Politics
Amid conflict, NFT projects already seek to rebuild Ukraine
The recent invasion of Ukraine has put the world in a state of uncertainty, turmoil and geopolitical risk. Volatility in the global financial markets has caused immense losses to millions of investors. With rising global inflation, fear of tapering liquidity, and increasing interest rates by the United States Federal Reserve, havoc is spreading across the global economy. Additionally, the delinking of SWIFT messaging services for leading Russian banks is causing concern among entrepreneurs in the nation while also impacting other economies with strong Russian trade ties. With Visa and Mastercard halting their Russian operations, there will be further untold consequences for the interoperability of their payment systems and the everyday citizens who rely on them. Amid all these uncert...
Fiona Apple Shows You How to Call Maryland Lawmakers in Support of Virtual Court Access: Watch
Fiona Apple is no stranger to political activism. In the past couple of years, the musical powerhouse has protested and donated her royalties to charitable causes. This time around, she’s urging fans to call Maryland lawmakers in an effort to keep allowing virtual access in courts. To make it a bit easier, she’s even shared a step-by-step video guide on how to do so. For obvious reasons, remote court hearings and proceedings have spiked in frequency over the past two years. If Maryland’s House Bill 657 and Senate Bill 469 are passed, Apple explains, courts would continue to be more just. Apple added, “We actually have legislation written but we need to have it brought to the floor for a vote… So here’s what we would do. Just make two phone calls. I made two phone calls already, and I have ...
Comedian Primetimestein AKA Alex Stein Delivers Harsh Bars For Vladimir Putin At TX Council Meeting
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Alex Stein, also known as comedian and social media star Primetimestein, forged a living out of trolling public political gatherings with over-the-top antics. Stein went viral this week after taking the podium at a Texas council meeting to deliver some murderous bars towards Vladimir Putin in defiance of the Russian leader’s attack on Ukraine. During the gathering in Plano, Texas, a modestly dressed Stein approached the podium for his three-minute address to the council, but all hell broke loose once he hit play on a Bluetooth speaker and began spitting hot fiyah in denouncing Putin. Trying to grasp the lyrics isn’t going to be our task today. Just check out the video Stein posted below and witness the lyrical barrage yourself. Ple...
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls Out Corporate Profiteers Price Gouging On Gas
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Tom Williams / Getty Right now the national average for gas prices in America stands at about $4.43 for regular unleaded and everyone is asking what very much seems like a simple question: WTF? Why does it seem like anytime there’s any international conflict overseas, it results in a steep gas price hike in America and around the globe? Well, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other top Democratic legislators believe they know the answer and they’re shouting it from every rooftop they can climb. Related Stories Corporate profiteers are price gouging and that’s part of the reason why $20 in the tank ain’t $20-ing like it used to. As Crooks & Liars reported, Ocasio-Cortez responded Monday to a tweet from MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle asking “wha...
The White House Briefs TikTok Stars on Ukraine Crisis
National Security Council staffers and White House press secretary Jen Psaki gathered 30 TikTok stars via Zoom Thursday, March 10th for a briefing on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Since Russia invaded Ukraine late last month, TikTok became an unlikely source of real-time information for millions around the world. While the app has proven to be a useful tool for reporters, its algorithm has also harbored dangerous misinformation and Russian propaganda. Psaki led the briefing alongside Matt Miller, a special adviser for communications at the White House National Security Council. In a recording obtained by The Washington Post, Biden officials emphasized the influence these creators have in online discussions surrounding the crisis. “We recognize this is a critically important aven...
President Joe Biden Turns Attention To Brittney Griner Russia Case
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Mike Mattina / Getty WNBA star Brittney Griner is currently jailed in Russia on drug charges as the nation is embroiled in an all-out assault on Ukraine. While it was assumed that President Joe Biden would put the player’s situation on the back burner, administration officials alerted members of Congress that they’re working on the matter. In an exclusive chat with theGrio, Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee says that White House officials told members of the Congressional Black Caucus that they’re actively looking to address Griner’s harrowing situation in Russia after the Phoenix Mercury standout was reportedly caught with THC vape cartridges. The arrest came at the top of last month but was only recently revealed to the global media, sparking high levels of conce...
