Los Angeles News Observer 2.9.23

LeBron James Makes NBA History

On a star-filled night in Los Angeles

By Greg Beacham

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bronny James stepped over to his dad’s locker and played the phone video he had taken of Tuesday night’s biggest moment. The NBA’s new scoring king tipped his head back in a rich, full-throated laugh when the audio revealed Bronny had anticipated that the historic basket would come on a fadeaway jumper.

“That’s tough, that’s tough,” LeBron James said. “That’s funny.”

For James, the greatest cost of nearly two decades in the NBA is the family time he misses. When he reached arguably the greatest individual basketball milestone of all by passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record, James’ mother, wife and three children all witnessed the coronation.

They were right at courtside in a building packed with stars and roaring fans who rose in waves of anticipation every time he touched the ball.

James has been thriving under formidable pressure his entire adult life, and this was nothing the King couldn’t handle — although the man who says he almost never cries had tears in his eyes after he made history with that nimble step-back shot in the third quarter.

“I had a moment when it happened, and I embraced that moment,” James said afterward. “Seeing my family and friends, the people that’s been around me since I started this journey to the NBA, definitely very emotional right there. Just a kid from a small town in Ohio. I had a moment there, but I don’t think it’s really hit me, what just transpired.”

When James surpassed Abdul-Jabbar’s record 38,387 points, a crowd that had roared for his every basket went the craziest of all.

“A lot of people wanted me to go to the skyhook to break the record, or one of the signature dunks,” James said with a grin. “But the fadeaway is a signature play as well.”

The Los Angeles crowd screamed and stomped with every point while James steadily surged toward the mark held since April 1984 by Abdul-Jabbar, who watched the game from a baseline seat near the Los Angeles bench.

‘Viola Davis’ Grammy Win for Audiobook Makes Her an EGOT

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Viola Davis has achieved EGOT status.

The actor won a Grammy Award Sunday for best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording for her memoir “Finding Me.” “I just EGOT!” she shouted from the stage as she accepted the trophy, using the term for the rare person who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career.

The celebrated actor has two Tonys, most recently for “Fences” in 2010, she won an Emmy in 2015 for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and won an Oscar in 2017 for the film version of “Fences.”

“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year- old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. And it has just been such a journey.”

The audiobook category has seen some seriously famous winners, including Michelle Obama and expresidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Davis’ fellow nominees this year included LinManuel Miranda, Jamie Foxx, and one of the other 17 members of the EGOT club, Mel Brooks.

Other EGOT winners include Jennifer Hudson, John Legend and Rita Moreno.

Tony Hawk to Donate Photo Proceeds to Tyre Nichols Fund

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Skateboard legend Tony Hawk says he will donate half of the proceeds of autographed photos of himself and BMX rider Rick Thorne to the memorial fund for Tyre Nichols.

“My proceeds from these will go to the Tyre Nichols Memorial Fund, which includes plans to build a public skatepark in his honor; as our worlds continue to grieve his loss,” Hawk tweeted Friday. “He was a talented skater among other admirable traits. Let’s keep his legacy alive.”

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures after passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP

Landis)

With four championship rings and nearly every other honor available to a basketball player, the 38-year-old James closed in on this next moment in history with the confidence of a player who has been even better than anyone could have expected two decades ago when the kid from Akron, Ohio, reached the NBA.

“The expectations were all the way out to Pluto, and he went ahead and created his own galaxy,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said before his team’s 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The crowd was in its seats far earlier than normal in Los Angeles, and James got numerous ovations before the Lakers and Thunder got rolling. Lakers fans turned out in droves for the chance to see a once-in-a-generation achievement, with tickets going for thousands on the secondary market.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left, hands the ball to Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James after passing Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s alltime leading scorer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023,

The moment was irresistible to fans like Aaron Sanchez, one of the hundreds of jersey-clad Lakers faithful patiently taking turns posing in front of the statue of Abdul-Jabbar that stands on the plaza in front of the Lakers’ downtown arena.

Sanchez shares a set of two season tickets with a few friends and family, and he already had the seats for Tuesday’s game months before anyone could predict the magic day. He turned down a friend’s offer of $200 to swap the Thunder seats, but he knew he would be out of luck if James waited until Thursday to break the record, since

those tickets belong to a different friend.

“It’s basketball history, and that’s what the Lakers are all about,” Sanchez said. “LeBron is already one of the greatest Lakers ever, and getting this record in a Lakers uniform just makes it more certain. He was our leader after Kobe (Bryant) died, and he’s our leader now.”

Indeed, James has already earned a special place in Lakers fans’ hearts over his five seasons in purple and gold. Several months before he won the franchise’s 17th championship in the Florida pandemic bubble, he became a part of Lakers lore with his inspirational words and steady leadership in the wake of Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash.

Inside the building, dozens of celebrities gathered to witness history: Denzel Washington, Jay-Z, Bad Bunny, LL Cool J, Usher, Andy Garcia and countless others. Dozens of basketball greats also turned out, including Lakers heroes James Worthy and Bob McAdoo along with Dwyane Wade.

The biggest star in the crowd was Abdul-Jabbar, who has verbally sparred with James in public over issues not directly related to basketball. The Lakers legend known to all as Cap wasn’t about to miss history, and he shared a warm hug with James before ceremonially exchanging a basketball in a simple, touching gesture.

Although the final score chafed him, James said he’ll never forget this stop on his two-decade journey.

“This ride has been fantastic,” James said.

Six-Figure Earners Also Living Paycheck-to-Paycheck

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

In 2022, the economy proved as volatile as ever, with less disposable income and greater unpredictability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index, inflation in the United States peaked at 9.1 percent in July 2022 and dropped to 7.1 percent by November 2022. A new study found that more people are having to spend all their income on necessities, and they are counting on their next salary to meet the costs they’ll incur until then. Researchers discovered that many people of higher socioeconomic status have had their first taste of living paycheck to paycheck this year. While researchers found that most paycheck-to-paycheck consumers can pay their bills on time, one in every five Americans still require assistance to make ends meet. Research conducted by Pymnts.com and LendingClub Corp. revealed that by the end of the year, 64 percent of American customers (166 million individuals) will be living paycheck to paycheck. That represents a rise of 3% from a year ago, or 9.3 million additional people in the United States. Almost 8 million of them made $100,000 or more per year. By the end of 2022, 51% of people in that income bracket reported that they were living paycheck to paycheck, up 9% from the year before. U.S. consumers, especially those who must spend every dollar they earn each month to meet their financial obligations, have been hit hard by inflation and economic uncertainty in 2022, as the authors of “The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: 2022 Year in Review”

detail. This study analyzed consumers’ responses to the ongoing financial pressures of an ever-changing economic landscape by drawing on PYMNTS’ series of 12 unique reports, conducted in collaboration with LendingClub and released each month from January to December

