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BBC News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Doechii's Glastonbury slot is all part of her five-year plan
In 2023, Doechii announced she was three years into her five-year plan for becoming one of the biggest names in music."By year five I want to be at my peak," she told Billboard magazine."I want to be in my Sasha Fierce era, the top of my game with still a long way to go - but I want to reach my prime and never leave it."Back then, it felt like a bold claim. The Florida-born rapper and singer had scored a couple of viral hits - most notably Persuasive, an ode to marijuana that ended up on Barack Obama's summer playlist - but nothing that had crossed over to the mainstream jump-cut to 2025 and Doechii is a Grammy Award-winning "woman of the year", who's about to play one of the most hotly-anticipated sets at Glastonbury hard to identify the turning point. Some people say it was her mesmerising performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last her hair carefully braided to her backing dancers, she delivered a meticulously-choreographed performance of Boiled Peanuts and Denial Is a River - a cartoonish character piece, in which she confides to her therapist that her boyfriend's been cheating on her with another man. Others pinpoint her Tiny Desk Concert, released on YouTube two days later. The 15-minute set bursts with joie de vivre, simultaneously soulful and fiery, as the star rattles through jazzy, full-band recreations of her mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. She won even more fans at the Grammys in March, where she won best rap album, making her just the third female artist to win in the her speech, she spoke directly to young, black, queer women like her: "Don't allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, to tell you that you can't be here, that you're too dark or that you're not smart enough or that you're too dramatic or you're too loud."She capped off her win with an ultra-physical performance that referenced Michael Jackson, Missy Elliott and Bob Fosse - and ended with her pulling the splits while being held aloft by five male dancers. With three "star-is-born" performances in just four months, Doechii became the most talked-about new rapper of her generation... just like she planned. So where did it all start? Doechii was born Jaylah Ji'mya Hickmon in Tampa, Florida and raised in a "heavily Christian" single-parent household by her mother, Celesia Moore.A studious kid who loved writing poetry, she invented her alter-ego at the age of 11, after being viciously bullied in school."I was in a position where I thought about killing myself because the bullying was so bad," she told Dazed magazine in February."Then I had this realisation: I'm not gonna do that, because then they're gonna all get a chance to live and I'm gonna be the one dead."Overnight, her attitude shifted."Jaylah might've been getting bullied, but I decided Doechii wouldn't stand for that," she recalled in an interview with Vulture. "And then," she told The Breakfast Club, "I went to school in a tutu and I started doing music." As a teenager, she spent four years at Tampa's Howard W. Blake School of the Arts, after winning a place on the choral programme by performing Etta James' At Last. The school unlocked her creativity, allowing her to take classes in everything from nail design and hair, to ballet, tap, cheerleading and stage production. However, it was gymnastics that left the biggest impression."The way that gymnasts train is really, really tough. It's brutal and hard and difficult," she told Gay Times. "But at some point in my gymnastic career I learnt how to embrace and really love pain. To view pain as me getting stronger and better. That caused a deep discipline that has never left me."The school also helped the teenager accept her sexuality."Even though I was aware [that I was queer], I didn't feel as comfortable until I started surrounding myself with more gay friends at my school. "Once I had gay friends it was like, 'OK, I can be myself, I'm good, I can feel safe, this is normal, I'm fine.' I have those same friends today and will have them for life."That's not all they gave her: Those same friends convinced Doechii to give up her ambitions of becoming a chorister, and start writing and releasing her own music. Initially called iamdoechii, she uploaded her first song to Soundcloud in 2016, and released her debut single Girls two years later. It already bore the hallmarks of her best work: Rhythmically and lyrically dextrous, and chock full of personality. "Taking nudes / None of them for you," she chided over a mellow electric piano, before the beat switched up and her rapping became more frenetic. By the closing bars, she barely had time catch breath as she listed her accomplishments. "Making money from my phone, huh / Doechii finally in her zone."The lines were more prophecy than reality. Doechii had a solid following on YouTube, but she was still working at Zara to make ends meet. In 2019, she was booked for a showcase in New York City and hopped on a bus - without the money for her return trip. "The night after, I slept at a McDonald's," she recalled in a 2022 interview. "And then I had to call one of my mom's friends... and, like, beg her to let me sleep at her house. And I ended up living there until I got back on my feet." 