Source: PAUL RATJE / Getty Beto O’Rourke Calls It Quits On 2020 Presidential Race Beto O’Rourke has officially announced he is withdrawing from the 2020 presidential race. “Though it is difficult to accept, it is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully,” O’Rourke wrote in a statement released on social media. He entered the race earlier this year, nearly defeating Texas incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms but struggled to gain traction in the massive Democratic primary field. I am grateful to all the people who made up the heart and soul of this campaign. You were among the hundreds of thousands who made a donation, signed up to volunteer or spread the word about this campaign and our opportunity to help decide the election of our lifetime. — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) November 1, 2019 On Friday, an emotional O’Rourke addressed a group of supporters after the news broke saying: “This has been the honor of my lifetime,” he told them. “I love you all and I know that I’ll be seeing you down the road.” Meanwhile, Cheeto In Chief (of course) reacted to the news and slammed Beto for quitting “like a dog.” “When Beto quit like … he quit like a dog. I said, ‘See people think this is easy, this isn’t easy,’” the president said at a rally hours after O’Rourke stepped down. “He was a nasty guy. He had a couple of policies that don’t work well in the state of Texas. He was against religion. He was against you having a gun, and he was against oil.” SMFH!
Source: Tom Williams / Getty Cory Booker Reads Rosario Dawson 250 Page Books Over The Phone Before Bed Cory Booker is in the midst of running for President Of The United States, so it’s safe to say his time is very limited for outside activities. Just last month reports surfaced that if he didn’t raise another almost $2 million dollars he would be out the race altogether. Luckily for the Presidential hopeful, he was present for the latest Democratic debate this week, proving he secured that $2,000,000. Even with the difficult task at hand and campaign financial woes, it looks like Senator Booker still finds time to tend to his boo Rosario Dawson . During her latest profile for the Washington Post , we learn that not only is he finding the time, but he’s finding a whole lot of it. In the profile, she opens up about her love life and gives some insight into their year-old romance, such as pet names–stating that he calls her “RIB.” Obviously, that’s an ode to the bible, but it’s also what her initials would be if she decides to take his last name (we see you, smooth talker). Dawson also shared that they love being those annoying vegans who tell everyone that they’re vegan for no reason other than to be obnoxious. However, the biggest highlight and the piece that’s since gone viral is the fact that Cory “Whats in the Kool-aid” Booker hits Rosario on the FaceTime to read 250-page historical books to her. To quote the Post piece: “Dawson says they went two months without seeing each other. But they’ve made up for it with FaceTime, which they try to do twice a day. He’s gotten in the habit of sending her music every morning, and he just finished reading David Benioff’s World War II novel “City of Thieves” to her over the phone.” In theory, the sentiment is very cute, but “romantic” may be a stretch. The novel takes over 5 hours to read aloud and the content is set during World War II. As The Cut pointed out, this ain’t even the first time he’s done this for a love interest, which he said on record previously. In a 2016 interview with the New York Times , Booker talked about his then-current girlfriend and their relationship, saying: “Before I knew it, we were reading the book out loud to each other, over the phone, and I was drawn in. “Soon we were reading chapters on our own, and she was telling me to slow down and not get too far ahead.” When Dawson dropped this cute little tidbit, she was probably unaware he had previously said this in a profile to gain those good guy points…but about a different woman. It’s one thing to listen your boo read a book to you over the phone, but it’s an entirely different feeling when its a World War II novel–then you find out he does this for all of his girls. Hopefully, these two make more time to spend together so they can avoid FaceTime dates in the form of novels altogether. View this post on Instagram Two premiere’s in two days! Glad CAB could join me and we hope you’ll join us in enjoying @TheNeedToGrow available online worldwide at TheNeedToGrow.com, for free until the 15th -the date of the upcoming Dem. debate in Ohio that we hope you’ll tune into- with @Zombieland DoubleTap in theaters Oct. 18th to round it all off! A post shared by rosariodawson (@rosariodawson) on Oct 11, 2019 at 2:32pm PDT
Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty Bakari Sellers made an explosive charge regarding one of the presidential candidates ahead of tonight’s Democratic Party debate showing. The former South Carolina politician said that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is a puppet of the Russian government. During Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s New Day morning program, Sellers sat on a panel consisting of White House correspondent April D. Ryan and political commentator Angela Rye to discuss tonight’s Ohio debate. Towards the end of the segment, Sellers aimed sharp words towards Gabbard not unlike he’s done in times past via Twitter. “There is a chance that Tulsi is not just working for the United States of America, but I digress,” Sellers said, causing Ryan to react with shock. He added, “I firmly believe that Tulsi Gabbard stands on that stage as the antithesis to what the other 11 individuals stand for, especially when it comes to issues such as foreign policy. “There is no question that Tulsi Gabbard, of all the 12, is a puppet for the Russian government.” Watch the CNN exchange below. — Photo: Getty
