Current Events
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Aides to Donald Trump aren’t pleased with Elon Musk being a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago, with some declaring how “odd” it is.
According to reports, tech billionaire Elon Musk has been a constant fixture at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, for the past week unnerving those close to him. Sources have revealed that the Tesla CEO dined with the president-elect and his wife Sunday (Nov. 10), and roamed the estate with his son almost every day beginning on Election Day.
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“While Musk himself is still not expected to take any kind of formal position inside Trump’s administration, given how complicated it would be with his companies, what’s becoming clearer tonight is that he doesn’t really need to,” CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins said in a news segment. “One source told me, Elon Musk is having just as much influence from the outside.” She went on to add that Musk has been present for calls to Trump from various world leaders and that “he’s also weighing in on staffing decisions, making clear his preference for certain roles even.”
CNN tech journalist Kara Swisher confirmed the tech billionaire’s influence and aides’ reaction. “He definitely inserts himself all the time, that’s his style,” Swisher said in a report on Monday (Nov. 11). “I’ve heard from Trump people, calling me saying, ‘Oh, wow. This is odd’. And it is.” Elon Musk lent his services to aid Trump in the election’s final days, creating a political action committee (and spending over $100 million in the process) and even moving to Pennsylvania. With that support came controversy, as it was revealed that Musk has been talking with Russian President Vladimir Putin for over two years, facing pressure to comply with the authoritarian’s demands.
Trump previously promised Musk would have a significant say in his administration, but observers feel there would be an eventual ego clash leaving Musk out in the cold. “There’s room for only one star, one genius in the Trump White House,” historian David Nasaw wrote in an opinion-editorial for the New York Times. “As the president-elect has told us time and again, he is one smart fellow and a ‘very stable genius.’ He is not going to share his victory and center stage with anyone. And why should he?”
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Source: Eddie Chen / HBO / Euphoria
Euphoria fans, we have some good news for you. HBO is calling the news of the show’s cancellation C A P.
Spotted on Deadline, reports of the Zendaya-led, Sam Levinson-created teen drama meeting an early demise after two seasons are false, according to a statement from a rep for HBO.
Per Deadline:
“Euphoria is going in to production in 2025. Nothing has changed,” a rep for HBO said in a statement to The Guardian.
After Season 2 aired in early 2022, production on the next installment has been delayed by last year’s WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes, as well as the death of star Angus Cloud in July 2023.
In July, Deadline reported that Euphoria would begin production on Season 3 in January 2025 with the principal cast returning and a time jump planned.
Well, there you have it.
Zendaya touched on the reported time jump speaking with Entertainment Weekly on The Awardist podcast last month, jokingly saying, “It’s important because there’s only so much high school drama you can deal with. ‘And then she cheats on her boyfriend again!’”
She added, “I don’t actually know much about what is happening. I don’t quite know exactly what the season is going to look like, but I do know that the time jump is happening.”
“It will be fascinating to see and understand these characters outside of the context of high school and how all the stuff that we saw when they were kids and they were in high school affects the adulthood they have and who they become in a much bigger world. I’ll be interested to see what happens too,” the Challengers actress said.
The Future of Euphoria Is Still Up In The Clouds
Sam Levinson hasn’t had much success outside of Euphoria. His show The Idol, starring The Weeknd, was not well received and was canceled after one season.
Speaking on season 3 of Euphoria, Levinson described it as “film noir,” which showcases Rue’s “exploration of what it means to be an individual with principles in a corrupt world.”
Fans have been worried about the show following the tragic passing of cast member Angus Cloud.
We shall see how the stories of our favorite dysfunctional teens continue when season 3 eventually arrives.
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Text messages sent to Black people across the United States after the presidential election have caught the attention of federal authorities.
In the wake of the presidential election Tuesday (Nov. 5), a disturbing phenomenon has occurred in which Black people have received racist text messages summoning them for slavery. The incidents have occurred in close to 25 states, prompting federal agencies to begin investigations.
