A WAVE RACIST TEXT MESSAGES SUMMONING BLACK PEOPLE TO REPORT FOR SLAVERY SHOWED UP ON PHONES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
A WAVE OF RACIST TEXTMESSAGES SUMMONING BLACK PEOPLE to REPORT FOR SLAVERY SHOWED UP ON PHONES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES The N.A.A.C.P. said that messages were received in nine states, and attorneys general in two other states reported the same on Thursday, two days after the presidential election. The F.B.I. said in a statement that it was “aware of the offensive and racist text messages” and that it was coordinating with the Justice Department and other federal authorities. The texts, which began as early as Wednesday morning, were reported across the South, and from New York to California. The office of the New York attorney general, Letitia James, said the messages had arrived in phones of middle school, high school and college students in New York City and its suburbs. In a statement, Ms. James called the messages “disgusting and unacceptable.” Some examples of the messages were shared by recipients and reviewed by The New York Times. They followed a pattern: addressing recipients by name, telling them they had been selected to “pick cotton” on a plantation and ordering them to show up at a specific time to be picked up by slave handlers. Some included a reference to the president-elect, Donald J. Trump. A spokesman for the Trump campaign, Steven Cheung, said in an email that the “campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages.” Mr. Trump stoked racism throughout his campaign in speeches that included false accusations against immigrants and inflated crime figures. He demeaned the intelligence of his opponent, a Black woman; repeatedly amplified a lie that Haitian immigrants were eating neighbors’ pets in Ohio and held a rally near the end of his campaign at Madison Square Garden that was rife with bigotry and misogyny. The messages hark back to the most painful past for Black Americans. “Our executive slave owners will come get you in a brown van, be prepared to be searched down once you’ve entered the plantation,” one version said. Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., said in a statement that the messages reflected how racist groups had been emboldened after Mr. Trump’s victory, and represented a sharp increase in “vile and abhorrent rhetoric.” These actions are not normal,” he said. “And we refuse to let them be normalized.” The N.A.A.C.P. said people had received versions of the message in Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. They seemed to circulate heavily on college campuses, but were not limited to colleges, said Alicia Mercedes, a spokeswoman for the N.A.A.C.P. The University of Southern California said in a statement that students on its campus had received hateful messages, and the Ohio attorney general’s office also said it was investigating reports there. Among other schools targeted were Fisk University, in Nashville, and Howard University in Washington, D.C., two historically Black universities. Howard is the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris and hosted her campaign’s watch party on Tuesday night and her concession speech on Wednesday. E.J. Hunter of Chicago said that her daughter, a freshman at Howard, was at home when she received the message on Wednesday afternoon, as she prepared to watch Ms. Harris’s concession speech. Ms. Hunter immediately wondered how the sender got her daughter’s full name. “Seeing this triggered every ounce of mama bear in me, to want to protect my child,” she said. “I know Kamala said we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, but I didn’t think it was going to be, literally, on Day 1.” At Spain Park High School in Hoover, Ala., at least two students received the messages, said Monique Norwood, a parent whose 14-year-old daughter got the text on Wednesday. “When she read it to me,…
TINUBU GRANTS MORE POWERS TO MINISTERS OF STATE
TINUBU GRANTS MORE POWERS TO MINISTERS OF STATE President Bola Tinubu has approved a major policy change, giving ministers of state full authority over the agencies and departments they supervise. Previously, permanent secretaries would forward files concerning these agencies to senior ministers for final approval, which restricted the decision-making powers of ministers of state and largely relegated their roles to symbolic positions. According to a source from the office of the head of service of the federation who spoke with The Cable, President Tinubu expressed dissatisfaction with the previous structure, which he believed resulted in the “underutilisation of the expertise and capabilities” of ministers of state. “The president was not pleased with the prevailing governing framework in which ministers of states were just ministers in name,” the official disclosed. The new directive enables ministers of state to grant all necessary administrative approvals, allowing them to make decisions and direct actions within their areas of responsibility. This move is aimed at “unleashing” the potential of all cabinet members, ensuring a more efficient governance process. Tinubu’s cabinet comprises 48 ministers, of which 16 hold junior positions. The ministries affected by the new directive include agriculture and food security, defence, education, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), foreign affairs, health, petroleum (oil and gas), humanitarian and poverty reduction, and women affairs. Other ministries impacted are works, regional development, labour and employment, finance, trade and investment, and housing and urban development.
