Latest news with #IceCube
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Opinion - Leland Vittert's War Notes: True Power
NewsNation Chief Washington Anchor and On Balance host Leland Vittert was a foreign correspondent for four years in Jerusalem. He gives you an early look at tonight's 9 pm ET show. Subscribe to War Notes here. No irony! Not to be outdone by his 'Sparticus' moment, Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., is comparing his marathon Senate speech to Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech — his book 'Stand' is out in November. Check out the cover of his new book about his marathon (without using the facilities) 'Stand,' and you'll understand what I mean. Watch tonight: Famed entertainer and businessman Ice Cube joins us tonight. Arthur C. Brooks writes in The Atlantic about why young people are so unhappy these days. There is a rural versus urban divide here that comes into play. Ice Cube will tell us how to help the least privileged among us focus on what matters to find happiness. Role model: Ice Cube has been married to his wife for 33 happy years. Maybe he is onto something. The president of the United States is often referred to as the most powerful man in the world. How powerful? Well, remember all those pictures of Elon Musk at the Resolute Desk, the talk of a co-president and more? Where is Musk now? He's on 'CBS Sunday Morning' and talking to the Washington Post, grasping for relevance and redemption. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it,' he said to CBS. 'DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything,' he told The Washington Post. The liberal crew who loved Tesla still trash his cars — literally. His SpaceX rocket exploded last night — many Americans rejoiced. Trump and MAGA remain unchecked Intrigue: Musk reportedly tried to kill a data center deal with the United Arab Emirates because his company wasn't included Is that why Musk is suddenly so talkative? It's not all bad — Tesla stock, the main source of his wealth, is up 101% in the last year. But, he's not riding on Air Force One anymore, or staring in Oval Office press conferences. We have not heard reports of his own cabin at Bedminster. The world no longer hangs on his every word. Like many who thought Trump needed them or were indispensable and irreplaceable, Musk is now grasping for relevance and redemption. And for those keeping score, Trump is more powerful than ever. Former President George W. Bush coined the phrase 'soft bigotry of low expectations' (OK, maybe it was his speech writer Michael Gerson), but now, 20 years late,r the city of San Francisco just went all in. Public schools in San Francisco are considering 'grading for equity.' Homework and class participation won't impact grade Students can retake the final exam Students can turn in assignments late Attendance won't impact grade Students can pass with a 'C' for grades 41% and up Points for creativity: Even a 4th-grade Leland inventing his dream school couldn't have come up with this. But seriously: Even if we assume good intentions by the most progressive, the real victims are the kids. If underprivileged kids are taught that standards don't matter, how will they ever excel outside of the 'woke' world? Common sense: Late today, the San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent issued a statement following the backlash against this policy, 'I have decided not to pursue this strategy for next year to ensure we have time to meaningfully engage the community. Right now we need to continue to focus on balancing our budget, stabilizing the district, and rebuilding trust.' The San Francisco proposal joins the Seattle anti-Christian riot as one more big city disaster that Democrats will have to answer for. I listen to a lot of news and read a lot too — have for decades. I just never understood how important Harvard is — especially its foreign students. Things I have learned: Without government-funded medical research at Harvard, everybody is going to die All the international students will go to Beijing, and China will take over the world A $53 billion endowment isn't that much — they really need federal money Without foreign students paying full tuition, Harvard won't be able to function Without academic freedom at Harvard, we may never know about important things like critical race theory Without Harvard researchers figuring it out: Normal folks won't know how privileged they are We will never fully realize how feminist poetry contributed to oppressing lesbians in the 1970s You get the idea. Lots of powerful people went to Harvard, and many of their kids go to Harvard But it's weird — all their powerfu,l rich alumni are on TV screaming about how important Harvard is, but I haven't heard any of them willing to open their wallets to 'save' the school What I never ever realized is how good Harvard is at PR. They should stop reading their own press releases — they are not indispensable (just like Elon Musk). Moreover, Harvard loves the fight with Trump as much as Trump loves the fight with them. What they don't realize is that they will lose. After all, Harvard is mostly just PR. Tune into 'On Balance with Leland Vittert' weeknights at 9/8 CT on NewsNation. Find your channel here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of NewsNation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ice Cube: Lakers traded Anthony Davis for one major reason
Ice Cube: Lakers traded Anthony Davis for one major reason Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers acquired generational superstar Luka Doncic in that tectonic Feb. 1 trade, their future has looked very bright, even if, in retrospect, they didn't have a real shot at winning the NBA championship this season. But the other side of the trade is the fact that big man Anthony Davis, a legitimate superstar in his own right, was sent out. There have been whispers that perhaps the organization had some dissatisfaction with him or even that there was a bit of a rift between him and LeBron James. In the opinion of O'Shea Jackson Sr., also known as the rapper Ice Cube, the Lakers grew a little wary of Davis' frequent injuries. "I've never had a problem with his game, it's the injuries," Jackson said while on "The Skip Bayless Show." "You just never know when he's going to be available. I think that began to wear on the Lakers organization. "So when he's on the floor he's to me top 10 player in the league without a doubt. I think he's not in LA simply because he couldn't stay on the floor." At the time of the trade, Davis was recovering from an abdominal injury he had suffered just days prior. In his first game with the Dallas Mavericks following the deal, he sustained an adductor strain and was forced to sit for several weeks. While he was able to remain healthy throughout last season, various injuries cost him sizable chunks of the prior three campaigns. But Davis is now in the past tense for the Lakers. Their task is now to build around the 26-year-old Doncic, as well as to get him to improve his fitness and conditioning in order for him to be the best player he can be and create as much longevity as possible in the years to come.
