Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Fox News has hired former White
House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as a contributor, adding another loyalist to President Donald Trump to its lineup of pundits and hosts. In a statement, Sanders, who once sparred with journalists, says she is “beyond proud” to join Fox. Sanders served as Trump’s press secretary from July 2017 until late
June, when she resigned, saying she was moving back to her native Arkansas. She is widely considered to be eyeing a run for governor of the state, but has not announced. Sanders is the daughter of Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who is also a Fox News contributor. She joined Trump’s campaign in 2016 after managing her father’s unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination against Trump. Former press secretaries are typically in high demand by the cable news networks because of their insight into the personalities, politics and policies at the White House and their familiarity to the public. Top White House communications officials such as George Stephanopoulos (ABC), Dee Dee Myers (CNBC), Jay Carney (CNN), and Robert Gibbs (NBC), among others, all went on to careers as TV pundits after working for presidents. Sanders was a frequent interview guest on Fox during her time as press secretary. During her tenure, the White House stopped giving press briefings, but Sanders nevertheless appeared regularly on Fox, especially Fox & Friends, the network’s top-rated morning program. The network said Sanders will make her debut as a contributor on Fox & Friends on Sept. 6 and would provide commentary on other Fox programs and networks, including Fox Business Network, Fox Nation and its radio and podcast division.
■ Rapper Kodak Black has pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges. Black entered the change of plea in federal court Thursday in Miami, months after he had initially pleaded innocent to the charges. In May, federal prosecutors charged the 22-year-old rapper with crimes that included falsifying information on federal forms to purchase three firearms: a 9mm handgun, a .380-caliber handgun and a semi-automatic Mini Draco weapon. Prosecutors said one of the weapons was found at the scene of a South Florida shooting. Authorities said Black could face up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. A federal judge denied his request for bail, saying he was a danger to the community based on his lengthy criminal record. Black has been held in a federal detention center in Miami since his arrest. The rapper also faces drug, weapons and sexual assault charges in other states. He is known for the singles “ZeZe” and “Roll in Peace.” Black is a Florida native who was born to Haitian American parents as Dieuson Octave and who now goes by the legal name of Bill Kapri.