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environmental concerns and economy  Impact of MAGA  on the environment globally/ Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreements and global environmental risks.

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environmental concerns and economy  Impact of MAGA  on the environment globally/ Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreements and global environmental risks.

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Trump at the Super Bowl: how the NFL’s culture war ended in surrender

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Trump’s attendance at the Super Bowl on Sunday in New Orleans stands to offer more evidence that the sporting climate has shifted from resistance to acceptance

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Colleges and universities in the US make billions of dollars each year from sports, compromising the health and education of athletes -- who are disproportionately Black -- in the name of money, power and pride. Sports lawyer and former NCAA investigator Tim Nevius exposes how the system exploits young talent and identifies fundamental reforms needed to protect players.

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Pink said she was "unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools"

Singer Pink will give away 2,000 free copies of books that have been "banned" by some schools in Florida to fans at her concerts in Miami this week.
The star has waded into the row over some libraries and classrooms removing books with sexual content or themes of sexuality, gender identity and race.

"It's confusing, it's infuriating, it is censorship," she said.

Florida authorities say they want to restrict inappropriate and harmful material but that they don't ban books.

Pink has joined forces with Pen America, a campaign group that says it defends freedom of expression for authors.

It says Florida has had more books banned than any other US state, accounting for more than 40% of all documented examples.

"Books have held a special joy for me from the time I was a child, and that's why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools," Pink said in a statement released by the group.

"It's especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of colour.

"We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no-one should want to see this progress reversed."

Copies of four books, which Pen America says have appeared in its Index of Banned Books, will be handed out at her shows in Miami on Tuesday and nearby Sunrise on Wednesday. They are:

Beloved by Toni Morrison - Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel about the horrors and legacy of slavery is "banned" from nine Florida school districts, Pen America says

The Family Book by Todd Parr - young children's picture book about different families including same-sex parents is on the list in three districts

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman - the poem written for President Joe Biden's inauguration was moved from the elementary library to the middle school section in a Miami school

Girls Who Code by Reshma Saujani - was reportedly temporarily removed by a district in Pennsylvania last year but doesn't appear on Pen America's current list

Almost half of school districts in Florida have had "instances of book bans", according to Pen America. Across the US, school book removals were up by one third in the past year, it said.

Florida's Department of Education has said it "does not ban books", while governor Ron DeSantis has called the idea of banning a "hoax". He has said he wants an education system that is "free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate".

He said earlier this year: "Exposing the 'book ban' hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination.

"In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards."

In March, Florida's Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr tweeted: "Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology."

School districts that have removed books have cited recent state laws including one dubbed the Don't Say Gay bill, which says children should not be taught about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Last year, another law was introduced saying school books should be age-appropriate, free from pornography and "suited to student needs". They must be approved by a specialist who has had training by the Department of Education, with parents given more power to request a removal.

Another law introduced in 2022 does not allow the "far-left woke agenda" to "take over our schools and workplaces" when teaching issues related to race, Mr DeSantis said.

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Pink: Singer to give away 2,000 'banned' books at Florida concerts

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The pop star says she is "unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools".

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Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. https://t.co/r5TH7YS71S

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Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. https://t.co/r5TH7YS71S

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Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. pic.twitter.com/r5TH7YS71S
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) October 30, 2021

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Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. https://t.co/r5TH7YS71S

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. https://t.co/r5TH7YS71S

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Singer Billie Eilish and 'The Office' actor Rainn Wilson are calling on world leaders to take action to mitigate climate change ahead of the COP26 conference beginning on October 31. https://t.co/r5TH7YS71S

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alan

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Power/influence How wealth influences / affects the world at the expense of citizens

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Power/influence How wealth influences / affects the world at the expense of citizens

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Source: Tjeerd Royaards on X (Jan 6, 2025)

Cartoonist @AnnTelnaes quits the Washington Post after a

cartoon mocking Post-owner Jeff Bezos is refused

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Jeff Bezos’s Hypocritical Assertion of Power

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His decision will only make The Washington Post a weaker institution.

