Some of the hardest stories I have ever written have been my own. Six months ago today, I was leaving the hospital after receiving a permanent & life-changing surgery. On September 21, 2022, I ended over 25 years of pain & suffering by having my uterus & fallopian tubes removed.
My position as a Race & Equality Reporter is being cut among 100 other positions across CNN amid restructuring and broader cuts by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. I was also informed that my team was disbanded. My last day will be this Friday, August 9. 1/6
Some personal news: Today is my first day as a Reporter at NPR. I'm excited & grateful to join this dynamic organization of journalists who have tremendously impacted millions through on-air & online storytelling. 🙏🏾
PERSONAL BREAKING NEWS: I am now a reporter covering race and equality
@CNN
. Although politics has been my passion the past couple of years, it is time to pursue a deeper passion that includes telling stories about critical issues at the center of our nation and beyond.
While this is unfortunate, emotionally, mentally and spiritually I am truly ok! As I told college graduates during a commencement speech in May, layoffs in our industry are inevitable right now but to let fear “be the slingshot to propel you where you are meant to be.” 2/6
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler tells CNN's
@joshscampbell
, "I'm going to do the work that I need to do here..with my local officials to take accountability for what's happening on our streets & I'd appreciate that either the president support us or he stay the hell out of the way."
I am exploring new opportunities and will have more on where I will be next soon, but I plan to keep reporting and telling stories, especially regarding one of the most crucial elections of our time. 3/6
Sen. Mitt Romney tells CNN's
@mkraju
he already voted in the 2020 election and would not say if he voted for Joe Biden or wrote someone's name in.
“I did not vote for President Trump,” he said.
After Friday, I am going to get much needed rest since I have not taken a vacation in over a year 🥴 and will do some traveling. I’m also going to continue writing my book.
More to come soon…….. 5/6
Pastor Darrell Scott just said during a round table discussion on prison reform with President Trump and other pastors: ‘This is the most pro-black President I’ve seen in my lifetime.’
I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had at CNN and to be part of this network. I am proud of the many stories I was able to tell, including those with journalists who have become lifelong friends and like my family. 4/6
"The more I mature, the more I understand my value...There were things in my career that I did because I didn’t understand that I could say no. We all have more power than we realize." Yasss
@Beyonce
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 via
@ELLEmagazine
“The time is long past due that politicians stop pretending to be better or different than the people they represent. We must move toward criminal justice reform regarding marijuana arrests by pushing away the stigma and being real,” Gary Chambers Jr. said
‘It’s incredibly damaging for people to be looking at images on screen that don’t reflect the real world.’
@Casanvar
of
#TheExpanse
tells me about the importance of diversity in sci-fi.
#DragonCon2018
The IRS is set to get billions for audit enforcement.
@KatieLobosco
breaks down what it means for taxpayers. (And no, the Inflation Reduction Act does not provide 87,000 new IRS agents.)
.
@kerrywashington
speaking on
#TimesUp
at the ACLU Conference: ‘What’s happening in Hollywood is happening in the field...it’s happening to every female farm worker.’
The FBI is investigating an “unprecedented“ number of threats against bureau in the wake of the search of Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago resort, including against agents listed in court records as involved with the search.
@joshscampbell
@SchneiderCNN
@donie
report.
I spoke to Andrea Hall who is leading the Pledge of Allegiance & the first Black woman promoted to fire captain at the City of South Fulton Fire Department in GA. She isn't just reciting words, but doing her part to bring together a divided country.
Never before seen photo by
@PeteSouza
of former President Obama emotional, while writing notes before speaking to parents who lost their children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. When Malia came home, he hugged her tight.
#ObamaYears
.
@BarackObama
on Sen. John McCain: “All of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John’s best, he showed us what that means. And for that, we are all in his debt.”
I spoke with Pastor John Gray after he and other faith leaders met with President Trump about prison reform. When asked if he saw the President’s heart today he said he did.
"Let's keep on cranking up the sanctions against what is an evil regime," Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said on
@CNNSotu
today.
He also called the Russian government "a pariah."
More w/
@DaniellaMicaela
👇🏿:
@terrelljstarr
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble in dread before them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not fail you or abandon you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6 AMP
Since early this am, hundreds of White women have gathered at the Colorado Capitol, with more expected to show up throughout the day, to use their “privilege” in a silent sit-in to demand Gov. Jared Polis ban guns and create a gun buyback program.
"There are thousands of attacks on all aspects of the energy sector and the private sector generally," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told
@jaketapper
on
@CNNSotu
. "It's happening all the time."
(THREAD)
@OfficialCBC
response to President Trump’s
#SOTU
: “There is nothing promising about President Trump’s ability to read a speech from a teleprompter.”
Can’t let this day go by without wishing my dad, Joe Duster, a happy birthday. I’m also celebrating him during
#BlackHistoryMonth
as a trailblazer. On September 21, 1981, he became the first black fireman in Florence, Alabama. This is my favorite photo of him.
