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Daily Maverick
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Violence of whiteness laid bare in Trump-Ramaphosa meeting for all the world to see
This week marks two years since journalist and sociopolitical commentator Eusebius McKaiser died, a loss to both journalism and South Africa's critical intelligentsia community. I yearned to hear his unfiltered take on the humiliating events in the White House's Oval Office during the meeting between Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa. What unfolded there made me feel quite ill. McKaiser was never one to baulk at challenging racial prejudice and discrimination, particularly the weaponisation of whiteness, and that is exactly what we were made to endure on Wednesday, 21 May. The whole engagement enraged me, not only as a South African but also as a black woman watching the all-too-familiar dance of slave and master playing out live on international television, forcing our President to have to beg and perform for his humanity. No amount of cool, calm and factual interventions from his side stood a chance against the dismissive and irrational Trump onslaught. I guess that, at this point, these kinds of things should not still be eliciting such visceral reactions from me, as they have been happening since before I was born. My response, however, came from a sense of anger at the spectacle of white violence demonstrated by Trump, who could not be bothered to know the difference between African countries, never mind listen to the government delegation Ramaphosa led. Instead, he chose to listen to privileged white golfers and a fellow bullish businessman because they have more in common. I also found myself thinking that American people are the ones who gifted the world with Trump after electing him at the polls last November, something I attribute to a culture of worshipping celebrity and money as opposed to reason and moral values. The likes of Trump are what happens when a society lets popular culture dictate people's aspirations amid disinformation and fearmongering. A song titled This Is America by actor and musician Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino, has been playing in my head, illustrating this point. 'We just wanna party (yeah) Party just for you (yeah) We just want the money (yeah) Money just for you (you)… This is America Don't catch you slippin' now Don't catch you slippin' now Look what I'm whippin' now' Time magazine explained that, after Gambino's lighter 'We just wanna party, party just for you', 'things quickly take a darker turn… as he investigates just what that 'party' really means, alluding to everything from police violence to racial stereotypes and social media obsession as components of the modern American experience'. Though I was heartened by South African journalists' spirited defence of our country on various US news stations, what continued to gnaw at me was the bold-faced violence that is the constant psychological warfare against black people. The suffering of millions of black people tossed aside simply because of the colour of their skin and the elevation of 49 white lives defy any laws of logic. But in a world run by brash billionaires and celebrity adoration, what is even logical? DM This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- USA Today
Know your rights at the border: What travelers, visa holders and citizens should do
Know your rights at the border: What travelers, visa holders and citizens should do Show Caption Hide Caption Can a border patrol officer look through your phone and other devices? U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers can go through your phone, including any deleted items on the device. Heightened security measures at U.S. borders have raised concerns among travelers about their rights and potential scrutiny. U.S. citizens and green card holders have more rights at the border but could still face detainment or further inspection if they refuse to comply with certain requests, such as a phone search. Non-citizen visa holders or tourists can be denied entry if they don't answer an officer's questions and should comply with directives. Travelers with different documentation may be wondering what to do if they're stopped or questioned at the U.S. border, amid heightened security at the country's points of entry. Under the Trump administration's crackdown on national security, there has been a recent string of high-profile cases regarding deportations, detainments and denied entries of tourists and legal visa holders. Those include two German nationals who were stopped at the southern border in March and a British artist who was detained while trying to travel from the U.S. to Canada in late February. A Harvard scientist with no criminal history was also stopped after returning to Boston from France in mid-February, and remains in immigration detention after allegedly failing to properly declare biological samples. The increased scrutiny by U.S. Customs and Border Control at ports of entry, including bolstered searching of electronic devices, has stirred concern not just in visa and green card holders but even U.S. citizens who fear something they post on social media could get them in trouble. 'It's shaking everything up': International travel is declining, and it's costing the US "I think we are in a period of more aggressive enforcement and questioning at the border," Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project told USA TODAY in April. "We would recommend to travelers to take extra precautions when they're traveling into the U.S." According to CBP, every single person arriving at a U.S. port of entry is subject to inspection. "Lawful travelers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation's security," CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham said in a statement to USA TODAY last month. "However, those intending to enter the U.S. with fraudulent purposes or malicious intent – don't even try. A visa is a privilege, not a right, and only those who respect our laws and follow the proper procedures will be welcomed." What the Trump administration means for your identity: Sign up for USA TODAY's This is America newsletter. While most people will pass through without issues, it's still important for travelers to know their rights and how to handle any stops. Here's a guide on what to