Daily News Feed 6.04.08

Obama Claims Victory, Makes History
In less than a year, Barack Obama went from being an obscure, first-term U.S. senator to the projected Democratic presidential nominee. On Tuesday, Obama became the first African-American to head the ticket of a major political party, beating out Sen. Hillary Clinton, who was hoping to become the first female nominee.The two Democratic candidates fought a protracted and, at times, bitter battle that carried them through every state and brought nearly 35 million of their supporters to the polls. When Obama declared his candidacy in February 2007, he faced an uphill battle. Clinton, a former first lady and New York senator, was the favored candidate. (Continue Reading…)

‘Boondocks’ creator Aaron McGruder to BET: %@*$% ^ & !
The battle between “The Boondocks” creator Aaron McGruder and Black Entertainment Television is about to get a lot more animated. Two second-season episodes of the biting cartoon series that attack the black-themed network but were never aired — possibly because of corporate pressure — are slated for DVD release Tuesday. The pair of shows take aim at BET’s top executives and lampoon what it views as the cable network’s harmful negative imagery and stereotypes that work as a “destructive” force within African American culture. The episodes amplify a familiar chord struck by McGruder, who has regularly targeted BET, first in his politically and culturally charged comic strip, published in more than 300 newspapers, and subsequently in the TV adaptation on Cartoon Network’s edgy late-night Adult Swim. (Continue Reading…)

Mugabe Uses Food as Weapon in Election Race
President Robert Mugabe’s government is using food as a weapon ahead of Zimbabwe’s June 27 presidential run-off election, U.S.-based group Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. The accusation came a day after CARE International said the government had ordered it to suspend its operations in Zimbabwe over allegations it was backing opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s presidential campaign. It denies the charge. The government has declined to comment on the suspension of work by CARE or the accusation of using food as a political weapon. (Continue Reading…)