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Gulf Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Fake video of Barack Obama arrest is scary and insane
Anita Chabria, Tribune News Service On Sunday, our thoughtful and reserved president reposted on his Truth Social site a video generated by artificial intelligence that falsely showed former President Barack Obama being arrested and imprisoned. There are those among you who think this is high humour; those among you who find it as tiresome as it is offensive; and those among you blissfully unaware of the mental morass that is Truth Social. Whatever camp you fall into, the video crosses all demographics by being expected — just another crazy Trump stunt in a repetitive cycle of division and diversion so frequent it makes Groundhog Day seem fresh. Epstein who? But there are three reasons why this particular video — not made by the president but amplified to thousands — is worth noting, and maybe even worth fearing. First, it is flat-out racist. In it, Obama is ripped out of a chair in the Oval Office and forced onto his knees, almost bowing, to a laughing Trump. That imagery isn't hard to interpret: America's most esteemed Black man — who recently warned we are on the brink of losing democracy — forced into submission before our leader. The video comes as Trump claims that Tulsi Gabbard, director of national intelligence, has uncovered a "treasonous conspiracy in 2016" in which top Obama officials colluded with Russia to disrupt the election. Democrats say the claim is erroneous at best. If you are inclined to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, right before this scene of Obama being forced to kneel, a meme of Pepe the Frog — an iconic image of the far-right and white supremacy — flashes on the screen. Not subtle. But also, not the first time racism has come straight from the White House. On Monday, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco's Third Baptist Church and a student of Martin Luther King Jr., reminded me that not too long ago, then-President Woodrow Wilson screened the pro-KKK film "The Birth of a Nation" at the executive mansion. It was the first film screening ever held there, and its anti-Black viewpoint sparked controversy and protests. That was due in no small part to a truth that Hollywood knows well — fiction has great power to sway minds. Brown sees direct similarities in how Wilson amplified fictional anti-Blackness then, and how Trump is doing so now, both for political gain. "Mr. Trump should realise that Obama hasn't done anything to him. But just the idea, the thought of a Black person being human, is a threat to him and his supporters," Brown told me. Brown said he's praying for the president to "stop this bigotry" and see the error of his ways. I'll pray the great gods give the reverend good luck on that. But, on the earthly plane, Brown said that "the more things change, the more they remain the same." Trump courted the Black vote and has his supporters among people of all colors and ethnicities, but he's also played on racist tropes for political success, from stoking fear around the Central Park Five, now known as the Exonerated Five, decades ago to stoking fear around Black immigrants eating cats and dogs in Ohio during the recent election. It's an old playbook, because it works. Reposting the image of Obama on his knees is scary because it's a harsh reminder that racism is no longer an undercurrent in our society, if it ever was. It's a motivator and a power to be openly wielded — just the way Wilson did back in 1915. But the differences in media from back in the day to now are what should raise our second fear around this video. A fictional film is one thing. An AI-generated video that for many people seems to depict reality is a whole new level of, well, reality. The fear of deepfakes in politics is not new. It's a global problem, and in fairness, this isn't the first time (by far) Trump or other politicians have used deepfakes.
