The Full Belmonte, 9/19/2023
Five Americans detained in Iran walk free, released in deal for frozen Iranian assets
“Five Americans detained for years in Iran walked off a plane and into freedom Monday, some arm-in-arm. The successful negotiations for the Americans’ freedom brought President Joe Biden profuse thanks from their families but heat from Republican presidential rivals.” Read More at AP News
Trump Co-Defendant Jeffrey Clark Has a Rough Day in Court
“Lawyers for Jeffrey Clark, an assistant attorney general under former President Donald Trump, appeared in court Monday in an attempt to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court. Clark and other co-defendants like Mark Meadows have pushed to move their cases, arguing they were acting as federal government employees at the time of the alleged offenses. But, according to CNN, a ‘frustrated and annoyed’ U.S. District Judge Steve Jones grilled Clark’s attorneys to such an extent that one of Trump’s attorneys, who was in the courtroom, muttered, ‘This is not good.’ Clark is accused, among other things, of writing a post-election letter to Georgia election officials that made bogus claims of irregularities. Jones grilled Clark’s attorney on why Clark included such claims when his superiors at the Justice Department told him they were false. Similarly, former DOJ official Jody Hunt testified that Clark’s division didn’t even have the authority to investigate election fraud. Clark was allowed to skip Monday’s hearing but that appeared to be a bad decision, too, when Jones said he wouldn’t accept a sworn statement from Clark as evidence. Jones will issue a ruling at a later date.” [Daily Beast]
Auto strike
“Negotiations between the Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers are heating up as UAW President Shawn Fain said more strikes could happen Friday. Ford is already grappling with a strike by more than 3,000 of its US employees that shut down a major assembly plant in Michigan a few days ago. The UAW decided to go on strike at all three unionized US automakers— General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, which makes cars under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands. However, the union decided to strike only one assembly plant at each company, having 12,700 members walk out while most of the 145,000 members at the companies remained on the job. ‘If we don't make serious progress by noon on Friday, September 22nd, more locals will be called on to Stand Up and join the strike,’ Fain warned.” [CNN]
United Auto Workers members attend a rally in Detroit. | Paul Sancya/AP Photo
“FEAR FACTOR — With a broadside against the major car companies, the press and the White House, UAW President Shawn Fain offered a revealing glimpse into the stakes of the union’s strike against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, as well as the thorny politics now confronting President Joe Biden.
‘Working people are not afraid,’ Fain said in a statement on Friday announcing the walkout. ‘You know who’s afraid? The corporate media is afraid. The White House is afraid. The companies are afraid.’
The shotgun blast from the longtime Democratic Party ally reflected Fain’s discontent with the Biden administration, which was amplified on Sunday when the UAW head argued that a 2024 endorsement of Biden from the union still has to be ‘earned’ (the UAW endorsed Biden in 2020). Fain is well aware of the political implications of his actions: The strike of a Ford Motor plant in Wayne, Michigan, complicates the president’s reelection chances in a key industrial swing state. And the walkout also enables Biden’s most likely 2024 opponent — former President Donald Trump — to milk the conflict, with Trump now reportedly planning a visit to Detroit to deliver a speech to union members on the day of the next Republican presidential debate.
The reactions of both political parties so far, however, suggest neither adequately grasps the scope or goals of the strike. The UAW’s attempt to claw back benefits they gave up in previous union contracts, along with their unwillingness to rubber stamp a transition to making electric vehicles, doesn’t fit neatly into the Democrats’ or Republicans’ agenda.
‘Fain is more militant [than past UAW leaders]; he is less inclined to adopt a philosophy of ‘business unionism,’ in which the unions have a symbiotic relationship with the companies… and work together to achieve mutual goals,’ said Marick Masters, a professor at Wayne State University who’s the director of the Labor@Wayne program and has written extensively on the history of the UAW.
And while Biden has continued to make pro-UAW statements in public, his administration’s tack has been more in line with the business unionism that marked organized labor’s approach in recent decades.
The ‘win win’ idea that characterizes business unionism may have been plausible for auto manufacturers and their workers in the past, but specific conditions surrounding the current strike have changed the equation.
