Current Events
Page: 10
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Courtesy / Netflix / Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx’s health scare was the talk of social media for months, as fans and the world wanted to know exactly what was going on with the talented actor/musician that landed him in the hospital. We will find out in the upcoming Netflix special, Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was…‘
It was no secret that Foxx, who will also star in the upcoming Netflix action/comedy film Back In Action alongside Camron Diaz, was doing a stand-up comedy special that would solely focus on his still mysterious health scare, which led many to speculate what happened to the Hollywood icon.
Speaking with the African American Film Critics Association, Foxx promised to tell the world what landed him in the hospital as long as he could “do it in a funny way,” and he has kept that promise.
In the first trailer for the special, that is Foxx’s way of giving back to his fans who have supported him throughout his career and during his health scare, he tells the audience, “If I can stay funny, I can stay alive.”
Netflix describes the special: “Jamie expresses deep gratitude to those who prayed and supported his recovery, turning this performance into a touching thank you to his fans. This comedy event is a celebration of resilience, humor, and the power of community, reminding us all of the healing power of laughter.”
Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was… is directed by Hamish Hamilton. Hamilton also serves as an executive producer along with Foxx, Marcus King, Datari Turner, James Longman, Raj Kapoor, and Katy Mullan.
Foxx’s tentpole Foxxhole Productions and Done + Dusted are also producing. The special premieres on Netflix on December 10. Peep the trailer below.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Scott Olson / Getty
The Department of Justice issued a report detailing the numerous abuses by the Memphis Police Department based on their investigation after the death of Tyre Nichols.
On Wednesday (Dec. 4), the Department of Justice released a scathing report containing the findings of an investigation into the Memphis Police Department, revealing that the department “engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches and arrests and discriminatory policing of Black people and residents with behavioral health disabilities,” according to DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. The department began its investigation 17 months after the beating death of Tyre Nichols by Memphis Police officers in 2023 after a traffic stop.
The report went into detail on how officers would employ excessive force “almost immediately in response to low-level, nonviolent offenses, even when people are not aggressive.” One example detailed how nine police cruisers and 12 officers responded to a call of a mentally ill person who stole a $2 soft drink from a gas station, using a Taser and pepper spray in the process. Another data point by Clarke highlighted the disparity of police interactions between Black and white residents, where she noted: “MPD cites or arrests Black adults for marijuana possession at 5.2 times the rate of White adults.” Another instance detailed how a Memphis Police officer picked up an 8-year-old with behavioral issues and tossed him onto a couch. These were in addition to “inconsistencies” between written reports and body camera footage.
The city of Memphis held a press conference to respond to the findings of the report. “In the last three years we have changed over 700 policies… that help to direct process, help to improve officer response. Community engagement has been a significant part of the work we have been doing,” said Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn “C.J” Davis. Davis is Black, as is 50% of the police department, including the five officers involved in beating Nichols. Memphis City Attorney Tannera George Gibson stated that the city had been presented with a consent decree granting further federal oversight over the department, but it declined in a letter, writing: “Until the City has had the opportunity to review, analyze, and challenge the specific allegations that support your forthcoming findings report, the City cannot — and will not — agree to work toward or enter into a consent decree that will likely be in place for years to come and will cost the residents of Memphis hundreds of millions of dollars.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty
President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with NBC’s Kristen Welker for his first network interview after winning the 2024 election last month.
According to reports, Donald Trump has agreed to sit down with Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker for his first network interview since being reelected to the White House in last month’s presidential election. The interview with Welker will take place Friday (Dec. 6), and will be recorded and aired Sunday (Dec. 8), during the 10:30 a.m. time slot that Meet The Press usually airs in, as announced by NBC.
Trump and Welker have a turbulent history as interviewer and subject. Welker interviewed him for Meet The Press in September 2023, which would be Trump’s only major network appearance. Welker was taken to task by critics for not firmly fact-checking Trump on his talking points, which included immigration and the policies of his then-Republican primary opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. That interview stood out among his appearances on Fox News networks and with podcast hosts such as Joe Rogan and Adin Ross during the presidential election cycle.
