Current Events
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Source: CHRIS KLEPONIS / Getty
It’s been a few weeks since Donald Trump was the subject of an “assassination attempt,” and though many questions and conspiracy theories still surround the incident, it doesn’t seem like we’ll have any actual answers about it anytime soon.
On Wednesday (July 24), FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before House lawmakers about what they’ve learned about the alleged attempt on Trump’s life. It seems like they’re no closer to getting a motive today than they were when it happened. Still, the head of the FBI did inform lawmakers on some interesting new information about the shooter, Thomas Crooks, and what he had been up to before he “lined up” Trump at his rally on July 13.
According to CBS News, Wray revealed that Crooks actually used a drone to scope out the area beforehand and that he may have had a collapsible stock, which made it easier for him to move with his rifle without being noticed. Though they did recover his laptop and learned that he googled “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy,” Wray says they’re still trying to decrypt messages on his phone to see who he was talking to and how deep this assassination attempt goes.
CBS News reports:
Investigators have managed to gain access to Crooks’ phone, which Wray said was a “significant technical challenge.” He said agents discovered Crooks was using encrypted messaging apps to communicate.
The FBI, which is investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism, does not yet have “a clear picture” of the gunman’s motive, Wray said. But investigators did find that Crooks seemed to become “very focused on” Trump and the rally on July 6.
The most interesting aspect about all of this is that people who knew Crooks said he and his family were die-hard Trump supporters and MAGA enthusiasts and he was actually bullied for it in school. One has to wonder, why would a MAGA supporter want to suddenly take out his hero? But Crooks wasn’t only going to rely on his firearm as it seems he came prepared for all kinds of chaos.
The FBI director said the bureau recovered a total of three explosive devices, two from Crooks’ vehicle and one from his residence. He called the devices “relatively crude” explosives. He said the explosives had receivers that could have allowed them to be detonated remotely. Crooks himself had a transmitter, Wray noted.
“At a moment, it looks like because of the on/off position on the receivers, that if he had tried to detonate those devices from the roof, it would not have worked, but that doesn’t mean the explosives weren’t dangerous,” Wray said.
It might be a while before we know what drove Thomas Crooks to attempt to “assassinate” his hero, Donald Trump, but until then the conspiracy theories will continue to fly. And Trump will continue to profit off the scratch left on his ear.
What do y’all think about the Trump assassination attempt? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Handout / Getty / Tory Lanez
Tory Lanez fans who are currently suffering due to the lack of music because their short king is presently behind bars, we have some good news for you: he is working on new tunes.
Spotted on HipHopDX, Tory Lanez is gearing up to drop new music, even though he is behind bars.
According to the website, the rapper/singer has figured out a way to deliver new tunes without sacrificing quality after announcing that he figured out how to “record in high fidelity from prison.”
Lanez has been dropping songs he has had in the stash throughout July, but now his fans, whom he hilariously calls “umbrellas,” can look forward to new heavily autotuned tracks.
Per HipHopDX:
“After about 20-something to 30-something fuck-ups and mistakes, me and my engineer have finally figure out how to record music over the jail phone and still keep the quality as professional as I had it on the street,” he said in a recorded call posted to his Instagram on Wednesday (July 24). “It’s over. I done cracked the fucking code, man. This means that not even these prison walls can stop me from dropping new music. It’s crazy!
“That being said, I’m about to start dropping hot heaps of coal on y’all head top. I’m dropping the all new ‘Free Tory’ playlist – it’s gon’ be updated every week with new music that I’m recording from prison in real time. This is the first of its kind and although God has already shown me that this moment is only temporary , it speaks testimony to the fact that no matter where they put me they can’t lock down my spirit, my ambition, my soul my passion nor my destiny!”
Tory Lanez is currently serving a 10-year sentence for shooting Megan Thee Stallion. He is currently trying to appeal the conviction on the grounds of “Erroneous Admission of Evidence” and “Prosecutorial Misconduct.”
