Trump fires John Bolton

CNN Newsource
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Trump fires John Bolton


By Zachary Cohen, Kaitlan Collins and Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump abruptly announced in a tweet Tuesday that he has asked national security adviser John Bolton to resign, noting that he “strongly disagreed with many” of Bolton’s suggestions “as did others in the administration.”

“I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week,” Trump wrote.

The tweet came just one hour after the White House press office said Bolton was scheduled to appear at a Tuesday press briefing alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Asked during the briefing whether he and Mnuchin were surprised that Bolton was fired, given that he was supposed to appear alongside them, Pompeo said, “I’m never surprised.”

Bolton tweeted minutes after Trump’s announcement, “I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.'”

Bolton reiterated the point that it was he who offered to resign on Fox News Tuesday.

Trump has plowed through an unprecedented number of national security professionals while multiple geopolitical crises have played out.

The President has had three national security advisers — Bolton, Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster. He has summarily fired a secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, by tweet after undercutting the former ExxonMobil CEO for months.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned, reportedly in frustration over Trump’s decision to pull out of Syria.

The President has also churned through two Homeland Security secretaries, John Kelly and Kirstjen Nielsen, and a National Security Agency director, Mike Rogers. He’s lost a deputy national security adviser, K.T. McFarland and an ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and his deputy, Sue Gordon, left their posts last month.

Bolton’s departure comes as tensions with Iran are escalating in the Persian Gulf, North Korea continues to develop its weapons capabilities, arms control experts are warning of a potential nuclear arms race with Russia and trade tensions with China are intensifying, while Trump is discussing a drawdown of forces in Afghanistan.

White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters that Charles Kupperman is the acting national security adviser.

“John Bolton’s priorities and policies just don’t line up with the President’s and any sitting president has the right to put someone in that position that can carry out his agenda. That became no longer tenable so the President made a change,” Gidley told reporters.

He claimed there was “no one issue” that led to Bolton’s firing, and referred reporters to the forthcoming briefing for more information.

Yet, Bolton’s ouster was so sudden that the now-former National Security Adviser even led a meeting of top administration officials, known as a principals committee meeting, Tuesday morning prior to Trump’s tweet, a source familiar told CNN.

The source said the meeting went on as planned and there was no indication that Bolton’s firing was imminent.

Writing on the wall

The campaign by Trump allies to push Bolton out of the administration had ramped up in recent weeks, multiple sources told CNN.

The President had received multiple phone calls and appeals to replace Bolton with someone who agreed with him more and was willing to follow through with his decisions when he didn’t. This was something Trump heard since he hired Bolton — but people noticed the President’s frustration with him was growing in recent weeks so they upped the pressure.

A senior administration official echoed that sentiment, telling CNN that Trump has been getting more and more irritated with Bolton over the past several months for his statements on Iran, Venezuela and now Afghanistan.

Trump no longer believed Bolton could advocate for the President’s agenda, and instead felt he was harming his credibility, the official said.

Ultimately, a disagreement between Trump and Bolton over the President’s decision to host leaders of the Taliban at Camp David appeared to be the last straw.

Trump was irked by reports that he had faced internal pushback from Bolton over his decision, multiple people familiar with his frustration say. The President announced the plans for the meeting were canceled on Saturday.

Bolton and Trump got into a heated argument Monday night over the President’s plan to host Taliban leaders at Camp David and Bolton did not back down, two people familiar with what happened said.

One of the factors that prompted Trump to fire Bolton was the concern inside the White House that Bolton’s aides were making it sound as though Vice President Mike Pence had opposed the Taliban meeting at Camp David, according to two senior administration officials. One official pointed to Pence’s tweet saying he would have supported such a move.

CNN reported last week that tensions between top figures on Trump’s national security team had devolved into all-out hostility, creating a deep disconnect between staffers on the National Security Council, led by Bolton, and the rest of the administration, six people familiar with the matter said.

Pompeo acknowledged Tuesday that he disagreed with Bolton “many times.”

