
Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards
Hosted by Kevin Hart, Monday's BET Awards celebrated the work of black people in music, entertainment, film, sports and philanthropy.
The London-born star, who rose to worldwide prominence last year for her role in Wicked, was also nominated for the BET Her Award — which recognises empowering songs that focus on women — for her rendition of Defying Gravity.
Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii used her acceptance speech to sharply criticise US President Donald Trump's handling of protests in Los Angeles.
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Collecting the award for best female hip-hop artist, she accused the president of 'creating fear and chaos' in his response to demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which sparked days of protest across the city.
'I do want to address what's happening right now, outside the building,' she said.
'These 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 you 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.'
Mr Trump announced plans to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to California to quell the protests, which began on Friday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was 'essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States'.
The decision drew sharp criticism from Democratic politicians, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the move 'purposefully inflammatory'.
London-based girl-group FLO missed out after picking up nominations for best group and the Bet Her award for their track In My Bag, featuring GloRilla.
Fellow UK artists Bashy and Ezra Collective earned nominations for best international artist, while multi-genre artist Odeal and R&B singer kwn were shortlisted for best new international act.
Kendrick Lamar, who led the pack with 10 nominations, took home awards for album of the year and best male hip-hop artist.
He also won video of the year and video director of the year for his hit Not Like Us, as well as best collaboration for Luther, his track with SZA
SZA won best female R&B/pop artist, while Chris Brown took home best male R&B/pop artist.
The evening featured a star-studded cast, including actor Jamie Foxx, with performances by Ashanti, Mariah Carey and GloRilla.
Foxx, Carey, gospel star Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were honoured with the ultimate icon award for their contributions to community, entertainment, and advocacy.
Miles Canton, Luke James and Lucky Daye delivered an R&B tribute to Quincy Jones, who died in November.
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Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
US marines deployed to LA have not yet responded to immigration protests
US marines that deployed to Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump have not yet been called to respond to the city's immigration protests and are there only to protect federal officials and property, a commander said. The 700 marines and another 2,000 US National Guard troops were sent to LA on Monday, escalating a military presence that local officials and governor Gavin Newsom do not want and that the police chief says makes it harder to handle the protests safely. Marine Corps Gen Eric Smith told a budget hearing on Capitol Hill that the battalion has not yet been sent to any protests. The marines were trained for crowd control but have no arrest authority and are there to protect government property and personnel, he said. Mr Trump doubled the number of Guard troops being deployed soon after the first wave of 2,000 began arriving on Sunday following days of protests driven by anger over the President's enforcement of immigration laws that critics say are breaking apart migrant families. The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor. This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward… — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 9, 2025 The demonstrations continued on Monday but were far less raucous, with thousands of people peacefully attending a rally at City Hall and hundreds more protesting outside a federal complex that includes a detention centre where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids across the city. The protests in Los Angeles, a city of four million people, have largely been centred in several blocks of downtown and a few other spots. At daybreak on Tuesday, guard troops were stationed outside the detention centre, but there was no sign of US marines. Obscene slogans were directed at Mr Trump and federal law enforcement remained scrawled across several buildings. The US marines have been deployed (AP) At the Walt Disney Concert Hall, workers were busy washing away graffiti on Tuesday morning. In nearby Santa Ana, armoured vehicles blocked a road leading to federal immigration and government offices. Workers swept up plastic bottles and broken glass near buildings sprayed with graffiti. Mr Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Mayor Karen Bass and Mr Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. They say he is putting public safety at risk by adding military personnel even though police say they do not need the help. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said in a statement that he was confident in the police department's ability to handle large-scale demonstrations and that the Marines' arrival without coordinating with the police department would present a 'significant logistical and operational challenge'. Senior politicians reacted with dismay to Mr Trump's move (AP) Mr Newsom called the deployments reckless and 'disrespectful to our troops' in a post on the social platform X. 'This isn't about public safety,' the governor said. 