His appeal is on hold, allowing prosecutors time to review the defense’s claims.
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Source: John Nacion / Getty / Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry wants the world to know he doesn’t care about your criticisms of his films and will not change his formula for making them.
Please make no mistake. Tyler Perry has helped many Black actors find work in Hollywood thanks to his television series and films, and people appreciate him for that, but that doesn’t mean he is above criticism.
Following the release of his latest project, Divorce In The Black, starring Meagan Good and Cory Hardrict, which has earned the rare honor of earning a big fat 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes while maintaining a 75% audience score, fans have once again called into question Perry’s writing.
For the most part, the director/actor has ignored the critiques about his projects, but during an appearance on the “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer” podcast, he let the chopper spray.
Tyler Perry Defends His Films
“I know for a fact that what I’m doing is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing,” Perry told Palmer.
He continued, “Because for everyone who is a critic, I have thousands of — used to be — emails from people saying, ‘This changed my life. Oh my God, you know me. Oh my God, you saw me. How did you know this about my life and my family?’ That is what is important.”
He let the “highbrow negroes” who critique his projects have it and let it be known he makes his movies for “a large portion of my fans” who are “disenfranchised. Who cannot get in the Volvo and go to therapy on the weekend,”
“So, you’ve got this highbrow Negro who is all up in the air with his nose up looking at everything, then you got people like where I come from, and me, who are grinders, who really know what it’s like, whose mothers were caregivers for white kids, and were maids, housekeepers…beauticians. Don’t discount these people and say that their stories don’t matter. Who are you to be able to say which Black story is important or should be told? Get out of here with that bullshit.”
Social Media Claps Back At Tyler Perry
As expected, users on X, formerly Twitter, didn’t care for Perry’s thoughts on their critiques of his lackluster films.
“How dare these highbrow negroes criticize me, a man who cares so much about the working class that I no longer work with the union that helps struggling writers stay afloat in the entertainment industry,” one user on X wrote in response to Perry’s comments.
Journalist Jerry L. Barrow added, “He’s totally missing and/or dismissing the actual criticism, which is the WRITING, not the topics or the audience. Good writing isn’t about class.
Tyler Perry’s writing and films have been the topic of discussion for years. Shows like The Boondocks and Atlanta each dedicate an entire episode to calling him out.
Loni Love, former co-host of The Talk and comedian, blasted Perry for the poor quality of his films, saying he needs to hire more Black writers in response to film critics’ unanimous pannement of Divorce in the Black.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Lol, points were made in this tweet.
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Source: Marc Piasecki / Getty / Elon Musk
Is the excitement surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris’s becoming the Democratic nominee for president following Joe Biden stepping aside making Elon Musk nervous about Donald Trump’s chances of winning?
After proudly announcing that he would bless Donald Trump with a $45 million a month allowance in the form of donations to the America PAC, a group backing the disgraced former president’s re-election bid, Elon Musk says that will no longer be the case.
Or, he was probably talking out the side of his neck and had no intentions of sending the orange menace any money in the first place.
Per Raw Story:
“What’s been reported in the media is simply not true. I am not donating $45 million a month to Trump,” Musk said in an interview over his X platform with Jordan Peterson, the far-right Canadian psychologist and media personality. He went on to say that “I don’t prescribe to [a] cult of personality,” and that America PAC “is not supposed to be a sort of hyperpartisan” group, but rather one that promotes “meritocracy” and “freedom” from “as much government intervention as possible.”
Elon Musk’s History of Being A Flip-Flopper
Believe it or not, Musk was once very vocal about his dislike of Trump, describing him as a “bull in a china shop.”
Musk’s views have shifted aggressively to the right recently in the name of “free speech,” and he hasn’t been shy about his stances after his reluctant acquisition of Twitter, which he stupidly rebranded as X.
