Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 161

Retailers Turn MLK Day Into A Shopping Bonanza

Source: Kim Peterson / CBS News Much of the country pauses Monday to remember Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of perseverance and courage. For some retailers, though, the holiday has become a moneymaker, a way to boost sales and attract shoppers who have the day off of work. And that’s not sitting well [...]

Weekend Box Office: ‘Ride Along’ Opens To Record-Breaking $41m

Source: Scott Mendelson / Forbes Universal’s Ride Along dominated the Martin Luther King Day weekend, wracking up a superb $41.2 million over its Fri-Sun frame and is projected to earn around $47.8 million over the holiday. The debut is the largest in Martin Luther King Day weekend history, ahead of the $40m/$46m four-day debut of Cloverfield in 2008 as well as the [...]

1% Of Families Own 46% Of Total Global Wealth

Source: Kim Hjelmgaard / USA Today Research conducted by the British charity Oxfam has concluded that the combined wealth of the world’s 85 richest people is equivalent to that owned by the bottom half — in wealth terms — of the world’s population. Separately, the report, titled Working for the Few, claims that 1% of the [...]

Roland Martin Talks With McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson About Dr. King’s Legacy

Roland Martin talks with Don Thompson, CEO of McDonald’s, about Dr. Martin Luther King‘s legacy and economic equality.

ROLAND S. MARTIN: Chris Christie’s ‘West Wing’ Moment

by Roland S. Martin Editor-in-chief RolandMartinReports.com With his 2016 presidential bid potentially ending before it even begins, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew he had to do something bold and significant in order to confront the allegations that he played a role in closing down traffic in his state to payback a political rival. On [...]

Franklin McCain Dies, Helped Launch Protest Of Whites-Only Lunch Counters In U.S

Source: Reuters WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina – African-American civil rights leader Franklin McCain, who as a college student helped launch the U.S. sit-in movement against segregation at whites-only lunch counters, has died, his alma mater said on Friday. McCain and three classmates from North Carolina A&T State University began the first of many similar peaceful protests [...]

Target Data Breach Total Rises To Up To 110 Million

Source: Hadley Malcolm / USA Today The massive data breach at Target over the holiday season is potentially much worse than the retailer first reported — as many as 110 million people may have had their identity and financial information compromised, the retailer says. It remains unclear just how many individuals are affected and how. The [...]

Obama Administration Fires HealthCare.gov Contractor

  Source: Kelly Kennedy / USA Today WASHINGTON — The government announced Friday it is changing contractors for the troubled HealthCare.gov website, ditching lead contractor CGI Federal. The company has been linked to many of the problems surrounding the launch of the federal health care exchange Oct. 1, which President Obama called “screwed up.” “We are [...]

Zoe Saldana Cast In NBC Mini-Series ‘Rosemary’s Baby’

Source: Rachel Maresca / New York Daily News   Actress Zoe Saldana has been cast as the lead role for the NBC mini-series, “Rosemary’s Baby.” “Zoe has proven that she is one of our most gifted actresses, and we think she has the perfect combination of spirit and gravitas to take on the title role from Ira [...]

FAMU Names First Female President

Source: Tia Mitchell / Miami Herald TALLAHASSEE — Florida A&M University’s Board of Trustees on Thursday selected Elmira Mangum to be the school’s first female president despite objections from students, alumni and two trustees who expressed uncertainty that she is right person for the job. Currently vice president for budget and planning at Cornell University, Mangum [...]