Current Events
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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?
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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.”
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Source: Amanda Edwards / Getty / Malcolm Barrett
Actor Malcolm Barrett is currently under investigation for sexual assault.
*Trigger Warning* this story contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.
TMZ exclusively reports Barrett, who has been seen in popular shows like Prime Video’s The Boys and BET+’s Average Joe, has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who claims he had nonconsensual sex with her following a night of drinking.
The celebrity gossip site reported that the woman had reported the incident to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department last weekend.
Per TMZ:
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … a woman contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department last weekend, claiming that after a night of drinking with Malcolm, she woke up in bed to find him touching her. She claims the actor then had sex with her against her will.
According to our sources, the woman told deputies that she and Barrett had been friends for months, and the night started off pretty normal with drinks in L.A. … with the drinks continuing at his place before the alleged assault.
TMZ reports that the woman underwent a sexual assault kit, and the LASD Special Victims Bureau is now handling the case; the investigation is still ongoing, and no one has been arrested.
A rep for the actor did not respond after TMZ reached out for comment.
Along with The Boys, which is currently filming its fifth and final season, and Average Joe, Barrett was also in other series like Timeless and the 2016 film Dear White People.
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President Joe Biden is nearing the end of his term, and as that time nears, he has just weeks to make any sweeping orders before he leaves office at the top of next year. Hunter Biden, the first child of a sitting United States president to be convicted of a crime, was pardoned by President Joe Biden over the weekend, sparking critique from lawmakers and other figures on both sides of the aisle.
President Joe Biden issued the pardon of Hunter Biden on December 1 and the flurry of comments since the news broke have ranged from understanding a father’s position to protect their children to those bashing Biden for reneging on a promise to not grant his son’s clemency.
Not surprisingly, many of Biden’s opponents from the Republican Party had plenty to say, including President-elect Donald Trump. Trump took to his TruthSocial platform and called the pardon “an abuse and miscarriage of Justice” while calling for the pardon of 29 inmates at the District of Columbia Jail, who he referred to as “J-6 hostages.”
For comparison purposes, Biden has granted just 26 pardons in his time in office while Trump pardoned 143 individuals during his time, some of which were questioned.
Beyond Trump, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer spoke on the pardon and did not mince words.
“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities. Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden,” Comer wrote.
Rep. Greg Stanton, a Democrat representing Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, took to X to blast the pardon.
“I respect President Biden, but I think he got this one wrong. This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers,” Stanton said.
Adding to the criticism from members of Biden’s party, Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio wrote on X, “As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas appeared on MSNBC and pushed back on the comments made by her colleagues on both sides and spoke in her usual direct fashion.
“So, for anyone that wants to clutch their pearls now because he decided that he was going to pardon his son, I would say take a look in the mirror because we also know that when it comes to this cabinet, this cabinet has more people accused of sexual assault than any incoming cabinet probably ever in the history of America,” Crockett said. “So we are living in unprecedented times, and we know that this was completely political.”
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Julia Beverly / Getty / Nick Cannon
Well, now we might have an explanation for Nick Cannon’s behavior.
Speaking with People magazine, the 44-year-old serial seed spreader and father of 12 children shared his new mental diagnosis, narcissistic personality disorder.
Cannon already revealed himself to be neurodivergent.
“I still don’t understand it all the way, but I kind of always wanted to get tested for it. I did a bunch of tests,” said Cannon, adding, “I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. Even as a kid it was dyslexia, but just knowing that I’m just a neurodivergent individual, I kind of always knew.”
So, what is a narcissistic personality disorder? Mayo Clinic defines the mental diagnosis that is more common in men than women as “a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance” while constantly seeking admiration and attention.
The clinic’s explanation continues, “People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.” It is treatable with talk therapy.
It pretty much sounds like Nick Cannon.
This Is Not The First Time Nick Cannon Spoke About Having Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Cannon did talk about how he is dealing with the diagnosis, telling the magazine that accepting the condition is helping with the healing process.
“I feel like there’s so many labels out there, but it’s like, to be able to embrace it and say, ‘Look, I’m healing. I need help. Show me.’ I just embrace mental health and therapy in such a strong way,” Cannon said. “To be able to say I’m an example for others, but also be healing during the self-process works too.”
The Masked Singer host first revealed he was “clinically diagnosed” during a Nov.8 episode of his podcast Counsel Culture while speaking with psychologist Dr. Cheyenne Bryant.
The multihyphenate also notes that he does not accept being labeled a narcissist because of the negative connotation that comes with the term.
