Category: News

This week, a Supreme Court ruling has acknowledged that, at least for the sake of federal criminal prosecutions, most of the eastern half of Oklahoma belongs to the Muscogee (Creek) Indian Tribe. The ruling enforces treaties made in the 19th century, despite objections from state and federal governments, and upholds the sovereignty of the Muscogee to prosecute crimes committed by tribe members within their own lands.

The U.S. government has a long and storied history of breaking treaties with Native American tribes, and Indigenous communities have suffered greatly because of those broken promises.

Stacy Leeds, a former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court justice and former special district court judge for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, described the ruling in an article on Slate:

“Yesterday’s long-awaited United States Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma pulled no punches in recognizing and reaffirming the political and territorial boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The court held that the treaty-guaranteed geographic borders of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation survived Oklahoma statehood and that these reservation boundaries remain legally valid jurisdictional markers for criminal jurisdiction over tribal citizens.

The court noted that Oklahoma repeatedly overstepped and stretched its governmental powers beyond what federal law provides. In short, Oklahoma has no legal authority to prosecute Native Americans for crimes committed within an Indian reservation. Oklahoma spent a century actively creating a law on the ground that was contrary to the law on the books.”

Leeds also described the history of the U.S. abrogating its own laws, violating treaties, and abusing non-native police powers in the name of “law and order” on Indian lands. “Unlawful acts, performed long enough and with sufficient vigor, are never enough to amend the law,” the Supreme Court ruling states, in a rebuke Leeds called “powerful.”

“If ever there were a statement to capture the collective experience of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities across the United States, that was it,” she wrote. “Might does not make right.”

Native American groups also celebrated the ruling, with the National Congress of American Indians saying in a statement they “applaud” the decision, “which confirmed that the treaty-defined boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation still remain in full force today.”

The NCAI continued, pointing to the specific treaties being upheld:

“Through treaty, the United States ‘solemnly guarantied’ the Muscogee (Creek) Nation their reservation as a ‘permanent home’ in exchange for leaving their eastern homelands (Treaty with the Creeks (1832) and Treaty with the Creeks (1833)). In a later treaty, the United States reaffirmed that the reservation was ‘forever set apart as a home for said Creek Nation’ (Treaty with the Creeks (1866)).

Today’s historic decision by the United States Supreme Court reaffirms that understanding. In issuing the opinion of the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said, ‘Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.'”

Holding the government to its word. What a novel idea.

Leeds pointed out that the ruling wasn’t radical, but right in line with what we should expect in sovereign nations, which the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is:

“The sun came up just fine in Tulsa today. Oklahoma state court judges will do their jobs and exercise jurisdiction over most crimes that take place in Oklahoma for the rest of their careers.

Thirty-six miles to the south, Muscogee (Creek) Nation judges will do their jobs today, but for the first time in over a century, they will exercise jurisdiction over all of their citizens who commit crimes within their nation. It’s not a radical notion. It’s a basic right of governance exercised all over the globe.”

Duke has hired Boston Celtics assistant and former WNBA player Kara Lawson as head coach of its women’s basketball team, the team announced Saturday. With the move, the 39-year-old becomes the first Black head coach in program history and the fifth in the ACC. Lawson is the second Black woman to be hired in the ACC this offseason after Niele Ivey — also a former WNBA player and NBA assistant coach — was promoted to head coach of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team.

Lawson replaces Joanne P. McCallie, who announced earlier this month that she would be stepping away from the role following 13 season at the helm. Last season, Duke finished with an 18-12 overall record and 12-6 in the ACC. While the Blue Devils did expect to play in the 2020 NCAA tournament before it was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the team has struggled in recent years. Duke endured its first non-winning season in 25 years when it finished 15-15 in the 2018-19 season, and the program’s run of 21 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances came to an end in 2016.

Additionally, Duke has fallen behind in its recruiting efforts, consistently missing out on the top 25 recruits, according to ESPN. Fans and analysts alike hope that the addition of Lawson, with her basketball background, will help boost the school’s reputation and change the overall culture of the team in a way similar to what Dawn Staley has done with the Gamecocks since she arrived in South Carolina in 2008.

