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Academy Apologizes To Sacheen Littlefeather Almost 50 Years After Her Oscars Protest

The organizer of the Academy Awards has apologized to Native American actor and activist Sacheen Littlefeather for the way she was treated when she protested Hollywood’s depiction of Native Americans at the 1973 Oscars.

KEY BACKGROUND

The 26-year-old Littlefeather appeared onstage at the 45th Academy Awards on behalf of Marlon Brando to decline his Best Actor Oscar for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Brando boycotted the award show to protest the industry’s portrayal of Native Americans and to draw attention to the ongoing occupation at Wounded Knee. When told she could not deliver a 739-word statement by Brando, Littlefeather gave an impassioned, 60-second, impromptu speech about Native American stereotypes in Hollywood. She also brought attention to the occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, which was seized by activists from the American Indian Movement over Native Americans’ treatment. Reaction to her speech at the awards show was mixed, and while she received some applause mixed with boos from the mostly perplexed crowd, her appearance largely garnered negative attention in the press and within the film industry. After the Oscars, Littlefeather was “professionally boycotted, personally attacked and harassed, and discriminated against,” the Academy said in a statement Monday.

Nancy Pelosi visitó Taiwán. China amenazó a Estados Unidos con graves consecuencias y anunció ejercicios militares a gran escala

Bill Russell—11-Time NBA Champion And First Black Head Coach—Dies At 88

Bill Russell, who won a record 11 NBA championship titles during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics and later became the league’s first Black head coach, died on Sunday at age 88.

Russell died with his wife Jeannine by his side, his family said in a statement on Twitter, but his family did not share the cause of death.

Russell began playing for the Boston Celtics in 1956, and by the time he retired from playing professionally in 1969, he had won the NBA Championship 11 times–a record that remains unbroken–and was named the league’s most valuable player five times.

He was a vocal supporter of civil rights and social justice throughout his career, and often clashed with Boston sports fans as a result.

He served as the Celtics’ head coach for the final three years—and two championships—of his playing career, before coaching the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings.

In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Russell the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Russell the “greatest champion in all of team sports” in a statement Sunday, adding that Russell stood for “something much bigger than sports” and helped entwine the values of equality, respect and inclusion “into the DNA of our league."

JetBlue Announces $3.8 Billion Deal For Spirit After Frontier Merger Fails To Take Off

JetBlue Airways on Thursday announced plans to purchase Spirit Airlines—a day after Spirit’s anticipated merger with Frontier fell apart—in a deal that could create the country’s fifth-largest carrier if approved by regulators.

17 Haitian Migrants—Possibly Bound For Florida—Die After Boat Capsizes Near Bahamas

At least 17 people died—including an infant—when a boat carrying Haitian migrants capsized near the Bahamas, officials said Sunday, marking the latest deadly incident involving migrants at sea as more people try to enter the U.S. by boat.

Key Facts

Authorities in the Bahamas said in a press conference they believe the migrants were on a speedboat destined for Miaimi, and were about seven miles off the coast of New Providence—the country’s largest island, where the capital city of Nassau is located—when the boat capsized in rough waters.

Rescue teams saved 25 survivors, but as many as 60 people may have been on board and many are presumed missing, officials said.

One of the 17 who died was an infant, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said during the Sunday afternoon news conference.

Two Bahamian nationals have been taken into custody over their suspected role in smuggling the people on board, according to Reuters.

Survivors said they paid as much as $8,000 for the voyage, the Bahamas’ immigration minister Keith Bell said Sunday.

Key Background

Many Haitian migrants heading toward the U.S. pass through the Bahamas. The number of Haitians attempting to migrate by boat increased dramatically last year, according to the United Nations, which noted many people are trying to escape and worsening gang violence, especially in Port-au-Prince, the capital city. While most undocumented immigrants attempt to enter the U.S. through the border with Mexico, the volume of sea voyages is increasing. In the 2021 fiscal year, the Coast Guard recorded 14,529 undocumented immigrants from all countries who tried to enter the U.S. by sea, nearly double the 7,583 counted in 2020 and 7,093 in 2019.
Tangent

In January, more than 30 people were lost at sea after a boat involved in a suspected human smuggling operation capsized off the coast of Florida, according to the Coast Guard.

⚡️Trump-Endorsed Candidate Dan Cox Pips Moderate In Republican Primary For Maryland Governor’s Race

Trump-backed lawmaker candidate Dan Cox won the Republican Primary for the Maryland Gubernatorial election on Wednesday, a result that potentially opens the door for Democrats to wrest back control of the governorship in the blue-leaning state.

The Associated Press has called the race in favor of Cox who leads Kelly Schulz—a candidate endorsed by Maryland’s incumbent Republican governor Larry Hogan—by around 16 points with 70% of the votes counted.

Cox has previously reiterated former President Donald Trump’s false claims about a stolen 2020 election and even participated in the “Stop The Steal” Rally in Washington D.C. on January 6 last year hours before the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Over the past two years, Cox has emerged as a strong opponent of Hogan and has attacked the governor’s lockdown policies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Schulz was a member of Hogan’s cabinet—Hogan served two terms as governor of the largely blue state.

Hogan, who has been critical of Trump’s election falsehoods and his handling of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, has been seen as a potential antidote to the Republican party’s continued lean towards the hard-right.

The Democratic primary, which is yet to be called, is led by author Wes Moore, who has been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, followed by former Democratic Party chairperson Tom Perez.

CRUCIAL QUOTE
Just before the race was called, Trump posted about Cox’s lead on Truth Social, saying: “Trump Endorsed Dan Cox is doing really well tonight…Not over yet, but RINO Larry Hogan’s Endorsement doesn’t seem to be working out so well for his heavily favored candidate. Next, I’d love to see Larry run for President!”

KEY BACKGROUND
The race in Maryland—a state which President Joe Biden carried by more than 33 points—has been seen as one of the Democratic Party’s best chances to flip over a governorship in November. In a repeat of the risky strategy they embraced in the Illinois Primaries, the Democratic Governors Association spent millions on an ad campaign painting Cox as a Trump endorsee and “too conservative,” with a goal to help him win over Republican voters. The tactic appears to have worked and now the Democrats will hope their eventual nominee will be able to take advantage of Cox’s closeness to Trump and right-wing policies which may put off the blue state’s moderate voters.

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