The Tesla chief is now one of the main pushers of outright racist right-wing talking points and propaganda and even disowned his child, saying his seed is “dead to him” and is corrupted by the “woke mind virus” for coming out as transgender.
As expected, Musk has been getting fried on his platform following these latest developments.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Wikipedia / Sonya Massey
Imagine being a Black woman who called the police and only ended up being shot dead in your home; that was the sad and tragic reality for Sonya Massey.
*Trigger warning: this article contains detailed descriptions of violence.*
Outrage has taken over social media after body-camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, who was gunned down by the same police she called for help.
The footage was released as part of the case against Sangamon County Sheriff Deputy Sean Grayson, who has been slapped with murder charges.
The 36-minute chilling video (we will not be sharing) via the Illinois State Police includes body-camera footage that shows two Sangamon County Sheriff Deputies who came to Massey’s house after midnight on July 6th after Massey called 911 to report a “prowler” at her Springfield home, court documents revealed.
Per CNN:
In the footage, deputy Sean Grayson and another deputy speak calmly with Massey in her home when she goes to the stove to turn off a pot of boiling water. She then picks up the pot and the other deputy steps back, “away from your hot steaming water,” he says.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she says in response.
“Huh?” the deputy says.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she repeats.
“You better f**king not or I swear to God I’ll f**king shoot you in the f**king face,” Grayson says.
He then draws his firearm and points it at her, and she ducks and says, “I’m sorry” while lifting the pot, the video shows.
“Drop the f**king pot!” both deputies yell.
Three shots are heard. After a few seconds of silence, one deputy says “shots fired” and calls for emergency medical services.
“Dude, I’m not taking f**king boiling water to the f**king head. And look, it came right to our feet, too,” Grayson says.
Minutes after the shooting, Grayson speaks to another law enforcement figure. “She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water,” he says in the video. “She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at (me) with boiling water.”
The Outrage Is Loud & Clear On Social Media
The release of the video comes two weeks after the fatal shooting and days after Grayson was charged with Massey’s death.
A grand jury indicted Grayson, 30, on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
According to court records, he entered a plea of not guilty.
As expected, the outrage about this latest death of a Black person at the hands of law enforcement is very loud on social media.
“A Black woman in her own home called 911 due to a burglar in her home. This officer came in and shot her and refused for his partner to render aid to her. Say her name: Sonya Massey. Don’t remain silent. Stand up for her and fight. This should not have happened…,” one user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump wrote on X, “Violence against Black women MUST STOP! We must demand FULL JUSTICE for Sonya Massey!”
President Biden and Vice President Harris condemned the shooting, calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Tom Williams / Getty / Donald Trump
It’s shaping up to be Vice President Kamala Harris versus disgraced former president Donald Trump in a battle for the White House, and now a donation from the orange menace to Harris’ past campaign.
The jury is still out whether a bullet did hit Trump in the ear, but one thing there is no doubt about is that he once rocked with our MVP.
A check for $6,000 featuring Trump’s very unmistakable signature is making its rounds on social media. Before he became the leader of the Republican party, he was happily sending money to Kamala Harris to support her 2011-2013 campaign to become California’s Attorney General.
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, also chipped in, sending Harris $2,000 in 2014.
Donald Trump Uses His Money To Buy Political Favors
According to celebrity gossip site TMZ, this is not the first time Trump’s donation to Kamala Harris has resurfaced, and there is a reason behind Trump’s “generosity.”
Per TMZ:
This old connection between the now-rivals for the White House first popped up in 2020 when KH was running as Biden’s VP — and yep, it was fact-checked back then, too.
If you’re wondering why he was tossing money to both parties, Trump explained that during his 2016 presidential campaign — bragging, “I’ve given to Democrats. I’ve given to Hillary. I’ve given to everybody! Because that was my job. I gotta give to them. Because when I want something, I get it. When I call, they kiss my a**.”In other words, he openly admitted it was a strategic move to rack up political favors — and some suspect, in Kamala’s case, it was his way to sway California’s investigation into his now-defunct Trump University.
