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Global Car Designer Andre Hudson Gives Us a Peek Inside of ‘Tomorrow’s’ Self-Driving Cars

NNPA NEWSWIRE — In order to give us a peek into the future, we caught up with one of the foremost forward-thinkers and creative spirits in the field of design. Global car designer Andre Hudson, who spent the first half of his career working for both General Motors and Hyundai, recently led a team of designers and sculptors, while working at the Italy-based Icona Design, re-imagining the next wave of vehicles.

Published

7 years ago

June 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Jeff Fortson of JeffCars.com, NNPA Newswire Contributor

Unless you’ve been literally asleep at the wheel, no pun intended, whether you’re ready or not, both electric and self-driving vehicles are in the pipeline. This next phase of passenger transportation, which is literally one of the most significant changes the industry has experienced, since the shift from horses and buggies to gasoline engine vehicles, is literally right around the corner.

Since the 60s and the airing of the cartoon The Jetsons, we’ve been hearing about fully autonomous, flying vehicles. Well, believe it or not, we’re finally closer than we have ever been. We’re literally in the mix of mapping out the next phase of the transportation system. While infrastructure will have to be put in place to accommodate how we commute, car designers around the globe are working vigorously behind the scene to reimagine the experience of traveling in a vehicle, since the traditional means of sitting behind the steering wheel will no longer be in play.

In order to give us a peek into the future, we caught up with one of the foremost forward-thinkers and creative spirits in the field of design. Global car designer Andre Hudson, who spent the first half of his career working for both General Motors and Hyundai, recently led a team of designers and sculptors, while working at the Italy-based Icona Design, re-imagining the next wave of vehicles.

Hudson is a diamond in the rough in the field of auto design. In today’s world, one has a better chance of meeting a NBA or NFL player, as opposed to a car designer, and more specifically, a Black car designer. Globally, there are only 30 Black car designers. Hudson, who is known for adding curves and sex appeal to the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, played a key role with the stylish, hot-selling four-door sedan, generating so much cash for the Korean automaker, it gave them enough confidence to develop the Genesis luxury brand. The Korean brand’s luxury flagship sedan, the G90, was also heavily influenced by the design genius.

While serving as the design director of Icona’s only U.S. studio, Hudson worked in collaboration with their studios in Germany, China and Italy, creating a fully autonomous vehicle that would finally give the world a realistic glimpse on the auto show circuit of what’s to come. The all-new, bubble-shaped Nucleus, which kind of reminds one of a flying saucer, made its international global debut, during the spring of 2018, at the Geneva International Auto Show, and its only U.S. appearance, at last November’s L. A. Auto Show.

Being that most of us weren’t even aware such a highly evolved concept vehicle existed, we wanted to go one-on-one with Hudson, who has had a hand in reshaping the future of what we now know as “tomorrow’s” passenger vehicle.

Jeff Fortson: Is the Nucleus based on a zero emissions vehicle?

Andre Hudson: The Nucleus is not based on a particular zero emissions vehicle but it is a zero emissions vehicle. The basic layout was designed to be fully electric, with the possibility of a hydrogen fuel cell supporting the battery system. Ultimately, it is about the pushing the usable interior space to the max. When level 5 autonomy becomes feasible, we will be able to remove the steering wheel and driver controls all together and use that space more efficiently. (Level 5 autonomy makes the vehicle completely self-driving.)

JF: What role did the U.S. studio that you oversaw play in the creation of the Nucleus?

AH: While the Nucleus was a global project for Icona Design, the U. S. studio led the project with all of the concept sketch development, which consisted of concept ideation and clay model development for the exterior. We also began the initial digital development of the interior in the US. As the concept size grew and came into formation, we used our global resources in design, digital modeling, and engineering to complete the Nucleus.

JF: What inspired the design?

AH: Inspiration came from many places, but most directly the idea that we wanted to make a larger mono-volume vehicle (essentially a van) into the most beautiful and sensual shape that we could. No matter what concept vehicle shapes you see produced every year, there is still no form as efficient as using a box for interior volume.

When we looked at larger vehicle designs, particularly yachts, we see this idea of a aero (or hydro) efficient shape surrounding beautifully appointed living quarters. In many ways the exterior of the Nucleus is a similar idea. On the interior we actually looked at high-end architectural spaces like those find in various premium resorts around the world and even first-class appointments found on today’s large capacity airliners.