The troubling messages followed a pattern of addressing the recipients by their name and telling them they were selected to “pick cotton” at a plantation, then ordering them to be ready for pick-up at a certain time. Some variations included references to President-elect Donald Trump, and others included, “NO PHONES.”
The NAACP stated that the messages had been received by college students in Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. New York State Attorney General Letitia James confirmed that middle school and high school students as well as college-age students also received those messages in the state. Officials in Connecticut and California confirmed that residents there also received those texts.
The texts were reportedly sent out as early as Wednesday morning (Nov. 6), with reporting by CBS News affirming that it was through a service called Text Now, which offers free phone numbers. The company issued a statement as the news broke, writing: “One or more of our accounts may have been used to send text messages in violation of our terms of service,” adding it shut down the accounts as it became aware. The Federal Bureau confirmed that it was on the case in a statement: “The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.”
In a statement, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said that the president-elect’s “campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages.” Trump’s presidential campaign was rife with racist sentiments, ranging from slandering Haitian immigrants in Ohio in August, to having a comedian insult Puerto Ricans at his controversial Madison Square Garden rally last month. The barrage of messages queue up the most dangerous times for Black people in the United States. “These actions are not normal,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “And we refuse to let them be normalized.”
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According to city officials, a controversial voucher program for migrants in New York City to get food using debit cards is ending.
New York City announced that it will discontinue a program that gave vouchers to migrants to pay for food, putting an end to an initiative that had been long assailed by conservatives and associated pundits. The vouchers came in the form of prepaid debit cards. “As we move towards more competitive contracting for asylum seeker programs, we have chosen not to renew the emergency contract for this pilot program once the one-year term concludes,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement.
The program, which began in late March, provided debit cards for food and baby supplies to 2,600 migrants who arrived in the city and were staying in hotels funded by the city. The debit cards could only be used at convenience stores, bodegas, and supermarkets. They would be unusable at other businesses. Mobility Capital Finance, or MoCaFi, was the private company that won a no-bid, emergency contract for $400,000 to run the program for one year.
The program distributed the cards at the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan to participants, totaling $3.2 million. It was a sea change from a previous food distribution system managed by another private medical company, DocGo, which obtained a $432 million contract from the city before troubling allegations forced the city to phase the contract out.
Conservatives have attacked the program since its creation, claiming it was ripe for fraud, but no instances of bad behavior with the debit cards have occurred. City Comptroller Brad Lander also previously revoked the city’s ability to enter into emergency deals for migrant services. While an estimated 700 migrants are entering New York City each week seeking asylum, 1,000 are making their way out. Mayor Adams William Fowler, a spokesperson at City Hall, said that Mayor Adams is open to potentially pursuing the installment of a similar program in the future. “We will continue to implement and learn from innovative pilot programs like the immediate response cards program as we care for hundreds of new arrivals every week,” he said in an interview.
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Source: Presley Ann / Getty /Halle Bailey / DDG
Halle Bailey had to retract her initial reaction to her baby daddy, DDG, appearing on a Kai Cenat stream with their son.
Singer/actress Halle Bailey now admits she may have overreacted when she expressed her feelings about DDG bringing their son, Halo, on a Kai Cenat stream on Wednesday, Nov.6, without her knowledge.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, The Little Mermaid star wrote on Thursday, “yesterday maybe i did overreact and shouldn’t have brought it here. i know that Halo is always safe with his dad. i just don’t like finding out with the rest of the world what my baby is doing. thank u kai for the gifts for Halo.”
Her latest comments contrast sharply with her initial reaction, which she wrote in a now-deleted tweet that she was “extremely upset” after DDG and their son made an appearance during Cenat’s stream, describing it as “unapproved.”
Bailey said in the now-deleted tweet that she was not happy about her baby daddy putting their nearly one-year-old child in front of millions of people.
