Current Events
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Taylor Swift is not letting her fans get finessed by artificial intelligence. She has formally endorsed Kamala Harris for President of the United States
As reported by The Verge the music superstar is standing on democratic business. After the conclusion of the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, the Tortured Poets Department singer took to Instagram and made it clear that she is casting her vote for Kamala Harris. “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” her caption read. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
She went on add that “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” The rest of the post encourages her followers and fans to do their own research on both candidates and reminded everyone to register. Additionally she featured a link that shared more information on where to register by state in her Instagram Story. The post is a reference to some AI generated images Donald Trump shared back in August that depicted Taylor Swift fans wearing “Swifties For Trump” shirts and an image of the songstress wearing an Uncle Sam outfit with the caption “Taylor Wants YOU To VOTE For Donald Trump.”
As expected the announcement has many republicans in their feelings. JD Vance responded saying “I don’t think many people are going to be influenced by a billionaire celebrity who I think is disconnected from the interests and the problems of most Americans.” One X user wrote “Who the heck is Taylor Swift? Just another pretty face and half clad body that no one will care about in 10 years when she’s filled with botox and plastic. Just ask Madonna.”
You can find more information on how to register to vote here. Check out the reactions to Taylor Swift’s co-sign in the gallery.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe will have to explain to the higher-ups at Disney/ESPN what happened during a live session on his Instagram page.
The former NFL pro turned ESPN First Take co-host, and now popular podcaster has taken all the attention off Lil Wayne not performing at the Super Bowl, Donald Trump getting smoked by Kamala Harris at the debate, and PS5 Pro’s price.
Shannon Sharpe’s Instagram followers had no idea that when they clicked on his Instagram Live session, they would get a front-row seat to a pound session.
While you can’t see Sharpe and the woman in the video, you can hear someone who many believe sounds like him handling business.
Sharpe’s phone rings off the hook during the “accidental live session.” A friend or someone in his close orbit was likely calling him to let him know what was going on his Instagram page.
We won’t be sharing the clips here, but they have since gone viral on X, formerly Twitter. Folks are already saying he is about to suffer the same fate as Paul Pierce, who is currently giving god-awful sports takes on Fox Sports after he was let go by ESPN after he went live on his IG page with strippers.
Nobody Is Buying What Shannon Sharpe Is Selling
Sharpe has since responded, claiming his account was “hacked.”
“Beware, my @Shannonsharpe84 page was hacked this morning, my team and I are working vigorously to figure this out. — UNC.”
Unfortunately, social media does not buy what Sharpe is selling.
Another hilarious post on X read, “Shannon Sharpe was in there grunting and growling like a Cane Corso but wants us to believe he got hacked. ”
Welp.
We are very intrigued to see how this will play out. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Howling
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Donald Trump debated Vice President Kamala Harris last night (September 10) on ABC News, and is now speaking up regarding his showing and outside critique of the debate. In an appearance on a Fox News morning show, Donald Trump blasted two anchors from the network, stating he would not want them modering a potential second debate.
Donald Trump phoned into the Fox & Friends morning show on Wednesday (September 11), accusing moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of heavily fact-checking his statements and not doing the same for his opponent.
Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy asked the former president if he would consider holding another debate after Fox News offered the opportunity for an undetermined October date. Trump used this moment to attack Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, based on their criticism of his debate showing against Vice President Harris.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to have Martha and Bret,” Trump said. “I’d love to have somebody else other than Martha and Bret. I’d love to have, frankly, Sean [Hannity] or Jesse [Watters] or Laura [Ingraham]. You know, somebody else. Let’s give let’s give other people a shot.”
Trump continued, “But I didn’t think Martha and Bret were so good last night. Yes, he was. Jesse was fantastic last night. What he said, Jesse. Really got it. Jesse said to Trump once that debate that was we won that debate by a lot. And I wouldn’t want Martha involved.”
When asked if he would accept the October debate offer from Fox News, Trump appeared to sidestep the offer and claimed victory on the debate stage over Harris.
“Well, I’d be less inclined to because we had a great night. We won the debate. We had a terrible, terrible network. I think they were terrible. They should be embarrassed,” Trump said of ABC News. “I mean, they kept correcting me and I said what I said was largely right or I hope it was right. But what they said was absolutely wrong.”
Vice President Harris has said she welcomes a second debate with Donald Trump.
Live on Fox, Trump insults the two Fox anchors who have been pitched as debate moderators – Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum – and says “I wouldn’t want to have” them. He says he would want Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters or Laura Ingraham to host instead. (An obvious non-starter.) pic.twitter.com/uXVJtnYn8L
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 11, 2024
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Jamie Squire / Getty / Brittany Mahomes / Taylor Swift
Following Taylor Swift’s swift endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, Brittany Mahomes caught all of the strays.
