Donald Trump Defends Barring Muslims from US
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Monday night defended his latest controversial proposal to bar Muslims from entering the United States, drawing cheers at a rally when he said, “We have no idea if they love us or hate us.” “We’re out of control; we have no idea who is coming into our country,” Trump said at the rally in South Carolina. “I want ISIS to surrender.”
Trump said he watched President Obama’s address to the nation Sunday night and said the president appeared “he didn't know why he was there. He refuses to use the term 'radical Islamic terrorism.' He refuses to use the term. I don't even know if he knows what the hell is going on.” In a statement released earlier Monday, Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States until "our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
Reading from the statement Monday night at a rally aboard the USS Yorktown in South Carolina, Trump said, "Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life."
Source-ABC
Donald Trump Unites Democrats, Republicans Against His Plan to Bar Muslims from Entering US
Bipartisanship is breaking out in Washington over Donald Trump’s latest comments on Muslims. The presidential contender brought Democrats and Republicans together in condemnation of his plans to bar Muslims from entering the United States.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on,” his campaign announced in a statement Monday afternoon. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona quickly called him out on Twitter: "Just when you think @realDonaldTrump can stoop no lower, he does. These views do not reflect serious thought."
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a national security hawk, said during a cable news interview, “I would say I don’t support the policy, but I also think the president needs to focus more on defeating the Islamic State.” Indeed, no Republican leaders, as of Monday evening, were prepared to support Trump's plan. “I think you’ve seen that the leader has stayed away from commenting on the presidential candidates,” Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said. And AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, said the congressman would not weigh in on the matter Monday but would likely address it at his weekly press availability Tuesday.
Ryan has previously condemned the idea of religious tests in interviews and on the House floor. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., one of two Muslim members of Congress, called Trump's plan "asinine."
Meanwhile, White House officials took to cable news channels to condemn Trump. “It's totally contrary to our values as Americans,” deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said. “What he is doing is he’s dividing America in a really cynical way,” added White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
NAACP Image Awards Nominees Announced
The nominations for the 47th annual NAACP Awards were announced today in Los Angeles by a variety of stars, including Scandal's Guillermo Díaz, Shemar Moore of Criminal Minds, Tika Sumpter of The Have and The Have Nots, Danielle Nicolet of Born Again Virgin, and Marsai Martin and Miles Brown of black-ish.
Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the awards will air live on TV One Friday, February 5, 2016 at 9pm ET.
Here are the nominations in the main categories.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Michael B. Jordan
Misty Copeland
Pharrell Williams
Shonda Rhimes
Viola Davis
TELEVISION
Outstanding Comedy Series
black-ish
House of Lies
Key & Peele
Orange is the New Black
Survivor’s Remorse
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Anthony Anderson – black-ish
Don Cheadle – House of Lies
Dwayne Johnson – Ballers
RonReaco Lee – Survivor’s Remorse
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Gina Rodriguez – Jane The Virgin
Loretta Devine – The Carmichael Show
Tracee Ellis Ross – black-ish
Uzo Aduba – Orange Is the New Black
Wendy Raquel Robinson – The Game
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
David Alan Grier – The Carmichael Show
Laurence Fishburne – black-ish
Mike Epps – Survivor’s Remorse
Miles Brown – black-ish
Terry Crews – Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Anna Deavere Smith – Nurse Jackie
Danielle Brooks – Orange is the New Black
Laverne Cox – Orange Is the New Black
Marsai Martin – black-ish
Tichina Arnold – Survivor’s Remorse
Outstanding Drama Series
Being Mary Jane
Empire
How to Get Away with Murder
Power
Scandal
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
LL Cool J – NCIS: Los Angeles
Morris Chestnut – Rosewood
Omari Hardwick – Power
Terrence Howard – Empire
Wesley Snipes – The Player
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Gabrielle Union – Being Mary Jane
Kerry Washington – Scandal
Nicole Beharie – Sleepy Hollow
Taraji P. Henson – Empire
Viola Davis – How to Get Away With Murder
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Alfred Enoch – How to Get Away with Murder
Bryshere Y. Gray – Empire
Guillermo Diaz – Scandal
Joe Morton – Scandal
Jussie Smollett – Empire
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Cicely Tyson – How to Get Away with Murder
Danai Gurira – The Walking Dead
Grace Gealey – Empire
Naturi Naughton – Power
Regina King – American Crime
Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
American Crime
Bessie
Luther
The Book of Negroes
The Wiz Live!