do if you're stopped at U.S. borders. What should I do if border control officers stop me? It depends on your immigration status. U.S. citizens (which includes those from U.S. territories) and, for the most part, green card holders are afforded more rights and can't be denied entry into the country. When stopped, they only need to answer routine questions about the nature of their trip and confirm their identities. However, they could face detainment or further inspection if they refuse to let their phone be searched, according to an ACLU Know Your Rights Guide. On the other hand, noncitizen visa holders or tourists can be denied entry if they don't answer an officer's questions. Zafar recommends that these travelers answer CBP's questions truthfully and comply with directives. Having an attorney's contact on standby – preferably on an easily accessible piece of paper – could be useful if you feel your rights are being violated. Requesting to call an attorney depends on the situation, including cases of prolonged detention, according to Zafar. Keep in mind that officers hold the power to deny that request. That being said, it's worthwhile to clean up your device's photos, videos, social media, or any chats so there's less content to be searched prior to your trip. "They can only access what's on your physical device," she added, so whatever is in the Cloud and only accessible via internet are technically off limits. If agents keep your phone, you should ask for a receipt about the incident and contact information to follow up. What are my rights at the border? "So, we definitely do have rights at the border, but they are diminished in certain respects," Zafar said. "Border agents have the authority to do warrantless searches of certain belongings and devices, but to a point." Essentially, our Fourth Amendment protection against warrantless searches doesn't wholly apply within 100 miles of the border, but we still do have rights, even if it depends on your immigration status. Here are your rights that still apply at the border: ◾Most people, except tourists, have the right to remain silent unless in the presence of their attorney, but could face arrest consequences. ◾You cannot be arrested without a "probable cause" or detained without "reasonable suspicion." ◾Our First Amendment right to religious and political beliefs still applies at the border, so U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents do not have to answer questions relating to these topics. Noncitizen visa holders or tourists can also decline, but this could still lead to denied entry. What should I do if I'm being profiled at the border? If you believe you're being racially or religiously profiled – which is protected under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's guidelines – or if an agent is asking intrusive questions relating to politics, you can file a complaint. "It's kind of an open question, especially now, of how seriously these complaints are going to be taken, but this is a first step," Zafar said. And, of course, you can get in touch with an attorney who can consult if there's further action to be taken. Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY
USA Today
11-04-2025
- USA Today
A firing squad is set to execute South Carolina inmate Mikal Mahdi today. What to know.
A firing squad is set to execute South Carolina inmate Mikal Mahdi today. What to know. Show Caption Hide Caption The history of firing squad executions in the US Firing squad executions have a long history and are receiving renewed attention with recent inmates choosing firing squads as their execution method. Mahdi was convicted of the 2004 killing of 56-year-old Capt. James Myers, an off-duty Orangeburg Public Safety officer and beloved father Mahdi will sit restrained in a metal chair and a hood will be over his head when three volunteer corrections staff shoot a target over his heart. Five states − South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho − have legalized firing squads as an execution method but Mahdi's will only be the fifth such execution since 1977. A firing squad in South Carolina is set to execute a death row inmate who ambushed an off-duty police officer, shot him nine times and set him on fire. Under the state's execution protocols, the firing squad will put a hood over 42-year-old Mikal Mahdi's head and shoot him in the heart simultaneously with three bullets on Friday. It will be the second such execution in the state this year but only the fifth in the U.S. since 1977. South Carolina carried out the firing squad execution execution of Brad Keith Sigmon last month in what was the first execution to use the method in the country in 15 years. Mahdi was convicted of the 2004 killing of 56-year-old Capt. James Myers, an off-duty Orangeburg Public Safety officer who was killed at the same spot on his farm property where he and his wife got married. She was the one to find his body. "His heart and mind are full of hate and malice," prosecutor David Pascoe told jurors during Mahdi's trial, according to an archived story in The Times and Democrat. "(He's) the epitome of evil." Mahdi's attorneys have been arguing that he should be spared because he never got the mental health care he "desperately needed" as a child who repeatedly threatened suicide and endured "extraordinary abuse and trauma." If Mahdi's execution moves forward, he will become the 12th inmate executed in the U.S. this year and the third in South Carolina. Here's what you need to know about the execution. When and where will Mikal Mahdi be executed? Mahdi is set to be executed just after 6 p.m. ET on Friday at the Broad River Correctional Institute in Columbia, South Carolina. Stories of justice and action across the country: Sign up for USA TODAY's This is America newsletter. How will Mikal Mahdi be executed? Mahdi will sit restrained in a metal chair, a hood over his head, in the corner of a room shared by the state's electric chair, "which can't be moved," according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections' execution protocols provided to USA TODAY. The firing squad team − three voluntary corrections staff − will stand behind a wall with loaded rifles 15 feet from Mahdi. The wall will have an opening for the weapons. "A small aim point will be placed over his heart by a member of the execution team," the department said. "After the warden reads the