State Champ Radio Uncategorized
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President Joe Biden demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu call an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In the wake of a horrific airstrike gone wrong which claimed the lives of several aid workers from chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire to the conflict with the Hamas militant organization was needed “to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians,” in Gaza, according to the White House.
Biden made the statement during a phone call to Netanyahu on Thursday (April 4) that lasted thirty minutes, stressing that Israel should “announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” while stating that a policy shift towards Israel in the future by the United States, with representatives stating that he “made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.” He stated that the strike that killed the World Central Kitchen was “unacceptable”, following up on earlier comments where he expressed his outrage.
Netanyahu had previously issued an apology after the strike, but José Andrés has demanded an independent investigation. “What I know is that we were targeted deliberately, nonstop until everybody was dead in this convoy,” he said in an interview. Seven workers including a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada and a Palestinian died in the airstrike on Tuesday, which the IDF said was in error. World Central Kitchen representatives said they had prior clearance with the government to deliver aid in the region when hit.
In response, the Israeli government announced that they were opening new aid routes in Gaza, including a key one at the port of Ashdod and the Erez crossing at the northern part of the strip. The news was met positively, but with figures expressing a need for more transparency. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken wanted clearer details and assurances that “the bottlenecks and other delays at crossings are being resolved.” The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, however, felt that the new routes were not enough in a post made on X, formerly Twitter adding to other international and domestic voices putting pressure on Israel.
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A new report revealed that the Truth Social platform of Donald Trump managed to stay afloat due to a Russian banker being federally investigated.
After Truth Social, the social media network owned by former President Donald Trump went public last week (and promptly lost some value after its initial public offering), new information showed that it almost went under in 2022 if not for receiving emergency loans. But one of those loans from a Russian-American businessman under federal investigation is sounding alarms about Trump potentially benefiting from money laundering by someone tied to a foreign power during his campaign to be re-elected as president of the United States.
According to reporting from The Guardian, leaked documents showed that the loan in question came from the ES Family Trust, which worked like a shell company for Anton Postolnikov, a Russian-American who co-owns the Paxum Bank registered in Dominica. Postolnikov is the subject of a years-long investigation conducted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which began when one of his associates was found to be insider trading. A further look found that Postolnikov managed to get the money from the trust because the bank couldn’t loan the money since it didn’t have a U.S. banking license. The parent company of Truth Social, Trump Media and Technology Group, received two loans – $2 million in December 2021, and $6 million in February 2022.
The story gets more intricate, as it’s revealed that Postolnikov is the nephew of Aleksandr Smirnov, who was once the chief financial executive and first Deputy Minister of Justice of Russia and a close friend of President Vladimir Putin. Another detail of note is the involvement of Michael Shvartsman, an associate of Postolnikov who was charged with money laundering last month. Shvartsman and his brother Gerald pleaded guilty on Wednesday (April 3) to participating in an insider trading scheme related to the merger in court in New York which reportedly netted them and a third man $22 million. Both men face a sentence of 20 years in prison.
The startling news comes as Trump could potentially make $4 billion from Truth Social’s merger with the Digital World Acquisition Corporation. Postolnikov has not been charged with a crime, and a representative at Paxum Bank threatened legal action when contacted by the press.
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Source: Patrick Harbron / Patrick Harbron/Netflix
Aside from the last season of Loki, Disney+’s live-action MCU series haven’t generated much interest from hardcore fanboys. But with Daredevil: Reborn already in production, hype is slowly building around Matt Murdock’s return to the MCU.
That being said, on Wednesday, April 3, interest in the series got a big boost when on-set photos of Jon Bernthal’s Punisher hit the internet which showed the actor in full Frank Castle attire and covered in blood which surely came from a violent encounter of some kind. According to Variety, the upcoming Daredevil: Reborn series has gone through some ups and downs due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, but now that things are back on track, fans can expect to see the kind of action-packed brutality that made Netflix’s Daredevil series such a hit amongst fans back in 2017.
Variety reports:
“Daredevil: Born Again” has been through a bit of a development rollercoaster. The series parted ways with head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman last October while the production was shut down amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. Marvel also released the directors for the remaining episodes of the season as it decided to take “Born Again” in a new creative direction despite half of the series’ 18-episode order already being shot. Only some elements of pre-existing material is expected to be used in the final cut of the show.
Dario Scardapane, who wrote and executive produced Bernthal’s “The Punisher” series, stepped in to serve as the new “Born Again” showrunner a few weeks after Ord and Corman’s exit. The duo are still being credited as executive producers. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead — who directed on Marvel’s “Moon Knight” and “Loki” Season 2 — were added as directors. It’s unclear whether or not the original 18-episode order remains.
If these pictures are any indication of what we can expect when Daredevil: Reborn hit’s Disney+, we’re in for a bloody good time.
Check out pics of Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and let us know if you’re as hype as we are about the upcoming series in the comments section below.
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Source: NurPhoto / Getty
Chef José Andrés announced that members of his nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.
