Public Enemy Fires Flavor Flav After Bernie Sanders Rally Spat

Public Enemy announced Sunday they are permanently “moving forward” without Flavor Flav, firing one of hip-hop’s most memorable hypemen after more than 35 years. The abrupt dismissal comes just two days after the rapper sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bernie Sanders over Chuck D’s concert at the campaign’s Los Angeles rally Sunday.

“Public Enemy and Public Enemy Radio will be moving forward without Flavor Flav,” the hip-hop legends said in a brief statement Sunday. “We thank him for his years of service and wish him well.”

The group reiterated that Public Enemy Radio — a Chuck D-led offshoot featuring DJ Lord, Jahi and the S1Ws — would still perform at the free, livestreamed Sanders rally gig at 6 p.m. PST at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The cease-and-desist letter, sent to Sanders Friday by Flavor Flav’s lawyer Matthew Friedman, accused the campaign of using the hypeman’s “unauthorized likeness, image and trademarked clock” to promote the rally, even though Flavor Flav “has not endorsed any political candidate.”




https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/public-enemy-flavor-flav-bernie-sanders-960272/

Bonus Tweet of the Day

Joe passes the viability point in new California poll

Los Angeles County (Ca.) announces "Round The Clock" voting on day before Super Tuesday

Stacey Abrams Is Building a New Kind of Political Machine in the Deep South

In 2018, largely thanks to Abrams, Georgia’s Democratic Party had a full-time voter protection director; there was a hotline to report problems, volunteers to chase down provisional ballots, lawyers ready to go to court to keep polls open. It wasn’t enough, it turned out, against Abrams’ opponent, Georgia’s then-secretary of state, Brian Kemp, who was in charge of overseeing his own election — but it nearly was.

Now, with $21 million raised in 2019 alone, Fair Fight is training similar teams in 18 states. “I don’t have the capacity to sit still and wait for the next term, the next opportunity for me to stand for an office that let’s me do the work,” Abrams says.

Dozens of Democratic heavies descended on the summit that morning, including Michael Bloomberg, who has donated $5 million to Fair Fight. “Voter suppression efforts are happening across the country,” Bloomberg tells Rolling Stone, “and there is no one better to lead the counterattack than Stacey.”

The billionaire former mayor of New York is the latest in a string of high-profile presidential candidates to seek a sit-down with Abrams in the past year. “Those meetings went unremarked upon until I met with the [former] vice president,” Abrams sighs. “And then there was a rumor started.”



https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/stacey-abrams-census-voting-rights-vice-president-953173/

Florida just set a new record with 5 million registered Democratic voters

As of Jan. 31, Democrats had 5.04 million registered voters in the state, compared to 4.79 million registered Republicans, according to Florida's Department of State. An additional 3.78 million voters are registered with minor parties or have no party affiliation.

Democrats gained approximately 53,000 new registered voters in the last year, while Republicans gained 33,000 voters.

At a Tuesday press conference, the Florida Democratic Party announced the milestone achievement, alongside representatives from Forward Florida Action, Alianza for Progress, and the New Florida Majority.

Florida "must expand the electorate to make sure that all people — especially young people and people of color and women — have a voice and a vote," Andrea Mercado, executive director of New Florida Majority, said at the press conference. Mercado also criticized Republicans for voter suppression tactics in the state.



https://www.sourcepolitics.com/florida-just-set-a-new-record-with-5-million-registered-democratic-voters/?fbclid=IwAR0to1Z-hG_5Fm1-jNM44bn6p3fwhDugjUhyb1rTlSd-9UcUznL-0Lf6C8U

Virginia lawmakers vote to loosen restrictions on welfare, end ban on assistance for drug felons

The General Assembly passed a package of legislation this week to loosen restrictions on food and cash assistance programs for the poor.

One bill repeals a “child cap” aimed at discouraging women receiving welfare from having additional children after they’ve enrolled, which the NAACP opposed when it passed in 1995 and advocates call plainly discriminatory.

Another will allow disabled, homeless and elderly food stamp recipients to use their benefits to purchase hot meals in restaurants.

A third will end a ban on cash and food assistance for people convicted of felony drug charges.

The bill addressing felons easily drew the most debate, with Republicans arguing convicted drug dealers should not be eligible for public assistance and Democrats arguing the law punishes children for their parents’ crimes.

“Statistically, most drug convictions are from low income households and thus are unable to reenter society without (assistance),” said Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, who proposed the legislation in the Senate. Without help, she said offenders are more likely to commit additional crimes “which costs more money to imprison them than the cost of benefits.”

Under current law, people convicted of felony distribution or manufacture of drugs are ineligible and people convicted of felony possession are only eligible if they comply with court orders, complete a substance abuse program and participate in periodic drug screenings.



https://www.virginiamercury.com/2020/02/27/virginia-lawmakers-vote-to-loosen-restrictions-on-welfare-end-ban-on-assistance-for-drug-felons/

Obama called Biden to congratulate him after South Carolina victory

Former President Obama reportedly called his former vice president, Joe Biden, on Saturday following Biden's decisive victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary.

Bloomberg reported Sunday evening that the 44th president and Biden shared a congratulatory call Saturday evening after Biden's overwhelming victory, where he won nearly 50 percent of the vote over his closest competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who won almost 20 percent of the vote.

Two sources close to the former president told Bloomberg that Obama will likely not add his endorsement to the list of establishment figures backing Biden, preferring instead to remain neutral during the primary.

Biden has sought to tie his campaign closely to his service in the Obama administration, and has attacked rivals including Sanders for his past criticism of the Democratic former president.




https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/485406-obama-called-biden-to-congratulate-him-after-south-carolina-victory-report

Rhode Island teen tests positive for COVID-19

Breaking via Boston Globe.

Barbara Boxer endorses Joe