Doechii uses BET awards victory to spotlight LA protests and criticize Trump administration
At the 2025
BET
Awards, rapper
Doechii
made headlines not only for winning
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
but also for using her acceptance speech to address the ongoing protests and immigration raids in Los Angeles, as well as the
Trump
administration's response.
The ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater in downtown LA, unfolded just as large-scale demonstrations erupted outside in response to recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and the deployment of military forces to the city.
After thanking BET and acknowledging her fellow nominees, Doechii shifted focus to the events happening outside the awards venue. She told the audience, 'There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest. And I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?'
Her remarks drew applause and underscored the tense atmosphere in Los Angeles, where California
National Guard
units had been deployed over the weekend to respond to the protests and ICE raids.
Doechii emphasized her sense of responsibility as an artist to use her platform for advocacy. She expressed solidarity with marginalized groups, stating, 'I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: for Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza. We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and protest against it'.
Live Events
Her speech came amid heightened tensions in Los Angeles, where protests broke out following ICE raids that resulted in dozens of arrests. President Trump's decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to the city was met with criticism from activists and artists alike, with Doechii's comments echoing broader concerns about the use of military force against demonstrators.
Doechii's remarks were widely praised on social media and by fellow artists for their courage and timeliness. Many viewers and commentators commended her for using her moment in the spotlight to draw attention to pressing social issues and to advocate for unity and resistance against hate and oppression.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Donald Trump sees possible ‘Massive Conflict' between Israel and Iran
President Donald Trump said Israel 'could very well' strike Iran but that he had advised against an attack while negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program were ongoing, as the departure of US staff from the region fans concerns about a coming strike. 'I don't want to say imminent, but it looks like it's something that could very well happen,' Trump told reporters at an event Thursday at the White House. In recent days, Trump has said he is less confident the US will reach a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief. The president has repeatedly said that while he wants a diplomatic solution, he does not want Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons and warned the US could resort to military action if a deal is not reached. Special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Muscat on Sunday for the sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran, according to a person familiar. But Trump has said that Iran is driving a hard bargain, and resisting demands to fully abandon nuclear enrichment efforts. 'We are fairly close to a pretty good agreement. It's got to be better than pretty good, though, but it's got to be — I prefer an agreement, as long as I think there is an agreement, I don't want them going in, because I think that would blow it,' Trump said. In a sign of the increasingly tense situation, the US ordered some staff to leave its embassy in Baghdad, officials said, after Iran threatened to strike American assets in the region if it is attacked over its nuclear program. The State Department also said US government employees and family members in Israel are restricted from traveling outside major cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem until further notice. 'Look, there's a chance of massive conflict,' Trump said. 'We have a lot of American people in this area, and I said, we've got to tell them to get out, because something could happen soon, and I don't want to be the one that didn't give any warning and missiles are flying.' Earlier in the day, Iran said it would inaugurate a new uranium-enrichment facility in response to a decision by the United Nations atomic watchdog to censure the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program. A key sticking point in discussions is whether Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium for civilian purposes. Iran says it won't end its enrichment, while Trump has said he would not allow Iran to continue producing the material. Trump later Thursday said the US remained 'committed to a diplomatic resolution' to the issue. 'My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,' Trump wrote in a social media post. 'They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.' Trump earlier this week spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to brief him on the talks with Iran. Netanyahu has long been skeptical of diplomatic efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program and Trump said in May that he told the Israeli leader a military strike on Iran would be 'inappropriate' at that time because it could jeopardize the talks. Israel says it reserves the right to attack Iran with or without US support. CBS News reported that part of the reason why the Trump administration advised some Americans to leave the region is that US officials have been told that Israel is ready to launch an operation into Iran.