Scotsman
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
What AI can't do - how Nicola Sturgeon and Robert Burns mash-ups prove artificial intelligence is 'slop'
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It was only a matter of time until some bright spark tried to make a fast buck using AI chatbots to write biographies and histories of Scotland's politicians. So, a biography of Nicola Sturgeon, two on John Swinney and a book on Humza Yousuf have all been rapidly published on Amazon and then equally rapidly pulled from sale for violating Amazon's guidelines. They contained 'bizarre sentence formulations', they were 'error strewn' and full of false claims. Who knew, for example, that Yousaf came from poverty? AI cannot do everything we think it can - at least not yet, writes author Ewan Morrison. Well, what did the 'publishers' expect? They were using the 'slop' generating machine that is called artificial intelligence (AI). I'm going to refer to these as large language models (LLMs) in what follows, as AI is a misnomer. These algorithms are not intelligent and all they really do is predict patterns of words through 'training' on vast data sets of books and texts they have 'scraped'. These algorithms don't know what the words they use mean; they don't understand reason or lies. As they have no mind, it's also false to call their errors 'hallucinations'. The non-sense they churn out can't ever be fixed as it is built-in to what LLMs actually are. When Chat GPT 4 first came out, I ran a test to see what its limits were vis-à-vis historical truth. I devised my test, knowing that LLMs have been programmed to flatter the user. So, I told it a half-truth and asked it to expand on it, to see if it would take the bait. An unfair prank? Not really, as LLMs don't have emotions. The test went like this. Nine of my books have been published, and so I asked the LLM to give me a list of the twelve books I'd written. I guessed it would fabricate three new titles, to attempt to please me. Lo and behold, in the bibliography it made for me, I had 12 titles, all with convincing looking publication dates, no less. But wait, one of the books was titled 'The Birth of a Nation' - a name the LLM took from the 1915 American silent drama film directed by DW Griffith - now widely seen as a racist glorification of the KKK. Odd. And the mashup-machine had only just warmed up because the next falsely named book title was, wait for it –'Nine Inch Will Please a Lady'. Now, the Robert Burns aficionados among you will know that this is the title of one of the 'Bawdy verses' attributed to Burns. It contains such memorably saucy lines as: Suffice to say, I've never written a book with this title or content, just as I wasn't alive in the 1910s to write a novelisation of a silent movie dedicated to the KKK. Written by Scotland's national poet Robert Burns, Ae Fond Kiss is a lyrical masterpiece of love and loss. Burns' deep connection to Scotland's identity is reflected in this song's poignant and emotional appeal, making it an important piece of Scotland's musical history. | Getty Images After laughing this off, I studied how LLMs function. I worked out the algorithm had discovered there were three books with bi-sexual content in my backlist, and that I was from Scotland. Putting these facts together, without brain, humour or malice, it had matched them with the Bard's title, also mistakenly depicting 'Nine Inch' as a novel. You can see why I refuse to call it 'artificial intelligence'. Why do LLMs mix-up the authors of texts? No doubt, it's because LLMs are trained on copyrighted material, which has been 'scraped without consent. For LLMS there are no authors, only billions of word patterns spread across the net, and all fair game. There are currently 39 copyright lawsuits raging against AI companies in the USA. Anyway, I felt more fun was to be had from the awful algorithm and so I asked it to generate a synopsis for my non-existent 'Nine Inch…' novel, just to see if it could 'hallucinate' any more non-sense. And voila, within ten seconds I was told this acclaimed 2015 novel had a protagonist by the name of Tom - a male stripper endowed with great talents, who is afraid to come out of the closet to his parents, even though he's qualified for the nation's biggest gay-stripper contest. Sound familiar? Scrutinising the synopsis I detected that it was a mash-up of The Full Monty with Billy Elliot, set within the stomping grounds of Irvine Welsh novels. I showed it to a friend who said 'damn, if you wrote that it'd be a bestseller'. I thought not, and was pretty appalled at how this mashup-machine that feeds on stolen text automatically destroys the truth. Author Ewan Morrison | Grainne Quinlan Over the past few months, we've seen how this 'slop' machine is not just contaminating Amazon publishing; not just filling up YouTube with misleading videos and replacing historical photos with fake Generative AI images; but it's infecting historical knowledge and the news. I don't care if people think I've written a novel about a closeted stripper, but it would matter if someone were to write a degree paper citing that non-existent book, now that 92 per cent of students are reported to use LLMs to write their essays. Quoting non-existent books makes for a non-existent education. Not only that, but recent studies show that Open AI's LLMs have only got worse, with the four newest models showing failure rates on factual accuracy tests of between 37 per cent to 80 per cent. The slop generated by LLMs might seem harmless, but it's like sewage. Consider our society as a glass of water then add one drop of sewage to it. Would you drink it? Would you want to incorporate these sewage generating technologies into your education or healthcare system? Would you ask a so-called AI if you should?