Welker was also attacked by Trump as being “biased” before his debate against then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in September 2020. He’d later praise her during the debate, hosted by NBC News. “By the way, so far, I respect very much the way you’re handling this. I have to say,” he said at the debate stage in Belmont, Tennessee. She also sparred with Vice President-elect JD Vance over his backpedaling on abortion after his debate in October.
The interview is significant as other outlets are plotting on how to cover and approach Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to get revenge on those whom he felt had wronged him. Most recently, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, have been under constant criticism after they visited Mar-a-Lago last month after the election. Scarborough blasted critics of the meeting in a 20-minute rant Thursday morning (Dec. 5), claiming that other networks are plotting out their own sit-downs with Trump. “Do we judge CNN for doing it? No,” he said. “You know why? It’s their jobs! Grow up! It’s their jobs. The only thing we did that caused this Twitter storm is we told you. Now, if you’d prefer that we don’t tell you everything that we do that’s fine. But we just thought in this case that transparency was best.”
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Alex Kent / Getty / UnitedHealth
The targeted attack on UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson has already taken an eyebrow-raising turn following some new developments.
Once news broke about the assassination of Brian Thompson in Midtown, NYC, hit social media timelines, it didn’t take long for many to jump to the conclusion the UnitedHealth CEO’s murder could have something to do with the health insurer’s track record of denying people coverage.
TMZ reports that the 9MM shell casings from the bullets that took Thompson’s life shot from the alleged silenced weapon were engraved with the cryptic message “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” possibly revealing the assassin’s motive behind the attack.
Sources revealed to the celebrity gossip site that the message is no coincidence, has a significant meaning, and could confirm that social media was on the right track when the story first broke.
Per TMZ:
Our sources say two of the words appear in the title of a 2010 book, “Delay, Deny, Defend,” which slams the health insurance sector — and, as we now know, Thompson was one of the industry’s bigwigs.
We’re told detectives believe the words on the shell casings could be a window into why the assailant committed the murder.
Our sources say the suspect or one of his relatives might have been denied coverage by Thompson’s company for a medical procedure. However, our sources also say he could be a disgruntled ex-employee … or a hitman hired by someone for some other reason.
Other Developments In The Case
The cryptic message on the shell casings is not only a development from the rapidly developing case. The New York Daily News reports that Thompson’s home has been the target of bomb threats.
Also, the NYPD has released surveillance photos showing the shooter’s face.
Of course, social media is still slamming UnitedHealthcare. Spoiler alert: don’t expect to see any sympathy.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
3. No chill
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Alexander Tamargo / Getty / 50 Cent
50 Cent is getting a Roku Channel.
Spotted on Deadline, Curtis Jackson and his G-Unit Film & Television imprint, in partnership with Lionsgate, are launching the 50 Cent Action Channel on the Roku Channel on Tuesday, December 10.
According to the website, the channel will be curated by the Grammy-winning and Emmy-winning multihyphenate. It will feature his favorite action films from Lionsgate’s library, which features over 20,000 titles. So expect to see films like The Expendables, Rambo, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, and over a dozen movies Diddy’s favorite troll starred in.
But that’s not all. The channel will also air reruns of Power, the Starz crime drama he also starred in and served as an executive producer for the many spinoffs that followed.
There will also be programming stunts around the Queen’s rapper’s No. 1 albums and hit records.
Per Deadline:
Examples include a heist-themed stunt tied to his album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, including films like Empire State, Reservoir Dogs, and Man on a Ledge as well as a female-led action stunt based on 50’s album I Like The Way She Do It, including Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2, The Protégé and Haywire.
In a statement about the channel, 50 Cent said, “Roku’s reach and success in the free TV space make them the perfect launch partner for 50 Cent Action. My channel created in partnership with Lionsgate will deliver exactly what my audience loves to watch all in one place. We’ll be number one in no time.”
50 Cent Is Still Making Music
Outside of music, 50 Cent continues to cement his legacy in Hollywood. He recently launched G-Unit Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana, and teamed up with Netflix for a forthcoming Diddy docuseries.
