Month: September 2021

Shortly after taking office, President Biden got to work selling Congress and the country on a massive coronavirus relief package. One of the centerpieces of what would become a $1.9 trillion dollar bill was raising the Child Tax Credit (CTC) from $2,000 to $3,000 per child (or $3,600 for a child under age 6) and making it refundable.

The program gives parents who make $400,000 and under filing jointly ($200,000 and under on a single return) direct payments of around $250 to $300 a month from July through December 2021.

The president made a bold statement while talking about the CTC that seemed a little far-fetched at the time. “If we get this done, it will cut child poverty in half,” Biden said at a roundtable in February. The White House stood by the claim with Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeating it in three separate beings.

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In America, one in seven children lives in poverty.

BIDEN: We’re gonna cut child poverty in half.

DEMOCRATS: 👏

REPUBLICANS: 🤷
#BidenAddress https://t.co/eCmWsLB6cw

— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge)
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The bill was passed and signed into law by the president in March and we’re now beginning to see the benefits of the CTC played out in real-time.

A study by the Poverty Center at Columbia University found that after parents began receiving direct deposits in their bank accounts it had an immediate effect on child poverty rates.

“Using our innovative approach to tracking monthly poverty rates, we project that ongoing COVID relief efforts continue to have a sizable effect on reducing child poverty keeping 6 million children from poverty in July 2021 alone (a reduction of more than 40 percent),” the Poverty Center wrote in a study.

Researchers believe that as the rollout continues, “the expanded Child Tax Credit has the potential to achieve even greater child poverty reduction.” If all eligible children are enrolled in the program, the CC has the “potential to reduce monthly child poverty by up to 40 percent on its own.”

When combined with other COVID-19 relief measures, the CTC could contribute to a 52% reduction in child poverty.

A survey from the Census Bureau found that most families are spending the money on clothing, food, housing, and utilities.

The key to maximizing the CTC’s benefits making sure that all eligible children are enrolled in the program. An estimated 67 million children are thought to be eligible for the program although the Treasury Department estimated that it made payments for 61 million children.

#BREAKING: President Biden calls for child ‘tax credit’ payments to be extended:

“Let’s extend the tax cut throug… https://t.co/KUhLolaKtB

— Personal Blog Media News (@pbmnews)
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The CTC’s dramatic success has the president and Democrats in Congress pushing to expand the program until 2025. Earlier this month, House Democrats proposed an extension of the increase in the tax credit as well as making the funding permanent. The proposal was cheered by pro-family advocates such as MomsRising.

“The child tax credit expansion has made historic gains for our families and our economy in 2021, lifting 50% of all children out of poverty and boosting the economy,” executive director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner said according to CNBC.

A group of 450 economists signed an open letter last week saying that the CTC should be extended. “It’s very rare to find an issue where so many economists agree on everything,” Jacob Goldin, an assistant professor at Stanford Law School, told CNBC. “But there’s just very, very strong evidence that providing extra financial assistance to kids growing up in low-income households yields big benefits in their lives.”

When a child is lifted out of poverty it has a lasting impact on their life. Columbia’s Poverty Center says that it leads to a decrease in infant mortality, improves the health and life expectancy of poor children, and increases future productivity. The Poverty Center estimates that the CTC’s societal benefits outweigh its costs by 8 to 1.

The fact that child poverty still persists in the wealthiest nation of the world is one of the biggest disgraces in American life. The CTC has shown that there is an easy, and effective way to combat this serious issue by simply giving people a break on their taxes. Let’s hope that our leaders realize the impact the CTC is having on the lives of children and will make it a permanent part of the effort to eradicate child poverty in America once and for all.

This article originally appeared on 03.12.15

This is a story about something really exciting.

Before I get into it, let me set the stage by explaining the terrible problem it’s solving.

10 years.

That’s how long it’ll be until the last wild elephants and rhinoceroses are gone.

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100 of them are killed every day by poachers.

Even though elephants and rhinos are legally protected, the amount of money that can be made from the ivory in their tusks is just too much for some people to resist.