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The business of hate: Importing & exporting the Invisible Empire through Shreveport
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Synonymous with hate, the Ku Klux Klan is easily one of the most infamous groups in American history. Formed by a group of mainly Confederate veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1865, the Ku Klux Klan graduated from relatively tame demonstrations to full-on domestic terrorism. Nathan Bedford Forest led the charge as the group's first leader, also known as the 'imperial wizard' of their 'Invisible Empire of the South.' With the stated goal of upending Reconstruction in the South out of fear of losing unquestioned white supremacy, the Klan spread unimaginable terror. In reaffirming white superiority, the group faded into the background in the late 1870s but would return with a vengeance through a new form of media – the silver screen. The 1915 film The Birth of a Nation gave the Klan a second life as its popularity soared in the following decade. Extolling the virtues of the previous post-Reconstruction Klan and depicting African Americans as thoughtless savages, the group made a powerful resurgence under William Joseph Simmons. This Second Klan expanded its influence beyond the American South, hiring recruiters and adopting a proper pyramid scheme of initiation fees and robe sales. This was evident through the Klan's rise in north Louisiana. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan formed a branch in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1920 and nearly took control of the state in 1922. Early Louisiana civil rights pioneer W. Jasper Blackburn Following the disappearance of two men in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, Governor John M. Parker sought assistance from the Justice Department as he correctly suspected Klan involvement. After sending a quartet of agents to Mer Rouge, they found the missing men had been murdered. The agents soon discovered that their lives were also in danger, as Phillip H. Mecom, United States Attorney of the Western District located in Shreveport, was an active Klan member who attempted to halt investigations. The Klan's expansion from Shreveport into Mer Rouge, Bastrop, and other northern Louisiana towns coincided with their growth in gaining membership from mayors, sheriffs, and doctors. However, by the mid-1920s, the Klan's power throughout the state faded drastically with the election of Governor Henry Fuqua. In what was later coined the 'Fuqua Law,' the Klan was required to fill out annual membership lists. With the Klan's prominence in Louisiana fading by the mid-1920s, men like Luther Ivan Powell, born in Shreveport, began to fill the void elsewhere. Powell extended the Klan's influence in the western United States, beginning in California in 1920. As a Klan Department of Propagation graduate, he proved an effective recruiter and organizer for the group, moving further North into Medford, Oregon, in 1921. Powell was able to tailor Klan messaging to meet the needs of the time. Rather than harping on a deep hatred for African Americans in a population that lacked a substantial black demographic, he changed his tune toward opposing Catholics, supporting prohibition, and consistently attacking Japanese Americans. A pattern was established with the group's city infiltration into communities: spreading anti-Catholic, nationalistic pamphlets into communities. Following this, an overzealous protestant minister spread the word of an alleged Vatican takeover of Washington, D.C., sowing seeds of distrust of Catholics. With the congregation swept up in fear, local pastors began Klan recruitment. Unsolved crime: Shreveport's St. Rest Baptist Church bombed during Civil Rights Movement The Klan's infiltration into Medford went deeper than a few public appearances. Lawernce J. Saalfeld, a historian of the Oregon Klan, reports that the press neglected to disclose the Klan's emergence as a significant political force. Oregon Senate candidates initially vied for Klan support to ensure political survival. The mayor of Medford was compromised immediately, joining the group. Later, politicians in Eugene, Tillamook, Condon, and Astoria, were also found to be Klansmen. This was a common tactic of the Klan, molding the social paranoia surrounding a given area. Anti-Japanese rhetoric flourished in the Pacific coastal states, anti-Mexican in the Southwest, and anti-Semitism in the Northern Atlantic States. Of course, this was not hatred for hatred's sake; monetary strings were attached to the sentiment. Capitalizing on the social paranoia lined the pockets of prominent Klan leaders like Powell and others in future generations. His organizing strategy was simple yet effective. He used the existing memberships of fraternal, civic, and social groups as high-yielding grounds for fostering Klan membership. This foreshadows future Klan tactics using business fronts to conceal criminal activity. While in Oregon, he founded Klan chapters