First, there’s the fact that this is about more than just meeting in the middle on a wage increase. The UAW is asking for a restoration of some benefits they gave away in union contracts in the past, in particular post-2008 as the economy was reeling. These include retiree health care, the return to a traditional pension system and a cost of living allowance. According to Masters, the union and the Big Three car companies might be able to reach a deal on wages, but if the UAW is insistent about regaining all of these other benefits, ‘the strike is going to last for some time.’
Then, there’s the issue of electric vehicles. As the Biden administration pushes American auto manufacturers to build more electric cars, the union remains concerned that investment in EVs requires companies to invest more in plant upgrades and less in workers, while companies like Tesla use non-union plants to build their cars. Fain has repeatedly said he wants to avoid this directional switch becoming a ‘race to the bottom.’
Biden has already pulled multiple levers to get the sides closer to a deal. At the end of August, he announced a $15.5 billion package of funding and loans to support the EV transition. When the strike began, he dispatched White House adviser Gene Sperling and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to Detroit to help broker a deal. But today, Fain downplayed the Biden administration’s role in talks. He said ‘no, not at all,’ when asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe whether the White House would help broker a deal. ‘This battle is not about the president,’ Fain said.
The UAW leadership’s suspicion of Biden, however, is no guarantee that Trump will be able to peel off union support in the Midwest like he did in 2016. ‘Trump is tearing a page from the playbook of 2016 — then his focus was on trade policy, this time it’s on electrification. He’s basically saying leadership is out of touch with the membership,’ Masters said. ‘But I don’t think the conditions politically are as ripe for that as they were in 2016.’
Exit polls indicate that Trump lost union households by only eight percentage points in 2016, the best performance by a Republican presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan won a landslide in 1984. But in 2020, the gap was back up to 17 points.
Trump has sought to drive a wedge between Fain and the rank and file, saying late last month, ‘Don’t listen to these union people who get paid a lot of money. They get wined and dined in Washington, they know that electric cars are no good in terms of our workers.’ But ironically, Fain’s consistent public pressure campaign against Biden has neutered the idea that UAW leadership is listening to elected Democrats over their base.
That leaves a president who’s thus far frustrated the UAW by not going far enough to support their efforts, and his likely opponent who sees an opportunity to chip away a key part of the Democratic coalition. Don’t expect a quick resolution: Fain said this morning there’s a ‘long way to go’ to reach an agreement.” [POLITICO]
Fighter found
An F-35B Lightning II. Photo: U.S. Navy/Getty Images
“The crash site of a stealth fighter jet that went missing after its pilot ejected was located in rural South Carolina after the military asked the public for help finding the F-35B Lightning II jet.
The debris field was discovered about two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston, where the pilot was based, AP reports.
Why it matters: In a rare spectacle, the Marine Corps asked for the public's help in locating the stealth jet, worth upward of $80 million.
What's next: The Marine Corps announced that following three major ‘aviation mishaps’ over the past six weeks, all Marine aviation units will ‘conduct a two-day stand down in operations this week to discuss aviation safety matters and best practices.’” [Axios]
Presidential debate
“Former President Donald Trump will skip the second Republican presidential primary debate in California next week and deliver remarks to union members in Detroit instead, according to a source familiar with his plans. His prime-time speech will serve as counterprogramming to the September 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Trump, who has maintained a large lead in national and early-state primary polls, also skipped the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee last month. Like the first debate, Republican candidates must meet certain donor and polling thresholds to make the debate stage. Participants will also need to sign a pledge committing to supporting the eventual Republican nominee — which Trump has refused to do.” [CNN]
Impeachment makes Texan a star
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (center) before closing arguments at his impeachment trial in the Senate Chamber in Austin on Friday. Photo: Eric Gay/AP
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, freshly acquitted in an impeachment trial, is about to go big:
Paxton, long a relatively modest fundraiser among top statewide elected officials, is in the national spotlight now. His profile among grassroots Republicans has been enhanced as an embattled, Trump-lite character, Axios Austin's Asher Price reports.
What's next: Expect to see a lot more of Paxton on conservative media outlets. He's doing a sit-down interview with Tucker Carlson this week.
