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Barack and Michelle Obama Attack Trump with Sharp Retorts at Democratic Convention

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Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, DNC, theGrio.com

The Democratic National Convention took a blast from the past with the return of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. America’s first black couple took the stage on the second night of the convention to make the case for Kamala Harris’ historic run for president.

While the Obamas have built their brand on themes of empowerment and positivity, most famously exemplified by Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high,” each have used their prime-time speeches to slam Trump and warn voters concerning the dangers of his potential return to the White House.

Michelle Obama delivered a very rousing speech addressing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s infamous “dark jobs” remark, prompting a furious response from the 1000’s of individuals gathered at the United Center in Chicago.

“For years, Donald Trump has done everything in his power to make people fear us,” the previous first lady said, referring to comments Trump has made concerning the Obamas over time, including questioning Barack Obama’s citizenship.

“His narrow, narrow view of the world has made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, educated, successful people who happen to be black,” Michelle Obama said. She added: “Who’s to say that the job he’s looking for right now might be one of those black jobs?”

Former first lady Michelle Obama speaks throughout the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 20. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Barack Obama similarly criticized Trump and his “obsession” with crowd sizes.

“Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped complaining about his problems since he came down the golden escalator nine years ago,” he said. “It’s a constant stream of complaints and grievances that are actually getting worse since he’s afraid of losing to Kamala.”

He continued: “There are childish nicknames, crazy conspiracy theories and a strange obsession with crowd size.”

Trump has long been vocal concerning the size of the gang at his 2017 presidential inauguration, falsely claiming it drew more attendees than Obama’s 2009 inauguration, which drew an estimated 1.8 million people. By comparison, Trump collected in line with a crowd scientist, from 300,000 to 600,000 people.

Trump’s racist conspiracy theory that Obama was not born within the United States has drawn the ire of Michelle Obama, who wrote in her book The Light We Carry that she’s going to “never forgive him” for “intentionally” putting her family at risk.

During her speech at the Democratic convention, Michelle Obama warned that Trump and Republicans would try to make use of the election to “distort” the “truth” about Kamala Harris, who will officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for president on Thursday.

“My husband and I, unfortunately, know a little bit about this,” Michelle Obama said. She added: “This is his old con. Doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually improve people’s lives.”

Former President Obama, who praised Harris as “ready to go” as president, said of Trump: “We don’t need another four years of turmoil, incompetence and chaos. We’ve seen that movie before, and we all know that sequels are usually worse.”

Barack Obama, Democrats, theGrio.com
Former President Barack Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He has criticized Trump and Republican Party policies, resembling giving tax cuts to wealthy Americans and his “rich friends.”

“He wants you to think you’ll be richer and safer if you just give him power,” he maintained. “It’s one of the oldest tricks in politics by a guy whose actions, let’s be honest, have become pretty boring.”

Michelle Obama has criticized Trump and his party for banning abortion and reproductive health care, including in vitro fertilization, which she used to have her two daughters, Malia and Sasha.

“These things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers and daughters,” she said. “Closing the Department of Education, banning our books, none of this is going to prepare our children for the future.”

Barack Obama highlighted Harris’ successes as a prosecutor and how she used her position as California attorney general and San Francisco district attorney to guard probably the most vulnerable.

Kamala Harris, theGrio.com
Vice President Kamala Harris, who will accept the Democratic presidential nomination this week, speaks during a campaign rally at Temple University in Philadelphia on Aug. 6. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“Kamala stood up for children who were sexually abused…she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for people they defrauded,” the previous president explained. “Kamala Harris won’t focus on her problems. She’ll focus on yours.”

“America is ready for a new chapter. America is ready for a better story,” he added. “We are ready for President Kamala Harris.”

Pennsylvania Governor Austin Davis said Obama’s return to the DNC was significant for Democratic delegates because a lot of them “were involved in Barack Obama’s 2008 reelection campaign.”

The “symbolism” of getting a black woman within the presidency is personal for Davis, who has a 1-year-old daughter, Harper.

“(She’s) growing up in a world where she’s going to see herself represented by the president of the United States,” said Davis, who mentioned his daughter during his speech at the Democratic convention on Monday night.