So poachers go after elephants and rhinos in secret. They kill them in out-of-the-way places that are hard to patrol, and they do it at night under the cover of darkness.

Every hour, another elephant or rhino family is broken forever.

Now the Lindbergh Foundation has come up with an idea about how to stop poachers.

They’ve been testing their idea for two years now, and it really works.

Air Shepherd uses drones and computers to watch over elephants and rhinos the same way a shepherd protects his sheep.

It’s an amazing international, hi-tech system.

The drones in Africa are decked out with normal and infrared cameras that see where the animals — and the poachers — are. Even in the dark of night.

That imagery is sent to computers in the U.S. Using special software, they send back flight plans to the drones that predict where the animals are headed, which keeps the drones on top of the poachers.

Local rangers are notified, and they sweep in on the poachers.

During the 600 tests they’ve run so far, precisely zero poaching has occurred.

It’s a fantastic system.

Seven African countries have already requested help.

The Foundation has provided the seed money. They need contributions, though, so head over to the Air Shepherd site to see how you can get involved in this amazing project.

Please let your animal-loving friends know about this breakthrough program that could keep elephants and rhinos from going extinct. It’s so exciting.

(Unfortunately, the Lindbergh Foundation’s video has been removed from YouTube. But here’s an NBC News report about the project.)

Exactly ten years ago today, Carly Rae Jepsen released “Call Me Maybe,” which went on to be one of the defining songs of its era and the one that launched Jepsen’s career. To mark the occasion, Jepsen has shared a funny story from a few months before the song was released, when she encountered some people who were annoyed by one of her other songs, all while she was working as their waitress.

One of Jepsen’s early singles, “Tug Of War,” was successful in her home country of Canada, and while waitressing, Jepsen overheard some customers complaining about how much the song was playing on the radio. After initial uneasy feelings, Jepsen was excited by the feeling of people knowing her music, even if they hated it.

She then had a lighthearted confrontation with the diners about it: “That night before they left I printed off their bill and signed my name confidently in bold letters on the back of the receipt. I said, ‘Thanks for letting me take care of you tonight! Also, I signed the back of your receipt since I hear you are all such big fans!’ Their jaws dropped, we had a laugh, and I may have received a slightly bigger tip than usual.”

Jepsen then revealed the impetus behind sharing that story, writing, “The point is, don’t give up on your dreams, kids. Not three months later ‘Call Me Maybe’ was released and let’s just say I hope that song really annoyed them. Hehe.”

Check out Jepsen’s full message below.

“‘Call Me Maybe’ was like a lightning bolt to my little life. I can remember waitressing one day not too long before things poked up and hearing one of the tables outside talk about my music. The table was seated with about 12 people who had all returned from a camping trip in Canada and had sung along to the radio the whole time. I think it was an earlier song (that only played in Canada) called ‘Tug of War’ that was on repeat a lot back then and they were not exactly fans. A direct quote I overheard was something like, ‘This girl Carly Rae Jepsen was on repeat over and over our whole trip and we are so sick of it.’ Some of them sang the song in a mocking voice, oblivious to the fact that I was serving them food.

So I poured the wine, engaged shyly behind my big floppy bangs, and hoped/prayed to not be recognized as their — ahem — waitress. But then something warm in my belly began to make me feel giddy because this was the first time I had heard someone else know my name or my music. I skipped behind the bar and excitedly explained to my manager that, ‘These people outside KNOW ME! Okay they don’t know ME per se but they know my MUSIC! (A giggle.) And they HATE IT but they KNOW IT and I’m kinda weirdly proud of that!’

That night before they left I printed off their bill and signed my name confidently in bold letters on the back of the receipt. I said, ‘Thanks for letting me take care of you tonight! Also, I signed the back of your receipt since I hear you are all such big fans!’ Their jaws dropped, we had a laugh, and I may have received a slightly bigger tip than usual.

The point is, don’t give up on your dreams, kids. Not three months later ‘Call Me Maybe’ was released and let’s just say I hope that song really annoyed them. Hehe.

Mostly I want to say thank you all for the joyous videos, silly dances. and wild nights together in different countries! You have opened my world and my heart with this adventure of a song and I could not be more grateful to you all.

