#FASHIONFAB: Anok Yai for Gucci #campaign
#RHOA: Andy Cohen Says Angela Oakley Was Reading at RHOA Reunion + Phaedra Parks Was Energized
“Real Housewives of Atlanta” stars said they expected the reunion to be messy just days before filming due to a season full of unresolved conflicts. As we reported, Shamea Morton has been clashing with Angela Oakley, Porsha Williams, and Drew Sidora. Kelli Potter and Porsha exchanged accusations earlier in the season. K. Michelle wasn’t able to get close to Drew or Porsha because she claimed someone told her that both had planned to bring up an old rumor about her on RHOA.
Andy Cohen recently discussed the RHOA reunion on his podcast. He said that the reunion was so good that it reminded him of when the show was in its prime years ago:
“We shot the Atlanta reunion during the break. John, it reminded me of Atlanta reunions of the past. It was…Porsha and I were sitting there because Angela just would sit there…she just doesn’t stop reading people. She was getting into it with Kelli and then with Shamea. And they are going back and forth, back and forth, and what I said to the group is, here’s the problem; y’all just keep reading each other. There’s no stop to the reading.”
He continued, “I go, ‘At some point, you have to end with your final best read. You have to be like this was my best and final read, and I’m gonna leave it there, and I’m gonna be quiet. They just keep going. But Porsha and I were sitting there giggling, listening. It was like I just haven’t giggled like that. I remember giggling with NeNe when…at Phaedra in years back. And boy, Phaedra, she was…energized. I will tell you that. It was a really good reunion. It was really good. I am really loving this group, and oh my God, K. Michelle, just unbelievable.”
#MusicNews: Pharrell Williams Unveils New Original Music for Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2027 Men’s Show
Louis Vuitton’s menswear Creative Director Pharrell Williams unveiled a series of original, self-produced music during the house’s Spring-Summer 2027 Men’s Show. Staged at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, the runway doubled as a platform for a cross-genre sonic experience, reinforcing Williams’ signature strategy of blending high fashion with high-profile music premieres.
The musical backdrop for the SS27 collection was anchored by a dynamic live performance. The Virginia-based choir Voices of Fire contributed powerful vocal arrangements, while renowned conductor Thomas Roussel led L’Orchestre du Pont Neuf. Together, the ensemble established a grand, cinematic tone that guided the runway experience.
In keeping with his tradition of utilizing the runway as a space for global music discovery, Williams premiered a slate of unreleased tracks from several of the industry’s most influential artists:
The evening culminated with the premiere of “Bando,” a powerful new track by GRAMMY Award-winning global artist Angelique Kidjo, featuring both Williams and Quavo. According to the house, the track was recorded at the Louis Vuitton Studio in tandem with the physical design of the SS27 collection, creating a dialogue where the music and the apparel directly inspired one another.
The original works presented at the SS27 show highlight Williams’ ongoing ability to unite artists across varying cultures and musical boundaries. By integrating these premieres into the runway, Louis Vuitton continues to position its seasonal showcases as a vital center for world-class talent and contemporary music discovery.
This approach builds on previous runway music milestones under Williams’ creative direction, including the debut of the hit single “Chains & Whips” from the recent GRAMMY Award-winning Clipse album, Let God Sort Em Out.
“Bando” by Angelique Kidjo, featuring Pharrell Williams and Quavo, is currently available across all major streaming platforms.
#HipHopNews: Chief Keef Announces “Chief Keef Live 2026” Nationwide Tour
The 19-date trek begins with a hometown performance in Chicago on Sept. 12 and will make stops in major cities including New York, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, before wrapping up in Las Vegas on Oct. 29.
The outing marks Chief Keef’s first national tour since 2024 and follows the success of his critically acclaimed album Almighty So 2. The tour also arrives just weeks after the rap star’s 31st birthday.
Fans can expect performances featuring tracks from Chief Keef’s 2026 mixtape Skeletor, along with hits spanning his 15-year career and appearances from surprise guests.
Chief Keef has remained active on the live circuit, performing at major festivals including Rolling Loud, Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash earlier this year, and Dreamville Fest in 2025.
Presale tickets for “Chief Keef Live 2026” begin Tuesday, July 7, at 10 a.m. local time, while tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, July 10, at 10 a.m. local time.
Chief Keef Live 2026 Tour Dates:
September 12 – Chicago, IL (Northerly Island)
September 13 – Minneapolis, MN (The Armory)
September 14 – Detroit, MI (The Fillmore Detroit)
September 15 – Indianapolis, IN (Egyptian Room at Old National Centre)
September 18 – Austin, TX (Riviere)
September 19 – Houston, TX (Bayou Music Center)
September 20 – Irving, TX (Toyota Music Factory)
September 21 – New Orleans, LA (The Fillmore New Orleans)
October 2 – Wallingford, CT (The Dome at Oakdale)
October 4 – New York, NY (The Rooftop at Pier 17)
October 5 – Allentown, PA (Archer Music Hall)
October 6 – Philadelphia, PA (The Fillmore Philadelphia)
October 9 – Virginia Beach, VA (The Dome)
October 12 – Boston, MA (MGM Music Hall at Fenway)
October 17 – Denver, CO (The Fillmore Auditorium)
October 23 – San Francisco, CA (The Midway)
October 26 – Phoenix, AZ (Arizona Financial Theatre)
October 27 – Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)
October 28 – Las Vegas, NV (Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas)
Brandy Honored in Hometown by City Officials
Grammy-winning singer and actress Brandy received a heartfelt hometown celebration this week as city, county and state leaders honored her lasting impact on music, television and culture.
Thousands gathered in downtown McComb, Mississippi, on July 6 for a public celebration recognizing the entertainer’s accomplishments. The event transformed Main Street into a tribute to one of the city’s most famous native daughters. Fans, family members and local officials filled the streets to welcome Brandy home after decades of international success.