'Drowning in vices' Things started to turn around with the release of 2020's Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, named after Junie B. Jones's children's book, in which Doechii sketched out her own to the lyrics, she was precocious ("I try to act smart 'cause I want a lot of friends"), competitive ("I get a little violent when I play the game of tag") and frequently broke ("My momma used stamps 'cause she need a little help").The song marked a breakthrough in her writing."I was lacking this sense of vulnerability and honesty in my music," she told Billboard, until "I learned accuracy and just saying exactly what it is, like on Lucky Blucky Fruitcake".The song went viral, winning her a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment - the label that launched Kendrick Lamar and SZA. She followed it up with the effortlessly hooky Persuasive, earning praise from SZA (who jumped on a remix) and former President Barack Obama."I can't imagine Obama just jamming my song," she exclaimed. "I just don't believe it, but if he really does – that's crazy." Doechii next collaborated with Kodak Black on the 2023 single What It Is (Block Boy), earning her first Top 40 hit. Then, everything stalled. Subsequent singles flopped, and Doechii was, as she later wrote on social media, "drowning in my own vices, battling differences with my label and a creative numbness that broke me".Initially, her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape looked set to repeat the pattern. Released last August, it entered the US charts at number 117 and vanished a week reviews were ecstatic. Critics loved the acerbic, funny lyrics, that saw Doechii unpack the trials and tribulations of the last two years; and heaped praise on bars that recalled greats such as Q-Tip, Lauryn Hill and Slick Rick, while keeping pace with contemporaries like Kendrick Lamar. After a period dominated by the mumbled bars of Souncloud rap, her precision was a breath of fresh air."One of the year's most fully-realized breakout albums," wrote Rolling Stone. "If this is the sound of Doechii pushing against constraints, a little friction might not be the worst thing," added Pitchfork. As word spread, she was booked to play the Colbert show and Tiny Desk. Those performances lit a rocket under her career. By April, Alligator had chomped into the US Top 10, and the UK Top 40. Around the same time, she bowed to fan pressure by releasing her 2019 YouTube song, Anxiety, a pop-rap crossover based on a sample of Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know. With an eye-catching video that recreated a full-on panic attack, it hit number three in the UK, and even earned Doechii a citation in medical journal Psychology Today."The song and accompanying video work so well in showing exactly how anxiety feels in our bodies and minds," wrote Professor Sandra Chafouleas. "Think about quick and short breaths, racing thoughts, and worrying about things that haven't happened yet. Anxiety feels like 'Anxiety' sounds, with brilliant mirroring of how the experience can hijack us."Since then, Doechii's been hard at work on her debut album. There'd been rumours she'd release it in time for her Glastonbury slot on Saturday night, but perfectionists have got to perfect. At the time of writing, she's still in the to Dazed, she dropped a few hints of what's in store. "In Alligator Bites Never Heals, the archetype was a student of hip-hop. For this next project, I'm thinking about how this student develops. "Who does she develop into? What has she learned? I'm still unpacking how that character develops into this next project."Despite the delay, Doechii's headline set remains one of Glastonbury's biggest draws. She might only be performing for 45 minutes, but she'll make every one of them the star boasted on her single Nosebleeds: "Will she ever lose? Man, I guess we'll never know."
Miami Herald
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
From protection to peril: What end of TPS means for Haitians in South Florida, elsewhere
The Trump administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for over half-a-million Haitians living in the United States has sent shock waves throughout South Florida, the beating heart of the Haitian community in the United States. Many advocates and experts expected the decision. It comes after Trump moved to end the deportation protections for Venezuela and rolled them back a year-and-a-half for Haiti. Now, hundreds of thousands of people are vulnerable to being forced to return to the Caribbean country, where the government is crumbling and armed gangs are terrorizing the population. A recent report from the United Nations found that Haiti is as dangerous for children as the Gaza Strip. Below, we break down what this move means, who it affects, and what may come next. Q: What is Temporary Protected Status? A: TPS is a humanitarian immigration program that allows citizens from countries facing natural disasters, armed conflict or extraordinary instability to temporarily live and work in the United States. It does not provide a pathway to permanent residency or citizenship, but it shields recipients from deportation as long as their country remains designated under TPS because they are unable to return there safely. Congress created TPS in 1990. The Secretary of Homeland Security has the authority to designate countries and periodically review countries to grant or continue the protections. Q: Why was Haiti granted TPS in the first place? A: President Barack Obama first designated Haiti for TPS in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 earthquake near the capital of Port-au-Prince, which killed more than 300,000 people and devastated the country's infrastructure. Over the years, TPS has been repeatedly renewed due to chronic instability, gang violence, economic collapse and the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Q: How many Haitians in the U.S. are affected by the decision? A: Nearly 521,000 Haitian nationals are currently protected under TPS. Many have lived in the U.S. for years, built families, held jobs and contributed to their communities. Many are also part of mixed-status families where the immigration status of the households can range from undocumented to green-card holders and U.S.