Well, Vice President Harris definitely didn’t do Trump any favors. In fact, she sent Trump’s money to a nonprofit benefiting Central American civil rights.
Well played, Madame Vice President.
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Source: Erika Goldring / Getty / MeganThee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is doing more for the people of Texas than Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz.
Houston native Megan Thee Stallion continues to do right by the people in her hometown. Following Hurricane Beryl’s recent events, which left millions of people in the dark, the Hip-Hop superstar decided to help out those most in need of electricity: senior citizens.
The rapper, born Megan Pete, announced a partnership between her nonprofit organization, the Pete and Thomas Foundation, and local Houston nonprofit Bread of Life Inc. to launch an Emergency Power Program to help senior citizens across Houston.
In a press release, Megan Thee Stallion said about the program, “We need to do our part to provide our elders with the best resources possible to withstand future emergencies. That’s why we wanted to partner with Bread of Life to take a strategic approach to this problem and secure generators to help protect our senior citizens.”
Bread of Life Inc. Executive Director Rudy Rasmus added, “We want to expand our support of the most vulnerable people in the city, and Hurricane Beryl, the derecho, and other storms have highlighted that our seniors are in dire need of assistance.”
Thee Stallion and Bread of Life Inc. followed the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl, which hit the Texas coast on July 8.
The powerful storm caused widespread damage, flooding, and power outages to millions of residents. According to the Texas Division of Emergency Management, President Joe Biden quickly approved a disaster declaration for the state.
Megan Thee Stallion Is Doing More Than Governor Greg Abbott
According to The Daily Beast, President Biden had a “tough time” reaching Texas authorities to get the ball rolling on federal aid because useless Gov. Greg Abbott was on an “economic development” trip to Asia.
As you can imagine, the Hotties have been saluting their generous Hot Girl Queen.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. We would love to see it
3. No lies
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Source: Roberto Ricciuti / Getty / Ice Cube
Ice Cube should have just said no comment.
According to Ice Cube, Diddy’s current situation is a product of him being a “target,” not his behavior.
The iconic rapper, movie producer, actor, and founder of the BIG3 basketball league recently appeared on the PBD Podcast.
During the interview, host Patrick Bet-David asked Ice Cube if he has ever worked with Diddy throughout his long music career. The Friday director revealed to Bet-David that he worked with the embattled music mogul on his 1998 album, War & Peace Volume 1 (The War Disc), and said his experience with was “cool.”
Ice Cube’s Head*ssery Continues
Bet-David followed up by asking Cube if he was “surprised” about the Diddler’s current predicament. He is currently a defendant in several sexual assault lawsuits as a defendant.
We also saw him settle with his ex, Cassie Ventura, before a video of him assaulting her hit X, formerly Twitter timelines.
The “Check Yo Self” rapper is no stranger to saying dumb things, said, “How could you be surprised by anything that happens in hip-hop?”
He continued, “Hip-hop is the wild west. You gonna have the good, you gonna have the bad, you gonna have the ugly.”
The interview veered into conspiratorial land when Bet-David asked Cube if Diddy was a target, and Cube agreed.
“I believe he’s being targeted,” Ice Cube said. “I believe somebody has the power to pull the trigger to make this stuff, this domino effect, happen.”
Bruh.
He would also add that he is not knowledgeable about Diddy’s situation, telling Bet-David, “I don’t know enough to even be able to be specific on any of this stuff. This is all just speculation. I just know he was cool up until a point, and this stuff started happening.”
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We find that hard to believe. After the developments, Diddy’s name was on every news website and TV channel.
Recent reporting says a federal grand jury is prepping a potential sex trafficking and sexual assault case against Diddy. The Bad Boy Records founder has not been arrested and recently did some white water rafting, much to the dismay of people who want to see him held accountable for his alleged actions.
You can see more reactions to Ice Cube’s foolish comments in the gallery below.
