Top 5 Live-WURD Friday April 17
1. Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson Reinstated After NFL Suspension
The NFL has reinstated Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, clearing the way for him to return after missing most of last season while facing child abuse charges in Texas.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter that Peterson will have to fulfill all the obligations of his plea deal that reduced a felony charge to a misdemeanor.
Goodell also told Peterson he would have to continue attending counseling while adhering to the league’s new personal conduct policy to avoid further discipline.
Peterson’s agent has said the star running back wants to play elsewhere next season. But the Vikings say they have no plans to trade him.
“We look forward to Adrian re-joining the Vikings,” the team said in a statement issued after the announcement.
2. Wikileaks publishes searchable database of hacked Sony emails
The U.S. government blamed North Korea for the hack that destroyed computers at Sony Pictures, temporarily shut down the movie studio and exposed embarrassing emails from top executives.
It even resulted in Sony Pictures Entertainment’s co-chairman Amy Pascal’s resignation. These files have already existed online, hosted on computers around the world. But now they’re easy to find on Wikileaks.org.
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange justified the tactic this way: “This archive shows the inner workings of an influential multinational corporation,” he wrote in a statement. “It is newsworthy and at the center of a geopolitical conflict. It belongs in the public domain. WikiLeaks will ensure it stays there.”
3. For mayor, Dems’ city committee backs … no one
Philadelphia’s Democratic political machine is officially staying out of the mayor’s race. The party’s longtime city chairman, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, said leaders of the 69 Democratic wards were “split down the middle” on whom to endorse in the six-way May 19 primary field. He said the “lion’s share” of support was for state Sen. Anthony Williams and former City Councilman Jim Kenney.
“We’re leaving it open,” Brady said Thursday, days after ward leaders met to vote on endorsements. Brady said he didn’t want to spend money printing sample ballots that would go to waste.
“If I give South Philadelphia a ticket with Tony Williams, they won’t use it. If I give West Philadelphia a Jim Kenney ticket, they won’t use it,” Brady said.
4. Records of Reserve Deputy Robert Bates Were Falsified, Report Says
Authorities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, dismissed as “rumor” a newspaper report that supervisors falsified the training records of the reserve sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed an unarmed man earlier this month.
The Tulsa World reported on Thursday that the reserve deputy, Robert Bates, was given credit for field training he never completed and firearms certifications he never received.
It also reported, citing anonymous sources, that three of Bates’ supervisors were transferred after refusing to sign off on his training.
Tulsa County sheriff spokesman Maj. Shannon Clark, told NBC News: “The media outlet that is putting that information out is using unconfirmed sources and also relying on anonymity. We don’t respond to rumor.”
Bates’ lawyer, Clark Brewster, told MSNBC that Bates was fully state-certified and “received substantial training in-house and at seminars and training sessions out-of-state.”
5. Amandla Stenberg: ‘Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows’
Amandla Stenberg stole hearts and gained international recognition for her role as “Rue” in “The Hunger Games,” but now the 16-year-old actress is taking on cultural appropriation.
A video created by the actress and her classmate three months ago, is now an authoritative history lesson on black culture and cultural relevancy, asking, “What would America be like if we loved black people as much as black culture?”
In a Tumblr post called, “Don’t Cash Crop My Corn Rows,” Stenberg says some white celebrities have adopted aspects of black culture as “a way of being edgy and getting attention.”
From twerking to grills, Stenberg points out that pop culture has the tendency to assign white ownership of long ridden styles, specifically referencing Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Macklemore and Taylor Swift.
Click here to read these stories on 900amWURD.
Solomon Jones is an Essence bestselling author and award-winning columnist. He is the creator and editor of Solomonjones.com and morning host on 900 am WURD radio. Click here to learn more about Solomon