execution order, the team will fire ... After the inmate is declared dead, the curtain will be drawn and witnesses escorted out." Witnesses to the execution, which typically involve family members of both the inmate and victim, members of the news media, attorneys and prison staff, "will see the right-side profile of the inmate." The department said that bullet-resistant glass has been installed between the death chamber and the witness room. Capt. James Myers: Slain officer, new wife had big dreams on land where he was killed How common is the firing squad method? Five states − South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and Idaho − have legalized firing squads as an execution method, most recently Idaho in 2023. A new bill proposed in Florida could pave the way for firing squad executions in that state, as well. On March 7, South Carolina executed Brad Keith Sigmon by firing squad, the first execution in the U.S. using the method since 2010 and only the fourth since 1977. The previous three were all carried out in Utah. Firing squad executes Brad Keith Sigmon in South Carolina A firing squad in South Carolina executed Brad Keith Sigmon for the beating deaths of his ex-girlfriend's parents in 2001. Among the witnesses to Sigmon's execution was his attorney, Gerald 'Bo' King. "Brad's death was horrifying and violent," King said in a statement at the time. "It is unfathomable that, in 2025, South Carolina would execute one of its citizens in this bloody spectacle." David Weiss, Mahdi's attorney, said his client chose the firing squad for Friday's execution because it was "the lesser of three evils," saying he risked being "burned and mutilated" in an electric chair or "suffering a lingering death" by lethal injection. South Carolina has defended the constitutionality of all its execution methods. The state's Attorney General's Office does not comment on pending litigation. Why is Mikal Mahdi being executed? On July 14, 2004, Mahdi − then just 21 years old − began a crime spree that spanned four states and included two murders. Mahdi stole a neighbor's gun and station wagon in his home state of Virginia and headed to North Carolina, where he fatally shot gas station clerk Christopher Jason Boggs. Mahdi then went to South Carolina, carjacked a man in downtown Columbia and drove 35 minutes away to a Calhoun County gas station, where he spent at least 45 minutes struggling to get gas with a rejected credit card. A store clerk called police, prompting Mahdi to flee and ditch the car. Shortly after, Mahdi arrived at Myers' farm. Mahdi broke into Myers' shed, where he found guns and laid in wait for the 56-year-old, who had been at the beach that day celebrating the birthdays of his wife, sister and daughter, court records say. When Myers arrived at the shed, Mahdi attacked, shooting him nine times, pouring diesel fuel on his body and setting him on fire before stealing his police truck and multiple guns, court records say. "I found the love of my life, my soulmate, the partner that my life revolved around, lifeless, lying in a pool of blood and his body burned by someone who didn't even know him," Myers' wife, Amy Tripp Myers, testified through tears. "As I screamed those blood-curdling screams of pain and anguish, I instantly knew that the man with whom I had just spent the last six years of my life dreaming of a beautiful future was gone like a vapor." In a letter written by Mahdi and shared by his attorneys, the inmate wrote: "I'm guilty as hell ... What I've done is irredeemable." Who was Capt. James Myers? Born in the South Carolina city of Orangeburg, just southwest of Columbia, Myers − who went by Jim − began his career with the city's fire department in 1974 before he eventually became a police captain for the Orangeburg Public Safety Department, according to his obituary. As "an avid outdoorsman," the obituary continued, Myers loved fishing, hunting, scuba diving. As a treat for his 53rd birthday, Myers decided to buy a piece of farmland that he worked hard to make his own. In 2002, the day after Valentine's Day, Myers and Amy Tripp Myers were celebrating their new, elaborate shed on the property. "Jim and I looked at the newly raised walls of our shed, hugged each other and, like giddy children full of hope, scratched our names in the freshly poured concrete, just a few feet from the spot where Jim took his last breath," she testified at his trial, according to The Times and Democrat. "I died that night and haven't been the same person since." Who is Mikal Mahdi? As a child, Mahdi's attorneys say he suffered years of physical and emotional abuse and was suicidal by the age of 8. By 9, he was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and when teachers tried to get him specialized help, his father pulled Mahdi out of the school system and "subjected him to several years of paranoid, survivalist 'home schooling,'" they wrote in court records. When he was 14, Mahdi first entered the juvenile justice system after being convicted of theft, and from then on, "spent most of the rest of his childhood in custody, often kept isolated and alone," they said. Between the ages of 14 and 17, he spent more than 75 days in solitary confinement, and spent about eight more months in solitary by the time he was 21, as well as being on suicide watch, his attorneys said. "Mikal desperately needed mental health care," his attorneys said in a news release. "Instead, he languished in juvenile prison, where he spent thousands of hours in solitary confinement. We now know that punitive isolation is deeply damaging to children." Mahdi's attorneys argued to the South Carolina Supreme Court that the judge who sentenced him to death knew almost nothing about Mahdi's troubled past, information that could have resulted in a lighter sentence. They have also criticized what they say was a weak defense at trial, arguing that Mahdi's attorneys at the time spent less than 30 minutes arguing against the death penalty. It "didn't even span the length of a 'Law & Order' episode and was just as superficial," they said. The South Carolina Supreme Court unanimously declined to spare Mahdi's life on Monday, allowing his execution to move forward. Mahdi's last hopes for a reprieve lie with the U.S. Supreme Court and Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hims & Hers aired a Super Bowl ad for weight loss drugs. It alarmed health experts and senators.
