July 06, 2021

NCAA Athletes Score Big in New NIL Endorsement Era

By Douglas S. Wood and David Close This week saw the beginning of the NIL-era of college athletics. Suddenly allowed to profit from their name, image and likeness (or NIL), college athletes are unleashing a barrage of endorsement deal announcements. Potentially 460,000 NCAA student-athletes can now sign sponsorship deals. And the profit-making has already begun

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Bill Cosby Defends Phylicia Rashad Amid Tweet Backlash

By Steve Forrest and Susannah Cullinane Bill Cosby issued a statement in support of his former co-star and longtime friend Phylicia Rashad, who earlier apologized for celebrating Cosby’s release from prison. Cosby, once known as “America’s Dad,” was released on Wednesday after Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned his sexual assault conviction. At the time Rashad tweeted, “FINALLY!!!! A

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 02: Multi-platinum recording artist and star of television, film and the Broadway stage Vanessa Williams hosts “A Capitol Fourth,” live from Washington, DC, airing Sunday on PBS July 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Capital Concerts)

Vanessa Williams Faces Backlash Over Juneteenth Song

By Lisa Respers France There was backlash over Vanessa Williams performing for Independence Day before it even happened. Williams hosted PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth” on Sunday, and it had been announced that she would sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which has become known as the “Black national anthem.” In the promotion leading up to

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 28: A view of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court issued orders for next term on Monday, but no opinions in argued cases. Five rulings in argued cases remain for this week, before the Court wraps up their term and heads for a summer recess. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Supreme Court Ruling Bolsters State Voting Restrictions

By Eric Bradner, CNN The restrictive voting laws that Republican-led states are implementing this year are more likely to withstand legal challenges, experts said, after the Supreme Court on Thursday gave states the tacit green light to go as far as they want in imposing measures they say are intended to combat election fraud — even

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Summer of Soul & Dick Gregory: Powerful Debut Docs

Review by Brian Lowry A pair of documentaries showcase strong directing debuts by Black filmmakers for the Fourth of July weekend: “Summer of Soul” transforms long-lost video into an intoxicating and layered look back at the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969; and “The One and Only Dick Gregory” celebrates the comedian who dropped the stand-up

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Kamala Harris and Power of Authentic Black Leadership

Opinion by Roxanne Jones A few weeks ago, a meeting was not going well. My business partner had just shut down a room of wealthy, powerful White men. No easy feat. “That is not what I do,” she said to a client. “You need to go sit down with that question.” In other words, do

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Sha’Carri Richardson Ban Fuels Olympic Cannabis Debate

Analysis by Zachary B. Wolf It’s a strange twist at a strange time in sports: The fastest American woman has been banned from her signature event at the Tokyo Olympics for taking a performance decreasing drug. Marijuana is legal in some form in most US states and completely legal in Oregon, where the US track and field trials

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Cobb County Police are looking for a suspect who shot and killed a golf pro on the green of the 10th hole of the Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw, Georgia on Saturday afternoon. The suspect drove up to the green in a white Ram 3500 Pick-up track, according to eyewitness accounts, and shot 41 year-old pro-golfer Gene Siller. MS 17317835

Fourth of July Weekend Sees Deadly Gun Violence Surge

By Emma Tucker, Omar Jimenez and Kristina Sgueglia At least 150 people were killed by gun violence in more than 400 shootings across the country during the Fourth of July weekend as major cities nationwide confront a surge in violent crime, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive. The data, which includes the number

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