NDTV
42 minutes ago
- NDTV
US Lawmakers Approve $9 Billion Of Elon Musk's Federal Cuts
Washington: US lawmakers on Thursday approved a White House request to claw back $9.4 billion from funding already allocated by Congress in a victory for President Donald Trump as he pushes to lock in spending cuts spearheaded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. The vote in the Republican-led US House of Representatives was seen as the first test of how easily Congress could usher into law savings sought by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) -- just days after his acrimonious exit from the government. But the saved funds -- targeting public broadcasting and foreign aid -- were unpopular in some sections of both parties, and Republicans in the House of Representatives shoehorned the bill through a razor-thin 214-212 vote. "Under President Trump's leadership, your taxpayer dollars are no longer being wasted," House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement. "Instead, they are being directed toward priorities that truly benefit the American people." Legislation to grab back money already approved by Congress -- known as a "rescissions package" -- is extremely rare and no such measure had passed in decades. The vote was the first in what Johnson has touted as a potential series of packages codifying the cuts made by DOGE. Musk was tasked by Trump with leading the task force after spending $290 million helping the Republican get elected. The SpaceX boss boasted that he would be able to save $2 trillion in federal spending -- but left the White House under a cloud earlier this month as he feuded with Trump over deficits and spending. DOGE acknowledges that it has saved taxpayers just $180 billion -- and fact checkers even see that claim as dubious, given previous inaccuracies in its accounting. The recissions package slashes $8.3 billion in foreign aid, with much of that approved for humanitarian organization USAID, one of DOGE's first targets. The text also eliminates $400 million in funding allocated to health programs including the lifesaving PEPFAR global AIDS program, created by then-president George W. Bush. The package also targets $1.1 billion to be taken back from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), as well as more than 1,500 local radio and television stations. Conservatives often accuse PBS and NPR of bias, and Trump signed an executive order in May to cease federal funding for both networks. "For decades, Republicans have promised to cut NPR, but have never done it, until now," Trump said on Truth Social as the vote got underway. "NPR and PBS are a Radical Left Disaster, and 1000% against the Republican Party!" Democrat Dan Goldman and Republican Mark Amodei, co-chairs of the congressional public broadcasting caucus, said cutting the funding will not meaningfully reduce the deficit, but instead dismantle "a trusted source of information for millions of Americans." The package now moves to the Republican-led Senate, where it needs the support of only a simple majority -- 51 members -- rather than the 60 votes usually required.
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Trump Administration Orders 500,000 Immigrants to Leave US
Immigrants admitted to the US from a Biden-era parole program for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have begun receiving notices of termination urging them to depart the US. Participants in the 'CHNV' parole program were also told that their employment authorization is revoked effective immediately in email messages from the Department of Homeland Security, the agency said Thursday. The notices follow a US Supreme Court decision last month allowing DHS to move forward with revocation of parole benefits for half a million immigrants after a lower court preserved the protections. A legal challenge to the Trump administration's dismantling of parole programs including the CHNV process is still ongoing. Revoking parole benefits is part of a larger effort by the administration to terminate temporary immigration protections that expanded in recent years. It has also terminated Temporary Protected Status designations that shielded immigrants from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Nepal and Cameroon from deportation. The revocation notices announcement came the same day President Donald Trump said he would issue an order to protect farmworkers from deportation in response to demands from agricultural producers. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that the Biden administration hadn't properly vetted immigrants admitted through the program, and that paroled immigrants had undercut American workers. 'Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First,' she said in a statement. The Biden administration launched the CHNV program in 2023 to reduce irregular migration to the US-Mexico border and give people an orderly way to flee humanitarian crises in the four countries. Applications far exceeded the 30,000 slots available each month, and US businesses hired the parolees in hard-to-fill jobs across the country. Industries including construction and healthcare are likely to face new worker shortages after the parolees' work permits are canceled. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said the immigrants receiving termination notices this week had played by the rules and already passed security screenings and secured legal work authorization. 'Instead of rewarding responsible migration through orderly legal pathways, this action punishes those who jumped through every hoop asked of them,' she said in a statement. US Citizenship and Immigration Services just this week lifted a freeze on pending benefits requests—like asylum claims and visa applications—for parolees in response to a court order. Processing of benefits was frozen in February, cutting off other legal immigration options weeks before the Trump administration announced the termination of parole benefits. To contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Kreighbaum in Washington at akreighbaum@ To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jay-Anne B. Casuga at jcasuga@ Genevieve Douglas at gdouglas@ This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