Brandy, born in McComb before moving away as a young child, returned to the southwest Mississippi city for what organizers described as a celebration of her career and her continued commitment to giving back. The event followed a year already filled with major honors for the singer, including receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this year.
The hometown celebration featured live entertainment before Brandy addressed the crowd with an emotional speech reflecting on her childhood memories and family roots.
“Every summer this city opened me with open arms,” Brandy said. “My grandparents, my Auntie Bag that’s here today, I love you. Family that loved me so completely that I never questioned if I belonged. Love is simply the language that we spoke.”
The ceremony included proclamations from the City of McComb, Pike County and the State of Mississippi. Officials also presented Brandy with the keys to both the City of McComb and Pike County.
According to local leaders, she became the first person in Pike County’s history to receive both honors during the same ceremony.
Brandy’s mother, Sonja Norwood, stood beside her as officials presented the recognitions. The moment highlighted the family’s long connection to the community.
The celebration extended beyond ceremonial honors.
Brandy partnered with her charitable foundation and the McComb School District to donate musical instruments to Higgins Middle School. The gift reflected her commitment to supporting arts education for future generations.
The school also carries special significance for her family. Her mother graduated from Higgins when it operated as a high school.
Brandy also announced a donation of career memorabilia to help launch McComb’s planned music museum, which is expected to open in 2027.
The collection includes signed records, compact discs, wardrobe pieces from her hit sitcom “Moesha” and other personal artifacts spanning her decades-long career. Organizers said the exhibits will preserve her legacy while inspiring young artists from the region.
The celebration came shortly after Brandy headlined the 2026 Essence Festival in New Orleans, continuing an active year that has included several high-profile recognitions.
Earlier this year, she accepted her Hollywood Walk of Fame star, where she reflected on the meaning of the milestone.
“Because if the little girl from McComb, Mississippi could come to Hollywood, look down at those stars and dare to believe that one day her name would be among them, then anything is possible. Dreams don’t have an expiration date, faith can carry you where fear said you’d never go, and when your purpose is real, your light will make room for itself.”
Back in McComb, Brandy hinted that new music may also be on the horizon while speaking with local media after the ceremony.
“You know what? I’ve been hearing about I should do a new album, so I think I wanna do a new album,” she said. “I gotta do something because I want to perform — so I better get to it.”
For McComb residents, however, the focus remained on celebrating one of their own. The hometown event served as both a recognition of Brandy’s accomplishments and a reminder that her connection to the city continues despite her decades in the entertainment industry.
Coco Gauff Advances to Her First Wimbledon Semifinal
The American star reached her first Wimbledon semifinal after rallying past fellow American Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals. Gauff recovered from a first-set deficit to earn a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory on Centre Court. The comeback marked another display of resilience from the two-time Grand Slam champion.
The result represents Gauff’s deepest run at the All England Club. Before this year, she had never advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon. The breakthrough also completes another career achievement. Gauff has now reached at least the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The match followed a familiar script for Gauff during this tournament. She dropped the opening set before settling into her rhythm. Her movement improved as the match continued. She also reduced unforced errors and dictated more rallies with her aggressive baseline game.
Pegula entered the quarterfinal after an impressive tournament of her own. She challenged Gauff throughout the opening set. Her consistent serving and clean ball striking helped her claim an early advantage.
Gauff refused to panic. Instead, she trusted the same formula that carried her through several difficult matches during the tournament. Her defense frustrated Pegula during the second set. She also found better depth on her groundstrokes and converted key break-point opportunities.
After the victory, Gauff reflected on her confidence during three-set matches.
“I’ve been going three sets almost every match,” Gauff said during her on-court interview. “I feel like when you have that faith in yourself as a competitor, when the match goes a distance, you know when you lose one set, you’re not panicking.”
The statement reflected a mindset that has become one of her greatest strengths. Gauff has repeatedly shown an ability to recover after slow starts.
Gauff’s Wimbledon run has featured several comeback victories. Earlier in the tournament, she defeated Belinda Bencic to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. That match finished just minutes before the tournament’s nightly curfew.
She admitted afterward that the pressure of the clock created an unusual situation.
“I’m super happy to be in the quarterfinals finally,” Gauff said after defeating Bencic. “I was looking at the clock in the last service game and I was like, ‘I have to hit some big serves and big shots.’”
She added, “That was probably the most dramatic finish. I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis, we’re used to not having a clock, but today I felt the pressure.”
Those tense moments appear to have strengthened her confidence entering the tournament’s final stages.
Gauff arrived at Wimbledon carrying questions about her grass-court game. Despite winning major titles on hard courts and clay, success on grass had remained elusive. Earlier in the season, she endured a difficult stretch on the surface. Her performances in London have quieted many of those concerns.
The 22-year-old now stands among the tournament’s final four with an opportunity to reach her first Wimbledon championship match. She is also the youngest player since Maria Sharapova to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slam events.
Her semifinal opponent will be Karolina Muchova. The matchup features two versatile players who rely on athleticism, creativity and defensive skills. Gauff holds the advantage in their previous meetings, although this will be their first encounter on Wimbledon grass.
Regardless of the outcome, Gauff has already achieved a career-best result at the sport’s oldest major. Her latest performance reinforces her status as one of tennis’ brightest stars.
She has proven she can win on every surface. Now, she is only one victory away from playing for the Wimbledon title.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Receives Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame
The legendary hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony! has officially been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The ceremony went down today (July 8), with radio icon Big Boy serving as emcee and several stars showing up to celebrate and show their support. Late last month, the group released a statement on the honor, saying, “Receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a blessing beyond words. Coming from Cleveland, we never imagined that the music we created would touch so many lives around the world. This honor belongs not only to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, but to our families, our city, our fans, and everyone who believed in us from the beginning.”