“That’s for sure,” he said, but added he disagrees with others as well.

Bolton was initially brought into the administration last year to replace HR McMaster partly due to his hawkish position on Iran — supporting Trump’s exit from the Iran nuclear deal — but he soon began to clash with the President’s vision for diplomacy in North Korea and most recently on Afghanistan.

Trump also felt like Bolton wasn’t a forceful enough advocate for him in the media — and that when he did make appearances, he wasn’t convincing enough, since it was evident he didn’t believe in some of Trump’s foreign policy goals, a senior administration official said.

Some West Wing officials in recent weeks began to get the sense Bolton’s days were numbered based on his clashes with other officials in the administration and differing views on key issues.

Those involved in national security discussions took notice that Bolton was “going through a tough time” as one source put it. Aides were waiting to see if he could weather the storm as he had in the past which clearly didn’t happen this time around.

Officials learned of firing from Trump’s tweet

A senior administration official told CNN that White House and national security officials learned about Bolton’s firing from Trump’s tweet. The official described aides as frantically trying to figure things out following the tweet.

Specifically, officials at the National Security Council are now wondering about the future of their organization after Bolton’s abrupt firing.

When he arrived in March 2018, Bolton brought with him several officials to fill key roles — and the fate of those officials isn’t clear.

As staffers detailed to the NSC phased out, Bolton worked to replace them with people he’d worked with previously and he considered loyal to him. His goal was to have senior leaders in place that were “his people” as the 2020 election season began.

If those officials depart en masse, the NSC will be majorly depleted, so it’s not expected they will all follow Bolton out the door.

But there is uncertainty today about what happens next.

Mixed reaction

Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney called his departure a “huge loss” for the Trump administration and said he was “very unhappy” to learn Bolton was leaving.

“The loss of John Bolton as a senior leader in foreign policy is an extraordinary loss for our nation and for the White House,” Romney told reporters, adding that he was an important voice in the room because he would take a different view.

But fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul praised the firing of John Bolton, predicting that his removal made the threat of war with Iran or other adversaries less likely.

“I think that the President deserves to have someone around him who agrees with his policy. I think the threat of war worldwide goes down exponentially with John Bolton out of the White House,” Paul told reporters.

“I think his advocacy for regime change around the world is a naive world view. And I think that the world will be a much better place with new advisors to the president and hopefully somebody who’s actually listening to what the President says over and over again, that he wants to bring America’s longest war to a close,” he said.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that Bolton served the country well but the President “deserves a national security adviser he has confidence in.”

Graham didn’t explicitly say that he had a heads up but also suggested the Taliban meeting contributed to his dismissal.

“I think Bolton served the country well. He gave the president his honest opinion and it’s time for him to move on,” Graham said.

Asked if he had a heads up Bolton would be fired, Graham said: “I know there were some concerns about the whole Taliban meeting, but I didn’t know for sure.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also weighed in on Bolton’s departure Tuesday in a statement.

“This revolving door of American leadership is devastating to our nation’s security as our allies now turn to more stable nations — like China and Russia — as our foreign policy infrastructure falls apart,” Murphy said.

“John Bolton was the wrong choice and the silver lining to this instability is that there will be fewer people whispering war chants in the president’s ear. But no one of any quality is going to take a job in the nation’s national security cabinet so long as everyone’s head is permanently hovering slightly above the chopping block,” he added.

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Apple unveils new iPhone 11 models

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Apple unveils new iPhone 11 models


By Samantha Murphy Kelly and Seth Fiegerman, CNN Business

(CNN) — Apple is turning it up to 11.

Apple officially unveiled its new iPhone lineup at a closely watched media event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters on Tuesday. The updated models include the iPhone 11, with a more affordable price tag, and the higher-end iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models feature an improved camera system, with three cameras on the back of the phone, and better battery life than previous models. Apple says the iPhone 11 Pro will last four hours longer than the iPhone XS and the iPhone 11 Pro Max will last five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, called the Pro models “the most powerful and most advanced iPhones we have ever built, with a stunning design.”