“I’ve taken all the power away from the term narcissism ’cause I’ve researched it, and I understand it,” Cannon said to Bryant. “Call me whatever you want… now, if I didn’t know what it was, then I have [an] issue with it.”
We appreciate the honesty coming from Cannon about his mental health.
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Source: Anadolu / Getty / Kash Patel
Donald Trump isn’t done appointing clearly unqualified individuals for important roles in his cabinet for his unfortunate second term.
Matt Gaetz, Linda McMahon, Pete Hegseth, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr were previous choices Trump made to fill his cabinet of numbskulls and groupies to do his bidding when he returns to the White House.
Thankfully, Matt Gaetz flamed out as a potential Attorney General before his confirmation hearing took possibly due to his alleged dealings with an underaged girl and, currently, his pick to run the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth’s drunken behavior at a strip club is being put on front street as well his mother putting him on blast is damaging his chances to be confirmed, but it’s Trump’s latest decision to appoint Kash Patel to potentially become FBI Director that is causing many to say, oh hell no.
Felon 47, aka Donald Trump, announced his decision over the weekend on his lame social media platform, Truth Social.
“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Trump wrote.
He continued, “He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution. Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials.”
Social Media Slams Kash Patel For Being Obviously Unqualified
So many are raising red flags about Patel because he is a raging conspiracy theorist who has been very forthcoming about seeking retribution from those who opposed Sweet Potato Mussolini.
Following the announcement, many people took to social media to slam the choice. Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance said, “Trump throws down the gauntlet. The answer from the Senate MUST be no.”
Vance added, “Kash Patel cannot be put in charge of the FBI.”
Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin said of Patel possibly leading the FBI, “The Senate should reject this unprecedented effort to weaponize the FBI for the campaign of retribution that Donald Trump has promised.
California Rep. Adam Schiff wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Kash Patel has publicly called for arresting members of the media and government officials. And he is willing to do whatever Trump asks. Illegal, unethical or otherwise. More suited as internet troll than FBI Director, the Senate must reject him.”
Others noted that Trump’s picking of Patel was why President Joe Biden reneged on his promise not to use his pardon power on his son, Hunter Biden.
“I’m sure Biden is equally shocked Trump nominated Kash Patel who has promised to go after the Bidens. You may be missing an intervening factor here,” one user on X wrote in response to Senator Chuck Grassley hilariously clutching his pearls about Biden’s decision.
We are in for a long 4 years because Trump is definitely trying to push the limits already.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. All of this
2. Bruh, Patel and Trump are not slick
3. This should be very disqualifying
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JD Vance, the newly-minted Vice President-elect, has proven his loyalty to incoming President-elect Donald Trump after the running mates faced a spirited campaign from Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz. Now basking in the glow of their win, JD Vance shared an odd Thanksgiving photo that has some bringing up the “weird” angle once more.
Vice President-elect JD Vance shared the image of a repurposed Norman Rockwell’s 1943 Thanksgiving painting “Freedom From Want” which features President-elect Donald Trump’s face over the husband in the drawing, while Vance takes the place of the wife. Instead of holding a dish of food, Vance’s wife figure is holding a map of the United States depicting the states and districts won by the Trump-Vance team.
The move was especially baffling for some considering the pushing of American family values that Trump and company promote often, and even if it were a joke, some observers online believe it landed on deaf ears. Many of the comments on X, which is where Vance shared the photo, found it cringeworthy and even said it validated the weird claims.
Vance himself hasn’t explained why he shared the photo but the point he was attempting to make was clear. However, using the painting as a victory lap is leaving a sour taste in the mouths of some.
Below, we’ve got reactions from X, formerly Twitter, to JD Vance sharing the Thanksgiving photo.
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Photo: Getty
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Hunter Biden, the second eldest child of President Joe Biden, was pardoned by his father over the weekend in a move taken as an affront to the legal process by right-leaning observers. Earlier this year, Hunter Biden pled guilty in connection to a federal tax matter with President Biden issuing the pardon after previously stating he would not do so.
Hunter Biden, 54, was the target of false allegations concerning claims that Biden — when he was vice president — took a bribe to suggest that Ukraine fire prosecutor general Viktor Shokin to halt an investigation into Ukrainian gas company Burisma and to protect his son from charges since he worked on the company’s board.
Facing federal tax and gun charges, Biden admitted to lying on a federal form to obtain a firearm in 2018 as a drug user and was found guilty on three felony charges over the summer. The conviction made Bident the first child of a sitting United States president to be convicted in a criminal trial. Biden, who had his license to practice law suspended due to the conviction, was due to be sentenced on December 12 which no longer will happen after getting pardoned on Sunday (December 1).
