Wednesday, December 7, 2016

All The Biggest Iphone 8 Rumors In One Place

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/article/26043

Joe Maddon -- LeBron Looked Great In Cubs Uniform ... 'Come Play For Us!' (VIDEO)

LeBron James looked SO GOOD in the Cubs uniform he was forced to wear after losing a bet to Dwyane Wade ... he just got a job offer out of it ... from Cubs skipper Joe Maddon! Of course, it was all part of the city pride bet LeBron…

Which Amazing 2016 Anna Kendrick Tweet Are You?

She is all of us.

Grey Suede Air Jordan 11s Are Coming This Holiday Season

Release details for the premium $400 11s.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/article/26042

Joe Maddon -- LeBron Looked Great In Cubs Uniform ... 'Come Play For Us!' (Video)

NHL Player Proudly Displays Pride Flag On Helmet

Anders Nilsson has seen his gay friends struggle to find acceptance. He's waving the flag to help them and others.

The Sabres goaltender has a rainbow pride flag painted on the back of his mask. He's displaying it on the ice to raise awareness of the LGBT community and be a symbol that hockey welcomes diversity.

“I have a couple friends who are gay, and life hasn't been easy for them growing up,” Nilsson said. “It's time that hockey starts to pay some attention to that.”

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Kodak Black Reportedly Banned From South Carolina

Kodak Black can only return to South Carolina for court appearances.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/kodak-black-reportedly-banned-from-south-carolina-news.26039.html

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Oakland Rave Fire -- 'Ghost Ship' Concert Video Shows Clutter, Tight Conditions (VIDEO)

The Oakland warehouse that went up in flames Friday night was a popular location for underground EDM shows ... and footage of a previous concert shows the set up was extremely claustrophobic. The Obscura Machina show -- featuring several DJs --…

Bethenny Frankel -- Get It Together, Girls! (PHOTOS)

Here's Bethenny Frankel trying her best to relax poolside in Miami. Bethenny to friend: Does this bikini make my boobs fall out?Friend: Yes. Bethenny: Perfect.

Smoke Some Trees With Master P

The original No Limit Soldier, Master P has now joined a list of rappers including - Snoop Dogg, Ghostface Killah and Wiz Khalifa in evolving the cannabis industry. The statement released from the brands website MasterPsTrees.com describes Master P's Trees as a "complete lifestyle" with products ranging from traditional flowers to edibles and "now it's also focused on turning green into liquid gold; by revolutionizing the vape trend."

(Image: http://masterpstrees.com/)

To go along with his "gold vape oil" Master P also has a gold vape pen and oil flavors including Sweet Tea, Red Velvet, Peach Cobler and others.

On his latest venture Master P had this to say:

for as long as I can remember cannabis has been around, helping medical patients and now it's a legal lifestyle. I'm happy to be an innovator in this movement, and to offer a healthier option with our edible grade oils and pioneering the vape movement is what Master P's TREES is all about.

Interested in learning about other cannabis careers, check out my other pieces:

11 Cannabis Entrepreneurs of Color You Should Know (Pt1)

11 Cannabis Entrepreneurs of Color You Should Know (Pt2)

Careers in Cannabis | Public Relations

And remember, like Master P said on "Weed and Money"

I stack greens like cheese

Smoke weed with g's

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

DeJ Loaf's Debut Album "Liberated" Is 90% Complete

DeJ Loaf is going for a "bigger" sound with her new material.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/dej-loafs-debut-album-liberated-is-90-complete-news.25942.html

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Joe McKnight -- Ex-NFL Star Murdered in Road Rage Shooting (PHOTO GALLERY)

2:40 PM PT -- Cops say they have detained a man they believe to be the shooter -- 54-year-old Ronald Gasser. Cops say McKnight did NOT have a gun at the time of the shooting. Emergency responders tried to administer CPR but to no…

Homeland Security Panel Wants To Quit For-Profit Immigrant Detention

WASHINGTON ― Private prison companies received a blessing on Thursday from a Department of Homeland Security panel tasked with determining whether the government should continue operating immigrant detention facilities as for-profit businesses. Then the panel's meeting fell apart.

Members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which advises DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, voted on Thursday to approve a report that said private immigrant detention “will continue,” even if government-run facilities might be preferable.

But in a surprising twist, nearly three-fourths of the council members gave their approval with the caveat that they disagreed with its lead recommendation and instead want private detention to cease. In the end, Johnson received recommendations on how to improve private detention and an earful from council members and advocates on why he should abandon the practice.

The report by a council subcommittee, commissioned in the wake of a decision by the Department of Justice to phase out private facilities from the Bureau of Prisons system, may still quash further internal challenges to the controversial privatization of immigrant detention as the Obama administration winds to a close.

“Fiscal considerations, combined with the need for realistic capacity to handle sudden increases in detention, indicate that DHS's use of private, for-profit detention will continue,” the report reads. But it advocates expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement oversight of private facilities, and other measures “to enhance ICE control, responsiveness, and sense of accountability for daily operations at all detention facilities.”

The report includes a slew of other recommendations, though none are required to be implemented. The authors ― a group of former law enforcement officials, advocates and legal experts ― urged ICE to rely less on county jails, to place an ICE warden in facilities the agency doesn't run itself, and to carry out more out more unannounced inspections of privatized detention centers.

But it was the panel's recommendation on the widely criticized privatization of immigrant detention that was by far the most anticipated.

No Cheaper, But With Security Problems

The Department of Justice announced on Aug. 18 it would phase out the use of private contractors to run Bureau of Prisons facilities, citing a damning report by the department's Office of Inspector General that found privatized prisons were more likely than government-run facilities to have security problems and didn't necessarily save money.

While reformers hailed the decision, critics were quick to point out that it didn't apply to the immigrant detention centers under ICE control, two-thirds of which are privatized. The U.S. Marshals Service, which also routinely detains immigrants facing prosecution for the crimes of illegal entry and reentry, was also exempted from DOJ's August policy change. Later that month, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson ordered the panel to consider whether ICE should follow the DOJ lead.

The authors appeared sympathetic to the idea, noting that it would be preferable for ICE to run all its own facilities “if one were starting a new detention system from scratch.”

“But of course we are not starting anew,” the report says. “Over many decades, immigration detention has evolved into a mixed public private system where only 10 percent of detainees are now in ICE-owned facilities …” The remainder are run by either private corporations or local governments.

One of the report's authors, legal scholar David Martin, said at the council meeting that there is need for further debate on the scale of immigrant detention, and on alternatives such as ankle bracelets or parole. But he said the core question in the report was “how to develop safe and humane and effective detention that's appropriate for the civil context.”