The company also unveiled a new seventh generation iPad at the event Tuesday, with a larger 10.2-inch retina display and a price tag starting at $329. The previous model had a 9.7-inch screen. And it announced the Apple Watch Series 5, an updated version of its smartwatch with an always-on display. With this feature, the watch face is always visible, rather than requiring the user to raise his or her wrist.

The Series 5 watch starts at $399, or $499 with cellular. The Series 3, an earlier version, will now retail for just $199.

Apple kicked off the event by focusing on its premium subscription services, a product area it is increasingly betting on to grow revenue and offset sales declines in its core iPhone business.

Apple unveiled pricing and additional details for Apple Arcade, its gaming subscription product, and Apple TV+, a new streaming service for original shows and movies. Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ will each cost $4.99 a month.

At a time when some of its competitors are launching innovative but riskier concepts, such as Samsung’s foldable smartphone and its two 5G devices, Apple is expected to stay the course. That, too, may be risky. The iPhone business — still Apple’s single biggest moneymaker — has been lackluster at best of late. Revenue from iPhone sales has declined by double-digit percentages in recent quarters.

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OP-ED: Political Candidates Need to Control Their Campaign Workers at Bordeaux Library

The Nashville Voice
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OP-ED: Political Candidates Need to Control Their Campaign Workers at Bordeaux Library

NASHVILLE, TN – During election season candidates throughout Davidson County hire Campaign Poll Workers to help them stay visible at voting locations. It is a common practice to see individuals waving to voters as they hold up signs representing who they believe should receive your vote.

According to Tenn. Code. Ann. § 2-7-111(a); (b)(1) the display of campaign posters, signs or other campaign materials, distribution of campaign materials, and solicitation of votes for or against any person, political party, or position on a question are prohibited within 100 feet of any building in which a polling place is located.

At the majority of these polling places  the 100 feet rule has allowed for voters to feel comfortable and safe in the voting process. Unfortunately at Bordeaux Library, located in North Nashville, poll workers have continued to make the location a toxic environment turning off both voters and others hired to work there. Candidates continue to allow their workers to push the limits of the 100 feet rule.

During this latest early voting season The Nashville Voice has continued to receive reports of Bordeaux Library poll workers yelling at voters with megaphones, arguing with each other, and representing their candidates in a negative light.

We were able to talk with a poll worker, who wished to remain anonymous, about the working conditions at Bordeaux Library. “Besides the constant screaming as each voter walks in to vote, there are workers here who are actually fighting between campaigns, taking down signs and even putting gum on other workers chairs.” She continued. “It is  more productive if they just sit here with the signs. People already are committed to voting because they are here and already know who they are voting for. They don’t need people yelling at them as the walk into the door.”

At The Nashville Voice we have to agree that candidates are not persuading anyone to vote for them by allowing their workers to scream at voters. While a sign and a few people may help to remind voters of a candidate, it is no need for these type of actions to continue.

What also is disturbing is that these reports are only coming from predominately African American polling locations. Do candidates believe that black voters are only attracted to drama? “They aren’t doing this anywhere else, they aren’t acting this way in Bellevue or Green Hills,” explained the anonymous poll worker. “Why do they have to come up here and act ignorant?”

As early voting ends, we hope that the remaining run-off candidates will find a way to have better control of their poll workers on election day. The real question we have is this further proof of the divisiveness of modern day politics, or is it just some ratchet and ghetto mess? Because as one voter was overheard saying “why do they think I will vote for their guy because they screamed at me?”

Pay for Nashville’s Hospitality and Tourism Jobs Sees Rapid Increase

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Pay for Nashville’s Hospitality and Tourism Jobs Sees Rapid Increase

NASHVILLE – New data recently released by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development shows Nashville’s tourist industry is hotter than ever, and growth in the industry has resulted in more jobs and better pay for local hospitality and tourism workers.