-born citizens. Q: What exactly did the Trump administration announce? A: On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. will end Haiti's TPS designation, citing 'sufficient improvement' in the conditions that allegedly make it safe for Haitians to return. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had already rolled back the Biden-era extension of February 2026, moving it up to August 3, 2025. Deportations are expected to begin after Sept. 2. Q: How did the administration justify the decision? A: A DHS spokesperson claimed the move 'restores integrity in our immigration system' by ensuring TPS remains 'temporary.' The department asserted that Haiti's conditions have improved enough to permit safe return. Q: Is Haiti really safe to return to? A: Many experts— and even the U.S. State Department — disagree. The State Department currently warns Americans not to travel to Haiti due to 'kidnapping, crime, civil unrest and limited health care.' This week, the agency urged Americans to depart the Caribbean country 'as soon as possible' or to be prepared to shelter in place for a long time. Armed gangs control up to 90% of Port-au-Prince. Over a million Haitians are displaced, and 5.7 million face acute hunger, according to the United Nations' Humanitarian Affairs Office. There has also been a collapse of social services, and many children are unable to go to school. Haitians who are deported face the risk of having to cross gang-controlled roads to get home — or having nowhere to go to if returned because gangs have taken over people's homes and neighborhoods. Q: What does this mean for Haitian TPS holders now? A: Haitian nationals under the designation must prepare to leave by Sept. 2, 2025, unless a court intervenes or the administration reverses course. DHS has 'encouraged' them to use the CBP One app to 'self-deport' — meaning leave the country voluntarily. Without TPS, Haitians will lose legal protection from deportation and authorization to work in the U.S. if they don't have other immigration process going. Q: Could this decision face legal challenges? A: It is very likely. The Trump administration attempted to end TPS for Haitians and others back in 2017, but the move was successfully challenged in federal court. Immigration advocates and legal organizations are expected to file lawsuits again, arguing that conditions in Haiti remain too dangerous for return. There is also an ongoing lawsuit in New York related to Noem's earlier decision to roll back Haiti's TPS Haiti's by 18 months. READ MORE: Haitians and clergy group sue Trump over decision to end protection from deportation Q: Didn't Biden already extend TPS for Haitians until 2026? A: Yes. In July 2024, before leaving office, President Biden extended TPS for Haitians through February 2026. However, Secretary Noem ordered a review of the extension and rolled back the expiration to Aug. 3, 2025. The legality of that reversal may also be contested in court. Q: How does this fit into Trump's broader immigration agenda? A: Since returning to office, President Trump has focused on aggressively undoing Biden-era immigration policies. He has sought to drastically limit humanitarian programs, including ending CHNV — a two-year parole program for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — and reducing TPS designations. The Supreme Court recently allowed the administration to revoke CHNV protections while legal challenges are ongoing. Trump also enacted a travel ban that limits visa issuance and entry for nationals from Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba. Q: What happens to other migrant groups under TPS or parole? A: The Haitian decision follows similar revocations for Afghans and Venezuelans. Around 350,000 Venezuelans may lose protection when their status ends in September. Advocates fear a domino effect targeting all migrants with temporary status under humanitarian grounds. Q: What are advocates and immigration attorneys saying? A: Immigrant rights groups say the decision is inhumane and premature, pointing to the spiraling gang violence, hunger crisis and government collapse in Haiti. Deporting people to a country without a functioning government, basic services or security, they argue, violates international human-rights norms. The Florida Immigrant Coalition said in a statement on Friday that Haiti was not in 'any shape to sustain human dignity and life, and any suggestion to the contrary is nothing but lies.' Q: What should Haitian TPS holders do now? A: Legal experts urge Haitians to consult immigration attorneys immediately. Some may qualify for other forms of relief or adjustment of status, such as a spouse- or family-based green-card petition. Others may be eligible for asylum if they can show evidence they would face persecution or violence upon return. Q: What is the political reaction to the announcement? A: Critics have slammed the decision as part of Trump's hard-line anti-immigration platform, which he promoted during his campaign with inflammatory and false remarks — including a 2024 campaign claim from Trump that Haitians 'eat their neighbors' pets.' Supporters argue that the administration is restoring the original, temporary intent of TPS and reclaiming executive control over immigration enforcement. READ MORE: 'It's a disaster.' In Miami, Trump leans into pet-eating falsehoods about Haitians Q: What's next? A: Lawsuits are expected, and courts may delay or block TPS termination, as happened in 2018. Advocacy groups plan to lobby Congress for a permanent solution, like a pathway to residency for long-term TPS holders. In the meantime, more than half a million Haitian immigrants are once again left in limbo.