“That's the underlying question, and the identity of the facility owner is just a part of that mix,” Martin said, adding that government-run facilities wouldn't solve every problem.

'Overreliance On The Private Prison Industry'

There was a dissent within the report from subcommittee member Marshall Fitz, a longtime immigration-reform advocate and a managing director at Emerson Collective, a social justice advocacy organization. He wrote that he respectfully disagreed with “the conclusion that reliance on private prisons should, or inevitably must, continue,” even though he acknowledged changing the status quo would be difficult.

Critics of private detention agreed.

“We're not being pollyannaish about this,” said Joanne Lin, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel, during a public comment period at the meeting. “We know that you can't cut off ties immediately, but a serious look needs to focus on how to shift the overreliance on the private prison industry.”

And then the surprise: Most of the council ended up siding with Fitz. Members asked for an option to vote for the report ― endorsing its other recommendations ― while also saying they agreed with Fitz's point that private detention should not remain as the DHS status quo. In the end, 17 members endorsed that split position, while five voted to approve the recommendations without endorsing Fitz's view, and one voted against the report.

Even as DOJ staggered forward with an uneven policy of phasing out privatized prisons ― it renewed at least two contracts since the August decision ― ICE has powered ahead with privatization.

The agency renewed a contract with CoreCivic, the country's largest private prison company, to run a widely criticized family detention center in Dilley, Texas, and entered talks with the same company to take over a former federal prison in Cibola County, New Mexico. ICE advanced those plans, even as the DHS subcommittee pondered the wisdom of using for-profit detention centers at all.

Last month, average daily immigrant detention topped 40,000 people ― well above the minimum-bed capacity Congress has ordered DHS to maintain.

'Disastrous For Immigrants, As Well As For American Taxpayers'

The subcommittee's report ran into heavy criticism from immigrant rights defenders and reformers, who have long pressured ICE to abandon privatization, saying the trend exaggerates the worst flaws of an overgrown and excessively harsh civil detention system. Critics often contend private companies make their services more attractive by cutting corners on essentials, like qualified staff, quality food, or care for mental health and physical health.

“The relationship between ICE and private contractors has been disastrous for immigrants, as well as for American taxpayers, who pay more than $2 billion each year to maintain the detention system,” the Detention Watch Network wrote a report also released on Thursday. “Although a lack of due process, inhumane and sometimes fatally inadequate conditions, and a woeful lack of both oversight and transparency are endemic to the entire system, privatization has exacerbated each of these problems.”

The Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, run by CoreCivic, is the deadliest one in the country, with 15 deaths since 2003, according to The Arizona Republic. The most recent death occurred Sunday, when Guatemalan immigrant Raquel Calderón de Hildago was stricken with a series of seizures.

CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger defended his company's record in a letter to the panel that was included in the report's index. “CoreCivic has long understood its role in the federal immigration detention system to be a public trust, and we embrace our accountability to ICE,” the letter reads.

The DHS panel report's index also contains statements from several groups opposing the privatization of immigrant detention, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Jacinta Gonzalez, an organizer with the social justice group Mijente, said she was heartened by the subcommittee's surprise decision to pull away from the report's core recommendation. She called the DHS panel's report “extremely alarming,” saying that the Obama administration should instead focus its attention on releasing people who don't belong in detention.

“They understand the problems and yet their recommendation is to give [the private prison industry] more money? It's completely outrageous, especially knowing that all these problems will only get worse under a Trump administration,” Gonzalez said.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Stream Curren$y's '11/30′ Mixtape

In 11 months, Curren$y has dropped an impressive 11 mixtapes. The latest, unleashed Wednesday (Nov. 30), is the aptly-titled 11/30.

Featuring production by Metro Boomin, Cool & Dre, Don Cannon, and Cookin Soul, the project is packed with 11 smooth and mellow tracks.

On the opening smoker's anthem “Take You Higher,” Spitta raps about his favorite pastime with a “cloud of smoke in the coupe.” From there, he reps New Orleans (“N.O. State of Mind”) and gives it up to the money-makers (“Hustlers”).

But Andretti ain't done. He's already planning his 12th release, 12/30, set to drop before the year ends.

Stream 11/30 below.

Colin Kaepernick And The God Of The Oppressed

The great Jewish rabbi and theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel said of his time marching with civil rights warriors and prophets in Selma that "I learned to pray with my feet."

Colin Kaepernick is praying in a similar vein by taking a knee.

Why do we feel what we do when we are confronted by Kaepernick's mood and method of protest? I'll admit at first my thoughts were rather shallow about it. I didn't think his method would be constructive or effective in building and crossing the necessary bridges of communication, which reflects my own discomfort at confrontation and the necessity of confrontation. I also thought he would be more effective if he wasn't the semi-washed up backup quarterback of a really bad San Francisco 49ers team.

In the time since my first reactions, I am forcing myself to confront the privilege of my aloofness by instead attempting to hear, see, and answer to the deeper call of what he, and increasingly more and more athletes, professional and otherwise, are trying to say to the American people.

The knee Kaepernick takes is a profound prayer for the people of this country, especially those with the power and privilege to be out of the way of the firing line of a misguided, racially charged bullet from a police gun, to open up their hearts and minds in ways which seem fearful but which actually lead to compassion, resurrection and redemption.

So I see the knees being taken, the fists being raised, and the embraces being offered as the continuation of Heschel's praying by walking. These knees and fists and embraces are praying by walking, praying by thinking, praying by doing, praying by caring, praying by protest, praying as an American for Americans, as a human for humanity, as a living being for all living beings and for Earth.

If you are not black, if you are not a Native American, if you are not a person of color, then it is very hard to understand the basic fact that the goal of racism is genocide. Racism invariably leads to the genocide of bodies, of communities, of culture, of dignity. Racism is the insidious, subtle and also overt, short and long-term commitment to the erasing of blackness, of color, from the American fabric. Genocide is not just the mechanical monster of the Nazis. It is simply the desire, the commitment, to the wholesale erasure of the "other." The definitions of genocide have their nuances, but they have a common core: the physical, mental, and spiritual erasure of a particular community of people/living beings.

To be racist is to express a commitment to and for the genocide of the people you are prejudiced against. The American person is both defined by their ability and inability to confront this truth.