— and representing insights from a total of 45,700

U.S. consumers. The researchers determined that living paycheck to paycheck is currently the norm in the United States. Over the past year, the percentage of consumers living paycheck to paycheck fluctuated, and while it is now comparable to a year ago, it is up 11 percentage points from a low in April 2021. Although people of all income levels have felt the pinch, the percentage of high-income people living paycheck to paycheck has increased significantly in the last two years. From July 2021 to November 2022, the percentage of high-income customers who reported living paycheck to paycheck increased from 34 percent to 47 percent. While 6.8% of consumers making above $200,000 report living paycheck to paycheck and having trouble making ends meet, 10% of those making between $150,000 and $200,000 and 12% of those making between $100,000 and $150,000 admitted a similar financial situation. The report revealed that consumers with lower incomes are more likely to require bill payment assistance. When asked why they were having trouble making ends meet, 18% of middle-income consumers and 33% of low-income consumers said it was because of their income level. Lydia Boussour, senior economist at EY Parthenon, told MSN that “consumer spending prospects are unclear.” She claimed that consumers’ discretionary spending will be low this winter because of rising costs, depleted savings, and growing reliance on credit. The decline in stock prices and property values will have a “negative wealth effect,” exacerbating these dynamics.

The photos can be purchased on Thorne’s website for $30. Only 1,000 copies will be available for sale.

Half of the proceeds from the autographed photos will go to Nichols’ memorial fund “to help his family out, and to build a memorial skate park in his name, honoring his love for skateboarding,” according to Thorne’s website.

Nichols was a 29-year-old skateboarder, FedEx worker and father to a 4-year-old boy.

He died Jan. 10 after police stopped him for what they said was a traffic violation and beat him. Video released after pressure from Nichols’ family shows officers holding him down and repeatedly punching, kicking and striking him with a baton as he screamed for his mother.

Six officers have since been fired and five of them have been charged. One other officer has been suspended, but has not been identified.

3 Killed in Crash Near LA Involving Driver Fleeing Police

SOUTH GATE, Calif. (AP) – Three people were killed and one person was injured in a crash involving a driver who was fleeing police near Los Angeles early Sunday, authorities said.

The two-vehicle collision occurred around 2 a.m. at an intersection in the city of South Gate, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Two people died at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital, where one died, officials said. The survivor’s condition wasn’t known.

Occupants of both vehicles were among the deceased, ABC 7 reported.

Officers were investigating a theft when they began following – and then chasing – a vehicle, the South Gate Police Department said.

Officials canceled the pursuit due to the suspect’s dangerous speeds and the crash occurred a short time later, police said.

Los Angeles Man Admits Selling Ghost Guns, 17 lbs of Meth

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A 27-year-old Los Angeles man has pleaded guilty to federal charges for selling 17 pounds (7.7 kilos) of methamphetamine and 89 firearms, including dozens of untraceable “ghost guns,’’ prosecutors said.

Julio Ernesto Lopez-Menendez could face life in prison when he’s sentenced May 26, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

He entered guilty pleas on Friday to one count of distribution of meth and one count of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, the statement said. He’s been in federal custody since his arrest last April.

In one deal in January 2022, Lopez-Menendez sold a buyer a dozen firearms, including 10 semi-automatic pistols that were ghost guns lacking serial numbers, prosecutors said.

In another transaction a month later, he sold the same buyer 14 more guns and a pound (.45 kilos) of meth, according to the statement.

Photo/Ashley

in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

World & Nation

What African Americans Want Most from Congress in 2023

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

As 2022 closed, Black Americans saw gains with historic candidates and timely legislation.

President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act and later, the Respect for Marriage Act, which protected interracial marriages.

A slim majority in Congress prevented other significant bills from reaching the president’s desk.

As Black History Month begins, there remains key issues that African Americans want to see happen.

A December poll of Black voters revealed that African Americans want the government to do more to fight white supremacy.

That FBI helped underscore that need when it issued a report noting that hate crimes disproportionately target African Americans.

With mass shootings continuing at a record pace, gun control remains a hot-button issue for Black America.

Further, many Black voters have suggested strong desires for a comprehensive voting rights package, whether that’s in the form of the Freedom to Vote Act, or the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The former would expand mail-in, early voting, and automatic voter registration, while the latter would restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

And, following the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Tennessee police officers, African Americans have continued to voice outrage over the failure of lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Police Act. While the bill has twice passed the House, the measure has stalled in the Senate despite a Democrat majority there.

The legislation would end qualified immunity, which many believe would greatly curtail the type of police behavior that led to the deaths of Nichols, Floyd, and so many other African Americans.

NNPA Wraps Midwinter Conference

Showing Strength of Black Press, and Star-Studded Celebration for Dr. Benjamin Chavis

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association for more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies, held its 2023 midwinter training conference in Puerto Rico. By the end of the four-day event, publishers, partners, sponsors, members, guests, and anyone else who visited the San Juan Marriott Beach Resort and Stellaris Casino gained a better

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appreciation of the power of the Black Press of America. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the NNPA, received the organization’s highest accolade while colleagues, family, and friends celebrated his birthday. With “Digital Innovation Training and Engagement” as the conference’s theme, NNPA Executive Administrator Claudette Perry and conference planners did not disappoint. The NNPA began by introducing everyone to its new app, which facilitated registration, provided information and instructions to each session. Publishers left the Island of Enchantment with a better understanding of the importance of their digital products and how to monetize both print and online publications. Kate Cox, adjunct professor at the Poynter Institute in Tampa, Florida, conducted an enlightening conversation on overcoming obstacles to produce sustainable corporate outcomes through digital transformation. Cox advised publishers on how to engage in a presentation that was developed expressly for NNPA members to generate revenue streams because of digital transformation. In a separate workshop, Cox assisted publishers in implementing the suggested evaluations of their current audiences, staffing, and consultants to maximize potential for raising digital revenue and expanding their total market influence. Later, NNPA Digital Manager Norman Rich and Rolling Out COO Randy Fling discussed the digital revenue success approaches adopted by certain members, including Rolling Out. “Digital ads are an important part of digital, but there are many other benefits,” Fling advised publishers. “It can help your business,” he said. “Do not unsell yourself,” Rich pleaded to publishers. Ashley Edwards, vNews Lab’s US Partnerships Manager, and Tina Xiao, Google News Initiative’s global program manager, presented publishers with three best practices for driving