in Klamath Falls and Roseburg and a sizeable chapter in Portland that bore his name, Luther Ivan Powell Klan No. 1. However, as quick as the success came, it left, and Powell fell out of favor with the Klan in Oregon as all Klan-backed candidates failed in primaries in 1922. This initiated Powell's moving north to Washington, as several promised Klan business ventures (guaranteeing a skyscraper) failed. Powell saw early gains as Kleagle of Washington and Idaho soon after moving in 1922. In a twist of irony, he replaced fellow Shreveport, Louisiana native L. M. McFarlin, as the 'King Kleagle' of the Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan' for the 'Realm of Washington,' worked from a temporary office at the St. Regis Hotel in Seattle. The 'King Kleagle of the Pacific Northwest Domain' now encompassed Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii. He sought to expand further by instituting a branch of the Klan for women. Powell also employed the help of Dr. W. M. Rose to begin a Klan affiliate, the Royal Riders of the Red Robe, later known as American Krusaders. This group further expanded the Klan's reach for naturalized U.S. citizens. David M. Chalmers, author of Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan (3rd Edition), in his analysis of the American Krusaders writes, 'real patriotic organization to all Canadians, Englishmen, and other white, Gentile, Protestants.' The group excluded immigrants from Greece, Italy, and the Balkans. Powell also began a newspaper, The Watch on the Tower, to further spread the ideals of the Klan. However, due to internal strife, greed, and abrasive personality, typical of the Second and future Third iteration of the Klan, Powell left Washington by 1923, which brought him to Vancouver, B.C., in late 1925. Shreveport was a major Confederate capital; here's why it still matters Following yet another expulsion, Powell returned home to Shreveport, Louisiana, in the 1930s. He returned with a new goal of sparking a fascist movement known as the Khaki Shirts of America. As he attempted to foment a fascist movement in his hometown, he began a sinister partnership with William Dudley Pelley. Pelley was a noted supporter of Adolf Hitler. On January 31, 1933, the day after Hitler's rise to power in Germany, he founded the Silver Shirts Legion of America. Powell's Shreveport venture did not last long, as Trevor Griffey of the Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project recounts in a memoir from a Shreveport police officer in the 1930s, 'He has lived by his wits for many years– in fact, I have never known him to do any work. He pays no bills, and he is a man utterly without standing in the community. He presents a good superficial appearance and is a good speaker, and in that way he got control of the organization known as the Khaki Shirts of America. I am reliably informed that his misuse of the funds of the organization was the primary cause of its disbandment… I am… certain that no organization sponsored by Powell could make any headway here because Powell has neither the respect nor the confidence of anyone who knows him.' It is no surprise that Powell became the State Manager of Townsend Pension, as the Shreveport Journal reported in 1935. 'Luther I. Powell, better known as Maj. Powell, for 25 years a resident of Shreveport, has returned from an extended trip of the Western States, begun by him last spring on behalf of the Townsend age-old revolving pension plan. Among the states included in his itinerary were Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Mr. Powell Tuesday was appointed Louisiana state manager of the Townsend old-age plan movement in Louisiana, he said. Club No. 1 will be set up in Shreveport.' While Powell's fascist movement fell flat, the foundation was firmly laid for the Klan's return in future decades in Shreveport. Powell served as an example of Shreveport exporting the business of hate into other areas. The 1960s came with a new obstacle to overcome: the entrance of the infamous Roy Elonzo Davis. Connecting accusations of involvement with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, confirmed plots to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as early as 1964, and the Mississippi burning murders, Shreveport serves as somewhat of a connective piece in all of these events. Roy Elonzo Davis wore several hats throughout his life. Born in Texas in 1890, he and his brother instigated several complex schemes, fronting as Christian charities while defrauding congregations and several banks throughout the United States. In the 1910s, he adopted the alias Lon Davis to evade law enforcement. In the 1920s, Davis was a founding member of the second iteration of the Ku Klux Klan under William Joseph Simmons. Davis proved vital in Klan recruitment across the Deep South until a factional split in 1924 led Simmons to create a Klan organization, the Knights of the Flaming Sword. As the Knights of the Flaming Sword quickly disbanded, Davis turned his attention toward the formation