They continued: “More than three decades later, we’re still here, still creating, and still carrying the legacy forward. We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for this incredible recognition and dedicate this star to the generations who continue to keep our music alive.”
The 2026 Emmy nominations: See the full list
Hacks followed close behind with 24 nominations, a record for a comedy in a single year. The previous record was 23, set by The Bear season 2 in 2024 and The Studio season 1 in 2025. With defending Outstanding Comedy Series winner The Studio sitting this cycle out, the 2024 champ will aim for a bookend statuette with its fifth and final season. Its leading lady Jean Smart is also on the precipice of winning an Emmy for every season of the show.
Apple TV had a great day with its freshman offerings. Breakout horror comedy Widow’s Bay scared up 19 nominations, the most for new shows, including one for star Matthew Rhys, who is also nominated for his performance on the Netflix limited series The Beast in Me. Pluribus, starring Golden Globe winner Rhea Seehorn, nabbed 18 mentions.
Other double-digit nominees are Beef (16 nominations), DTF St. Louis (13 nominations), and Saturday Night Live and Spider-Noir with 11 apiece.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay, will air live on Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St. Louis
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Zendaya, Euphoria
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Brittany Allen, The Pitt
Tal Anderson, The Pitt
Tina Ivlev, The Pitt
Miriam Shor, Pluribus
Merritt Wever, The Gilded Age
Shailene Woodley, Paradise
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Colman Domingo, Euphoria
Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Jeff Hiller, Pluribus
Jeff Kober, The Pitt
Jonathan Pryce, Slow Horses
Bradley Whitford, The Diplomat
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Leslie Bibb, Hacks
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
Cherry Jones, Hacks
Laurie Metcalf, Hacks
Kaitlin Olson, Hacks
Lauren Weedman, Hacks
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael J. Fox, Shrinking
Brett Goldstein, Shrinking
Hamish Linklater, Widow’s Bay
Christopher McDonald, Hacks
Rob Reiner, The Bear
Connor Storrie, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Riz Ahmed, Bait
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac, Beef
Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault
Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis
Youn Yuh-jung, Beef
Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis
Richard Gadd, Half Man
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis
Charles Melton, Beef
Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors
Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
RuPaul Charles, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Ariana Madix, Love Island
Jeff Probst, Survivor
Outstanding Host for a Game Show
Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud
Ken Jennings, Jeopardy
Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy
Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Martin Short, Match Game
Outstanding Structured Reality Program
Antiques Roadshow
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Love Is Blind
Queer Eye
Shark Tank
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked
Summer House
Welcome to Wrexham
Outstanding Variety Series
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Game Show
Celebrity Family Feud
Jeopardy
The Price Is Right
Wheel of Fortune
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Outstanding Movie
Heads of State
Miss You, Love You
People We Meet on Vacation
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War
Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
83rd Annual Golden Globes
68th Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
78th Annual Tony Awards
Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable...
The Muppet Show
Nikki Glaser: Good Girl
Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | Final Show
Wicked: One Wonderful Night
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Diplomat (Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn for “Amagansett”)
The Pitt (Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill for “1:00 PM”)
The Pitt (Valerie Chu for “12:00 PM”)
Mickey Down and Konrad Kay for “Dear Henry,” Industry
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)
Slow Horses (Will Smith for “Scars”)
Task (Brad Ingelsby for “A Still Small Voice”)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Quinta Brunson for “Team Building”)
The Chair Company (Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
The Comeback (Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow for “Valerie Does It All”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky for “Hacks”)
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Anthony King for “Mergers and Acquisitions”)
Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
All Her Fault (Megan Gallagher for “Episode 8”)
The Beast in Me (Gabe Rotter and Daniel Pearle for “Sick Puppy”)
Beef (Lee Sung Jin for “All the Things We’re Never Gonna Have”)
DTF St. Louis (Steven Conrad)
Death by Lightning (Mike Makowsky)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Gilded Age (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “My Mind Is Made Up”)
Paradise (Hanelle M. Culpepper for “Exodus”)
The Pitt (Noah Wyle for “12:00 PM”)
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for “We Is Us”)
Slow Horses (Saul Metzstein for “Scars”)
Task (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river”)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Randall Einhorn for “Ballgame”)
The Bear (Christopher Storer for “Bears”)
The Chair Company (Andrew DeYoung for “Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does”)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello for “Hacks”)
The Ms. Pat Show (Mary Lou Belli for “Give It Arrest”)
Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for “Welcome to Widow’s Bay”)
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie
Beef (Jake Schreier for “It Will Stay This Way and You Will Obey”)
Beef (Lee Sung Jin for “Oh, the Comfort, the Inexpressible Comfort”)
Black Rabbit (Jason Bateman for “The Black Rabbits”)
DTF St. Louis (Steven Conrad)
Justin Baldoni & Wife Emily Address Blake Lively Lawsuit in First Comments in Almost 2 Years
Justin Baldoni is breaking his silence. Nearly two years since his legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively began, the 42-year-old actor/director and his wife Emily uploaded a video on Instagram on Wednesday (July 8) to share their first comments after reaching a settlement in the dispute.
“We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say,” Justin began. “Because lord knows we have, but it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn’t feel like the right time, and we were talking about it and feeling into it and praying about it.”
Emily, 41, added, “This feels like the moment. There’s so much to say.”
The public legal drama began back in December 2024 when Blake, 38, accused Justin of sexual harassment and retaliation stemming from production of the movie. Justin denied the allegations and later filed a $400 million lawsuit. In June 2025, the suit was dismissed in it’s entirety. In May 2026, it was revealed that a settlement had been reached between them.