According to the state, 15.8 million visitors traveled to Nashville in FY18, up to seven percent more than the year before. Those visitors spent a staggering $7 billion last year, or one-third of all visitor spending in Tennessee. A closer look at the new state tourism numbers shows that the visitation and spending surge is good news for those who work, or who are interested in working, in the local hospitality industry.

Currently, there are a record-high 71,140 hospitality and tourism jobs in Davison County, a 4.1 percent increase than the year before. Wages and income for industry workers totaled $1.79 billion in FY 2018, an 8.3 percent increase from last year. With the growth rate of income and wages more than doubling that of job growth, hospitality workers have more earning potential in the Nashville area than they ever have before. The new state data also shows that Nashville’s tourism payroll growth in FY 2018 is more than double the national average. Tourism payroll grew 8.3% in Davidson County compared to 3.6% nationally.

“It’s no secret that Nashville’s hospitality and tourism industry is growing like never before,” said Marie Sueing, vice president of Multi-Cultural Community Relations with the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp (NCVC). “The new state tourism data clearly shows that it is translating into more and better-paying jobs for people in Davidson County. These are more than minimum wage jobs. They’re managerial and supervisor positions, and jobs connected to new businesses that are tapping into Nashville’s tourism boom.”

The rise in worker pay is perhaps not surprising considering that more than $7.3 billion of tourism-related investment in Davidson County has opened since 2018 or is under construction now. These include Fifth + Broadway/National Museum of African American Music, the MLS Stadium, SoundWaves at Gaylord Opryland Resort, Nashville International Airport’s expansion and renovation, and Nashville Yards.

The city’s rapid growth in the hotel and restaurant industries have also contributed significantly to more jobs and increased pay. In 2019 alone, 103 new restaurants, bars, and cafes have opened or announced openings in 19 different Nashville neighborhoods, including Antioch, Bellevue, South Nashville, Hermitage, and Donelson. This is compared to 133 establishments that opened in 2018, 113 in 2017 and 90 in 2016. This year, 20 hotel properties with 2,400 rooms have opened or have announced openings, and 38 hotel properties have opened since 2014.

The demand for high-level hospitality and tourism professionals has led to an increased number of industry-related college programs in the Nashville area. Tennessee State University, Belmont University, Middle Tennessee State University, David Lipscomb University, and Nashville State have all seen increased interest in their hospitality and tourism programs as students look to tap into new professional opportunities across the Metro area.

“There are only a few other places in the entire country to, not only receive a strong hospitality and tourism management education but also find a range of professional employment opportunities than Nashville,” said Thom Druffel, General Manager at the Holiday Inn at Vanderbilt and adjunct professor in Tennessee State University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program. “Students at Nashville-area colleges are getting hands-on experience in one of the hottest tourism destinations in the whole world, and many of them are parlaying that into promising career opportunities.”

For job seekers looking to tap into the many new employment openings across Davidson County, the Nashville Conventions and Visitor Corp have a program called “Hospitality Works” to help connect employers with potential employees. More information about the program can be found at www.visitmusiccity.com/hospitalityworks.

Are You Ready for Tailgating Season?

StatePoint
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Are You Ready for Tailgating Season?

Firing up the grill is a year-round pastime for many, especially in fall, when tailgating takes over stadium parking lots nationwide.

Grilling for a tailgate crowd can be just as high stakes as the game itself,” says The Pit Crew of Pit Boss Grills. “Being prepared sets you up for an easy victory on the grill and in the lot.”

Whether it’s your first time hosting a parking lot party, or you just want to master your technique, use these tips from the experts at Pit Boss to keep your favorite football fans fed:

• Bring more than you think you’ll need. Once you’re parked, you’re there to stay. Be sure to have more supplies — particularly fuel — than you think you’ll need, so there are no surprises.

• Do the prep work before you go. Doctoring your food can be tricky in the heat of the moment. Cut out the onsite prep and go for surefire flavor by pre-seasoning and pre-marinating your meats.

• Use a portable grill. When it comes to grill choice, it’s all about efficiency. You want to be able to start feeding friends and family quickly after staking out space and pack it all up just in time for kick-off. With fast set-up and no messy cleanup, a portable wood pellet grill, like the Pit Boss Tailgater, gives bold, smoky-hardwood flavor, and makes a solid choice for tailgates, camping trips, picnics or any outdoor adventure.

