Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 477

Rev. Bryant On President Obama And The Black Vote (VIDEO)

Empowerment Temple Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant on how black voters will view President Obama’s gay marriage backing. WATCH:

Baptist Leader Richard Land Apologizes Again For Trayvon Martin Comments

Source: Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service / USA Today Southern Baptist leader Richard Land has issued a lengthy public apology for his racially charged comments about the Trayvon Martin case, and said he has sent a personal letter to President Obama seeking forgiveness. Land, who leads the Southern Baptist Convention‘s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, issued the two-page apology Wednesday, a week after [...]

Ineligible Band Members Implicated In FAMU Hazing Death Of Robert Champion

Source: Mark Strassmann / CBS News The longtime band director at Florida A&M announced his retirement Thursday. Dr. Julian White’s leadership has been under scrutiny in the wake of a hazing death of a drum major, and it turns out not all of those arrested in the scandal were students; 101 people on the band’s [...]

JPMorgan Chase Acknowledges $2 Billion Trading Loss

Source: AP / CBS News JPMorgan Chase (JPM), the largest bank in the United States, said Thursday that it lost $2 billion in the past six weeks in a trading portfolio designed to hedge against risks the company takes with its own money. The company’s stock plunged almost 7 percent in after-hours trading after the [...]

Pastor Against Gay Marriage, For Obama (VIDEO)

A popular pastor at a predominately black church in Cincinnati explains how he can oppose the president’s stance on gay marriage but still support him as a candidate. (May 10)

Prosecution Rests In John Edwards Trial (VIDEO)

Prosecutors rested their case against John Edwards on Thursday after calling to the witness stand some of his closest friends and advisers, many of whom gave dramatic, often unflattering testimony about the former presidential candidate. (May 10)

Fla. University Head: Keep FAMU Band Suspended

Source: Gary Fineout / AP / Atlanta Journal-Constitution TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s top state university official is asking Florida A&M University to keep its famed band off the field. Eleven FAMU band members have been charged with felony hazing in connection to the death of drum major Robert Champion in November. State University System Chancellor [...]

Michael Jordan Gatorade Ad Sends Dangerous Message, Health Advocate Says (VIDEO)

Source: Ron Dicker / The Huffington Post Many people who have a high fever can barely watch basketball, let alone play it at a championship level. So an ad that implies Michael Jordan’s gulping of Gatorade helped him beat the flu in a 1997 NBA Finals game has one watchdog group calling foul. The Public [...]

President Obama: Biden Forced Hand, But “All’s Well”

Source: Corbett B. Daly / CBS News President Obama says he is not upset with Vice President Joe Biden for getting out in front of the boss on same-sex marriage because he had already decided to back same-sex marriage before the vice president said over the weekend that he was “comfortable” with same-sex couples getting married. “I [...]

Jurors Deliberate For 2nd Day In Hudson Murders Trial

Source: Jason Meisner and Stacy St. Clair / Chicago Tribune Jurors will continue deliberating the fate of actress Jennifer Hudson‘s former brother-in-law Thursday, choosing between contradicting portraits of him painted during closing arguments. The racially diverse panel must decide whether William Balfour is an innocent victim of a rushed investigation or if he’s a jealous, jilted husband determined to [...]