The US House of Representatives censured Texas Democrat Al Green on Thursday after he was thrown out of the chamber for repeatedly interrupting President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.Green, 77, stood up and waved his cane as he heckled the Republican leader during Tuesday’s speech, refusing to sit down despite being warned that he risked removal.Republican congressman Dan Newhouse — a moderate who voted to impeach Trump in 2021 — had introduced the resolution to subject Green to a formal reprimand in front of his colleagues.”Decorum and order are the institutional grounds for the way we do business in the United States Congress, and the sheer disregard for that standard during President Trump’s address by the gentleman from Texas is unacceptable,” Newhouse said in a statement.Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Green was a “fool and a clown” that no one takes seriously. The president said the Texan “should be forced to pass an IQ test because he is a low IQ individual and we don’t need low IQ individuals in Congress.”Green’s disruption was just one part of a broader Democratic protest during the address, with lawmakers walking out, yelling at Trump and brandishing signs.The White House accused Democrats of being the “party of insanity and hate,” although it did not acknowledge the Republicans’ own past transgressions during addresses by Democratic presidents.There were few statements of unequivocal support for Green from his colleagues. Although the Democrats tried unsuccessfully to get the censure vote canceled, a handful voted for it when it came to the floor.For critics of the Democratic response to Trump’s first weeks in office, the episode demonstrated the party’s lack of discipline and a clear strategy to oppose his plans to massively shrink federal spending.Democratic Senator John Fetterman called Tuesday’s protests a “sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance.””It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to — and it may not be the winning message,” he posted on X.Censure votes used to be rare, but have been used by both parties more frequently in recent years.The resolution itself — a formal reprimand by a lawmaker’s peers — is seen as the punishment, and does not entail any further denial of privileges.Green and some of his colleagues sang civil rights gospel anthem “We Shall Overcome” as House Speaker Mike Johnson read out the censure resolution.Before the vote, Green told reporters he was happy to “suffer the consequences” of his actions, which he said were to highlight Republican plans to cut health insurance programs and welfare.”I stood up for those who need Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security,” he posted on X.”Democrats will never abandon the fight to make sure every American has a safe, healthy, and financially secure life.”

Roy Ayers, the trailblazer of jazz, funk and neo-soul whose “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” proved a hugely popular hip-hop sample, has died. He was 84 years old.The artist’s family shared the news in a Facebook post, saying the vibraphonist, composer and producer died in New York on March 4 following a long illness.”He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed,” read the post published late Wednesday.Ayers is considered a master of jazz vibraphone, and was also a leading force in introducing soul to jazz with electric instruments and rhythms drawing on R&B and rock.A rare jazz artist who found consistent commercial success, Ayers released nearly four dozen albums over the course of his career, frequently bouncing into the top albums chart.His 1976 track “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” has been sampled nearly 200 times by major artists including Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige. And the electric piano hook off “Love” featured in the 1990 dance smash “Groove Is in the Heart.”Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ayers grew up in a musical family with clear sights on making it his career.He has described receiving his first set of vibraphone mallets at age five from the famed vibraphonist and percussionist Lionel Hampton, whose music Ayers’s parents frequently played for him.He founded the band that would help make him a household name, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, in 1970.The eventual “Godfather of Neo-Soul” found remarkable success with the label Polydor, releasing 11 albums with them from 1970 to 1977.A true artist’s artist, his collaborations over the decades included Fela Kuti, Whitney Houston, Rick James, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys, The Roots and Tyler, The Creator.”The cat who birthed us all in the ‘vibes only’ movement,” wrote famed Roots drummer Questlove on Instagram, calling Ayers’s music “life changing.””Thank You Roy Edward Ayers Jr for EVERYTHING you gave us. taught us. showed us. soothed us.”And former US presidential candidate Kamala Harris called Ayers “legendary.””I grew up listening to the legendary Roy Ayers,” the Democrat wrote Thursday on X, saying the artist was a family favorite in her household. “‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’ is one of my favorite songs, and it has scored some of the most important moments in my life,” she added.”Our family sends our prayers to Roy’s loved ones and everyone who — like us — has been impacted by his music.”