traffic to their websites. They also instructed journalists on how to use Google tools to find, verify, and tell stories tailored to their audiences. In addition, the pair discussed the importance of GNP resources for publishers to grow and sustain their digital businesses. Chavis spoke with Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) about the importance of Black lives and the Black press in a pre-recorded conversation. He also had a live fireside chat with Dorothy Tucker, President of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), about strengthening the bond between the two organizations. The Illinois proprietors of The Times Weekly, Jayme and Dwight Casimere, conducted a session entitled “The Business of Wine and How it Became a Digital Advertising Opportunity.” A workshop on the opinions and recommendations of Generation Z and Millennials regarding the future economic sustainability of the Black Press was a highlight of the conference. Discussion was led by Chelsea Lenora White of the Houston Forward Times, Jarren Small, founder of Reading with a Rapper, Michale Green, managing editor of the Washington Informer, and Lafayette Barnes, publisher of The Bridge.

The quartet discussed and illustrated how publishers may generate new revenue streams as a result of the intersection and engagement of adolescents with their digital and print media.

Chavis, the recipient of the 2023 NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award, was feted with a 75th birthday party on Day 3 and a star-studded awards ceremony to help close out the conference. Chavis’ family offered heartfelt words of appreciation and admiration during the ceremony, hosted by Rev. Mark Thompson. Chavis’ longtime friend and hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons, Public Enemy founder Chuck D, Fat Joe, Kurtis Blow, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Congressman James Clyburn

(D-South Carolina), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California), NAACP President Derrick Johnson, and many others paid tribute in video form.

Rocky Bucano, Executive Director of the Universal Hip Hop Museum, also arrived in San Juan to take part in the celebrations honoring Chavis. Billy Murphy, a wellknown Baltimore attorney, announced a $50,000 Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. Scholarship.

General Motors, Hyundai, Wells Fargo, AARP, Nissan, MCRD, Zillow, Compassion & Choices, Rebuild Local News, Comcast-NBC Universal, API, Diageo, Reynolds, Pfizer, Google News Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation counted among the NNPA’s partners and sponsors. “Our NNPA executive committee and convention planning committee, chaired by Data News Weekly Publisher Terry Jones, are grateful that [everyone involved] has taken the time to join us in support of the Original Black Press,” said NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards. “We are grateful to all of the NNPA’s corporate partners, sponsors, and supporters who have generously contributed to allow us to be together here in Puerto Rico,” Jones added. Chavis, gracious but overwhelmed, stated that the NNPA is devoted to keeping its readers, constituencies, and supporters informed, engaged, and empowered through breaking news, cultural excellence, and visionary opinions and editorials. “We are African American businesses that continue to provide a vital service to all communities across the country and around the world,” Chavis stated. “This year marks the beginning of my tenth year as president and CEO, and it has been a remarkable journey as I have personally encountered some of the world’s best publisher leaders, journalists, and advocates for freedom, justice, equality, and equity.”

Why is R&B Music More Explicit Than Ever? It’s Complicated.

By GARY GERARD HAMILTON

Associated Press

New York (AP) _ Tank was nervous after sending his manager a preview of “When We” _ he'd never released a song that explicit. “He's like, `You're crazy, but it's jammin'!”' the R&B singer recalled. “It ended up being my biggest record ever.”

Released in 2017, the seductive chorus of “when we (expletive)” was obviously too explicit for radio, so a “clean” version used the phrase “when we touch.” Despite releasing his first album in 2001 and crafting hits like “Maybe I Deserve” and “Please Don't Go,” it was “When We” that's been Tank's most successful, finishing No. 1 on Billboard's 2018 year-end adult R&B airplay chart.

“I didn't reinvent anything vocally _ a little R&B here and there, tapped into my rap cadence, tapped into my Migos (style),” Tank, now 47, said. “I was competitive.”

Being competitive _ and collaborative _ with hip-hop is one of the reasons today's R&B is more explicit. Last year's Luminate Year-End report found that R&B/hip-hop is America's most popular genre, accounting for the most U.S. on-demand song streams and the largest share of total album consumption.

“It just seems a little bit more extravagant now because some of the R&B singers are acting like rappers,” said Colby Tyner, senior vice president of programming at Radio One and Reach Media, which operates the largest urban radio network in the United States. “It was a clear separation of church and state. Now, it's a little bit together and so the music reflects it.”

So how did R&B go from Boyz II Men's “I'll Make Love to You” to Chris Brown singing “(expletive) you back to sleep”? It's complicated.

“It used to be that television and radio was where you got your content. And if it was television and radio, it was censored because of the FCC. Well, you got YouTube, you got all these streaming services and you got social media. So, we are in the authentic era,” said Tyner. “We (radio industry) are the last sort of bastions of 'we can't do that' because we're controlled by the government regulations.”

During interviews over several months, The Associated Press asked those who create the music and industry experts about changes in R&B. Ahead of Sunday's 65th annual Grammy Awards airing on CBS and Paramount+, here are some of their thoughts in their own words:

THE HIP-HOP EFFECT

Just one offensive or curse word can lead to a parental advisory label, so what's defined as explicit can be subjective. It's the parent test: Would they want their children listening? While Hollywood has an independent ratings board, record companies and artists determine what receives a parental warning.

As hip-hop grew in popularity, Billboard had to adapt; Some charts began grouping rappers and singers together, triggering fights for airplay which remains a sore subject. And with the recent explosion of melodic rap _ a blend of rapping and harmonizing _ spearheaded by artists like Future, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert and Travis Scott, the Grammys now recognize it as a category.

In the 1990s, a period considered by some as R&B's last golden age, it was almost unthinkable that an artist would curse because radio couldn't play it. None of the top 25 songs on Billboard's 1990 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart required an explicit label. In 2022, with rap more dominant, all but one in the top 25 _ Beyonce's “Break My Soul” _ needed a clean version.

“There was definitely some explicit R&B ... but there's no limit to what you can say sexually in hip-hop. And then when R&B and hip-hop merged, you had the hip-hop and R&B world _- so that's literally what happened. And so now, the R&B singers have taken that way of speaking from the hip-hop cats. And the hip-hop cats have taken the melodic singing.” _ Robert Glasper, four-time Grammy winner, 2023 R&B album nominee.

