GALLERY
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Donald Trump and his connection to President Vladimir Putin have come under scrutiny over time and a new book from longtime journalist Bob Woodward delves deeper into the ties. In Woodward’s latest book War, the author shares details of Donald Trump sending COVID-19 tests to Vladimir Putin, holding telephone conversations with the Russian leader, and more.
The explosive details shared in Woodward’s new book reveal Trump’s deeper ties to Putin than previously reported. As seen in a report from CNN, which obtained an advanced copy of the book, Woodward wrote that Trump secretly sent COVID-19 tests to the Russian leader for Putin’s use and this occurred during the height of the pandemic that ravaged the United States.
Woodward also shared in his writings that Trump called Putin at least seven times since leaving office, further solidifying their relationship with one another.
More from CNN:
During the height of the pandemic, Russia and the United States did exchange medical equipment such as ventilators. But Putin — who infamously isolated himself over fears of Covid — told Trump on a phone call to keep the delivery of the Abbott machines quiet, Woodward reports.
“Please don’t tell anybody you sent these to me,” Putin said to Trump, according to Woodward.
“I don’t care,” Trump replied. “Fine.”
“No, no,” Putin said. “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.”
Donald Trump and his team have denied Woodward’s account of the events laid out in Woodward’s book.
Woodward also highlights candid conversations held by President Joe Biden, including one especially profanity-laced exchange regarding Putin and another highlighting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Kremlin confirmed via spokesperson Dmitry Peskov that Trump did indeed send the COVID-19 equipment as told to Bloomberg News. Peskov did say to Russian outlet RBC that Trump and Putin did not speak on the phone at the rate Woodward said in his book.
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Donald Trump remains in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris which ends in just under a month, and the stakes are rising higher than ever. In a new interview, Donald Trump attacked immigrants with a vile comment suggesting that they are “bad genes” in the country who have a genetic predisposition to murder.
Donald Trump appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show on Monday (October 7) and immediately seized upon the xenophobic fears of his supporters by aiming attacks at Vice President Harris and immigration policies enacted under President Joe Biden. Furthering his stances on the southern border and attempting to frame Harris as a communist, Trump went on a verbal tear that many are currently decrying.
“When you look at the things that she proposes, they’re so far off she has no clue. How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers,” Trump says.
He added, “Many of them murdered far more than one person, and they’re now happily living in the United States. You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now. They left, they had 425,000 people come into our country that shouldn’t be here, that are criminals.”
Trump’s comments were found to be appalling by others in the media, including the panelists of the Morning Joe show on MSNBC, which discussed the matter on the Tuesday morning broadcast of the program. Across X, others observed Trump’s chat with Hewitt and considered his words offensive and a rallying cry for fascism among other digs.
Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, perhaps realizing how much of a gaffe this could be considering Election Day is fast approaching, countered in a statement that Donald Trump was referring to murderers and not migrants but it appears the damage is done.
Across X, formerly Twitter, many are discussing Donald Trump’s “bad genes” quip. We’ve got reactions listed below.
JUST NOW: @realDonaldTrump leans heavily into race science by telling @hughhewitt that you can tell whether migrants are predisposed to committing murder by “their genes.”
“We got a lot of bad genes in our country right now,” he adds. pic.twitter.com/t722iYq4Hm
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) October 7, 2024
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Teresa Celeste is an actor on the rise and has been quite busy over the past eight years and counting. For our latest Baes & Baddies feature, Teresa Celeste gets the spotlight and her head-turning looks and sizzling charm are worth learning more about.
Some might recognize Teresa Celeste from an earlier time in her career as a member of Nick Cannon’s sprawling program Wild ‘N Out under her former stage name, Teresa Topnotch. These days, Teresa Celeste has taken her talents to the screen and has starred in several television shows and films since 2016.
Celeste’s latest role was as Maxine in the Netflix mini-series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Height alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle, Taraji P. Henson, and more. She has a series of upcoming projects and maintains a busy presence on social media where she gives fans a slight glimpse into her life, including her unshakeable faith, and a lot of emphasis on her acting work.
For now, get to know Teresa Celeste by way of our gallery below and follow her work on social media and beyond.
