#NNPA BlackPress
Lakers Announce 2019-20 Coaching Staff
LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The Los Angeles Lakers have named Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy, Miles Simon, Mike Penberthy and Quinton Crawford as assistant coaches on Head Coach Frank Vogel’s staff, it was announced. Also named to Vogel’s staff are Greg St. Jean as player development coach/advance scout, Dru Anthrop as head video coordinator/player development coach and Jon Pastorek, as assistant video coordinator/player development coach.
By Sentinel News Service
The Los Angeles Lakers have named Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins, Phil Handy, Miles Simon, Mike Penberthy and Quinton Crawford as assistant coaches on Head Coach Frank Vogel’s staff, it was announced. Also named to Vogel’s staff are Greg St. Jean as player development coach/advance scout, Dru Anthrop as head video coordinator/player development coach and Jon Pastorek, as assistant video coordinator/player development coach.
“I could not be more excited about the group we’ve assembled,” said Vogel. “Each of these guys brings a unique set of skills and experiences that will greatly impact the success of our players, as we look to build a championship-caliber team.”
Kidd most recently served as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014-18, amassing a 139-152 record. Prior to his time in Milwaukee, Kidd spent the 2013-14 season as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, leading the team to a 44-38 record while earning two Eastern Conference Coach of the Month awards.
Hollins owns a career record of 262-272 as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, and returns to an NBA bench for the first time since 2015-16. A four-time Western Conference Coach of the Month and the winningest coach in Grizzlies’ franchise history (214-201), Hollins coached Memphis to a franchise-best 56-26 record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2012-13. He has also served as an assistant for Memphis, the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns.
Handy joins the Lakers staff after serving as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors last season, following five seasons in the same role with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2013-18). Overall, he has coached in each of the last five NBA Finals, winning titles with the Raptors and Cavaliers in 2019 and 2016, respectively. A native of San Leandro, Handy returns to the Lakers after spending 2011-13 as an assistant coach.
Simon returns for his third season with the Lakers after playing a key role in the team’s on-court development and game preparation. Simon has coached each of the Lakers last two entries in the Las Vegas Summer League, advancing to the 2018 championship game. He’s previously worked with Team USA and has been the director of the Nike Basketball Academy since 2015, while also working with ESPN as a college basketball analyst.
Penberthy was a member of the New Orleans Pelicans staff during each of the last two seasons. He previously worked as a private trainer for some of the league’s top talent and was an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014-15. Penberthy played two seasons for the Lakers from 2000-02 and was a member of the 2001 championship team.
Crawford served as head video coordinator/player development coach for the Hornets last season and was in the same role for the Orlando Magic during the 2017-18 campaign, after spending the 2016-17 season with Orlando as assistant video coordinator. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona, with a master’s degree in education from Pepperdine University.
St. Jean spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at St. John’s University, primarily managing scouting, game preparation, player development and video operations. Prior to his time in Queens, St. Jean was a member of the Sacramento Kings player player development and video staffs from 2013-15 and was a basketball operations summer intern for the New Jersey Nets in 2012.
Anthrop joins the staff after serving last season as assistant video coordinator/player development assistant for the Grizzlies. From 2016-18, he worked under Vogel with the Magic as special assistant to the head coach and assistant video coordinator. Anthrop also spent a season with St. John’s as a graduate assistant and was a basketball film coordinating intern for the Indiana Pacers from 2013-15.
Pastorek returns for his third season with the Lakers and his second as assistant video coordinator/player development coach. He assists with the team’s gameday preparation and on-court development, and most recently was a member of the 2019 summer league coaching staff.
This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Sentinel.
#NNPA BlackPress
Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

By Lauren Burke
By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.
The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.
“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.
“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

#NNPA BlackPress
Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.
“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized. “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”
Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”
A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.
Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”
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