• Satisfy all taste buds. Bring an assortment of barbecuing and dipping sauces. From sweet and spicy to tangy and mild, everyone wins with a little of what they want.

• Kick back. Just because you’re manning the grill doesn’t mean you can’t kick back and enjoy the party. Use a remote thermometer to monitor your food while you step away from the cooking site. This is especially helpful to prevent babysitting or lifting the lid when doing slower cooked meats, like ribs and pork shoulder.

• Keep your crowd full. Food is the best part of tailgating. Keep your crowd full with lots of finger foods like burgers, dogs, homemade chips and dips, or this recipe for Sticky Bourbon Chicken Wings:

Ingredients:

• 20 chicken wings, patted dry

• 1 cup ketchup

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

• 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons bourbon

• 2 tablespoons hot sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon Pit Boss Sweet Rib Rub Seasoning

Instructions:

The day or morning before the game, create you marinade by combining the ketchup, honey, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, bourbon, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Sweet Rib Rub in a bowl. Whisk well to combine.

Next, add the chicken wings to the marinade and toss them until they are well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

When it’s time to cook, fire up your wood pellet grill and set the temperature to 350 degrees F. If using a gas or charcoal grill, set it up for medium heat.

Let the marinade drip off the chicken wings, and place them directly on the grill grates to cook for 10 minutes. Turn them over and grill for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and dark golden brown. Remove the chicken wings from the grill and enjoy them while they’re nice and hot! For an extra kick of flavor, set aside some of your marinade before adding the chicken to coat the wings with later as a finishing sauce.

More tailgating grilling recipes and ideas can be found by visiting pitboss-grills.com/recipes.

With the right tools on hand and a bit of prep, you’re ready to become a master tailgater this season.

Apple expected to unveil new iPhones at September 10 event

Jason Luntz
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Apple expected to unveil new iPhones at September 10 event
By Ahiza Garcia, CNN Business

(CNN) — Apple sent out invitations on Thursday for a media event next month where the company is widely expected to unveil its latest iPhone models.

The event is scheduled to take place September 10 and will be held at the Steve Jobs Theater at its headquarters in Cupertino, California.

As usual, the invitation didn’t provide much insight into what Apple will actually discuss at the event. The artwork featured a modern version of the company’s first official logo with the apple divided into floating rainbow chunks. The tagline for the invitation: “By innovation only.”

For Apple, the stakes of its iPhone event are always high. More than any other product, the iPhone catapulted Apple to becoming the world’s most valuable company at one time and remains its biggest source of revenue. In recent quarters, however, iPhone sales have suffered double-digit percentage declines as customers hold on to their smartphones longer and the company contends with a slowdown in China amid an ongoing trade war.

Among other announcements, Apple is reportedly planning to launch three new iPhones, including two “Pro” models to replace the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. The Pro models are said to feature a new and improved camera and video recording features.

Apple could also give final details and pricing for its streaming TV service, Apple TV+.

The company has hosted a press event in early September to announce new iPhones in each of the past seven years. But one thing could be different this time: Jony Ive, Apple’s longtime design guru, may no longer play a key role at the event. In June, Apple announced Ive would be leaving the company after 30 years.

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Scooters are a huge problem for cities. No one knows how to solve it yet

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Scooters are a huge problem for cities. No one knows how to solve it yet

By Matt McFarland, CNN Business

(CNN) — Stewart Goodwin tried to put a stop to the constant flow of scooters into the plaza he oversees. He spoke to the government and scooter companies, but to no avail.

“We still find scooters in our fountains,” Goodwin, executive director of the Indiana War Memorials in Indianapolis, told CNN Business. “We find them in the canal. We find them strewn all over the sidewalks.”