Source: Instagram / @topnotchworldd
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Jaguar Wright is back on the airwaves and much like before, she is continuing her relentless attack on key figures of the entertainment industry. The singer was a guest on Piers Morgan Uncensored and unloaded on Diddy, Jay-Z, and got into it with DJ Vlad.
Jaguar Wright appeared on a Wednesday night (October 2) broadcast of Morgan’s program alongside Ariel Mitchell-Kidd, a lawyer representing one of Sean “Diddy” Combs” alleged victims, and DJ Vlad. Wright wasted little time in sharing her three decades of experience with executives and others in the industry who wielded their power for nefarious means.
Wight was challenged by DJ Vlad, who framed Wright as a conspiracy theorist during the segment, and explicitly said to Morgan that he “doesn’t cosign anything that she says” before giving his thoughts on the legal woes faced by Combs and offering his thoughts on Wright framing Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and Combs.
In his estimation, Vlad believes that much of what’s occurring in the Diddy case is a direct result of the lawsuit filed by Cassie Ventura which opened the floodgates to other allegations that have since surfaced.
Mitchell-Kidd also chimed in and essentially said to Wright that she should seek legal counsel as some of her statements could be viewed as defamatory without proof or official charges. She also called DJ Vlad a culture vulture and dressed down the media figure in what she believes is his role in leading to the indictment of Black artists and entertainers.
On X, formerly Twitter, the Piers Morgan Uncensored segment with Jaguar Wright, DJ Vlad, and Ariel Mitchell-Kidd garnered several replies and we’ve got them listed in our playlist slideshow. The replies shared do not echo our sentiments, we are just delivering a report.
The entire segment can be viewed below.
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Ta-Nehisi Coates has attracted controversy and discussion given his decades as a reporter and writer who tackles themes as carefully as one can without pulling punches when necessary. In a recent appearance on CBS News’ morning program, Ta-Nehisi Coates engaged in what appeared to be an intense debate with co-host Tony Dokoupil regarding a segment in his book that touches on the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
Ta-Nehisi Coates was on CBS Mornings to discuss his newest book, The Message, a trio of essays regarding the writer’s visits to Senegal, South Carolina, and the Israel-Gaza region and draws some significant parallels to the idea of what it means to belong.
Tony Dokoupil, who seemingly angled to dominate the segment with his questioning, went on the offensive by framing Coates’ book as something you would in the backpack of an anti-Israeli extremist. It should be noted that Dokoupil’s ex-wife and his two older children are living in Israel currently and he is currently married to Katy Tur, who is of Jewish descent.
Coates gamely took on the challenge of attempting to explain himself in the face of Dokoupil’s critiques of his work.
“You write a book that delegitimizes the pillars of Israel. It seems like an effort to topple the whole building of it,” Dokoupil said. “So I come back to the question, and it’s what I struggled with throughout this book, what is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place and not any of the other states out there?”
Coates answered, “There’s nothing that offends me about a Jewish state. I am offended by the idea of states built on ethnocracy, no matter where they are. I would not want a state where any group of people lay down their citizenship rights based on ethnicity. The country of Israel is a state in which half the population exist on one tier of citizenship and everybody else that’s ruled by Israelis exist on another tier, including Palestinian Israeli citizens. The only people that exist on that first tier are Israeli Jews. Why do we support that? Why is that okay? I’m the child of Jim Crow. I’m the child of people that were born into a country where that was exactly the case, of American apartheid.”
It didn’t appear that any stance Ta-Nehisi Coates took satisfied the curiosities Tony Dokoupil and co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson remained oddly quiet during the segment. The moment has caused a stir online and probably deserves far more nuance than we have the space to examine here. That said, a larger discussion should arise from this considering both gentlemen had points to make but couldn’t be exhaustive in their explanations.
Keep scrolling to see reactions below.
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Donald Trump might enjoy favorable support among his base but the race for the White House against his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, remains tightly contested. However, Donald Trump took things to a shocking level when he essentially endorsed police brutality to stamp out crime.
Donald Trump was in Pennsylvania on Sunday (September 29) and delivered a speech that should have been focused on his policies but devolved into him spouting debunked claims of crime rising under President Joe Biden’s administration and more talking points that he’s largely remained committed to. However, things took a dark turn when the former president suggested the police be allowed to use rough tactics to stop crime, especially in the world of retail theft.