To Josh and Tavish who helped me pen this bad boy… who would have thunk it, hey? When lightning strikes feel lucky and feel grateful. I know I do every single day! Also I know my former boss is very relieved, because I was a TERRIBLE waitress.”

Although rapper Jeezy already has two children from previous relationships, hearing the story of how he and girlfriend The Real co-host Jeannie Mai decided to have their own child together is a pretty touching story. In a spread for Women’s Health, Mai shared the news and told fans she’s excited to finally let the world in on the couple’s decision “Jeezy and I have been kind of saving this and hiding this for five months,” she said. “So, we’re relieved to finally share the news.”

But she opened up a bit more on The Real, telling her fellow hosts about how she initially never wanted to have children, but building a healthy relationship with Jeezy eventually changed her mind. Getting emotional as she began to share, Mai said she never really felt safe in her own childhood, and as she began to feel safe in her relationship, the idea of becoming a parent suddenly didn’t seem like an impossible thing. It’s a very moving and vulnerable admission from someone who has clearly given a lot of thought the to the topic, and isn’t just rushing into it, a refreshing change in our culture of late! Check out her thoughts below and congratulations to the couple.

Dreamville fans have been waiting for Lute’s album Gold Mouf for a longer time than originally anticipated after a global pandemic set back its release last year. In February of 2020, Lute started the hype train rolling with his “GED” video and a related web series, only to see the entire music industry shut down as a result of COVID-19 safety protocols. In the meantime, though, he collected his platinum plaques from the Revenge Of The Dreamers III compilation.

Now, though, the industry is once again humming, venues across the nation have reopened, and Lute finally has a release date for Gold Mouf, the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut album West1996 Pt. 2: October 4. Today, he revealed the release date and the feature-filled tracklist, which contains nods to both his Dreamville family and his North Carolina roots. Fellow Dreamvillians Ari Lennox, Cozz, and JID appear on three separate tracks, while out-of-town assistance comes in the form of features from BJ The Chicago Kid, Blakk Soul, Devn, Saba, and Westside Boogie.

But North Carolina natives and fans of the sort of soulful throwback hip-hop embodied by much of Dreamville’s roster will likely be most excited to see the pioneering rap group Little Brother included. Considered inspirations to many of today’s top rappers, including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Dreamville’s own J. Cole, the NC-based Little Brother eventually spawned the Grammy-winning efforts of former producer/DJ 9th Wonder and the multi-talented, do-it-all industry expanse of Phonte Coleman. Little Brother recently reunited as a duo featuring Phonte and Big Pooh with the blessing of 9th Wonder, making the occasion one to be truly excited for.

Gold Mouf is due 10/4 via Dreamville. Check out the tracklist below.

As the new season of The Witcher finally approaches after battling pandemic delays and injuries, Henry Cavill is sharing more details about expanding the show’s universe, particularly with the addition of Kim Bodnia to the cast as Vesemir, the man who took in Cavill’s Geralt of Rivia and transformed him into a deadly monster hunter.

As Cavill explains in a new interview, his favorite Season 2 scenes involve working with Bodnia because it allowed Cavill an opportunity to shore more of Geralt than just his propensity for grunting and impeccably timed F-bombs.

“Kim and I were discussing the emotionality of these characters, and Kim brings some powerful emotion to [the role] and a real sense of soul and heart and connection to the wild and connection to nature,” Cavill told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s beautiful to watch and beautiful to be a part of. Some of my favorite scenes I got to perform with Kim. He does bring something really special to the character, and I think people are really going to enjoy it.”

While the Netflix series skews more closely to the novels, Vesemir is also a fan-favorite character from The Witcher video games, so his presence in the new season will be a welcome addition for both gamers and readers.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Witcher Season 2:

Convinced Yennefer’s life was lost at the Battle of Sodden, Geralt of Rivia brings Princess Cirilla to the safest place he knows, his childhood home of Kaer Morhen. While the Continent’s kings, elves, humans and demons strive for supremacy outside its walls, he must protect the girl from something far more dangerous: the mysterious power she possesses inside.