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Sunday Conversation: Wiz Khalifa On Weed, Jazz, Fans And More
Fifteen years after his musical love letter to weed culture, Kush + Orange Juice, hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa recently released a long-awaited sequel, one that reflects his maturity. Kush + Orange Juice 2 is still all about the weed life, but musically it calls to mind a serious '70s vibe, it is, as he tells me, jazz influenced, reggae influenced, R&B influenced. This is Khalifa, the dad. A humble superstar, Khalifa spoke to me about the album, jazz, his fans, community and more. It is indeed all good vibes, the name of his upcoming tour with Sean Paul. Steve Baltin: I love doing this today because I talked to Bootsy Collins three weeks ago and Ice Cube last week and they were telling me their crazy stories of the greats before them. I'm sure you have stories from working with Bootsy and Cube, the greats before you. Wiz Khalifa: All these dudes you name got the same spirit. I met Bootsy at this concert that I did with George Clinton, because I played George Clinton in a movie, and I got to meet him and jam out with him and his band, and I met Bootsy and his wife. And they had like the same outfit on and everything. It was super inspirational and cool to see somebody who was a player and a real big figure in the 70s and 80s still having that energy and still caring and still putting that effort into what his reality is. And that's what I think is real about all those guys. It's beyond making amazing music and being incredibly talented in music, whether it's playing instruments or bringing people together to create one, these guys were able to create a world based off that sound and what to expect from that sound or what to expect from an album cover or what to expect from a live show. That's what a true artist really is, is when they're out here world building and changing people's lives. Like anybody who listened to their music for the first time, whether it's as a kid and you hear it through your parents or an older sibling or something or you get of age and you smoke a little bit of weed and you start to experience what they're talking about. It latches on to you and it stays with you for life. Baltin: I see Kush + Orange Juice 2 the same way. Vibe wise, it reminded me of the '70s, with the spoken word interludes and the music was so chill. Khalifa: Thank you. It's definitely inspired by the 70s. Its jazz inspired. Its reggae inspired. It's R &B inspired. Its funk inspired. It's really soulful. It's a soulful album. Baltin: What's the perfect day today? Khalia: Perfect day is waking up about six a m., kissing my daughter, she's still asleep. Kissing my son on the forehead, he's still asleep. Feeding my dogs, getting my son up, getting him to school, making it back home to my daughter. She's awake, having breakfast with her, smoking a few joints, playing with my dog, getting on social media, making about three posts that are going to do at least a million each. Eating breakfast, going to the gym, doing some yoga after, making it home by three, eating lunch, taking a nap, waking up by five, making sure my son does his work, making sure my daughter's getting ready for her last little round, eat dinner, get dressed, go to the studio, maybe record about two verses, stay out till about 12, maybe make it back home, take a shower back in the bed, that's perfect. Baltin: When you think of doing the original Kush + Orange Juice and what a perfect day was to you then, could you ever have imagined that this would be a perfect day for you now? Khalifa: No, I wouldn't imagine that at all. And not that I looked down on it, but at that age, I never knew what that would feel like. It wasn't even a goal of mine at that time. So, I'm very appreciative that I am fortunate enough to have learned that lesson, especially at my age. So, I wouldn't have imagined it, but I'm very grateful that I've achieved it. Baltin: What makes life so worth living is you have this idea of what you think you want your life to be and then it turns out to be something completely different and it's way better than you imagine. Khalifa: It's way better and people change. You have to allow yourself to change and let go of certain things and be comfortable with it. And there's just certain things that I know if I put myself around it, what the results are going to be. So instead of continuously just offering myself to that, I know the difference. I can be over here where I really enjoy myself, or I could be over here where it might be necessary, and I'll pop in and pop out. But having that discretion, I think, is worth a lot. Baltin: Like I said, I just talked to Cube last week, he runs a basketball