Politics and Current
Far-right activist accused of racism after posting video of black medical school students and claiming they were destined to be ‘malpractice bailed’
The former GOP Senate candidate and far-right activist has faced backlash on social media for denigrating a big group of minority medical students seen in a viral video.
Lauren Witzke shared a video on her X channel of dozens of black medical school students at a conference in New Orleans whom she said were looking for “medical malpractice bailout.”
People flooded her comments, with many calling them racist.
“What a terrible thing to say. Shame on you. The best doctors I ever met were black. We don’t need any more divisions in this country and you are fueling the fire,” one person replied.
Her comments echo the anti-DEI sentiment circulating among hard-line conservatives and many on the right, who believe that diversity, equity and inclusion policies are inherently racist and discriminatory and do more harm than good to the industries that implement them.
The war on DEI has intensified after the Supreme Court ruled race-based college admissions policies unconstitutional last summer. Since then, DEI opponents have worked to ban DEI positions, anti-bias training, diversity statements, and race-based hiring practices in state offices, as well as against funding for DEI initiatives at public universities.
Some critics have even begun to claim that some industries and vocational schools have lowered their standards to make room for minority and job applicants.
In February, false allegations that Duke University School of Medicine lowered admissions standards as part of its DEI efforts began to spread after conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro posted thread on X, claiming that some of the country’s best hospitals are abandoning key metrics in their recruitment processes.
This thread included a video of a Duke surgical resident claiming that the school had moved to a “completely holistic review process” and had abandoned “all kinds of metrics and screens.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, who did not hesitate to share his opposition to DEI policies, he replied to Shapiro’s thread writing, “People will die from this.”
In a recent interview with Don Lemon, Musk went further to repeat falsely claiming that Duke University has lowered its standards by further maintaining that DEI policies could harm hospital patients, which Lemon condemned and called purely “speculative.”
Prince released statement released last month in response to the allegations.
“Duke University School of Medicine has not lowered its medical school admissions and graduation standards and continues to rely on GPA and MCAT scores, among others,” Duke Health said in an announcement. “Achieving health equity while recruiting diverse talent across our education and training programs allows us to provide the highest quality care to our patients and makes Duke a global leader in innovative and transformative research.”
As an opponent of DEI, Witzke has also shared her anti-DEI views on her social media channels, many of which attack hiring practices.
Witzke ran for U.S. Senate in 2020 in Delaware and won the Republican primary, but lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Christopher Coons.
During her term, she gained popularity among conservatives by promoting an “America First” platform that supported a 10-year moratorium on immigration, welfare benefits limits for married couples with children, and faith-based addiction treatment programs.
By this time, her ties to QAnon had become widely known, but she had sought to distance herself from this camp of conspiracy theorists. The QAnon conspiracy claims that there is a network of “deep state” enemies against Donald Trump, some of whom are pedophiles and child sex traffickers.
She is currently being sued for defamation by a Texas couple whom she accused of pedophilia and human trafficking after both men posted on social media about the birth of their surrogate twins, according to Delaware Online.
Witzke, who identifies as a Christian and nationalist, has publicized her anti-LGBTQ views and defended members of the Proud Boys organization, whom she called examples of “patriotic masculinity.”
Politics and Current
Unboxing Sexy Red voting for Kamala Harris after praising Trump
In a serious endorsement of Kamala Harris on social media, the “Sexy Red” hip-hop star announced Friday that she voted for the Democratic presidential nominee.
During early voting in Missouri, the St. rapper Louis posted photos with the words “I Voted!” stickers as she posed in front of a black SUV, presumably after casting her vote.
“I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our pussies!! #Kamala4President,” wrote the musician, whose real name is Janae Nierah Wherry.
The statement may come as a surprise to many, as sexy Red has previously expressed support for Republican Party candidate Donald Trump.
In an October 2023 interview, the 26-year-old star said, “I like Trump… they support him in the hood.”
I just voted!!! Don’t tell us what to do with our pussies!! #Kamala4President pic.twitter.com/5rvpa6HzJ8
— Sexy red (@SexyyRed314_) November 1, 2024
“At first I don’t think people gave a shit about him… they thought he was racist and saying little shit, you know, against women” – Sexyy Red on the This Past Weekend podcast. “But when did he start bailing black people out of jail and giving people free money? Oh baby, we love Trump. We must reinstate him.”
The rapper also expressed her admiration for Trump, changing his slogan “Make America Great Again” to her own – “Make America sexyy again.” The MC also showed off a MAGA-like hat during his performance on the 2024 Roots Picnic.
Seemingly following the backlash, Sexy Red later clarified that she had not officially endorsed Trump or any political candidate.
Batchelor continued: “The Vice President’s closing message clearly resonated with the broad coalition we need to engage before the clock runs out on November 5.” He added: “Kamala Harris ran one of the shortest presidential campaigns in the history of American politics, and she has remarkably managed to build a broad coalition of Americans ready to make a difference – even those who may have been skeptical at first. This bodes well for Tuesday’s results.”
Sexy Red’s change of heart about Trump could mean a breakthrough for Vice President Harris, who has been crisscrossing the country in recent weeks and days to succeed in out to undecided and non-voters. A specific concern for the Harris campaign is young voters of color and young black men, although recent polls show the Democratic candidate has managed to shut some gaps.
Kamala Harris has particularly relied on her economic proposals to sway key voters. They include tax breaks for middle-class families, grants for first-time home buyers, foreclosure loans for small business owners and a federal ban on price gouging by firms to lower grocery prices.
During an interview on former NFL star Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the vp debunked misconceptions concerning the so-called “stimulus” checks – previously mentioned by “Sexy Red” – that Americans have received while Trump is in office throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“Really, Congress wrote these checks. But then Donald Trump, unlike any president before or since, decided he was going to put his name on these checks,” said Harris, who noted that Trump initially opposed the stimulus checks.