In the Wild West of transportation, no one knows what to do about scooters. They appeared suddenly in many cities, triggering complaints of clutter and blocked sidewalks. When ridden, scooters emerged as sidewalk bullies — fast enough to unsettle pedestrians and create safety issues. But force scooters into the streets and they are slow and vulnerable amid two-ton vehicles, not to mention potholes that can swallow small tires.

Now, governments, communities and businesses — even the scooter companies themselves — are playing catchup on finding the right rules for scooters, and how to enforce them. Debates have emerged over when and where scooters should be ridden, and if the form of scooters needs to evolve, with bigger wheels, brighter lights or even a seat.

“It’s definitely a learning experience,” said Noelle LeVeaux, executive director of Uptown Dallas, a business improvement organization that manages the neighborhood’s public spaces. “We don’t have a lot of good data. So much is anecdotal, that’s the biggest issue.”

None of this is what was supposed to happen.

The inconsistent rules of the road

As urban populations swell, cities and startups have been searching for fresh transportation solutions. Scooters are an obvious mode for experimentation: They offer an affordable and quick way to make short trips in congested cities, much like bicycles, but without anyone breaking a sweat.

LeVeaux’s group initially welcomed scooter riding on its sidewalks. They seemed like a safe place for new riders to use the scooters, LeVeaux said. But Uptown Dallas soon saw the pedestrian safety issues of sidewalk riding and flipped its position. Now it’s reconsidering if scooters, which can reach speeds as fast as 15 mph, should be ridden at night. Atlanta banned nighttime riding this summer following a string of scooter deaths.

Other cities have totally banned scooters, with lingering memories of how Uber stormed onto their streets and created long-lasting challenges for local governments.

Scooter rules vary widely by city, and even by company. You may be able to ride to the art museum or football stadium in one city but not another. In Denver, you can park a Lyft scooter at the pro hockey or baseball stadiums, but not pro football. To park at pro football, you’ll need to be on a Bird or Lime scooter.

The restrictions are made by the companies, with input from governments and communities. Companies are quick to restrict sensitive or crowded areas, such as federal government buildings and large event spaces. Cities vary in their requests. Bolt, a scooter company, said Portland, Oregon, gave it a list of 400 areas to restrict.

Some businesses nationwide that were contacted by CNN Business, including an art museum in Baltimore and a hospice in Raleigh, North Carolina, said they weren’t even aware scooters had been blocked near them.

Scooter companies enforce riding restrictions via GPS. If you go outside the bounds, your scooter may slow down and not allow you to end your ride. These restrictions impact businesses, sports stadiums, museums, even transit stops.

Scooter companies sell themselves as an equitable form of transportation that connects residents to traditional public transit by addressing the “last-mile problem.” Public transportation generally doesn’t take people to their final destination, so the last leg of a trip can be slow or expensive. The companies view scooters as ideal for this final stretch.

But that’s not always how things have played out.

Where the streets have no scooters

Earlier this year, Scoot, a San Francisco-based subsidiary of Bird, restricted parking in Chinatown and the Tenderloin, a neighborhood with a significant homeless population. It said the decision resulted from narrow sidewalks, and concerns raised by the local community groups.

Groups were divided over a ban. Fernando Pujals, spokesperson for the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, said he reached out to Scoot about crowded sidewalk concerns, but didn’t want a ban.

“People should be given just as much access as somebody in an affluent neighborhood,” he said. “Our recommendation was how to bring scooters into the neighborhood in a thoughtful way that would encourage ridership.”

Charlotte, North Carolina’s government has tried to juggle promoting scooters as a complement to transit, while making sure scooters don’t end up clogging stations full of pedestrians — or falling on tracks. It’s had scooter companies use GPS to block off the stations. Some have gone further, including blocking nearby streets. Bird has even restricted parking around the city’s downtown transportation center, which takes up an entire block and is adjacent to a light rail stop. Bird declined to explain the policy.

Just because there are restrictions, doesn’t mean they’re actually enforced. Bird’s app warns riders when they’re in a no parking zone, and urges them to move out of it. But a rider can override the suggestion and still end the trip.