'It's about stroking a dangerous President's ego.' The protests began on Friday after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across Los Angeles and continued over the weekend as crowds blocked a major road and set self-driving cars on fire. Police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. Demonstrations spread on Monday to other cities nationwide, including San Francisco and Santa Ana, California, as well as Dallas and Austin, Texas. Authorities in Austin appeared to use chemical irritants to disperse a crowd that gathered near the state Capitol. The Trump Administration's escalation and provocation in California inflames tensions and incites violence. Now, the President of the United States said he would arrest a sitting American governor just for disagreeing with these actions. This is a hallmark of authoritarianism… — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 9, 2025 Texas governor Greg Abbott posted on social media that more than a dozen protesters were arrested. The Pentagon said deploying the National Guard and Marines costs 134 million dollars (£98.8 million). That figure emerged just after US defence secretary Pete Hegseth engaged in a into a testy back-and-forth about the costs during a congressional hearing. Mr Hegseth said the department has a budget increase and the money to cover the costs, and he defended Mr Trump's decision to send the troops, saying they are needed to protect federal agents doing their jobs. Meanwhile, Democratic members of California's congressional delegation on Tuesday accused the President of creating a 'manufactured crisis' with his orders to send in troops. Mr Trump came under sustained criticism (AP) Nancy Pelosi contrasted Trump's actions with his handling of the January 6 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol when law enforcement officers were beaten. 'We begged the president of the United States to send in the National Guard. He would not do it,' Ms Pelosi said. California's attorney general Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit over the use of National Guard troops following the first deployment, telling reporters that Mr Trump had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. He sought a court order declaring Mr Trump's use of the Guard unlawful and asking for a restraining order to halt the deployment. The President said the city would have been 'completely obliterated' if he had not deployed the Guard. US officials said the marines were needed to protect federal buildings and personnel, including immigration agents. A convoy of buses with blacked-out windows and escorted by sheriff's vehicles arrived overnight at a Navy facility just south of LA. Despite their presence, there has been limited engagement so far between the Guard and protesters while local law enforcement implements crowd control.

The Journal
7 hours ago
- The Journal
How a group of Dublin students bagged a Booker-winning author's new work for their magazine
IN THE AUTUMN of 2023, a number of first-year English students at Trinity College Dublin met at Caffè Nero on Dawson Street after an early morning lecture. None of them had known each other before starting college, and as the semester progressed, they settled into the routine of meeting up and getting to know one another. The idea was thrown around that they should establish a joint creative pursuit, with a podcast, a zine, and a magazine all touted as potential options. Dublin's literary scene has flourished in recent years, with a growing number of literary journals being produced within the city. Publications such as The Dublin Review and The Stinging Fly, both established in the late 1990s and early 2000s, have led the way. Last night, the six students – Conor Ennis, Charlotte McCulloch, Priya Evans, Aisling McGorrian, Eoin Farrelly, and Elena Stack Martin – now heading into their third year, launched Issue 1 of their magazine, Hearth. All six contributed work to the magazine, which is composed of a collection of short stories, essays, poetry, and artwork. The crown jewel of the magazine was a new short story contributed by none other than the Booker Prize-winning author John Banville. John Banville speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Prado Museum in Madrid, October 2024. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Banville said his short story, The Hanged Man, was inspired by his favourite photograph of the Czech novelist Franz Kafka. Banville was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011. In the photograph, Kafka is 'with a barmaid, Hansi Szokoll, whom he had a brief passion for, and about whom he spoke disparagingly', Banville has explained. Advertisement 'She is usually cropped from the photo, and perhaps this is why I wrote the piece, to give Hansi a voice, however small.' Speaking to The Journal , Hearth's Aisling McGorrian said that Banville had seen their first issue, which was launched on a much smaller scale in March. One member of the team had sent him a copy. 'He got in touch with us and said that he was really impressed with everything,' she said, adding that the team thought it would be amazing if he could write something for the magazine. Priya Evans approached Banville and asked if he would submit something to the magazine. 'He went through some stuff he'd written previously – he said he was just clearing out some bits and pieces -and came across The Hanged Man. He sent us an early version of it to see what we thought, then worked on it and gave it a refresh, and then gave The Hanged Man to us officially for first time publication.' One hundred copies have been printed of the new issue of the magazine, which is a pursuit independent of Trinity College. These are still available to purchase from the magazine's Instagram . The magazine is entirely self-funded alongside donations , but the hope is that as the magazine continues to grow, it will develop into something self-sustaining. Despite the magazine's roots in Trinity, the editorial team are keen to expand beyond the university. Their next issue is open for submissions until 11 July. Contributor Anthony Adewuyi with a copy of Hearth Issue 1. Elena Stack Martin Elena Stack Martin 'It very much started like a passion project,' McGorrian said. 'We never imagined we'd have John Banville contributing to us. 'It's a real work of love and friendship, more than anything, which we try keep at the centre of it – especially since so much of our current writing community is Trinity-based, and they're our peers, people in our classes, and it's really important to us that they get to feel the friendship that started the magazine when they interact with us.' Hearth Magazine is available to view digitally here . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Frantic moment CNN reporter is hauled away by cops live on air at LA protests as anchor screams ‘what's going on?!'