“She won’t have to ask if black women can have a seat at the table,” he maintained, adding, “She will know they can lead at the table.”

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Kamala Harris Recognized for Her Spotlight on Race and Reparations During NABJ-WHYY Interview

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Kamala Harris, theGriio.com

In a wide-ranging interview with the National Association of Black Journalists and public radio station WHYY, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke more broadly about race than at some other time since becoming a presidential candidate and then the Democratic Party nominee.

The historic presidential figure (Harris is the primary Black woman and Indian-American to be nominated by a significant party) made her first appearance as vice chairman on the difficulty of reparations and outlined the systemic harms inflicted on Black communities by U.S. history, including African-American slavery and racial oppression.

“We need to tell the truth in a way that leads to solutions,” said Harris, who co-sponsored HR40 when she was a U.S. senator.

While members of the Congressional Black Caucus and advocates have called on President Joe Biden to take executive motion within the absence of three many years of inaction on Capitol Hill, the presidential candidate has signaled she believes it should come through Congress. She cited Congress’s ability to carry hearings and “raise awareness” in regards to the history of slavery and racial discrimination.

However, the vice chairman added: “I am not downplaying the significance of any executive action.”

Referring to her economic plan if she wins the White House in November, Harris said her ideas for creating an “opportunity economy” would aim to “explicitly address the obstacles that exist historically and currently” in areas similar to student loan debt, health care debt, biased home valuations and black maternal mortality.

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris (left) is interviewed by National Association of Black Journalists members Gerren Keith Gaynor (far right), Eugene Daniels (second from right) and Tonya Mosley (third from right) on the WHYY studios in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

“I am pleased that Vice President Harris has recognized the important role truth plays in our pursuit of racial healing and transformation,” said Lee. “My legislation to establish a Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation would usher in a moment of truth-telling by educating and informing the public about the historical context of the racial inequities we witness every day.”

But Hunter said that despite Harris’ clear preference for congressional motion on the commission’s creation, such a commission through executive motion “could be a source of legislative policy.” He continued,

Political pundit and radio host Reeta Colbert admitted that Harris “hung around” during her CNN interview and presidential debate with Trump to discuss her racial identity.

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This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Airlines forces 14-year-old girl off plane due to weight and balance issues, leaving her to fend for herself

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The mother of a teen who was banned from a plane in Canada due to a weight imbalance is outraged at how the incident has put her daughter’s safety in danger.

According to the CBC, 14-year-old Camryn Larkan boarded a Porter Airlines flight home from Toronto to Victoria, British Columbia, on August 30 after visiting family and friends. Once she was seated on the plane, a flight attendant approached her and told her she had to get off the plane.

14-year-old stuck at the airport
14-year-old forced to leave plane due to “weight and balance” issues. (Source: Pexels)

“I was a little disoriented… I thought I was going to go back to my seat. I thought they were just going to take my bags.” – Camryn he said CBC. “As soon as I got off the plane and saw the doors close, that’s when I started, you know, getting really concerned.”

Porter Airlines pulled Camryn from the flight due to a “weight and balance issue.” The airline said agents asked for volunteers, but when nobody got here forward, “passengers were selected based on ticket type.”

After Camryn and several other passengers were asked to leave the plane, a Porter Airlines agent arranged for Camryn to fly to Victoria the subsequent day. Camryn immediately called her father, who got here to pick her up on the airport.

Camryn’s mother expressed her frustration, saying the airline completely mishandled her daughter’s exit from the plane.

“They put my child in immediate danger,” Catherine Larkan said. “It was complete neglect and it shouldn’t happen to any other minor.”

The airline’s policy is that unaccompanied minors are exempt from involuntary disembarkation. The company offers a $100 service plan for children traveling alone. The plan is required for children ages 8 to 11 and optional for children ages 12 to 17.

Camryn’s family didn’t know the service existed, so the airline treated the 14-year-old as an adult.

“At the time, our team was unaware that Camryn was a minor,” a Porter Airlines spokesperson said. “Camryn left the airport quickly and our team had limited ability to discuss options with her.”

Children travelling without an unaccompanied minor plan are considered “independent adults” and are subject to “adult passenger considerations such as weight, balance and unloading situations.”