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Zuckerberg’s power makes him untouchable | CNN Business

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Throughout thousands of pages of leaked Facebook documents, there’s an uncomfortable refrain echoing from the company’s own employees: Something must be done.

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The almighty Musk: How the world’s richest man became Washington’s most powerful bureaucrat | CNN Politics

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After accruing immense governmental power over the past month, tech billionaire Elon Musk got his biggest boost yet this week when President Donald Trump signed an executive order giving him broad authorities over the hiring and firing of federal workers.

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Trump signs order to withdraw US from Paris climate agreement for second time

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On first day back as president, Trump signs letter giving notice to UN of US exit from treaty seeking to curb climate crisis effects

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Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk: Shaping the future of global power dynamics - The Malta Independent

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Recently, two of the most powerful tech moguls, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, have taken bold, often controversial steps that transcend the realm of business and venture into the complex world of

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Power and influence of tech giants in politicy

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Power and influence of tech giants in politicy

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How billionaires impact politics through social media ?

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How billionaires impact politics through social media ?

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‘I Just Wanna Live’ Singer Keedron Bryant, 13-Year-Old Behind The Viral Hit, Talks Gospel Roots And Career Dreams

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Then 12-year-old Keedron Bryant took the world by storm with “I Just Wanna Live,” as people mourned and protested the killing of George Floyd. But Bryant had gone viral before. Here’s a deeper look into his story.

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All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Editor's note: This shoot followed the CDC's recommended social-distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic and was shot by drone. We hope it gives you some solace or escape in this trying time. Currently, our whole team is social distancing as we work from home. We sincerely hope, if you are able to, you are too.

Four days before the release of their sophomore album, Ungodly Hour, Chloe x Halle addressed their fans to let them know they're postponing it. In a video posted across their social channels, sisters Chloe, 21, and Halle Bailey, 20, sat shoulder to shoulder at their home in Los Angeles, surrounded by hovering green trees, and tried to sum up their range of emotions after witnessing a global uprising against police brutality.

"In honor of all of the lives lost in police brutality, we felt like it was right to postpone, and fully shine our attention and our work on them," Chloe said, with both a shake and clarity in her voice, in the video to the duo's 2.7 million followers. Halle added, "Music has been used for a long time to bring us joy and healing in difficult times like this."

Just weeks before, George Perry Floyd, a Black man living in Minneapolis, died in police custody while a white officer's knee was pressed on his neck. As video of his killing spread, and after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, protests sparked around the world demanding accountability and allyship with the Black Lives Matter movement. On the day Chloe, Halle, and I spoke by phone, Tony McDade, a Black trans man in Tallahassee, Florida, was fatally shot by an officer. In Los Angeles, where the sisters live, protesters strung their bodies together to temporarily shut down the 101 freeway. In Atlanta, where they were born, six police officers were charged after being accused of using excessive force on two Black college students who were tased and pulled out of their cars days earlier.

During a time when fans are more critical of how celebrities engage in civil rights activism, Grammy-nominated musicians and actors Chloe and Halle Bailey don't tiptoe. They urge fans to sign petitions, donate, vote, and recognize Black life, early and often. They celebrate Black joy year-round. This is what their followers have grown to expect from them. Chloe and Halle have always had something to say, and it just so happens to be an important time to speak up.

It's hard to wrap your head around the unbreakable confidence it takes to be a female pop artist if you aren't one. Thankfully, Chloe and Halle have each other. For decades, the bond among members of Black singing girl groups has given audiences soulful and fun music. In the '90s, groups like SWV, En Vogue, and Zhané made upbeat R&B music that made you want to dance with your homegirls. Now, contemporary duos like KING, Van Jess, and Ibeyi stand out for their rapturous vocals enveloped in dramatic production. Chloe x Halle add to this legacy by singing, writing, and producing ethereal music that resonates with the girl next door.