“Hi everyone. Just so you know I am out of town and I don’t approve of my baby being on a stream tonight. I wasn’t told or notified and I am extremely upset to have my baby in front of millions of people. I am his mother and protector and saddened I wasn’t notified especially when I am out of town,” Bailey wrote.
Essence reports that in another deleted tweet, Bailey revealed she is experiencing “severe postpartum,” adding, “There are boundaries that I wish to be respected. No one knows what someone is going through until they snap.”
As Expected, Social Media Has Plenty of Thoughts On The Matter
As expected, footage from Halo’s “unapproved” appearance went viral, and social media had plenty of thoughts about Halle Bailey’s reaction to the moment.
Some understood why the first-time mom reacted in such a matter. One user on X wrote in defense of The Color Purple star, “yall really making a postpartum mother feel bad for being upset her baby’s father didn’t tell her he was putting her baby on a stream that just got swatted less than a week ago…… okay brah.”
While others were quick to remind her that she made a child with someone who i in the same line of work as Cenat. “Girl you know you had a baby with a streamer??,” another X user wrote.
We need to give Halle Bailey some grace based on what she is going through as a first-time mom.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
3. It happens more times than you think.
4. Exactly
6. Good on him
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be looking for a pardon from Donald Trump, but there are considerable political risks for him.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has created a conundrum for New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams could find himself as the beneficiary of sympathy from the president-elect as he faces federal corruption charges, but actively courting favor from Trump would put him squarely against his own political party.
The tension surrounding that situation was evident to all during a press conference held on Wednesday by Adams and his staff after the election results were released. The mayor stressed that they would work with the incoming federal administration. “We will work with the new administration and Congress to develop a realistic and compassionate national strategy for our immigration system,” he said. When asked about Trump’s victory and the effect it could have on his court case, Adams simply smirked and refused to answer as he left the podium.
https://x.com/katie_honan/status/1854211493845221628?s=46
Trump mentioned Adams’ case at the Alfred E. Smith dinner in the city last month. “I just want to be nice because I know what it’s like to be persecuted by the DOJ for speaking out against open borders,” Trump said then. “We were persecuted, Eric. I was persecuted, and so were you.” He has previously pardoned high-level Democratic politicians who’ve run afoul of the law – former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Adding to the pressure-filled situation is the fact that Trump and Adams both enjoy friendships with noted Republican backers including former mayoral candidate and billionaire John Catsimatidis and radio host Sid Rosenberg (who offered to be a go-between the two). “Do you protect New York as a sanctuary city, or do you consider your own liberty in that equation?” said Basil Smikle, a former Democratic strategist and current Columbia University professor. “What’s going to win out?”
With an estimated half-million undocumented immigrants living in New York City and over 210,000 migrants who’ve arrived since 2022, Trump’s vow of mass deportation looms larger. Adams has clashed with the Biden administration and members of his own city council and the Democrats over their handling of migrants. Observers have noted that the situation could reflect on his upcoming primary. “There may be an interest in having more progressive leadership or at least a leadership that isn’t bogged down by these investigations,” Smilke stated.
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Donald Trump’s reelection to the White House means that he will likely avoid any serious prosecution for his ongoing criminal and civil cases.
On Wednesday morning (Nov. 6), Donald Trump won reelection to the White House, defeating Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. With that victory, he became the first twice-impeached, convicted felon to be commander in chief. It also ensures that Trump “is now his own judge and jury, insulated from the criminal consequences he might have faced without the legal force field of the Oval Office.”
Trump’s first act once he gets into office in January will undoubtedly be to fire Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate allegations of Trump committing four counts of election interference connected to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, set filing deadlines for later this month and December.
Trump’s legal team is expected to ask for a dismissal, having lost the appeal to throw the case out based on the narrow immunity granted in a decision by the conservative-leaning Supreme Court earlier this year. As for Smith’s other case against Trump in Florida on 40 felony counts of hoarding classified documents, that was dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon who ruled that Garland had no authority to appoint Smith. Smith filed an appeal, but it’s likely it would be denied.