“Chris Brown is the top of the food chain....He lives and rolls like a rapper. He has an entourage like a rapper. His energy is like a rapper _ not like Tevin Campbell in the `Can We Talk Days,”' said Tyner. “He can make the most sensual, classic, urban AC or R&B record that you would love, but he also can express that other side as well.”

_ Colby Tyner, SVP of programming, Radio One and Reach Media.

“We started having to compete with rap music, which is extremely explicit _ extremely ... When you're trying to compete for space on a chart or in a playlist, and these are the things that they're playing, how do you find your way? How do you even get into the conversation? And so, our language has kind of had to evolve to be competitive.” _ Tank, five-time Grammy nominee.

NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN

Themes of romance and sensuality have always breathed within soul music, but much of today's R&B has replaced innuendo with bluntness. But while profanity has increased, artists are divided on whether the actual content has changed, citing classics like Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing,” “Prince's “Darling Nikki” and much of R. Kelly's sexually-charged catalog that dominated the '90s and early 2000s.

“The stuff my mama used to be listening to in the car: Marvin Sease and Clarence Carter _ `I be stroking!' That stuff was pretty vulgar! . So, no, I don't think it's more explicit.” _ Muni Long, 2023 Grammy nominee for best new artist.

“A lot of R&B artists were just as savage back in the day _ they just had to be tame. Think about it: the record companies forced them to be clean cut and preppy and all those things. I think now, artists have found their freedom.” _ Rico Love, vice-president of the Recording Academy and producer.

“I think music was still explicit back in the day _ they just had a better way of delivering it. You go all the way back to Rick James, `Super Freak' _ they just had a beatingaround-the-bush type of way that they would say things.” _ Yung Bleu, R&B recording artist SOCIETAL SHIFT

While hip-hop's influence might be the lowest hanging fruit, it's only one factor within a larger explanation. Psychologist Jean Twenge, author of “iGen: Why Today's

Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious,

More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood,” says technology has decreased many rules of the past.

“More technology just allows people to be more independent. And that's been just a very, very steady change in culture in the U.S. and in many other countries over the past hundred years . individualism is at the root of an enormous number of cultural changes that we see today,” explained Twenge, who authored a study on the rise of swear words in American books. “These changes have affected everybody, not just young people. ... The society has definitely shifted more in that direction of being more casual and favoring self-expression more.”

Film and TV have also become more explicit in depicting sexual situations, nudity, violence and language. Pop music carries more warnings than ever, and even friendly-family artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift have released albums labeled as explicit.

“It's not just R&B, the world is more explicit . even in the 90s, it would have been great to use a couple of cuss words in a couple of songs. It would've just hit so much better if you could've just went there because it just would have said it better.” _ Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, 11-time Grammy winner, 2023 best traditional R&B performance nominee.

“This generation has kind of become numb to it, the same way as like someone could be bleeding on the floor and someone will be on the phone and just step over that person . we've become numb to a lot, and I think music is included.” _ Ashanti, Grammy winner.

“They say, `the truth shall set you free.' So, I guess the more honest you are, the more free you're going to be. And that's where we at. We say whatever we got to say . it's just direct _ literally direct. And if you don't like it, you just don't like it, and that's how we feel.” _ Lucky Daye, Grammy winner, 2023 best R&B performance nominee.

EASY ACCESS Generation Z and younger Millennials only know a world with the internet, and nearly all teens _ 95% _ have access to a smartphone, according to a 2022 Pew Research Center study. As information flows faster with each generation, some believe young people are learning mature subject matter earlier, and it trickles into what they create. Making and releasing music is easier than ever; expensive recording studios or record labels are no longer barriers.

“This generation feels very free and open, and a lot of people who wouldn't have had access to create music back then, they can now create in their bedroom. So, there is a vast amount of product coming out. So maybe that's why it seems like there's so much explicit music because there's just more music now, period.” _ Chloe Bailey, five-time Grammy nominee.

“I think art is a reflection of life ... this generation deals with those things more explicitly. I think there's more access _ the internet made that so, where it's like we get information way quicker. As a father with little kids, they're getting things quicker than I ever did.” _ PJ Morton, 2023 Grammy nominee for best R&B album.

“I think it's just the natural progression of now it's the next generation. . this generation just has everything at their fingertips.” _ Robert Glasper, whose “Black Radio lll” is nominated for best R&B album.

GOING VIRAL

While it's not hard to guess most teenagers and social media are inseparable, 84% of adults 18-29 say they use at least one social media site, according to 2021 data from Pew. Naturally, social media behavior can influence the content choices people make with their music.

“The best way to get clicks and streams is let me be as wild as I could possibly be. So, if I'm an R&B singer talking about what sexual positions that I like and how I do it . people are going to pay attention,” said Tyner, the Radio One exec. “Artists would kill to have a “WAP” (by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion) or a big song like that because honestly, really, it only takes one song. You get that one song that's a monster record, you can live off that song for the rest your life.”

“Everybody's just trying to outdo each other. It's all a popularity contest. So, whoever gets talked about the most, that's what it is. And the more risque you are, the more attention, the more you get talked about.” _ T-Pain, twotime Grammy winner “Sometimes you have to get out there and say things to catch people's attention.I like being creative and witty and having the double meaning for certain things and being subliminal. But some people like to just splat it on out there!” (laughs) - Ashanti “Maybe people feel like that's what they need to do to get the sales or get the attention. You know, it's a lotta shakin' out there (laughs) ... there's a lot of lyrics that are like cringe if I'm listening to it with my daughter. But music is self-expression _ people express themselves however they feel like they need to express themselves.” _ Brandy, Grammy winner

While there is crossover of younger artists on the adult R&B airplay chart, which generally features more traditional R&B, the content is far less explicit. Only 11 of the top 25 songs from last year's year-end chart were labeled explicit, with eight of the 11 by younger artists. On the year-end Hot R&B chart which tracks mainstream R&B, 19 of the top 25 songs carried an advisory.

Mary J. Blige, a nine-time Grammy winner who has been successful through R&B's changes since the 90s, says it's all about expression.

“Just like when we were growing up, we came from a place where we expressed ourselves from where we were living and how we were living. So, these new generations are expressing themselves,” she said.

Blige, a nominee for album of the year at Sunday's Grammys, says she can relate to younger artists.

“I'm so proud of them. I love them. They're doing exactly what we did: They're speaking from their experience, and I respect that,” Blige said. “I have so much respect for their artistry.”

