Politics

Trigger Warning: This piece includes descriptions of sexual assault. I first met Russell Simmons at a nightclub in New York City when I was a 19-year-old model. Our friendship was cemented in our love of nightlife and consuming alcohol. When I was 21, Russell and I began casually dating, off and on. In the summer of 1994, I called Russell to let him know I was in town and asked if he wanted to hang out, strictly as friends. As we sat in his usual corner booth at Time Cafe, I noticed he wasn’t imbibing alcohol as usual; he said

When you’re Black in America, anything can be a death sentence—especially when the police are involved. Sleeping, jogging, playing in the park, and countless other completely harmless activities have all led to fatal consequences for Black people. Sadly, now we can add “being cold” to that list. On August 24, 2019, 23-year-old Aurora, Colorado, resident Elijah McClain wore a face mask to keep warm (his family said he had anemia and would often wear an open-face ski mask) while walking home from the convenience store. Despite admitting that they didn’t think McClain posed any threat, someone called the police on

President Donald Trump attended a fundraiser in Texas on Wednesday without a mask and no obviously enforced social distancing as coronavirus cases surge in the state.Trump traveled to the Double Eagle Energy oil rig in Texas to speak on the oil and gas industry, railing against Democrats' clean energy policies.As of Wednesday, Texas has more than 421,000 coronavirus infections, and nearly 6,800 people have died from COVID-19 in the state.Trump said he was "all for" masks and has suggested it was "patriotic" to wear one after months of refusing to wear one in public and condemning its use as a

Former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenObama, George Clooney to hold virtual fundraiser for Biden on Tuesday Tlaib opens up about why she hasn't endorsed Biden yet It's 1980 in reverse MORE was photographed during an event Tuesday holding talking points about Sen. Kamala HarrisKamala Devi HarrisThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden comes to Washington to honor John Lewis House passes bill establishing commission to study racial disparities affecting Black men, boys Harris on tense debate with Biden: 'That's politics' MORE (D-Calif.), a former rival in the Democratic presidential primary who is in top contention to be his running mate.As he answered reporters'

WNBA teams walked off the court in protest prior to the national anthem during the opening weekend of the league's 2020 season.Conservatives including Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Kelly Loeffler, and commentator Tomi Lahren criticized the WNBA and poked fun at the league's following in response to the demonstrations.In speaking to the media, Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner and Brianna Turner said they were opposed to the league playing the national anthem.Griner added that she would continue to leave the floor throughout the season.Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Conservatives are blasting the WNBA — and mocking their viewership — after

As a Black woman living in Florida, I’ve seen with my own eyes and felt with my own skin the Confederate, racist, and patriarchal mentality that is still very much alive in our country. As a mother, I live with the constant fear of my children growing up in a world that could and would kill them while walking home—for no reason other than the color of their skin. My religion teaches me to have faith, but we know that faith without work is folly. We also know that two things are certain about Black women: We work hard and

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was walking down the steps of Congress when Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho called her "a f-cking bitch." Rep. Yoho was reportedly "disgusted" by AOC’s recent suggestion that poverty and unemployment lead to a rise in petty crimes (a suggestion that is absolutely rooted in fact, for the record). Yoho told Ocasio-Cortez she was "out of her freaking mind," something any woman in a moderate position of power flanked by influential white men has surely heard before. When she told him he was being rude, he doubled down, verbally accosting her with a misogynistic attack as old

"Immigration Nation," a six-part Netflix documentary, began filming in 2017, its creators embedded within US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The documentary shows ICE agents lying to immigrants, illegally breaking into a home, and expressing joy at being told to "arrest as many people as possible," The New York Times reported.The Trump administration tried to block the work from being released until after the 2020 election, according to The Times.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The Trump administration fought to prevent the release of a new Netflix documentary that provides a behind-the-scenes look at its immigration policy in action, The New

A GOP group released a new ad Wednesday slamming President TrumpDonald John TrumpMore than a dozen people wounded in shooting near Chicago funeral home Cleveland Indians players meet with team leadership to discuss potential name change Pelosi calls coronavirus the 'Trump virus' MORE for saying that he wishes Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, well this week. "I haven't really been following it too much. I just wish her well, frankly. I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach," Trump told reporters Tuesday at a

The Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, has been reclaimed with Black Lives Matter art and messages since the death of George Floyd.Images of historic Black activists and thinkers have been projected onto the monument, including Rep. John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and WEB Du Bois.Amid the reckoning over Confederate monuments in the US, the statue has become a meeting place for people to gather, protest, and create.Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The statue of Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, — one of the most infamous Confederate monuments in the US — has been