Source: Pool / Getty R. Kelly Is Being Accused Of Stashing Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars According to The Blast , R. Kelly is being accused by prosecutors of hiding a boatload of cash in his childhood friend’s bank accounts. Court documents show that prosecutors believe the R&B legend is flat out lying about being broke and that he has been diverting his music royalty payments to a third party. Prosecutors state: “the defendant’s contention that he has “almost no financial resources” is also misleading. In fact, the defendant continues to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in connection with royalties he is owed for his music. The government’s investigation has revealed that earlier this year, the defendant re-directed those royalties to the bank account of a childhood friend. Regardless of where those funds are being held, however, they belong to the defendant and, at any time, the defendant can redirect those funds – and future royalty proceeds earned – to an account in his name.” If true, things could get even uglier for Kelly as he sits in jail already facing a slew of other charges.
Source: Joe Raedle / Getty A Flordia Mom Allegedly Tried To Kill Her Kids Because She Believed She Was Cursed According to the Ocala Times , a Florida mom is accused of telling her four kids to take off their seatbelts before crashing into a tree. She is now facing four counts of domestic attempted murder. Calicia Williams was allegedly driving erratic before she crashed into a tree after striking a curb and traveling across a grassy median. Members from Ocala Fire Rescue advised officers that none of Williams’ children were wearing seat belts belts during the accident. When officials arrived, Williams was observed making “”spontaneous utterances while her children were being treated by paramedics. People on the scene reported that Williams was traveling at a high rate of speed and had told the children to take off their seatbelts and stretch out their hands. She also reportedly yelled out “The devil can’t hurt you. He only hurts bad people. You have the light of Jesus in you and only Jesus can cure us.” The children sustained injuries consistent with not wearing seatbelts or proper restraints and their condition is unknown. Williams will be transported to the Marion County Jail once released from the hospital.
Shane Gillis has been fired by Saturday Night Live before ever stepping foot on its legendary stage. The comedian — who came under extreme fire just days after his hiring last week after audio surfaced of some very inappropriate (read: RACIST) jokes and remarks — was let go by NBC on Monday. “After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” said a show spokesperson on behalf of SNL boss Lorne Michaels. This statement continued as follows: We want SNL to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for SNL. We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard. Not long after Gillis was confirmed as one of three new faces on Saturday Night Live Season 45 (along with Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang), a video resurfaced of the so-called comedian engaging in racist rhetoric. “Chinatown’s f-ckin nuts,” Gillis can be heard saying in a clip from a September 2018 podcast posted to a YouTube channel called Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “Let the f-ckin ch-nks live there,” he adds. Earlier this year, Gillis also referred to Presidential candidate Andrew Yang by this same derogatory term for Asians. On another episode of this podcst, Gillis referred to Judd Apatow and Chris Gethard as “white f-ckin got comics,” calling them “f-cking gayer than ISIS.” Aware of the immediate backlash against him, Gillis released a very lame non-apology that used his profession as an excuse for his language and viewpoint. “I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries,” he wrote on Twitter, as you can see above. Gillis then added, condescending and pathetic fashion: “I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses. I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said.” In response to his firing, meanwhile, Gillis Tweeted in an equally shameful and cocky manner. “It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are. I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away,” he wrote, concluding with a dig at the program itself: Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a mad tv guy anyway. The sad truth is that this controversy likely will lead to some fame and riches for Gillis. He’s actually scheduled to meet with Yang down the road, Tweeted the Democratic hopeful himself. “Shane Gillis reached out. Looks like we will be sitting down together soon,” Yang wrote this afternoon. Where do YOU stand on this scandal? We’re all for open dialogue and on people learning from past mistakes. But does Seth Gillis sound like someone who is doing this? Or is capable of doing this? Or does he just sound like an unfunny loser who relies on racist tropes and played-out stereotypes to try and come across as edgy and/or relevant?