Taylor Swift is letting the world and her millions of followers know that she wants to be on the right side of history and do her part to help get Kamala Harris to become the 48th President of the United States.
Swift made her very loud announcement after VP Harris was finished clowning the orange menace on the debate stage, writing in her post on Instagram:
I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.
Swift’s endorsement of the Harris/Walz ticket comes after she faced “backlash” for fraternizing with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who outed herself as a Trump supporter.
Social Media Is Roasting Brittany Mahomes
Following Swift’s endorsement, Mahomes immediately became the subject of conversations on X, formerly Twitter, with users clowning her.
It also doesn’t help that Donald Trump expressed his admiration for Mahomes, telling Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, “I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better if you want to know the truth,” Trump said. “She’s a big Trump fan. I was not a Taylor Swift fan,” when asked about Swift endorsing VP Harris.
Trump reacts to Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris: “Well, I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better … I was not a Taylor Swift fan … she’ll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.” pic.twitter.com/J9Nk56nhEB
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 11, 2024
Congratulations, Brittany Mahomes, on getting that shining endorsement.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. Accurate
3. She brought this on herself
4. More than likely
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Source: Naomi Rahim / Getty
It’s been almost two weeks since beloved Hip-Hop radio personality turned star Fatman Scoop passed away at the young age of 53 . While there has been an outpouring of love and memories from his fans and peers since then, everyone will get one more chance to say goodbye to the man born Issac Freeman on Thursday, September 12 in Harlem.
On Tuesday (Sept. 10), the family of Fatman Scoop took to Instagram to announce that they would be holding a ceremony in remembrance of the legendary Hip-Hop personality at the iconic Apollo Theater on September 12 and invited all to take part in the celebration of his life and career.
“Please join the Freeman family in the celebration of Isaac “Fatman Scoop” Freeman at the Apollo this Thursday.”
Tickets for the event are available on the Apollo Theater website and will surely go fast as the man has endeared himself to countless people over his decades long career. The event will be held from 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Fatman Scoop was one of the few radio personalities that make the transition from on air radio show host to a featured hypeman on numerous music hits such as Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control,” The Beatnut’s “Let’s Git Doe,” and even Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That.” The man was really blessed with the voice and energy to hype up the crowd and for that we’re forever thankful.
Unfortunately, the man’s life was cut way too short when he collapsed onstage during a performance in Hamden, Connecticut this past August 30. With hopes and prayers flooding the internet after word of his health scare hit the internet, everyone was devastated to learn that he had passed away shortly afterwards.
He will be missed.
Rest In Power, King.
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Source: Tom Williams / Getty
Entertainment mogul Oprah Winfrey is not done throwing her political support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to be the first Black woman — and woman in general — to serve as the president of the United States.
After showing up and showing out for Harris during the Democratic National Convention to honor Harris, who she called “the best of America,” Oprah will host a live-streamed event next week called “Unite for America” alongside political action group Win With Black Women and nearly 150 other groups that support the vice president.
“This ‘Unite for America’ call will be a powerful moment that demonstrates the urgency that we all feel in this moment and more importantly the impact of our collective activation to move our nation forward with Vice President Kamala Harris as our 47th President,” Jotaka Eaddy, social impact strategist and founder of WWBW, said in a statement, according to Deadline. “I cannot think of anyone better to host this event than Oprah Winfrey, who has brought Americans of different generations, backgrounds, and experiences together in conversation for decades.”
In July, on the same day President Joe Biden announced he would be stepping aside for Harris to run in November, WWBW launched an online event that nearly 100,000 attended, and the group raised more than $1.6 million within two hours. After that, damn near every demographic in America had its own group supporting Harris.
From Deadline:
After WWBW, more virtual meet-ups were soon in the mix with Win With Black Men, White Dudes for Harris, South Asians for Harris, Cat Ladies for Kamala, Comics for Kamala, White Women: Answer the Call and Show Up for Kamala Harris, Republicans for Harris, Latino Men for Kamala and of course, leaning in to a certain much desired endorsement, Swifties for Kamala. In the six weeks that the VP has been a candidate and now the Democrats’ official nominee for president, the Zoom call gatherings have raised over $20 million for her and running mate Gov. Tim Walz’ campaign.
(On a side note, the MAGA world has been extra salty about the “White Dudes for Harris” group. They don’t feel the same way about “Blacks for Trump” though.)