To receptive, questioning folks, who want to confront this truth in their community and within their own selves I offer a list of books that are helping me to do my own work, the work of confronting and overcoming my whiteness. These books include American Holocaust by David Stannard, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, Seeds of Destruction by Thomas Merton, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

If one reads these works with the slightest opening in the mind and heart, as an American wrestling with the truths of the history of this country, one will feel wrecked and shattered, although no one near as much as the people of many colors wrecked and shattered by the events portrayed and revealed in these books.

But that feeling of wretchedness, of horror, of shame, of bewilderment, in relation to this monster of oppression, and the way this presence exists within those of us who benefit from our whiteness, is the way in and through to the call and the realization of the real promise of our humanity.

It is not so much a question of achieving and redeeming the American dream, as admirable and absolutely necessary as that may be if it involves living in a country where black men and women and people of color don't have to fear the genocidal murderous hand of whiteness striking them down on an everyday basis. This is the question of what it means to be a human being living in inexorable bond with other human beings. It's that simple and that complicated. It is the question of how we keep our call to that bond against the tidal waves of destruction which constantly threaten to pull us apart.

***

When Kaepernick takes a knee, you can hear the echo of God's wondering call to Cain after Cain has murdered his brother Abel. Cain responds by asking, specifically in his context and rhetorically through all time, "am I my brother's keeper?" This is a hard question, an accusing question, a question of confrontation. When we are not actually our brother or sister's keeper, then there is nothing we can do to completely cover our shame at this realization.

There are numerous reactions I have seen from family, friends, and strangers to the protest movement among athletes that Kaepernick started. A lot of these reactions express indignation at his disrespect to the flag and to the military, although this disrespect is not the intention of anyone participating in this protest.

Whatever the flavor of distaste against what Kaepernick has done and started, this distaste rarely, if ever, acknowledges the real, deep point of his protest: the call for Americans to increasingly open their eyes to the ghoul of genocide which continues to haunt this very country's existence. To open one's eyes in this way is difficult, painful, shameful, yet these feelings are the way in and through. Even more so, Kaepernick's protest is also part and parcel of the call of the Divine Presence for every human being to give primary concern, with active and audacious compassion, to the oppressed and marginalized in this world

In the Black liberation theology of James Cone, now in his 48th year of teaching Christian theology at Union Theological Seminary, we find that to be a devotee of God, Christian and otherwise, is to fight everyday for the dignity and humanity of those denied these essential attributes of being in the name of systems, structures and practices of oppression.

In his vital work God of the Oppressed Cone writes:

Christians join the cause of the oppressed in the fight for justice not because of some philosophical principle of 'the Good' or because of a religious feeling of sympathy for people in prison. Sympathy does not change the structures of injustice. The authentic identity of Christians with the poor is found in the claim which the Jesus-encounter lays upon their own life-style, a claim that connects the word 'Christian' with the liberation of the poor.

Sympathy does not change the structures of injustice. This is echoed by fellow Christian theologian Marcus J. Borg who writes, in his book The Heart of Christianity, that "charity means helping the victims. Justice asks, ' Why are there so many victims?' and then seeks to change the causes of victimization, that is, the way the system is structured." We are called not to simply address the problems with sympathetic handouts, clutching of pearls, or half-sent prayers, but to share in the monumental task of breaking the chains of racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, etc which still hold too many in bondage.

Cone adds, from his book Black Theology and Black Power, that "therefore it is understandable that freedom and justice are probably the most often repeated words when the black person is asked, 'What do you want?" The answer is simple, freedom and justice-no more and no less."

If we are hearing Kaepernick and those following him in protest without hearing this call for freedom and justice, we need to ask ourselves why? We need to ask ourselves why it is so difficult for us to identify and respond to his call for freedom and justice as if it were our own call for freedom and justice. Why do you perceive the dignity of his humanity as being different from yours?

In the theology and culture of the Gaudiya Vaishnava branch of the Hindu/South Indian religious/cultural tree, there is the call to be para-duhkha-dukhi. The modern Vaishnava sage Bhakti Tirtha Swami explains this:

People normally feel some happiness, even if others are suffering, as long as they are not personally experiencing any difficulties. How wonderful it would be if we could think of ourselves as fortunate when we are chosen to experience challenges to our growth, which can relieve another from having to undergo the same difficulties. This, of course, is the mood of a high-class devotee who is para-duhkha-dukhi. A devotee feels the miseries of others and enjoys their happiness with them.

We need to ask ourselves: what will it take for us to feel the happiness and suffering of our neighbor, of our fellow human, as our own happiness and suffering? To be able to enter into this consciousness, to be able to even attempt, honestly, sincerely, and courageously, to enter into this consciousness, surely, one could say, is representative of everything great and ideal about being an American. But beyond even this uncertain and temporary designation, it is what means to be a human being devoted to your fellow human being and devoted to the ongoing, indwelling, freedom-seeking and justice-demanding presence of the Divine.

When asked about the "dream result" of his protest, Kaepernick responds simply:

The dream result would be equality. Justice for everybody. This is really something about human rights. It's about people. This isn't about anything other than that. Some people aren't given the same rights, aren't given the same opportunities as others. And that's really what the issue is.

It may be your opinion, freely yours to give, to claim that Kaepernick and his fellow athletes are being disrespectful to the ideal of America. But this movement of protest is not going to go away, especially with the most socially committed of American athletes, the NBA players, set to begin their season in a couple of weeks.

You may not agree with the method of protest, but can you be silent against what is being protested against, the ongoing slow-burning yet always violently-erupting genocide of cultures and communities of color? Is it, as Paul Tillich, asks "a sign of patriotism or of confidence in one's own people, its institutions and its way of life, to be silent when the foundations are shaking?"

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Stream Smoke DZA & Pete Rock's New Album "Don't Smoke Rock"

Listen to Smoke DZA & Pete Rock's collaboration album "Don't Smoke Rock" completely free right here.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/stream-smoke-dza-and-pete-rocks-new-album-don-t-smoke-rock-news.25885.html

Doctor Calls Michelle Obama 'Monkey Face,' But Says She's Not Racist

A Colorado doctor has been ordered to stop seeing patients after calling first lady Michelle Obama “monkey face” on Facebook and defending herself as “still not racist.”

Dr. Michelle Herren, a white pediatric anesthesiologist at Denver Health Medical Center, made the comment after another Facebook user called Obama eloquent, The Denver Post reported.

Herren responded with an unflattering photo showing the first lady yelling, and this:

“Doesn't seem to be speaking too eloquently here, thank god we can't hear her!” a post attributed to Herren read. “Monkey face and poor ebonic English!!! There! I feel better and am still not racist!!! Just calling it like it is!”

The post also criticized Obama's Ivy League education: “Harvard??? That's a place for 'entitled' folks said all the liberals!”