Another limitation is GPS accuracy, which tall buildings can distort. Plus, if a scooter is moving at 15mph into a no-ride zone, the scooter may not realize and slow down until a rider is deep into a restricted area.

Some organizations who have requested restrictions described the GPS technique as ineffective.

Do scooters need to be regulated?

One question in managing scooters is whether to treat them like bicycles or regulate them more strictly. Increasingly, distinctions are being drawn in response to more complaints and concerns about scooters than bicycles.

Denver’s 16th Street Mall, a pedestrian zone, welcomes bicycles on weekends, but not scooters.

The Wharf, a waterfront development in Washington, DC, opened in 2017 with public spaces designed especially to welcome bicycles and pedestrians. Several roads are built without curbs, so that all forms of transportation mix on level ground, a European tactic proven to slow down cars.

But then the scooters came.

Monty Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman & Associates, which co-developed the Wharf, likes scooters enough to place two in his company’s office for employees to ride to meetings. Scooters add to the city’s “urban theater,” Hoffman said. But that theater has turned too dramatic, and he’s asked for speed restrictions of 6 mph, and no-parking zones a the Wharf’s piers.

“We embrace [scooters] and we want more, but we want it done the right way,” Hoffman said.

In classic scooter regulation form, company responses vary widely. Some have taken no action. Others have placed no-parking and no-riding bans over the entire Wharf, and nearby streets.

All of these scooter problems are playing out at the same time investor interest has cooled as companies burn through millions. On top of regulatory woes, scooters aren’t lasting long enough to make good business sense.

Either companies find fixes that win over investors and the public, or history may remember shared scooters as a fad.

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Brad Pitt popped up at Kanye’s Sunday Service

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Brad Pitt popped up at Kanye’s Sunday Service

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — We have so many questions.

Brad Pitt was in attendance at Kanye West’s Sunday Service and it’s kind of a head-scratcher.

The event was held over the weekend in Watts, California, which you ordinarily wouldn’t think of as a stomping ground for ether of the superstars.

But West has been taking his event on the road lately. He was in Dayton, Ohio last week, where he and comedian Dave Chappelle not only put on an event for the community in the wake of a mass shooting there, but the rapper also had his choir bless Chappelle with a “Happy Birthday” rendition that went viral.

So it was a treat for many when Ye showed up in Watts, bringing the special mix of hip hop and spiritual as part of what has in the past been his invitation only Sunday Service.

And there, in the crowd of folks jamming in the parking lot of a church in Watts, was Pitt.

Photos on social media show Pitt and West smiling and chatting it up.

CNN has reached out to a rep for Pitt for comment.

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Tyler Perry lived on this street before he was homeless. A nearby highway sign now bears his name

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Tyler Perry lived on this street before he was homeless. A nearby highway sign now bears his name

By Kendall Trammell, CNN

(CNN) — Tyler Perry is a mega-millionaire now, but he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.

The Atlanta filmmaker was driving to work this week when he noticed a sign on Georgia State Route 166 had changed. A green exit sign that once read “Fort McPherson” now says “Tyler Perry Studios.”

Then Perry realized something else.

His name was next to the exit sign for Sylvan Road, the street where he lived before he was evicted in the late ’90s. Before he made it big, he struggled to make his rent payments and lived out of his car for about three months.

“My eyes filled with water knowing what God has allowed to happen in my life,” Perry shared in a Facebook post. “Atlanta has truly been the promised land for me. I came here with nothing, lived off Sylvan Road, ended up homeless and starving, but I was always praying and believing.”

Perry’s dream didn’t come true overnight. It took years of determination and hard work before he got to where he is today.

Here are some reasons why Perry is so beloved.

He broke ground with his character Madea

The making of the character Madea helped make Perry the successful mogul he is today.

For more than 20 years Perry wore a dress, wig and makeup to portray the elderly, no-nonsense black woman.

He first debuted Mabel Earlene “Madea” Simmons on stage in the play “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” in 1999.

Madea later moved to the big screen, where her movies have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars despite some criticism that the character stereotypes black women.