TRUMP APPOINTS FIRST FEMALE CHIEF OF STAFF IN US HISTORY
TRUMP APPOINTS FIRST FEMALE CHIEF OF STAFF IN US HISTORY United States President-elect, Donald Trump has named Susie Wiles, a longtime GOP operative, as his White House chief of staff. Wiles was Trump’s campaign manager and has been widely credited for running what was Trump’s most disciplined and well-executed campaign. Trump had given a special thanks to Wiles for her prominent role in the campaign during his victory celebration on Wednesday. He described Wiles as tough, smart, innovative and said she is universally admired and respected. “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns. “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump said.
NIGERIAN-BORN UK CONSERVATIVE LEADER, KEMI BADENOCH, BLASTS FORMER BRITISH COLONIES, FOR BLAMING THEIR UNDERDEVELOPMENT ON COLONIALISM
:NIGERIAN-BORN UK CONSERVATIVE LEADER, KEMI BADENOCH, SAYS IT’S SCAM FOR FORMER BRITISH COLONIES TO BLAME THEIR UNDERDEVELOPMENT ON COLONIALISM The newly elected leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, Kemi Badenoch, once claimed it is fallacious for developing countries to always blame their underdevelopment on British colonialism. The Nigerian-born British lawmaker who once served as UK business and trade minister said this in a viral video in October. In a recent video, the new UK Conservative Party leader said many countries claim the British Empire is responsible for their lack of socio-economic growth, but that the UK government should be celebrated for ending slave trade and not be seen as the bane of global development as propagated by some former British colonies. She said: “There are many countries now who want to use guilt to try and exploit the UK. They asked for reparation. I saw it as a trade minister. It is not a culture war. “I was at the WTO. I won’t name the minister from another country. And he was telling me we need to give up some of the things we were doing because of colonialism and they needed time to develop. These arguments are a scam. Don’t fall for it. “We need to make sure we put this country first, we work well with our neighbours, we work well with other countries. But we have to look after ourselves. “There are many things the British Empire got wrong but there are many amazing things the British Empire also did. We need to be honest about it and stop pretending that it was all bad. The British Empire ended slavery, the Atlantic slave trade. We need to talk about that more.” Similarly, Kemi Badenoch made headlines in April for her bold statement that the UK’s wealth and economic success shouldn’t be attributed solely to its colonial history or racial privilege. This statement sparked controversy, adding to the list of times Badenoch has been at the centre of public debate. The lawmaker said: “It worries me when I hear people talk about wealth and success in the UK as being down to colonialism or imperialism or white privilege or whatever. “It matters, because if people genuinely believe that the UK only grew and developed into an advanced economy because of exploitation and oppression, then the solutions they will devise will make our growth and productivity problem even worse. “It matters in other countries too, because if developing nations do not understand how the west became rich, they cannot follow in its footsteps.” “And it matters when, as your trade secretary, I go to the World Trade Organization conference negotiating on the UK’s behalf, and some of my counterparts spend the entire time in meetings talking about colonialism, blame the west for their economic difficulties, and make demands that would make all of us – not just in this country, but around the world – poorer,” she added. At a recent summit in Samoa, former British colonies renewed their call for slavery reparations from the UK government. King Charles III acknowledged the painful legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, stating that it continues to resonate today. However, he avoided discussing financial reparations, instead encouraging leaders to focus on understanding history to inform future choices and address existing inequalities. Earlier this week, the Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed that her office reached out to Kemi Badenoch, but received no response. Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Dabiri-Erewa said Badenoch’s action shows that she is not willing to identify herself as a person of Nigerian lineage. She stated that Nigeria would not compel the British politician to embrace her Nigerian roots…
HOW ELECTORAL COLLEGE, NOT POPULAR VOTE PICKS US PRESIDENT
HOW ELECTORAL COLLEGE, NOT POPULAR VOTE, PICKS US PRESIDENT Although the United States prides itself as the world’s pre-eminent democracy, where each person can have their say about who should be president, the Constitution calls for states to choose “electors” who do the actual electing. This is known as the Electoral College. Since the first presidential election in 1789, won by George Washington, there have been 59 U.S. elections. In all but five – two in this century – the president had won both the popular votes and the Electoral College votes. In 2000, Democratic candidate Al Gore garnered 543,895 more votes nationwide than Republican George W. Bush. But in a contentious race that went all the way up to the Supreme Court, the judges decided to end a recount in Florida, giving the state’s then 25 electoral votes to Mr Bush. This took Mr Bush past the magic number of 270 electoral votes and ensured him the presidency. In 2016, when Donald Trump was elected, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by a much bigger margin, receiving 2.9 million more votes nationwide. But Mr Trump became president because he garnered 304 electoral votes to Mrs Clinton’s 227. Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You. If the number of electoral votes is tied, then the election is decided by the newly elected House of Representatives. How the electoral votes workEach state is allotted electors equal to their number of representatives in Congress. This means there are 538 electors in total: 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus three for the District of Columbia. If a candidate wins 270 electors or more, therefore, he or she wins the presidency. In 48 states, the candidate with the most votes, however slim the margin is, wins all the state’s electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska do things differently and allocate electoral votes by individual congressional districts. Some critics regard the Electoral College as an anachronism and prefer it be replaced with the national popular vote. They say that the Electoral College makes a mockery of the “one person, one vote” system the country extols. Furthermore, it causes candidates to concentrate their campaigns primarily on a handful of swing states where the vote could go either way, turning the majority of voters elsewhere in the country into bystanders. But proponents say the reverse would happen if the president were elected by the popular vote. Then candidates would concentrate their campaigning in the big states – California, Texas and New York – and voters in smaller states would be the onlookers. But what really do the two major candidates in the US presidential election represent? Kamala Harris is the first woman, first black person and first person of South Asian descent to be vice president of the United States. After four years in the second-highest office, she now wants to make history again by holding the top job. She received President Joe Biden’s blessing when he stepped back from being the Democratic candidate just three months ago, triggering her whirlwind campaign. Ms Harris was born on 20 October 1964 in Oakland, California. She often touts her middle-class upbringing to voters. Her father, Donald, migrated from Jamaica to study economics while her mother, Shyamala, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist, came from India. They married in 1963 and separated when Harris was 5 years old. Mrs Harris, 60, has largely played down her gender and race. But she has said that India is an important part of her life. When she and her younger sister Maya were children, their mother travelled with them to India almost every other year to see relatives there – and to instil in them a love of…
WE REACHED OUT TO KEMI BADENOCH FEW TIMES BUT NO RESPONSE, WE WON’T FORCE OURSELVES ON ANYBODY – ABIKE DABIRI-EREWA
WE REACHED OUT TO KEMI BADENOCH FEW TIMES BUT NO RESPONSE, WE WON’T FORCE OURSELVES ON ANYBODY – ABIKE DABIRI-EREWA Chairman and CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has stated that Nigeria will not compel Kemi Badenoch, the newly elected leader of the UK’s Conservative Party, to identify with her Nigerian heritage. Dabiri-Erewa revealed that NiDCOM has reached out to Badenoch on multiple occasions without receiving a response. “It depends on if she identifies the ‘Nigerianness’ in her,” Dabiri-Erewa remarked on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, November 6. “We have reached out to her once or twice without any response, so we don’t force people to accept being Nigerian.” Dabiri-Erewa emphasized that while NiDCOM is open to working with Nigerians in the diaspora, it is ultimately Badenoch’s decision to connect with her Nigerian background. She cited previous instances, such as Miss Universe Nigeria’s identification with Nigeria after facing challenges in South Africa, to illustrate how the commission respects individual choices regarding heritage. Kemi Badenoch, 44, who was born in London but spent her early years in Lagos, Nigeria, and the United States, won the Conservative Party leadership race on Saturday with 57 percent of party member votes, defeating former immigration minister Robert Jenrick. Her election as the first black leader of a UK-wide political party marks a significant milestone. In her acceptance speech, Badenoch called it an “enormous honour” to lead but acknowledged the challenges ahead, adding, “It is time to get down to business, it is time to renew.”
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: WHY HARRIS LOST TO TRUMP
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: WHY KAMALA HARRIS’ LOST TO TRUMP 1.) Americans are not ready to allow a woman lead them as President. In as much as they champion gender equality, they understand the dangers of electing a woman, a black or mixed raced as the POTUS. The current generation of Americans now are not ready for that risk. 2.) Americans don’t joke with Israel’s security. Whoever told Kamala Harris to criticize Israel, publicly condemning Israel defense of her homeland from Moslem terrorists attacks was wrong. She should have kept her mouth shut. 3.) In as much as Americans support freedom, equality and liberalism, the way Kamala Harris supports LGBT, Abortion, genderless madness and other anti Christian wokeism practices became worrisome to so many real Americans not the fake Americans wannabes. 4.) Most Americans are tired of Ukraine Russian war and they believe Trump can put an end to the war and save the world from a possible 3rd world war or nuclear battle. The Americans of today love fun and enjoyment more than anything and not ready to go to any war like Americans of the 1940s to 1990s cheesy 5.) Islamic Terrorists Madness in Middle-East and the rising popularity of Iran. Americans believe only Trump can put a stop to Iran’s madness in the Middle-East. 6.) Migrant Influx. Many White Americans are tired of migrants trooping into their country. They believe if this is not checked, America will lose its glory in no distant time so they want a President that can be bold enough to stop or slow down migration to a great extent. And Kamala Harris has been in support of allowing migrants in while Trump is against undocumented migrants coming into the US, especially those from Moslem countries, Africa, Haiti, Colombia and Mexico. These are the main reasons Kamala Harris Lost.
