Most of us have never wasted a moment of our lives worrying about what Kanye West might be thinking, and are not about to start now. Suffice it to say West announced at one point he was running for president, is making few if any serious attempts to follow up on that announcement, and we’ll leave it at that.

What does exist of an actual West campaign, however, seems to be near-entirely a Republican ratfucking operation.

Yet another inspector general has abruptly left the State Department just two and a half months after the last one was ousted at the urging of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo himself. 

Stephen Akard, who took over the agency watchdog position in May after Steve Linick’s ouster, is “returning to the private sector,” according to a statement from the State Department. Deputy Inspector General Diana Shaw will now face down Pompeo’s buzz saw.

We must recognize that our safety is tied to each other

By Zach Norris, executive director of the Ella Baker Center and author of We Keep Us Safe

On the first Tuesday in August every year since 1984, neighbors have gathered with other neighbors, with the police, and with elected officials to reclaim neighborhood safety. According to the National Night Out website, 38 million people have been affiliated with these events through the years.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a proposal mislabeled as a COVID-19 relief bill. I say “mislabeled” because the $1 trillion proposal includes little that will relieve people harmed by the pandemic. Full disclosure: I am not an economist.

Dean Holmes, a Black 18-year-old who graduated from York Catholic High School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 28, says he was stopped by school officials shortly before receiving his diploma and told to remove his face mask. What did the mask say? “Black Lives Matter.