Roland S. Martin's Blog, page 672

Beyoncé's NYC Show Sells Out In 22 Seconds

Source: CNN The first show in Beyoncé's upcoming concert series went on sale Wednesday… and sold out in 22 seconds! The "4 Intimate Nights With Beyoncé" will be held at NYC's Roseland Ballroom on August 14, 16, 18 and 19. For each show, Bey will perform the entire collection of her latest album, "4." Don't get too excited, because all four nights are already sold out – every ticket was taken within just one minute. "4," the fourth studio album from the [...]

Philadelphia Mayor Hopes Curfew Plan Brings Back The Love

Source: CNN Philadelphia has been plagued by teen "flash mob" violence, but the "City of Brotherly Love" is fighting back. Mayor Michael Nutter has announced a robust initiative that begins with a stiff curfew Friday night. The effort comes after a string of attacks on residents by young "flash mobs," groups of people who are alerted to sudden gatherings at a given place via e-mail and social media. Nutter delivered tough remarks about the problem in a church sermon Sunday [...]

Tiger Woods Misses The Cut At PGA Championships

Source: CBS News Johns Creek, Ga. – Tiger Woods' stunning downfall was about to have another chapter added to it — missing the cut at the PGA Championship. The player who once dominated golf had little chance of making it to the weekend after a brutal stretch of shots Friday at Atlanta Athletic Club. Scott Verplank surged into the lead as first-round leader Steve Stricker faltered with the putter. But this was shaping up as another day epitomizing Woods' collapse. [...]

Postal Service Proposes Cutting 120,000 Jobs, Pulling Out Of Health-Care Plan

Source: Joe Davidson / The Washington Post Seattle – The financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is proposing to cut its workforce by 20 percent and to withdraw from the federal health and retirement plans because it believes it could provide benefits at a lower cost. The layoffs would be achieved in part by breaking labor agreements, a proposal that drew swift fire from postal unions. The plan would require congressional approval but, if successful, could be precedent-setting, with possible ripple [...]

Tavis Smiley: Obama Is The First President Who Hasn't Invited Me To White House

Source: Michael Calderone / The Huffington Post NEW YORK — When Cornel West recently spoke to The Huffington Post about media coverage of African American issues, the Princeton professor argued that President Obama is avoiding journalists who've offered tough critiques of his administration, such as PBS host Tavis Smiley. "Obama won't touch him with a 10-foot pole," West said. On Wednesday, Smiley backed up West's viewpoint during a C-SPAN sit-down with him to discuss their 16-city poverty tour. "Prior to [...]

Steve Harvey Defends President Obama, Calls Smiley And West "Uncle Toms"

Source: Maurice Garland / Loop 21 Earlier this week during his syndicated morning radio show, Steve Harvey went in on Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West for their constant criticisms of President Barack Obama. After reading an email from a listener who insisted that Smiley and West's current Poverty Bus Tour was nothing more than a hustle, Harvey added his two cents blasting the duo for using personal vendettas to go out and sully the POTUS' name. "I was a huge fan [...]

Applications For Unemployment Aid Fell Last Week To 395k

Source: AP / The Washington Post The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week below 400,000 for the first time in four months, a sign that the job market may be improving slowly after a recent slump. Applications for unemployment aid dropped by 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 395,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. Applications had been above 400,000 for the previous 17 weeks. The four-week average, a less-volatile figure, fell to 405,000, its sixth straight decline and [...]

Charles Gittens, 1st Black Secret Service Agent, Dies; Joined Agency In 1956

Source: AP / The Washington Post Charles L. Gittens, who in 1956 became the first black Secret Service agent, has died. He was 82. The McGuire Funeral Home in Washington confirmed that Gittens died July 27 in Maryland. A spokesman for the Secret Service confirmed that Gittens was the first black agent but said no further details would be immediately available. According to an obituary in The Herald-Sun of Durham, N.C., Gittens joined the agency in 1956 and was assigned [...]

Gov. Rick Perry's Charitable Giving Under Fire: Is He Bringing The Tithe To The Storehouse (VIDEO)

Roland Martin appears in The Situation Room with Rich Galen and host Wolf Blitzer to discuss Gov. Rick Perry's charitable donations.

Roland Martin To Congress: Get Your Butts Back To Work; Too Many Americans Are Out Of Work

Roland Martin appears in The Situation Room with Rich Galen and host Wolf Blitzer to debate if Congress and President Obama should cancel their breaks. There is a mounting backlash against Washington over the debt crisis and lawmakers going on vacation with the nation in crisis.