of the Pentecostal Baptist Church of God. The formation of this new church provided Davis with a new avenue to continue his enterprise. He ordained and mentored William Branham, a self-professed faith healer who believed he received direct messages from God. Following decades of continuing his criminal activity from state to state, dodging trials and convictions, Davis returned to Texas and eventually settled in Dallas. In 1958, Davis became the Grand Dragon of the Klan in Texas. The following year, he became the self-professed Imperial Wizard of the Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, where his recruitment efforts brought him to Shreveport, Louisiana. Citizens prevented Claiborne Parish lynching in 1907 Following decades of continuing his criminal activity from state to state, dodging trials and convictions, Davis returned to Texas and eventually settled in Dallas. In 1958, Davis became the Grand Dragon of the Klan in Texas. The following year, he became the self-professed Imperial Wizard of the Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, where his recruitment efforts brought him to Shreveport, Louisiana. The Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan formed late in December 1960, and they made several public displays to make their presence known across North Louisiana. A cross was burned in Congressman Overton Brooks's yard, much to the dismay of the Shreveport Journal (then ardent segregationists.) They felt that the cross-burnings would elicit sympathy for integrationist causes. According to a House of Unamerican Activities Committee held in 1966, Davis led the formation of the OKKKK yet exercised little leadership, which generally fell into the hands of John D. Swenson. Swenson held the title of national Kleagle and Grand Dragon of Louisiana. From its inception to 1963, the OKKKK held immense strength in Shreveport, Monroe, and Bogalusa, Louisiana. Despite a lack of authentic leadership from Davis in the local Shreveport Klan, he kept himself busy with constant attacks against President John F. Kennedy. Davis set out these flyers just days before President Kennedy's assassination, prompting several investigations into his organization. While Davis stood more as a figurehead of the OKKKK, the previously mentioned Swenson directed much of the Klan activity from the Shreveport-Bossier area. CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) activist Heather Tilsen Baum recounted, 'Bogalusa is a small town close to what at the time was called 'the seat' of the Klan in Shreveport. Carver Memorial Cemetery: Resting place of many Shreveport Civil Rights activists In the summer of 1963, the OKKKK in Bogalusa nearly lynched CORE leader James Farmer, who had to escape the city by hiding in a hearse. The subsequent years of constant OKKKK harassment gave Bogalusa the distinction of 'Klantown, USA' through its leadership under Charles Christmas and Saxon Farmer. Their front organization differed from their northern counterparts, as they were known as they disguised themselves as the 'Anti-Communist Christian Association.' In 1965, the Deacons for Defense and Justice were formed to protect Civil Rights workers, mainly CORE and the Bogalusa Voter's League. Due to the sheer repression of the OKKKK, historian Adam Fairclough, in Race & Democracy: The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972, concluded that Bogalusa became a testing ground for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Under Swenson's new direction, the OKKKK spread its recruitment into Arkansas and, most notably, Mississippi. However, a three-way factional split soon spelled trouble for Swenson, as Mississippi Grand Dragon Douglas Byrd and Klan officer Edward McDaniel accused him of personally profiting from the sale of robes. Swenson and Imperial Dragon Royal Young attested to leaving the Klan in 1964. While under Swenson and Young's leadership, the group was the 'Louisiana Rifle Association' in Shreveport, while the Monroe branch operated under a similar umbrella as a 'Hunting and Fishing Club.' Under Swenson's new direction, the OKKKK spread its recruitment into Arkansas and, most notably, Mississippi. However, a three-way factional split soon spelled trouble for Swenson, as Mississippi Grand Dragon Douglas Byrd and Klan officer Edward McDaniel accused him of personally profiting from the sale of robes. Swenson and Imperial Dragon Royal Young attested to leaving the Klan in 1964. While under Swenson and Young's leadership, the group was the 'Louisiana Rifle Association' in Shreveport, while the Monroe branch operated under a similar umbrella as a 'Hunting and Fishing Club.' A substantial number of members from the OKKKK split led to the formation of the infamous White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi, led by Imperial Wizard Samuel Bowers Jr. Bowers held the headquarters for the WKKKK in Laurel, Mississippi. Bowers' presentation was likened to future prominent Klansman David Duke. He considered himself a gentleman, was soft-spoken, and