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Cuba Gooding, Jr. – The Book of Negroes
David Alan Grier – The Wiz Live!
David Oyelowo – Nightingale
Idris Elba – Luther
Michael Kenneth Williams – Bessie
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Angela Bassett – American Horror Story: Hotel
Aunjanue Ellis – The Book of Negroes
Jill Scott – With This Ring
LaTonya Richardson Jackson – Show Me a Hero
Queen Latifah – Bessie
Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special)
Katrina: 10 Years After the Storm
News One Now
Oprah Prime: Celebrating Dr. King and the Selma Marches 50 Years Later
Oprah: Where Are They Now?- Civil Rights Special
Unsung
Outstanding Talk Series
Melissa Harris-Perry
Steve Harvey
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The Talk
The Wendy Williams Show
Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series
Dancing with the Stars
Iyanla: Fix My Life
Shark Tank
The Voice
Welcome to Sweetie Pies
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
Black Girls Rock!
Family Feud
Oprahs Master Class
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore
Outstanding Children’s Program
Doc McStuffins
Dora and Friends
K.C. Undercover
Little Ballers
Project MC2
Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Mini-series)
Hudson Yang – Fresh Off the Boat
Marcus Scribner – black-ish
Marsai Martin – black-ish
Miles Brown – black-ish
Skai Jackson – Jessie
Outstanding Host in a News, Talk, Reality, or Variety (Series or Special)
Family Feud – Steve Harvey
Melissa Harris-Perry – Melissa Harris-Perry
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel – Bryant Gumbel
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Trevor Noah
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore – Larry Wilmore
MOTION PICTURE
Outstanding Motion Picture
Beasts of No Nation
Concussion
Creed
Dope
Straight Outta Compton
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Secret in Their Eyes
Michael B. Jordan – Creed
Michael Ealy – The Perfect Guy
Will Smith – Concussion
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Lauren ‘Keke’ Palmer – Brotherly Love
Sanaa Lathan – The Perfect Guy
Teyonah Parris – Chi-Raq
Viola Davis – Lila and Eve
Zoe Saldana – Infinitely Polar Bear
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Chiwetel Ejiofor – The Martian
Corey Hawkins – Straight Outta Compton
Forest Whitaker – Southpaw
Idris Elba – Beasts of No Nation
O’Shea Jackson, Jr. – Straight Outta Compton
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Angela Bassett – Chi-Raq
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – Concussion
Jennifer Hudson – Chi-Raq
Phylicia Rashad – Creed
Tessa Thompson – Creed
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
Beasts of No Nation
Brotherly Love
Chi-Raq
Infinitely Polar Bear
Secret in Their Eyes
DOCUMENTARY
Outstanding Documentary – (Film)
Amy
Dreamcatcher
In My Fathers House
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Outstanding Documentary – (Television)
August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Belief
Kareem: Minority of One
Light Girls
Muhammad Ali: The Peoples Champ
Source-ABC
Kanye and Kim's New Baby Is a "Saint"
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West welcomed their son on Saturday, but it's only now that they've gotten around to naming the baby.
On her website, Kim announced that the couple's new arrival is named Saint West, and that he weighed in at eight pounds, one ounce when he arrived on December 5.
Earlier this year, Kim told Ellen DeGeneres that she liked the name "Easton" for the unborn child, but in another interview, she denied that she'd name the kid "South," to match the couple's daughter, "North."
Since Kanye named his 2013 album Yeezus, perhaps it's appropriate that he has a "Saint" for a son.
According to an E! source, the child was so named because he is "a blessing," especially because Kardashian "had such a difficult pregnancy."
Source-ABC
Volvo's Concept 26 could transform commuting time
Concept 26 is not a pretentious farm-to-table restaurant that changes its menu every two weeks, though its ideals are as lofty. The name of Volvo’s new take on autonomous driving refers to the soul-sucking 26 minutes that the average US commuter spends on limited-access highways or in other unchallenging driving conditions — time that Volvo wants to give back to you.
