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Country star Ingrid Andress is taking responsibility for her now-infamous rendition of the National Anthem at the MLB Home Run Derby. The performance, widely ridiculed online, prompted Andress to come clean about battling a problem with alcohol.

In a social media statement, Andress admitted, “I’m not gonna bulls***t y’all, I was drunk last night.” She went on to announce she’s checking herself into a treatment facility “to get the help I need.”

The news comes after widespread criticism of Andress’s performance, with many calling it “cringe-worthy.” While unfortunate timing, it’s not the first time the National Anthem has been mangled at a sporting event. Comparisons were drawn to Fergie’s much-discussed performance in 2018.

Andress expressed remorse for her actions, stating, “That was not me last night.” She apologized to fans and the nation for the performance.

Details surrounding the specific treatment facility and the duration of her stay remain undisclosed. However, Andress’s statement suggests a commitment to recovery.

Despite this setback, Andress boasts a promising career. A four-time Grammy nominee, she’s garnered recognition within the country music scene. This incident seems to be a bump in the road for the talented singer.

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When you’re a rock star you can do whatever you want. So if you’re Lenny Kravitz and your longtime friend Denzel Washington calls while you’re on stage, you don’t have to wait to pick up the phone.

During a recent stop on his Blue Electric Light Tour, the “Fly Away” singer took a moment to shout out the legendary actor, saying, “I’m sorry, my big brother just called me up on the phone to say hi.” He then held up his phone, announcing, “Y’all know Denzel Washington.” This caused the crowd to go wild, something the rocker encouraged, bringing a smile to Denzel’s face. “Alright brother, I love you, I’ll call you later,” the actor/singer said as he concluded the call.

Kravitz posted the moment on Instagram with the caption, “When your brother calls and you’re in the middle of a show.” The replies to the video seemed to agree that Lenny took the only possible course of action.

One user pointed out that he was simply doing what was expected, writing, “When Denzel calls, you just drop what you’re doing. It’s in the rule book I think.”

Another person noted that the “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” rocker lives differently than the rest of us, replying, “You can never out flex Lenny. Damn!”

As if celebrating his friendship with Denzel wasn’t enough, Lenny continued to rile up the internet by posting a photo of himself enjoying some “me time” with a magazine and teacup in the bathtub. As you would expect, this image sent the 60-year-old artist’s fans into a frenzy.

One person wrote, “I now identify as a bathtub.”

We’ve seen a lot of these photos coming out of Lenny’s world tour, leading one fan to call him “King of all thirst traps!”

Meanwhile, another user who has their priorities in order, wrote, “Is the water still hot?”

Seems like Lenny Kravitz is trying to save the world, one Instagram post at a time.

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

It was really painful to read the New York Times’ new roundtable with 11 Black men who like Donald Trump. I almost never hear Black Trump supporters give reasons for supporting him that make sense in the real world. It’s like they live on a planet where up is down. I went into this roundtable expecting more of that.

Any time I see a Black Trump supporter, I want to vomit because racism, white supremacy and white victimhood are critical to Trump’s brand. Somehow I suppressed my gag reflex throughout this roundtable. We started on a bad foot — when asked to describe Trump in one word, one of them said, “Courageous.” Oh lord. Here we go with the deification of Trump and the fake vision of him as a tough guy. Another said, “Respected.” LOL. Someone also said, “Knowledgeable.” That proves that we’re talking about a Bizarro World Trump and not real Trump. 

None of these people will ever again set foot at the cookout.

For many of them, Trump’s funding for HBCUs was critical. HBCUs came up repeatedly, perhaps more than any other issue, and to them, it stood as proof that he’s not racist. This is like saying that being racist means you must hate Black people with all of your heart, and you cannot be friends with even one of them and you have to try to hurt them at every turn. This is a childish vision of racism. Today’s racists tend to be more subtle than the old Boss Hoggs were. Some might do something small to make you think they’re not racist, like HBCU funding, or they might cloak a racist appeal in anti-racist language like arguing that affirmative action actually hurts Black people. It’s true that federal funding for HBCUs increased under Trump, but the program predates his presidency by decades and funding is appropriated by Congress. Fact-checkers say it’s inaccurate to say Trump saved HBCUs. 