Then, last month, a federal judge ruled that Blake was entitled to attorneys’ fees and litigation costs in her battle against Justin. She is seeking over $8 million.
In the new video, Justin noted that he and Emily won’t cover everything that’s happened, as Emily agreed and expressed “immense gratitude for … so many people and so many things that have happened to us.”
“Gratitude has saved us,” Justin added.
Emily then said that their gratitude “doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years. We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack.”
She went on to say that she and Justin have experienced “a lot of trauma” that makes it difficult for them to speak openly.
“We don’t even know if this is the right thing to say,” Justin said. “We just know we need to share something. What I will say is that there have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple of years. That created so much noise, and we didn’t want to add to the noise. So we just wanted to let the justice system run its course.”
Emily stated that “the truth and the facts have spoken for themselves.”
As for how they’re doing, Justin said, “We are healing. If you’ve ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn’t linear. It looks different every day. We have had to rethink for ourselves what is real, and what matters. It’s this. It’s our family, it’s our friends, it’s our community, who have been their for us, it’s our faith.”
He also added that he and Emily have grown “closer, more devoted, and steadfast in our faith than we’ve ever been,” before thanking his supporters and saying that Emily previous prayed that “people would have discernment.”
“So many of you had discernment, and you used your intuition and you trusted that,” the Jane the Virgin actor continued. “You have given your time to fight for us. Thank you does not feel like enough. But we’re here, in large part, because of so many of you, and all of our friends and family.”
Justin said that a lesson that they will carry with them is that “when God presses the reset button, and everything else is stripped away, that’s when love shows up.”
“And it did,” Emily added. “There’s so much more to say. The time will come. But for now, we are going to focus on continuing the healing and hanging out with our kiddos and enjoying life.”
Graham Platner Drops Out Of Maine Senate Race After Sexual Assault Allegations
Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner dropped out of the race on Wednesday after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault, setting off a scramble to replace him in a must-win race for the party.
“This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power,” he said in an 11-minute video Wednesday evening.
Platner spent a considerable amount of time in the video complaining about the Democratic Party withdrawing support for him because of the scandal and portraying his exit as the result of a coordinated campaign against him and the progressive movement ― even though virtually every prominent progressive leader has called for him to drop out of the race.
“We did it the right way. We built a campaign, we engaged in electoral politics, we motivated people, we banded together. We did it the way that we were told we are supposed to make change, and we won. And now they are not going to let us have it ― not if it’s me,” Platner said.
The scandal-plagued Platner’s final implosion has caused substantial finger-pointing within the party but is nonetheless a substantial boon to their chances against GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the five-term moderate who is the most vulnerable Republican senator up for reelection this cycle.
Platner, most Democratic operatives believe, was destined to lose following the rape allegations ― even if Maine’s Democratic partisanship may have given him a fighting chance. Instead, the party will have the choice of a handful of comparatively scandal-free candidates, some of whom have strong electoral track records.
The deadline to withdraw was July 13. Maine Democrats now have until July 27 to replace Platner with a new nominee. The Maine Democratic Party said it would select a replacement through a nominating convention, which is set to include 500 members chosen by county Democratic parties and the 100 members of the state Democratic Party’s central committee.
Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president who shares Platner’s working-class progressive ideology, became the first candidate to officially throw his hat into the ring to replace Platner on the ballot.
“There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate. I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins. Maine deserves a Senator that will fight for working families.”
Jackson is expected to soon be joined in the race by a host of other possibilities, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban and former public health official Nirav Shah.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it was setting up a campaign fund to raise money for the eventual nominee, with the cash transferred as soon as a new candidate is picked. The group released a statement which laid out Collins’ vulnerabilities without ever mentioning Platner.
“Susan Collins is more vulnerable than she has ever been after voting with Trump 96% of the time, being the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and selling out to the special interests that fund her campaigns after three decades in the Senate,” said Devan Barber, the group’s executive director. “The DSCC will work tirelessly to ensure the new Democratic nominee has the infrastructure and resources to immediately turn their focus to the general election, and in November we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority.”
In statements about Platner’s exit, Republicans tried to stir up divides within the Democratic Party, essentially echoing Platner’s conspiratorial worldview.
“Democrats have not suddenly embraced moral clarity. Graham Platner was never an acceptable nominee for Chuck Schumer, his billionaire donors, and the beltway media,” said Alex Latcham, the executive director of Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC controlled by allies of Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “Now, at the 11th hour, the Democrat Establishment has tipped the scales against Maine voters in an attempt to salvage their failing midterm strategy. Regardless of who Washington Democrats install, Senator Susan Collins will win in November.”
Platner’s decision to withdraw from the race comes after a campaign riddled with controversy. A bombshell report in Politico on Monday claimed he sexually assaulted a woman he used to date off and on for a couple of years. The following day, The Washington Post also published a shocking report, in which an ex-girlfriend of Platner also accused him of sexual assault.
Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, accused Platner of entering her home uninvited while intoxicated in 2021.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Soon after the Politico story was published, Platner denied the allegations and said he and his team would weigh their next options.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” he said in a video posted to social media.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, we’re mindful the political reality will inflict,” Platner added. “We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.”
In The Washington Post’s report on Tuesday, Lyndsey Fifield, 41, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, said that Platner removed condoms during sex, an act known as “stealthing,” without her consent at least six times.
“I confronted him both during and after [sex] because he knew that I was not on birth control and how dangerous that was,” Fifield told The Washington Post.
“He would act like cute about it, like, ‘Oh, sneaky me,’” she said.
Platner denied the stealthing allegation to The Post.
Fifield was one of several women who used to date him featured in a New York Times report published last month, before he earned the party nomination. The women accused Platner of exhibiting alarming behavior in several instances.