Yet there are distinct differences in the duo's vocal style; they don't try to match each other's voices to create some sort of uniformity. Rather, they play off of rhythm and song pacing to meld their voices. When they do sing choruses and bridges together, their voices, albeit distinct, create layered, otherworldly melodies.

The duo's sound is often described as angelic, giving leeway for some to describe them as two women without sin. Chloe and Halle want to shatter this idea because it's not realistic. "For Ungodly Hour we were so excited to just flip the narrative of being the perfect angel and show the other side[s] of us....," says Halle. "The dark side, the naughty side, the things that happen that you don't see behind the scenes."

The majority of the 13 songs on the album are about navigating messy situations - sometimes ones that you have caused. In the midst of trying to be a better friend or romantic partner, you know that you'll always be imperfect, and decide to love yourself anyway.

"I've always been a jazz head," Halle says. "I don't know why, but there's something about the pain and the love and the heartbreak that you can truly feel through the essence of those songs that are sung by Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald." As of late, Chloe's "really, really been inspired by '90s music and early 2000s production," a vibe you can hear and see in "Do It," the second single off of Ungodly Hour.

"We wanted to show our sensual side because we are growing as young women, but we still kept it classy and cute," Chloe says. "It was just really fun for us to do that. We also wanted to start dancing this era, and just something really simple. And it makes us so happy to see everyone doing that dance on TikTok."

Chloe expands on how the name of the album and title track came about after working with the U.K. duo Disclosure: "We wrote this song [the title track "Ungodly Hour"] with Disclosure, and we had the best time," she recalls. "I forgot what I was watching, but I heard the phrase 'ungodly hour' and wrote it in my notes. [It] kind of stuck out to all of us, and we were like, 'What can you say with this?' We all came up with this sentence: 'Love me at the ungodly hour,' which means love me when I'm at my worst; love me when I'm not all dolled up and made up. Love me when all my insecurities are out on the table."

"We started writing about when you're in a situationship with a guy and the chemistry is there, and you know the love is there and your connection is so deep, but he's not going all in," she continues. "For some reason he doesn't want to commit. He's entertaining other options, and it's just saying, 'You know what? I love myself enough to walk away and put the brakes on this and to pause this. So when you decide you like yourself, when you decide you need someone, when you don't have to think about it - love me at the ungodly hour.'"

Other emotionally complex tracks on the album include "Forgive Me," a haunting song inspired by Chloe's own life, after she discovered a guy she was involved with was going back and forth between her and another young woman. "I Wonder What She Thinks of Me" is a song that tells the story of the new love, the one a man gets with after he's broken up with his ex.

The vocalists are eager to make music that grows with them and becomes more layered as they do. "The way our music has evolved is exactly how we're evolving as young women," Chloe says. The chromelike wings they turn around and show on their album cover, worn with black, latex dresses, are symbolic of their strength and power.

When I ask what they hope for in the future, the Bailey sisters seem at ease. Chloe would love to work with BTS: "Their performing - it's top-notch. I'll sit at my computer and watch all of their music videos and all of their performances."

"Awards would be nice," she adds. "Being at the top of these Hot 100 lists would be beautiful and amazing, but as long as I'm growing and I'm a better version of myself tomorrow than I was today, I am content."

The duo is used to releasing music during times of political duress. Two years ago, when Chloe x Halle were part of our music issue for the release of their debut album The Kids Are Alright, the world was grappling with an immigration travel ban enacted by President Donald Trump, the #MeToo movement, and pressing climate change legislation. That album was an intonation from the sisters to young activists approaching human rights issues head-on: "Do it while you young. Don't let them turn you numb. Don't let them get you strung. Ooh, let me put you on," they sing on their first album's title song.

"I was 15 through 17, and Chloe was 17 through 19 during the making of the album," Halle says of their debut project. "We were still very young. We were still trying to figure out what we wanted, and I think that showed in the music."