COPS have detained a CNN reporter live on-air as he covered the tense Los Angeles protests. Anchor Laura Coates yelled out, "What's going on?" after watching national correspondent Jason Carroll being led away with his hands behind his back. Advertisement 7 CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll was detained live on-air while covering the Los Angeles protests Credit: CNN 7 Carroll, seen in 2014, was told to put his hands behind his back and leave the area Credit: Alamy 7 Cops have clashed with protesters in the days-long protests over President Donald Trump's ICE raids Credit: AFP 7 Carroll was told that he would be arrested if he came back to the area Credit: CNN Carroll had been covering the "Jason? What's going on? I hear you. What happened Jason?" Coates said live on air. "I am being detained," said Carroll in the distance as his cameraman filmed several feet behind him. Carroll then chatted with the cops, who confirmed that he wasn't being arrested. Advertisement read more on the protests "We're letting you go, but you can't come back," said the officer before threatening to arrest Carroll if he returned to the scene. The two appeared to have a friendly interaction before Carroll was put behind a wall of cops and lost touch with Coates. Later, Carroll explained that the officers didn't put him in zip ties but did grab both of his hands and told him, "you are being detained." The reporter was stunned by the sudden change as he had been roaming the streets of Los Angeles covering the protests since that morning. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Breaking Live Blog "It is something that I wasn't expecting simply because we have been out here all day," he said. "Normally, the officers [...] realize the press is there doing a job." Trump sends another 2k National Guard to riot-ravaged LA as chaos spreads with arrests in NYC & Texas Carroll was led away around the same time that officials told demonstrators that they had to leave or else they would be arrested. They cuffed a number of protesters and charged them with failure to disperse to finally break up Thursday's demonstration. Advertisement 7 Carroll said he was stunned by the detainment because he had been covering the protests all day with no issues Credit: CNN 7 PROTESTS RAGE ON The protests, which started over the weekend, heated up after Trump sent around 2,000 National Guard troops to help keep the peace, despite California Governor Gavin Newsom warning him to back off. Newsom claims that the peaceful protests criticizing Trump's immigration crackdown turned into a protest once the troops arrived. Advertisement Meanwhile, Trump has insisted that Los Angeles would have "burned to the ground" if he hadn't sent the soldiers, as he plans to send 700 Marines to the city. "If I didn't 'SEND IN THE TROOPS' to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now," Trump California has filed a lawsuit against Trump, accusing him of breaking the 10th Amendment when he sent in the guard. The protests have spawned more protests across the country, and hundreds of participants have been arrested. Advertisement Trump has vowed to maintain law and order despite Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass begging him to pause the ICE raids. "There is a real fear in Los Angeles right now. Parents, workers, grandparents, young people scared to go about their daily lives," she said. "We are a city of immigrants. Washington is attacking our people, our neighborhoods and our economy." 7 A wall of law enforcement officers stand in front of a crowd of protesters Credit: Getty Advertisement