Reality check: Paxton remains the target of a securities fraud caseand federal corruption investigation.” [Axios]
A suspect has been arrested in the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy
“A 29-year-old man was arrested early Monday, 36 hours after the ambush killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was shot as he sat in a patrol car. Authorities say the suspect barricaded himself inside a home in the city of Palmdale for several hours, but later surrendered and weapons were recovered.” Read More at AP News
Hunter Biden sues the IRS over tax disclosures after agent testimony before Congress
“Hunter Biden has sued the Internal Revenue Service, claiming that two agents publicly alleging tax-probe interference wrongly shared his personal information, in a case that comes amid escalating legal and political struggles as the 2024 election looms.” Read More at AP News
Trump claims solidarity with Black voters
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“Former President Trump is pushing his mug shot, arrests and criminal charges to claim new solidarity with Black voters, Axios' Sophia Cai reports.
Why it matters: Trump has latched onto a narrative promoted last month by Fox News commentators, and others in conservative media, that his arrests could boost his standing among African Americans who believe the criminal justice system is unfair.
The big picture: There's little evidence Trump is getting an indictment bump among Black voters, despite his claim that his support rose after his mug shot was released.
But his aides believe he could win in 2024 if he can move the needle among Black voters by a few points. So Trump is pushing the I-am-a-victim-just-like-you idea on several fronts.
In recent weeks, Trump promoted videos of Black people defending him. Senior Trump advisers have kept in touch with Black celebrities who have supported him publicly.
Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung posted on X a TikTok video of a 34-year-old Black man saying: ‘We rocking with Trump, man. Even the youth, they know what time it is.’
Black artists — including Lil Pump, Kodak Black and Chief Keef — have posted mugshots of themselves next to Trump's, shared supportive messages or otherwise indicated they're rooting for him.
Keef mused that Trump would ‘run the prison’ if convicted.
Another artist, Bandman Kevo, got Trump's image tattooed on his leg.
Several artists have pointed to actions Trump took while in office, including passing the First Step Act and PPP loans, as reasons for their support.
Reality check: Joe Biden got about 90% of the Black vote in 2020 — typical for the Democratic nominee.” [Axios]
Sign yesterday outside the Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia, where the killing occurred in June. Photo: Chris Helgren/Reuters
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are ‘credible allegations’ that agents of the Indian government were involved in the killing of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was slain in June outside a temple in Surrey, British Columbia, raising tensions between Sikh separatists and the Hindu nationalist Indian government. Nijjar’s death sparked protests among supporters of the separatist movement, who alleged New Delhi was behind the killing. Trudeau said he raised his concerns ‘personally and directly’ with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting last week. ‘In no uncertain terms, any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,’ Trudeau said. Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said she has expelled a top Indian diplomat from the country.” [Bloomberg]
A Life for a Life
From right to left, U.S. citizens Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz, and Emad Shargi disembark from a Qatari jet upon arriving at Doha International Airport in Doha, Qatar, on Sept. 18.Karim Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images
“In a major diplomatic breakthrough, U.S. and Iranian officials finalized a prisoner swap after years of tense negotiations. On Monday, Tehran released five detained Americans accused of espionage in exchange for five Iranian prisoners. While the deal checks off a key goal for the Biden administration’s hostage diplomacy team, it does little to thaw relations between the two historically opposed countries.
All five of the American prisoners were flown out of Tehran on Monday by a Qatari airline. Doha mediated the hostage exchange. Three of the American detainees were held for more than five years, with one individual in captivity since 2015. Washington continues to allege the espionage charges were without cause. ‘Today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home,’ U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Only two of the Iranian prisoners have opted to return to Tehran. Two individuals will remain in the United States, and one will travel to a different country. As part of the deal, Washington agreed to unfreeze nearly $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue that has been frozen in a South Korean bank since 2018 due to U.S. sanctions. On Monday, the funds were transferred to Qatar, which will oversee their administration. Under the agreement, Tehran can only use the money for humanitarian needs. However, ‘humanitarian means whatever the Iranian people needs,’ Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said, ‘and the needs of the Iranian people will be decided and determined by the Iranian government.’
