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Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Young and dumb': Jason Whitlock calls Stefon Diggs & Cardi B a ghetto version of Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce
(Image via Getty: Stefon Diggs with Cardi B) Jason Whitlock, a celebrated columnist, has decorated the pages of The Kansas City Star, ESPN, AOL Sports, and FOX Sports for the longest time. Now, he sits and hosts Blaze Media's podcast show called Fearless with Jason Whitlock. What's bewildering is that his opinions are as decorating as his writings used to be. Guess a journalist never stops being one, even if they switch from writing to podcasting! Anyway. This time around, Whitlock's wide-angle focus is on the newest wide receiver for the New England Patriots, Stefon Diggs. Oh, not just him. But his newest Instagram-official girlfriend too! Cardi B . Let's check out what Jason Whitlock discussed with another former Patriots WR T.J. Moe, and Fearless with Jason Whitlock's Contributor, Steve Kim. What is Stefon Diggs doing with Cardi B? - Jason Whitlock asked a multi-million dollar question (Image via Getty: Stefon Diggs with Cardi B) On June 3, former Sports Columnist at The Kansas City Star, FOX Sports, AOL Sports, and ESPN, who currently hosts Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast show, said, 'Finally, Steve, I don't know if this is your area of expertise. But Stefon Diggs and Cardi B - looks like they are hanging out in a strip club. Don't we have him at the strip club with Cardi B, smacking her back on the rear end? - T.J. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Switch to UnionBank Rewards Card UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo close your eyes. I'm telling you, Stefon Diggs is a multi-millionaire, NFL star athlete, and great. What's he doing here with Cardi B? Part of me is talking out loud. I'm acting like I'm perplexed, and I've never done the exact same thing as Stefon Diggs and I have. So, he's just young and dumb. And this is what young and dumb people do.' Stefon Diggs is not into chasing being a great football player anymore Whitlock continued, 'But he(Stefon Diggs) doesn't care about football at this point. I don't think at all - between the yacht parties, and skipping OTAs, and looking like he's passing out drugs to young girls. He's into all what football can do to/for him. He's not into chasing being a great football player anymore.' Stefon Diggs and Cardi B is the malt liquor of celebrity couples (Image via Cardi B IG) Jason Whitlock shared, 'The report is saying the (New England)Patriots are not going to drop Stefon Diggs. But I think they actually should. This is the ghetto version of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift . This is the malt liquor of celebrity couples. And at some point, someone will probably play the race card- you know, you celebrate Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. But that's what this is. It's just a ghetto version of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.' Steve Kim, Regular Guest and Contributor to Fearless with Jason Whitlock podcast show, said, 'I don't find those two to be nearly as annoying as Travis Kelce and (Taylor)Swift. I'll just leave it at that.' Travis Kelce performed well even with the distraction called Taylor Swift (Image via Getty: Taylor Swift with Travis Kelce) Taylor Jacob Moe(T.J. Moe), a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots who co-hosts Fearless with Jason Whitlock, said, 'They(Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift) are pretty annoying. Call it a tie. I would just say this. There's a difference. Travis has been on the downhill, but he's really showed up in the playoffs and when they needed him. Particularly two years ago. And was really good even with the distraction. ' Why is Stefon Diggs suddenly a necessity for the New England Patriots? (Image via Getty: Stefon Diggs) T.J. Moe continued, 'Stefon Diggs was the No. 2 receiver on his own team last year and is coming off a torn ACL. Why is he suddenly a necessity for the Patriots? I just don't think he's good anymore. I think he was already beginning to get washed up. He doesn't care about football and he's coming off an ACL. So, if you wanna go and be a distraction, go be a distraction.' 'NFL is doing everything they can to promote it,' says T.J. Moe about Stefon Diggs and Cardi B's newfound love 'If you're going to be Travis Kelce in the playoffs, maybe you can put up a Taylor Swift. Particularly if the NFL is doing everything they can to promote it and get new eyeballs,' Moe concluded. Whitlock went on to say, 'Maybe they will promote Stefon Diggs and Cardi B. Robert Kraft certainly would, and the NFL seems to love the degeneracy, so they are right on the brand show.' Also Read: Shaquille O'Neal Makes Travis Kelce Dance to Taylor Swift's Hit Song | NFL News - Times of India
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Longing for a state and country I can believe in