Obama is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Princeton University. Herren earned her medical degree at Creighton University School of Medicine in Nevada, according to a U.S. News online profile.

JoAnn Nietto, who spotted Herren's comments on a friend's Facebook page, told ABC-7 News that she flagged the post for the University of Colorado medical board after it stayed there for four days.

“It really outraged me to see that she works at Denver Health, which serves a huge minority population,” Nietto told the Denver Post.

Herren is listed online as an assistant professor at University of Colorado's School of Medicine. According to ABC-7, it's an unpaid position. The station said she makes a $363,600 annual salary at Denver Health.

Herren has since taken down her Facebook page. She said her comments were taken “out of context” and claimed she didn't realize the term “monkey face” is racist, according to ABC-7, which spoke to her by phone. Herren suggested there's a double standard that permits insulting future first lady Melania Trump, but not Obama. HuffPost couldn't reach Herren for further comment.

Denver Health said in a statement Wednesday that Herren “will not be seeing patients or providing anesthesia services at Denver Health Medical Center” until further notice. The hospital added that it was “deeply disappointed” as well as “offended” by Herren's words.

“Her views are contrary to the mission and values of Denver Health, and to our staff and patients,” the statement said. “We are reaching out to all of our patients, employees and physicians to reinforce our culture, mission and beliefs that all individuals regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation are deserving of dignity and respect.”

The University of Colorado said the dean of its medical school reminded Herren “of her responsibilities as a faculty member to conduct herself with civility.” The school said it is reviewing Herren's post to “ensure that its students and trainees and the patients who are served by our faculty are not exposed to unacceptable behavior.”

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Ryan Lochte -- Rio Prosecutors Offer Deal in Olympics Case

Rio officials have offered Ryan Lochte a deal to make his criminal case go away ... TMZ Sports has learned. Law enforcement sources tell us ... the offer is 70,000 reals, which in American dollars totals around $20,149. Lochte was charged with…

Jon Stewart Finally Went Long About The Election And Donald Trump

How do you stay positive during a Trump presidency? In the words of Jon Stewart, “F**king buckle your seatbelt and get ready.”

The former “Daily Show” host shared these thoughts and more at a TimesTalks conversation that featured Stewart and journalist Chris Smith, author of the new book, The Daily Show: An Oral History.

“It is odd to be in a position of knowing that the leader of the free world tweeted that you were a pussy at 1:30 in the morning,” Stewart said while discussing the president-elect.

Stewart echoed thoughts he shared on a recent episode of “CBS This Morning,” that the divisions in the U.S. go beyond party lines.

“Not everybody that voted for Trump is a racist,” he said at one point. “I don't give a fuck what any of you say to me. You can yell it at me, you can tweet it at me. They're not all racists. Or they're not giving tacit support to a racist system ... We all give tacit support to exploitative systems as long as they don't affect us that badly.”

He brought up a conversation with another person who argued that “by saying that [Trump supporters] are not all racists, they are giving tacit support to a man of racist language.” Stewart then pointed out that many of Americans are complicit in exploitative and damaging systems, asking the person to pull out his iPhone.

“I was like, 'Guess how those are made, guess who makes them?'” Stewart said. “'Oh yeah, but that's ... ' What, what is it? It's not different, we all do that. All of our shit stinks and getting beyond that takes incredible work.”

He didn't let Trump off easy either, remarking that, as portrayed by Trump's campaign, Hillary Clinton “was an unqualified Secretary of State because the way she handled classified material. His selection for Secretary of State will be David Petraeus, who pled guilty to mishandling classified material. He said she was unqualified because she gave a speech to Goldman Sachs. His Secretary of the Treasury is somebody from Goldman Sachs. We're in post-accountability.”

“Let's look out for the losers,” Stewart said. “Having somebody you agree with have greater control over the levers of power might be a comfort, but it's not a solution. Unfortunately, I think our expectation now is, 'Oh, great, one of our team is in charge. I don't have to think about this anymore.' And I think it's never actually been the case.”

During the talk, Stewart had much more to say about the election, Donald Trump, Barack Obama and the media. For posterity, HuffPost transcribed a few of his best remarks.

The quotes have been occasionally condensed for clarity. It should also be noted that Stewart often characteristically undercut his points with jokes about masturbation and dildos to lessen the self-seriousness.

In a long, poignant response, Stewart explained he believes the length of the presidential campaign is largely to blame for our divided country.

How long is the campaign? A year and a half? I assume [television media is] talking right now about whose running in 2020. They don't give a flying fuck about governance, they care about campaigns and that's where the fun is for them. That's devastating. And not only is it devastating news-wise, it's devastating to all of us.

Because if a campaign is too long, the fault lines between different tribes in our societies solidify. A campaign is 18 months long and you've got to choose a side for 18 months and then a disagreement becomes an argument and an argument becomes a fight and a fight becomes a feud and a feud becomes a war.

And those lines harden to the point where you can't get past that ... Because what you become is just teams. And the campaigns are just too long. Have you ever been in a parking lot after, like, a Giants game and it's between a guy in a Giants jersey and a guy in, like, a Cowboys jersey? They will fight. They will punch each other. What is that fight? Like, “Hey! Your shirt, it's got a star on it. It's supposed to have an NY. I'm going to have to punch you in the face.” There's no reason for that, other than basic human primitive nature, and if we turn our discourse into that, then that's what it will become.

Stewart wanted to stress that satire doesn't change government - political activism will.

We [at “The Daily Show,” speaking facetiously] were the destroyers of men. And creators of empires. I think that generally is satire's role and has always been. The rise and fall of civilization at our whim.

[If Stewart still had his show] I would have probably allowed Hillary to come a little closer in the Rust Belt, but I still think I would have given Michigan to Trump. I had a little something going on where i was going to give Gore Florida. There was a bit we had planned that was going to hand Florida to Gore.

I think of one of the lessons of this book and what we're talking about is to put satire and culture in its proper place. That controlling a culture is not the same as power. And that while we were all passing around really remarkably eviscerating videos of the Tea Party ― that we had all made great fun of ― [they were] sitting off a highway at a Friendly's taking over a local school board.

And the lesson there is, as much as I love what we did and I liked it, there is a self-satisfaction there that is unwarranted, unearned and not useful.

He expanded on his thoughts about one side's demonization of the other.

You'll read about it in the book, I had a really hard time getting over my defensiveness and blind spots about sexism and racism and diversity and all those things. Not because I think I'm an ignorant, racist, sexist person ― I just think I'm a person. And I'm a fucking idiot sometimes.