Will Smith, Martin Lawrence Reteaming for ‘Bad Boys’ Sequel

By

The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) – Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are reteaming for a fourth “Bad Boys” movie, in one of Smith's most high-profile new projects since the slap. Sony Pictures announced Tuesday that the untitled “Bad Boys” sequel is in early pre-production. In a video posted on Instagram, Smith filmed himself driving to Lawrence's house. Embracing at the door, Smith exclaims, “It's about that time!”

Development on the “Bad Boys” sequel, which follows 2020's “Bad Boys for Life,” was reportedly put on hold after Smith hit Chris Rock at last March's Academy Awards. But last May, Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman disputed those reports.

“There weren't any brakes to pump because the car wasn't moving,” said Rothman. “That was a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I don't think it's really my place to comment, except to say that I've known Will Smith for many years, and I know him to be a good person. That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment, in front of the world. I believe his apology and regret is genuine, and I believe in forgiveness and redemption.”

Shortly before the pandemic shuttered theaters, “Bad Boys for Life” was a box-office hit, grossing $426 million worldwide. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is returning for the fourth film, as are “Bad Boys For Life” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.

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locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación. Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California (www.sucorte.

ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California Legal Services, (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, (www.sucorte. ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte

If you cannot afford an attorney, you may be eligible for free legal services from a nonprofit legal services program. You can locate these nonprofit groups at the California Legal Services Web site (www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), the California Courts Online Self-Help Center (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp), or by contacting your local court or county bar association. NOTE: The court has a statutory lien for waived fees and costs on any settlement or arbitration award of $10,000 or more in a civil case. The court’s lien must be paid before the court will dismiss the case. ¡AVISO! Lo han demandado. Si no responde dentro de 30 días, la corte puede decidir en su contra sin escuchar su versión. Lea la información a continuación. Tiene 30 DÍAS DE CALENDARIO después de que le entreguen esta citación y papeles legales para presentar una respuesta por escrito en esta corte y hacer que se entregue una copia al demandante. Una carta o una llamada telefónica no lo protegen. Su respuesta por escrito tiene que estar en formato legal correcto si desea que procesen su caso en la corte. Es posible que haya un formulario que usted pueda usar para su respuesta. Puede encontrar estos formularios de la corte y más información en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California www.sucorte. ca.gov), en la biblioteca de leyes de su condado o en la corte que le quede más cerca. Si no puede pagar la cuota de presentación, pida al secretario de la corte que le dé un formulario de exención de pago de cuotas. Si no presenta su respuesta a tiempo, puede perder el caso por incumplimiento y la corte le podrá quitar su sueldo, dinero y bienes sin más advertencia. Hay otros requisitos legales. Es recomendable que llame a un abogado inmediatamente. Si no conoce a un abogado, puede llamar a un servicio de remisión a abogados. Si

no puede pagar a un abogado, es posible que cumpla con los requisitos para obtener servicios legales gratuitos de un programa de servicios legales sin fines de lucro. Puede encontrar estos grupos sin fines de lucro en el sitio web de California

Legal Services, www.lawhelpcalifornia.org), en el Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California, www.sucorte. ca.gov) o poniéndose en contacto con la corte o el colegio de abogados locales. AVISO: Por ley, la corte tiene derecho a reclamar las cuotas y los costos exentos por imponer un gravamen sobre cualquier recuperación de $10,000 ó más de valor recibida mediante un acuerdo o una concesión de arbitraje en un caso de derecho civil. Tiene que pagar el gravamen de la corte antes de que la corte pueda desechar el caso. The name and address of the court is: (El nombre y dirección de la corte es): LOS ANGELES COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT 12720 Norwalk Blvd Norwalk, CA 90650 The name, address,

Beth and Chuck Harris – We See Our Legacy in the New Generation

By Chavah Benzion

Carib Press via Ethnic Media Services

Beth and Chuck Harris are still in love after 36 years of living together. They met in 1984 while working in the business department of a Los Angeles hospital. Beth, a fair-skinned, ginger-haired woman of Northern European ancestry, noticed Chuck, a young musician and college student of African American ancestry.  Over time they developed a friendship and began dating which led to marriage.

Chuck’s parents immediately accepted and welcomed Beth. However, Beth’s parents struggled to accept the interracial couple. They were from the South and had what Beth calls “Southern sensibilities.” Beth’s father barely made conversation with Chuck and Beth’s mother had a difficult time connecting with her baby granddaughter because she did not feel the baby “resembled” her. Beth also confided that her great grandfather had been a Confederate soldier who owned slaves.

Over the first years of marriage, they received countless ignorant comments from her parents. At her wit’s end, Beth wrote them a letter, pouring out her heart. She wanted them to be part of the life she had chosen; by holding onto their cultural programming, they were missing out on knowing, and growing to love, their own family, including Chuck and their grandchildren. Whether because of the letter, or the passage of time, the rift in the family began to close. By the time her parents passed years later, Chuck had become a beloved son to both of them.

It was far from easy being a mixed-race couple in the 1980s. It was only 17 years after the 1965 Loving vs. Virginia Supreme Court decision that struck down laws banning marriage between individuals of different races, and America was still adjusting. Widespread acceptance of interracial relationships had not yet come to pass, and Beth and Chuck found themselves contending with micro aggressions and inappropriate questions from many in and out of their community.

After 36 years of marriage, Beth and Chuck Harris say younger generations are realizing the legacy they helped to create

When Beth displayed her family photos on her desk at work, a coworker noticed and asked her, “What’s it like being married to a Black?” Chuck talked about how he got uncomfortable stares and ignorant remarks when he took his white stepson to the playground or to a doctor’s appointment. “We thought we existed in a hip, progressive era, but

in reality, people weren’t always accepting. Neither of us cared about what others thought of us or our union, but we had our fair share of stares and inappropriate comments and questions” although no open hostility.

Beth and Chuck live in Carlsbad. They have a daughter and Chuck has a white stepson. Both say that depending on where they are, they still receive stares. If

they go on a date in a small, conservative town or among an older crowd, they definitely turn heads. If they’re in a more progressive area or with a younger generation, no one pays them any mind.

They say they wouldn’t feel comfortable purchasing a home in just any neighborhood – the political climate would definitely influence the level of acceptance they feel.

Instead of shutting people down for making ignorant remarks, Chuck said that they get amazing results when they pursue a conversation. “It’s an opportunity to turn people’s hearts and minds around and see the scales drop from their eyes,” he added. “If love can expand, hate retreats.”

Chuck, who has had a career as a TV cameraman, noticed that in the past producers would try to match up TV families to make them look alike when, in reality, family members may not resemble each other. Today, there are representations of blended families and couples and children all over television, film and advertising.