Harris’ other major point was the specter of a national abortion ban if Donald Trump returns to the White House. On Tuesday, during a serious campaign rally in Washington, D.C., attended by greater than 75,000 people, the vp focused most of his political messages on the economy and reproductive rights.
“(Trump) would ban abortion nationwide, restrict access to contraceptives and put at risk in vitro fertilization treatments, and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies,” Harris warned. “I have lived the promise of America, and I see it in all of you… I see it in the women who refuse to accept a future without reproductive freedom, and in the men who support them.”
As evidenced by Sexy Red’s enthusiastic endorsement of Harris amongst her thousands and thousands of fans, Harris’ message could resonate with voters.
More history
Politics and Current
Black Women in Politics: Angela Alsobrooks Leads in Polls and Wants to Make History in Maryland Senate Race – Essence
Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Angela Alsobrooks is running a breakthrough campaign in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race and is poised to make history because the state’s first Black senator if elected. With a distinguished background in public service – she served as Prince George’s County State’s Attorney for eight years before being elected twice as county executive – Alsobrooks now intends to bring her experience to Congress, where she could be one among the few Black women to ever serve in that role.
The latest poll from the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) shows her a robust double-digit lead over her Republican opponent, former Gov. Larry Hogan. In October, Alsobrooks polled with 52% of likely voters, compared to Hogan’s 40%, and Libertarian candidate Mike Scott was polling at lower than 4%. Despite Hogan’s intense promoting campaigns, Alsobrooks’ advantage has continued since September. “The overall margin is about the same,” CDCE Director Michael Hanmer said, as each side give attention to influencing undecided voters in this high-stakes race.
This race could determine party control of the U.S. Senate, making issues like abortion and economic policy more essential than ever. While more Maryland voters now view Hogan because the stronger candidate on economic issues, Alsobrooks has significant benefits on health care and reproductive rights, topics that widely share her views. CDCE data suggests her comments in regards to the Senate’s role in protecting reproductive rights resonated with many citizens in Maryland, something analysts say Hogan struggled to rise up to.
Alsobrooks’ campaign is historically significant: If elected, she would turn out to be Maryland’s first Black female senator and one among the few Black women to serve in the Senate in its 235-yr history. “People like me don’t get to the Senate, and we should,” Alsobrooks emphasized in her speech on the Democratic National Convention in August, calling attention to the systemic barriers Black women face in reaching high political office. “We only chose two [Black women] for the Senate and has only won three seats so far, so it was a joy to get on that stage and represent so many people whose voices I felt were underrepresented in the Senate. And it was a great moment,” she told ESSENCE about her speech.
The historical context is important: Carol Moseley Braun was the primary Black woman elected to the Senate in 1992, followed by Kamala Harris in 2016. In 2023, California’s Laphonza Butler became the third Black woman in the Senate, appointed to finish Dianne Feinstein’s term. he doesn’t intend to run for the complete term. If Alsobrooks is successful, she could join Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, who can also be running for Senate, and together they might potentially transform the Senate with historic levels of black women’s representation.
Alsobooks told ESSENCE that her journey into public service was inspired in part by Kamala Harris, then the district attorney of San Francisco, whom she first examine in a 2009 article. “I read a magazine article about a district attorney using new ideas to keep his community safe,” Alsobrooks recalled. Inspired, she began to incorporate restorative justice principles into her own work, in search of ways to rethink the criminal justice system and expand access to opportunity.
Alsobrooks says he sees his candidacy as a way to effect meaningful change, from economic opportunity to access to health care. Her platform focuses on expanding reproductive rights, access to health care and educational resources for Marylanders. Alsobrooks also supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, and has been openly critical of the Trump-era tax cuts, calling for higher corporate tax rates to fund programs for working families fairly than corporate interests.
The stakes remain high for Alsobrooks as she campaigns to represent Maryland and amplify the voices of diverse communities in the Senate. Marylanders will soon make a choice on November 5, setting the course for the state’s future in Washington.
Politics and Current
Vice President Harris finds Trump’s ‘Like it or not’ comment ‘offensive’
As Americans approach Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris is refining her message that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, is the worst option for ladies and girls’s rights. At a campaign rally within the battleground state of Nevada, she told those that Trump’s recent remark that he’ll protect women whether “they want it or not” shows that he doesn’t understand women’s right to make decisions about their very own lives and body.
“By the way, I think it’s offensive to everyone” – AP reports Harris made the announcement on October 31 before campaign days in Nevada and Arizona
During the rally in Phoenix, she expanded on her message, stating, “He simply does not respect women’s freedom or the intelligence of women to know what is in their best interest and make decisions based on that. But we trust women.”
Harris has consistently delivered messages as she criss-crosses the country on the campaign trail. She hopes women’s rights could have an impact on women voting on the polls as Trump continues to grapple with demographic issues.
Meanwhile, during an October 30 rally on the battlefield in Wisconsin, Trump apparently he admitted to his supporters that advisers had urged him to refrain from using the term “defender” when discussing women’s rights because it was “inappropriate.” Immediately afterwards, he signals that he isn’t removing this word from his dictionary. He went a step further and told the group that he had told his advisors, “Well, I’m going to do it whether women like it or not. I’m going to guard them.”
Political pundits have it highlighted that his statements are sometimes contradictory, especially since he appointed three U.S. Supreme Court justices to ultimately create a conservative majority ruling overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. Earlier this 12 months, Trump bragged about his role in overturning a constitutional law, calling it a “miracle ” – based on CBS reports.
While his message is inconsistent, Trump occasionally states that he believes abortion rights ought to be left to the states.
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