Biden was a favorite target of Donald Trump and MAGA extremists during the 2020 presidential election cycle, harping heavily on the Ukraine matter despite little evidence supporting the claim. However, conservative pundits continued to seize on Biden’s legal issues and many are seemingly enraged that President Biden issued the pardon. President Biden stated the reason for the pardon was to counter the political motivations of his critics.
On X, formerly Twitter, MAGA Nation is attempting to turn the pardon of Hunter Biden around on President Joe Biden despite him leaving the office in January. We’ve gathered some responses and shared them in the list below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Jeff Spicer / Getty / Shameik Moore / Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfield’s engagement to Buffalo Bills superstar quarterback Josh Allen is making life difficult for her Spider-Man co-star, Shameik Moore, on social media.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, actress Hailee Steinfeld and Josh Allen announced their engagement to much fanfare from her 20.4 million followers and disappointment from single men.
According to the post’s caption, the epic proposal, which saw the couple in front of a flower arch, with Allen on bended knee proposing with a candlelit walkway in front of the ocean, occurred on 11•22•24, during Buffalo Bills’ bye week.
What is easily good news for the couple has been turned into a moment to clown Steinfeld’s Across The Spider-Verse co-star. It’s been a running joke about Moore’s apparent crush on his animated Gwen Stacy.
Social Media Can Be Cruel
Users on X, formerly Twitter, have been trolling Moore, reminding him that after Steinfeld said yes to Allen, he is the only actor to play the wallcrawler who has not hooked up with his co-star.
Moore did seem to respond to the trolling with a very cryptic message on his X account: “There’s still more people to meet. More opportunities to come. And more chances to try. Live, learn, apply.”
Moore wasn’t done reacting, writing in two follow-up posts, “Also crazy what yall decide to engage with when I post,” adding, “yall been twisting my words and fuckin wit my name for years now.”
In reply to his post, a user on X wrote, “in every other universe gwen stacy falls for spider-man” shameik really is the original anomaly.”
Others offered encouragement, telling him to use the moment to deliver a performance of his life in the next animated Miles Morales adventure.
“PICK YOURSELF UP BROTHA THIS IS NOT HOW YOU RESPOND I NEED YOU TO DELIVER THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME,” another post on X said.
Damn, y’all couldn’t even let that man enjoy his Thanksgiving break.
You can see more reactions to Shameik Moore not carrying the Spider-Man tradition in the gallery below.
1. Y’all are ruthless
3. No chill
4. Howling
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Source: Alex Kent / Getty
Rudy Giuliani had a meltdown in court after a federal judge declined to delay his trial in a hearing in New York City, claiming he has “no cash.”
Rudy Giuliani had a terrible day in federal court on Tuesday (Nov. 26), after U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman informed Giuliani that his upcoming trial would not be delayed so that he could attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2025. That trial is still scheduled for Jan. 16, where the court will rule on whether Giuliani can keep his Florida condominium and several custom-manufactured New York Yankees World Series rings. They would be relinquished to satisfy a judgment against him for defaming two Black election workers from Georgia, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. Giuliani’s frustration provoked him to rant loudly at Judge Liman, a clear example of the strain the former mayor of New York City is under.
The rant was sparked by Judge Liman, noting that Giuliani has missed several deadlines to turn over the bulk of his assets. He has surrendered a fraction of those assets, which include an array of luxury watches and a 1980 Mercedes-Benz convertible that Giuliani claims was owned by the famed actress Lauren Bacall. “The car without the keys and title is meaningless,” Judge Liman stated. “I have applied for the title,” Giuliani replied. “I haven’t gotten it yet. What am I supposed to do, make it up myself?” He raised his voice, adding: “I don’t have a car. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have cash.” He complained that he didn’t “have a penny” that was not tied up by Ms. Freeman and Ms. Moss. Judge Liman told Giuliani’s lawyer, Joseph Cammarata, that his client was not allowed to speak and that the court would take action on the next outburst.
The hour-long hearing began with lawyers who formerly represented Giuliani formally withdrawing from his case citing an undisclosed concern over “professional ethics.” Another point of contention came as Aaron Nathan, a lawyer representing Freeman and Moss described Giuliani’s compliance with the $148 million judgment as “lackadaisical at best, and intentionally obstructive at worst.” He pointed to the America First Warehouse in Ronkonkoma, New York, where Giuliani’s assets are stored as an accomplice in hindering the transfer. “It’s punishment for being the one who revealed first Joe Biden’s 30-year criminality,” he insisted after the hearing, claiming the Trump-appointed Liman is a Democrat.