In that report, Fifield accused him of being physically rough with her on multiple occasions, including yanking her out of a cab and twisting her arm behind her back before refusing to let her out of a room. She also said he fantasized about killing and raping people.
His campaign told the Times that Platner “strongly disputes” the physical intimidation claims.
On Monday and Tuesday, Platner lost numerous endorsements, including from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna and Ruben Gallego.
Additionally, Maine Democratic Party leadership called on Platner to withdraw from the Senate race.
“Maine Democratic Party leadership takes seriously our responsibility to hold every candidate who seeks to represent our state to the highest standard. Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today’s statements take those allegations even further,” the Monday statement said. “Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.”
Likewise, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee threatened to stop investing in Maine’s Senate race if Platner didn’t drop out.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum, President Donald Trump, who has also been accused of sexual assault, questioned the validity of the allegations while talking with reporters aboard Air Force One.
“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman,” Trump said Wednesday. “A lot of people say big falsehoods.”
There has been a notable power struggle since the allegations were publicized.
An unnamed source told The New York Times that Platner would only consider withdrawing from the race “with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for.”
The Maine Democratic Party has instead advocated for an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process.
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” Maine Democratic Party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video on Tuesday, adding that his team will have “no role” in determining next steps.
Platner’s campaign surveyed volunteers on Wednesday about “what they believe should come next.”
His campaign manager, Ben Chin, also sent out a mass text to supporters on Wednesday claiming the party was trying to make it so “that our movement will ‘have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.’”
Local outlet Maine’s Total Coverage reported that Platner called Maine State Rep. Valli Gieger and some unnamed others, urging them to run to take his place on the ballot.
Some other potential replacements, like Actor Patrick Dempsey and Boston College history professor Heather Cox Richardson, have already stated that they will not run.
The sexual assault allegations added to several other scandals that plagued Platner’s campaign, including his now-removed tattoo associated with the Nazis, explicit text messages sent to women who weren’t his wife, and misogynistic posts he made online.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
“This is incredibly difficult, because I know that some will think it’s an admission of guilt, and it most certainly is not. We’re not doing it because of the allegations, we’re doing it because of the structures that are being taken away from us by those in power,” he said in an 11-minute video Wednesday evening.
Platner spent a considerable amount of time in the video complaining about the Democratic Party withdrawing support for him because of the scandal and portraying his exit as the result of a coordinated campaign against him and the progressive movement ― even though virtually every prominent progressive leader has called for him to drop out of the race.
“We did it the right way. We built a campaign, we engaged in electoral politics, we motivated people, we banded together. We did it the way that we were told we are supposed to make change, and we won. And now they are not going to let us have it ― not if it’s me,” Platner said.
The scandal-plagued Platner’s final implosion has caused substantial finger-pointing within the party but is nonetheless a substantial boon to their chances against GOP Sen. Susan Collins, the five-term moderate who is the most vulnerable Republican senator up for reelection this cycle.
Platner, most Democratic operatives believe, was destined to lose following the rape allegations ― even if Maine’s Democratic partisanship may have given him a fighting chance. Instead, the party will have the choice of a handful of comparatively scandal-free candidates, some of whom have strong electoral track records.
The deadline to withdraw was July 13. Maine Democrats now have until July 27 to replace Platner with a new nominee. The Maine Democratic Party said it would select a replacement through a nominating convention, which is set to include 500 members chosen by county Democratic parties and the 100 members of the state Democratic Party’s central committee.
Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president who shares Platner’s working-class progressive ideology, became the first candidate to officially throw his hat into the ring to replace Platner on the ballot.
“There is a powerful movement of working class people in the state of Maine, and millions more across America who are ready to send a progressive fighter to the Senate. I’ve been fighting for that movement my whole life — and I’m sure as hell not backing down now, when this fight is needed most,” Jackson said in a statement. “I’m in. And we’re going to defeat Susan Collins. Maine deserves a Senator that will fight for working families.”
Jackson is expected to soon be joined in the race by a host of other possibilities, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban and former public health official Nirav Shah.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it was setting up a campaign fund to raise money for the eventual nominee, with the cash transferred as soon as a new candidate is picked. The group released a statement which laid out Collins’ vulnerabilities without ever mentioning Platner.
“Susan Collins is more vulnerable than she has ever been after voting with Trump 96% of the time, being the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and selling out to the special interests that fund her campaigns after three decades in the Senate,” said Devan Barber, the group’s executive director. “The DSCC will work tirelessly to ensure the new Democratic nominee has the infrastructure and resources to immediately turn their focus to the general election, and in November we will defeat Susan Collins and win a Senate majority.”
In statements about Platner’s exit, Republicans tried to stir up divides within the Democratic Party, essentially echoing Platner’s conspiratorial worldview.
“Democrats have not suddenly embraced moral clarity. Graham Platner was never an acceptable nominee for Chuck Schumer, his billionaire donors, and the beltway media,” said Alex Latcham, the executive director of Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC controlled by allies of Senate Majority Leader John Thune. “Now, at the 11th hour, the Democrat Establishment has tipped the scales against Maine voters in an attempt to salvage their failing midterm strategy. Regardless of who Washington Democrats install, Senator Susan Collins will win in November.”
Platner’s decision to withdraw from the race comes after a campaign riddled with controversy. A bombshell report in Politico on Monday claimed he sexually assaulted a woman he used to date off and on for a couple of years. The following day, The Washington Post also published a shocking report, in which an ex-girlfriend of Platner also accused him of sexual assault.
Maine resident Jenny Racicot, 41, accused Platner of entering her home uninvited while intoxicated in 2021.
“I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me,” Racicot told Politico. “I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself, ‘This is no longer my choice.’”