On the music front, in a recent interview with Cam’ron, 50 Cent revealed to his one-time rival that he has new material on the way and plans to use it in upcoming television projects.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: ABC / The View / Charlamagne Tha God / Whoopi Goldberg
The political discourse from President Joe Biden issuing a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, was a topic of conversation on The View, and things got a bit spicy between Whoopi Goldberg and Charlamagne Tha God.
Charlamagne Tha God returned to The View with his eye-roll-inducing political opinions on Wednesday, Dec 4. He got into it with the talk show’s longtime lead host, Whoopi Goldberg, after he said Joe Biden “lied” regarding issuing a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, over felony gun and tax convictions.
The President previously said he would not pardon his son but did an about-face on the matter, and his decision has gotten MAGA Republicans, some Democrats, and people like Charlamagne criticizing him.
Goldberg countered Charlamagne’s accusation of Biden lying, telling The Breakfast Club Host and aspiring political pundit, “I’m gonna stop you for a second. Only because you don’t know that it was a lie. We don’t know why he changed his mind. I’m gonna tell you what I think. I think he changed his mind because he got sick of watching everybody else get over. At some point, you get to the place where you just go, so I’m just going to follow the straight-and-narrow always, because that’s what’s expected of Democrats.”
Charlamage countered Goldberg by saying, “But that’s their fault! They’re the ones that go out there and stand on this moral high ground. They don’t have to do that.”
“So we’re mad at him because he changed his [mind]?” Goldberg asked Charlamagne, who responded: “I’m not mad at him for pardoning Hunter Biden. You sound like you’re mad!”
Goldberg asks, “Can you explain to me why it is that when Joe Biden does something, everybody clutches their pearls?” in response to Alyssa Farah Griffin’s point that Biden “made a point” not to interfere with investigations before he ultimately changed his mind.
“Nobody has criticized Donald Trump more than me and Charlamagne Tha God!” Griffin told Goldberg.
“Yeah, I’ve criticized him more,” Goldberg responded. “But, you’re missing my question. My question is: What is it that makes people flip out with Joe, but we don’t have the same kind of thing [with Trump]?”
Which is a very significant question.
Charlemagne asked the iconic actress, “Why can’t you say when Democrats are wrong, and why can’t Republicans say when Republicans are wrong? You don’t think Joe Biden is wrong?”
When Goldberg said that she, like many others, didn’t believe he was wrong, Charlamagne said that was “ridiculous,” and Goldberg hit back with, “No, you’re ridiculous.”
Quickly defusing the situation, Charlamagne clarified, “I didn’t say you were ridiculous, Ms. Goldberg. I would never say that. I just think that’s [ridiculous].” In true Auntie Whoopi Goldberg form, she told Charlamagne to “come over here and give me a kiss,” and brought the temperature down.
Social Media Did Not Care For Charlamagne tha God’s Opinion On The Pardon
Even though the two highly opinionated celebrities let bygones be bygones, social media let their disdain for Charlamagne and his political opinions.
“Charlamagne blows any way the wind goes. He is a true chameleon. He is as Pro Kamala as it gets, then pretends to be more supportive of Trump when she loses, now he’s on The View talking about how you have to fight dirty with Republicans. Charlatan tha God,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another user wrote, “He’s not fooling anyone. Not sure why anyone listens to him in the first place. Comes across as a totally self-absorbed moron “tha God.” GFY”
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
3. Exactly
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: ABC / The View / Charlamagne Tha God / Whoopi Goldberg
The political discourse from President Joe Biden issuing a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, was a topic of conversation on The View, and things got a bit spicy between Whoopi Goldberg and Charlamagne Tha God.
Charlamagne Tha God returned to The View with his eye-roll-inducing political opinions on Wednesday, Dec 4. He got into it with the talk show’s longtime lead host, Whoopi Goldberg, after he said Joe Biden “lied” regarding issuing a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, over felony gun and tax convictions.
The President previously said he would not pardon his son but did an about-face on the matter, and his decision has gotten MAGA Republicans, some Democrats, and people like Charlamagne criticizing him.