The Witcher Season 2 premieres December 17 on Netflix.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

Depending on what day of the week it is, Senator Lindsey Graham is either Donald Trump’s closest friend or biggest critic.

Case in point: this latest account of the South Carolina Republican’s reaction to Trump’s claims of voter fraud, published in the soon-to-be-released expose by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. According to a preview of the upcoming book, Graham was initially consulted about the legitimacy of Trump’s legal claims should his election tampering conspiracy theories make it to the higher courts. Graham reportedly met with Trump’s former attorney Rudy Guiliani just a few days before the insurrection on Jan. 6th, where he demanded evidence of mass voter fraud, evidence Guiliani wasn’t able to convincingly provide.

“Give me some names,” Graham reportedly pressed Guiliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. “You need to put it in writing. You need to show me the evidence.”

When Trump’s legal team did hand over evidence — in the form of questionable memos deemed “inconsistent” and “sloppy” by Graham’s own lawyer — the GOP leader delivered a damning assessment of Trump’s argument. He was reportedly quoted as saying the claims were “suitable for third grade.”

Of course, as nice as it is to see Trump’s henchmen turn on him once he’s been removed from power, it’s probably best not to praise Graham’s momentary change of heart, considering how the fairweather politician is firmly back on the side of Team Trump and actively helping him to launch future political campaigns. Instead, it’s worth noting how all these GOP Trump diehards secretly hate the guy they’re simping for.

(Via Washington Post)

Every week, thousands of bettors place small dollar parlays in hopes of landing a massive payday by having the perfect week. Sportsbooks clean up on parlays, as they account for the highest percentage hold of any bet on the board, which is why they’re so happy to promote when bettors win, even when it’s a $10 bet that nets $80,000, because on the whole, they still win a ton on people’s dreams of cashing in big time.

This week’s massive parlay that is almost home comes from the state of Michigan, where a BetMGM bettor has gone a perfect 15-for-15 on NFL money line picks in a $25, 16-leg parlay that would win $726,939. The one problem? The last leg is the Detroit Lions (+400) against the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. Having the Lions on the parlay is a big reason it pays so well, but it’s also why despite a perfect start, they’re facing the prospects of winning nothing at all.

Here’s what they’ve hit so far, via PlayMichigan.

Washington -175
Bears -130
Browns -650
Rams -190
Bills -175
Patriots -250
49ers -160
Raiders +190
Panthers +150
Broncos -275
Cardinals -190
Buccaneers -650
Cowboys +135
Titans +190
Ravens +180

The biggest problem for this bettor is that hedging here is incredibly difficult. The Packers are -650 at the moment, which means this bettor would need to come up with some serious money in order to properly hedge this out. There’s no way they are going to be able to get to a real big money hedge (ideally you’d put down, like $500,000 on the Packers to ensure a healthy five-figure payout at worst), but they should at minimum be trying to get $6,500 in on Green Bay to ensure they walk away with, at worst, a four-figure profit. At that point, they’re still rooting hard for the Lions, but at least can rest easy knowing their hard work through Sunday picking every game correctly won’t be in complete vain.

During a recent press event for Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, Awkwafina was challenged about her use of a so-called “Blaccent” in her early career, prompting a stumbling response from the rapper turned film star as she struggled to address the criticisms that have trailed her since she dropped her first music video for “My Vag” in 2012. When a clip of the interview hit Twitter, Awkwafina became a trending topic as commenters excoriated her for her inability to address the controversy after so many years in the spotlight.

It’s clear that the star was caught off-guard by the question and there are a number of reasons that could be. Interviews are a lot like quizzes; their subjects often practice giving the “correct” answers to questions they know they’ll be asked about their current projects. It’s likely that Awkwafina wasn’t fully prepared to answer a question about Girl Code or Yellow Ranger when she had “studied” to answer questions about her role in a Marvel superhero film.

However, part of the reason fans were so irritated by her non-answer is that she’s had several opportunities to form a coherent answer and just hasn’t. She’s done similar press runs for Ocean’s 8 and The Farewell and these criticisms followed her even then. As her profile grows, her response grows truer and truer. A real conversation does need to be had about why what she did was problematic — but also about how little of that has to do with her getting booked in a handful of Disney movies in the same year.