Boring driving is ideal for autonomous driving, since lanes are well marked, pedestrians and bikes (and kangaroos) are absent, and speed and space between cars is fairly predictable. Highway time also seems to be when we humans are most happy to give up the wheel, because really, what is death compared to an hour on the Turnpike?
Concept 26 is a cockpit design that responds to three distinct operational modes: “Drive,” in which you do just that; “Create,” in which the car takes over and you may work, surf the web, or watch a movie; and “Relax,” in which the driver’s seat reclines into a chaiselike position, and which is assiduously never called “Nap mode” in official communiqués. As you switch among modes (this being Volvo, there are all sorts of safety warnings and foolproof handshakes as driving responsibilities change), a large screen rotates out of the passenger dash, a footrest rises from beneath the driver’s seat, and a tray table deploys as the steering wheel recedes. Changing up the interior is not a new trick —Nissan’s IDS concept was unveiled a few weeks ago in Tokyo — but here it not only looks polished, but plausible.
The interior can handle all of this presto-change-o because Concept 26 is built upon Volvo’s Scalable Project Architecture, an in-production modular platform that gives engineers a toybox of structural and electrical components with which to create cars. In May at Auto Shanghai, Volvo showed off an SPA-based XC90 SUV — normally a seven-seater — built as a Maybachian three-seater, with reclining back seats, a refrigerator, and a big-screen entertainment system built into an ottoman where a passenger seat would normally reside. When not in use, the entertainment system flips into an elegant footrest, placed so that your chauffeur may polish your shoes at stoplights (or soon, in Create mode).
For all the sleek showiness of Volvo’s forays into autonomy and aristocratic luxury, the Swedish stalwart still seems to be making each step toward the future a deliberate and well considered one. In 2017, the company will be leading the first large-scale test of autonomous driving, as 100 drivers surrender the wheel to IntelliSafe Autopilot-equipped XC90s for commutes in and around Gothenburg. We hope they enjoy their extra hour of sleep (unofficially).
Source-BBC
LeBron James and Nike Sign Lifetime Contract
LeBron James has signed a deal with Nike that will last through his lifetime.
According to ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers forward and basketball star's agreement with the athletic company could be the largest single-athlete guarantee in company history.
So far no word on how much the deal is, but according to ESPN a source said the deal "easily surpasses" Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant's Nike deal for $300 million over 10 years signed last summer.
"It's been an unbelievable time for myself and my family, and I'm just grateful that Nike and [Nike founder] Phil Knight and everyone over there just believed in a skinny-old, skinny 18-year-old kid from Akron, Ohio, and I'm happy to be a part of such a great company," James said to reporters after practice Monday.
Source-ABC
Jeff Samardzija Agrees to 5-Year, $90 Million Deal with Giants
Free agent pitcher Jeff Samardzija has agreed to a 5-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, ESPN reports.
The deal is worth $90 million, a source told ESPN.
The team said Saturday that an announcement will be made after Samardzija passes his physical exam, which is scheduled for Tuesday. Samardzija previously played for the Chicago White Sox.
Source-ABC
Barry Bonds Joins Miami Marlins as Hitting Coach
Baseball legend Barry Bonds has a new job.
The Miami Marlins announced Friday that Bonds was hired as the team's new hitting coach.
Despite a controversial steroids scandal, Bonds, a seven-time National League MVP, holds the record for the most career home runs at 762.
Oscar Pistorius granted bail after murder conviction
South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been granted bail while he awaits sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.
Judges changed his conviction from manslaughter to murder last week. He has already served one year in prison.
Pistorius now faces a minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment, if he fails in a bid to overturn his conviction.
He intends to mount an appeal at the highest court in South Africa, the Constitutional Court.
Source-BBC
Mercedes takes action against engineer
Mercedes are taking legal action against an engineer who allegedly took confidential information as he prepared to join Formula 1 rivals Ferrari.
Benjamin Hoyle, who works for engine manufacturers Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, is alleged to have searched and saved race data.
Hoyle was set to leave Mercedes at the end of 2015.
"The company has taken the appropriate legal steps to protect its intellectual property," said a team spokesperson.
According to Bloomberg, Mercedes wants the return of all documents and information, payment of its legal fees, and is seeking to block Hoyle from joining Ferrari or any other F1 rival until after the 2016 season.
The Mercedes team won the 2015 constructors' championship by 275 points from Ferrari.
Source-BBC