Goldberg countered Charlamagne’s accusation of Biden lying, telling The Breakfast Club Host and aspiring political pundit, “I’m gonna stop you for a second. Only because you don’t know that it was a lie. We don’t know why he changed his mind. I’m gonna tell you what I think. I think he changed his mind because he got sick of watching everybody else get over. At some point, you get to the place where you just go, so I’m just going to follow the straight-and-narrow always, because that’s what’s expected of Democrats.”
Charlamage countered Goldberg by saying, “But that’s their fault! They’re the ones that go out there and stand on this moral high ground. They don’t have to do that.”
“So we’re mad at him because he changed his [mind]?” Goldberg asked Charlamagne, who responded: “I’m not mad at him for pardoning Hunter Biden. You sound like you’re mad!”
Goldberg asks, “Can you explain to me why it is that when Joe Biden does something, everybody clutches their pearls?” in response to Alyssa Farah Griffin’s point that Biden “made a point” not to interfere with investigations before he ultimately changed his mind.
“Nobody has criticized Donald Trump more than me and Charlamagne Tha God!” Griffin told Goldberg.
“Yeah, I’ve criticized him more,” Goldberg responded. “But, you’re missing my question. My question is: What is it that makes people flip out with Joe, but we don’t have the same kind of thing [with Trump]?”
Which is a very significant question.
Charlemagne asked the iconic actress, “Why can’t you say when Democrats are wrong, and why can’t Republicans say when Republicans are wrong? You don’t think Joe Biden is wrong?”
When Goldberg said that she, like many others, didn’t believe he was wrong, Charlamagne said that was “ridiculous,” and Goldberg hit back with, “No, you’re ridiculous.”
Quickly defusing the situation, Charlamagne clarified, “I didn’t say you were ridiculous, Ms. Goldberg. I would never say that. I just think that’s [ridiculous].” In true Auntie Whoopi Goldberg form, she told Charlamagne to “come over here and give me a kiss,” and brought the temperature down.
Social Media Did Not Care For Charlamagne tha God’s Opinion On The Pardon
Even though the two highly opinionated celebrities let bygones be bygones, social media let their disdain for Charlamagne and his political opinions.
“Charlamagne blows any way the wind goes. He is a true chameleon. He is as Pro Kamala as it gets, then pretends to be more supportive of Trump when she loses, now he’s on The View talking about how you have to fight dirty with Republicans. Charlatan tha God,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another user wrote, “He’s not fooling anyone. Not sure why anyone listens to him in the first place. Comes across as a totally self-absorbed moron “tha God.” GFY”
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
3. Exactly
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
The move by President Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter Biden has led advocates to make their case for former prosecutor Marilyn Mosby to receive a pardon as well.
The decision by President Joe Biden to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, earlier this week after previously stating he wouldn’t, has prompted advocates representing the former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to request one for her. “It is time for Joe Biden to pardon Marilyn Mosby,” said civil rights attorney and media figure Angela Rye, who is working on Mosby’s legal team. Mosby, who rose to prominence in 2015 for charging six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, Jr., was convicted of mortgage fraud and perjury earlier in the year. Critics of the decision have maintained that the prosecution was politically motivated due to her racial justice policies.
“There are thousands of people who have been wrongfully convicted and sit in federal prisons today. While Hunter Biden was selectively prosecuted, he’s not the only one,” Rye said in a joint statement with attorney Ben Crump, who is also working with Mosby’s legal team. They point out that the application for Mosby’s pardon is still with the Department of Justice with proof of “receipt of the application on May 28.” That request is accompanied by 91,000 signatures petitioning the government for Mosby to be pardoned. The former attorney was on home detention after being sentenced and has appealed the decision. The Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland called for her law license to be suspended, but the Maryland Supreme Court dismissed that request.
