Current Events
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Source: FADEL SENNA / Getty
The intense heat that has struck Saudi Arabia during the holy pilgrimage period for Muslims has reportedly claimed over 1,000 lives.
On Thursday (June 20), reports from various sources declared that 1,081 people have died during the hajj, or annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The high heat – which topped out at 51.8 degrees Celsius or 125 degrees Fahrenheit at the Grand Mosque in Mecca – experienced in the Middle Eastern nation was cited as the primary reason for the deaths, with the total coming from reports compiled by various countries that the pilgrims had come from within the past few days.
According to reports, 1.8 million made the pilgrimage this year, with 1.6 million people visiting from foreign countries. The disclosure comes days after Saudi officials declared that this year’s season was a “success.” Health Minister Fahd al-Jalajel expressed “particular satisfaction with the fact that there were no outbreaks or other public health threats despite the significant number of pilgrims and the challenges posed by high temperatures.”
Jordan’s official news agency stated on Wednesday (June 19), that there were burial permits issued for 41 pilgrims from the country. Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry said the day before that at least 35 citizens of that country had perished. Egyptians accounted for the largest number of casualties from the group with 658 reported deceased, according to one diplomatic source. It is believed 630 of them were unregistered with the Saudi authorities, which prevented them from accessing the numerous air-conditioned spaces in the city of Mecca and along the pilgrimage route to cool down.
They have set up an “operations room” to address calls from distressed relatives and have personnel in Mecca to assist with bringing the dead back to Egypt. India, Russia, Pakistan and Senegal have also reported some of their citizens dying on this season’s hajj. The hajj is a requirement of every Muslim if they are able, although in recent years the rising heat has posed difficulties for older pilgrims with health issues like high blood pressure. Climate change has been a concern as the lunar calendar that Islam follows has placed the time for the pilgrimage during the hottest times of the year. Saudi Arabia has worked to provide advanced cooling systems in light of that for all undertaking the hajj.
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Source: Brad Barket / Getty / Everybody Hates Chris
Lifelong fans of Everybody Hate Chris rejoice: the show is returning, but it will look and sound slightly different.
Variety exclusively reports the 2000s hit comedic sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which is loosely based on the childhood of comedian/actor Chris Rock, is coming to Comedy Central, but this time as a cartoon.
The website also notes that Terry Crews, Tichina Arnold, and Chris Rock will all reprise their roles in the animated show, but other OGs, Tyler James Williams, Imani Hakim, and Vincent Martella, will not be involved, and understandably so, they are much older now.
Fans will be happy to know that Rock, who served as an executive producer and the hilarious narrator in the live-action sitcom, will do the same for the animated series.
“I’m very excited to introduce the world to another funny side of my childhood,” Rock said.
Arnold and Crews will also reprise their roles as young Chris’ parents, Julius and Rochelle.
A description of Julius on Variety describes him as “a gentle giant with a relentless work ethic, and cheap. He grew up dirt poor, so he knows the cost of everything down to the penny. He works two jobs to support the family, and on his days off, he takes on a third job.”
As for Rochelle, she “is smart, strong-willed, and has a nurturing spirit, but she can also be hot-headed, especially when it comes to her kids. She tolerates zero nonsense, so she quits more jobs in a month than most people do in a lifetime.”
Both characters went to gain cult status in pop culture because of their approach to parenting, especially Julius, for being so notoriously cheap.
The New Cast Members
As mentioned earlier, the new show will feature new cast members in the roles of young Chris, his siblings, and his best friend.
Per Variety:
Tim Johnson Jr. (“Saturdays”) will play young Chris, “a nerd who wants to be cool but he’s outshined by his younger brother, tortured by his little sister, and foiled by his cheapskate dad.” Ozioma Akagha (“Delilah”) will voice Tonya, “Chris’ feisty baby sister, with the face of an angel and the heart of a demon, who gets along with her middle brother Drew but leaps at any chance to get Chris in trouble.” Terrence Little Gardenhigh (“Danger Force”) is the voice “Drew,” the “golden child of the family who is the epitome of Black Excellence: handsome, athletic, a ladies man, taller and cooler than his older brother Chris.” Gunnar Sizemore (“Kung Fu Panda”) will play Greg, Chris’s only friend at school “who is girl-obsessed, status conscious and raised by a single dad.”
Thankfully, you don’t have to wait too long to watch Everybody Hates Chris; it will premiere on Comedy Central later this year and also on Paramount+.
We just hope it won’t be another Good Times situation.
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Source: Anadolu / Getty
A new advertisement campaign by President Joe Biden for the month of June is focusing on Donald Trump in contrast as a “convicted criminal”.