Republicans on Capitol Hill have criticized the asset transfer, saying it amounts to a ‘ransom’ payment. However, the Biden administration has been quick to defend its decision, saying the detained Americans could have been held indefinitely had Washington not agreed to Monday’s terms. ‘We are focused daily on a policy for the Middle East that combines deterrence with diplomacy to reduce risk of Iran’s aggression,’ a senior Biden administration official said. ‘But it goes without saying that when we have an opportunity to bring American citizens home, we do seek to seize it, and that’s what we’re doing here.’
Alongside the release of the prisoners, the United States announced new sanctions against Iran on Friday that target its Ministry of Intelligence and former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The restrictions further Biden’s efforts to counter Iranian threats, including an executive order in March that extended a 28-year sanctions package. The new measures coincide with the one-year anniversary of 21-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death at the hands of Iran’s morality police.” [Foreign Policy]
The World This Week
“Tuesday, Sept. 19: The United Nations General Assembly kicks off a 10-day annual summit.
Biden holds the first-ever C5+1 presidential summit with leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Defense ministers gather at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Wednesday, Sept. 20: Top foreign officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa convene a BRICS meeting in New York City.
The U.N. Security Council opens debate on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Thursday, Sept. 21: Central banks in Turkey, Indonesia, and South Africa announce interest rate changes.
Friday, Sept. 22: Japan’s central bank announces interest rate changes.
Friday, Sept. 22, to Saturday, Sept. 23: Pope Francis visits France.
Monday, Sept. 25: Trial begins over whether Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai violated Hong Kong’s national security law.
The Delhi High Court hears a defamation case against the BBC over its documentary on then-Indian Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the 2002 riots in Gujarat.” [Foreign Policy]
“China’s big diplomacy week. While world leaders descend on New York City this week for the United Nations General Assembly, China’s top foreign diplomat has other plans. Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Russia on Monday for four days of security talks. Wang is expected to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming trip to Beijing, Moscow’s war in Ukraine, NATO expansion, and growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.
The visit comes just days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wrapped up a historic weeklong trip to Russia and a weekend meeting in Malta between Wang and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in November.
Meanwhile, Beijing launched a record 103 warplanes and nine ships near Taiwanese territory on Monday ahead of a U.S. delegation’s visit to the island later this week. Of these aircraft, 40 planes crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait, marking the second such provocation in less than a week. China does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and has criticized joint military exercises between Washington and Taipei.” [Foreign Policy]
“Crying coup. In a briefing on Monday, Georgia’s national security agency accused Ukraine of backing a coup attempt against the country’s pro-Russian government. According to a senior official in Georgia’s State Security Service, Georgian opposition leaders and top Ukrainian advisors planned to ‘overthrow the state’ ahead of a Brussels verdict on whether Georgia can join the European Union.
The Georgian officials did not provide any evidence to support their allegations. Former Georgian Defense Minister David Kezerashvili called the coup allegations ‘absurd’ and said they will only ‘deepen the rift’ between Georgia and Ukraine.” [Foreign Policy]
“Pedro Sanchez’s attempt to court separatist parties in his bid to win another term as Spanish prime minister has run into trouble after several European Union countries expressed reservations about a proposal to add Catalan to a list of the bloc’s official languages. The request comes as Sanchez tries to meet the demands of the pro-independence Junts per Catalunya and secure enough votes for a parliamentary majority.” [Bloomberg]
Catalonia’s National Day celebrations in Barcelona on Sept. 11. Photographer: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg
“Hungary’s plan to become one of the world’s biggest EV battery suppliers underpins nationalist Premier Viktor Orban’s push to ensure the country thrives under Europe’s green transition. But environmental activists, community leaders and political opponents say there’s a cost that’s being ignored as Orban seeks to extend his more than decade-long rule.” [Bloomberg]
“China removed Qin Gang from his job as foreign minister after an investigation concluded he had an affair and fathered a child while serving as ambassador to the US, the Wall Street Journal reported.” [Bloomberg]
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today on the margins of the General Assembly to advance a nascent thaw after more than a decade of frosty relations.” [Bloomberg]
“German authorities banned a neo-Nazi group with roots in the US and raided the apartments of 28 members across 10 federal states in an operation coordinated with American officials.” [Bloomberg]
“The Sahel’s Article 5. Facing threats of regional military intervention, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger signed a mutual defense pact on Saturday. Named the Alliance of Sahel States, the trilateral bloc dictates that an attack on one member is deemed an attack on the others. It also requires member states to assist one another in preventing and resolving armed conflict.
