State Champ Radio Current Events
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Source: Eyepix Group / Getty
Days after it was reported that U.S. authorities apprehended two of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel top bosses (Joaquín Guzmán López and Ismael Zambada García), details about the arrest are coming to light, and they are simply raising more questions than answers.
According to the New York Times, it seems like El Chapo’s son, Joaquín Guzmán López, actually kidnapped and forced his underling Ismael Zambada García to accompany him on the ill-fated (for them) flight from Mexico to Texas, where authorities were waiting for them to touch down before putting both men into custody. Why López would take such action is the million dollar question, especially since Garcia had been on the run for quite some time.
Still, López did what he did and apparently he tricked Garcia into a meeting that ended up being his last moments in Mexico.
The New York Times reports:
Mr. Zambada García, one of his country’s most wanted men, had come down from a hide-out in the mountains last week and was ambushed in the Mexican city of Culiacán at what he thought would be a friendly meeting with Mr. Guzmán López, according to three federal law enforcement officials who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive details of the case. Mr. Guzmán López then forcibly flew Mr. Zambada García in a Beechcraft King Air turboprop across the border, where he was apprehended by U.S. federal agents, the officials said.
That version of events echoed one that was recently offered by Mr. Zambada García’s lawyer, who told The New York Times and other news outlets that his client had not been tricked into boarding the plane, but in fact had been abducted. Mr. Guzmán López, the lawyer said, waylaid Mr. Zambada García with a group of henchmen who handcuffed him, stuck a bag over his head and muscled him into a car and then on to the plane, where he remained bound throughout the flight.
Did El Chapo’s son have a personal grudge with Lopez or something? Though he had apparently been negotiating his own surrender to U.S. authorities for quite some time, why would he take down one of his top bosses with him? Would such a move guarantee him a lighter prison sentence? And did authorities know that Garcia would be brought against his will?
Though Garcia’s lawyer says that his client never intended on surrendering himself to authorities, what’s done is done and that particular defense won’t be leading to him regaining his freedom anytime soon.
Legal experts say that even if Mr. Zambada García arrived in the United States under physical duress, it may have no effect on the criminal charges he is facing. There is longstanding legal precedent allowing prosecutors to pursue cases against defendants who were brought to the United States against their will, the experts said.
“U.S. law is quite clear that even kidnappings that violate extradition treaties don’t provide a basis for relief for the defendant,” said Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Columbia Law School.
Still, it seems like that’s the only hand Garcia has to play not only in a court of law, but also in a court of public opinion.
El Chapo must be in his prison cell somewhere just shaking his head.
What do y’all think about this latest twist in this Narcos novela? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Handout / Getty
John Legend will be making an appearance at the Democratic National Convention to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to be the nominee for the presidential election in November.
According to reports, it has been confirmed that singer John Legend will be appearing at the Democratic National Convention. It’s expected that he will offer up full-throated support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential candidate. The news makes Legend the first big name that will be in attendance at the convention, which is slated to be held in Chicago, Illinois, from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
There hasn’t been any advance notice as to what role John Legend will fulfill during the week-long event – there is a likelihood that he could deliver a speech and perform. The Grammy Award-winning artist has been a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party and weighed in on the decision by President Joe Biden to drop out of the race for reelection and his endorsement of Harris to be the Democratic nominee in an Instagram post on July 21. “I’m so ready to work to help unite the pro-democracy coalition to reject Trump’s authoritarian, oppressive Project 2025 and elect Kamala Harris as our President. She’s ready for this fight and I’m excited to help her in any way I can,” he wrote.
Celebrities making a splash with their support at political conventions have been a lasting part of American politics, with it ramping up within the past couple of decades. The Republican National Convention, which took place 90 minutes away at the Fiserv Forum in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, held a lot of buzz as Amber Rose delivered a speech on its opening night. Former WWE superstar wrestler Hulk Hogan was another prominent celebrity who spoke to the gathered crowd to support the nominee, Donald Trump. For the DNC, the event is expected to be held at several venues throughout Chicago with the United Center being the place where the primetime events will be held.