...

This has to stop. This idea that we're all ... that our team is perfect and the other team is demons. And this is not like a Kumbaya, let's all get along.

Let's fucking fight, but let's fight with precision and integrity, and not with just demonization.

And I'll say this, I know a lot of first responders. I spent a lot of time in that community. A shitload of them voted for Trump. The same people that voted for Trump ran into burning buildings and saved whoever the fuck they could no matter what color they were, no matter what religion and they would do it again tomorrow. So, if you want to sit and tell me that those people are giving tacit approval to an exploitative system ― I say, “OK, and would you put your life on the line for people who aren't like you? Because they did.” I get mad about this stuff.

He pointed out that Obama wasn't a perfect president.

There are more people in this country that voted for the thing that you like than the thing that you're afraid of, but the thing that you're afraid of is not a monolith anymore than the thing that you like is a miracle cure. It's not a panacea. And Obama has been in office for eight years and I don't know about you, but it seems like there's still shit to do.

And there's a lot of shit that I didn't agree with. I thought they were terrible for press freedom. I still am not quite sure I understand a centralized policy of spying and droning. Like, I don't know.

...

There will be real victims of the policies over the next four years, but there were real victims, like Barack Obama's administration deported more people than any in history. That was real and whether we took comfort in the fact that he was one of the good guys that did that, real people paid a price for that. And you have to care about that, even if it's one of your guys that did that.

Here's his response after a member of the audience asked how Stewart would remain optimistic during Trump's term.

Let me ask you this ― so eight years ago all branches of government were controlled by the Democrats ― were you [optimistic] then? [Audience member says yes.] Was it perfect? [Audience member says, “Nothing is ever perfect.”] So, on the flip side of that is anything ever ― what you need to do in this situation is rally the troops for those most vulnerable.

In this time that's difficult, the way you get [optimistic] is, I think, sort of in the way when I was in the show and I was not feeling it. You've worked any place for 16 years, some days you come in and you just don't have it and you suck. And you hope that other people will pick you up. I was very fortunate, at the show, that we had really great people and when I didn't have it, they did.

But there will be real ramification to this election. [Find] who are the vulnerable people, where are the vulnerable societies. And not in tweets, in practice. In reality.

If [Trump] tries to deport dreamers, then that's where everyone has to go, to protect them. If he tries to make a Muslim Registry, then everyone has to go there and help them. You have to find the people that are going be most in jeopardy, I think, and put your attentions on them because now it's about reality.

But the only thing I would tell everybody to hearten is we're still the same country. Obama didn't change and fix everything and Trump can't ruin everything. If we're that vulnerable to one guy, that guy - that's how we're going out? This incredible experiment in liberty and democracy that we fought and died for is going to go out ― with that guy.

That can't be how this story ends.

...

Maybe I'm naive or idiotic, but I feel like ― when has this been easy?

Fucking buckle your seat belt and get ready.

...

[Responding to another audience member with a similar response]

I'm optimistic because, I cant believe how much better this country is than it was when it started. It's always up and back.

And you [the audience member] said something interesting, you said we're all going to go back to our liberal bubble. I'm like, yeah, that's a shame.

Because it does create this idea that, in the same way that I hated ― Sarah Palin used to do this all the time ― “Out here in real America.” There's no real America. It's just, it is what it is. Generally people are just trying to get to work.

And I think the key for us is to be like, who needs a ride?

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

The Rock Says He Once Tried To Rip A Teammates Tongue Out During A Fight

"He was talking shit, as always, but this time I just lost it."
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/the-rock-says-he-once-tried-to-rip-a-teammates-tongue-out-during-a-fight-news.25886.html

André 3000 Directs Divine Council's 'Decemba (Remix)' Video

Three Stacks takes the director's chair.

After joining the Divine Council on the remix to “Decemba,” André 3000 directs the single's music video.

Following $ilk Money, Cyrax, Lord Linco, ICYTWAT, and Venus X, the visual brings the song's lyrics to life in a tale about a fugitive, his deputy girlfriend, and a shootout with police.

“Having André involved was a dream come true,” $ilk Money told Complex. “The whole experience of working with him side by side on something so amazing is deadass hard to fathom. Truly appreciate to have a mentor like him and truly appreciative in his belief in us.”

In September, $ilk spoke about getting that Dre co-sign when he first met the OutKast legend. “That shit blew the fuck out my mind,” he said. “I didn't know who the fuck this ni**a was. I was like, 'This ni**a look just like André 3000.' And it deadass was André 3000. He was like, 'What's up? I'm big fans of y'all.' I was like, 'We big fans of you!' He sat next to us eating tomato soup and shit. That ni**a flew from Texas to New York just to see us perform. He was saying how we remind him of OutKast because he ain't never heard anything like us. And I was blown away.”

Dre doesn't make an obvious cameo in the video, but he is said to be wearing disguises throughout the clip. Watch “Decemba (Remix)” below.

Guns N' Roses -- Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Donald Trump Piñata (VIDEO)

Guns N' Roses did some hardcore hatin' on Donald Trump during a concert -- but they had to figure the audience would love it ... since the show was in Mexico City. The band paused the music Wednesday night to bring fans onstage to smash a…

Relive Britney Spears And Kevin Federline's Wedding With New Photos From Lifetime Biopic

The year was 2004. A then 22-year-old Britney Spears married a then 26-year-old Kevin Federline in a surprise ceremony in Studio City, California.

Now, 16 years later, we can relive that moment thanks to Lifetime. The network ― set to debut a two-hour biopic about the pop princess next year ― just released new photos that are making us feel very nostalgic for the early aughts.

Exhibit A:

We admit, actress Natasha Bassett barely resembles Spears, but seeing this image brings back all the memories. Plus, Clayton Chitty is more convincing in his role as former backup dancer K-Fed.

Exhibit B:

We can feel the happiness! And the short lace dress is almost a perfect match, save for the fact that Spears' actually had short sleeves.

As with most Lifetime biopics, we don't have high hopes. Still, we'll take any opportunity to walk down memory lane (baby) one more time.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

15-Year-Old Accused Of Killing Allegedly Abusive Father Won't Face Life Sentence

Bresha Meadows, a 15-year-old Ohio girl accused of killing her allegedly abusive father, no longer faces the prospect of life behind bars.

On Thursday, her lawyer Ian Friedman announced that her case will remain in juvenile court. If her case was transferred to adult court ― an option that was looming until the prosecutor decided to take it off the table ― Bresha faced a possible life sentence in prison.