The move follows Mali and Burkina Faso’s adamant support of Niger’s ruling junta, which took control in a coup on July 26. Both West African nations are also run by military regimes. The pact will directly counter warnings by the Economic Community of West African States to dissolve Niger’s junta and restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum to power.” [Foreign Policy]
Good morning. We’re covering the latest Times investigation into child labor…
Marcos Cux, 15. Meridith Kohut for The New York Times
Child labor and a broken border
“It sounds like something out of an earlier century. Tens of thousands of children in the U.S., spanning all 50 states, work full time, often on overnight shifts and in dangerous jobs. The adults in their communities — including executives at major companies like Perdue Farms and Tyson Foods, whose slaughterhouses are cleaned by the young teenagers — look the other way. Government officials, in state capitals and in Washington, allow it to happen.
For the past year and a half, my colleague Hannah Dreier has been reporting on the explosion of child labor among young migrants who have recently arrived in this country. Her latest story, which tells the story of Marcos Cux, a 15-year-old who was maimed last year in a chicken plant in rural Virginia run by Perdue, has just published in The Times Magazine.
The story exposes the human costs of this country’s broken immigration system. Over the past 15 years, entering the U.S. without legal permission has become easier, especially for children. A 2008 law, intended to protect children from harm on the Mexican side of the border, has meant that children can usually enter the country without documentation. As Hannah writes, ‘In the 15 years since, the carveout has become widely known in Central America, where it shapes the calculations of destitute families.’
Likewise, a 2015 ruling by a federal judge made it easier for children to enter the country with their families, as a recent New Yorker story by Dexter Filkins explained.
These policy changes aren’t the only reasons that migration — by adults, too — has recently increased. The collapse of Venezuela’s economy and a rise in global poverty during the Covid pandemic also play a role, as does a perception in Latin America that the Biden administration is less vigilant about border security than either the Trump or Obama administrations.
Many students quit school as soon as their English is proficient enough to get work.
An open secret
Whatever the causes, migrant children are arriving in a country that’s often unable, or at least unwilling, to protect them.
After unaccompanied children come to the U.S., authorities place them with so-called sponsors, adults who are supposed to care for the children and ensure they attend school. Frequently, though, the sponsors allow the children to work full time, knowing that their parents need the money that working children can wire home. The children use false documents to get the jobs, and employers accept them even when they’re obviously incorrect. In many communities, child labor has become an open secret.
Maria Escalante, a U.S.D.A. inspector, feels badly for the children working the night shift, but says, ‘It’s not my place to say anything.’
Yet this modern version of child labor brings the same terrible costs that led this country to ban the practice in the early 20th century. Children are exhausted. Many never graduate high school and learn the skills necessary to find decent-paying work as adults. Some, like Marcos, suffer gruesome injuries while working jobs intended for adults.
In response to Hannah’s reporting, companies like Perdue and Tyson have said they do not tolerate child labor, but their actions suggest otherwise. And although the Biden administration responded to her initial story by increasing enforcement, it has so far fined only subcontractors for employing children, rather than brand-name companies.
I recommend you find the time this week to read Hannah’s story. It is wrenching, but it offers some reason for hope about Marcos’s future. It’s also part of a larger problem: The U.S. has allowed millions of people to enter the country in recent years and is failing to care for many of them.” [New York Times]
Musk says X will charge everyone
Elon Musk, holding one of his sons, talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in New York on Sunday. Photo: Turkish Presidency/AP
“Elon Musk said he's moving to require all users to pay a monthly fee to use his social media site X, formerly Twitter, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.
Why it matters: The comments, which Musk made during a live-streamed event on X with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, come as the company struggles to regain trust with advertisers.
Netanyahu brought up the large armies of bots that amplify hate speech.
Musk replied: ‘The single most important reason we're moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system is it's the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots.’
Musk said adding a subscription would make it much more difficult for bots to create accounts, because each bot would need to register a new credit card.