league. He's having the time of his life doing movies and more. Is there anybody you are really inspired by? Khalifa: I'm really inspired by Snoop. Just getting close to Snoop and him being one of the first real superstars to embrace me, he really set the bar high for what behavior is supposed to be. I've only seen Snoop be nice and pleasant and really giving with his platform and with his talents and with anything that he does, whether it's knowledge or information or weed, whatever it is, he just gives it to you. And Snoop, he stands in his role as somebody who can change other people's lives, even if it's just him being kind to them or shaking their hand and whatever it is, letting them go before him. There are just certain things that Snoop does that show me that when you reach a certain level of greatness, how gentle you're supposed to be and how much care you're supposed to put into having that so you can have longevity through that position. So I definitely look up to Snoop in a lot of ways when it comes to that. Baltin: I have found the thing that drives successful people, whether you're an athlete, whether you're an author, whether you're a CEO, is the internal fire. The only way to keep motivated is with yourself. Khalifa: Yeah, I figured it out just by knowing my connection with my fans and the people who really support me. Those are the people who've taken me to the top and who continue to support, challenge, inspire me and motivate me. And that's what creates that fire because I'm not afraid to run things past them and be wrong or find out exactly what right is and what serves this community. My community is full of peaceful people. My community is full of hard workers. My community is full of people who respect themselves and respect the people around them. So, it's not hard to really navigate and make good decisions based off what we all would expect from each other. In turn, I think that just brings up the whole vibration and elevates everybody around us. Cause who doesn't want to be cool just for who they are. Or who doesn't want to just feel good about trying some s**t and making a mistake and still being all right. And that's what I think a lot of my following is all about, just figuring this whole thing out together and doing it the right way, who we really are deep down inside. Music is a channel for that because it makes everybody feel good. And if you see me on stage, whether you know my music or not, I make it so you remember the performance. You remember that night. You remember moments. And you're in love with it. You leave happy. You feel elevated and I just think that everybody deserves that feeling whether you know it or not. Through the music you're able to discover it and I put all of that energy into making sure that my fans have that first. That's what keeps me focused on that mission. Baltin: At what point did you first realize that power of music to transform you? Were there one or two records early on that spoke to you? Khalifa: For me, it was Bone Thugs and Harmony. I was born in '87, so I grew up in the Nineties. When they first started releasing music, it just sounded so different to me. And I remember when I heard 'Crossroads,' I just fell in love with that song. The first time I heard it, it was so good that I thought I was never going to hear it again. I was like, 'This song is so good.' Then I got to the age where I was able to figure out the artist and see the videos and stuff like that. Then I went to one of their concerts. And that's where it really hit me instantly, just that love and that being captivated that much by something and feeling positive about it. That's when I knew music was really powerful. Baltin: The one person who nearly killed me smoking was B-Real. Khalifa: B-Real, the top smoker. He is top of the top. Baltin: That's funny cause he said the only person he couldn't keep up with was you. He said you were doing like six joints at a time. Khalifa: Yeah, I'm just trying to hang with the big dogs, man (laughs). Baltin: I also think obviously that just makes you a better musician, the more stuff you listen to. Khalifa: Absolutely, it opens up the way that you're able to approach things. And while I understood listening and being inspired by jazz, I couldn't make a full jazz record. I did go there and take the important parts and bring it back to where I was at, especially having Terrace Martin on. I've known him since I was like 19 years old. So, to be able to have him on the album is a full circle moment. I learned a lot about jazz just by watching him play. I went and saw him play four or five times during the process making this album and was just blown away. Even just seeing it live had a huge effect on me while making this album.
