Anyone familiar with the work of Toni Morrison knew it was a force, as was the woman who wrote it. The visions Morrison rendered were both unflinching and tender, exposing the sometimes shameful truths of our natures and whispering them back to us like a lover’s secret.Read more...

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Steve Urkel of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, is known for his gaffes, but his whole “Did I do that?” bit after sticking his foot in his mouth is getting old.

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A 40% Off Anker Smart Home Products sale, 30% Off Select Styles at Adidas, and an iRobot Roomba 671 lead off Friday’s best deals from around the web.Read more...

Les Dog is in the house! Your house, that is, if you are Netflix and chilling next year.Read more...

Since Mike Brown was killed by now former police officer Darren Wilson five years ago, the Ferguson Police Department hired a new police chief and the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the police department. But was that enough?Read more...

After birthing the phenomenon known as “Hot Girl Summer,” its official anthem has finally arrived, courtesy of Megan Thee Stallion, with a little assistance from a pair of artists equally about that liberated life: Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj.Read more...

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Family members of Donald Neely, the 43-year-old homeless man who was handcuffed and led by a rope by two white Galveston, Texas, officers on horseback last weekend, said he has struggled with mental illness for years—and that his condition was well documented.Read more...

While Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwyane Wade enjoyed graceful ascents into the NBA afterlife, 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony’s excruciating exodus has been anything but.Read more...

You win some, you lose some; that’s the lesson the Obamas are learning as newly minted producers for Netflix. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the dynamic duo has been moving full-throttle into their Hollywood hustle via their Higher Ground productions, already set to release the documentary American Factory,…Read more...

Vladimir Putin’s most beloved Russian operative walked onto the White House lawn and told the press that he was “all in favor” of “background checks like we’ve never had before.”

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

Looks like one of our most beloved films is getting some fresh female energy for its reboot; according to the Hollywood Reporter, If Beale Street Could Talk’s KiKi Layne and Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones will be joining the cast of Coming 2 America!Read more...

There was no rest for the weary in this week’s Co-Op, but these four pillows said goodnight to the competition, and were our readers’ favorites. Check out what everyone had to say about the finalists below, then be sure to vote at the bottom of the post!

After spending my adolescent summers terrorizing swimming pools and basketball courts, I have fond memories of making my triumphant return to school. I couldn’t wait to stunt on my classmates with my new Penny Hardaway jersey or flex on the kids in my art class with my fresh stock of sketch pads and colored pencils.…Read more...

It’s been five years since Mike Brown, an unarmed teen from Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer.Read more...

It’s hard to remember a time when there was a politician arguably more corrupt than the current president, but that time was 2008, and the man was former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

In what Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are touting as “the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history,” nearly 700 undocumented immigrants were detained in raids at food processing plants in Mississippi on Wednesday.Read more...

“It’s a very universal story. It’s a play about brothers,” says actor Namir Smallwood when asked about his role in True West, Sam Shepard’s classic play about toxic sibling rivalry, now in production at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre. Despite the universally relatable theme, there is something distinctly different…Read more...

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A grown-ass Montana man has been arrested and charged for being hopped up on Trump dope and slamming a 13-year-old boy to the ground, head first, for the ungodly sin of wearing a hat during the playing of white America’s version of “Back Dat Azz Up.”

Betty White is a national treasure.Read more...

We are one day away from the release of Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj’s much-anticipated collaboration, “Hot Girl Summer,” but Meg found it in her heart to gift us with one more blessed hangout: her and the incomparable Lizzo.Read more...

Meek Mill has been stuck in the criminal justice system for practically his entire adult life.Read more...

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On Wednesday, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (you know, the guy that’s better than half of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL and way better than the benchwarmers) cleared any doubt that he’s not ready should an NFL team call.

The battle over Aretha Franklin’s estate has gotten capital M-MESSY, requiring a long, drawn-out court hearing this week in which deep familial divisions—and some pretty shocking details about the late great singer’s finances—were on full display.Read more...

If Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross decides to follow through on his plans to host an elaborate reelection fundraiser for his lord and master Donald Trump, he might want to confer with some of the players on his team beforehand.Read more...

We love Halle Bailey’s quick clapbacks as “Sky Forster” on Grown-ish, trading clever quips with older sister Chloe, who play her track star twin, “Jazz.” But as the newest—and newly envisioned—Disney princess to enter the reboot game, we seriously admire Bailey’s restraint when dealing with the onslaught of racists…Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

Days after Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul admitted that Blane Salamoni, the police officer who shot and killed Alton Sterling in 2016, should never have been hired, a Louisiana judge has ordered the city of Baton Rouge to release a psychological evaluation used in Salamoni’s hiring.Read more...

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Talk about “Strong Black Leads”! It looks like Netflix’s Madam C.J. Walker, co-produced and starring Octavia Spencer in the titular role, will have a star-studded cast. Our friends at Shadow & Act report that Tiffany Haddish, Blair Underwood, Carmen Ejogo, Garrett Morris and Kevin Carroll will all be appearing in the…Read more...

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The death of Toni Morrison feels like a gut-punch for many in the midst of a tragically heavy news cycle. Still, those who loved her have taken time to share their memories of the beloved writer who bestowed gifts of wisdom upon many. Watch above as Oprah shares her fondest memories of Morrison and reflects on her…Read more...

President Donald Trump once claimed that if he wasn’t being audited he’d have no problem showing his tax returns. While tax-return flashing isn’t a requirement to be president, it’s been the unspoken norm that all presidents since Richard Nixon have adhered to. As it stands, Trump is the only modern president not to…Read more...

Jackie. Or should I say “Jackie, Jackie, Jackie, Jackie...”

Texas is slated to ease its gun laws—already some of the most lax in the country—next month, making it easier for Texans to carry firearms in schools, churches, and foster homes across the state.

Before heading off to El Paso, Texas, where a white boy trumped up by divisive language from the highest office in the land took the lives of 22 people and injured dozens more, President Racist Thanos found time to send out one more hateful tweet.

If, like me, you were heartbroken upon learning of the death of literary genius Toni Morrison on Monday, it is likely because, while Morrison’s 88 years on this earth were full and duly celebrated, her words had such a profound impact that it was often hard to believe she was a mere mortal.Read more...

After serving 15 years behind bars, Cyntoia Brown is finally free.Read more...

You’ve probably seen a ton of lists circulating on social media lately ranking the 50 greatest rappers of all time. I don’t know who did the first one, but somehow Joe Budden—an extremely talented and gifted wordsmith—ended up in the No. 3 slot ahead of arguably, at minimum, 10 rappers easily better than him. Because…Read more...

Last year, Beyoncé helped make history when she approved Tyler Mitchell to photograph her for the cover of the September 2018 issue of American Vogue, making the then-23-year-old the first black photographer—and one of the youngest—to shoot the cover of the world’s best-known fashion magazine in its 126-year history.…Read more...

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A long-delayed TV series focusing on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, will finally see daylight, thanks to executive producers Jay-Z and Will Smith.Read more...

How do you say the word “disability”? Does it feel shameful or derogatory, or does it roll off of your tongue, matter-of-factly? Writer and disability activist Keah Brown wishes we were all less precious when talking about disability, because while it may be a fact of her life, it’s far from the whole of it, as she…Read more...

Randa Ragland’s 3-year-old son, Jaxen, is fighting for his life.

FX announced that it will renew Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed TV show, Atlanta, for a fourth season—effectively giving fans two more seasons to see if Earn, Paper Boi, Darius and Van will get their shit together...or not (my money is on “not!”).Read more...

At this point in time, Essence is an American classic, beloved by those of us who grew up with the magazine atop the coffee tables of our mothers, aunties, grandmothers, big sisters, and now, ourselves. But on the heels of the 25th annual Essence Festival, and as the magazine approaches its 50th birthday in 2020,…Read more...