23 governors as their best answer to Trump’s second Republican presidency. Those statehouse chiefs provide proof voters will embrace alternatives — and could give them a roadmap for the 2026 midterms, when Democrats hope at least to reclaim a U.S. House majority. They also will likely be central to the party’s hopes in the 2028 presidential race.

There is no question Democrats are down at the federal level. Republicans control the White House, the House and the Senate, allowing Trump to pursue an aggressive agenda. The party lacks a singular leader, and recent polling shows Democratic voters are deeply pessimistic about their party’s future.

Yet many governors reject the narrative that Democrats are reeling.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a 46-year-old first-term executive, points to his work on economic development, job growth and reducing crime.

“Who was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement? I mean, there were multiple people who had leadership roles,” Moore said. “I mean, if you want to see … the direction that people should be going, show me a place that’s delivering results.”

‘You have to deliver for people’

U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, has been in congressional majorities and in the minority. Now she’s the Democratic nominee for governor in one of two 2025 governor’s races. Her former House colleague Abigail Spanberger is the Democratic nominee in Virginia.

“I can tell you what attracted me to run for governor is that there’s no ability to blame anything on anybody else,” Sherrill said. “You have a vision as governor, and you have to deliver for people.”

Emily’s List President Jessica Mackler, whose organization backs Democratic women for public office, praised Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a possible 2028 presidential contender, and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is seeking reelection in 2026, for canceling some medical debts.

Pritzker secured a $15 per hour state minimum wage. In Kansas, Democratic Governors Association chair and two-term Gov. Laura Kelly worked with Republican legislative majorities to reduce and finally eliminate state sales taxes on groceries. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for the Senate, expanded Medicaid insurance coverage in states with Republican legislative majorities.

“Governors are so important because they are on the front lines,” Mackler said.

Democratic governors, she added, have shored up abortion access after the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision ended a national right to the procedure, and they’ve defended access to health care for transgender patients, even in conservative states. That includes Kentucky’s Beshear, elected twice in a state Trump carried three times.

It’s about more than Trump

Some governors stand out as aggressive Trump critics, including some possible 2028 contenders.

“Our democracy is on the line,” Pritzker said at the North Carolina event. “Are you ready to fight?”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom jousts with the Trump administration on social media, and he’s produced podcasts aimed at Trump voters. But Sherrill and others say being a Democratic governor is not simply about opposing Trump on a personal level.

“People are furious that a president who ran on affordability is actually raising costs on everyone,” she said.

She cited Trump’s trade wars and the GOP’s tax cuts that are tilted to the wealthy while their safety net program cuts hit the poor and working class. Democrats, she said, must level attacks based on how policies affect voters, then offer plausible alternatives.

“I’m talking to thousands of New Jerseyans every day, and what I’m hearing is, ‘I just need somebody who’s going to go to Trenton and deliver for me,’” Sherrill said.

Republicans have defended their bill, saying it was crucial because there would’ve been a massive tax increase after December when tax breaks from Trump’s first term would expire.

Bright spots for Democrats

Bradley Beychok, a Democratic consultant and co-founder of the American Bridge super political action committee, said the dynamics in Washington are frustrating.

“When you lose a presidential election and the House and the Senate, no one is happy, and they shouldn’t be,” he said.

But, Beychok added, “the reality is we lost a close election” and had key down-ballot wins.

Republicans had the so-called Washington trifecta at the start of Trump’s first term, and Democrats bottomed out then at just 15 out of 50 governors. But in succeeding years they flipped nine governors’ seats. Only one Democratic incumbent governor has lost since, and their current slate of 23 includes five of seven presidential battlegrounds Trump swept in 2024.

“People are willing to split their ballots because they connect the results they see on the ground with their governors,” said Clayton, who celebrated a win in North Carolina by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein despite Trump carrying the state. “Now we just have to do a better job of localizing the federal elections the same way.”

A Spanberger win in Virginia would give Democrats 24 governors heading into 2026, when 36 executive seats will be on midterm ballots. New Jersey currently has a Democratic governor.

Governors can swing the presidential pendulum

History suggests a base of state power bodes well for opposition parties in Washington.

Bill Clinton was a longtime governor in 1992 when he ended Republicans’ winning streak of three presidential election landslides. His successor, George W. Bush, was among the many Republicans governors elected in the GOP’s 1994 midterm sweep. Before Clinton and Bush, Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Jimmy Carter won the presidency as former governors.

Many current Democratic executives have visited early nominating states or, like Pritzker, general election battlegrounds. Most of them, Maryland’s Moore included, dismiss 2028 speculation.

“We don’t have the time,” he said.

Love Island season 6 contestants JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez shocked fans with their breakup announcement this week that quickly spiraled into a public feud loaded with harsh words and accusations. What was once a promising connection turned into a heated battle filled with claims of manipulation and racism that rocked the Island community and beyond!

🗣️ JaNa’s Heartfelt Message And Raw Truth
JaNa opened up to her followers, saying, “Hi my loves. Thank you for all your love & support. It means the world to me. As you know, Kenny and I are no longer together. Please know that I have seen all the breakup theories and none have matched up to how terrible, disgusting and disappointing it truly is.” She continued, “Discovering that someone you loved isn’t who you thought they were and that the relationship you thought you were building hasn’t been genuine since day one has been truly devastating. Thank you for respecting my privacy and please know as a child of God, I will always be okay.”

🤐 Kenny’s Response And JaNa’s Fiery Clapback
Kenny kept his tone calm at first: “I’ve been quietly sitting with a lot of emotions and doing my best to process everything privately. Breakups are never easy, especially in the public eye. Sometimes, despite how deeply you care for someone, you come to the hard truth that the relationship was not something that could last long-term. I release this chapter with no ill will, only a hope that JaNa’s path forward brings her nothing but happiness.” But JaNa wasn’t having it, firing back on Instagram Stories, “@kennyrodriguez stfu you manipulative liar. You not taking accountability and telling people the type of person you really are is insane to me!! My first statement was me being nice. Do not piss me off.”