In March, Perry finally said goodbye to Madea, who he played for 11 films.

“I’ll be 50 this year and I’m just at a place in my life where this next 50 I want to do things differently,” he told CNN before “A Madea Family Funeral” hit theaters. “This character has been amazing. So many people have loved her. It’s been a great franchise.”

He gave a powerful speech about Hollywood politics

Perry earned a wave of applause from celebrities like Lena Waithe and Lizzo at the 2019 BET Awards as he received the Ultimate Icon Award.

His roughly three-and-a-half-minute acceptance speech was an oral argument demonstrating his influence over a community’s representation in media.

He told the crowd of how he created his own movie and TV projects that depicted black people, rather than fighting for acceptance in a predominantly white industry.

“While everybody was fighting for a seat at the table talking about #OscarsSoWhite, #OscarsSoWhite, I said, ‘Y’all go ahead and do that,'” he said. “But while you’re fighting for a seat at the table, I’ll be down in Atlanta building my own. Because what I know for sure is that if I could just build this table, God will prepare it for me in the presence of my enemies.”

He also shared how his mother and her friends became the inspiration for his first few projects.

“My first 10 movies were all about her, subconsciously wanting her to know that she was worthy — wanting black women to know you’re worthy, you’re special, you’re powerful, you’re amazing,” he said.

His studio could become one of the largest of its kind

Tyler Perry Studios has a story of its own.

It’s situated on 330 acres of the decommissioned Fort McPherson, a land that comes with a controversial history.

“The studio was once a Confederate Army base,” Perry said at this year’s BET Awards. “And, I want you to hear this, which meant that there was Confederate soldiers on that base, plotting and planning on how to keep 3.9 million Negroes enslaved. Now that land is owned by one Negro.”

Perry purchased the land in 2015. Tyler Perry Studios is poised to become one of the largest motion picture studios in the country, according to its website.

Fans have been beyond eager to get a shot at appearing in one of Perry’s productions. Some have even taken out billboards trying to get hired.

“This is not the way to get my attention if you’re looking for a role in one of my shows,” he tweeted. “Please DON’T DO THIS, SAVE YOUR MONEY!!”

His compassion for others is a reflection of his life

Perry’s desire to give back to others is seen in so many examples.

He has paid off people’s Walmart layaways. He saw a CNN report about a church that was in need and donated to help.

It’s who he is, and his upbringing played a big role in that.

Born Emmit Perry Jr., Perry changed his name to distance himself from his father who beat him and his mother. Perry forgave him in his mid-20s after learning about his father’s abusive childhood.

“If you do not forgive, you hold on to this thing inside of you that can change your life and take you in the wrong direction,” he told Piers Morgan in 2012.

He remembers what it’s like not to have food and a roof over his head.

“It was character building,” he told Larry King in a 2009 interview about being homeless.

It wasn’t until his sold-out gig at the House of Blues in Atlanta in 1998, the seventh year of trying to make a name for himself as a playwright, did his career turn around.

“I always believed that it would work,” he said. “No matter what happened, it would work. No matter what, one day it would come to pass.”

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“Our Vote Matters” Forum & Debate At Scarritt Bennett

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“Our Vote Matters” Forum & Debate At Scarritt Bennett

On Thursday, August 29th the “Our Vote Matters” Forum and Debate will be held in the Great Hall of the Laskey Building on the historic campus of the Scarritt Bennett Center, located at 1027 18th Avenue South. The program will include a Forum featuring the eight Nashville/Davidson County Metro Council At-Large Run-off Candidates.

In addition, David Briley and John Cooper will face-off in a one-on-one Mayoral Candidates Debate on pressing issues affecting the Black Community.

The program will begin at 7:00pm. Doors will open at 6:30pm.

A Meet and Greet will follow to give Candidates the opportunity to answer individual questions from community members.

This event is sponsored by the National Pan-Hellenic Council of Nashville in conjunction with the Scarritt Bennett Center, the Nashville Branch of the NAACP, the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, and the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship.

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