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Source: Leon Bennett / Getty / Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish, once again, is getting dragged for her behavior.
Spotted on TMZ, Tiffany Haddish found herself in the crosshairs of users on X, formerly Twitter. The actress/comedian is catching heat after dropping a video showing her overly impressed with an African grocery store in Zimbabwe.
Per TMZ:
The comedian/actress ventured out while visiting Zimbabwe — where she made a stop at a local supermarket and recorded herself inside. While filming in the supermarket, Tiff expressed shock and amazement multiple times … commenting on how beautiful and massive it was.
The implication here — or at least how people took it — was that TH couldn’t believe how modern the grocery store was in an African country … and the internet didn’t take that well.
https://twitter.com/unclescrooch/status/1817482404115751033
X Is Tired of Tiffany Haddish’s Shenanigans
After dropping the video, Haddish has been getting slammed on X, with people calling her a “f***ing idiot” and chastising her for sharing a video showing her being amazed about a supermarket.
“Every time I see Tiffany Haddish it’s never something funny. It’s always her doing/saying something lame or stupid,” one user wrote on X.
Another user wrote, “Tiffany Haddish hasn’t had the best life in recent years, so we (“the Americans” who travel to Africa more than once a year and beam from ear to ear whenever we make it across that ocean) want to indefinitely distance ourselves from this behaviour!”
Haddish did defend herself, explaining that she was only trying to demystify the portrayal of the motherland. According to the Night School star, Americans have been made to believe that Africans are always starving.
She added, “We got here and I have been eyes full of tears finding out the truth. The media be lying. I thought I would share cause I know people in the USA that believe Africans don’t have anything.”
She also feels she didn’t do anything wrong and was only trying to bring to attention the inaccurate portrayal of African life, adding she felt safer in Zimbabwe than in Los Angeles.
Welp.
The gallery below shows more reactions to Tiffany Haddish’s amazement at the African supermarket.
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Source: Brian Stukes / Getty / Megan Thee Stallion
Kamala Harris is quickly rallying Democrat support after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and backed his VP as the Democratic Nominee for POTUS. Now, she has one of the most prominent artists in the world backing her, Megan Thee Stallion.
Megan Thee Stallion is ensuring she is on the right side of history.
Unlike her peers in the Hip-Hop space, such as Swae Lee, Sexxy Red, Lil Pump, and other irrelevant acts, Megan Thee Stallion isn’t stumping for Donald Trump, but she will be twerking for Harris.
Now, before yall lose your sh*t, she will cement her support for the MVP and hopefully the 47th President of the United States when she takes the stage during Harris’ first Presidential Rally in Atlanta, which was ironically the death of the current President Joe Biden’s campaign following a poor debate performance.
Team Harris > Team Trump
Thee Stallion is the latest musician to support VP Harris. Beyoncé let the world know she was down with the Harris campaign by allowing her to use her song “Freedom” as walkout music. It was also featured in the first television ad announcing her presidential campaign.
John Legend will be at the DNC in August, where Harris will undoubtedly earn the nomination as the Democrat’s choice to take on Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
Taylor Swift is also rallying her Swifties to support VP Harris and ensure that Trump does not regain the White House.
Cardi B has shown support for Vice President Harris but has stopped short of endorsing her, conditioning her support on Harris securing a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hopefully, Cardi B knows that VP Harris can’t make that happen alone.
Still, Harris has made it clear after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it’s time for the war to end, and a two-state solution should be the end goal.
Compared to the Republicans rolling out acts like Kid Rock, Amber Rose, and other musical acts that no one gives a damn about, the Democrats have an all-star lineup looking to help our MVP finally break the glass ceiling that Hillary Clinton fell short of doing during the 2016 election.
