Florida Sentinel Bulletin

Julia Roberts and George Clooney 

Former President Barack Obama

An Ocean’s Eleven reboot? No, just a powerhouse duo supporting President Joe Biden in an upcoming fundraiser in Los Angeles.

The fundraiser, announced by the Biden campaign, will be headlined by A-list actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts, as well as former president, Barack Obama. The high-profile event — planned for mid-June — is aiming to bolster Biden’s fundraising efforts and counter efforts by Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee to narrow the financial gap.

The fundraiser will include a contest involving Clooney and Roberts on the campaign’s social media platforms to engage grassroots donors. Additionally, the celebrities will lend their names to campaign emails and text messages to attract more contributions.

The event follows a similar successful fundraiser in New York City in March, which raised $26 million, setting a Democratic fundraising record. Biden’s campaign has maintained a financial advantage over Trump for months, allowing for infrastructure development in battleground states and staff hiring.

Biden speaks at an event near the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas.

President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to warn him against moving on the Gaza city of Rafah.

The president reportedly warned Netanyahu against continuing with plans to invade Rafah, the last stronghold of Hamas in the region.

The two world leaders reportedly spoke for approximately 30 minutes, during which Biden raised the issue of the more than 1.5 million Palestinians currently living in Rafah.

“The president doesn’t want to see operations in Rafah that put at greater risk the more than a million people that are seeking refuge there,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

Earlier in the day, Israel’s Defense Forces ordered an evacuation of Rafah, signaling that a long-promised ground operation could be imminent.

 Marilyn Mosby

The White House is noncommittal when asked about calls for President Joe Biden to pardon Marilyn Mosby, the former Baltimore City State’s attorney. During the White House press briefing on Friday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told theGrio there’s a pardon application process for any federal pardons, which she said is up to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mosby faces 40 years behind bars when she is sentenced later this month. The former progressive prosecutor was convicted for lying on forms claiming hardship to withdraw money from her retirement to purchase a home.

Civil rights attorney and CNN analyst Bakari Sellers tells theGrio that the potential excessive sentence for Mosby is “political persecution” and “retribution.” Mosby notably charged six Baltimore police officers in the police-involved death of Freddie Gray in 2015. The White House signaled it does not want to tip the scales of justice by giving an answer to any potential or non-support of the pardon request.

President Joe Biden 

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will take a historic step toward easing federal restrictions on cannabis, with plans to announce an interim rule soon reclassifying the drug for the first time since the Controlled Substances Act was enacted more than 50 years ago, four sources with knowledge of the decision said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to approve an opinion by the Department of Health and Human Services that marijuana should be reclassified from the strictest Schedule I to the less stringent Schedule III. It would be the first time that the U.S. government has acknowledged its potential medical benefits and begun studying them in earnest.

Attorney General Merrick Garland submitted the rescheduling proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Tuesday afternoon, a source familiar with the situation confirmed.

Any reclassification is still months from going into effect. After the proposal is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 60-day public comment period. The proposal will then be reviewed by an administrative law judge, who could decide to hold a hearing before the rule is approved.

– Ten USF protesters, including one who was found with a gun, were arrested on the University of South Florida’s main campus after a pro-Palestinian rally, according to USF’s Police Chief Daniel Nelson.

Dozens of protesters set up near Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on campus during Tuesday’s event, which was held by the student group “Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society.” However, school officials gave them a 5 p.m. deadline to be cleared off the property

As law enforcement moved in, tear gas could be seen being deployed in the area in an aerial view .

“They threw tear gas canisters. There might have been pepper spray. They had rubber bullets shooting at protesters,” said Victoria Hinkley, a student organizer, said. “Even people on the sidelines were getting arrested. They were getting thrown down on the ground.”

University officials said 75 to 100 protesters, including students and others not associated with USF, showed up with several items, including wood shields, umbrellas and tents. Law enforcement, as well as USF officials, said some participants in-person and on social media said they intended to use some items as weapons and to resist staff members and officers.

USF administration released a statement that said, in part: “The University of South Florida values the right to free speech and protecting the constitutional right for individuals and groups on campus to express themselves.? This includes peaceful?protests and demonstrations that occur regularly on USF’s three campuses without incident and are part of the public discourse of a university.? However, the expression of free speech must remain peaceful and not violate the law or USF policies.??The university has been clear that violence, threats, harassment and disruptions will not be tolerated.”

Mary J. Blige, Dionne Warwick 

The iconic singer, songwriter and actress Mary J. Blige has been listed for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2024. She announced the news on the evening of April 21 with a post that chronicled some of her past performances, and a caption expressing sincere gratitude for the honor.

“Beyond Grateful!!!!!!” the Grammy Award-winning singer wrote on Instagram. “This is incredible!!! God always has the final say!!!! Thank you to my fans all over the world!!!! Tears of Joy!!!!”

In addition to Blige, the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest are almost among the honorees for the upcoming induction ceremony. The Queens-based rap collective Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Jarobi White, and the late Phife Dawg. Following the announcement, White posted a photo of ATCQ on social media and a quote that read: “Wow!!! @qtiptheabstract @alishaheed we did it!!!! Phifey we got you in the hall of fame!!!! Wish you were here. Well I know you’re watching so….. Fuck yeah!!! lol To all of the questers, from the bottom of our hearts thank you!!!! #jedibusiness.”

The full list of inductees were announced during Sunday night’s episode of American Idol. Kool & The Gang are set to be inducted as well, with Big Mama Thornton receiving the Musical Influence Award, and Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield will be honored with the Musical Excellence Award.