JF: What makes the interior of the Nucleus unique?

AH: The interior of the Nucleus was meant to surprise you as you stepped inside and took a seat. It was to be the most non-automotive feeling space one could imagine. We really wanted it to feel as though you were truly in a modern lounge or a hotel suite.

It is interesting! Pictures really do not do the space justice. You have to sit in it and take in all the lines, the light and the ambiance. We did everything possible to optimize the vehicle layout. The batteries were packaged under the floor, with full autonomy, there was no space required for the steering wheel and typical driver controls, and we packaged the motors for the drive system within each of the 28-inch wheels.

Essentially, all the mechanicals (devices normally in a vehicle) were pushed outside the passenger space. This allowed us to structure the interior more like a hotel suite or a rolling lounge. When the large single sliding door and hatch opens, you see a space that is warm and inviting. Three distinct seating areas present themselves, which are finished in cream and deep blue leather. A warm, indirect light feature leads your eye from the front to the rear (this feature also is an abstraction of our Icona logo). And a beautiful deep blue wood veneer spans the floor from front to back. We divided the space up into three key zones: the office, the lounge and the loft.

Towards the front of the vehicle you’ll find the office, with a large captain chair that greets you upon entry and rotates you around 180 degrees. This is where you’ll find a full width desk, with a built-in keyboard and iPad dock. Out of this desk also raises a full-service bar, complete with ice, champagne and flutes. The front occupant will also appreciate the surrounding terrarium, housing live plants that breathe an air of life into this modern space. Centrally, you will see a wide format display used to communicate key information to all occupants.

In the mid-section (of the vehicle), which you see first when the large door opens, you see a beautifully styled chaise lounge. Totally unexpected for a vehicle, it presents itself as being more like a piece of furniture than a car seat. It is meant to evoke a feeling of style, relaxation and modernity. This space can seat two sitting side-by-side or one occupant reclined.

And towards the rear of the Nucleus you’ll find the Loft. Another captain style chair that is elevated slight above the others on a raised, back-lit platform. This seat was designed for the ‘boss’. It has been designed with a cantilevered desk that houses an iPad and blanket. The seat can also be tilted rearward to a zero-gravity position for ultimate comfort. The view over the rest of the Nucleus interior is truly spectacular from the seat.

JF: How many people can the Nucleus transport?

AH: The Nucleus was really designed around 3 occupants. Remember, space is luxury, and that’s what we wanted to demonstrate. We did think about the necessity to carry more than 3, and for that, we designed the desk in the rear. Not only does it disappear into the rear, it exposes a secondary seat to the left of the loft captain chair. Again, as mentioned before, the lounge area could accommodate 2, bringing the overall vehicle capacity to 5.

Click here or visit JeffCars.com to check out part two of our conversation with Andre Hudson. Since our interview, the highly sought after designer, has accepted a new career opportunity, as the head of design for the California-based Independence Electric. In his new role, Hudson will be helping to shape the future of electric cars.

About Jeff Fortson: He is the host of SiriusXM’s only multicultural automotive radio show. The show, which features one-on-one conversations with influencers like Hudson, can be heard weekly on Channel 141, Fridays at 12 PM ET. For additional air dates, new car reviews, used car buying tips and more, visit his website, JeffCars.com.

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COMMENTARY: Jim Crow 2.0 at the Pentagon

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 3, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Pete Hegseth insists that he is restoring “merit” to the United States military. But after months of dismissals, blocked promotions, and ideological purges, the evidence tells a different story. His campaign against so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” has become something far more dangerous: an assault on equal opportunity that falls with particular force on African Americans, while also targeting women, Latinos, gay Americans, and transgender service members.

The latest example is both troubling and infuriating.

Once again, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of an exceptionally qualified woman—Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt. Bauernschmidt is no ordinary officer. She became the Navy’s first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, one of the most demanding leadership assignments in the world. Her career reflects decades of exemplary performance, operational excellence, and leadership under extraordinary pressure.

Yet once again, a distinguished military career appears to have been subordinated to an ideological agenda masquerading as “merit.”

I call BS!

The American people are expected to believe that one extraordinary officer after another suddenly fails to meet some undefined standard of excellence. We are expected to ignore impeccable service records while accepting that political appointees alone possess the wisdom to determine who is worthy of advancement.

The pattern has become impossible to ignore.