As expected, the Hotties and the K-Hive are excited about the news of Megan Thee Stallion performing at the VP Harris rally.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. We are hyped
2. This remix needs to happen
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty
For a while now Kevin Hart has been building a buddying bromance with world renowned online streamer and gamer, Kai Cenat, and it’s gotten to the point that Hart would love to see Cenat play him should a film about his life ever be made.
In a recent interview with Vibe, the Jumanji actor said that Cenat would be the perfect fit to play him in a biopic about himself even though we’ve never seen Cenat in a film or television series to date. Still, Hart feels that the gamer has what it takes to be a star and explained that Cenat would turn people into believers if given the chance to shine on the set of a film.
Per Vibe:
Hart, 45, named award-winning streamer, Kai Cenat, as the one who he believes could give a “phenomenal” performance of him one day in a biopic. The comedian and actor humorously made it clear that those conversations aren’t being had yet, as he’s not “that old.”
“Is that where we are? ‘Kevin, who do you want to play you?’ Oh my goodness,” he began. “I mean, when we get to that point, it’s definitely a great conversation. I would say in a perfect world, in the future — because I got a feeling that they’ll be able to knock it out the park because of the way they’ll be — Kai Cenat.”
He added, “Cut the dreads and stuff off, I think he can get in there and pull out a phenomenal performance.”
While we’re sure Kevin believes wholeheartedly that Cenat has what it takes to pull off a stellar iteration of himself, we’re not sure anyone would actually want to see a biopic of Kevin Hart just yet (no shots). Maybe in the future but even by then Cenat probably won’t be looking too young anymore. Just sayin.’
Still, we do love seeing these two goof off on Cenat’s livestream so we’re not mad at the suggestion and should someone actually green light a Kevin Hart biopic within the next few years it will be interesting to see if Kai is up for the challenge.
What do y’all think? Peep a video of the two having a grand ol’ time below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Source: White Dudes For Harris / White Dudes For Harris
The latest call for support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency by white men has over 67,000 registered.
On Sunday (July 28), the latest group to show their support for Vice President Kamala Harris and her bid for the presidency in November began to mobilize, calling themselves “White Dudes For Harris”. They announced that their first virtual meeting would take place on Monday (July 29), and that to date they expect over 67,000 to attend based on the RSVPs they received. A late update says that over 80,000 will be attending the call, set to take place at 8 PM Eastern time.
The response also netted $325,000 in donations to go to the presidential campaign for Harris. The “White Dudes For Harris” call will feature a tremendous list of guest speakers, which include such actors as Star Wars icon Mark Hamill, The Avengers’ Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad, and The West Wing’s Bradley Whitford along with comedians Paul Scheer, Adam Conover, and Thomas Lennon. The call will also feature some of the major voices in the Democratic Party, which include a potential candidate to be Harris’ pick for vice president, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. Other notable figures include North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Maryland Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, California Congressman Adam Schiff, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Additionally, activist David Hogg will also be in attendance.
The “White Dudes For Harris” group has been a remarkable addition to the many groups who have mobilized since last Sunday (July 21) when President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the running for re-election and endorsed Vice President Harris to be the Democratic candidate. The motivation to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump at the ballot box in November is high among the group, who want to disassociate themselves from that base of white men who have traditionally voted Republican in large numbers. “White Dudes For Harris” looks to add to the historically significant fundraising total that the Harris campaign has brought in, which was estimated at $200 million.
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Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty / Captain America: Brave New World
We know even more about the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World, and it sounds like this should be a win for Marvel Studios.
Over the weekend, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios triumphantly returned to Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss their upcoming slate of movies coming to the MCU.
Coming off its first trailer, Captain America: Brave New World is Sam Wilson’s (Anthony Mackie) first feature-length film as the titular hero after taking over the mantle from Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).