Soon after the Politico story was published, Platner denied the allegations and said he and his team would weigh their next options.
“Any accusation of non-consensual behavior is categorically false,” he said in a video posted to social media.
“Regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, we’re mindful the political reality will inflict,” Platner added. “We are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins.”
In The Washington Post’s report on Tuesday, Lyndsey Fifield, 41, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, said that Platner removed condoms during sex, an act known as “stealthing,” without her consent at least six times.
“I confronted him both during and after [sex] because he knew that I was not on birth control and how dangerous that was,” Fifield told The Washington Post.
“He would act like cute about it, like, ‘Oh, sneaky me,’” she said.
Platner denied the stealthing allegation to The Post.
Fifield was one of several women who used to date him featured in a New York Times report published last month, before he earned the party nomination. The women accused Platner of exhibiting alarming behavior in several instances.
In that report, Fifield accused him of being physically rough with her on multiple occasions, including yanking her out of a cab and twisting her arm behind her back before refusing to let her out of a room. She also said he fantasized about killing and raping people.
His campaign told the Times that Platner “strongly disputes” the physical intimidation claims.
On Monday and Tuesday, Platner lost numerous endorsements, including from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Democratic Reps. Ro Khanna and Ruben Gallego.
Additionally, Maine Democratic Party leadership called on Platner to withdraw from the Senate race.
“Maine Democratic Party leadership takes seriously our responsibility to hold every candidate who seeks to represent our state to the highest standard. Over the past several weeks, multiple women have made serious, credible allegations against Graham Platner. Today’s statements take those allegations even further,” the Monday statement said. “Maine Democratic Party leadership is calling on Graham Platner to withdraw as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.”
Likewise, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee threatened to stop investing in Maine’s Senate race if Platner didn’t drop out.
On the opposite end of the political spectrum, President Donald Trump, who has also been accused of sexual assault, questioned the validity of the allegations while talking with reporters aboard Air Force One.
“It’s really a question of whether or not you believe the woman,” Trump said Wednesday. “A lot of people say big falsehoods.”
There has been a notable power struggle since the allegations were publicized.
An unnamed source told The New York Times that Platner would only consider withdrawing from the race “with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for.”
The Maine Democratic Party has instead advocated for an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process.
“Unfortunately, Graham Platner’s team has repeatedly reached out to us in an attempt to put their thumb on the scale of what this process looks like,” Maine Democratic Party executive director Devon Murphy-Anderson said in a video on Tuesday, adding that his team will have “no role” in determining next steps.
Platner’s campaign surveyed volunteers on Wednesday about “what they believe should come next.”
His campaign manager, Ben Chin, also sent out a mass text to supporters on Wednesday claiming the party was trying to make it so “that our movement will ‘have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like.’”
Local outlet Maine’s Total Coverage reported that Platner called Maine State Rep. Valli Gieger and some unnamed others, urging them to run to take his place on the ballot.
Some other potential replacements, like Actor Patrick Dempsey and Boston College history professor Heather Cox Richardson, have already stated that they will not run.
The sexual assault allegations added to several other scandals that plagued Platner’s campaign, including his now-removed tattoo associated with the Nazis, explicit text messages sent to women who weren’t his wife, and misogynistic posts he made online.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
Disney Rebooting 'The Cheetah Girls' With Members of Original Cast
Disney will soon take a turn toward nostalgia with the revival of The Cheetah Girls franchise.
According to Variety, upcoming movie The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen has been greenlit for both Disney Channel and Disney+. Raven-Symoné and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, who played as Cheetah Girls members Galleria and Chanel, are among the returning original cast members.
The Cheetah Girls franchise began with the 2003 titular film based on the book series written by author Deborah Gregory. The Cheetah Girls was succeeded by its 2006 sequel The Cheetah Girls 2 and 2008’s The Cheetah Girls: One World.
Joining original cast members—including special appearances from Sabrina Bryan, who played Cheetah Girls member Dorinda—is Leah Sava Jeffries, who’s best known for her work in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The 16-year-old has been cast as Faith, the daughter of Raven-Symoné's character Galleria, while the members of the new Cheetah Girls are Carmen Sanchez as Dior, Kaileen Chang as Ruby, and Sophie Lennon as Brooklyn.
The film will see the original Cheetah Girls along with Faith and her three friends head to Africa to volunteer for a sanctuary.
“Along the way, these four teen girls test their friendship, find their voice, and discover the true Cheetah spirit as they save the preserve and ultimately take the stage as the new Cheetah Girls,” the logline reads.
Production is set to begin in South Africa later this month.
Disney will soon take a turn toward nostalgia with the revival of The Cheetah Girls franchise.
According to Variety, upcoming movie The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen has been greenlit for both Disney Channel and Disney+. Raven-Symoné and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, who played as Cheetah Girls members Galleria and Chanel, are among the returning original cast members.
The Cheetah Girls franchise began with the 2003 titular film based on the book series written by author Deborah Gregory. The Cheetah Girls was succeeded by its 2006 sequel The Cheetah Girls 2 and 2008’s The Cheetah Girls: One World.
Joining original cast members—including special appearances from Sabrina Bryan, who played Cheetah Girls member Dorinda—is Leah Sava Jeffries, who’s best known for her work in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The 16-year-old has been cast as Faith, the daughter of Raven-Symoné's character Galleria, while the members of the new Cheetah Girls are Carmen Sanchez as Dior, Kaileen Chang as Ruby, and Sophie Lennon as Brooklyn.
The film will see the original Cheetah Girls along with Faith and her three friends head to Africa to volunteer for a sanctuary.
“Along the way, these four teen girls test their friendship, find their voice, and discover the true Cheetah spirit as they save the preserve and ultimately take the stage as the new Cheetah Girls,” the logline reads.
