Why The 'Race Card' Is Played

In His Eulogy, Obama Said That John McCain Made Him a "Better President" Barack Obama delivered a eulogy for John McCain on Saturday morning at the National Cathedral, in which he put into sharp relief the importance of bipartisanship—a theme that ran throughout the memorial service. Speaking before assembled array of political leaders, Obama said that McCain made him and fellow former McCain rival George W. Bush "better presidents, just as he made the Senate better, just as he made the country better."  Before his death from brain cancer last Saturday, Senator McCain carefully planned his memorial service, selecting Obama and fellow former president George W. Bush to be speakers and pointedly excluding sitting president Donald Trump from the proceedings. Like Obama, Bush bested McCain in an election, the 2000 Republican primary.  In his eulogy, Obama admitted to “a certain surprise” at being asked to speak at McCain’s memorial. The selection of his opponents

Bank of America freezing accounts of suspected undocumented immigrants Bank of America is facing scrutiny amid reports they have been freezing the bank accounts of customers suspected of not being legal U.S. citizens. The Miami Herald on Thursday published a report featuring numerous profiles from Bank of America customers who have alleged the bank either froze or threatened to freeze their accounts due to citizenship questions. Saeed Moshfegh, an Iranian doctoral student at the University of Miami, told the Herald he was denied access to his bank account after his local branch told him it could not accept the documentation that showed his current status as a student. "This bank doesn't know how the immigration system works, so they didn't accept my document," the 36-year-old told the Herald. "It's not the business of Bank of America to shut down someone's account," he added. "Immigration officers are different from Bank of America

Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid receive standing ovation at U.S. Open A day after the NFL‘s request to throw out Colin Kaepernick‘s claims that owners conspired to keep him out of the league was denied, the former 49ers quarterback and ex-teammate Eric Reid received huge ovations from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium during Serena Williams’ 6-1, 6-2 win over her sister Venus at the U.S. Open. Kaepernick has become the face of the new civil rights movement ever since he began protesting police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem to draw attention to the oppression of people of color in the U.S. “I think every athlete, every human, and definitely every African American should be completely grateful and honored how Colin and Eric are doing so much more for the greater good, so to say,” Serena said after her match Friday night. “They really use their platform in ways that is really unfathomable.” She added: “I feel like they obviously have great respect from a lot of

Man admits to burning black man alive in a letter to white supremacists  Tennessee authorities already had John Carothers in custody and charged him with murder for reportedly burning a black man alive. They also knew he had previously been convicted of one murder and pleaded guilty to lesser charges in another, but investigators still couldn’t figure out why Carothers allegedly committed the crime. According to News Channel 5, it was only when Rutherford County, Tenn., deputies intercepted a letter from Carothers to a white supremacist group that they discovered the reason for Carothers’ heinous act: Carothers was a racist. "My brothers in Jesus Christ our savior and Lord,” the letter begins, written in the barely legible chicken scratch preferred by white supremacists everywhere. Carothers continued: “My name is John Carothers and I believe the bible is about white people and for white people. I am in the Rutherford County Jail for burning a black man. I set him on fi

Colin Kaepernick Is Not Going Away Proving that a team or a league colluded to keep a player off the field has been difficult over the years.  “Smoking gun” documents that show owners acted in a coordinated way are rare. Aggrieved players have a hard time proving teams deliberately passed them over in favor of less talented alternatives because teams hire and fire players for subjective reasons all the time, and are well within their rights to do so.  Then there is the case against the N.F.L. brought by Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who has accused the league’s owners of snubbing him because of his decision to protest by kneeling during the national anthem.  A case that was originally about Kaepernick’s skills has turned into something much larger: a referendum on his politics, free speech and even his legacy. N.F.L. teams have signed players who have beaten their spouses and run operations that killed dogs for sport, but protesting during the natio

Puerto Rico increases Hurricane Maria death toll to 2,975 Officials in Puerto Rico now say 2,975 people died following Hurricane Maria - a devastating storm that struck the US island territory in September 2017.  The revised death toll is nearly 50 times the previous estimate of 64.  Governor Ricardo Rossello "accepted" the findings in a long-awaited independent investigation.  The mayor of the capital, San Juan, accused the US government of deliberately downplaying the impact of the storm.  Puerto Rico has struggled to repair its infrastructure and power grid since the storm, and is asking US Congress for $139bn (£108bn) in recovery funds.  "I'm giving an order to update the official number of deaths to 2,975," Governor Ricardo Rossello told reporters on Tuesday. "Although this is an estimate, it has a scientific basis."  In a statement, the White House said the federal government supported the governor's efforts to "ensure a full accoun

Andrew Gillum scores stunning victory in Democratic nomination for Florida governor TALLAHASSEE — Democrat Andrew Gillum rode a surge of liberal support from young people and African-Americans to a stunning primary victory Tuesday and the historic opportunity to be the first black governor in Florida's history.  With 94 percent of the votes counted, Gillum had an unofficial 3-point lead over his closest rival, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham. Gillum overwhelmed Graham in Miami-Dade and Broward, the state's two largest Democratic counties, by more than a 2-to-1 margin, in the highest turnout for a midterm primary election in Florida history.  "I am overwhelmed," Gillum told a cheering crowd of supporters at a victory party at Hotel Duval in downtown Tallahassee. "I want you to know that this thing is not about me. This race is about every single one of us. Those of us inside this room. Those outside of this room. Those who voted for me. Those who didn't vote