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
A Great Nation Or What? Poll Responses Over Time
In 1955, the Gallup Organization asked Americans to suppose they were talking in a general way about the United States and other countries. The organization then asked which of three statements came closer to the respondent's point of view. Two-thirds chose the response that the United States was the 'greatest country in the world, better than all other countries in every possible way.' Thirty-one percent believed the US was 'a great country but so are certain other countries.' And finally, 1% said that in many other respects, certain other countries were better than the US. A version of this question has been asked occasionally by pollsters ever since. A 1998 survey of parents done for Public Agenda found 84% believed the United States was 'a unique country that stands for something special in the world,' while 13% said the US is 'just another country whose system is no better or worse than other countries.' In 2011, the Pew Research Center began asking another version. That year, 38% responded that 'the U.S. stands above all other countries in the world,' while 53% said the U.S. was 'one of the greatest countries in the world, along with some others.' Eight percent said there were other countries that were better than the U.S. The 38% response has been trending downward unevenly, and in 2024, using a different methodology, 20% said the US stands above, while 55% said there were other countries that were also great. Twenty-four percent said there were other countries that were better, three times as many as had given that response in 2011. The Chicago Council for Global Affairs presents a binary choice: 'Some people say the United States has a unique character that makes it the greatest country in the world. Others say that every country is unique, and the United States is no greater than other nations.' In 2012, 70% chose greatest country response, while 29% opted for the 'no greater than other nations.' In 2023, the last time they asked the question, there was a big change in the no greater response: almost as many, 47%, chose it while 52% chose the greatest country. The Chicago Council looked at the responses by generations and found that majorities of the oldest generation, the Baby Boomers, and Gen X-ers all opted for the greatest response. Millennials, born in 1981 and beginning to come of age in the mid-1990s, were different. Just 40% of Millennials chose this response, and 59% opted for the no greater one. Other pollsters show the same generational differences with Millennials and younger generations more skeptical than their elders about the US's role. The Council noted that racial and ethnic differences to the question were small. In 2009 Barack Obama gave an interview in which he was asked whether he subscribed to the view of many of his predecessors that America was uniquely qualified to lead the world, that it was exceptional. He responded that he believed in American exceptionalism 'just as I suspect the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism . . .' He went on to extol America's great accomplishments and strong ideals, concluding that because we have a lot to offer that we should still recognize the values and ideals of other countries. Obama's views are one of many factors that may have influenced members of younger generations. Their own coming of age experiences also have played a role. Exceptionalism did not mean America was better; it meant that we were different, with a different history, some facets of which are unique. One of those unique characteristics is optimism. Even in these deeply polarized times, most Americans still believe America's best days are ahead. Like the exceptionalism question, pollsters ask about optimism in different ways, and in most of them, including a new poll from Quinnipiac released last week, optimism beats pessimism. In the new poll, 53% said America's best days were ahead, and 40% behind. Differences about presidents, policies, and priorities are real, but most Americans still believe the US is a force for good, a great country with problems and potential.
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First Post
12 hours ago
- Health
- First Post
US Supreme Court upholds key preventive care provision in Obamacare
The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama's signature law, often referred to as Obamacare read more The Supreme Court preserved a key part of the Affordable Care Act's preventive health care coverage requirements on Friday, rejecting a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans. The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama's signature law, often referred to as Obamacare. The plaintiffs said the process is unconstitutional because a volunteer board of medical experts tasked with recommending which services are covered is not Senate approved. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD President Donald Trump's administration defended the mandate before the court, though the Republican president has been a critic of his Democratic predecessor's law. The Justice Department said board members don't need Senate approval because they can be removed by the health and human services secretary. Medications and services that could have been affected include statins to lower cholesterol, lung cancer screenings, HIV-prevention drugs and medication to lower the chance of breast cancer for women. The case came before the Supreme Court after an appeals court struck down some preventive care coverage requirements. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Christian employers and Texas residents who argued they can't be forced to provide full insurance coverage for things like medication to prevent HIV and some cancer screenings. Well-known conservative attorney Jonathan Mitchell, who represented Trump before the high court in a dispute about whether he could appear on the 2024 ballot, argued the case. The appeals court found that coverage requirements were unconstitutional because they came from a body — the United States Preventive Services Task Force — whose members were not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. A 2023 analysis prepared by the nonprofit KFF found that ruling would still allow full-coverage requirements for some services, including mammography and cervical cancer screening. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Toronto Star
14 hours ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare coverage requirements
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court preserved a key part of the Affordable Care Act's preventive health care coverage requirements on Friday, rejecting a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans. The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama's signature law, often referred to as Obamacare.