Production is set to begin in South Africa later this month.
Marcellus Wiley Sued Over Alleged Unpaid $500K Loan Before Domestic Battery Arrest
Marcellus Wiley's legal troubles didn't begin with his July 4 arrest. Months before the former NFL defensive lineman was booked on a domestic battery charge in Florida, Wiley and his company were already facing a separate courtroom battle after a bank accused them of failing to repay a $500,000 business loan.
According to a lawsuit filed in December 2025 and obtained by TMZ, Preferred Bank claims Wiley and his company, Dat Dude Entertainment, borrowed $500,000 in May 2023 with an agreement to repay the balance within a year. The bank alleges the loan was never repaid and says it also never received the accrued interest it was owed.
Court filings claim the bank granted multiple extensions through December 2025 before ultimately filing suit to recover the money.
The financial dispute is now unfolding alongside a much more serious legal and personal crisis. Over the Fourth of July weekend, Wiley was arrested in Orlando after his wife, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Annemarie Wiley, accused him of becoming physical during an argument at a hotel where the couple was staying with their children.
According to the arrest affidavit, Annemarie told police Wiley intentionally poked her in the cheek while standing over their bed and threatened to kill her. She also told officers she wanted him removed from the hotel room because she feared "he might get physical again" and planned to file for divorce once she returned to Los Angeles.
Wiley has publicly denied the allegations. In a statement posted to X following his arrest, he thanked supporters before insisting, "I completely and unequivocally deny these allegations, and I'm certain the truth will prevail."
He also said he could not discuss the case further because it had become a legal matter, writing, "My greatest responsibility is protecting my babies... I have to handle this differently."
Since the arrest, the situation has escalated dramatically. Annemarie has officially filed for divorce and obtained a no-contact order against Wiley while seeking custody of the couple's three children.
In court documents, she alleges the Orlando incident was part of what she described as "a continuing and escalating pattern of physical violence, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, financial control and intimidation."
Her filing includes allegations dating back more than a decade, including claims that Wiley raped her in 2012, assaulted her on multiple occasions over the years, and exercised financial control by borrowing $100,000 from her and allegedly running up another $100,000 in credit card debt.
Those allegations have not been proven in court.
According to a lawsuit filed in December 2025 and obtained by TMZ, Preferred Bank claims Wiley and his company, Dat Dude Entertainment, borrowed $500,000 in May 2023 with an agreement to repay the balance within a year. The bank alleges the loan was never repaid and says it also never received the accrued interest it was owed.
Court filings claim the bank granted multiple extensions through December 2025 before ultimately filing suit to recover the money.
The financial dispute is now unfolding alongside a much more serious legal and personal crisis. Over the Fourth of July weekend, Wiley was arrested in Orlando after his wife, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Annemarie Wiley, accused him of becoming physical during an argument at a hotel where the couple was staying with their children.
According to the arrest affidavit, Annemarie told police Wiley intentionally poked her in the cheek while standing over their bed and threatened to kill her. She also told officers she wanted him removed from the hotel room because she feared "he might get physical again" and planned to file for divorce once she returned to Los Angeles.
Wiley has publicly denied the allegations. In a statement posted to X following his arrest, he thanked supporters before insisting, "I completely and unequivocally deny these allegations, and I'm certain the truth will prevail."
He also said he could not discuss the case further because it had become a legal matter, writing, "My greatest responsibility is protecting my babies... I have to handle this differently."
Since the arrest, the situation has escalated dramatically. Annemarie has officially filed for divorce and obtained a no-contact order against Wiley while seeking custody of the couple's three children.
In court documents, she alleges the Orlando incident was part of what she described as "a continuing and escalating pattern of physical violence, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, financial control and intimidation."
Her filing includes allegations dating back more than a decade, including claims that Wiley raped her in 2012, assaulted her on multiple occasions over the years, and exercised financial control by borrowing $100,000 from her and allegedly running up another $100,000 in credit card debt.
Those allegations have not been proven in court.
The Trump Administration Just Killed The Harriet Tubman $20 Bill After A Decade Of Delays
Mock up of the $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman that the Trump administration has now dropped
The Trump administration has scrapped a decade old plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, ending one of the most closely watched redesigns in the history of American money. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the reversal in an interview with Spectrum News on Monday, and when asked directly whether the department still intended to move forward, he answered simply, “We are not at present.” He offered no further explanation, and a Treasury spokesperson declined to say anything beyond that.
The timing is what turned a quiet policy shift into a firestorm. Even as the plan to honor Harriet Tubman was being shelved, the same administration has signaled it is ready to move quickly on a brand new $250 bill featuring Trump’s own face, part of a push tied to the country’s 250th birthday. There is a legal wrinkle, since a law dating back to 1866 bars any living person from appearing on United States currency, which means a Trump bill would require an act of Congress. Bessent leaned on that distinction, noting that a new commemorative note is one thing while changing an existing bill takes many years of planning.
The push to feature Harriet Tubman began in 2016, when Barack Obama’s Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced she would replace Andrew Jackson, the seventh president and a slaveholder, on the front of the twenty. Lew said the decision followed thousands of responses from Americans who weighed in on who should appear. The redesign would have made Tubman the first African American on the face of United States paper currency and the first woman in more than a century, and the original goal was to have the new note in circulation by 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
The choice carried enormous weight. Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s, escaped, and then returned again and again, conducting roughly 13 missions on the Underground Railroad and guiding about 70 enslaved people to freedom. She later served as a scout and spy for the Union Army, helped lead a raid that freed hundreds more, and became a leading voice in the fight for women’s suffrage. Putting that face on the nation’s most widely circulated bill, in place of a man who enslaved people, was meant to be a statement about whose story the country chooses to honor.