Lawson has spent the past season in the NBA as an assistant coach for the Celtics — the first female assistant coach in team history — but prior to that, the Virginia native shined as a point guard at the University of Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt. Lawson helped lead the team to three Final Four appearances and two NCAA Championship games during her time as a Lady Vol. She went on to play in the WNBA for 12 seasons, winning the 2005 WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs and a gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 Olympics. After she retired from the WNBA in 2015, the star guard pivoted to working full-time as a television analyst for the Washington Wizards.

Several players have welcomed news of Lawson’s hire on social media, with Celtics rookie Grant Williams, Duke alumnae Alana Beard and Haley Gorecki all tweeting out their congratulations.

Ticha Penicheiro, who played alongside Lawson on the Monarchs, was also a major supporter of the move.

In a video posted to Twitter by the ACC Network, ESPN analyst LaChina Robinson said that the move was a “home run” for Duke.

“When I think about the Duke brand, I think integrity, winning mentality, pursuit of excellence, and Kara Lawson has been all of those things for as long as I’ve known her,” Robinson said.

Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases, Disney World is pushing ahead with their plans for a phased reopening in Florida, starting today, as the Magic and Animal Kingdoms open their gates to eager Disneyphiles across the state. The remaining Disney World theme parks, Epcot and Hollywood Studio are expected to follow suit and open up next week on July 15th. In California, another state that is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, Disneyland and California Adventure will remain closed until given the go-ahead by the state government, after plans for a July 17th reopening fell apart due to safety concerns from employees, though Disney’s shopping center, Downtown Disney, did open retail stores this week, which resulted in some pretty lengthy lines.

If you’re planning on a trip to Disney World this weekend, you’ll be upset to know that just because the parks are reopening, doesn’t mean we live in a fantasy world where COVID-19 doesn’t exist. The experience at Disney World will be much different than what you’re used to. All guests over the age of two, according to Disney’s “Know Before You Go” preparation page, must wear face coverings in all public areas.

That means in line, on the ride, while you’re buying tickets, and even when you’re queuing up for a turkey leg. Guests may only remove their face masks to eat and drink, and all restaurants will require a dining reservation. The park also recommends that you are prepared for contactless forms of payment and suggests all visitors download the My Disney Experience App to receive up to date park information and additional safety reminders.

That, frankly, sounds less like a place where dreams come true and more like a nightmare that all Disney employees are probably dreading. We suggest you don’t go. If the new rules aren’t enough to dissuade you, we’ve got some data for you to chew on as well. As of July 10th, Florida has a total of 244,151 confirmed cases of coronavirus, it’s not the highest (it’s the third-highest) but it gets especially scary when you consider how quickly that number is rising.

According to Florida’s Local 10 News, on Friday, July 10th, Florida reported 11,433 new cases in a single day, a small decrease from the state’s single-day high of 11,458 recorded just last Saturday. This week alone, the state saw close to 10,000 new cases per day. According to CNN, the number of cases per 100k people living in the state is 1,137 — compared to California’s 767 per 100k. All of which makes the reopening a test balloon with the potential for disaster.

The lurid twists in the “Tiger King” story keep coming: As per The New York Post, the private zoo once owned by the now-imprisoned Joe Exotic had to be investigated yesterday when authorities were notified about possible human remains. Unlike some of the other aspects of this neverending saga, at least we have a sense of closure with this one: The claims turned out to be false.

It all happened Friday, when the show Ghost Adventures — which investigates potentially haunted locations — were filming Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. A team of cadaver dogs were present, and they sniffed out what appeared to be remains of some sort — possibly human.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were quickly called in, but after a search they discovered that the remains were not human at all but rather that of a small animal.

The private zoo, owned by Joe Exotic until his conviction in April of 2019 for conspiring to kill animal rights activist and his nemesis, Carole Baskin. Baskin herself has been accused, with questionable credibility by Joe Exotic and others, of being involved in the disappearance of her missing husband — accusations Baskin has roundly denied. In any case, there is seemingly no end to the gruesome twists and turns in a tale made most famous by the hit Netflix show, Tiger King.

(Via The New York Post)

Kid Cudi has been pretty active this year, at least compared to others, and he continued his streak this past weekend, releasing his latest single, “The Adventures Of Moon Man And Slim Shady.” It’s his third of the year, following “The Leader Of The Delinquents,” a track that dates back nearly a decade, and his Travis Scott collaboration “The Scotts,” the lead single off their upcoming joint album. To honor the occasion, the rapper stopped by Lil Wayne’s Young Money Radio show to discuss the song.