When it comes to what is best for Missouri and America, it is about building bridges that we can all walk across to achieve the best good for the greatest number (rarrarorro/iStock Images) This column is a major departure from how I have written columns for nearly four decades. It is personal. I have avoided using 'I' and have endeavored to remain objective and impersonal as I have addressed and analyzed myriad social, educational and political issues across race, age, gender and socioeconomic status. That has been my practice, whether writing for radio, in print when I wrote for The Kansas City Star and other newspapers, or online writing for The Missouri Independent the last four years. Even in my own blog. Maybe the 'I' in this column is a 'collective I' that tugs. I have a hunch that many of my fellow Missourians and Americans may be feeling as I do as we live through unprecedented, tumultuous, and unsettling political times. What are you longing for? I long for a state and country where: The fundamental tenets, rules, procedures and laws that have governed our democratic republic still hold true and still mean something as we function in the public square and in our everyday lives. Our institutions and their histories still have meaning, value, collective power and influence. There is real meaning and we still value representative government, where those elected really believe in respecting and fighting for the issues and concerns of those who voted for them, sent them to do the people's bidding. Each of us can wear the Missourian and American identity with pride, humility and thankfulness irrespective of skin color, gender, place of birth, social or economic station or political leanings. The behaviors of the leadership in our state and nation — our governor, the legislature, our president, the halls of Congress — are shining examples to be emulated, duplicated, and cheered on. There is hope and a positive outlook about what each of us can achieve if we work hard enough. Some may consider those longings naive or idealistic. I do not. As a Black woman, born and raised on a small farm in Mississippi, and who has lived and or witnessed first-hand the good, the bad and the ugly of life in America, I have always remained hopeful and refused to give up on believing in the best of our collective humanity. Even now — as I watch the callous and inhumane way undocumented immigrants are being treated, how caring and career public servants have had their lives upended as their jobs are snatched and taken away indiscriminately with little or no notice — I still believe our collective decency and collective humanity still exist and is worth fighting for. When I watch DEI programs being dismantled across every aspect of American life as if the playing field is equal, I still believe in fairness and decency in spite of my experiences throughout my career — not getting jobs I was qualified for, sometimes overly qualified for, not able to buy a house in a neighborhood I could afford, on and on. Despite those experiences, I refused to be bitter, paint the situation or future prospects with a broad brush, or feel that I would always be victimized by racism and sexism. If I am a victim, it is in my belief that hope for a better humanity reigns eternal. But today and for some time, I must admit, I am finding it difficult to not become pessimistic, to not throw up my hands and say, 'What's the use? Why not just sit on my porch and watch the birds, and the changing sky?' Can I or any of us afford to do that, check out and ignore the constant bombardment of news that fly in the face of what this great 'Heart of America' state and the country that was once considered the 'Beacon on a Hill' supposed to be about? We see examples and reminders every day that we are allowing debased values and goals to kill the progress we have made for over two centuries. Why? Why? Why? Are we willing to sit by and watch what is happening to our state and country? Why? Who are the few, yes the few, representatives in Jefferson City and Washington who will assume and use the power invested in them to stand up and stop the negative and destructive trajectory — of us versus them — that the state and nation is on? No matter where we hail from, no matter our circumstances of birth, we have shared experiences that should bind us, not divide us. More importantly, keep us divided. It really is not about 'us' against 'them.' If only we could just keep that thought top of mind. It isn't about labels either: Republicans versus Democrats, conservatives versus liberals. Like many of you, I have voted for both Democrats and Republicans. I vote for the person and what they stand for. I am both conservative and liberal — and moderate — depending on the issue. When it comes to what is best for Missouri and America, it is about building bridges that we can all walk across to achieve the best good for the greatest number. That is what I long for. That is my hope. What is yours? We need to have an answer to pass on to our children, our grandchildren, and their children. Our collective future is dependent on it.