On Monday evening (April 1), the celebrity chef and esteemed humanitarian José Andrés announced that several members of his World Central Kitchen were killed in the Gaza Strip in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Today, @WCK lost several of our brothers and sisters in an IDF air strike in Gaza,” he wrote, using the abbreviation for the Israeli Defense Forces. “I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family. These are people…angels…I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless…they are not nameless.” The incident places more pressure on Israel, which has been accused of overly aggressive actions since its conflict with Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
In his post, Andrés concluded: “The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.” According to reports, the World Central Kitchen said that its seven workers and a Palestinian driver were traveling in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored cars bearing its logo. The vehicles were hit after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in the central area of the region. The nationalities of those killed also included a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, an Australian, and citizens of Poland and Canada. They had already arranged for travel with the Israeli military forces in the area before setting out.
The World Central Kitchen, which the 57-year-old chef founded in 2010, deploys in areas devastated by social and environmental disasters with members cooking and delivering meals to those in need. On Tuesday (April 2), it announced that it would pause aid operations in the area. “This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” the organization’s CEO, Erin Gore, said in a statement. “This is unforgivable.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the incident in a video statement on Tuesday, saying in Hebrew “This happens in war,” before adding that the government is investigating and “will do everything so that thing does not happen again.”
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Years ago A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was one of New York City’s brightest up and coming stars in the rap game and while others have since broke through and taken the spotlight, the Bronx representative is still doing his thing and returns with new work that his day-ones can get down to.
In his latest visuals to “Steppas,” A Boogie towers over the city that never sleeps as he supersizes himself to Godzilla-ish heights and stomps through his hometown without causing too much destruction. At least he didn’t knock any buildings down on purpose.
For the old schoolers of the game, MC Lyte got a little something for y’all as she links up with some of her 90’s peers and in her clip for “Woman,” Lyte connects with Salt, Big Daddy Kane and Raheem DeVaughn in the studio to show that age ain’t nothing but a number when it comes to dropping 16 bars.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from IDK featuring Joey Bada$$, SiR, and more.
A BOOGIE WIT DA HOODIE – “STEPPAS”
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MC LYTE FT. SALT, BIG DADDY KANE & RAHEEM DEVAUGHN – “WOMAN”
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IDK FT. JOEY BADA$$ – “DENIM”
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SIR – “RICKY’S SONG”
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G HERBO – “SUBJECT”
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MOZZY FT. ERIC BELLINGER – “JADED”
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POLO G – “GET IN WITH ME”
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22GZ – “MONEY & FAME”
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Sorry Wu-Tang fans, but it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting another album from the Shaolin group anytime in the foreseeable future. But luckily some of the Clansmen continue to wave the flag with the big “W” on their own and today one of their OG’s is doing just that.
Dropping off some new visuals to “Nine,” Cappadonna comes out of hiding to show that he’s still got bars as he takes us back to the rugged lands of Shaolin and gives us that gritty work that keeps heads boppin’ and necks snappin.’ We still want a new Wu album though.
Willow Smith meanwhile continues to keep her music career alive and well and in her clip to “Symptom of Life,” Will Smith’s baby girl becomes one with nature and lays down on the grass to ground her whole being while singing about her experiences on this earth.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Roc Marciano, SiR, and more.
CAPPADONNA – “NINE”
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WILLOW – “SYMPTOM OF LIFE”
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ROC MARCIANO – “GOLD CROSSBOW”
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SIR – “ONLY HUMAN”
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DOE BOY – “SHOULDA COULDA WOULDA”
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ANYCIA – “NENE’S PRAYER”
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VEL NINE – “GANGSTA B*TCH”
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JUSTINE VALENTINE & NEEK BUCKS – “DO OR DIE”
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In a surprising moment, Touré revealed that Diddy once allegedly made sexual advances on a male relative of his who was his intern.
In the wake of the turbulence surrounding Diddy, writer and cultural critic Touré aired a new surprising allegation during an appearance on MSNBC host Joy Reid’s nightly show. As he spoke with Reid on the Tuesday episode of The ReidOut (March 27) he began: “I was personally disturbed many years ago,” about the allegations against Diddy of sexual abuse and a burgeoning sex trafficking investigation, “I know this man well enough to call him and say, ‘Hey, I need a favor.’ This might have been 10, 12 years ago.”
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“I called him and said, ‘Hey, I have a family member who I want you to hire as an intern.’ I have never talked about this publicly,” Touré explained before continuing: “He said, ‘Yes.’ And they were flying around, on the jet, in the house, whatever.” He added: “And then the internship stopped abruptly, like three or four months into it. I spoke to my family member, like, ‘What happened?’ And they wouldn’t say.”
“Years later, they finally came out — this is a male — and said that Puff had said, ‘Come home, stay the night with me or the internship is over.’ And they said, ‘Absolutely not.’ And the internship ended. From there I was like, ‘Oh! This is how it goes.’ So to hear that things went even further with potentially, allegedly, many other people … we feel like we’ve seen this coming.”