Beth and Chuck feel strongly that hope rests with the young. “Change is happening, and in many ways change is already here. We don’t see many young people accepting the disease of racism as a cultural norm, and many are likely to have friends or to know someone who is of a different race,” says Beth.

“Look at the young people galvanizing and mobilizing the masses through social media to march and vote, and get legislation passed. This is our legacy. This is the hope we always had together, as a couple.

“A child born to parents of different races or raised by parents of a different race is the recipient of a priceless gift that can be passed along to future generations, the  gift of acceptance. Children from these unions represent generational hope. They are the ones who will change the world.”

This article is part of the Love Across Colorlines series, a collaboration of 20+ ethnic media outlets looking at interracial marriage in California at a time of rising hate. Visit Love Across Colorlines to see more in the series.

Voters Will Determine Fate of Fast Food Workers

Edward Henderson California Black Media

Last September, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 257 into law. Supporters of the legislation, authored by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), hailed it for its promise to provide a minimum wage and improve working conditions for fast food workers.

But late last month, the future of AB 257 -- also known as “the Fast Act” or “the Fast Food Recovery Act” -- came into question. California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber’s office announced that a referendum seeking to overturn the law had gathered enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot.

“To qualify for the ballot,” the Secretary of State’s office wrote, “the referendum needed 623,212 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2018 General Election.

When AB 257 passed last year along party lines, it authorized the establishment of the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act or FAST Recovery Act. The bill established the Fast Food Council within the Department of Industrial Relations, to be composed of 10 members to be appointed by the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Senate Rules Committee. According to the bill’s

language, the purpose of the council is to establish “sectorwide minimum standards on wages (up to $22/hour in 2023 with capped annual increases), working hours, and other working conditions related to the health, safety, and welfare of, and supplying the necessary cost of proper living to, fast food restaurant workers, as well as effecting interagency coordination and prompt agency responses in this regard.” The act prohibits retaliation against fastfood workers for making certain workplace complaints. Opponents of AB 257, led by a coalition called Save Local Restaurants, gathered more than 1 million signatures on a referendum petition. 712,000 of them were deemed to be valid by Weber’s office putting the referendum on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. The Los Angeles Times published an article telling the stories of 14 voters who say they were misled by canvassers collecting signatures for the referendum. Many of them said that information was withheld from them about the nature of the campaign and were simply told it would support fast food workers.

But the laws’ opponents insist that their challenge to AB 257 is widely supported.

“California voters have made clear that they want a say on whether they must shoulder the burden of higher prices and job losses caused by the FAST Act,” said Save Local

Restaurants in their press release. “This legislation singles out the quick service restaurant industry by establishing an unelected council to control labor policy, which would cause a sharp increase in food costs and push many Californians, particularly in disenfranchised communities, to the breaking point.” The referendum means that the law is suspended until the November 2024 election when voters will decide whether to repeal it. Holden, who is a former franchise owner said he believes AB 257 would protect both owners and employees – if those opposing the law allow it to work.

“Given, the final version of the bill removed many expressed concerns of subpoena power and joint-liability. While, strengthening the over-site role of the legislature, providing for equal Sector Council representation and adding a sunset clause to evaluate effectiveness. As a result, this first in the nation worker protection bill is worthy to become law in California,” Holden said when Newsom signed the law last year. Labor advocates believe the legislation could create a precedent in the U.S for negotiating workplace standards, which would, in turn, revolutionize the collective bargaining process.

However, the coalition of businesses opposing the law feel it would leave businesses with higher labor costs and hiked-up food prices.

According to the nonpartisan Fair Political Practices Commission, fast-food corporations and business trade groups including In-N-Out, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A, McDonald’s, Starbucks and the National Restaurant Association donated millions to support the referendum effort.

“The FAST Act is bad policy that threatens not only quick service restaurants, but the independents operating in the same neighborhoods,” National Restaurant Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs Sean Kennedy said in a press release. “There is no way that the regulations passed by this unelected council would not damage the state’s restaurant industry, harm its workforce, and leave diners paying the bill. We’re pleased that Californians will get the chance to exercise their constitutional right to vote on this law and will continue to support the operators, small business owners, and workers that make the restaurant industry so important to our customers’ lives.”

Super Bowl Has Rare Matchup of Top 2 Regular-Season Teams

By Josh Dubow Associated Press

This year’s Super Bowl features a rare matchup of the NFL’s top two teams from the regular season.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs were the league’s only 14-game winners, marking just the sixth time since the 1970 merger that the squads with sole possession of the two best records in the regular season met for the championship.

The last time it happened came after the 2013 season when Seattle beat Denver 43-8 in a matchup of 13-win teams.

That blowout was relatively typical of these meetings, with the average margin of victory in the previous five powerhouse matchups being 21 points.

The closest game was Washington’s 37-24 win over Buffalo following the 1991 season. The three others featured San Francisco beating Miami 38-16 after the 1984 season, Dallas topping Denver 27-10 to cap the 1977 season and Oakland beating Minnesota 32-14 the previous year. Since seeding began in 1975, this is the 15th time the top team in each conference made it to the Super Bowl. The previous time came after the 2017 season when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl championship by beating New England 41-33.

This is also the third time both Super Bowl teams won at least 14 games in the regular season, although both Kansas City and Philadelphia needed wins in the added 17th game to get there. Atlanta and Denver did it in 16-game seasons in 1998, and Miami and San Francisco in 1984.

The Chiefs and Eagles also have been in control all postseason, with neither team trailing in the playoffs. The only other times both Super Bowl teams did that came in the 2004 season (Patriots vs. Eagles), 1991 season (Bills vs. Washington) and 1966 season (Packers vs. Chiefs).

AIR IT OUT

Patrick Mahomes will try to do something that has never been done before in the NFL by following up a regular season when he led the league in yards passing with a Super Bowl title.

Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards during the regular season — 511 more than second-place Justin Herbert for the largest gap between first and

ing for more yards in the regular season than Mahomes was Manning, with a record 5,477 in 2013. His Broncos lost 43-8 to Seattle in the Super Bowl.

That was one of six times before Mahomes that the player who led the league in yards passing made it to the Super Bowl, with all of them losing. The others were Tom Brady (2017 season), Brady (2007), Rich Gannon (2002), Warner (2001) and Dan Marino (1984).

COACHING REUNION

Chiefs coach Andy Reid joins Dan Reeves as the only coaches to face a franchise in the Super Bowl that they previously took to the big game.