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New Footage Confirms Plenty of Speculation About The Film’s Plot
During the panel, fans saw new footage from the film featuring President Thunderbolt Ross (Harrison Ford) finally talking about the giant elephant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the dead Celestial just chilling in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Ross addresses world leaders during the Celestial Island Summit, revealing the now-dead Celestial, Tiamut, whose body is made of Adamantium, which now replaces Vibranium as the strongest metal on the planet.
The new U.S. President, who didn’t care for the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, wants Wilson to help form and lead a new Avengers squad.
The new footage also gave attendees an even better look at Ford as the Red Hulk, who was revealed to be the villain behind the destruction of the White House in the trailer.
Fans were happy to see Harrison Ford hit the stage and even reenact what he looked like “Hulking out” while filming.
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty
Giancarlo Esposito finally revealed who he would play in the film, and it’s not who many thought it was. Initially, theories had Esposito playing G.W. Bridge, but, of course, they were wrong.
Esposito will play playing Sidewinder, the King of the Serpent Society.
Captain America: Brave New World arrives in theaters on February 14, 2025.
Other Big Announcements
High on the energy that Deadpool and Wolverine have injected into the Disney-owned studio, Feige happily announced that The Russo Brothers, who gave us easily the best films in the MCU, are back to direct the next two Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
We also learned Robert Downey Jr., the man who helped build the MCU as we know it as Tony Stark /Iron Man, will be back, but this time as Victor Von Doom, who happens to like the Infinity Saga’s hero or an evil variant aka the Infamous Iron Man.
Downey Jr.’s version of Doctor Doom will also allegedly be from the Fantastic 4: First Steps timeline, which introduces Marvel’s first family of superheroes to the MCU.
Footage of the film starring Pedro Pascal (Reed Richards /Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby (Sue Storm/Invisible Storm), Joseph Quinn (Johnny Storm/ The Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Ben Grimm/ The Thing) was also shown during the panel and gave attendees their first look at the planet devourer, Galactus, played by Ralph Ineson.
It is starting to feel like the MCU is back.
Just saying.
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Source: Sangamon County PD / Sangamon County
It appears that the violent death of Sonya Massey at the hands of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson was preventable. Well, we already knew that just by looking at the police bodycam footage that clearly shows the shooting was unnecessary, but it’s also arguable that Massey might still be alive if police agencies were more discerning in regards to who they hire.
According to IPM News, military records obtained from one of Grayson’s previous employers show that he was discharged from the military in 2016 for what was labeled as “Misconduct (Serious Offense).” The record doesn’t go into any further detail regarding why Grayson, who was stationed at Fort Riley Army installation in Kansas, was discharged, but that doesn’t make the glaring red flag any less bright.
Actually, maybe that isn’t fair. After all, we don’t know why he was discharged, right? Then again, former Air Force prosecutor Andrew Ghiotto told IPM News that a “serious” dischargeable offense is typically “an offense equivalent to something that would have led to at least a year of incarceration for a civilian.” Should someone be able to become a police officer if they have a crime on their record that would have landed them in prison? If so, not only did Grayson become an officer of the law despite the discharge on his record, but he did so six separate times with six separate police agencies.
In fact, not only did Grayson—who is currently being held without bail on multiple charges including three counts of first-degree murder—bounce around from one agency to the next half a dozen times, but he lasted at most of them for less than a year.
From SCRIPPS News:
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired part-time on Aug. 11, 2020, by the Pawnee Police Department. He also was hired part-time on Feb. 4, 2021, by the Kincaid Police Department and on May 20, 2021, by the Virden Police Department.
Two months later, he was hired full-time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full-time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023, and was hired full-time on May 1, 2023, by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
So, five different agencies employed Grayson for less than a year, then, during his time at the sixth agency, he shot and killed a Black woman he had no discernable reason to shoot and kill.
Again, maybe Massey would still be alive if the bar wasn’t so low in regard to who can carry a gun and badge.