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But politically, it’s clear that HBCU funding and saying “I saved HBCUs” has helped Trump build a bridge to some Black voters who are gullible. One man actually said “Trump isn’t racist,” which is more Bizzaro World Trump.

One of the men said the most important issue in this election is the border. This man lives in Georgia, and he cited something that happened in Philadelphia as proof that the border was a big national issue. What happened in Philly? He said a local private school where his cousin is a schoolteacher opted to house some unknown number of immigrants who he said, “Came from the border.” He did not actually know if they were undocumented, which is a critical fact, but he said either way, “It was a safety concern.” Why was it a safety concern? Also, according to him, nothing actually happened. No one was hurt. No Black jobs were lost. He just felt concerned. Oh.

The leadership of the right has done an amazing job over the last few decades of turning the border and immigration into an emotionally triggering issue that has scared the hell out of many Americans, motivated Republican voters and fooled people into thinking this is an issue that impacts them no matter where they live. In reality, immigrants commit less crime than native-born citizens — immigrants have never, over the past 150 years, been incarcerated at a higher rate than citizens — and they aren’t taking away Black jobs, but for many Americans, just hearing a phrase like “illegal alien” is enough to turn their blood hot and spark visions of losing our country, whatever that means. Trump’s success is the product of a long-term wave of anti-immigrant sentiment that has been manufactured by the right.  

One of the men crowed about the stimulus checks and how helpful they were. He did not talk about why he was getting stimulus checks — because Trump mismanaged the response to COVID so badly that we had to just give people money to survive. Of course, the stimulus checks were a Democratic congressional concept that they had to fight Republicans to get passed but don’t let complicated political reality get in the way of supporting your vision of Trump.

One man said he liked Obama but “What happened?” as if Obama’s inability to fix all of the country’s problems meant he should vote for Trump. 

Perhaps the strangest moment to me was this: When asked what do Republicans understand the least about Black people, one man said “I would say opportunity. They have this mind-set of up by the bootstraps. And that’s definitely true in some ways. We can make things happen for ourselves. But I have a lot of friends that were born with a house already. They didn’t have to do anything, and they already have a house. That doesn’t happen in our world a lot.”

He’s referring to intergenerational white privilege and the way that many white families have some sort of inheritance that they can pass down to their kids. It could be a whole house or a business, it could be the ability to help with a down payment or a business loan. Yes, there are plenty of white people who don’t have this, but fewer Black people have this option, so this man is noticing that Republicans don’t understand intergenerational white privilege. They say “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” in a world where many white people are, in his words, “born with a house.” So how can this party help you when they don’t even understand the basic challenge of being Black in America? So why are you riding with them and their racist nominee?

I still have yet to hear Black Trumpers give reasons for supporting Trump that actually make sense.

Toure is a host and writer at TheGrio. He hosts the TheGrio TV show “Masters of the Game,” and he created the award-winning podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and its upcoming sequel “Being Black: The ’70s.” He is also the creator of “Star Stories” and the author of eight books, including “Nothing Compares 2 U an oral history of Prince.” He also hosts a podcast called “Toure Show.” He is also a husband and a father of two.

Excitement is building as Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. prepares to gather in Indianapolis, Indiana, from July 23 to July 28, 2024, for its highly anticipated Grand Boulè at the Indiana Convention Center. The conference is set to attract a record number of participants committed to scholarship, service, sisterhood, and finer womanhood.

The theme for this year’s event, “Finer Women Amplifying The Extraordinary Power of S.H.E. through Legacy, Leadership & Impact,” reflects the sorority’s dedication to promoting education, reducing health disparities, and addressing critical issues facing women today. The six-day conference will commence with a VIP reception at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and feature an array of events designed to empower local female entrepreneurs and support youth mentorship.