CNBC
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNBC
Keke Palmer: Living below my means is 'incredibly important' to me—'if I have $1 million in my pocket, my rent is going to be $1,500'
Keke Palmer has worn many hats over her career so far: actress, entrepreneur, producer, podcast host, singer, author. But the 31-year-old spends her money prudently due to her humble upbringing, she says: Living below her means is her top financial habit for having a secure lifestyle. "I live under my means. I think it's incredibly important," says Palmer. "If I have $1 million in my pocket, my rent is going to be $1,500 — that's how underneath my means I'm talking. My car note is going to be $340. I don't need a [Bentley] Bentayga, I'll ride in a Lexus." As a child, Palmer realized that she earned more than her parents. She got her first acting job at age 9 in Ice Cube's 2004 film, "Barbershop 2: Back in Business." By age 13, she had her own credit card and was the star of Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP," she says. "My parents, at their best, made $40,000 a year," Palmer told the "Club Shay Shay" podcast in a November episode. "I was making that a show." Palmer now tries to follow their example, she says. "I learned from my parents very early on because they knew their limitations with money and finances," says Palmer. "I believe in saving and frugality ... I don't play around with that."She also shares her wealth with her parents, she noted during her "Club Shay Shay" appearance. "My dad gave up his pension for me to have an opportunity for my dreams. My mom gave up everything so she could travel with me," Palmer said. "What's mine is theirs and what's theirs is mine ... I would sacrifice 20 more years of my life working in this industry so that I can provide and we can have the business we have today." Living below your means looks different for everyone. For example, the classic 50-30-20 budgeting rule — 50% of your taxable income for living expenses, 20% for savings and 30% for everything else — is increasingly out of reach for many Americans, CNBC Make It reported in May 2023. If you can't afford to save 20% of your earnings, start by finding a way to boost your income and minimize your large, fixed expenses, certified financial planner Rachel Camp recommended. That could look like picking up a side hustle, taking on roommates or even rethinking whether you need a car in the city you live in. Palmer has an additional word of advice for young people, especially young women: "learn up" on economics. That might mean reading personal finance books, taking a course at a local community college, talking to your money-savvy friend or even using ChatGPT to help you create a monthly budget plan. "Be curious about that kind of stuff, because you don't want to do things based off of survival," says Palmer. "You want to do them out of choice. That's something that my mom and my dad taught me very early on."
Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Julius ‘Dr. J' Erving will coach Chicago Triplets, the BIG3's 3-on-3 team where trash-talking is encouraged
The Doctor is in. NBA Hall of Famer Julius 'Dr. J' Erving will be the head coach of the Chicago Triplets in the BIG3, the 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by rapper/actor Ice Cube. Erving previously coached Tri-State and earned Coach of the Year honors in 2021. In 2018, the league's championship trophy was named after Erving. The Triplets are one of eight teams in the league, which is entering its eighth season. Games tip off on June 14 at Allstate Arena. 'I was doing it as a favor for a good friend, Clyde Drexler, and a guy who I had admiration for, Ice Cube, when they started the league,' Erving, 75, told the Tribune about joining BIG3. 'I had a window of time during the summer where we were taking vacations during that time, and the BIG3 suddenly became 10 vacations.' The Chicago Triplets roster includes former NBA players Jason Richardson, Montrezl Harrell and Kemba Walker. Richardson, a Michigan State alum and the No. 5 pick in the 2001 draft, was a two-time Slam Dunk champion. while Harrell a Sixth Man of the Year after being a second-round pick in 2015. Walker, the No. 9 pick in 2011, was a four-time All-Star during his time in the NBA. They added Amir Johnson and Chris Allen in the league's draft on Thursday. 'I think we're going to be potential winners of most of our games,' Erving said. 'We have guys who have high basketball IQs and who have had great careers nationally, as well as in the NBA. I think once we get organized and get some defensive schemes in there, we will be fine.' One of the BIG3's selling points is its encouragement of trash-talking. Erving — who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 — said he had his own way of dealing with opponents during his lengthy career. 'I just tuned guys out if they talked trash, I was not a trash talker,' Erving said. I always felt (to) let your game do the talking, and that would be enough trash if your game was really speaking for you, and that's the way I learned to play. I don't remember anyone really trash-talking me, and I dare someone to find any footage of someone really trash-talking me.' The league began in 2017 with 8 teams before expanding to 12 teams that traveled to various locations for games. Those teams were never based in any city or region — but that's all changed this season with the Chicago Triplets, Boston Ball Hogs, Dallas Power, Detroit Amplifiers, DMV Trilogy, Houston Rig Hands, Miami 305, and the LA Riot. And Ice Cube has an even larger vision for the 3-on-3 league. 'Our dream is to have a BIG3 Australian league,' Ice Cube told Basketball Network. 'And, you know, to repeat that in a lot of territories throughout the world and then create what's essentially like a World Cup–type situation with three-on-three basketball. So, that's the long game.' Erving echoed Ice Cube's vision. He believes the league — and 3-on-3 basketball in general — is beneficial to the state of basketball. 'I think (BIG3) is well respected, because ever before the BIG3 started, 3-on-3 basketball was played in different parts of the world,' Erving said. 'There was room for (BIG3) to enter when it did, it's been sustained and it's only going to get better.'