He added that the company plans to come out with ‘a lower tier pricing’ than it currently charges X Premium subscribers — around $8 monthly.
Reality check: Musk has often teased new products or innovations, only to change course.” [Axios]
Mortgages likely to stay high
Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
“Experts and Americans agree: This is an awful time to buy a home if you can avoid it, Axios' Brianna Crane writes.
Why it matters: A lack of supply and record-high mortgage rates have forced would-be homebuyers to the sidelines.
Mortgage rates soared past 7% this summer, and "they're unlikely to fall in a meaningful way," Bankrate chief financial analyst Greg McBride said.
More Americans than ever think it's a bad time to buy, according to a recent Gallup survey — the highest since the pollster started asking the question in 1978.” [Axios]
$750K college counselors
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“Ultra-rich parents are turning to highly coveted "mentors" — luxury college counselors — to get their kids into the country's most selective schools, Bloomberg reports.
The price tag: $750,000.
Christopher Rim's Command Education will "groom an overachiever, prod a slacker, finetune a B+ here or an A- there, curate extracurriculars."
Another company, IvyWise, starts at a more reasonable $28,000, Bloomberg notes.
By the numbers: Children from the top 0.1% of families are more than twice as likely to get into Ivy League schools.” [Axios]
A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. The school says it wasn’t discrimination
The same week his state outlawed racial discrimination based on hairstyles, a Black high school student in Texas was suspended because school officials said his appearance violated the district’s dress code. The incident recalls debates over hair discrimination in schools and the workplace and is already testing the state’s newly enacted CROWN Act, which took effect Sept. 1. Read more.
Why this matters:
The law is aimed at prohibiting race-based hair discrimination and bars employers and schools from penalizing people because of hair texture or styles like Afros, braids, dreadlocks, twists or Bantu knots.
For Black people, hair has always played an important role across the Black diaspora. Historians say braids and other hairstyles served as methods of communication across African societies, including to identify tribal affiliation or marriage status, and as clues to safety and freedom for those who were captured and enslaved.
After slavery was abolished, Black American hair became political. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin, but Black people continued to face professional and social stigma for not fitting European beauty standards and norms.” [AP News]
Black America's team
Deion Sanders and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on set for ESPN "College GameDay" in Boulder on Saturday. Photo: Andrew Wevers/USA Today Sports via Reuters
“Deion Sanders has made Boulder, Colorado, the improbable center of the sports world, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.
In Sanders' first year, he's led the once-hapless Colorado Buffaloes to a 3-0 start. Among his biggest supporters: Black fans around the country.
The big picture: Not since the Los Angeles Raiders of the 1980s or Michigan's Fab Five from the 1990s has a team captivated Black America and hip-hop culture like the Buffs have so far.
Celebrities from Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne to Dwayne Johnson are hyping the Buffs.
Black teachers, with no previous connections to Colorado, on social media call Sanders an inspiration.
Black households are glued to Buffs games.
Sanders — aka Coach Prime — led the Buffs to a dramatic 43-35 double-overtime win over Colorado State on Saturday.
‘It's tremendous. It's not a burden whatsoever. It's a blessing,’ Sanders told reporters after being asked about people comparing Colorado to the Fab Five or being called Black America's Team.
Colorado Buffaloes merchandise has become some of the hottest sports gear with sales skyrocketing over 800% from last season.
Shirts and hoodies with Prime quotes like ‘We Coming’ or ‘I ain't hard to find’ are, well, hard to find.” [Axios]
Michigan State to fire Mel Tucker amid sexual harassment investigation
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
The remaining dates on comedian Russell Brand’s tour are postponed after sexual assault allegations
“Promoters are scrapping the remaining tour dates for comedian Russell Brand after four women accused him of sexual assault. Brand denies the allegations.” Read More at AP News
Cups for mixing paint in Joan Miró‘s Taller Sert studio in Majorca.Successió Miró, 2023
“Art and science: Some of the great paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries are losing their brilliance. Many artists of the era, including Van Gogh, Munch and Picasso, favored a paint known as cadmium yellow, whose bold, lemony hue has become faded and chalky. A team of researchers, studying samples from Joan Miró paintings of the 1970s, found that the paint was doomed by flaws at the atomic level.” [New York Times]