In their discussion, Cudi revealed how Lil Wayne helped make the collaboration a reality. Back in May, the former sent out a tweet requesting the help of the “rap god.” Since Eminem’s presence on social media is more or less nonexistent, it could be assumed at the time that the legend did not see Cudi’s call for help. When Eminem later joined Wayne on Young Money Radio, Wayne brought the tweet to his attention, setting off what would become their collaboraiton.

Wayne also pushed Cudi to send him a song for a collaboration saying, “I’m in the stu everyday so shoot me something.” When Cudi onliged, Wayne promised he would deliver on the song, boasting, “Just know, Eminem effect when I send it back.”

Soon after the track’s release, the song would make headlines as Cudi and Eminem both commented on the death of George Floyd while Eminem said “f*ck Drew Brees” on the track, in response to the Saints’ quarterback’s comments on kneeling for the national anthem last month.

Check out the video above to hear Cudi and Wayne’s conversation.

The Indiana Fever announced that the team will arrive in Bradenton, Fla. on Saturday after initially delaying their travel when two players tested positive for COVID-19. Following the WNBA’s last round of league-wide COVID-19 testing before teams were scheduled to leave for Florida, the league announced that seven players out of 137 tested positive and that the Fever would “delay their travel by at least five days in an abundance of caution due to the CDC’s close contact self-quarantine requirements.” The Fever did not release which players had tested positive for COVID-19, but the Indy Star reported that two players had tested positive.

“We thank Pacers Sports & Entertainment and WNBA leadership for diligently working on a safe course of action for our players and staff to travel,” Fever President Dr. Allison Barber said in a statement. “Our team is excited to tip off the 2020 WNBA season and we invite Hoosiers in all 92 counties to watch our games via our new streaming capabilities.”

While most of the Fever will arrive in Bradenton today, Erica Wheeler announced that she would have to quarantine for a bit longer before she can join the team. Last season, Wheeler started every game while averaging 10.1 points and five assists per game on her way to becoming an All-Star for the first time in her career. The star guard started her career in Puerto Rico, earning $200 a week after going undrafted in the WNBA, and last year, she was named MVP of the All-Star Game after she finished with 25 points and a game record-tying seven three-pointers.

Led by new head coach Marianne Stanley, the team recently finalized its roster after releasing guard Betnijah Laney and adding Stephanie Mavunga, after the forward was removed from the “Non-Active/Non-WNBA Injury” list. As The Next reported, the Fever’s 12-woman lineup features nine returners from last year, including veterans Candice Dupree and Natalie Achonwa. Rookies Lauren Cox, Julie Allemand, and Kathleen Doyle are all looking to get their first taste of WNBA action this summer.

The 2020 WNBA season is set to tip off on July 25 ⁠— two and a half months after it was originally scheduled to do so ⁠— at IMG Academy, with 22 games in the regular season and a normal playoffs format that will stretch into October. Following their arrival in Bradenton, all players, coaches and staff were required to quarantine in their rooms for four days before starting practice. Training camps for each team on site began on Friday, with players able to practice with their teams for the first time.

The UFC will serve up its biggest card of the year on Saturday night. UFC 251, the promotion’s first event on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, features a trio of title fights at the top of the bill, with the main event coming together in less than a week. Following Gilbert Burns needing to drop out due to a positive COVID-19 test, Jorge Masvidal will step into the Octagon to challenge for Kamaru Usman’s welterweight title.

This isn’t the only big event on Saturday involving the UFC and Masvidal. It was announced that the Miami native will appear on the cover of UFC 4 alongside middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.

“I am the face of a new wave of UFC fighters, so it feels right to represent the sport on this new generation UFC game,” Adesanya said in a release, per Game Informer. “I look forward to my fans playing as me as much as I have enjoyed playing as myself.”

“MMA is more than about the belt,” Masvidal said in the release. “It’s about who you are as a person and the determination that drives a fighter to go from unknown to selling out arenas all over the world. I grew up backyard fighting so it’s exciting for me to see that style of fighting come to UFC 4 where players can bring out their Gamebred mentality.”

The first UFC release from EA Sports since 2018, UFC 4‘s trailer — which features both cover athletes and shows off the game’s Backyard and Kumite environments — was also released.

UFC 4 is available for pre-order now on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It drops on August 14, and as an added incentive, those who pre-order the game will get heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as playable characters.