A significant highlight of the conference is the launch of the Period Poverty Project, a collaboration between Zeta Phi Beta and Project Period. This initiative aims to combat period poverty by providing menstrual hygiene products and education to young girls, thereby ensuring they can remain in school. With over 10,000 boxes of supplies and nearly $90,000 in donations collected, the project represents a significant effort to support underserved communities and dismantle the stigma around menstrual health.

The conference will feature a series of workshops and events emphasizing social, health, and economic justice. Notable events include:

• Women Who Win in Indy Training Day and Pitch Competition (July 22): In collaboration with the Office of Minority and Women Business Development of Indianapolis and the Be Nimble Foundation, Zeta Phi Beta will host a training day and pitch competition, sponsored by Macy’s, to support women-owned businesses in health, beauty, and wellness. Participants will receive training from partners such as Prudential, JPMorgan Chase, and WBENC.
• The Extraordinary Power of S.H.E. Opening Program (July 23): This event will feature a fireside chat on Black wealth, hosted by Prudential and DFREE, with special guests Lexi Allen and performances by Ann Nesby, Anita Wilson, Richard Boone, and VaShawn Mitchell.
• Social Justice Town Hall and Luncheon (July 24): Keynote speakers include U.S. Congresswoman Kamlager Dove and U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. The event will focus on the collective power to drive community change and the upcoming 2024 elections.
• Health Justice Town Hall and Friendship Luncheon (July 25): Sponsored by Black Health Matters, this luncheon will be moderated by Camille Chang Gilmore of Boston Scientific and feature prominent health professionals discussing crucial health justice issues.
• Impact Awards Dinner Gala (July 26): Hosted by Vivica Fox and Jericka Duncan, this gala will honor top Zeta Phi Beta chapters and award two $125,000 scholarships. The evening will include a fireside chat with U.S. Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman and performances by After 7, Big Daddy Kane, YoYo, and others.

The conference will conclude with celebrations honoring service women and their contributions, featuring support services and recordings for the Library of Congress.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Grand Boulè in Indianapolis promises to be a momentous event, celebrating the organization’s enduring legacy and ongoing commitment to impactful community service.

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Rhea Ripley finds herself embroiled in a complex on-screen drama, with Jey Uso’s recent advances complicating the already charged dynamic between Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. This unexpected development has WWE fans debating the narrative’s potential.

Ripley’s previous reign as world champion was critiqued for prioritizing storylines with male superstars. This narrative choice overshadowed her rivalries with female contenders, hindering proper feud development. Given Ripley’s current involvement with Mysterio, Liv Morgan, and the Judgment Day faction, some within the industry fear the Jey Uso angle dilutes the overall narrative.

Furthermore, an extended love triangle could inadvertently garner sympathy for Dominik Mysterio. If Ripley reciprocates Jey Uso’s advances, it weakens Mysterio’s position and potentially undermines his character arc. Additionally, with Ripley’s recent transition to a babyface role, a focus on romantic entanglements might not be the most strategic character development for her.

There’s undeniable intrigue surrounding this storyline. However, with Ripley’s existing narrative complexities, WWE risks narrative oversaturation. The upcoming weeks will reveal whether this storyline enhances the ongoing drama or becomes a superfluous plot point.

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Everybody’s still shook after seeing video of former President Donald Trump becoming the victim of what the FBI is calling an assassination attempt. While lots of details are still unclear, politicians on both sides of the aisle have been calling for cooler heads in the midst of years of volatile rhetoric.

That’s admirable, especially given the current political climate, but we shouldn’t forget that nothing’s really changed about the agenda of the right wing. Republicans still wish to roll back voting rights, they’re still determined to bleach away diversity initiatives anywhere they can and they still want to eliminate women’s reproductive rights.

Stephen Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, told news website Axios in April that a new Trump administration intends to nix a number of President Joe Biden’s progressive policies.

“As President Trump has said, all staff, offices, and initiatives connected to Biden’s un-American policy will be immediately terminated,” said Cheung. There is no indication that has changed since that interview.

According to Axios, an organization called America First Legal, founded by former Trump aide Stephen Miller (who is on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of extremists), in February sued CBS and Paramount Global for discrimination against a white man who was a writer for the network’s show “Seal Team” in 2017.