considered himself of a 'higher level' than the stereotypical version of a Klansman. In the summer of 1964, the White Knights committed the infamous Mississippi burning murders, killing James Chaney, Mickey Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman. The three CORE activists were close friends of Dave Dennis Sr., freedom rider and prominent CORE leader. He would have been in the car with them had he not contracted bronchitis and returned home to Shreveport. After the murders, the White Knights employed the use of several front organizations to conceal Klan activity, much like the OKKKK. One of the front organizations was The White Christian Protective and Legal Defense Fund. Despite its advertising as an organization collecting funds to support people arrested in the murders of Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman, most of the finances collected went toward the general operations of the White Knights. In late July of 1964, an FBI informant recounted the OKKKK in Monroe, Louisiana's plans to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after rumors swirled of his appearance in the city. The reaction to CORE's efforts in Louisiana from 1964 to 1965 by the Klan could have proved even more devasting. While these are horrifying, detestable accounts of violence from hate groups, there is still a message of hope that can be salvaged from them. They reside in the stories of Johnny Lee Clary and Edward L. McDaniel. Former professional wrestler turned successor of Samuel Bowers, Clary turned his life around, leaving the Klan behind and educating the FBI in white supremacist recruiting tactics. McDaniel also left the Klan, later backing Charles Evers, brother of Medgar Evers, who was murdered by a Klansman in his mayoral campaign, making Charles Evers the first black mayor in Mississippi since Reconstruction. Ephriam David Tyler: Shreveport civil rights poet born in 1884 'I count Mayor Evers as a friend now, and I have a lot of respect for the man,' said Bowers. 'We realized it is not blacks against whites, but the little folks against the big shots.' Although these two instances can serve as a source of hope for escaping this ideology, we must remember that human beings should not be used as fodder for someone's redemption story. There is a silver lining across those who imported and exported the business of hate into and out of Shreveport – they were able to exploit racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and antisemitism for profit. The sale of robes to clothe disdain lined the pockets of a few while they sowed fear of the 'other.' Through the decades of coverage, these groups have proven their ability to adapt to the modern landscape and alter their targets accordingly. Their business model requires extremism; the deeper the animosity, the more money its leaders extract. Combating these ideologies requires community and education. In a true community, knowing and respecting one's neighbor drastically decreases the chances of hatred fomenting across any social line. LSU Shreveport's Mik Barnes took the lead on this article. Sources: Amanda Onion, 'Ku Klux Klan: Origin, Members & Facts | HISTORY,' HISTORY, April 20, 2023, 'KKK Series: Federal Bureau of Investigation.' Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI. 2019. 'Memo of November 13, 1922.' 2025. FBI. 2025. John Caldbick, 'Ku Klux Klan in Washington, 1921-1925,' March 11, 2019, David J. Chalmers, Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan, 3rd Ed., (Durham: Duke University Press, 1987), 86-87. Trevor Griffey, 'Luther I. Powell: Northwest KKK Organizer' Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, n.d. David J. Chalmers, Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan, 3rd Ed., (Durham: Duke University Press, 1987), 90. John Caldbick, 'Ku Klux Klan in Washington, 1921-1925,' March 11, 2019, David J. Chalmers, Hooded Americanism: The History of the Ku Klux Klan, 3rd Ed., (Durham: Duke University Press, 1987), 217. The Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, July 7, 1922, pp. 1. John Caldbick, 'Ku Klux Klan in Washington, 1921-1925,' March 11, 2019, Will Schultz, 'William Dudley Pelley (1885-1965) – North Carolina History,' North Carolina History -, April 8, 2024, Trevor Griffey, 'Luther I. Powell: Northwest KKK Organizer' Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project, n.d. The Shreveport Journal, September 10, 1935, pg. 8. 'Roy Davis – BelieveTheSign.' 2022. 2022. Tim Steller, ''The Message' Religious Sect Sprouts Destructive Groups Across Globe,' November 12, 2024, The Shreveport Times, February 10, 1961, pg 1. 'Bogalusans Face Hearing on Klan' The Daily Advertiser, January 5, 1966, The Shreveport Times, February 16, 1961, pg 6. Peter Grier, 'James Farmer, the Once and Future Freedom Rider,' The Christian Science Monitor, November 22, 1983, 'THE PRESENT-DAY KU KLUX KLAN MOVEMENT REPORT by the COMMITTEE on UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES NINETIETH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION.' 1967. Adam Fairclough. Race & Democracy: The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972. Athens: University Of Georgia Press, 2008, 355. 'Roy Davis – BelieveTheSign.' 2022. 2022. 'Former Klansmen tells of Bowing out in 1964' The Shreveport Times, January 5, 1966, pg 2. 'Bogalusans Face Hearing on Klan' The Daily Advertiser, January 5, 1966, Bruce Watson, Freedom Summer: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy, (Penguin, 2010), 143. Bruce Watson, Freedom Summer: The Savage Season That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy, (Penguin, 2010), 282. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: D.W. Griffith's ‘The Birth of a Nation' premieres