“Marilyn Mosby is on house arrest right now with her law license hanging in the balance over purchasing property with her own money. Kim Gardner (the former East St. Louis prosecutor) was forced into taking a plea deal for a $5000 expense that was approved in an ethics opinion,” Crump and Rye wrote. They cited similarities in the two situations – the lead prosecutor in Mosby’s case, Leo Wise, also successfully brought charges against Hunter Biden for the purchase and possession of a firearm in 2018 and on federal tax charges. They also pointed out that the basis for Hunter’s pardon can be applied – selective prosecution. “They need to find a rule and equally apply it,” Rye stated.
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Anadolu / Getty / Brian Thompson
More news to prove we are living in what feels like a Netflix drama series: Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare’s Insurance division, was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan in what the NYPD is already calling a “targeted attack.”
Social media was buzzing this morning when breaking news of Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down in broad daylight. The details, which read like the plot of a movie, claim a masked man approached Thompson, who was in town to speak at a conference Wednesday and killed him using what witnesses claimed was a “silent gun.”
Per the New York Post:
Brian Thompson, 50, was at the hotel around 6:46 a.m., arriving early for a conference, when a masked man allegedly waiting for the CEO repeatedly shot at him along Sixth Avenue before dashing off on a bicycle, police sources told The Post.
Thompson was hit in the chest, prompting a desperate attempt by first responders to save him with CPR, harrowing video shows.
He was rushed in critical condition to the Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
Surveillance photos obtained from the news site show the shooter aiming the murder weapon at Thompson in front of the posh hotel and then fleeing on a bicycle down an alley.
NYC’s embattled Mayor, Eric Adams, spoke about the shooting during a separate press conference, telling reporters, “It appears as though this was a targeted murder,” he added, “It seemed to have been clearly targeted by an individual, and we will apprehend that individual.”
Officials say no arrests have been made and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
People Are Using The Apparent Assassination To Call Out United Healthcare
Social media is sharing their thoughts on the shooting. Basically, they are dragging United Healthcare for its reputation for denying coverage to customers, even alluding to the shooter being someone who was denied coverage by the company.
“I’ll be waiting on pins and needles to find out what demonic shit United Healthcare did to this man or his family,” one user on X, formally Twitter, wrote.
Another user on X wrote, “The police will be investigating every American with a United health care plan.”
Still, this is tragic news; no one deserves to be gunned down in such a manner, but people do have a point about the United States health insurance system and how terrible it is.
We will continue to follow this story to see how this all plays out. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Very unerious, smh.
4. What is wrong with y’all?
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: NBC4 / Youtube
Veteran Washington, D.C., news anchor Leon Harris is stepping away from the desk to work on “health issues” after a recent on-air issue during a segment.
On Monday (Dec. 2), NBC4 News in Washington, D.C., issued a statement through its website and on the air announcing that anchor Leon Harris is “stepping away” from the desk to focus on “health issues” after appearing to be unwell during a segment on their Thanksgiving broadcast. “We here at NBC4 — and you at home — care deeply about Leon and wish him well. We thank you for your concern,” they wrote. They did not disclose what health issues Harris was dealing with in response to further press requests.
An update about our colleague Leon Harris. pic.twitter.com/dzUEe96Qa4
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) December 2, 2024
The 63-year-old was on air delivering the news about local vandalism. Still, viewers noticed that the veteran newscaster struggled to pronounce some words and street names and exhibited slurred speech. Harris was pulled from the desk after the segment ended, and meteorologist Ryan Miller addressed viewer concerns that he suffered a stroke or some other medical issue during his segment covering the weather. “We’ve heard a lot from some of you through phone and email during this newscast,” Miller said. “We want to assure you that our colleague, Leon Harris, is fine. The News4 team appreciates your concern.”
Harris has been a fixture at NBC4 since joining the station in 2017 after working at the local ABC network, WJLA. The journalist has won an Emmy Award for his work, having started his career at CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris has dealt with health issues in the past, having taken a leave of absence to recover from a foot injury in September that he suffered at his home. In 2013, Harris also dealt with necrotizing pancreatitis that placed him in the intensive care unit. He also has dealt with alcohol abuse, having been arrested for DUI in 2013 and in 2022. “I made a terrible mistake,” he said in 2022 in an interview with the Washington Post. “After drinking, I decided to get into my car and drive. This is the worst decision I could possibly have made.”