The same month, the group sued the NFL over the “Rooney Rule,” which requires the league’s teams to interview at least two minority candidates for principal leadership positions. In 2021, the group backed a successful lawsuit against the Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund in which three white restaurateurs claimed the program’s prioritizing of women and minority businesses was discriminatory.

“This ruling is the first, but crucial, step towards ending government-sponsored racial discrimination,” said Miller at the time.

Trump has pledged to “create a team to review and reverse actions under Biden’s “equity” agenda,” calling the concept of equity “Marxist.” Cheung parroted the sentiment to Axios: “President Trump is committed to weeding out discriminatory programs and racist ideology across the federal government.”

This comes as recent focus of The Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” continues to increase as the presidential campaign moves forward. Meanwhile, heralding of a bloodied Trump’s fist pump photo by conservative sycophants, who wasted no time in pointing the finger either at President Biden, or at the left wing in general, is also increasing.

This, despite investigators determining so far that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, acted alone and was a registered Republican (reports that he donated in 2021 to a Biden-supporting PAC seem dubious because he would have been 17 at the time).

The point is these folks are determined to achieve what they see as a Ayn Rand-esque utopia where the human rights achievements of the last century are erased and replaced by a religious fundamentalist theocracy run by Trump loyalists.

Right now, the only narrative is sympathy for Trump who was wounded in this fiasco, and it is warranted. To be clear, Trump certainly had an attempt made on his life which is bad enough. What’s worse is a man lost his life just for coming to the July 13 rally with his family – something he didn’t deserve – while another individual remains in critical condition.

However, that does not mean that anyone who opposes Trump’s agenda should change their minds. Project 2025 is VERY dangerous, and perhaps an existential threat. Trump’s own “Agenda 47” aligns with it and has the same implications. You can be sympathetic to Trump while being extremely unsympathetic to his politics.

Already it seems that something suspicious is happening that works in Trump’s favor. On Monday, federal judge Aileen Cannon, a Republican Trump appointee, dismissed the classified documents case against him, finding that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional. This gets rid of a serious legal hurdle for Trump, who had been accused of holding onto sensitive documents after leaving office, and then obstructing the government’s ability to get them back.

Moves like this will serve to empower Trump’s base and give them the confidence they seek as election season continues to heat up. The opposition now needs new, effective tools to push back. But the last attention Democrats have gotten in the political realm has not been positive — now there’s little attention at all.

With the Republican National Convention starting yesterday (July 15), the likelihood is that the far right will sing carols of Trump being a savior who has come to earth from Valhalla to vanquish their enemies, and they will use the attempt on his life as fuel. That means unless Trump himself finds a way to calm his base down, look for the rhetoric to become more heated.

On Sunday night, President Biden appealed to the nation to “cool it down.” He basically said that we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. It remains to be seen if that’s something we can all do.

—————

Madison J. Gray is a New York-based journalist. He blogs at starkravingmadison.com.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Zoning changes by a Georgia county that some residents say threaten one of the South’s last Gullah-Geechee communities of Black slave descendants can’t be challenged with a referendum, an attorney said Monday in a letter to the judge considering a petition by local voters.

Though Georgia’s state constitution allows citizens to force special elections on some decisions by county governments, it doesn’t give them the power to overturn county zoning decisions, wrote Ken Jarrard, an attorney representing McIntosh County commissioners.

Jarrard’s letter to McIntosh County Probate Court Judge Harold Webster comes a week after Black residents of Hogg Hummock filed a petition seeking a referendum on the commissioner’s decision last fall to weaken zoning restrictions that for decades helped protect the tiny Hogg Hummock community.

Located on largely unspoiled Sapelo Island, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Savannah, Hogg Hummock was founded by formerly enslaved people who had worked on the plantation of Thomas Spalding. About 30 to 50 Black residents still live in modest homes along dirt roads in the community, also known as Hog Hammock.

Descendants of enslaved island populations in the South became known as Gullah or Geechee in Georgia. Their long separation from the mainland meant they retained much of their African heritage.