Today is Saturday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2025. There are 326 days left in the year. Today in history: On Feb. 8, 1915, D.W. Griffith's controversial epic film 'The Birth of a Nation' premiered in Los Angeles. Also on this date: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1693, a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the Virginia Colony. In 1904, Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian Navy at Port Arthur (now Dalian, China), marking the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated by William D. Boyce. In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City as Gee Jon, a Chinese immigrant convicted of murder, was put to death. In 1936, the first NFL draft was held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia. In 1960, work began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles. In 1968, three Black students were killed and 28 wounded as state troopers opened fire on student demonstrators on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg in the wake of protests over a whites-only bowling alley. The event would become known as the Orangeburg Massacre. In 1971, NASDAQ, the world's first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day. Today's birthdays: Composer-conductor John Williams is 93. Broadcast journalist Ted Koppel is 85. Actor Nick Nolte is 84. Comedian Robert Klein is 83. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is 82. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 72. Author John Grisham is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli is 65. Rock singer Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe) is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning is 55. Actor Seth Green is 51. Actor William Jackson Harper is 45. Actor-comedian Cecily Strong is 41. Hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak is 39. Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton is 35.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
On This Day, Feb. 8: Groundbreaking starts on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Feb. 8 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded, charged with conspiring to kill England's Queen Elizabeth I. In 1692, a doctor in Massachusetts Bay Colony said two village girls were possibly bewitched, a charge that set off the Salem witch trials. In 1693, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., was granted a charter by Britain's King William III. In 1915, D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, a landmark in the history of cinema and the first American full-length motion picture, opened in Los Angeles and was immediately a smash hit though many found its treatment of race offensive. In 1933, two British Royal Air Force pilots landed at Walvis Bay, 800 miles north of Cape Town, South Africa, setting a non-stop flight record after traveling 5,175 miles from England. In 1960, groundbreaking got underway for the first plaques installed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which honored Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, Ernest Torrence and Joanne Woodward. In 1974, three U.S. Skylab astronauts ended an 84-day orbital flight. In 1983, a group of gunmen stole one the world's most valuable racehorses, Shergar, from a stud farm in Ireland. The kidnappers demanded a $3.1 million ransom, but negotiations proved fruitless and the horse was never seen again. In 1993, at least 132 people were killed when a Russian-made Tupolev jetliner flying for Iran Air Tours collided with a Sukhoi military aircraft near Tehran. In 2002, the Olympic Winter Games opened in Salt Lake City. In 2007, Anna Nicole Smith, a 39-year-old actor, model and tabloid fixture, was found dead in a Hollywood, Fla., hotel. Her death was attributed to accidental sedative overdose. In 2014, snowboarding slopestyle made its debut at the Olympic Games with American Sage Kotsenburg claiming the first gold medal in the event in Sochi, Russia. In 2022, Austrian Matthias Mayer made history, becoming the first man to win alpine skiing gold in three Olympics after taking first place in the men's super-G event in Beijing. In 2024, Pakistani voters went to the polls, giving jailed Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party, or PTI, an unexpected plurality of legislative seats.