According to reports, the election campaign for President Joe Biden has made a major purchase for advertising time on television for June, to the tune of $50 million. The new commercial, entitled “Character Matters,” is set to run in advance of the anticipated first debate between the president and former President Donald Trump who is referred to as a “convicted criminal” by the narrator. The commercial will reference Trump’s recent conviction in the election interference “hush money” case last month along with the civil fraud case loss in New York City in February that saw him and the Trump Organization liable for close to $450 million.
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“In the courtroom, we see Donald Trump for who he is,” the narration in the ad begins, showing a montage of Trump in the courtroom. ”He’s been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, and he committed financial fraud. Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s been working, lowering health care costs, and making big corporations pay their fair share. This election is between a convicted criminal who is only out for himself, and a president who is fighting for your families.” The commercial will run on general market television and other services in key battleground states such as Michigan, as well as national cable. The Biden campaign also announced ad buys in Black and Latino media along with those “critical channels across television, radio, print, and online” serving the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Trump has been vocal about calling the verdicts and the cases still pending against him politically motivated, with his legal team appealing. His election campaign team has also moved to make buys for commercial time, reportedly snapping up $39,000 worth of time on stations in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Arizona, and Nebraska. Other funding, estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, that would normally be on hand has been going towards paying for his legal defense fees. The first debate between President Biden and Trump is set to air on June 27.
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Source: Fulton County Jail / Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Recently, the campaign for President Joe Biden released an ad highlighting the fact that his presumed opponent in the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump, is a felon now that his hush money trial resulted in him being convicted of a whopping 34 felonies.
Meanwhile, the New York Times is getting dragged up and down the internet for making the somewhat common media mistake of using equivocating language in a headline for something the publication could have just stated straight out.
“Biden Campaign Ad Paints Trump as a Felon,” the NYT’s headline read.
The issue with the chosen headline was obvious—Donald Trump is a felon. If Trump is such a yuge felon that if he had 33 felonies expunged from his record, he would still be a felon. The pro-Biden ad couldn’t “paint” Trump as a felon any more than it could paint Trump as a man whose skin looks like it faded after it was painted bright orange.
To be fair, the media is often accused of trying to “paint” Trump as a racist despite the fact that Trump does the best job of that simply by providing the media with the words that come out of his own mouth. Still, when it comes to the Times‘ misguided headline, which, frankly, should have been caught by an experienced editor and revamped before it was published, there’s a clear degree of rich, white privilege at play here. A regular-degular felon convicted of a blue-collar crime wouldn’t be afforded the luxury of headlines that would go out of their way to “paint” them as anything less than the felon they are. It wouldn’t even be a thought to call them anything else. It should be the same for Trump or any other member of the most privileged class in America who also happens to be a convicted felon.
Anyway, the Times eventually caught on to the backlash and changed the headline to something more appropriate: “Biden Campaign Ad Calls Attention to Trump’s Felon Status.” But by the time the change was made, it was too late. The internet had already gotten ahold of the original article title, and the dragging had already commenced.
It’s OK to call Trump what he is. A bigot. A compulsive liar. A would-be election thief…
A felon. We can definitely call him a felon. We can call him that 34 times, in fact.
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Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty / Fat Joe
Fat Joe reenergized the tired debate about whether Chris Brown is on the same level as the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
In a recent IG Live session, Joey Crack discussed Chris Brown and Michael Jackson. The Bronx rapper made the hottest of takes, claiming that the infamous Rihanna incident keeps Brown from being mentioned in the same breath as Jackson.
The Terror Squad general argued to those watching that it’s been 20 years since Brown physically assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna, claiming that it was time to let it go and that Breezy is the best singer/dancer/performer since Michael Jackson.
Fat Joe took things even further when he used disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly to prove his point, trying to make the tired and ridiculous separate the artist from their egregious actions argument.
Now, to his credit, Chris Brown has shut down the MJ comparisons while still paying homage to the “Thriller” singer. In a 2022 interview with Big Boy, he acknowledged that he draws inspiration from MJ heavily but has also added his own flair to his talent to pave his own path in the music industry.
Social Media Calls C A P on Fat Joe’s Chris Brown Hot Take
Fat Joe’s comments, of course, sparked debate, with many Breezy fans agreeing with him, while other fans of music claim Usher is above Brown, and MJ fans feel no one compares.
“We would still only call Michael Jackson Michael Jackson, actually. And, if we have to decide, Usher would be the only logical heir apparent. Hope this helps,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Apple Music’s Rap Life host Low Key added, “Does he have a ‘Confessions’….?,” referring to Usher’s iconic 2004 album.
He has a point.
The gallery below shows more reactions to Fat Joe caping for Chris Brown as a GOAT.
1. Lol, well played
3. A thread where points were made.
4. Then there’s that
7. He said what ?
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Source: Win McNamee / Getty / Tim Scott
One thing Republicans are good at is lying, and Donald Trump’s surrogate, Senator Tim Scott, put on a master class during a recent interview on ABC, but the host was not having it.