During the Super Bowl, Hims & Hers Health aired a commercial called 'Sick of the System.' But before the 60-second spot was played on Fox Sunday night, the ad — which deems obesity 'America's deadliest epidemic,' criticizes the $160 billion weight loss industry and calls the health care system 'broken,' all while offering the brand's own 'affordable, doctor-trusted' compounded semaglutide as a solution — was called 'misleading' and 'disparaging' by experts, advocates and politicians. The company, however, disputes the claims. In response to complaints made publicly by the Partnership for Safe Medicine and the Obesity Society, Hims & Hers provided Yahoo Life with the following statement: This is a clear attempt by industry groups to cancel an advertisement that directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans. The system is broken, and this is just another example of how they don't want Americans to know they have options. We're calling for change, which means putting the health of Americans first through affordable and available care. Set to Childish Gambino's 'This is America,' the telehealth company declares that "something's broken and it's not our bodies." The ad says that "there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients," and features images of injection pens meant to represent brand-name weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. "The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck," the narrator says before offering Hims & Hers as the solution to the fact that 74% of Americans are overweight: by providing Americans with "affordable, doctor-trusted, life-changing" weight loss medications. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. On YouTube, where the commercial debuted at the end of January, viewers are sent to a webpage that states, 'Big Pharma doesn't want you to see this' at the top. Hims & Hers believes that is where the controversy lies. 'We called on the industry and said that they need to change — and their reaction is trying to shut this ad down,' says a representative for the company. 'To us, it's clear that it's not about the ad — it's about the message.' In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, health care groups and lawmakers alleged that Hims & Hers didn't abide by advertising standards and were purposely withheld information from consumers. In a letter to Dr. Catherine Gray, director of the office of prescription drug promotion at the Food and Drug Administration, the executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines points out that Hims & Hers directly references the 'life-changing weight loss medications' that it offers without clarifying that it is a compounded semaglutide and, therefore, isn't FDA-approved. 'The disclaimer appears only briefly in tiny gray font at the bottom of the screen that is nearly imperceptible to an average viewer, without any accompanying audio disclosure,' the letter reads. Also, the ad lacks any mention of possible side effects of the medication despite the FDA's warning that compounded drugs 'can be risky for patients' as a result of not undergoing the administration's safety, effectiveness and quality reviews. This was also mentioned in another letter written by the Partnership for Safe Medicines to executives at Fox demanding that the ad 'be withdrawn to protect public safety.' 'We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding advertising,' says Hims & Hers. Compounded medications are subject to a separate set of standards than those that are FDA-approved. Another letter addressed to Dr. Sarah Brenner, acting commissioner of the FDA, written by senators Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Friday calls this 'a regulatory loophole' that needs fixing. 'We plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information,' the letter reads. 'But we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company's products.' The Obesity Society urges viewers 'to speak with their medical doctor regarding obesity medications,' according to a press release. The organization made additional comments about the content of the ad, claiming that the imagery reinforces harmful weight stigma and bias. 'Hims & Hers portrays obesity with images of large headless abdomens which does create a visceral negative response by the viewer, and they unfortunately cast a disparaging connotation for people living with obesity,' says Dr. Marc-Andrew Cornier, the organization's president. After millions of people watched the ad, critiques were less concerned about the minutiae and largely focused on the bigger message. While the first half of the spot got rave reviews, the "bait and switch" was called "misleading," "hypocritical" and "dystopian" for the ad's efforts to expose the health care system's issues all while trying to profit from them. "Stop preying on people under the guise of criticizing healthcare industry," one person wrote in an Instagram comment on the company's page. Another said, "How can you miss the point so badly??? The system IS broken. It is NOT our bodies. You ARE chasing profit. Try again."
