Politics:
The Good: Judge Allows Lawsuit Against Trump To Proceed
In a court ruling on Wednesday, a Maryland Federal Judge said that a lawsuit alleging Trump and Co. possibly took illegal payments would be allowed to move forward. Although White House Secretary Sarah Sanders said that she: “can’t comment on ongoing litigation”, allegations of illegality on behalf of the Trump administration continue to persist as accusers say that Trump violated the Constitution’s “Emoluments Clause” when Trump International Hotel’s received payments from foreign and domestic entities. Judge Peter Messite is quoted saying: “[A] large number of Maryland and District of Columbia residents are being affected and will continue to be affected when foreign and state governments choose to stay, host events, or dine at the Hotel rather than at comparable Maryland or District of Columbia establishments, in whole or in substantial part simply because of the President’s association with it,”. With petitioners claiming that not only did Trump International put other legitimate businesses at an disadvantage, they were also handed tax concessions. Moving forward, the Judge in the case also notes that Congress (currently controlled primarily by the GOP) is the only government body that can approve or deny payments given to the President which he states is “particularly concerning”.
The Bad: White House Refuses To Weigh In On Police Shootings
With the proliferation of crime against citizens from the hands of police reaching the masses via social media and news outlets, the Trump administration has been urged to make a move to combat recent attacks, although the administration issued a statement, it wasn’t what the American public needed. When asked about Louisiana’s recent decision not to prosecute the police involved in the Alton Sterling shooting, White House Secretary Sarah Sanders said the incidents were a “local matter” and “should be left up to local authorities.” Even after this week’s shooting in Sacramento, California which left Stephon Clark dead after police reported he had a weapon (which was later discovered to be a cell phone) Sanders said: “This is something that is a local matter and that’s something that we feel should be left up to the local authorities at this point in time.”
Technology:
The Good: Craigslist Combats Misuse Of Personals Section
After lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill called the “Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act”, Craigslist has announced it will be discontinuing their personals section in an effort to fall in line with the fight against third party misuse of it’s site. The bill aims to hold online companies liable for damages when someone misuses their site to commit crimes. Craigslist issued a lengthy statement regarding their decision explaining their predicament and apologizing for the inconvenience: “We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking Craigslist personals offline. Hopefully we can bring them back some day.” The bill which hasn’t been signed by President Trump yet was passed by the Senate & The House 97-2, 388-25, respectively. In addition to Craigslist scaling back on services, Reddit has also announced it has changed it’s user policies this week saying among other things that the site cannot be used for: “Paid services involving physical sexual contact;”.
The Bad: Facebook Continues To Face Challenges
After a tough week on Wall Street stemming from privacy concerns and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook continues to struggle with loses on the market as more people begin to circle the already injured social media giant. This week several housing groups filed a lawsuit against Facebook claiming that ads for housing were placed upon the site and excluded certain people from seeing them including: African Americans, Spanish speakers, families with high school aged children, persons with disabilities and others. A spokesperson for Facebook addressed the allegations in a statement: “There is absolutely no place for discrimination on Facebook; “We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.” Although the company stands by it’s policies, Diane L. Houk, an attorney representing the housing groups says: “Facebook has known for years that it’s advertising platform violates civil rights laws, but it has refused to change its ways on a voluntary basis.”
Entertainment:
The Good: Cardi B Makes Big Moves
The long awaited debut album from Cardi B is finally on its way. In addition, the Bronx rapper has also announced that she’ll be represented by Quality Control Music which currently manages: The Migos, Lil Yatchy & Rich The Kid. The management group was formed by Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “Pee” Thomas out of Atalanta who’ve been associated with acts such as Gucci Mane, & Young Jeezy. Cardi’s album “Invasion Of Privacy” is set to drop on April 6th, 2018 and will released through Atlantic Records. Cardi took to social media and expressed her excitement for the album, and hoped that fans and spectators would focus on the quality of the content and not the projected sales.
The Bad: R. Kelly Allegations Of Misconduct Resurface
R. Kelly is once again in the spotlight amid sexual allegation charges after a documentary from the BBC3 was created called: R Kelly: Sex, Girls and Videotapes. The Guardian reports that one of Kelly’s ex-girlfriends, Katti Jones claims that she and others were “trained” by R. Kelly to be his “pets” and subjected them to cruel treatment. Jones spoke with The Guardian about the film saying: “I was introduced to one of the girls, that he told me he ‘trained’ since she was 14, those were his words, I saw that she was dressed like me, that she was saying the things I’d say and her mannerisms were like mine. That’s when it clicked in my head that he had been grooming me to become one of his pets.” In addition to speaking with The Guardian, Jones also spoke with Rolling Stone Magazine claiming that she was physically and mentally abused by Kelly. The documentary: R Kelly: Sex, Girls and Videotapes is available to stream only in the U.K.
Hilarity:
Waiter Fired, Waiter Says He’s Just French
A Canadian waiter is seeking damages for what he is claiming is unlawful termination and discrimination against his culture. French server Guillaume Rey says that he was wrongfully fired after a restaurant finally let him go after they claim he was aggressive with another waiter after checking on his duties. After the British Columbia’s Human Rights Tribunal refused to throw out the case, they granted Rey the chance to state his case. Rey’s defense is that he’s not rude, he’s simply French.
When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong…In Church…
Pastor Thaddeus Matthews of the Naked Truth Liberation & Empowerment Ministries is praised and demonized for his open and often controversial messages. After posting a picture of himself resting his head on a women’s breasts on Instagram, the Pastor responded with a not so settle message defending his actions: “I like P*ssy.” Although some appreciate his honesty, his latest antics and comments have gone viral leaving avid Christians wondering if he’s worthy of the pulpit.