Reid coached the Eagles to their second Super Bowl following the 2004 season before getting fired after the 2012 season. He quickly built Kansas City into a power and now is ready for his fourth Super Bowl appearance as a head coach — the ninth coach to reach that mark.

Reid will hope for better luck in his rematch than Reeves had after the 1998 season against a Denver organization he had guided to the Super Bowl in the 1986, ’87 and ’89 seasons before losing all three. The Broncos beat Reeves and the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in the Super Bowl.

Two other coaches faced their former teams in the Super Bowl and ended up on the winning side: Jon Gruden led Tampa Bay past the Raiders after the 2002 season and Weeb Ewbank coached the Jets to a huge upset over the Colts following the 1968 season.

The Eagles will be the sixth franchise to reach the Super Bowl under four coaches, with Nick Sirianni joining Doug Pederson, Reid and Dick Vermeil.

The Raiders, 49ers, Colts and Rams all got there with four coaches, and the Broncos did it with a record five.

TERRIFIC TIGHT END

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has put together a playoff career topped perhaps only by the greatest receiver ever in Jerry Rice. Kelce has 127 catches in 17 career playoff games for 1,467 yards and 15 touchdowns. The only player to top any of those numbers was Rice, with 151 catches for 2,245 yards and 22 TDs in 29 playoff games.

The Mahomes-Kelce connection also is one of the best, with their 13 TD passes in the playoffs trailing only the 15 Tom Brady threw to Rob Gronkowski.

Busch Light Clash is Bump City

By Earl Heath

Contributing Sports Writer

Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag at the second BUSH LIGHT CLASH in the LA Coliseum. The crafty veteran avoided much of the bumper car action that occurred during the race.

Truex posted the fastest in Saturday’s qualifying and then won his heat race Sunday to start second in the final.

He laid low  in the main event and was fortunate to stay away from the trouble during the 16 cautions compared to five last year.

“We did everything right last year and things didn’t workout” Truex stated. “This year things were a little different.” He took the lead from Ryan Preece with 25 laps to go and never gave it up.    Austin Dillion came in second after taking out Bubba

Wallace with seven laps to go.    “I couldn’t believe how aggressive it was” said Dillion.  “There was nothing but just hammer each other and hope to come out the other side. I got hit one time, it knocked the wheel out of my hands.”     Dillions teammate Kyle Busch, Dillon’s teammate with Richard Childress Racing came in third. “I would call it a disaster with just the disrespect from everybody and just driving through each other and not just letting everything kind of work its way out. But I mean, it’s a quarter-mile. It’s tight-quarters racing.”    Alex Bowman and Kyle Larsen round out the top five. Bowman was asked when he knew the race would be caution filled-His response :”When they built the track on a football field.”

The legendary Coliseum, will celebrate its 100th birthday in May. It has hosted racing as early as 1945.

In 2023 we saw twenty-seven 3,500-pound cars pushing their way around a temporary track laid down over 130,000 square feet of plywood and plastic sheeting meant to protect the historic grass field. The track is half the size of the next-smallest on the NASCAR circuit, while its 2.5-degree banking makes it the flattest track as well.

Bubba Wallace started in the 8 spot and led a race high 40 laps. He finished 22. With seven laps to go he was bumped into the wall  by Dillon.

“The 3 just never tried to make a corner, he was just always turning into my left-rear” Wallace said of Austin Dillon. “Ya’ll are looking for something, but I ain’t gonna give you nothing.”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, right, and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speak to the media during the NFL football Super Bowl 57 opening night, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Phoenix.

The Kansas City Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

second place since Kurt Warner beat out Peyton Manning by 699 yards in 2001. The only player to reach the Super Bowl after throw-

Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. celebrates after winning the NASCAR Busch Light Clash at the (Los Angeles) Coliseum. (Photo: USA TODAY SPORTS)

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, delivered a speech on the House floor opposing H.Con.Res.9 “Denouncing the horrors of socialism.”

Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the Committee on Financial Services we organized and considered the Committee’s oversight plan. We debated homelessness and the lack of affordable housing, how to best protect consumers, and the need to strengthen diversity and inclusion across the financial services industry. We also discussed the threat to our nation’s future if our country is forced to default on our debt four months from today. We didn’t always agree and honestly, none of the Democratic amendments were adopted, but it was a civil debate about the merits of policy. I believe all of our Committee members recognize that the legislation that comes out of our Committee has the potential to support wealth creation, grow small businesses, support affordable housing and build a stable financial system and economy.

It is the contrast with the intentionality and seriousness of the debate yesterday that makes it so hard to understand why the very first piece of legislation to come to the floor under a rule is not a proposal to address the needs of any of our constituents, to provide support to struggling small businesses, or the community banks and credit unions that finance them. And, it certainly doesn’t provide our markets with certainty that our country won’t act recklessly and default on its debts, a situation that will bring untold harm to all of us in America.

No, Mr. Speaker, this resolution today in fact does nothing except spread lies and fear about a threat that does not even exist. The right-wing extremists who are running this House have forced my Committee to consider as its first very piece of legislation a bill that tries to say that our country will collapse in ruin because of…wait for it… Social Security. The Resolution suggests that because we support seniors with health insurance, our democracy will crumble. They think that because Congress and the President have provided disaster relief to communities that have been burned by historic wildfires or flooded by once in a generation hurricane, that we will fall into ruin. No, Mr. Speaker, Americans take pride in the ways that we come together to do everything from building schools to sending a man to the Moon.

Mr. Speaker, Americans know better than the fear mongering we see here today. They know, for example, that when the pandemic hit and people were dying all across this country, it was the federal government that stepped in to provide trillions of dollars of support to small busi-

nesses, workers, renters, students, seniors, and would you believe it…even Republican Members of Congress. In fact, the government, using taxpayer dollars, provided $14 million in PPP loans to a number of House Republicans, who asked and then guess what? Received debt forgiveness.

Now, some Republicans have tried to suggest that voting against this resolution is saying that you support dictators like Pol Pot, Mao Zedong or Stalin, which is ridiculous. No one in this Chamber supports them, but do you know which dictator my extremist colleagues refused to condemn? Oh, they didn’t say anything about Hitler.

Mr. Speaker, you’ve heard of him, right?

My colleague, Mr. Gottheimer noticed that somehow the Republicans forgot to condemn Hitler and offered an amendment to denounce his atrocities and mass murder. But Republicans rejected it. And I think we know why. Donald Trump, the true leader of the Republicans and North Star for House Republicans, was reported to have frightened his own staff by saying that Hitler had done some good things.