The virtual event kicks off on September 19 at 5 pm Pacific time and 8 pm Eastern time. Supporters who would like to view the shindig can RSVP for it here.
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Source: Handout / Getty / Tory Lanez
The short Canadian rapper who was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion can no longer make music from his prison cell.
TMZ Hip Hop exclusively reported that Tory Lanez’s weekly release of “Prison Tapes” came to an end after prison guards raided his cell block and relieved him of his studio equipment.
Tory Lanez is currently serving out his 10-year prison sentence at California Correctional Institution for shooting Megan Thee Stallion and, somehow, found a way to continue his music career while being behind bars.
The artist, born Daystar Peterson, confirmed the terrible news (we’re being sarcastic) to his loyal fans in a statement via his Instagram account. He blamed the “higher-ups” for taking his equipment, claiming it was in retaliation for using the “Prison Tapes” to help his fellow inmates obtain lawyers and reopen cases using royalties he was receiving from music he was making behind bars.
Here is his statement in full:
The rumors are true. ‘The Prison Tapes’ will be discontinued until further notice. However, I think it’s important that my fans know the truth about the crooked a** sh*t that’s REALLY going on here. My cell was not raided and trashed because I learned how to record myself in prison or because I created ‘The Prison Tapes. I was shut down because the ‘HIGHER UPS’ figured out what I was really doing with ‘The Prison Tapes’ and how many inmates were being helped in a life changing way because of them.”
Since the first day I-was incarcerated, all I’ve seen is blacks and other minorities receive the most cruel, illegal, and unfair punishment/treatment. For so many nights, I asked God to reveal his purpose in making me go through the ills of the prison system. I was later shown that purpose. I was placed in jail to suffer, to feel, and to witness firsthand the pain and oppression being inflicted upon the young black and brown men and women of my generation.
I knew I had to change this injustice. So, I made a plan that when I got to prison, I would figure out a way to record music and put all the proceeds towards the legal representation of my fellow inmates, giving them a once in a lifetime chance to go home to their families on appeal and resentencing.
Although the ‘HIGHER UPS’ have stopped ‘The Prison Tapes’ temporarily, they were too late to stop my overall plan. Since the month of July, l’ve afforded legal representation for 472 inmates and actively reopened 476 cases. With the help of legal firm ‘UNITE THE PEOPLE, so many inmates will be returned to their families and loved ones. I’m naming this ‘The Hands of God Project. Lastly, they know I’m a threat and they don’t want me saying or doing this so if ANYTHING happens to me, just know I went out in the blaze of glory trying to revolutionize the end of a mass incarceration era on our people.
Social Media Has Thoughts
To be expected, Lanez’s fans, aka his “Umbrellas” are eating this story up and are praising the “Say It” crafter for going above and beyond for his fellow inmates, while blaming the two biggest boogy men in the industry right now, Jay-Z and Roc Nation.
“Tory Lanez is gonna be a way bigger artist when he comes home. Then he and others can take care of this Roc Nation problem,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Others feel no remorse for the convicted felon. Another person on X wrote, “You don’t get to shoot a black woman over a minor fight and then claim that you’re fighting for black and other minorities in our prison system. Tory is a disgrace and literally set black men back with his antics. He should rot in jail. I don’t care.”
Welp, we guess that’s the end of Lanez doing his best impression of Lucious Lyon from Empire.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Interesting how that works
3. Is it Megan? JAY-Z? or Roc Nation?
5. Roc Nation you will pay for your crimes
6. Tory Lanez’s dad will never live this moment down
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Source: picture alliance / Getty
The civil war taking place in Sudan has been raging for over a year – we set out to examine it, and its causes.
Last April, the country of Sudan fell into a civil war during the Islamic holy period of Ramadan as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a coalition bolstered by the Janjaweed Arab nomad militia. The resulting conflict has led to intense fighting in and around the capital city of Khartoum and in the western Darfur region, where international observers have noted shocking instances of ethnic cleansing and other crimes not seen since the previous conflict in 2003. This is actually the third civil conflict in the nation – the last took place from 1983 to 2005 resulting in the creation of South Sudan as an independent nation in 2011.
The internal conflict between the SAF and the RAF began when Sudan’s strongman Omar al-Bashir (who created the RSF in 2013) was ousted in 2019 by the army, with the help of the RSF. Both factions would rule in a junta despite mediation from the African Union & international pressure, but as the SAF under Ahmed Fattah Al Burhan sought to transfer power to a democratic government, the RSF led by Mohamed “Hemedti” Hamdan Dagalo balked perceiving a Khartoum-centered administration. The RSF would attack government structures in Khartoum, and carry out attacks in Darfur which the Human Rights Watch said have been against the Massalit people and non-Arab communities specifically. The United Nations estimates that 20,000 have been killed and 33,000 injured including foreign nationals since the war began, with 7.7 million people displaced and 2.1 million who’ve fled the country as refugees.