American Military News
10-05-2025
- Business
- American Military News
Missourians could soon pay with gold and silver after lawmakers approve odd bill
Shoppers across Missouri could soon be able to pay for their groceries and pay taxes with gold and silver. Missouri lawmakers this week, in a move that surprised some, approved a controversial bill that would make gold and silver legal tender in the state. The legislation, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly as an amendment to a sweeping finance-related bill, is headed to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk. The Republican-led legislation would require state government entities to accept electronic versions of gold and silver, called 'electronic specie currency,' as forms of payment for taxes and public debts. While the measure would not require businesses to accept gold and silver as payment for private uses, such as groceries, it would allow them to do so. 'The goal is about restoring economic and political freedom back to everyday Missourians,' state Rep. Bill Hardwick, a Dixon Republican who sponsored a version of the bill, told The Kansas City Star at the state Capitol. But the legislation is one of the more unusual bills considered by state lawmakers in recent years and earned only a passing mention during a House floor debate this week. Its passage this year came as a surprise to some in the state Capitol, as critics have scoffed at the idea and raised numerous questions about how it would work in practice. State Rep. Kemp Strickler, a Kansas City Democrat, said he opposed the language of the bill dealing with gold and silver. However, he supported other parts of the larger legislation and ultimately voted 'present.' 'Not a fan of that part of it,' Strickler said. 'Assuming it gets signed, we're in the 'how do we implement' stage.' The full text of the bill was still not available online Wednesday, more than 24 hours after passing through the General Assembly. However, the amendment, reviewed by the Star, would require the Missouri Department of Revenue to craft rules on how to implement the law after it would take effect in August if signed by Kehoe. Strickler said the bill's passage was both concerning and surprising. He anticipated that many local businesses would choose not to accept gold and silver as forms of payment. 'I would think this would be a huge challenge for private businesses,' he said. Lawmakers have filed versions of the legislation, often called the 'Constitutional Money Act,' over the past several years. The bills have received backing from the Missouri Freedom Initiative, a grassroots organization that supports right-wing issues such as lower taxes, gun rights, school choice and anti-abortion causes. A message sent to the group's contact page was not immediately returned. Utah was the first state to legalize gold and silver as legal tender in 2011. The legislation headed to Kehoe's desk was considered a compromise version of the bill. A previous version faced pushback from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry for outright requiring businesses to accept gold and silver as payment. While the chamber opposed the previous version, the prominent business advocacy group told the Star this week that it did not take a position on the new version approved by lawmakers. 'The Missouri Chamber did not take a position on this bill as it does not mandate private businesses accept gold and silver, but rather, leaves it up to employer discretion,' Megan Davis, a spokesperson for the chamber, said in an email. Kehoe spokesperson Gabby Picard did not give any indication whether the Republican governor would sign the bill into law. She said in an email that the bill would 'receive a thorough review by Governor Kehoe and his team.' Receiving change back? Versions of the bill have been carried by members of the hard-right Missouri Freedom Caucus, a group of Republican senators who have pushed the GOP-controlled General Assembly to be more conservative. One of the most vocal members of the caucus in recent years, former state Sen. Bill Eigel, a Weldon Spring Republican, made the bill one of his priorities as he mounted an unsuccessful campaign for governor last year. 'This is just giving our citizens another option when it comes to how they can pay their bills,' Eigel told the Star before last year's legislative session began. 'We live in an age where … the dollar is being inflated and abused by our friends up in Washington, D.C.' One prominent Democrat, former Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo from Independence, previously called the idea 'absurd' and questioned how it would work in practice, particularly if a shopper paid with gold and wanted their change back. 'So when I go to a gas station and buy a Coke, a 20-ounce Coke, and I'd say, you know, here's my gold … Are they gonna give me back money in gold?' Rizzo told the Star in 2023. When asked about this at the Capitol this week, Hardwick said that the bill would allow for a new market for electronic and paper methods of payment for gold and silver. With the paper methods, change would still exist like current money does, he said. 'I think that those things will work themselves out in time,' he said. ___ © 2025 The Kansas City Star. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas City must be clear-eyed about spending taxpayer money to build stadiums for billionaires
