VP Mike Pence has responded to the NYT article that accuses him of a running a shadow campaign to take over in 2020. He calls the accusations “disgraceful” and “offensive.” On Saturday, there was a bomb detonated at a Minnesota mosque. There were 15-20 people inside but thankfully no one was hurt. But the media coverage that followed drew ire from viewers as a double standard. The ubiquitous term “terrorist attack” was noticeably absent and Donald Trump has yet to even acknowledge the attack. But he is tweeting. This morning’s Twitter tantrum is being directed at -- what else? -- the fake news for not reporting all of his accomplishments and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who the president is calling a con artist tweeting, “Never in U.S.history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like” Blumenthal. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council imposed sharply increased economic sanctions on North Korea worth one-third of its annual $3 billion exports, an effort to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile program. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said the vote "put the North Korean dictator on notice" and represented a "strong, united step holding North Korea accountable for its behavior." And we haven’t even gotten to the major news that happened last night! Where to begin? Jon Snow in Dragonstone, Arya’s battle withLady Brienne, and our nerves are still bad after the Mother of Dragon’s faceoff withJamie Lannister! Whew! Okay, apologies. Our friends at WaPo say that not everyone watches Game of Thrones and they detail the Monday morning frustrations of those who don’t. Not everyone watches GOT?? Fake news! Now, here’s the real news:
- BET honored Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) on Saturday.
- Barack Obama Day becomes law in IL.
- People of color in TX are the rising majority -- can they turn the state purple? Sure. If they show up at the polls.
- Asylum seekers are leaving U.S. for Canada.
- Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) helps lead push to tell DoD to ignore Trump’s transgender ban.
- Chicago suing Trump over threats to withhold federal funds over sanctuary status.
- Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) co-leads election delegation to Kenya.
- Roland Martin launches new show.
- Dozens of cases in Baltimore dismissed after controversial video surfaces.
- Nissan workers in Mississippi reject UAW.
- JAY-Z’s Moonlight is thoughtful dopeness. The Root breaks down the symbolism below in blogs. Check it out.
- Oh, and Idris Elba took the box office this weekend! Strictly for research purposes, some of The Beat DC team has been carefully studying pictures of him on the internet. It's hard work, people.