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Source: Albany Times Union/Hearst Newspapers / Getty
Rocker Dave Matthews joined the pro-Palestinian protests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he spoke before Congress in Washington D.C.
On Wednesday (July 24), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech before a joint session of members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol. His appearance was denounced by a massive crowd protesting the treatment of the Palestinian people during the war in Gaza. They were joined by one notable figure – musician Dave Matthews. He spoke to a reporter from Al-Jazeera during the protests. “I just think it’s terrible when the majority of the world is looking at this man and what he’s doing in Gaza and then also what he’s overseeing in the West Bank and East Jerusalem [and] we’re welcoming [him] into the so-called sacred halls of our government,” he began.
“This has been an ongoing struggle for people that just want to have dignity and be able to live independent lives and dream of a better future,” he continued. “And this man is the pinnacle of the obstacle toward that freedom and that we have [him] visiting the country is obscene. It’s a disgusting show of support for someone that doesn’t deserve our support.” The “Crash Into Me” singer concluded: “I’m ashamed that my tax dollars are going to the brutalizing of an entire people. It’s shameful. And I’m ashamed that our government is welcoming him here.”
Netanyahu’s speech was controversial for multiple reasons. While he praised President Joe Biden initially, he soon turned to heap praise on former President Donald Trump “for all he’s done for Israel.” Netanyahu has long been a supporter of Republican and conservative causes. He also made no direct mention of ongoing efforts led by the U.S. to obtain a ceasefire with the Hamas organization and the release of hundreds of Israeli hostages or that he’d be willing to agree. Netanyahu also denounced the protests on college campuses against him, calling those involved “Iran’s useful idiots.” He also faced opposition from most of the Democrats, with Michigan representative and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib holding up a sign reading “War Criminal” throughout his speech.
Netanyahu is currently facing arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes against the Palestinians during the conflict, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, with over 1,200 Israelis and 39,000 Palestinians killed in addition to other foreign nationals working with the United Nations and Chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen.
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Source: ALFREDO ESTRELLA / Getty
Just when it seemed like things were quieting down on the drug front in Mexico, U.S. authorities pulled off quite the big haul when they took into custody two of the biggest names in the drug cartel game.
According to ABC News, Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez (the son of “El Chapo” Guzman), were officially placed under arrest Thursday (July 25), in El Paso, Texas. The Department of Justice announced the news and said that both men would be charged for their senior roles in the drug trafficking enterprise that turned certain parts of Mexico into a war zone.
With Sinaloa cartel OG Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman already serving a life sentence for his role in the cartel, this is a pretty huge haul for the Department of Justice. FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke on the matter and acknowledged as much.
ABC News reports:
“Today, the FBI and DEA arrested two alleged cartel leaders who have eluded law enforcement for decades. Ismael Mario ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, will now face justice in the United States,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
“Garcia and Guzman have allegedly overseen the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the U.S. along with related violence. These arrests are an example of the FBI’s and our partners commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel,” Wray said.
The circumstances behind Zambada and Guzman Lopez being taken into custody were not immediately clear as of Thursday evening, however, the men were arrested in an operation that ended on U.S. soil.
“El Mayo” thought he was headed to inspect a clandestine Mexican airfield, of which the Sinaloa cartel has many in the country. Instead, according to a Homeland Security Investigations official, a senior ranking member of the cartel tricked him and flew him to El Paso instead.
Upon landing on the tarmac, agents from HSI, along with the FBI arrested “El Mayo” and Guzman.
Clever trap. Sounds like Netflix might turn this into a season of Narcos with that last maneuver alone.
Having planned this operation for months, you can only imagine how much man power went into pulling this off and how many nerves were on edge while it was being executed.
While we’re sure they will be replaced by other members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel, this is still a huge haul for the DOJ who’ve been doing everything they can to stop the flow of drugs from Mexico into the United States.
Don’t be surprised if the streets get dry for a while. Just sayin’.
