1. According to the New York Daily News, before the funeral for Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson began, some of the most powerful people in the city, state and country gathered upstairs for coffee in the Rev. A.R. Bernard’s private dining room at the Christian Cultural Center. Many of them had gathered at the Brooklyn church before. But during previous meetings, they’d come to negotiate justice and peace or to talk to Bernard about faith and politics. None of them had come there before shell-shocked, as they were Saturday morning — some of them adversaries — brought together by shared grief. To a person, Thompson had touched each of them personally. Among those in the private dining area were U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Gov. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and wife Chirlane McCray, Rep. Hakim Jeffries, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Controller Scott Stringer, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, plus district attorneys from all over the city. Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for Baltimore, who brought charges against six officers in the death of Freddie Gray, was also there. They all came to honor Thompson and to be comforted by Bernard, who was personally touched by the death of his spiritual son.
2. According to Gumroad, Bishop Jakes is often asked by pastors how they can build more effective and engaging sermons. Now he is sharing 40 years of ministry in the first edition of The Art Of Preaching. A first-of-its-kind publication from TDJ Enterprises, the Art of Preaching aims to demystify the complexities of sermon building. This product includes Bishop Jakes’ basic framework to building a sermon as well as 15 highly detailed sermon outlines that you can take right to the pulpit. The sermon outlines are based on: Destiny, Step Into Your Purpose, a New York Times Best Seller; Bishop Jakes’ Top 5 Sermons of 2015; and The Anointing, by Dr. Cynthia James. The Art Of Preaching guide is available now online.
3. According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he still supports Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump despite several prominent GOP lawmakers pulling support this week. Scott echoed comments made earlier this week by U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy. Both Gowdy and Scott said they plan to support the Republican nominee, even after a recently released video from 2005 in which Trump makes vulgar remarks about groping women. “When you think about his comments specifically, they’re indefensible, disgusting and oftentimes toxic,” Scott said. “At the same time, I think Hillary Clinton’s referral to African-American young men as ‘super predators’ is pretty toxic. I think calling millions of Americans ‘deplorables’ and ‘irredeemable’ is off the charts.” Scott said he will continue to support his party’s nominee because Clinton has said offensive things as well.
4. According to the Associated Press, a vacant New Jersey home where Martin Luther King Jr. once lived has dodged the wrecking ball and will soon receive some much-needed repairs. NJ.com reports property owner Jeanette Lilly Hunt has reached an agreement with the nonprofit Cooper’s Ferry Partnership to preserve the historic two-story home in Camden. Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross says we owe it to future generations to ensure this “national treasure” remains standing for years to come. Norcross helped lead preservation efforts by petitioning the state to designate the home a historical landmark. The Cooper’s Ferry Partnership has assumed the role of custodian of the home and will be responsible for making repairs and finding an organization to maintain it.
5. According to the Associated Press, Black and Latino students in the U.S. are far less likely than their peers of other races to attend elite public universities, according to a new study. The Center for American Progress, a think tank in Washington, D.C., analyzed federal data from 2014 to compare the types of public colleges students of different races attended. The group divided colleges by selectivity, ranking them as elite public universities, other four-year schools or community colleges. Out of all white students who attended public colleges in 2014, almost 20 percent attended highly selective schools, the study found. Asian students fared even better, with 31 percent. But only 9 percent of black students and 12 percent of Latinos attended public universities with the most-selective admission rates. Meanwhile, minority students were far more likely to attend less-selective universities and community colleges, which typically have lower graduation rates.
6. According to ESPN, former Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves has died at 32, a school spokesman said Saturday. Kirk Sampson said Groves died in his sleep while visiting Trinidad, where his wife is from. Sampson said he didn’t know the cause of death. Groves played for the Tigers from 2004 to ’07 and finished with 26 career sacks, tying the school’s all-time record. He earned first-team All-SEC honors as both a junior and a senior, and his senior class won more games (50) at Auburn than any other class in school history. “I am devastated and in disbelief by the sudden passing of Quentin,” Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said. “He had a vibrant smile, a big personality and was full of life. … Quentin was one of my favorites and I always enjoyed spending time with him. He lived life to its fullest and had a great love for his family and friends.” Medical tests at the 2008 NFL combine revealed that Groves had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes a rapid heartbeat. He had what is described as a “minor” heart surgery after the combine, and two months later, he was chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the NFL draft.
7. According to the Wrap, Oprah Winfrey is facing a lawsuit over “Iyanla: Fix My Life.” A Mississippi woman is claiming that the OWN show featuring life coach Iyanla Vazant is a “carbon copy” of her own work, a proposed show called “The Agency,” and is seeking unspecified damages. “The two television shows are virtually identical,” Otisa C. Strickland wrote in papers filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. “Both shows involve a counselor that travels all over the United States to people’s homes [sic] to counsel them about their problems.” Strickland says that Winfrey had access to her ideas because in 2011 she claimed copyright infringement on another OWN show, “In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman.” But in a letter attached to the lawsuit filed this week, OWN said that Strickland’s proposed show, “Conflict Solutions,” featured a completely different concept based on a judge resolving disputes, rather than a sex therapist helping couples. Strickland is representing herself in the case. A spokesperson for OWN did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
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