“They provide a service, saying we know these people are at risk, and they say if you don’t pay for the service, you’re going to be treated like any other adult passenger traveling,” Camryn’s mother said. “It’s just absolutely absurd.”

An airline representative told People magazine that its customer support department is in touch with Camryn’s family and that Porter Airlines is working on solutions to minimize the chance of an incident like this happening again.

This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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Here’s What You Need to Know About Threats in Springfield, Ohio, After False Accusations About Haitian Immigrants

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Haitian immigrants in Springfield Ohio, theGrio.com

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A small Ohio town has been flooded with false bomb threats since last week’s presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump falsely accused Members of Springfield’s Haitian community kidnap and eat cats and dogs.

Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, has amplified debunked web rumors about Haitian migrants because the Republican ticket criticizes President Joe Biden’s administration’s immigration policies, which Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, supports. City officials acknowledge that the influx of about 15,000 Haitian migrants is causing problems, but say there is no such thing as a evidence to support the claim that they’re eating people’s pets.

More than 30 bomb threats since last week have targeted schools, government buildings and the homes of city officials, forcing evacuations and closures. Springfield also canceled its annual diversity, arts and culture celebration in response to the threats, and state police on Tuesday distributed in city schools.

Here are some things to know concerning the situation in Springfield:

Who is behind these false threats?

Foreign actors, in particular. That’s according to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican who said many of the threats got here from abroad. The governor’s office said a criminal investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies found the “vast majority” of the threats were international in origin. Officials didn’t provide further details on how investigators determined they got here from a foreign country, and DeWine didn’t name the country.

What’s happening?

DeWine has sent dozens of Ohio State Highway Patrol members to all 18 city schools, where checks might be conducted twice every day to prevent further disruptions and help parents and students ensure that the buildings are secure. But even with the increased police presence, many parents still didn’t let their children go to school Tuesday.

Meanwhile, security cameras have been placed at strategic locations around the town, and an explosives-sniffing dog has been deployed to Springfield and might be on duty 24 hours a day.

DeWine $2.5 million declared greater than two years to increase support for primary health care. State highway patrol also helps local law enforcement implement traffic laws. DeWine said many Haitians are inexperienced drivers who’re unfamiliar with U.S. traffic laws.

How is the town reacting?

Springfield never wanted to be the focus — not like this.

City officials said Tuesday that misinformation and lies about Haitian immigrants have sown fear and division, disrupted science and price taxpayers money. In an announcement, they implored public figures, community members and media to “move beyond divisive rhetoric and instead work to promote unity, understanding and respect.” The statement didn’t mention Trump or Vance by name.

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue said the influx of migrants is straining police, hospitals and schools. He also criticized the federal government, saying the town asked for help months ago. But on Tuesday he urged national leaders to “soften their words and speak the truth.”

Why did so many Haitians move to Springfield?

Work and word of mouth.

Springfield in consequence, industrial jobs were lost and the population dropped significantly late last century. But the town made a concerted effort to attract employers and Haitian immigrants who helped meet the growing demand for employees in its factories and warehouses. Word spread, and Haitians began arriving in larger numbers in the past few years.

Haitians from Springfield and elsewhere have come to the U.S. to escape violence in their home country. Many Haitians are here under a federal program called Temporary Protected Statusallowing them to live and work temporarily in the U.S. because conditions in Haiti are deemed too dangerous for them to return to the island.

What do Haitian immigrants say?

Members of the Haitian community say they were uneasy even before Trump and Vance picked up on the pet-eating lies, as former residents were angered by the brand new arrivals’ impact on jobs, housing and traffic.

“Some of them are talking about living in fear. Some of them are afraid for their lives,” Rose-Thamar Joseph said last week on the Springfield Haitian Community Outreach and Support Center.

On church service on Sunday, Mia Perez said her daughter was evacuated from school twice last week.

“Children at school are asked by other children, ‘What does dog taste like? What does cat taste like?'” Perez said. “She asks, ‘Are we Haitians who eat this stuff? Is it true? What’s going on?'”

“It’s a conversation I wasn’t ready to have with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt disrespected by our culture.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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