PUTIN HAS NO PLANS TO CONGRATULATE TRUMP – SPOKESMAN
PUTIN HAS NO PLANS TO CONGRATULATE TRUMP – SPOKESMAN Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said he does not know whether Vladimir Putin plans to congratulate Donald Trump on his election victory, but he recalled that the United States is an unfriendly country involved in a war against Russia. “As for congratulations, I am not aware of the president’s plans to congratulate Trump,” Peskov told reporters in response to a question on the matter. At the same time, he noted: “Let’s not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country that is directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state.” Peskov was asked whether he thought Trump might be offended if Putin did not congratulate him on his victory, and whether this would worsen relations between Russia and the US even more. “It is practically impossible to worsen things further; relations are at their historical lowest point. And what happens next will depend on the next US leadership. President Putin has repeatedly said that he is open to constructive dialogue based on justice, equality and a willingness to take each other’s concerns into account. And President Putin maintains this attitude. He has repeatedly confirmed it. At the moment, the US administration is diametrically opposed. We will see what happens in January,” Peskov said. In general, the elections, he noted, are an internal matter for the United States. “We, of course, are closely monitoring all the information flows that are coming from overseas on this matter, we are analyzing the words that are being said, and of course, we will mainly draw conclusions based on the statements, on the topics that are on our agenda, when they come in,” the Kremlin representative said. In addition, conclusions will be drawn based on the first concrete steps, Peskov added. At the same time, the press secretary reminded that this will have to wait, since the current US president will continue to perform his duties for at least another month and a half. At the same time, responding to a clarification about what would happen if Trump made friendly statements, Peskov said: “As our diplomats say, eventual discussions are inappropriate here.”
FRENCH PRESIDENT, MACRON, OTHER EUROPEAN LEADERS CONGRATULATE TRUMP ON ELECTORAL VICTORY
FRENCH PRESIDENT, MACRON, OTHER EUROPEAN LEADERS CONGRATULATE TRUMP ON ELECTORAL VICTORY French President Emmanuel Macron and other EU leaders congratulated Donald Trump after he claimed victory in Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, saying they were ready to work together but would defend Europe’s interests. Macron’s message on X was not as enthusiastic as ones by Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban and far-right leaders across Europe, who hurried to congratulate Trump early on Wednesday, even before he claimed victory. A backdrop to the congratulatory words was a worry among many European leaders about the impact of a Trump return to the White House on the wider world. Given turbulent transatlantic relations in Trump’s previous term, his past strong criticism of NATO, his ambivalent view of Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion and stance on climate change, many European officials had said ahead of the election they were worried about a win for Trump. But Macron was among the first to reach out to establish a good relationship. “Congratulations, President Donald Trump. Ready to work together as we did for four years,” Macron said on X. “With your convictions and mine. With respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity.” Macron added in another message on X that he had talked with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz – whose coalition faces make-or-break talks this week – to ensure they will work together for a stronger, more united Europe that defends its interests and values. NATO chief Mark Rutte was among many others in Europe who congratulated Trump and hoped for good cooperation. Alongside foreign policy, European trade could face a bumpy ride: Trump said last month that the European Union would have to “pay a big price” for not buying enough American exports if he won the election. TRADE TENSIONS?Trump has said he will impose a 10% tariff on imports from all countries, and 60% duties on imports from China. These would hit supply chains throughout the world, likely triggering retaliation and raising costs, and China seeking to divert its exports towards Europe, economists warn. Barclays has warned of possible “high single-digit” percentage drops in European earnings should trade conflicts reignite. Orban, who is at odds with most of his EU peers and unlike other EU leaders had openly endorsed Trump’s presidential bid, posted enthusiastic messages on X early on Wednesday. “The biggest comeback in US political history! Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his enormous win. A much needed victory for the World!” he wrote. Orban said earlier this week that Europe would need to rethink its support of Ukraine if Trump was re-elected president. Other far-right politicians across Europe rushed to congratulate Trump. “This was an election of the working population in the US. It was not the woke Hollywood that won but rather the working people,” Alice Weidel, co-leader for Germany’s Alternative for Germany said on X. “It was a vote against mass migration, it was a vote against economic decline.” Far-right leader Geert Wilders, who heads the largest party in The Netherlands’ governing coalition, said on X early on Wednesday: ” CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT TRUMP! CONGRATULATIONS AMERICA!”