When she dropped “My Vag” in 2012, Awkwafina was part of a growing wave of rappers challenging the industry status quo and subverting the existing systems of selling and promoting music. She was also problematic. Both things can be true at once. However, at the time, Awkwafina was feted as an example of both a female rapper succeeding in the male space of rap music and an Asian woman offering an alternative perspective to rap’s rich and growing landscape.

However, even then, she faced criticism for her use of comedy as the defining characteristic of her music and many thought her presentation felt more like imitation or flat-out mockery, similarly to the reception of white male rapper Lil Dicky (who also found success in a pivot to acting). Some of this probably had to do with the existing stereotypes of Asian women in the popular imagination. Because it was so rare to see an Asian woman presenting herself so brashly, decked out in streetwear, it was easy to dismiss these elements as affectations meant to endear her to rap’s perceived audience.

I’m not here to argue whether Awkwafina’s presentation was authentic or not. Lord knows that many people of color in America are familiar with the concept of “code-switching” — acting differently in different environments. Unfortunately, Awkwafina was celebrated for behaving in a way that many people — mostly Black people — are punished for. While a plethora of Black comediennes were overlooked or demeaned for talking professionally the way they talk at home (see: Tiffany Haddish, who has definitely received more than her fair share of denigration), Awkwafina’s star has risen, with much of the main draw being the clownish character she often played in her rap videos.

Recently, though, it seems like she’s toned that down a lot; in her more recent features, for example, she’s derived more comedy from her incredulous, blunt but affable nature. In Raya And The Last Dragon, her character gets more laughs from being chronically naive and insecure than speaking in African American Vernacular English. Likewise, Katy in Shang-Chi is just a fish out of the water, bewildered by the mystical goings-on around her.

Does that mean she’s learned her lesson? I don’t know and I won’t hazard a guess. It is a sign that she’s growing as a person and as an artist, which is something we need to give people time, space, and grace to actually do. Not everyone can instantly rattle off a master’s thesis on complex sociological issues when prompted — although, now might be a good time for her to start studying (better late than never). But expecting her to, when that energy could be used more productively, doesn’t change much either.

Instead, why don’t we hold the systems of power in Hollywood, in business, in government accountable for holding back some people and rewarding others based on prejudices and stereotypes? Why don’t we champion positive examples of people using their platforms in ways we approve of, and acknowledge their achievements rather than angrily tearing down those we don’t? Imagine if all those people criticizing Awkwafina were praising Audrey Nuna, Ramengvrl, or Ruby Ibarra (all of whom use their music to call out injustice)?

Awkwafina may have benefitted from an unfair system, but she isn’t responsible for it. While there does need to be a conversation about it, that conversation should be had in the right forum, not during a random interview during a press tour for a Disney movie. On the other hand, when stars are called out, they should probably have something better to say than “we need to have a conversation.” And everybody should strive to do better in the future because actions will always speak louder than words.

Last week was absolutely massive for Drake, as nine of the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart were from his new album, Certified Lover Boy. Now, interest in the album has naturally cooled off some, enough for him to lose the No. 1 spot: On the chart dated September 25, The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” returns to the top of the chart for its fifth total week.

That said, Drake is still doing quite well on the Hot 100, as he currently has three songs in the top 10 spots: “Way 2 Sexy” featuring Future and Young Thug (at No. 2), “Knife Talk” featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat (No. 4), and “Girls Want Girls” featuring Lil Baby (No. 10).

Meanwhile, Bieber spends his 30th week with a No. 1 song on the Hot 100, which moves him up the all-time list in that regard, into a 15th-place tie with Paul McCartney. He still has a ways to go to catch up with the leaders of that rank, though: Ahead of him are Mariah Carey (84 weeks), Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Drake (52), and a handful of others.

As far as other noteworthy chart entries, there’s Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like,” which has risen to N0. 5 and become the year’s highest-charting country song following a remix featuring Kesha (although Kesha is not credited on the song as it appears on the Hot 100).