“See, we have to let the police do their job,” Trump began. “And if they have to be extraordinarily rough…and you know the funny thing about all of that stuff. Look at the department stores. You see these guys walking out with an air conditioner and a refrigerator on their backs.”
The Trump faithful applauded on cue during this speech segment the business mogul continued to deliver his dangerous rhetoric.
“And the police aren’t allowed to do their job,” Trump continued. “They’re told if you do anything, you’re going to lose your pension, you’re going to lose your family, your house, your car. The police want to do it. The Border Patrol wants to do it. They’re not allowed to do it because the liberal left won’t let them do it.”
He continued to double down on the threat of police violence against theft, once again to the approving cheers of his supporters.
“One rough hour, and I mean real rough, the word will get out, and it will end immediately, end immediately. You know, it will end immediately,” Trump said.
On X, formerly Twitter, observers have likened Donald Trump’s support of concentrated and lawless police violence to the film franchise, The Purge, in which for 24 hours, crimes can be committed without consequences.
We’ve got reactions listed below.
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1. Regardless of what people are framing it as, it’s scary to imagine.
2. Worth a watch.
4. Some more talking points about what Trump may allegedly be angling for.
10. Instead of reducing it to name-calling, just keep educating. It’s all new information for some.
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Angel Reese came into the WNBA with a flurry of media hype around her and she answered the bell time and again with record-setting performances on the court. However, Angel Reese has admitted that her journey hasn’t been easy and just lost one of her biggest supporters in the league after the Chicago Sky parted ways with its head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon.
The massive swell of media attention that the WNBA garnered this year was no doubt due to the incoming class of rookies that included Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, Aaliyah Edwards, and others. The prevailing thought was Reese and Clark were to be mortal enemies at the professional ranks based on the fact that the two faced each other as collegiate players in what many framed as a bitter rivalry.
Reese’s confidence on and off the court has seemingly rubbed fans wrong, especially those who feel Clark was the bigger star. While it is true that Reese talked a big game, she backed it up by setting a rookie record for 15 consecutive double-double games. Clark too has had a stellar season and showed off her scoring prowess at the next level.
This divide in fandom between players is a striking one, considering Reese isn’t the first trash-talker in professional sports. Her intensity on the court drove her, and the support from her coach and teammates translated into good efforts on the court where it counts. Clark, however, has been elevated as a pure basketball player despite having struggles on the court that seemingly weren’t highlighted to the level of Reese’s shortcomings.
Reese, perhaps growing tired of the narrative that she invited the critique or wanted to take a heel turn in the league, has been active on the X platform addressing the chatter in her unapologetic fashion and promised to continue her podcasting journey.
“Y’all know i’ve been going through this for the last 2 years but was told “save the tears’ & “stop playing victim”. Y’all a little late to the party and could have tried to put out this fire way before it started….,” Reese quote tweeted on X, referring to a post by Awful Announcing with ESPN’s Andraya Carter segment on SportsCenter at the centerpiece regarding racially charged statements from fans in the stands towards players on the court.
Y’all know i’ve been going through this for the last 2 years but was told “save the tears” & “stop playing victim”. Y’all a little late to the party and could have tried to put out this fire way before it started…. https://t.co/EuMfYtzgSA
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 26, 2024
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Reese continued, “I’ve never in my life had privilege but I definitely know the power I have through my platform. That didn’t come overnight. I grew that on my OWN. With that being said, I will continue to use my voice in the right way & say what’s right even though it has backfired on me to be this “villain”. I won’t stop!!”
Also at the root of Reese’s current activity is her comments regarding the firing of her coach, Teresa Weatherspoon, who Reese credited for getting her this far in her rookie campaign, which ended prematurely due to a hand injury.
I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in you,” Reese wrote on X.
She continued, “You had a tough job. All the crazy circumstances that we went through this year & when your back was against the wall, you always believed. I came to Chicago because of YOU. You were an unsung hero in my life. We built a relationship in a short amount of time that will last forever. I’ll never question God why he brings people in my life and takes them away from me in the capacity that I need them but i’ve always believed everyone is in your life for a reason and a season. You were the best reason & season. You didn’t deserve this but I can’t thank you enough. I love you Tspoon. @Finisher_11”
Anytime Angel Reese decides to take to social media, her detractors come out in droves to discredit her game, apply offensive commentary, and flat-out divisiveness becomes the order of the day. We’re sharing some of Angel Reese’s X replies below. Keep scrolling to see replies under her name, which is currently trending on X as well.