The plan stalled almost as soon as Trump first took office. He dismissed the redesign during his 2016 campaign as “pure political correctness” and floated the idea of placing Harriet Tubman on the rarely used $2 bill instead of the twenty. In 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new design would be pushed back to 2028, pointing to the time needed for updated security features. One of Tubman’s descendants, Ernestine Wyatt, told CNN that year that the delay “smacks of racist rhetoric” and read as a quiet way of saying the change would never happen.
The Harriet Tubman effort came back to life under Joe Biden. In early 2021, press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working to resume and even speed up the redesign, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen restarted the project, though she estimated the bill would not be ready until 2030. Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, introduced legislation to force the change by 2025, but it never passed. When Beatty pressed Bessent for an update in May 2025, he told her only that his staff would get back to her. That answer now reads as a preview of Monday’s decision.
The reversal drew immediate anger from lawmakers who had fought for the change. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who has introduced legislation to honor Tubman since 2015, said she was extremely disappointed and accused Bessent of being more interested in what she called illegally plastering Trump’s image on a $250 bill than in a long overdue tribute to a woman. Coming alongside the administration’s broader rollback of diversity and inclusion programs, the quiet shelving of Harriet Tubman on the $20 lands as far more than a design delay. It reads as a decision about which Americans get remembered on the money everyone carries, and for now the answer no longer includes her.
Mock up of the $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman that the Trump administration has now dropped
The Trump administration has scrapped a decade old plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, ending one of the most closely watched redesigns in the history of American money. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the reversal in an interview with Spectrum News on Monday, and when asked directly whether the department still intended to move forward, he answered simply, “We are not at present.” He offered no further explanation, and a Treasury spokesperson declined to say anything beyond that.
The timing is what turned a quiet policy shift into a firestorm. Even as the plan to honor Harriet Tubman was being shelved, the same administration has signaled it is ready to move quickly on a brand new $250 bill featuring Trump’s own face, part of a push tied to the country’s 250th birthday. There is a legal wrinkle, since a law dating back to 1866 bars any living person from appearing on United States currency, which means a Trump bill would require an act of Congress. Bessent leaned on that distinction, noting that a new commemorative note is one thing while changing an existing bill takes many years of planning.
The push to feature Harriet Tubman began in 2016, when Barack Obama’s Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced she would replace Andrew Jackson, the seventh president and a slaveholder, on the front of the twenty. Lew said the decision followed thousands of responses from Americans who weighed in on who should appear. The redesign would have made Tubman the first African American on the face of United States paper currency and the first woman in more than a century, and the original goal was to have the new note in circulation by 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
The choice carried enormous weight. Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s, escaped, and then returned again and again, conducting roughly 13 missions on the Underground Railroad and guiding about 70 enslaved people to freedom. She later served as a scout and spy for the Union Army, helped lead a raid that freed hundreds more, and became a leading voice in the fight for women’s suffrage. Putting that face on the nation’s most widely circulated bill, in place of a man who enslaved people, was meant to be a statement about whose story the country chooses to honor.
The plan stalled almost as soon as Trump first took office. He dismissed the redesign during his 2016 campaign as “pure political correctness” and floated the idea of placing Harriet Tubman on the rarely used $2 bill instead of the twenty. In 2019, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new design would be pushed back to 2028, pointing to the time needed for updated security features. One of Tubman’s descendants, Ernestine Wyatt, told CNN that year that the delay “smacks of racist rhetoric” and read as a quiet way of saying the change would never happen.
The Harriet Tubman effort came back to life under Joe Biden. In early 2021, press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration was working to resume and even speed up the redesign, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen restarted the project, though she estimated the bill would not be ready until 2030. Representative Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, introduced legislation to force the change by 2025, but it never passed. When Beatty pressed Bessent for an update in May 2025, he told her only that his staff would get back to her. That answer now reads as a preview of Monday’s decision.
The reversal drew immediate anger from lawmakers who had fought for the change. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who has introduced legislation to honor Tubman since 2015, said she was extremely disappointed and accused Bessent of being more interested in what she called illegally plastering Trump’s image on a $250 bill than in a long overdue tribute to a woman. Coming alongside the administration’s broader rollback of diversity and inclusion programs, the quiet shelving of Harriet Tubman on the $20 lands as far more than a design delay. It reads as a decision about which Americans get remembered on the money everyone carries, and for now the answer no longer includes her.
Family of Nolan Xavier Wells Retains Attorney Ben Crump After 18-Year-Old Found Dead Following Fourth of July Trip to Horn Island
Nolan traveled by boat to Horn Island with a group of friends on Saturday, July 4, to celebrate the holiday. He was last seen on the island around 3 p.m. and did not return with the group, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. His mother reported him missing that night, and local, state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service, joined a two-day search. On the morning of Monday, July 6, a U.S. park ranger found a body at the northwestern tip of the island, and Nolan’s family confirmed his death later that day. An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday, July 7. Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said the investigation remains active, and the cause of Nolan’s death has not been determined.
Nolan played football at Ocean Springs High School and was a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he was set to return for the upcoming season. He would have turned 19 next month. Attorney Crump and the legal team will conduct an independent review of the circumstances of Nolan’s death and will press for the timely release of all records, witness accounts, and autopsy findings.
Attorney Crump released the following statement:m“Nolan Wells was a beloved son, teammate and friend who went out to celebrate the Fourth of July and never came home. His family deserves answers. They deserve the truth. We will not rest until every fact about what happened to Nolan on Horn Island is brought into the light, and we call on investigators to pursue this case with the urgency and transparency this family deserves.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
Courtesy of P.O.Wm
A guy with a dog in a cart with Methany and Bubba
Frozen aisle, next to the TV dinners.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!!!
EFREM
No comments:
Post a Comment