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Hims & Hers Super Bowl ad about weight loss drugs took on America's 'broken' health care system. Why was there backlash?
During the Super Bowl, Hims & Hers Health aired a commercial called 'Sick of the System.' But before the 60-second spot was played on Fox Sunday night, the ad — which deems obesity 'America's deadliest epidemic,' criticizes the $160 billion weight loss industry and calls the health care system 'broken,' all while offering the brand's own 'affordable, doctor-trusted' compounded semaglutide as a solution — was called 'misleading' and 'disparaging' by experts, advocates and politicians. The company, however, disputes the claims. In response to complaints made publicly by the Partnership for Safe Medicines and the Obesity Society (TOS), Hims & Hers provided Yahoo Life with the following statement: This is a clear attempt by industry groups to cancel an advertisement that directly calls out how they are part of a system that fails to prioritize the health of Americans. The system is broken, and this is just another example of how they don't want Americans to know they have options. We're calling for change, which means putting the health of Americans first through affordable and available care. Set to Childish Gambino's 'This is America,' the telehealth company declares that "something's broken and it's not our bodies." The ad says that "there are medications that work, but they're priced for profits, not patients," and features images of injection pens meant to represent brand-name weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. "The system wasn't built to help us, it was built to keep us sick and stuck," the narrator says before offering Hims & Hers as the solution to the fact that 74% of Americans are overweight: by providing Americans with "affordable, doctor-trusted, life-changing" weight loss medications. On YouTube, where the commercial debuted at the end of January, viewers are sent to a webpage that states, 'Big Pharma doesn't want you to see this' at the top. Hims & Hers believes that is where the controversy lies. 'We called on the industry and said that they need to change — and their reaction is trying to shut this ad down,' says a representative for the company. 'To us, it's clear that it's not about the ad — it's about the message.' In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, health care groups and lawmakers alleged that Hims & Hers didn't abide by advertising standards and were purposely withheld information from consumers. In a letter to Dr. Catherine Gray, the director of the office of prescription drug promotion at the Food and Drug Administration, the executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines points out that Hims & Hers directly references the 'life-changing weight loss medications' that it offers without clarifying that it is a compounded semaglutide and, therefore, isn't FDA-approved. 'The disclaimer appears only briefly in tiny gray font at the bottom of the screen that is nearly imperceptible to an average viewer, without any accompanying audio disclosure,' the letter reads. Also, the ad lacks any mention of possible side effects of the medication despite the FDA's warning that compounded drugs 'can be risky for patients' as a result of not undergoing the administration's safety, effectiveness and quality reviews. This was also mentioned in another letter written by The Partnership for Safe Medicines to executives at Fox demanding that the ad 'be withdrawn to protect public safety.' 'We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding advertising,' says Hims & Hers. Compounded medications are subject to a separate set of standards than those that are FDA-approved. Another letter addressed to Dr. Sarah Brenner, acting commissioner of the FDA, written by senators Richard Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas, on Friday calls this 'a regulatory loophole' that needs fixing. 'We plan to soon introduce bipartisan legislation to close this gap, so that patients are not deceived by advertisements that glaringly omit critical safety and side effect information,' the letter reads. 'But we believe FDA may already have the authority to take enforcement action against marketing that may mislead patients about this company's products.' The Obesity Society urges viewers 'to speak with their medical doctor regarding obesity medications,' according to a press release. The organization made additional comments about the content of the ad, claiming that the imagery reinforces harmful weight stigma and bias. 'Hims & Hers portrays obesity with images of large headless abdomens which does create a visceral negative response by the viewer, and they unfortunately cast a disparaging connotation for people living with obesity,' says Dr. Marc-Andrew Cornier, the organization's president. After millions of people watched the ad, critiques were less concerned about the minutiae and largely focused on the bigger message. While the first half of the spot got rave reviews, the "bait and switch" was called "misleading," "hypocritical" and "dystopian" for the ad's efforts to expose the health care system's issues all while trying to profit from them. "Stop preying on people under the guise of criticizing healthcare industry," one person wrote in an Instagram comment on the company's page. Another said, "How can you miss the point so badly??? The system IS broken. It is NOT our bodies. You ARE chasing profit. Try again."