As artists, the singers say their first album was about proving they could play an active, hands-on role in the production of their own music in an industry dominated by men. As two teenage women, it was about showing the world that, although they didn't have all the answers and weren't sure what was lurking around every corner, they had the guts to find out. At that point in their careers they had been signed to Beyoncé's Parkwood for five years and had released one other project, the Sugar Symphony EP, in 2016. But aside from opening tour performances and high-profile appearances, they hadn't become household names.

Now, amid a health pandemic and a country in unrest because of its history of white supremacy, Chloe and Halle are navigating being famous and also having a distinct voice. While finding ways to take care of themselves, the sisters are also promoting an album from their home, in the rooms where they first honed their craft as writers, instrumentalists, and producers. "We've kind of gotten back to our roots and started doing what originally got us started," Halle says, "which is doing YouTube covers, interacting on social media, and connecting with our beautiful fans through there."

A lot has changed in their personal lives as well. They're private about the details, but say they're learning more about guys and finding themselves in relationships and situationships. They're experiencing more love, heartbreak, and the misguided antics of boys. "We have to take our power back as women and not allow ourselves to be played," Chloe riffs.

In January, the third season of their Freeform show, grown-ish, dropped. In the college-centered comedy, led by Yara Shahidi, Chloe plays Jazz and Halle plays Sky, ambitious twin sisters who attend the fictional state school Cal U. Jazz is balancing being in love with her boyfriend Doug (played by Diggy Simmons) and schoolwork; Sky is focused on being a track star while navigating her interracial relationship. Like the sisters in real life, their characters are witty, impeccably stylish, and proud of their Blackness. But unlike Chloe and Halle, they're far more overt about their love lives - often kissing in hallways and openly discussing their sex lives - and unfiltered opinions.

Before stay-at-home orders went into place, Chloe and Halle had been expanding farther into Hollywood, and pursuing separate film projects.

In July 2019, it was announced that Halle is set to play Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid. Many saw Halle's breakout feature-film role as a huge win for inclusion, but, like clockwork, people on social media found an issue with the revamped iteration of Ariel being played by a Black woman. Halle spoke out on the discourse, telling Variety at the time, "I feel like I'm dreaming, and I'm just grateful. I don't pay attention to the negativity. I just feel like this role is something bigger than me. It's going to be beautiful."

Halle remains grateful, but says of the negative criticism, "We've always learned to just keep our heads up no matter the situation. No matter what anybody has to say about you...just keep pushing."

Like Halle, Chloe is also expanding her acting chops in feature projects. In December, Chloe wrapped filming for her role in the horror film The Georgetown Project, starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Simpkins. "I'm really protective of my energy, I'm very spiritual, and I love God," she says about the thriller. "So I was constantly praying when I was on set. But surprisingly, the energy on set was so positive. And I learned so much by being around all of these Oscar-winning actors."

Humility is a running trait between the sisters. They don't hide their confidence, but are also God-fearing and incredibly gracious. They're media-trained and polite, but also find a way to be frank. They say this album is a "whole different world" for them as they reveal more of their personalities, while exploring what it means to be grown women.

"We are learning to embrace who we truly are," Chloe says about their music evolution. "Our insecurities, our sexuality, owning our power. I'm grateful that we are given a space where we can do that comfortably. And I'm grateful for our parents, because they instilled in us that we need to be strong and independent young women."
CREDITS:
Photographer: Elizabeth Weinberg

Art Director: Emily Zirimis

Fashion Director: Tahirah Hairston

Stylist: Zerina Akers

Production: Hyperion LA

Video Editor: Canon Brownell

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Chloe x Halle Talk Police Brutality and Postponing Their Album

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"The way our music has evolved is exactly how we're evolving as young women."

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Perspective | Can Taylor Swift inspire young nonvoters to vote? You bet.

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A surprise Instagram post from the megastar marked her entrance into the political arena. Can she make a difference?

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Swifties may be able to sway 2024 elections: All Taylor Swift has to do is say the word

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Younger voters are starting to turn out in higher numbers as they connect political decisions with their power at the ballot box.

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