Hogg Hummock residents and their supporters submitted a petition on July 9 with more than 2,300 signatures at the McIntosh County courthouse. Organizers said they collected hundreds more signatures than needed to put the zoning issue before county voters.

Jarrard argued it would be “constitutionally improper” to allow voters to use a referendum to overturn a county’s zoning decision.

Georgia’s constitution empowers citizens to challenge “local acts or ordinances, resolutions, or regulations” by county governments in a referendum if a certain percentage of county voters — 20% in the case of McIntosh County — sign a petition.

Voters in coastal Camden County used that provision in 2022 to block their county government from building a launchpad for sending commercial rockets into space. The Georgia Supreme Court upheld that referendum last year, rejecting opponents’ arguments that the state constitution doesn’t allow citizens to veto decisions of county governments.

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But Jarrard’s letter to the probate judge says the zoning decision in McIntosh County should be treated differently.

He said that’s because Georgia’s constitution states that referendum results are invalid if they clash with other constitutional provisions or with state law. The constitution gives Georgia counties sole authority over zoning, he said, and state law specifies the process for adopting and repealing zoning ordinances.

“Because that same general law declares that local governments have the exclusive power to zone property,” Jarrard wrote, “the Referendum Clause process may not be used to overcome it.”

Dana Braun, an attorney for the petition organizers, said McIntosh County’s attorneys have no legal standing to challenge it. He noted the Georgia Supreme Court in its decision upholding the 2022 spaceport vote ruled that the state constitution’s referendum provision doesn’t authorize a county government or anyone else to file any “form of opposition” challenging a petition before a probate judge.

“We do not believe that McIntosh County has the right to interject itself into this proceeding whether it be by a formal pleading or disguised as a letter to the Probate Judge,” Braun said in an email.

Georgia gives 60 days for a probate judge to review a petition and decide if it meets the requirements for a special election. The organizers of the McIntosh County petition said the zoning issue could go before voters as early as September or October.

The zoning changes adopted in September doubled the size of houses allowed in Hogg Hummock. Residents say that will lead to property tax increases that they won’t be able to afford, possibly forcing them to sell land their families have held for generations.

County officials have argued the smaller size limit was not enough to accommodate a whole family. They said the limit also proved impossible to enforce.

Hogg Hummock landowners are also fighting the rezoning in court. A judge dismissed the original lawsuit on technical grounds, but it has since been amended and refiled.

14

Following the box office triumph of “Marry My Dead Body” in 2023, the endearing police squad is back in action with a spin-off series, “GG Precinct.” Debuting on Netflix on August 22nd, the series is directed by the acclaimed duo of Cheng Wei-hao (“Marry My Dead Body”) and Yin Chen-hao (“Man in Love”), and offers six episodes that blend irreverent humor with captivating murder mysteries.

The story picks up after the events of “Marry My Dead Body,” where Detective Wu Ming-han (Hsu Kuang-han) helped his deceased husband, Mao Mao, find peace. Ming-han, known for his brash and cocky attitude, returns to the precinct alongside his loyal partner, Chubby (Flower Chen). “While this is a spin-off, it felt more like a reunion,” Hsu shared about reuniting with the cast. “There’s a stronger sense of camaraderie this time around.”

Gingle Wang also reprises her role as Officer Lin Tzu-ching. In the prequel, Tzu-ching served as a mole for a mobster, betraying the squad. However, her actions stemmed from a desire to avenge her mother’s wrongful death. “Tzu-ching is happy to be back and grateful for the warm welcome,” Wang explained.

Producer Jin Pai-lunn discussed the origins of the series: “We noticed the amazing chemistry between the quirky cops while filming ‘Marry My Dead Body.’ Their dynamic, despite not always being the most skilled detectives, was fascinating. We knew we had to expand this universe, and luckily, we were able to start filming before the movie’s premiere.”

“GG Precinct” is a one-of-a-kind crime-comedy series that builds upon the success of “Marry My Dead Body,” Taiwan’s official selection for the 2024 Academy Awards. Don’t miss the return of the GG Precinct’s motley crew for more mind-bending and hilarious criminal investigations, coming to Netflix on August 22nd.

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