On July 28, police say Bresha picked up her father's gun and shot him in the head, killing the man who she said brutally beat her mother and terrorized her family for years.

She's been held in a juvenile detention center in Warren, Ohio, ever since, charged with aggravated murder. She pleaded “not true,” which in juvenile court is equivalent to a not guilty plea.

“I am obviously thrilled with the decision by the prosecutor to keep Bresha's case in the juvenile court,” Friedman told The Huffington Post. “This doesn't change our position that this was a self-defense scenario and we will press on with our effort to get Bresha home with her family right away. Today is a great day.”

With her case remaining in juvenile court, even if Bresha is tried and convicted of aggravated murder, she can only be held until her 21st birthday. She would also remain in a juvenile facility, and would not spend time in an adult prison.

Martina Latessa, Bresha's aunt and a Cleveland police officer, said she was elated about the decision.

“We didn't know for months what was going to happen,” she said. “Now we know she will not spend the rest of her life in prison, no matter what.”

She said she'd just been on the phone with Bresha's mother and broken the news to her.

“She was crying, saying, 'My baby is not going to be gone forever,'” she said. “It takes a lot of pressure off of Bresha. Now she has hope. She has a future. Now she knows this is not forever.”

In the lead-up to the fatal incident, Latessa said Bresha ran away from home and went to her, opening up about her father's violent behavior. Bresha told her that her father was abusing her mom, she said, and that he had threatened to kill the entire family.

“The nightmare she was born into had a profound impact on her, to the point where she was suicidal,” she said.

Bresha is accused of killing her father with his own gun ― a weapon that Friedman said her father used to intimidate and threaten the family.

Relatives of the deceased have denied claims he was abusive.

During the four months that Bresha has been incarcerated, a national movement to free her has picked up steam. Over 100 domestic violence organizations have endorsed a call to drop the charges against her and grant her an immediate release. A petition with the same request has over 24,000 signatures.

“I am relieved that prosecutors decided not to try Bresha as an adult. She is not an adult. She is still a child,” said Mariame Kaba, an organizer working with the #FreeBresha campaign, a group of individuals and organizations raising awareness about her case and the intersection of domestic violence, race and incarceration.

“I continue to be concerned that she remains incarcerated which is only further traumatizing her,” she continued. “The #FreeBresha campaign calls on prosecutors to drop the charges against her and to release her now. She doesn't deserve more punishment.”

Erin Davis, executive director of Juvenile Justice Coalition, an organization advocating for youth involved in Ohio's juvenile justice system, said she was glad to hear that Bresha's case will remain in juvenile court.

“Unfortunately, the research shows that youth who are transferred to adult court often have worse outcomes and are more likely to reoffend than youth who are kept in juvenile court,” she said in an email.

Still, she expressed concern with how much time Bresha has already served, and encouraged the juvenile court system to act with haste.

“Bresha, her family, and the community all need closure on what happened,” she said. “We can't keep a fifteen-year-old in limbo for this long without a clear path forward.”

Studies estimate that between 3.3 million to 10 million children in the U.S. are exposed to domestic violence in their homes every year. Witnessing abuse against a parent can be highly traumatic for a child, and can lead to depression, anxiety and suicide attempts.

Bresha's next hearing is on Jan. 20, at which time she will have spent almost six months behind bars. Friedman said he would be requesting her pretrial release on that date.

______

Melissa Jeltsen covers domestic violence and other issues related to women's health, safety and security. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow her on Twitter.

______

Related stories:

This Is Not A Love Story: Examining A Month Of Deadly Domestic Violence In America

Should Domestic Violence Victims Go To Prison For Killing Their Abusers?

Why Didn't You Just Leave? Six Domestic Violence Survivors Explain Why It's Never That Simple

This Woman Is On Trial For Killing A Man She Says Tried To Kill Her

It's Time We Listen When Women Say Their Boyfriends Are Dangerous

This Is How A Domestic Violence Victim Falls Through The Cracks

Men Offer Abhorrent Excuses For Killing Women. Don't Repeat Them.

We're Missing The Big Picture On Mass Shootings

Need help? In the U.S., call

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline

.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

'Gilmore Girls' Showrunners Agree To Disagree On Whether Stars Hollow Voted Trump

Stars Hollow has never been a particularly political place. If Babette was registering voters in the town gazebo or had some secret past as a member of The Weather Underground, “Gilmore Girls” chose not to show it.

So when the revival debuted on Netflix last week, it was no surprise that “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” didn't mention the election. In fact, the closing moments of the finale revealed that the series ended on Nov. 5, three days before Donald Trump became the president-elect.

We might never know where the residents of Stars Hollow fall on the political spectrum, but series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino shared her thoughts on whether the fictional Connecticut town voted Trump in interviews with multiple outlets after the revival's release.

“People are reading a lot into that wedding date,” Sherman-Palladino told TVLine on Thursday. “To be totally honest with you, we did put it before the election, but [beyond that] there's not a lot of significance there.”

“It's very difficult for me to talk about this election without launching into a cynical, 'The world is ending.' I've now gotten myself to say, 'Well, there's a 50/50 chance the world will end.' I'm giving us a 50/50 chance of making it through this Trump administration. I think that's high,” she continued. “I don't think we could've ever foreseen that the world would've gone insane and [Trump would've won]. And we didn't want to focus on Hillary because what if she [didn't win]. These movies were written way in advance [of the election]. So it was weird for us to predict where we would be in November. Because if we [get it wrong] then ['A Year in the Life'] will feel dated by a political moment in time. I wanted it to stand on its own.”

In an interview with Vulture released the same day, executive producer Dan Palladino echoed his wife's sentiments, but the two agreed to disagree on whether Stars Hollow went red.

“Amy and I are dyed in the wool liberals and very left-wing. But the show, we always wanted it to be bipartisan and Stars Hollow is a - probably voted for Trump, mainly,” he said, before Amy interrupted him with a “No. No, no, no, no.”

“There is no evilness in Stars Hollow,” she rebutted. “Do not put that out there, I do not accept that. Absolutely not.”

According to voting results for the town that inspired the hamlet of Stars Hollow- Washington, CT - overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton, with 59.65 percent of its residents supporting the Democratic candidate.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Isaiah Austin Cleared To Play After Being Diagnosed With Marfan Syndrome Prior To 2014 Draft

Feel good story of the day.
http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/isaiah-austin-cleared-to-play-after-being-diagnosed-with-marfan-syndrome-prior-to-2014-draft-news.25881.html

Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen Successfully Defends His Title In Thrilling Finale

When the dust had settled at the World Chess Championship in Manhattan on Wednesday night, the expected had happened. In his second defense match since winning the title in 2013, Magnus Carlsen of Norway vanquished the most difficult foe of his still-young chess career: 26-year-old Sergey Karjakin of Russia.