As for the Fulton County, Georgia, election interference trial against Trump by prosecutor Fani Willis, the case is on hold after Judge Scott McAfee denied a bid by Trump’s legal team to disqualify her after it was discovered that she was romantically involved with another lawyer on the case. If Willis were to win the appeal to resume the trial, Trump could again claim that the powers of the presidency grant him broad immunity from such a prosecution.
The lone case where Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide his affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels in New York is also in doubt. Judge Juan Merchan was set to sentence Trump on Nov. 26. Even if sentenced, Trump’s ascent to the White House means he wouldn’t be able to serve that time until the end of his term in 2029. Even civil court judgments won against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James are at risk, with Trump again being able to cite through appeal that paying those judgments would interfere with his duties as president.
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Plies
In a world where rappers were stumping for Trump, Plies had been one of the voices worth listening to leading up to the 2024 election. Following the tragic results, the Florida rapper offered some comforting words to those who are still feeling sick after Donald Trump won.
In one of his signature videos, from the driver seat of his vehicle, Plies told his followers to stay with the fight despite having to swallow the hard pill now that we must endure four more years of Donald Trump.
The Florida rapper even offered to extend a virtual hug to his followers but fell short of providing that same blanket to Trump supporters.
Like many following the election results, Plies feels this country’s character went into the trash; some could argue that it has been there already, and Donald Trump just exposed that.
In a caption for the video, he wrote, “Definitely Want To Get On Here & Check On Y’all & Make Sure Y’all Was Good!! Regardless Of How U May Feel At The Moment Just Know God Don’t Make Mistakes! He Has A Plan & His Plan I’ll Never Second Guess!! Continue To Stand For The Things U Believe In Your Heart Are Right! Never Waver B/c I Know I Won’t! Love Ya.”
Plies has been one of Vice President Kamala Harris’ biggest supporters, constantly dropping videos in support of her and dropping a track called “Mrs 47,” trying to get ahead of what would have been a historic moment if she had won.
Plies even dropped a line of hats that TMZ Hip Hop reports cost $80. They are not flying off the shelf for obvious reasons, so he might want to send them to a nation of children who could use them.
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Vice President Kamala Harris was not victorious in her quest to become the first woman elected to the office of the President of the United States but was gracious in defeat. Speaking at her alma mater Howard University this week, Kamala Harris conceded the race to Donald Trump but vowed to keep the energy of her campaign going.
On Wednesday (November 6), Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Howard University and shared that she is hoping to work with Donald Trump toward a peaceful transfer of power despite the testy nature of both campaigns.
From the speech:
A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign—the fight: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.
The video of Vice President Kamala Harris’ concession speech can be viewed below courtesy of PBS NewsHour.
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Photo: Getty
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Raygun, a b-girl who competed for Australia at the inaugural breaking competition at this year’s Summer Olympics, turned heads during the event with some questionable dance moves and went viral in memes. Raygun announced during an interview with an Australian outlet that she is no longer going to compete in breaking and will retire.
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, was a guest on The Jimmy & Nath Show and explained why she’s walking away from the sport of breaking after receiving negative commentary regarding her time in the competition. In so many words, Gunn says that her love of dancing led her to the world stage but that competing is no longer on the table for her after the backlash.
“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” Gunn said earlier this week. “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”
Away from breaking, Gunn is an educator for Macquarie University Faculty of Arts for its Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature. Gunn famously penned her PhD thesis, “Deterritorializing gender in Sydney’s breakdancing scene: a B-girl’s experience of B-boying,” from her standpoint of becoming involved with breaking in her home country.
Raygun didn’t score one point during her time in the Summer Olympics breaking event, prompting many online to believe she was placed on the stage as a means to draw ratings or cause controversy. Gunn has since shot down the claim.
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Photo: Getty