#BLKHistory
D9 Council of Presidents have announced a “massive coordinated voter mobilization campaign.”
“This campaign will activate the thousands of chapters and members in our respective organizations to ensure strong voter turnout in the communities we serve,” they said in a statement.
This…….this is a big loss for CNN…Brandon is not only a talented journalist but a genuinely good person. If your newsroom or company has an opening, please snatch him up. You will be so lucky to have him on your team.
It breaks my heart to say that my position at CNN is being cut. I've learned so much from my colleagues, and I'm ferociously proud of my contributions to our coverage. Some of the hits:
.
@LesterHoltNBC
on combatting the spread of false news stories: ‘All we can do is be as transparent as we can on how and where we get our news. I’m proud to be part of a newscast that has been around 70 years and you don’t get there by making stuff up at night.’
#PaleyLive
.
@OfficialCBC
Chairman
@CedricRichmond
statement on the government shutdown: “Since the beginning of this Congress, Republicans have proved two things to the American people: they are unable to govern and will follow this president over a cliff.”
#shutdown
"Don't tell us what you believe in, show us with your votes. History will be watching what happens tomorrow,"
@OfficialMLK3
said today at a press conference in DC.
NEW REPORTING: We analyzed recent data from the USDA and found that more farmers of color, especially Black and Asian farmers, have been rejected for loans while the agency approved more loans for White farmers.
@janieboschma
EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of faith leaders will urge President Joe Biden and Senate Democrats to pass voting rights legislation in 2022, writing in a letter to be released today that the issue needs to be the administration's "number-one priority.”
After 12 days in the hospital battling coronavirus & pneumonia, my father was released this week & is recovering at home. It has been an emotional & terrifying few weeks for our family but I thank God he is better. His message to everyone: "MASK UP."
Andddd we’re THREE! Happy three year anniversary at
@CNN
to
@BrandonTensley
and I! 🥺 I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to be part of one of the best news organizations in the world and to work with great people. 🥳🥳
#CNN
Wheeler continued, "We need to reset. The president needs to reset. I need to reset. This community needs to reset & America needs to reset. And it's going to take his leadership in the White House and it's gonna take my leadership here in city hall to get it done."
"Many of us thought that this was done...The fact of the matter is you make an assumption that in 1965 this should have been done for once and for all,"
@OfficialMLK3
told me.
My latest with
@SuzanneMalveaux
.
@terrelljstarr
“But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 1/2
My dad took his last treatment for prostate cancer today. 😭😭 I’m so proud of this guy. A few months ago he was hospitalized for 12 days with Covid-19 and pneumonia, but through it all he remained strong. 💙💙🙏🏾🙏🏾
#ProstateCancerSurvivor
Today is
@BrandonTensley
and I’s TWO YEAR Anniversary at
@CNN
! 🥺🥺 Feels surreal sometimes, but I am incredibly blessed to work with some of the best and tell some of the most important stories of our lifetime. ❤️🙏🏾
Rocking purple for
#SpiritDay
and taking a stand against bullying. Nearly 58% of LGBTQ students don’t feel safe at school because of their sexual orientation. Stop the hate. 💜
#PrideNBCU
In 2021, the USDA rejected direct loan applications for 42% of Black farmers and 37% of Asian farmers, a five-year high for both groups. Only 9% of White farmers were denied loans in 2021.
My latest with dynamic data analysis by
@janieboschma
below:
“Pursue your dreams, but know that it will cost you. Success will cost you. Physically and mentally it's going to cost you. And I just pray and hope that you survive.”
It is led by Here4TheKids, a movement founded by two women of color and calls for primarily White women to peacefully sit-in until Polis, a Democrat, signs an executive order banning guns. I spoke with founders,
@TinaStrawnLife
and
@sairasameerarao
.
"As many as 23 million renters are at risk of eviction by September 30, according to a report. Those most vulnerable to getting evicted are undocumented individuals, low-income renters and renters of color."
“White women, statistically, have been the least likely to be arrested, assaulted by police officers and so we just said, ‘OK.’…we are the biggest voting block in this country. We do have power, we just forget that and we have been conditioned to forget that,” she also said.
I also spoke with White women at the sit-in, including actress Michaela Watkins. “White women have the privilege of being on the sidelines where we just have not been used to or trained to use our voting power or our presence & we’re being challenged to do that now,” she said.
I am praying and sending love to my friends and colleagues at CNN+ - ALL of whom are extremely talented journalists and content creators. If you have a spot open on your staff please please PLEASE consider them.
CNN+, the streaming service that was hyped as one of the most signifiant developments in the history of CNN, will shut down on April 30, just one month after it launched.
A jury awarded $4 to the family of Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr., who was fatally shot by a Florida sheriff's deputy— $1 for funeral expenses and $1 each to Hill's three children.
“He boasts about a booming economy, but it is not something he can take credit for. Much like the money he inherited from his father to start his business, President Trump inherited a growing economy from President Obama.”