For the past 2 years, the media has benefited from my pain & me being villainized to create a narrative. They allowed this. This was beneficial to them. I sometimes share my experiences of things that have happened to me but I’ve also allowed this to happen to me for way too long…
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 27, 2024
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1. Protected?
3. Basically.
4. This is kind of facts though.
6. People say things in the heat of battle. Some people just sit online all day being jerks. Is what it is.
7. Why tho?
8. (Some) Sports fans are truly the toxic ones.
9. These people don’t know her.
10. Couldn’t wait to kick her back in.
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Ryan Clark made his career as a hard-hitting safety in the NFL before moving into the analyst and podcasting space. In the wake of the comments made by comedian Andrew Schulz towards ShxtsNGigs hosts James Duncan and Fuhad Dawodu regarding Black women, Ryan Clark issued a statement in their defense but some Black men online are calling him “soft” for his stance.
Duncan and Dawodu were guests in Schulz’s Flagrant podcast in July with Schulz bringing up the “Black girlfriend effect” trend from social media. In essence, the trend notes that when a white man has a Black woman as a romantic partner, his entire image changes for the better. However, Schulz used the mostly harmless trend to frame the instance as Black women pressuring their partners and using violence to get them in line. Schulz, which is par the course for the program, leaned into other topics including speaking about Nigerians, and other shots at Black women.
It should be noted that the ShxtsNGigs hosts did not offer any pushback or critique of Schulz’s jabs, which some online said were done under the guise of comedy and loose chatter. However, clips from the episode have since gone viral and the massive fanbase of Black women that Duncan and Dawodu enjoyed have largely defected. The pair issued an apology but many feel it is a case of too little too late.
Ryan Clark, via his The Pivot podcast with Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder, spoke at length about what he experienced from his mother and later his wife as his reference to the value Black women have in his life. He also said that because so many Black men don’t respect Black women, some have allowed white people to get, in his words, “comfortable” in disrespecting them.
More from X:
I’m not sure what black woman experience @andrewschulz has had, but it hasn’t been the real “black girlfriend effect”. To insult black women and described them as complainers & abusive isn’t just untrue. It’s disrespectful. Even worse, James Duncan & Fuhad Dawodu allowing him to say it is more insulting.
Andrew Schultz spoke that way in front of two black men because they allowed him to. They made him comfortable enough to disrespect black women because they didn’t force him to respect them.
My experience is that black women are powerful, beautiful, strong, and supportive. They prioritize black family, community, & culture. They take steps back to push their men, and families forward. So, no Andrew the “black girlfriend effect” is nothing like what you described. I’m just upset that you don’t have enough solid black men around you to tell you differently!
With the clip of Clark’s response going wide on X, some men referred to him as soft for not being able to take a joke. Below is one such exchange.
“I hate how soft nggas are now man. Smh. All these sad ass think pieces over jokes. As one of the dirtiest players in NFL history, someone who played with reckless abandon, someone who intentionally tried to injure other humans for sport, I thought you’d be a little tougher bro,” wrote @MulhollandL0ver.
Clark wrote in response, “More than welcome to try me to see how tough good brother, but jokes are only funny if the subject believes so. Same as my joke about Tua last year. I thought it was funny, other players thought it was funny, my colleagues thought it was funny. He and his people didn’t.”
Keep scrolling to see comments from X regarding Ryan Clark’s comments.
I’m not sure what black woman experience @andrewschulz has had, but it hasn’t been the real “black girlfriend effect”. To insult black women and described them as complainers & abusive isn’t just untrue. It’s disrespectful. Even worse, James Duncan & Fuhad Dawodu allowing him to… pic.twitter.com/2gQQRPSCYd
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 19, 2024
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1. For a bit of context.