A rendering of the Royals proposed downtown ballpark (image submitted). Should a city's love of beloved sports franchises outweigh their financial considerations? Long time Missouri sports reporter, Vahe Gregorian, wrote a moving and nostalgic piece in The Kansas City Star about the Royals, their cherished place in our collective identity, and their desire to build a baseball park downtown. The emotional pull is undeniable. As a transplant to Kansas City, I marveled in 2015 at the pictures and stories on social media of friends and neighbors who attended the Royals 1985 World Series with their parents then doing the same with their own children. Even as I write this, it remains a powerful example of how professional sports can bring a community together. Yet there are plenty of Kansas Citians who are just as emotionally moved to protect Kauffman Stadium itself, the place of both the team's Series wins. The K is often rated highly among MLB parks, which doesn't include the strong affinity Royals fans have for Ewing Kauffman himself. The park itself holds emotional and cultural value. But the effort to use taxpayer money to build a downtown park is not a romance novel, it is a business proposal. It ought to be understood as such. Royals owner John Sherman certainly understands it as a business deal. In a recent radio interview, Sherman said the team needs a newer building, a modern building, because the K was, 'not competitive.' What does that mean? According to, 'The Business of Sports,' edited by Scott Rosner and Kenneth Shropshire, 'Much of the reason why existing stadiums are considered 'obsolete' is because they lack enough high-priced corporate seating,' such as luxury boxes and club seats which businesses may purchase and claim as tax deductions. Nothing romantic there. In turn, proponents of a downtown stadium offer smoke-and-mirrors arguments about all the economic benefits of a downtown stadium. At best, moving the park downtown changes spending—it does not create new spending. Where fans once may have visited liquor and grocery stores on their way to the K, they would now spend those same dollars at the new park and adjacent restaurants and bars. That's not new money for the city or county. Quite the opposite, because current spending goes to places whose sales, income and property taxes support vital public services. But the subsidy regime for a new park would mean taxes collected at or around the new park would be returned to the developer for decades. Gregorian cites the resuscitation of downtown by the Power & Light District as an example of economic success. It is anything but. The city did not create new economic activity, it merely redirected it from elsewhere, and in doing so, forwent millions in tax revenue. If downtown is considered a success, why are we still discussing new subsidies there 20 years later? When do taxpayers get to claim success and move on? As for the April 2024 campaign, Gregorian quotes Royals owner John Sherman lamenting that the team did not have enough time to put together a sound proposal for the East Crossroads location. Recall, however, that Jackson County Executive Frank White vetoed putting the vote on the April 2 ballot and was initially supported by county legislators. But an ad campaign by the Chiefs and Royals pressured legislators to override White, which they did. If Sherman regrets the short campaign, he has only himself to blame. Perhaps most unsettling is Gregorian's mention that Sherman has been a substantial philanthropist for city causes. His generosity is welcome and laudable. It is a credit to Sherman himself. Yet the message seems to be, as it has for other wealthy Kansas Citians seeking public subsidies, that taxpayers somehow owe them. That is not charity; it is quid pro quo. The Royals are culturally important to Kansas City. And we love our teams. But Kansas Citians must be clear-eyed about what is being asked of them: billions of dollars to move a park six miles so already-wealthy business owners can earn even more. There is nothing romantic or nostalgic about that.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘He wanted to inspire': Author educator and journalist Charles Coulter dies at 70
When Lewis Diuguid began working at The Kansas City Star as a reporter and photographer, the newsroom was a very different place. With only a few Black employees on staff, he found himself part of a small group of reporters who often had to work twice as hard to earn the respect of their white colleagues. A few months after he joined, Charles Coulter was hired as a sports reporter. Diuguid remembers his colleague and friend fondly as a dedicated, hard working, and inspiring journalist. Coulter, who worked for The Kansas City Star for many years as a sports reporter and later as a member of the editorial board, passed away on March 24 at the age of 70. Diuguid recalls the joy and excitement among the Black journalists at The Star, recognizing that Coulter would be a valuable addition — not just to the newspaper, but to local journalism as a whole. 'I was glad he was there,' said Diuguid. 'I used to joke that there were so few black staffers at the newspaper that you could count all of us on your hands and still have enough fingers to smoke a cigarette and hold a beer.' Diuguid recalls that, for the first time in his life, he saw companies making an effort to hire Black employees in the name of workplace diversity. While he was glad to see Black professionals like himself and Coulter finally getting opportunities, he believes many were hired with the unspoken expectation that they would fail. That pressure, he says, deeply influenced Coulter's approach to journalism. Driven by a sense of responsibility, Coulter dedicated decades to serving the community through his reporting. Colleagues remember Coulter as a passionate leader who used his work to uplift and inspire his community. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, into a family that survived the Tulsa Race Massacre, Coulter's deep love and commitment to the Black community were instilled in him when he was a young child. His wife, Isabelle Abarr, recalls how his upbringing shaped the man he became. She says Coulter often told her that his path to journalism began early, when people in his community recognized his talent for writing, history, and research. 'His mother taught him to read before he even started school,' said Abarr. 'He said he always loved words and while in school he had a teacher who taught journalism so he was very encouraging. ' Coulter spent much of his early life looking up to Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. His wife says that from a young age, he felt a need to strive for excellence—to be a living example of what Black people could achieve when given the opportunity. He excelled academically at Booker T. Washington High School, graduating as valedictorian in 1972. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Later, he moved to Kansas City to pursue a master's degree in history at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and made the metro area his home. As a journalist, Coulter worked hard to become a role model in the Black community, much like his own teachers had been for him. He believed that if young Black people could see professionals in roles they were once told were out of reach, they would be inspired to aim higher and dream bigger. Former colleagues, including Diuguid, remember Coulter's deep passion and unwavering dedication to his work. Diuguid recalls that working as a field reporter in the late 1970s came with its own risks and challenges, but Coulter never let those pressures affect the quality of his reporting or diminish his commitment to the community he served. 'You didn't become a journalist back then who was Black without carrying the responsibility of having to be very good at what you did,' said Diuguid. 'We had to do good to show that Black people really did know what we were doing.' In addition to his work as a journalist, Coulter was also an author and educator. In 2006, he published 'Take Up the Black Man's Burden: Kansas City's African American Communities, 1865–1939', a book that explores the history of Black residents in Kansas City from the end of slavery through World War II. Coulter also served as an adjunct professor at both the University of Missouri–Kansas City and the Kansas City Art Institute, where he taught courses focused on African American studies. Coulter's wife said one event that held deep meaning for her husband each year was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Long before it became a federal holiday, Coulter was a strong advocate for honoring Dr. King's legacy and emphasizing the ongoing importance of keeping his dream of equality alive. Every year, Coulter dedicated his time to speaking at community events held in Dr. King's honor. He would share stories about his family's history in Tulsa, the mentor who first recognized his potential, and the enduring need for the community to come together in unity and purpose. 'I think he wanted to inspire people like he was,' said Abarr. 'Every year he would talk about things that King spoke about that was still relevant in today's times. Charles believed that everyone had an obligation to try to change the world.' While Diuguid acknowledges the significant increase in Black journalists in Kansas City over the past several decades, he believes that trailblazers like Coulter were essential in paving the way. He hopes that the next generation of Black journalists will learn about Coulter's legacy and recognize the impact of his contributions to local journalism. 'He was someone who was very passionate about the work,' said Diuguid. 'He always believed in doing a good job, very passionate about the people in this city and always wanting to help.' Robery Woodley Robery Woodley, business owner, died March 8. She was 82. Woodley was born on Dec. 20, 1942, in Forest, Mississippi, to Robert Tipton and Vernice Thompson. When she was 12 she and her family moved to Kansas City where Woodley lived out the rest of her life. She graduated from Central High School in 1960 and later graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a degree in dietetics. While in college, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Through her sorority and its mission of service, Woodley stayed connected to her community. In 1969 she married Jimmy Woodley and together they co-founded Woodley Building Maintenance. She is remembered by her children, Tiffany and Terry Woodley; brother, Rochester Tipton; along with a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Shelvy Lee Convert Sr. Shelvy Lee Convert Sr., retired car salesman died March 10. He was 86. Covert was born on Jan. 12, 1939, in Dumas, Arkansas to Tasge Convert and Ida Bell Pryor. Having a life-long passion for cars, Covert found a career working in the automotive field as a car salesman. He worked for several dealerships in the area for 68 years until his retirement this January. He married Shirley Convert in 1962 and the couple had two children. He is remembered by his children, Shelvy L. Convert Jr. and Anthony Convert; siblings, Benjamin Pryor, Daisy Barnes and Lorraine Moore-Smith; along with a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