For the first time since Nigel Short faced off against Garry Kasparov in 1993, this month's match has offered us the spectacle of a western player facing down a representative of the former Soviet Union. Those media outlets that have deigned to cover the championship have gleefully slotted it into the old Cold War template; from the first lines of this New York Times piece you'd think the Kremlin had deployed troops to lower Manhattan ― or that we were living a real-life version of Okkupert, the Norwegian TV series in which Russia invades Norway to gain control of its oil resources. Of course it is hard to ignore politics when Vladimir Putin's press secretary is in attendance at the match. Or when the Russian president is said to be receiving personal updates on the challenger's progress. Or when one of the players is posting Instagram photos like this:

A photo posted by Sergey Karjakin (@sergey_karjakin) on Jul 22, 2014 at 9:51am PDT

But the truth on the ground is more mundane. If you ask the representatives of FIDE (the International Chess Federation) or Agon (the company producing the match) they'll tell you that this kind of talk is a distraction. What they care about is chess. They would say that, of course, but it's pretty much correct. Carlsen and Karjakin don't see themselves as representatives of clashing political ideologies. They're chess players. Their personal ambitions are about as political as Lebron James's. It was the same for Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky during their title match in 1972 - now considered the ultimate Cold War chess showdown. Then as well, both players seemed to think of the political talk as a distraction.

It was certainly far from the players' minds when, after their 12-game match ended in a 6-6 tie, they sat down on Wednesday afternoon to begin a tiebreak round. The format was a series of four 1-hour games: the shorter time format means that the players have less time to think and consequently the game becomes more random. This gives them more hope of breaking out of the pattern of endless draws that had so far characterized the match. As U.S. #1 Fabiano Caruana told me after round twelve on Monday, “in quick play games, anything can happen.”

In earlier rounds, the ceremonial first move was often played on the board by some visiting luminary, like actor Woody Harrelson or astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Bizarrely, Wednesday's first move was played by prominent tech billionaire, Donald Trump transition-team member, and opponent of women's suffrage Peter Thiel.

That game ended in a draw, but in game two Magnus gradually built up a promising position. He appeared to be successfully pushing it home; the live computer evaluation at one point gave him a 98% chance of winning. In the spectators' hall, an anticipatory hush fell over the crowd. Was this the decisive moment they'd been waiting for?

No. Carlsen mishandled the end of the game and Karjakin came up with a hugely creative sequence of moves that allowed him to force a draw by stalemate. “Unbelievable,” said Judit Polgar in the live commentary booth. “I would shoot myself, I think, in Magnus' place.”

Recovering from a missed opportunity like that is a difficult psychological task for a chess player. Game 3 appeared even less promising for the champion, and as the game developed it too seemed to be headed for a draw until, with his final seconds ticking away on the clock, Karjakin made a terrible mistake. Magnus pounced. When the challenger extended his hand in surrender, a massive cheer went up from the assembled crowd. For the first time in the entire match, the champion was in the lead; and while there were some nervous Russia fans in the house, for the most part NYC is Magnus Carlsen country.

That meant that the champion only needed a draw in the fourth rapid game to defend his title. He had the white pieces, and thus the advantage of the first move. Carlsen quickly established a solid, impervious structure with his pawns. None of the experts saw much chance for Sergey to break through. He began to flail about like a cornered animal, playing moves that were objectively unjustified but which represented his only chance of mixing things up. It's an unfortunate spectacle to see a grandmaster reduced to playing in this manner, but the challenger had no choice; he needed a win. Nothing else would do; and at the elite level there are few things more difficult than trying to force a win as black against an opponent determined only to draw. As his position became more and more desperate, Karjakin's clock time dwindled once more. His eyes flitted about as he looked frantically for a way, any way, to keep his lifelong championship dream alive. As he assembled his rook and queen in a battery formation in a final desperate attack on Magnus' king, he overlooked a tactical sequence that allowed Carlsen to sacrifice his queen and deliver checkmate. It was all over.

It is really nice photo

A photo posted by Sergey Karjakin (@sergey_karjakin) on Dec 1, 2016 at 7:02am PST

Spectators in Moscow watch the final round (from Sergey Karjakin's instagram)

As the players emerged to greet the press and spectators, a chorus of “Happy Birthday” went up. Wednesday was Magnus' 26th, and it's hard to imagine a better present than the winner's share of a $1.1 million prize fund. When Carlsen thanked his opponent for a great match, a roar of applause arose from the crowd and continued for a full minute. Sergey Karjakin maintained his traditionally impassive expression, but it was just possible to detect a quiver of emotion underneath. When he accepted his runner-up prize, he informed that crowd that he had gotten a message from his wife. “Our son,” he said. Sergey was searching for the right English word, but eventually settled on mime. He wiggled his two fingers in a walking motion. “He had his steps.” The crowd let out an “aaaaaww”.

After three weeks, the championship match that seemed at various points like it might produce nothing but draws finally had a decisive result; yet a slightly unpleasant stench still lingered in the air. An event meant to prove superiority in long-time-format (known as “classical” chess) had been decided by rapid playoffs. It's by no means rare for the world champion to be chosen in this way; the 2012 match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Boris Gelfand of Israel ended with exactly the same score, 1 win each, with 10 draws, and so it too was decided in a rapid tiebreak. But that finale left a lot of people cold, a bit like the anti-climax of deciding a World Cup on penalty kicks.

Many top players lamented that the classical portion of the match had been unable to produce a winner. Syrian-American grandmaster Yasser Seirawan wrote a piece after the final classical game on Monday in which he proposed radically altering the rules of the championship to eliminate the need for a tiebreak round, but his solution has its own grave pitfalls. In general there was a palpable longing for the kind of clear-cut win that Magnus had pulled off in his first championship match in 2013 when he dethroned Viswanathan Anand of India.

Yet it was hard to avoid the slightly awkward fact that Wednesday's rapid mini-tournament had been by far the most exciting part of the entire match. The hall was as packed as it had ever been; the games produced edge-of-your-seat suspense and real human drama. The rapid time format (25 minutes per player, total games usually in the 40 or 50 minute range) has some obvious advantages from the spectators' point of view. It's long enough for an observer, with the help of expert commentators, to wrap their head around the strategic drama of what's happening on the board, but it's quick enough that you don't have to set aside your entire Saturday to watch a single game. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley summed it up in the live commentary. “[The match] has been a little bit boring,” he said. “But the rapid [games] have been more much more entertaining.” I spotted Ashley in the spectator's hall after the closing ceremony and asked him if he'd had second thoughts. “I have not had ANY second thoughts!” he told me. “I think that most of the [classical] games were not that interesting. Rapid chess is where it's at, all that action, all that excitement. I think we should see more of that.”