General Charles Q. Brown Jr., only the second African American to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was dismissed despite a career that placed him among the most accomplished military leaders of his generation.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, was removed despite decades of distinguished command experience.

Reports have documented interventions that blocked or delayed the promotions of Black officers and women selected through the military’s rigorous promotion system.

Now Rear Admiral Amy Bauernschmidt joins the growing list of highly accomplished officers whose careers have been derailed for reasons that have never been persuasively explained.

Where is Congress?

Its silence has become deafening.

Congress has an independent constitutional responsibility to oversee the armed forces. Instead, too many lawmakers have watched silently while one of the nation’s most respected institutions is subjected to ideological litmus tests and political interference.

This is not military reform. It is testosterone-fueled performative masculinity disguised as a philosophy of military excellence.

The irony is impossible to miss. Hegseth repeatedly invokes “merit,” yet his rhetoric begins with the assumption that Black officers, women, and other historically excluded Americans must somehow justify their achievements in ways that white male officers are rarely required to do.

That is not meritocracy. It is prejudice wrapped in patriotic language.

No one is asking that anyone be promoted because of race or gender. Americans simply expect that promotions be based on demonstrated competence, leadership, integrity, and service. The officers being targeted have already proven themselves repeatedly under one of the world’s most demanding evaluation systems.

Their records speak for themselves.

The attack on African American military leadership has been especially pernicious.

For generations, Black Americans fought in segregated units, earned decorations while denied equal treatment, and repeatedly demonstrated loyalty to a nation that often failed to extend them full citizenship. They broke barriers not because standards were lowered but because excellence finally overcame institutional discrimination.

Today’s campaign against “diversity” threatens to revive old assumptions under new slogans.

The implication that Black generals and admirals somehow owe their success to affirmative action rather than extraordinary performance echoes some of the ugliest stereotypes of the Jim Crow era. Yesterday’s segregationists claimed Black Americans were inherently less qualified. Today’s culture warriors simply employ more politically acceptable language while inviting the same suspicion about Black achievement.

That is why Hegseth’s campaign increasingly resembles Jim Crow 2.0.

The targets may now wear stars on their shoulders instead of military patches on segregated uniforms, but the underlying message is hauntingly familiar: Black excellence is presumed suspect, while white excellence is presumed earned.

America’s military became the finest fighting force in history because it opened its doors to talent wherever it could be found. It grew stronger after President Truman desegregated the armed forces. It became stronger when women assumed greater command responsibilities. It became stronger when every qualified American was given the opportunity to serve to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Diversity is not a concession. It is a strategic advantage.

The nation’s adversaries do not fear an American military because it is racially homogeneous. They fear it because it draws upon the talents of more than 340 million Americans whose diverse experiences, perspectives, and abilities make our armed forces unmatched anywhere in the world.

Every politically motivated dismissal of a distinguished officer sends a chilling message throughout the ranks: excellence alone may no longer be enough if you belong to the wrong demographic group.

That weakens morale. It weakens recruitment. It weakens retention.

And ultimately, it weakens national security.

Pete Hegseth has every right to pursue military readiness. He has no right to redefine merit in ways that repeatedly cast suspicion upon the accomplishments of Black officers, women, and others who have devoted their lives to defending this nation.

America deserves better. The men and women who wear the uniform deserve better. The Constitution deserves better.

And unless Congress finds the courage to exercise meaningful oversight, history may well remember this period not as a restoration of military excellence, but as the moment political ideology attempted to resurrect, in modern form, the old poison of exclusion.

Jim Crow did not strengthen America. Jim Crow 2.0 will not strengthen America’s military. It will only diminish it

Wade Henderson
Strategic Advisor
Civil and Human Rights
wade@wadejhenderson.com

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New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial

By Emilie St. John (Contributor) Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction. Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District […]
The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

By Emilie St. John
(Contributor)

Karmelo Anthony will return to court next month in his first step to overturn his murder conviction.

Anthony was found guilty last month in the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison. His new legal team has filed motions seeking the recusal of State District Judge John Roach Jr. from overseeing the appeals process.

Two hearings have been scheduled on the motion for Aug. 9 and 10 in the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney, Texas, according to Fox4 News.

On July 14, Senior Judge Sid L. Harle of the 226th District Court was assigned to preside over the defense’s motion to recuse Collin County Judge John Roach. The assignment took effect immediately and authorized Harle to handle all matters related to the recusal request, the filing read.