The revelation comes as Diddy is in a whirlwind of controversy thanks to another lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. earlier this year accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of sexual assault. Jones worked on Diddy’s The Love Album: Off The Grid. In the documents of the suit, Jones alleged that Diddy frequently engaged in unwanted sexual contact and attempted to coerce him into sexual acts with other men in addition to other misdeeds such as spiking women’s drinks and soliciting underage girls. Diddy is also dealing with another lawsuit from a victim who claims that he and Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre brought her from Michigan to New Jersey and sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
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Former President Donald Trump is selling a new Bible through his social media platform – but the details of the deal are worse than you think.
Embattled former President Donald Trump is working to raise funds for his current presidential campaign – as well as the impending bond in his New York fraud case – so he’s now selling a new product. On Monday, he released a three-minute video on his Truth Social social media platform where he presented the “God Bless The USA Bible”. “I’m proud to endorse and encourage you to get this Bible,” Trump begins in the video, saying “All Americans need a Bible in their home and I have many. It’s my favorite book. It’s a lot of people’s favorite book.”
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The “God Bless The USA” Bible is being offered to Trump’s supporters for $59.99. Details in the link reveal that it contains the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It also contains a copy of country singer Lee Greenwood’s 1980 anthem “God Bless The USA” – in fact, the “God Bless The USA” Bible is essentially the same one that Greenwood released for sale in 2021 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and has been linked to rising Christian Nationalism in the country. A further examination of the link at Greenwood’s website now shows him in a photograph with Trump and one sentence that declares that “this is the only Bible endorsed by President Trump!”
More information in the frequently asked questions section reveals this fact: “GodBlessTheUSABible.com uses Donald J. Trump’s name, likeness and image under paid license from CIC Ventures LLC, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms,” which is similar to the same deal he made regarding his gold “Trump sneakers” which he promoted at a sneaker convention in Philadelphia last month. According to the Associated Press, the financial details of the deal haven’t been revealed.
Trump’s Bible promotion is the latest appeal to his white evangelical followers. In 2016 while running for office, he infamously said “Two Corinthians” instead of “Second Corinthians” during a speech at Liberty University. In 2020 while president, he stood on the steps of St. John’s Church near the White House after directing law enforcement to forcibly remove racial justice protesters from the park nearby and posed with a copy of the Bible in his hand.
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Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty
It looks like Jontay Porter might have to explain his performance on the court. The NBA is investigating him over gambling activity connected to his play.
The Score is reporting that the Toronto Raptors player is now at the center of a new probe being conducted by the National Basketball Association. According to ESPN the league has identified multiple betting irregularities over the last couple of months that are linked to him. Proposition bets, better known as prop bets, are wagers not tied to the final outcome or score of a game but outcomes within the game including will a certain player surpass the over under for points.
The occurrences specifically under questioning are two games. On January 26 against the Los Angeles Clippers his props were set to 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and assists. That outing he only played a little over four minutes before leaving due to a nagging eye injury. On March 20 against the Sacramento Kings he only played two minutes before excusing himself to an illness. That day he only put up two rebounds but his prop bets were set at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. After those games DraftKings Sportsbook announced that Jontay Porter had produced the most winnings compared to the previous night.
“We have no comment on this story,” a DraftKings spokesman said in a statement to The Athletic. “In general, it is important to note that one of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that sports betting operators identify and report suspicious activity and the integrity of sport is therefore protected in a manner that does not exist in the illegal market.” The Toronto Raptors have declined to comment on the matter while an NBA spokesperson has told ESPN “We’re looking into it.”
Jontay Porter has not suited up for the Raptors in the last two games citing personal reasons. The NBA forbids players, officials and employees from making wagers on the league.
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Source: Marvel / Disney+
It’s only been a few days since Disney+ premiered the highly anticipated animated series, X-Men ’97, and already the numbers are showing it’s a massive hit amongst ’80s babies.
According to Deadline, the two premier episodes of X-Men ’97 set a record for Disney+ as it became the most viewed animated series on the platform since Marvel’s What If…? debuted in 2021. In the first five days of X-Men’s March 20 premier, the show garnered more than 4 million views worldwide as fans tuned in to see their favorite mutants back in action after decades of being off the air. Not a bad look for a show that mainly targeted people in their 30s and 40s who grew up watching the series when it was a hot commodity on Fox’s Saturday morning cartoon lineup.
Per Deadline:
Disney defines a view as hours viewed divided by runtime. Each episode of X-Men ’97 is about 30 minutes long.
Also, views across all 5 seasons of the original 1992 X-Men animated series increased by 522% since the X-Men ’97 trailer launched on February 15.
X-Men ’97 is a revival of the classic ’90s animated series. Written by Beau DeMayo, X-Men ’97 revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
Now that the show is a certified hit, it will be interesting to see how Marvel and Disney move forward as they fired the show’s creator, Beau DeMayo, just a few weeks ago for reasons unknown. Will they bring in a new team to steer that ship, or will they move on to new X-Men projects altogether?
Guess we’ll have to wait and find out.