Late last month, Kanye West emerged from a lengthy period of silence with a slew of announcements, which he dubbed “The West Day Ever.” Among the revelations were a 10-year partnership with Gap for a Yeezy Gap line, a trailer for he and Kid Cudi’s Kids See Ghost animated show, even aa music video to his 2004 track “Spaceship,” off his debut album, College Droput. Just over two weeks later, Kanye returns with another big announcement.

This one involved Kanye’s Yeezy Sound company, with the rapper-musician-presidential candidate revealing its roster of talent. Among those included were that hip-hop duos Abstract Mindstate and Clipse, Cyhi The Prince (who is also signed to GOOD Music), and jazz drummer Tony Williams. West also added the name “KC,” which, according to Billboard, may refer to Jodeci singer K-Ci. He also included himself and his daughter North West.

Yeezy Sound was reportedly trademarked in 2017 for “streaming of music, audio, images, video, and other multimedia content, over the Internet,” according to The Blast. This announcement comes after West announced in a tweet that he would be joining the 2020 race for president. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.”

Check out West’s Yeezy Sound tweet above.

Novelty musicians tend to have short careers, achieving one-hit-wonder status and then disappearing back into the ether. And then there’s “Weird Al” Yankovic. The parodist and accordion enthusiast is on his fifth decade of relevance, perhaps partly because his lampoons come from love, not hate. Take his 2018 song “The Hamilton Polka” — a five-minute mash-up devoted to the instant classic Broadway sensation. Yankovic so clearly adores the source that, after the movie version dropped on Disney+ last weekend, he was quick to give the song a new music video.

Mind you, this isn’t some slick montage starring Yankovic himself. It looks like it was made by Yankovic himself on iMovie. All the images are from the movie version itself — which was filmed on stage with the original cast at peak powers — with Yankovic (or whoever was doing the editing) trying to make it look like the performers are singing along to his loving parody.

Again, the song itself came out two years ago, included on the comp Hamildrops, comprised of covers and originals inspired by the show, Yankovic included. Most (though not all!) of the artists Yankovic has parodied consider it an honor to get the “Weird Al” treatment, and Hamilton creator/star Lin-Manuel Miranda is no exception. When you’re done watching the new “Hamilton Polka” video, watch Miranda appearing to wipe away tears as he listens to the song in a slightly happier era.

(Via The A.V. Club)

In one of the most glaringly hypocritical moves in recent history, the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum is suing black blues singer Anita “Lady A” White, to use her stage name she’s performed under for over three decades.

Lady Antebellum announced it had changed its name to Lady A on June 11 as part of its commitment to “examining our individual and collective impact and marking the necessary changes to practice antiracism.”

Antebellum refers to an era in the American south before the civil war when black people were held as slaves.

However, White hasn’t accepted the band’s overtures to use her name so they’ve decided to sue her instead of choosing another one.

It seems the band’s commitment to “antiracism” doesn’t apply to the practice of wielding the bands considerable wealth and power to take what isn’t theirs from a black woman.

On July 7, the band filed a lawsuit after coming to the conclusion “that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years.”

In 2010, the band secured a trademark for the name “Lady A” which was a nickname that fans used for the group. It’s unclear whether the band knew about Lady A, who was performing in the Pacific Northwest or if White knew about the trademark.

“We hope Anita and the advisers she is now listening to will change their minds about their approach,” the band wrote in a statement. “We can do so much more together than in this dispute.”

The artists discussed recording a song together and recording the process documentary-style, but talks fell through because, according to White, the band never dealt with her in good faith.

White also claims that the band’s initial attempts to rectify the situation had no substance.

“It said that we would coexist and that they would use their best efforts to assist me on social-media platforms, Amazon, iTunes, all that,” she told Vulture. “But what does that mean? I had suggested on the Zoom call that they go by the Band Lady A, or Lady A the Band, and I could be Lady A the Artist, but they didn’t want to do that.”

White countered by asking for $10 million. She planned to use $5 million to re-brand and donate the other $5 million to charities that provide support to fellow independent Black artists.

The band formerly known as Lady Antebellum didn’t agree.

“But here we go again with another white person trying to take something from a Black person, even though they say they’re trying to help,” she added “If you want to be an advocate or an ally, you help those who you’re oppressing. And that might require you to give up something because I am not going to be erased.”