Angelina Jolie Arrives in Yemen to Support Civil War Refugees
As the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine dominates international headlines, Angelina Jolie is asking for equal attention to be paid to other refugees around the world. Jolie, who serves as Special Envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency, is on the ground in Yemen to meet displaced families and refugees affected by the country’s civil war. “As we continue to watch the horrors unfolding in Ukraine, and call for an immediate end to the conflict and humanitarian access, I’m here in Yemen to support people who also desperately need peace,” Jolie wrote on Instagram. “This week a million people were forced to flee the horrific war in Ukraine. If we learn anything from this shocking situation, it is that we cannot be selective about who deserves support and whose rights we defend. Everyone deserve...
Donald Trump Pressuring Supporters to Fund New Plane After Emergency Landing
Leave it to Donald Trump to brazenly ask supporters to fund a new big boy toy rather than fixing his old plane. Days after a jet flying him to Florida was forced to make an emergency landing (following a fundraising speech, naturally), the former president’s Save America PAC sent an email blast to supporters boasting about his plans for “a BRAND NEW Trump Force One.” “Do you remember Trump Force One?” the email read (via Rolling Stone). “Before becoming the greatest President of all time, I traveled the Country in my plane, known as Trump Force One. I have a very important update on my plane but I need to trust that you won’t share it with anyone: my team is building a BRAND NEW Trump Force One.” According to The Hill, the email also included a GIF of a plane taking off with a poll gi...
Inflation spikes in Europe: What do Bitcoiners, politicians and financial experts think?
Rising prices are grabbing headlines all over the world. Across the pond in the United States, inflation recently broke a 40-year record. The situation is severe in Europe, with prices rising over 5% across the Eurozone and 4.9% in the United Kingdom. While prices rise, Bitcoin (BTC) is flatlining at around $39,000. It poses many questions: Is Bitcoin an effective hedge against rising prices, what role can Bitcoin play in a high inflation environment and did Bitcoiners know that inflation was coming? Experts from the world of Bitcoin, finance and even European politics responded to these questions, sharing their views with Cointelegraph about the alarming price rises in Europe. From data analysts Kaiko’s monthly report, the Bitcoin price marched ahead of inflation, implying...
Disney Pledges $5 Million to LGBTQ Rights Following “Don’t Say Gay” Bill Controversy
The Walt Disney Company is pledging $5 million to the Human Rights Campaign and other LGBTQ+ organizations in light of Florida’s discriminatory “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Additionally, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced plans to meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to discuss the company’s concerns with the bill, Variety reports. The Parental Rights in Education bill, more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prevents Florida educators from discussing issues of gender and sexuality in the classroom and allows parents to sue schools and teachers who do so. The bill has been passed by Florida’s House of Representatives and Senate, and DeSantis is expected to sign it into law. Disney’s donation comes after the company came under fire for not speaking out against the bill; the Orlando S...
Ukrainian Orchestra Holds Concert for Peace in Kyiv Square
The Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra performed a small concert in Ukraine’s Maidan Square Wednesday (March 9th), an act Conductor Herman Makarenko described as a call for peace amid the Russian invasion. The orchestra performed the Ukrainian national anthem as well as an excerpt from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” on which the European Union’s anthem is based — both strong displays of Ukrainian sovereignty and a desire to move closer to Western Europe as Russian forces advanced on the country. “We would like to support our president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who called, calls and will call to all governments of the world (to) stop the war in Ukraine,” Makarenko said (per Reuters). While up to 70 musicians normally perform in the orchestra, Makarenko said he was only able to gather about 20 people fo...
Ariana Grande and More Celebs Slam Passage of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
On Tuesday (March 8), the controversial Parents Rights in Education bill was passed in the Florida Senate, leading Ariana Grande and other famous faces to speak out against it. Better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the potential law would restrict teachers from speaking about LGBTQ+ history, people, and other topics in school classrooms across the state and give parents the right to sue educators and administrators who did so. A proposed amendment to the bill would also require school counselors and teachers to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents at home if they come out or confide in a trusted adult at school. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Really disgusting,” Ari wrote in her Instagram Stories beneath a post by Equality Florida sharing the news. Meanwhile, George Takei ...