There has also been a ramping up of sexual violence in the Darfur region to rival what took place there 21 years ago. “Men in RSF uniform and armed men affiliated with the RSF were reported to be responsible for 81% of the documented incidents,” said U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights Volker Türk in March. But the attention from world powers – outside of allegations of military involvement from Russia and the United Arab Emirates – has been sorely lacking. “Why are people not paying attention to what is happening?” U.N. envoy Alice Nderitu said in an interview. “If we do not break the cycle of impunity, then we will not be able to address the root causes of the violence and re-establish solid foundations for the future.”
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Source: Netflix / Netflix
Netflix has released the trailer for the documentary series on the controversial WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
The trailer for the Netflix documentary series Mr. McMahon made its debut, showing the rise and tumultuous fall of World Wrestling Entertainment chairman and co-founder Vince McMahon. The trailer is loaded with snippets from interviews with a few of the wrestling federation’s legends including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque. McMahon himself is extensively featured, having sat down for multiple interviews concerning his career during the filming of the series. Mr. McMahon will debut on the platform on September 25.
Mr. McMahon covers the life and career of Vince McMahon from his beginnings as a businessman who helped found the WWE (formerly the World Wrestling Federation), overseeing its rise from a regional force to a dominant global entertainment company to the shocking sexual abuse allegations that forced him to step down. The six-part series, according to the press release, aims to “present an unflinching, no-holds-barred look at one of the most enigmatic figures in sports entertainment.” It was originally announced in October 2020. McMahon would announce his retirement from the WWE as its board of directors was investigating allegations of misconduct. He’d return to oversee the sale of the WWE to Endeavor, who merged it with the UFC under the TKO umbrella in 2023. McMahon would then step down again due to another sexual assault allegation.
Tiger King filmmaker Chris Smith is the director of the series and is an executive producer along with the noted sports journalist Bill Simmons and Zara Duffy. There was speculation that the series wouldn’t go forward after Netflix’s 10-year, $5 billion deal to be the home of WWE’s Monday Night Raw beginning next January. “The goal behind Mr. McMahon was to pull back the curtain and reveal the true Vince McMahon, obscured beneath the persona he presented to the world,” Smith said in an interview with Deadline. “Over the four years of production, the story evolved in truly shocking ways, culminating in some extremely harrowing allegations. The final product is a revealing documentary that we believe offers a rich and nuanced portrait of the man and the complex legacy he left behind.”
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Source: Pacific Press / Getty / Eric Adams
Everyone in Mayor Mixxy, aka Eric Adams’ close orbit, is getting unwelcomed visits from the Feds.
The New York Post reports that federal agents came knocking at the homes of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks, and the townhouse shared by Schools Chancellor David Banks and First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright with search warrants in hand.
According to the newspaper, the feds seized their electronic devices during Wednesday’s raid.
Law enforcement officials also revealed that Phil and David Banks’ brother, Terence Banks, a former MTA official who now does consulting work, was swept up in the raid madness.
Retired NYPD inspector Timothy Pearson also had his electronic devices subpoenaed, law enforcement sources revealed.
The raids are part of the broad corruption probe into Eric Adams’ campaign.
Per The New York Post:
It wasn’t clear if the raid on the Harlem home shared by Wright and David Banks targeted one or both of them.
The connections between the raids, subpoenas and other law enforcement sweeps targeting Caban, other NYPD officials and City Hall bigwigs remained murky Thursday.
But sources said the top cop and others in the department were targeted as part of a sweeping corruption probe involving influence peddling.
Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant, was served a search warrant with a subpoena, sources said. Investigators are looking into his role in the world of nightlife enforcement, according to sources.
Sources confirmed that NYPD Chief of Staff Raul Pintos and two precinct commanders in Manhattan and Queens were asked to turn over their phones.
The feds also are looking into rank-and-file NYPD officers, from precinct commanders on down, who serve in Midtown South and other precincts with a strong nightlife presence, sources said.
None of the individuals involved have been accused of any crimes.
Adams has broken his silence on the raids, saying, “As you’ve heard me say over and over again, as a former law enforcement person, we will always follow the law, and that is what this administration always stood for and will continue to stand for.”
He continued, “Whatever information is needed, we will turn over.”
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are leading the probe and have circled Adams since his 2021 campaign.
We shall see what more information will come out of this investigation.