Master of shucking and jiving, Tim Scott of South Carolina, really wants to be that one African American that Trump proudly points to when making the argument he is not racist.
The potential a** kisser, oops, we mean VP pick for Trump’s presidential campaign, is out here running his huge gums, lying on behalf of the GOP, trying to paint this picture that America is somehow a much more violent place under President Joe Biden’s leadership.
During a recent interview on ABC News on Sunday, June 16, Scott claims violent crime is up after Karl’s question about the Supreme Court’s latest dumb decision to strike down a ban on bump stocks.
Host Jonathan Karl said aht, aht, aht and hit the South Carolina senator with a community note in real-time.
“We trust and believe and respect the decision of the Supreme Court,” Scott said. “What we need to focus on, Jon, is the violence that we’re seeing across this nation. Under Joe Biden, we’ve seen the greatest increase in violent crime in my lifetime.”
Karl quickly let Scott know his information was not accurate.
“Actually, Senator, as you probably know, the latest stats on violent crime and on the murder rate, they’re actually down this past year,” Karl said.
Scott was not done lying, stating, “Under Joe Biden, neighborhoods like the ones I grew up in have never been ravaged [more].”
Social media has also been cooking Tim Cook, and deservingly so. You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. A very pitiful man
3. Indeed it does
4. Facts matter
5. Mhhmmmmm
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Source: Astrida Valigorsky / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is on her record-breaking Hot Girl Summer tour alongside GloRilla, having the time of her life. Still, sadly, some hater/haters out there dropped a sexually explicit deepfake video on X that she had to address.
The Houston rapper became the latest female celebrity to be targeted with a sexually explicit deepfake video that made its rounds on Elon Musk’s messy platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a post on her personal X account, the rapper, born Megan Pete, wrote, “It’s really sick how all go out of the way to hurt me when you see me winning. Yall going too far, Fake ass shit. Just know today was your last day playing with me and I mean it.”
According to NBC News, Thee Stallions management, Roc Nation, declined to comment on the situation at the time.
X claims it was actively working to remove the doctored video that used deepfake technology to put the “Cobra” rapper’s face on another woman’s body. NBC News reports that it was able to view 18 separate posts featuring the deepfake video, including one that featured a side-by-side comparison with the original video.
The news website states several posts had “more than 30,000 views apiece.”
A History of Online Harassment Towards Megan Thee Stallion
The deepfake porn videos are just the latest round of online harassment Megan Thee Stallion has endured after she was shot by Tory Lanez in 2020.
Despite his fans, whom he hilariously calls umbrellas, and Hip-Hop pundits like DJ Akademiks claiming Thee Stallion was lying about the situation, the court sided with Pete and found Lanez guilty, sentencing him to ten years in prison.
One of those pundits proudly claimed she was the reason the numbers on the video went up.
That same blogger should be worried because Megan Thee Stallion’s legal team has previously been on record saying it would be “exploring all legal options” regarding spreading misinformation about Megan Thee Stallion.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Iman Shumpert
Remember when these two were couple goals? We don’t either. The drama in the ongoing divorce proceedings continues; allegedly, Iman Shumpert is not raking in the dough and wants his child support payments reduced.
TMZ exclusively reports that Iman Shumpert claims his funds are not on par with those of his ex-wife, Teyana Taylor.
According to court documents obtained by the celebrity gossip website, the former NBA hooper discussed the couple’s finances, and he said TT got it, and he doesn’t.
Per TMZ:
According to Iman’s accounting, Teyana’s gross monthly income before taxes is $93,885 … nearly double the $47,981 he says he brings home every month.
The alleged pay gap here is interesting … remember, when Teyana quietly filed for divorce she claimed Iman was insecure and jealous of her fame, despite earning way more in NBA money than she could ever dream of making in music.
Iman earned over $48 million in NBA contracts during his career … but he hasn’t played pro ball since the 2021 season, when he played 2 games with the Brooklyn Nets.
The gossip site reports that Shumpert is “comfortably” paying $8,000 monthly in child support for the former couple’s two children.
Shumpert will continue to pay health insurance for “major” medical expenses but wants Taylor to chip in for other health services their children will require.
Teyana Taylor & Iman Shumpert’s Divorce Woes
Since shocking the world with the announcement of their separation, something the singer/actor blames Shumpert for making public, the couple has been battling over finances.
Taylor has accused The Chi star and Dancing With The Stars winner of leaving her with $200K worth of home renovations, which he began three years ago.
The “Rose In Harlem” singer also claims Shumpert withdrew nearly $4 million from several of the couple’s accounts.
Damn.
We hope these two can figure it all out for the sake of their kids.
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Source: Gary Hershorn / Getty
Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is considered a thing of the past and people have resumed living their everyday lives as if the coronavirus has magically disappeared (it hasn’t), many people still wear face masks whenever going out in public to protect themselves from catching the dreaded virus.