2. Very sad to watch
5. Accurate
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Political commentator Van Jones has been offering heavy praise of the Republican National Convention, earning him heavy pushback from social media users.
The Republican National Convention came to a close in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. on Thursday night (July 18). While some political commentators pointed out the various missteps made by GOP politicians, Van Jones has been steadily praising the energy at the convention.
“I wanna say something. This spirit that this guy has, you guys think that’s because he’s drunk. He’s not,” he said during a discussion on Wednesday (July 17), pointing at the convention crowd. “This whole thing is like this. The last time I was in a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008. There’s something happening.”The declaration led one of the other panelists to remark, “You just wrote a headline, by the way.”
That was prefaced by other gushing remarks made by Jones about some of the speeches given during the convention, beginning with his view of Amber Rose after her speech on Monday night (July 16).
“That was probably the most dangerous speech for the Democratic coalition,” Jones said. “That is a young woman of color. She is describing the experience that a lot of people have — feeling that maybe, if you’re around too many liberals, you might get criticized too much or you might not be able to speak your mind, and she spoke to it really well. And she’s way more famous than any of us up here — I’m going to tell you that — way more famous.”
Van Jones would also gush over Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ speech, saying her remarks were “incredibly compelling…extremely powerful.”
The praise would come to a halt after Donald Trump’s speech on Thursday.
“If Biden had given a speech that incoherent, that rambling, that undisciplined, Democrats would’ve hit Biden with a tranquilizer dart and drug him off,” he said. “Trump was boring … undisciplined … he basically was the worst part of his own convention.”
The pattern of praise from Jones left a sour taste in the mouths of many on social media. D.L. Hughley was among those criticizing how much the CNN commentator seemed to be all for the Republicans and pointedly criticized him for thinking the convention had any resemblance to the effect of Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
Below are some of the best responses to Van Jones’ remarks on social media.
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Photo:: PATRICK T. FALLON / Getty
1. Roland Martin
2. Humanity Critic
3. Solomon Missouri
4. 2RawTooReal
5. D.L. Hughley
6. BenDavid Grabinksi
7. Travon Free
8. Stephen Crockett, Jr.
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The state police of Illinois have filed charges against a now-former sheriff’s deputy who killed a Black woman in her own home after she called law enforcement about suspicious activity near her home.
On Wednesday (July 17), a grand jury in Sangamon County, Illinois, returned a five-count indictment against a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who reportedly shot and killed a Black woman, Sonya Massey (pictured above), who called police to her home about an intruder.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced the charges against former Deputy John Grayson, which include first-degree murder, official misconduct, and aggravated assault with a firearm. Milhiser said that the investigation by the Illinois State Police “did not support a finding that (Grayson) was justified in his use of deadly force.”
This investigation also included the body camera footage from the night of July 6, when Massey called police to her home on the 2800 block in Springfield at 1 a.m. Gunfire was reported at the address at 1:21 a.m..
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office had not offered any comment before the charges were announced, deferring to the Illinois State Police. Massey’s family and community activists held protests last week demanding that the body camera footage be released.
“It is clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, further writing: “In times like these, it is crucial for leadership across all sides and spectrums to come together to heal our community.” Grayson was terminated shortly after the incident. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon (July 18). Prosecutors are seeking to detain him per the Pretrial Fairness Act.
Attorney Ben Crump, notable for representing the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, is representing the Massey family in the case. “This news is a step toward justice for Sonya’s loved ones, especially her children, who have endured unimaginable pain and suffering since they were notified of this tragedy,” Crump said in a statement. “We remain committed to uncovering the truth of what happened and identifying the failures that allowed this tragic death to occur.”
The attorney also said in the statement released on Wednesday that Grayson allegedly shot the 36-year-old woman in the face. Massey’s family viewed the body camera footage from that night in private that evening. The funeral for Massey will be held on Friday (July 19).
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Photo: Facebook/Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office