The Collin County District Attorney’s Office continues to defend its handling of the case by issuing a statement to NBC 5 DFW.

“The defendant’s new lawyers have filed a motion containing several inaccurate characterizations of the trial proceedings. The entire prosecution team and I conducted this trial ethically and in full compliance with the Court’s rulings and any agreements with defense counsel. We look forward to addressing these claims thoroughly in a Court of law in the coming weeks. The jury heard extensive evidence over the course of the trial and returned a unanimous verdict. We remain confident in that verdict and the fairness of the proceedings.”

Anthony’s new legal team, made up of appellate, civil rights, and criminal defense attorneys, was retained following Anthony’s conviction.

“Our responsibility is to determine whether a legal error occurred and to ensure that every issue supported by the record is fully and vigorously presented on appeal,” the team said in a statement.

“We recognize the profound loss suffered by one young man’s family and the uncertainty facing another, and we extend our respect to everyone whose lives have been forever changed by these events,” the release reads.

Anthony was charged with the stabbing death of Austin Metcalf during a track meet in Frisco, Texas, April 2, 2025. Anthony has long maintained it was an act of self-defense.

The attorneys are representing Anthony pro bono. The nearly 200-page notice of appeal seeks a new trial because his Sixth Amendment right to a public trial was violated.

“The cumulative and practical effect of these provisions was to exclude members of the public from proceedings at every stage,” the filing reads.

The filing also focused on an alleged “handshake deal” that kept Anthony from taking the stand in his defense.

The defense filing said the agreement was that the jury would not hear that Metcalf and his twin brother had been accused of racism and bullying in the past. In exchange, they also would not see Anthony’s cellphone records or his school disciplinary record, according to court documents reported by the Dallas Morning News.

Anthony’s former defense attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense relied heavily on that deal. The team chose not to ask certain questions of witnesses or call on a separate expert witness based on that agreement. It also abandoned plans to introduce testimony and evidence about the allegations against Metcalf and his brother.

Appellate attorney Russell Wilson is now handling post-trial proceedings and Anthony’s appeal. He recently sat down for an interview, stating, “The court committed multiple errors during the June murder trial, preventing him from receiving a fair trial.”

“You know, we file motions that we expect to prevail on, but we understand that there’s two sides to every story. And at the end of the day, it’ll be a judge that has to make these decisions, but we feel confident in the positions that we’re taking,” Wilson said during an interview with WFAA. “There were substantial issues that we thought a reviewing court needed to look at. We thought these were constitutional irregularities, and we could have them addressed now. And so, we put them into a motion for a new trial.”

Bree West, a former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney, found it startling that so little time was given to Anthony’s team for such a serious “life or death” situation.

“I do think that it’s really challenging that potentially a court decided that you have 10 minutes to make that level of decision when it has the potential of being life-altering,” said West during an interview with Fox 4 News.

Judge Harle is no stranger to high-profile cases, having presided over the prosecution of a police officer charged in connection with the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

Anthony was convicted on June 9 of the murder of Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The post New Judge Could Decide if Karmelo Anthony Gets a New Trial appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump!

WESTSIDE GAZETTE — The author criticizes Donald Trump’s rhetoric, noting his use of terms like “Dumbocrats” and “Communist” to describe Democrats and democracy. The column asserts that Trump’s current strategy involves creating doubt about midterm elections due to a lack of Republican agenda.
The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

July 31, 2026

Oakland Post

Frankly Speaking

Wow! Wow! Wow! The swamp drainers have truly stepped down to new levels of stupidity. You remember Weapons of Mass Destruction? We now have Weapons of Mass Distraction. Trump has introduced Dumbocrats and Communists into the conversation about Democrats and Democracy.

Trump lies so much, and his current strategy is to set up doubt about midterm elections because he and Republicans have no agenda!

He has no “Trump “ card, but Iran has a strait! He called it a skirmish; it’s now a War. He said five days; now it’s five months. He said few casualties; now it’s 18 deaths. He knew nothing about Project 2025 but hired its architects! Trump lies about the lies and often forgets these little inventions called cameras and phones

We see and hear and then see and hear the inconsistencies.

I didn’t like 45 and dislike 47 even more!

The post LSMFT! Lord Save Me From Trump! appeared first on The Westside Gazette.

Based on reporting by Westside Gazette.

The post COMMENTARY: LSMFT! Lord Save Me from Trump! appeared first on BlackPressUSA.