4. How the two compares is beyond comprehension.
5. Racist tropes aren’t funny.
7. Mans losing his mind right here.
8. Pretty much.
9. Perspective.
10. Their whole wave got smashed over some “jokes.”
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Beyond The Gates, a new soap opera announced by CBS will be the first show of its kind to focus on Black characters in an hour-long format. Veterans of the daytime soap opera scene, Tamara Tunie, Daphnee Duplaix, and Karla Mosley were all named as leads in the series which launches in 2025.
Beyond The Gates, formerly known as The Gates, was created by Michele Val Jean and is the first daytime television soap opera to center a Black cast. The first to do so was Generations in 1989, and Beyond The Gates is the first new daytime soap opera since Passions in 1999.
The show centers on the wealthy Dupree family, who live just outside of Washington, D.C. in the lavish suburbs of Fairmont Estates. Tamara Tunie, who acted previously on As The World Turns, stars as Anita Dupree, a former singer with roots in Chicago who serves as the matriarch of the family.
Daphnee Duplaix, an alum of One Life to Live, stars in the role of Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson and Anita Dupree’s daughter. While her marriage and image seem intact from the outside looking in, secrets are bursting at the seams according to the plot line.
Karla Mosley, who was a cast member of The Bold & The Beautiful, plays the role of Dani Dupree, Nicole’s sister and a former model who now works as a “momager” who stopped hitting the runway for her romantic partner.
More from the press release:
BEYOND THE GATES is set in a leafy Maryland suburb just outside of Washington D.C., and in one the most affluent African American counties in the United States. Here you’ll find a posh gated community with winding tree-lined streets and luxurious mansions to call home. At the center of this community are the Duprees, a powerful and prestigious multi-generational family that is the very definition of Black royalty. But behind these pristine walls and lush, manicured gardens are juicy secrets and scandals waiting to be uncovered. And those that live outside these gates are watching closely. These are the places where our characters live, love, work and play. Those who have “made it” and those who haven’t are all trying to navigate life … and some with more grace than others.
The show is set to begin production in Atlanta this fall with a release date set to be announced for early 2025.
We’re revealing the first cast members of the new @CBS drama, “Beyond the Gates,” the first hour-long daytime soap on TV featuring a Black cast. https://t.co/pRFT6FXnnB pic.twitter.com/ixB79cicNV
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 19, 2024
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Photo: Emilio Madrid/Getty/Karla Mosley/CBS
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Sean Combs, also known under his stage name Diddy, was charged on Tuesday (September 17) after he was arrested at a New York hotel on Monday. Diddy faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting for prostitution according to recently revealed court documents.
The news of the indictment has spread like wildfire through social media channels as the details of the case continue to unravel. As reported by TMZ, the indictment notes that between 2008 and the present day, Sean Combs and those connected to his business ventures are accused of forced labor, sex trafficking, transporting for prostitution, kidnapping, arson, and other related charges.
At the center of the unsealed indictment were details that date back to 2008 to the present day alleging that Combs lorded over his enterprise and used his money, power, and influence to unleash abuse towards women and men, including those who performed sex work. Also revealed were details of the so-called “Freak Off” parties where Combs used drugs to control his victims and have them do his bidding. During these parties, Combs allegedly masturbated and often recorded the events, while also transporting the sex workers across state lines to participate.
The Freak Offs were so intense according to the documents, Combs and the victims would need to rehydrate intravenously to recover from the high levels of drugs in their systems. The documents also revealed that Combs employed his staff to keep these parties stocked with lubricants, bedding, lighting, baby oil, and more, then had the staff clean up the evidence.
Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles were famously raided earlier this year with officials discovering narcotics, a thousand bottles of lubricant and baby oil, and high-powered weaponry including three AR-15s that had their serial numbers forcibly removed.
The legal team for Diddy says that the Bad Boy Records mogul is showing a brave face and is willingly cooperating with the authorities. On Tuesday, attorney Marc Agnifilo shared some brief statements.
“His spirits are good. He’s confident,” Agnifilo said to a media throng gathering outside the Manhattan courthouse. He added that Combs intends to “fight like hell” against the allegations and intends to plead not guilty.
Source: John Lamparski / Getty
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams is currently holding a press conference discussing the matter in full. We were unable to connect the stream but it can be found online.
On X, reactions to Diddy’s indictment being announced are still cropping up. We’ve got them listed below.
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