North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson had yet another group of extremist comments unveiled — this time about legendary
Singer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. According to The Root, "During a series of rants spanning multiple years, Robinson —who is Black —insulted Beyoncé’s singing abilities, called her a 'skank,' and said she was teaching 'young
Women how to be hyper-sexual w----s.'" For example, in 2017, Robinson posted to
Facebook, “Person; Beyoncé is a role model!” Me; “The only person that butt shakin’, devil worshipping, skank is a role model to is people who want a fast track to Hell.” This is on top of previous reporting that he referred to her
music as sounding like " Satanic chants ." ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills These revelations come at a moment when Beyoncé herself has found herself at the center of some national controversy , having written a country music inspired album known as Cowboy Carter, and some country radio stations refusing to play singles off of it because of her race. Robinson, who is challenging
Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein for the governorship of North Carolina, has been put under the spotlight for a number of bizarre and offensive comments throughout the years. Among other things, he has referred to school
shooting survivors as "prosti-tots," pushed QAnon and "lizard people" conspiracy theories, questioned the
Holocaust, and suggested
American politics was better in the era when women couldn't vote . How much would former President Donald Trump's proposed 10 percent tariff plan actually cost the average American household? The wave of
tariffs Trump enacted when he was last president caused chaos , but there are many complexities that muddy this somewhat. However, MSNBC's Chris Hayes took an educated and simple guess at just how badly the country would be hit in the pocketbook under Trump's second-term plans. "We don't know exactly how much everything would cost," said Hayes, but "just add 10 percent on the back of the napkin. Here's the cost of living under the Trump Tax." ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills "Start with groceries," he said. "A dozen eggs cost about $3. Once you apply the Trump Tax, that is up to $3.30, with the U.S. importing over 4 million eggs a year, but cost consumers over $1.2 million. If you like oranges, they currently go for about $1.53 per pound. With the Trump Tax, that would be $1.68 per pound, which would cost American consumers almost $71 million for the nearly half a billion pounds of the import. Bananas. We don't really grow them in the U.S., do we? They average about $.63 per pound and going up to $.69 per pound with the Trump Tax, thanks to the U.S. importing more than 10 million pounds per year, that could cost Americans at $609 million and that's a $609 million tax on American consumers. Then there's tomatoes. They go for about $2.13 per pound. Apply the 10 percent Trump Tax. They would be $2.34 per pound, potentially costing Americans $3.5 million thanks to the 6.8 million pounds we import per year. If you are spending $1,200 on groceries, add another $120 to the bill. That's more than the peak of inflation in 2022, which topped off at 9 percent. This is 10 percent." Groceries are just the start, he continued. "How about the refrigerator?" said Hayes. "You need to keep the groceries fresh. The average cost of a new fridge is about $1,300. With the Trump Tax, that could go up to $1,430, costing Americans $1.95 billion for the 15 million refrigerators that we import. Again, $1.95 billion of new taxes. What about the car that you need to drive to the grocery store? On average, a new car costs about $48,808 today. With Trump Tax, it costs $53,684, with Americans potentially taking a $66.3 billion hit across the board on the 13 million cars we import. That's not including the 50 percent tariff which would make it another $25,000. Even the
smartphone in your pocket cost on average about $940 right now. With Trump Tax, it can go up to $1,034, with Americans potentially paying an extra $13.2 billion for the nearly 141 million smartphones that we import per year." "Everyone hates when you have to pay more for things," he added. "Inflation is one of the biggest liabilities for a sitting president. Yet here is Donald Trump, in the Year of our Lord 2024, running against President Biden, promising to make things more expensive for every American." Watch the video below or click here. Chris Hayes breaks down "Trump Tax" www.youtube.com CONTINUE READING Show less Matt Schlapp, who heads the American Conservative Union, reportedly paid nearly a half-million-dollar settlement to make a
Sexual Assault accusation go away,
CNN reported. Schlapp paid his accuser 40-year-old Carlton Huffman $480,000 by tapping into an insurance policy, a source close to the matter told the network. On Tuesday, Huffman said he decided to drop the lawsuit against Schlapp claiming it was a "misunderstanding ." ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills “The claims made in my lawsuits were the result of a complete misunderstanding, and I regret that the lawsuit caused pain to the Schlapp family,” Huffman said. “The Schlapps have advised that the statements made about me were the result of a misunderstanding, which was regrettable." CNN's reporting that Schlapp paid a significant sum to Huffman screams of contradiction. For Huffman himself added in the same statement: "Neither the Schlapps nor the ACU paid me anything to dismiss my claims against them.” CNN cited multiple sources privy to the allegations lodged by Huffman that there was in fact a financial settlement completed via an insurance company. When the network reached Huffman, he didn't deny the monies made through an insurance policy, saying only, “I am only legally allowed to say five words, and that is ‘We have resolved our differences.’ Those are the only five words that I’m legally allowed to say.” Huffman, who earned a rep as a staple in North Carolina GOP politics, was suing both Matt Schlapp and his wife Mercedes for $9.4 million in damages for sexual battery and defamation. He originally accused Schlapp of “aggressively fondling” his “genital area in a sustained fashion” while he drove Schlapp back to his hotel from a bar while working a campaign event for failed candidate Herschel Walker. “I’m not backing away,” Huffman said last year. “I’m not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did, and he needs to be held accountable.” After the squashing of the lawsuit, Schlapp publicly waved his clean hands, stating: “From the beginning, I asserted my innocence." "Our family was attacked, especially by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts," he then added. CONTINUE READING Show less One of the most familiar faces of Donald Trump's legal defense team in
New York turned 40. Alina Habba jet-setted away over the weekend from the legal imbroglios involving former President Donald Trump's civil fraud case and also his E. Jean Carroll defamation cases — to bliss at St. Bart's with pals to indulge at the luxury Eden Rock villa, The Daily Mail reports. An array of the Caribbean getaway fete pics featuring Habba and her pals splashed on former Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Siggy Flicker's
Instagram showcase Habba and other invitees living it up on silky white sands and glassy turquoise waters. ALSO READ: ‘Don't have enough’: Wealthy Trump allies balk at helping Donald pay legal bills Flicker praised Habba and her entrepreneur hubby Gregg Reuben for the jaunt. "There are no words in the English vocabulary to describe our trip," she wrote. "...and y’all don’t understand HEBREW so just try to imagine the most unbelievable place on earth where love is the air 24/7 & everything is driven by incredible MUSIC & FOOD!!! [musical note emoji]." She then fawned over Habba's superstar client former President
Donald Trump , writing: "There is so much darkness right now in the world that has affected every single person no matter where you live that
BREAKING away to celebrate a true patriot, a fighter of this country, a fighter for the constitution and a fighter for the greatest president in history of America..DJT was much needed & an AMAZING experience that will never be forgotten." And then she thanked the couple for the weekend. "Alina & Gregg - thank you from the bottom of all our hearts for taking all of us away for the greatest birthday celebration I have ever experienced! "[The trip] was much needed and an AMAZING experience that will never be forgotten." Among the pics, Habba and company are dressed to the nines at an eatery to basking in the island's sun-kissed beauty. Habba apparently gifted white robes with her friends' initials and all wore sunhat with "Habba nice day" on them. Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said on Wednesday, "Hey, Mr. and Mrs. MAGA! This is what your donations are paying for. She deserves it though, considering she loses every case. That can be stressful." @JoJoFromJerz added, "She spends so much time with her kids, it’s really heartwarming." @IslandG41370138 also chimed in: "St. Barts is one of the world's costly resorts. Just sayin.." CONTINUE READING Show less