There is only one would-be authoritarian who refused to accept the will of our voters and peacefully transfer power after losing his election. Instead, he incited a violent insurrection on January 6th to block the election’s certification that was happening in this very chamber, but you won’t see his name in this resolution or his strongman pals that he loves so much in Russia and China.

Mr. Speaker, we are a great nation not because we let everyone fend for themselves, but because we care for one another. We are a great nation that comes together as communities as small as towns and as large as the whole nation to decide to organize and collectively pay for fire departments, public schools, libraries, hospitals, roads and bridges, and a military. We are a better nation because we have programs that we love. We love Social Security and Medicare, and we’re going to fight every inch of the way to make sure we keep Social Security and Medicare. We’re not going to let the opposite side of the aisle take away our seniors’ Social Security and Medicare. I’ll say it again: Social Security and Medicare! We are a better nation because our form of capitalism includes regulatory safeguards and strong cops on the beat patrolling our financial system, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Mr. Speaker, I urge you and the Majority to stop these divisive “gotcha” tactics, get out of the way and let my Committee and this Congress pass real legislation that puts the needs of our constituents and nation first.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the top Democrat on the House Committee on Financial Services, delivered the following testimony in front of the Rules Committee on the resolution entitled, “Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism.”

Thank you. Chairman Cole, Ranking Member McGovern and Members of the Committee, the American public is going to wonder why Republicans are wasting our time today with this divisive resolution instead of focusing on the real threats to our economy and democracy.

I think that no one in this room would ever say glowing things about the atrocities committed by leaders like Pol Pot in Cambodia, Stalin in Russia, Mao Zedong in China, and Hitler across Europe. These dictators and their crimes against humanity have been well documented.

Why don’t the Republicans focus on a real global threat—the rise of authoritarianism across the world. Vladimir Putin has illegally invaded Ukraine, pushing the world closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kim Jong Un in North Korea continues to threaten his neighbors and us with nuclear bombs while impoverishing his own people. And Xi Jingping in China who recently consolidated power to remain leader for life, is pursuing policies that threaten to create a second cold war.  These are real threats, Mr. Chairman, but this resolution does not condemn these threats. And notably, the leader of the Republican party, your leader, Donald Trump has actually praised all of these authoritarians.

This resolution is instead as divisive as it is insulting to the American public. It is trying to suggest that Social Security, Medicare, even fire departments are anti-American. Guess what Mr. Chairman, the American public disagrees—70% of Americans want to protect Social Security and Medicare.

None of this is surprising to me, nor is this blatant attempt by Republicans to try to scare Americans. But since Republicans won’t prioritize it, I’m going to talk about the biggest threat to our way of life, to our democracy and our economy.

Many of us in this room personally witnessed the biggest threat to our democracy. On January 6th after lying to the country that the election was stolen, President Trump called upon his supporters to violently overthrow the United States government. I was here with many of you when we saw an attempted insurrection take place just outside these doors. And the lies continue to be spread about what happened, including by some members of the House Republican caucus.

And the threat to our economy is not from policies like Social Security or Medicare, but from House Republicans who would seek to default on our debt rather than pay our seniors what is owed to them. In as few as 120 days from today, our country could face economic catastrophe, recession, and spiking interest rates because Republicans are basically seeking to cut Social Security, Medicare and other critical programs or force the government to default on its debt. In just four months, our nation’s seniors could stop receiving retirement payments, our nation’s servicemembers on the front lines could stop being paid, public health funding, including funds to stop pandemics, would evaporate, and our financial markets could grind to a halt. Mr. Chairman, all of these events would be solely the result of House Republicans forcing our government to default on its debt.

Since 1960, Congress authorized the Treasury to pay the debt 78 times, 49 times under Republican Presidents and 29 times under Democratic Presidents. When Republican’s last controlled the House, they raised the debt by $7.8 trillion and increased the debt ceiling three times without blushing. The only difference now is that House Republicans are captured by a minority that want to burn it all down and our way of life with it.

Mr. Chairman, if House Republican leadership were really concerned about the economy, they would remove this resolution and instead they would simply ask a no vote and allow amendments instead of a closed rule.  I yield back.

By Philtrina Farquharson

Contributing Writer

Listos California, a disaster preparedness organization and Cal OES (California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services hosted a briefing this past week to share recovery efforts and resources for those impacted by recent floods.

The impact of these storms has caused damage to homes, roads, and infrastructure and as a result, the issue of severe rainstorms has become a growing concern for many. “In addition to floods and fires, complex disasters will be ongoing as a result of climate change”, says Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Assistant Director, Crisis Communication & Public Affairs, Cal OES.

It is important for residents all throughout California to stay prepared and better understand the range of recovery resources available and how to access them online, by phone or in-person.

Listos California Resources

People can go to listoscalifornia.org for preparedness tips and keep in these five simple steps to be disaster ready:

Get alerts to know what to do

Make a plan to protect your people

Pack a go bag with things you need

Build a stay box for when you can’t leave

Help friends and neighbors get ready

Those are five simple steps that can be used in any emergency or disaster and it’s good to be prepared. “Let this be a reminder for you to have those conversations with your family and really make the difference for the next time an emergency strikes, so that families are ready,” says Diana Crofts-Pelayo.

Dayana Contreras, Listos California Program Manager, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fresno says, “from the first day of the floods, we provided food to the migrant camps and had a pop-up disaster relief center.” “Pillows, blankets, water, and other supplies were also provided. “We are going to help people create a long-term recovery plan,” says Contreras.

FEMA Resources Under housing assistance, eligible survivors may be eligible for rental assistance; temporary lodging; repair assistance; or replacement assistance. Under other needs assistance, personal property damage can be replaced; transportation repairs; can be assisted with funeral costs; medical and dental costs; childcare and other miscellaneous costs; the current maximum for each category of assistance this fiscal year is up to $41,000 per household, and this is expense or losses not covered by insurance.

For the process of registering for FEMA, an applicant can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Those impacted can also go in person to a state local assistance center or a joint disaster recovery center. There’s staff, not only from FEMA, but also mitigation that can assist with a survivor’s recovery efforts.

In order to be eligible for FEMA aid, a survivor must meet the general conditions of eligibility which includes uh being a U.S. citizen, a non-citizen national, or a qualified alien.

Heavy rain continued to hit the Los Angeles area on Sunday January 1st, 2023 and there was minor flooding near W. Washington Blvd and S. Olive Street in Los Angeles. (Photo by OnScene. TV)