But according to the Gothamist, that may no longer be an option for people taking public transportation as New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering banning protective masks in the New York City subway system after videos of masked anti-Israel protestors causing a ruckus in a subway car earlier this week hit social media. In the video that made the rounds on the internet, masked pro-Palestinian protestors took to the 14th Street subway station and hopped on a train where they asked the riders to “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” and if so “this is your chance to get out…”
We wonder if they would’ve jumped anyone who claimed to be a Zionist. Just sayin.’
Still, the video was enough for the New York Gov. to consider a partial ban on people wearing face masks on the train as anti-Israel protests continue to rise out in the streets of New York with some people looking to take their pro-Palestine views above and beyond their call of duty.
The Gothamist reports:
In a news conference at the state Capitol on Thursday, Hochul said she has started discussions with Mayor Eric Adams and state lawmakers about what a mask crackdown would look like and how to craft exemptions for health and religious reasons. The mayor’s office confirmed it was looking into the issue.
But Hochul made clear she wants to see mask restrictions in some form, which she believes would help deter crime on public transit.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”
During an appearance on the “Cats & Cosby” radio show Wednesday evening, Adams compared protesters who cover their faces to the Ku Klux Klan.
“Cowards hide their face,” the mayor said. “Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country. Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces.”
While we’re all for a free Palestine and want a stop to the atrocities that’s going on in Gaza, it’s things like this that turn people off from the cause who may not even have an opinion on the matter.cNow people who religiously wear face masks on the train to keep from catching COVID might be upset that they can’t protect their health because of a protest they may not even be a part of.
No word on whether or not a face mask ban will actually happen but if things like this keeps happening, it’s only a matter of time before it does.
What do y’all think of Gov. Kathy’s proposed face mask ban? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF ARIZONA / DOJ
It’s been just over two years since white supremacist murderer Payton Gendron gunned down 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, for no other reason than because they were Black.
Now, in Atlanta, another aggrieved, violent and vehemently anti-Black white man from Arizona has been indicted after his alleged plot to murder innocent Black people at random was discovered, fortunately, before it was carried out. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, 58-year-old Mark Adams Prieto of Prescott, Arizona, was indicted on Tuesday by a federal grand jury on charges of firearms trafficking, transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, and possession of an unregistered firearm.
The indictment came after Prieto, who is—get this—a vendor at a gun show venue in Prescott, had discussions between January and May with two people who, unbeknownst to him, were working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, which most certainly made it inconvenient that Prieto was allegedly discussing plans to commit a mass shooting at a rap concert in the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, which he allegedly targeted due to the city’s large Black population.
From Fox 5:
While authorities do not say what concert, the dates provided in the indictment are the same as two nights of performances by the popular singer Bad Bunny at the venue.
Officials say their investigation began when Prieto told a man at a gun show that he wanted “to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election.”
Prieto, a vendor at the Crossroads of the West gun shows in his hometown, allegedly would trade his personal firearms, using cash deals to avoid any interference from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
On Jan. 21, officials say Prieto discussed with the source and an undercover FBI agent that he wanted them to help him carry out a shooting at a rap concert in Atlanta, specifically targeting the city because of its Black population.
As reported by the indictment, Prieto said he wanted to target a rap concert because “there would be a high concentration of African Americans” and planned to leave confederate flags after the violence and to shout phrases like “KKK all the way.”
So, just to recap: A white supremacist who is a vendor for gun shows—those places where Second Amendment enthusiasts often go to get around state gun restrictions and regulations—felt comfortable enough at the gun show to openly discuss his desire to gun down Black people for no other reason than because they’re Black, and he planned on targeting a random rap concert in Atlanta because Atlanta has a lot of Black folks and Black folks love rap music. He also planned “to incite a race war prior to the 2024 United States Presidential Election,” and, if we’re keeping it real, one doesn’t have to stress their brain out too much coming up with guesses as to who Prieto was likely planning to vote for if he got the chance. (Hint: It’s the candidate who is also no stranger to federal indictments.)
On May 14, Prieto was pulled over in New Mexico and seven firearms were found in his vehicle. Later, officers searched his home and found more guns, including an unregistered short-barreled rifle. When he was questioned by investigators, Prieto denied he was headed to Atlanta, and, instead, claimed he was going to visit his mother in Florida. However, he did admit to discussing the mass shooting, and admitted to selling an AR-15 to the FBI agent and telling him that it “would be a good gun to use in the attack.”
If Prieto is convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for each charge of firearms trafficking and transfer of a firearm for use in a hate crime, up to 10 years for having an unregistered firearm, and he could face fines of up to $250,000 for each charge.
We have to be safe out here, Black people. Violent white supremacists are still out here, they’re armed, and they’re clearly feeling emboldened in the era of MAGA.
Stay vigilant, good people.