Maurice Ashley is best known for being the first African-American to earn the prestigious grandmaster title from the International Chess Federation. He was born in Jamaica but moved to New York at age 12, eventually becoming a chess educator and coach. The New York chess scene has long been influenced by the culture of “chess hustlers” who play passersby and one another in Manhattan's Washington Square and Union Square parks; as a proud New Yorker, Ashley retains a certain affection for this style of chess, in which rapid-fire trash-talk is as much a part of the game as queenside castling. “The chess championship belongs in New York,” he told me with a smile.

Earlier in the match - long before the prospect of a tiebreak round reared its head - I spoke with Andrew Murray-Watson, press spokesman for Agon Unlimited, and asked him if he thought rapid play might have more of a future. “There's definitely a place for it,” he told me. “But it's a bit like eating candy floss every meal of the day (British for cotton candy - Murray-Watson is English). Candy floss is great, but you don't want to have a diet solely consisting of candy floss.” The view that Murray-Watson is expressing here is a standard one in the chess world. Long games are the highest standard of chess, its purest incarnation.

Maurice Ashley disagrees. “I think that's overstating the case dramatically. The old-style purists are gonna say that classical chess is where it's at, we're willing to take those boring, six-hour draws that go no where, because you get more “pure” chess. But look at the games - when you look at the classical games, how many mistakes did you see? I mean, there were lots of mistakes in those games! What do the purists have to say about those games?” It's a simple fact that chess fans like to see players falter, we like to see mistakes, we like to see suffering and triumph and turnarounds and tragedy as much as fans of any other sport. It almost made up for this match's endless, seven-hour draws to see the final game end with a queen sacrifice, the chess equivalent of a slam dunk. Maurice Ashley concurs. “The best ending possible. Really beautiful. Scintillating stuff.”

Magnus Carlsen took to instagram after the match to express his satisfaction with the result. After endless months of training, preparation, sweat and tears, the champion was finally ready to enjoy some time off.

Not the worst way to celebrate my birthday. Now it's time for some vacation. Thanks for all your support.

A photo posted by Magnus Carlsen (@magnus_carlsen) on Dec 1, 2016 at 7:10am PST

Nearly three weeks ago, the night before the first game, I spoke to Magnus' father Henrik, who is the champion's constant companion and closest confidant during his matches. I could sense his mixture of confidence and nervousness about the challenge that awaited his son. “You never really stop being nervous,” he told me. “But I think it's good to be a little nervous.” Henrik features prominently in a new documentary about the world champion, Magnus, which had its U.S. release as the match in New York was going on.

There's something a bit eerie about little Magnus, barely more than ten years old, looking into the camera and saying “I hope to be world champion.” Unlike most people, Magnus actually made his insane ten-year-old dream come true.

The question now is just how long he'll be able to hold on. Not long ago he seemed all but invincible, but with his near-loss in this month's match it's clear that Magnus can be beaten. Everyone has their own idea about who will be the one to do it; some point to 24-year-old U.S. #1 Fabiano Caruana, some to Anish Giri of the Netherlands, others to Magnus' old rival Levon Aronian of Armenia. Others still point to the wildly talented Chinese prodigy Wei Yi, who recently obliterated Carlsen's old record to become the youngest player ever to cross the 2700 elo-rating threshold. Magnus himself was asked after the match how long he plans to remain champion. He smiled. “At least until 2018.”

You can read my previous coverage of the championship here.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Kodak Black -- Outta Jail Like Dat ... 'I Look Forward to Clearing My Name' (PHOTOS)

Kodak Black is back on the streets ... after 2 stints in jail in 2 different states. The 19-year-old rapper was released from Florence County jail in South Carolina just days after he was transferred there from Florida. Black spent 3 months in…

15-Year-Old Accused Of Killing Allegedly Abusive Father Won't Face Potential Life Sentence

Bresha Meadows, a 15-year-old Ohio girl accused of killing her allegedly abusive father, no longer faces the prospect of life behind bars.

On Thursday, her lawyer Ian Friedman announced that her case will remain in juvenile court. If her case was transferred to adult court ― an option that was on the table until Thursday ― Bresha faced a possible life sentence in an adult prison if convicted.

On July 28, police say Bresha picked up her father's gun and shot him in the head, killing the man who she said brutally beat her mother and terrorized her family for years.

She's been held in a juvenile detention center in Warren, Ohio, ever since, charged with aggravated murder. She pleaded “not true,” which in juvenile court is equivalent to a not guilty plea.

Martina Latessa, Bresha's aunt and a Cleveland police officer, said she was elated about the decision.

“We didn't know for months what was going to happen,” she said. “Now we know she will not spend the rest of her life in prison, no matter what.”

She said she'd just been on the phone with Bresha's mother and broken the news to her.

“The nightmare she was born into had a profound impact on her, to the point where she was suicidal,” she said.

Bresha is accused of killing her father with his own gun ― a weapon that Friedman said her father used to intimidate and threaten the family.

Relatives of the deceased have denied claims he was abusive.

Still, she expressed concern with how much time Bresha has already served, and encouraged the juvenile court system to act with haste.

“Bresha, her family, and the community all need closure on what happened,” she said. “We can't keep a fifteen-year-old in limbo for this long without a clear path forward.”

Bresha's next hearing is on Jan. 20, at which time she will have spent almost six months behind bars. Friedman said he would be requesting her pretrial release on that date.

______

Melissa Jeltsen covers domestic violence and other issues related to women's health, safety and security. Tips? Feedback? Send an email or follow her on Twitter.

______

Related stories:

This Is Not A Love Story: Examining A Month Of Deadly Domestic Violence In America

Should Domestic Violence Victims Go To Prison For Killing Their Abusers?

Why Didn't You Just Leave? Six Domestic Violence Survivors Explain Why It's Never That Simple

This Woman Is On Trial For Killing A Man She Says Tried To Kill Her

It's Time We Listen When Women Say Their Boyfriends Are Dangerous

This Is How A Domestic Violence Victim Falls Through The Cracks

Men Offer Abhorrent Excuses For Killing Women. Don't Repeat Them.

We're Missing The Big Picture On Mass Shootings

Need help? In the U.S., call

1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline

.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.