January 1, Anti-Semitic Remarks Cost Nick Cannon Big Time

This Day in History | 2006 

The San Francisco-based podcasting company Odeo officially releases Twttr—later changed to Twitter—its short messaging service (SMS) for groups, to the public.

Good morning Middle Americans, 

Well, good morning to everyone except Nick Cannon, who like too many others, has gone down a racist rabbit hole. And his employer ViacomCBS has decided that Cannon’s statements on the racial superiority and call blacks “the true hebrews”. Cannon has also promoted the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam Louis Farrkhan. We can acknowledge that – in order for racism to exist a person has to have the power to use their ignorance and bigotry to oppress a racial subset of the population. While in the past that may have been impossible for some minorities to be in that position, guys like Cannon have enormous power in influence thanks the media companies like ViacomCBS that have promoted people like Cannon for years. If there are any silver linings from the racial unrest we’ve been seeing in America recently, this story might be one of them. Don’t take it from us, take from NBA legend Kareem Abdul Jabar who says “If we’re going to be outraged by injustice, let’s be outraged by injustice against anyone.” 

Also today we have stories to update on the status of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg who is “resting comfortably” in the hospital this morning. She was admitted with some sort of infection. A man was killed during a dispute with police over his failure to wear a mask. And as if things weren’t bad enough for California, Elon Musk is getting closer to making good on his threat to move Tesla’s manufacturing from California to Texas. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon

Nick Cannon Dropped by ViacomCBS After Making Anti-Semitic Comments 

(Variety) – ViacomCBS is ending its long-running relationship with Nick Cannon after he made anti-Semitic comments on his podcast.

In the June 30 episode of “Cannon’s Class,” the actor and TV host interviewed Professor Griff, a rapper who was a part of Public Enemy before leaving the group after making anti-Semitic remarks.

On the podcast, Cannon said Black people are the “true Hebrews” and talked about anti-Semitic conspiracy theories involving the Rothschild family.

“It’s never hate speech, you can’t be anti-Semitic when we are the Semitic people,” Cannon said.  “When we are the same people who they want to be. That’s our birthright. We are the true Hebrews.”

A ViacomCBS spokesperson released a statement to Variety, saying that the company’s relationship with Cannon is now terminated.

Find out more here

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized for Possible Infection

(CNBC) – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Tuesday for a possible infection, according to a spokeswoman for the court. 

The justice, 87, received treatment at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after experiencing fever and chills. She underwent a procedure to clean a bile duct stent and will stay in the hospital for a “few days,” court spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said in a statement. 

“The Justice is resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment,” she said. 

Ginsburg, the oldest Supreme Court justice, has endured a range of health issues in recent years. In January, she said she was “cancer-free” after undergoing treatment for what was likely pancreatic cancer last year. 

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Man Killed by Police After Mask Dispute at Michigan Store

(ABC News) – A Michigan sheriff’s deputy on Tuesday fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing another man who had challenged him about not wearing a mask at a store, police said.

The shooting occurred in Eaton County, southwest of Lansing, about 30 minutes after the stabbing at a Quality Dairy store, state police Lt. Brian Oleksyk said.

A sheriff’s deputy spotted the man’s vehicle in a residential neighborhood and shot him when he got out of his car and tried to attack her, Oleksyk said.

“Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon!” the officer, a 22-year veteran, demanded, according to neighborhood security video released by police.

The man, Sean Ruis, was holding a screwdriver and knives, Eaton County Sheriff Tom Reich said.

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Texas County Approves Tax Breaks for Tesla, if it Builds a $1.1 Billion Car Plant Near Austin

(CNBC) -Travis County in Texas has voted to give Tesla tax breaks worth a minimum of $14.7 million to build a new car plant, and eventually employ thousands, near the Austin airport. 

The site where Tesla has proposed to build its next “Gigafactory,” is known as the Austin Green development. Tesla still has to purchase the land there, which would cost it an estimated $5 million, plus another $1.1 billion, at least, to build the plant, which will manufacture the Cybertruck. The property borders the Colorado River. 

County officials discussed the proposal in a closed session on Tuesday, before hearing from speakers at a public hearing that was livestreamed on YouTube.

Before that, a local school district, Del Valle ISD, voted to approve Tesla’s plan, dubbed the Colorado River Project LLC, last week.

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