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The Blue Flood: America Finds Its Voice Again

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — By 8:30 p.m. on election night, the story was unmistakable. America had spoken, not with a whisper but with a roar that swept from Richmond to Atlanta, from Newark to New York City. The message was clear.

Published

7 months ago

November 5, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

By 8:30 p.m. on election night, the story was unmistakable. America had spoken, not with a whisper but with a roar that swept from Richmond to Atlanta, from Newark to New York City. The message was clear. The nation had seen enough of the cruelty, chaos, and conspiracies that marked the Trump years. What followed was not a trickle of blue, but a flood.

Democrats swept Virginia in a commanding victory that turned the commonwealth deep blue once again. Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger shattered a long-standing glass ceiling, becoming the first woman ever elected governor of Virginia. Her running mate, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, made history as the first Indian American and the first Muslim elected to statewide office. Together, they secured the top two offices in the state, giving Democrats full control of Virginia’s government. In the attorney general’s race, Democrat Jay Jones defeated Republican incumbent Jason Miyares after overcoming a late campaign controversy involving resurfaced text messages he sent in 2022 about then House Speaker Todd Gilbert. His win marked another milestone, making him Virginia’s first Black attorney general. It was more than a state turning a page. It was the nation beginning a new chapter.

In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill captured the governor’s mansion, turning what had been a Republican-leaning swing state into a Democratic stronghold. In Pennsylvania, voters chose to retain all three Democratic Supreme Court justices, maintaining a five-to-two majority on the state’s highest court. The decision represented a firm rejection of the MAGA legal crusades aimed at rolling back reproductive rights, voting rights, and democratic norms. Even in the Deep South, the map looked different by midnight. Democrats flipped two Public Service Commission seats in Georgia, their first such victories in twenty-five years. Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens coasted to re-election. In Miami, the mayoral race advanced to a runoff with Democrat Eileen Higgins in first place, an unexpected twist in a city long seen as safely Republican.

In New York City, Democrat Zohran Mamdani won the mayor’s race, with more than two million voters casting ballots, the highest turnout for a mayoral election since 1969. In Detroit, City Council President Mary Sheffield was elected as the city’s first woman mayor. Across the country, women and people of color were not just participating in democracy; they were leading it. “The cruelty, chaos, and greed that define MAGA radicalism were firmly rejected by the American people,” Schumer said. He called the night’s results “a repudiation of the Trump agenda.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined national coverage and described the results as “a mandate for a more compassionate and forward-looking government.” The message came amid deep national strain. The ongoing government shutdown, driven by Trump-aligned Republicans, has closed Head Start centers, left millions of children without preschool care, and forced families to go without food assistance and infant formula. The election became more than a contest between parties. It became a referendum on what kind of country Americans still want to build. “Tonight, America chose to move forward,” Schumer said. And forward it went. Into a political moment defined not by grievance but by grit, not by fear but by faith in shared progress. After years of division, voters seemed to reclaim the idea that democracy still belongs to them.

“Mayor Michelle Wu has repeatedly put Bostonians first and delivered solutions to some of the biggest challenges Boston families are facing today,” EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said. “She has defended her city against Trump and his allies, and we are proud to congratulate her on her reelection victory. As mayor, Michelle has spearheaded historical investments in affordable housing for Bostonians, and we look forward to watching her continue delivering impactful results.” “Tonight proved what we knew to be sure. Mikie Sherrill always comes out on top in tough fights,” VoteVets said in a statement. “Always committed to service, as governor, Mikie is going to focus on making life easier for everyone in New Jersey, and we’re confident she’ll get results.” Sherrill, a VoteVets-backed candidate since her first congressional run in 2018, triumphed over Trump loyalist Jack Ciattarelli, ensuring the governor’s mansion remains in Democratic hands for the first time in sixty years. “Eileen is a battle-tested leader who has fought hard for affordable housing, invested millions to strengthen hundreds of small businesses, and led efforts to expand transit,” Mackler said after Eileen Higgins’s first-place finish in Miami. “We’re confident her leadership and momentum will carry her to victory in the runoff and allow her to continue delivering for the people of Miami.”

Virginia House Democrats shattered expectations, flipping at least eleven seats to reach a sixty-two-seat majority, the largest Democratic House majority in Virginia since 1989. It is the first time in fifty years that Democrats expanded their majority in this battleground chamber, and the first time in nearly four decades that a Democratic governor will enter office with a trifecta. “EMILYs List is proud to congratulate state Rep. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger on her critical victory in Minnesota’s state Senate District 47,” Mackler said. “Amanda has a proven track record fighting for Minnesotans in the state House, and she will continue her great work in the state Senate working to protect access to health care, investing in education, and making child care more affordable.” The victory was crucial. It marked the second time in recent years Democrats successfully defended their Senate majority and set the tone for 2026, when the full Minnesota Senate will again be on the ballot. “Through her hard work and dedication to the residents of the Queen City, she has secured real results, including the expansion of public transportation, funding for affordable housing, and investing in safer communities,” Mackler said about Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles’s re-election. “We are thrilled to witness Vi become the second-longest serving mayor of Charlotte, and we look forward to watching her continue her impactful work.”

Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the state Senate, with victories by Theresa Gillespie Isom, Reginald Jackson, and Johnny DuPree. It was the sixth time in two years that Democrats have broken a GOP supermajority in a state legislature. Across the map, the numbers told a story of resurgence. In Virginia, Spanberger’s margin of victory was the largest in at least forty years, flipping nearly every county blue. In New Jersey, Sherrill erased Trump’s 2024 gains among Black, Hispanic, and AAPI voters. In Pennsylvania, voters overwhelmingly supported Democratic judicial retention by wide margins. In Georgia, Democrats won non-federal statewide offices for the first time in two decades. This election, Democrats said, was a referendum on Donald Trump and his failure to deliver for working families. Party officials said Trump sold out Americans to benefit billionaires and himself. The DNC pointed to history, noting that when Democrats have swept the governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia and the New York City mayor’s race, they have won the U.S. House majority the following year.

“American voters just delivered a Democratic resurgence. A Republican reckoning. A blue sweep,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said. “It happened because our Democratic candidates, no matter where they are or how they fit into our big tent party, are meeting voters at the kitchen table, not the gilded ballroom. From New Jersey, Virginia, and New York, to Georgia and beyond, Democrats ran campaigns relentlessly focused on costs and affordability. They ran on a vision that connected to the core of hardworking families across the country. And to all the Republicans who have bowed a cowardly knee to Trump all year, consider this: we’re coming after your jobs next. Over the next year, the ability to stop Trump in his tracks runs directly through the Democratic Party. We will earn every vote. We will win.” The victories were sweeping, including Spanberger, Hashmi, and Jones in Virginia, Sherrill in New Jersey, Supreme Court justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht in Pennsylvania, Dr. Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard in Georgia, Proposition 50 in California, Question 1 in Maine, Zohran Mamdani in New York City, and a double-digit gain in the Virginia House of Delegates. “The American people made themselves clear,” Martin said. “This was not just an election about politics. It was about decency, democracy, and the kind of nation we still want to be.”

Stacy M. Brown

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

1 month ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

1 month ago

May 3, 2026

admin

Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

Published

1 month ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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