Source: FilmMagic / Getty Pod Save America Co-Host Jon Lovett To Host Live Version Of His Podcast Crooked Media co-founder and Pod Save America co-host Jon Lovett has taken his podcast, Lovett or Leave It , on the road! This Friday, September 13, Lovett is bringing his live show to New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall with some seriously special guests. The hilarious week-in-review podcast is hosted with a panel of comedians, actors, and journalists–all in front of a live audience. View this post on Instagram Hey! Joining #LovettorLeaveIt LIVE at @radiocitymusichall on 9/13 is @staceyabrams. And @desusnice & @thekidmero. And @wyattcenac. And @dulcesloan. And @mastro175. Get tickets at the link in our bio! A post shared by Crooked Media (@crookedmedia) on Sep 5, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT For his Radio City live show, special guests will include: Former Georgia House Democratic Leader and Founder of Fair Fight Action Stacey Abrams , comedians Desus and Mero , comedian & host of HBO’s Problem Areas Wyatt Cenac, Daily Show with Trevor Noah correspondent Dulcé Sloan, Former White House Deputy, and Alyssa Mastromonaco. Known for smart and funny commentary on politics, policy, pop culture and social issues, the show also features fun games and quizzes tied to the week’s news and events. Tickets for this live show are going fast and can be purchased here .
Source: Courtesy WeTV / Courtesy WeTV “Beyond The Pole” Makes Its WEtv Premiere In case you hadn’t already heard, “Beyond The Pole” is making the move from UMC’s streaming service to WeTV! The sizzling hot reality series that follows the lives of real Atlanta dancers as they work to level up hits the small screen this week. We’ve got an exclusive clip from the premiere episode airing this Thursday. Check it out below: See what we mean? Real life isht! Here’s more about “Beyond the Pole” – “Throw Some Mo” Episode: Laina reveals a surprising secret to Lea Lea. Labri’s rivalry with another dancer heats up, leading to a shocking altercation. Pole class goes wild. Premiering Thursday, August 7 at 10pm ET/9pm CT on WeTV
Source: Faye Sadou/AdMedia/ Michele Eve/ SplashNews / Splash News Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye, April Ryan And Bakari Sellers Rumored To Be Getting A Show We’re excited to learn that CNN may be creating a show around our favorite black political panelists ! According to Page Six reports: We’re told the cable network hopes to hire regular CNN contributors April Ryan, Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye and Bakari Sellers as panelists for a brand-new show. The plan was kicked into high gear following the positive response the group received after appearing on the network’s morning show, “New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman” during the Democratic debates last week. “It was the most excitement on that morning show since Chris Cuomo left as co-anchor,” a source told us. “CNN is fast-tracking talks … to develop it into a stand-alone show. The early chatter is that it could start as a weekend show that would rival MSNBC’s programming with Joy Reid, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Kendis Gibson.” CNN did not comment when asked to do so by Page Six. If you’ve been paying attention the four of them have been doing a lot of work together lately and it seems to be well received. Black by popular demand. Dream team #DemDebate @NewDay panel. @angela_rye , @Bakari_Sellers , @AprilDRyan . pic.twitter.com/r52BHRRiFn — Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) July 31, 2019 We just had church on @CNN . Shout out to @CNN for having @Bakari_Sellers , @AprilDRyan , @angela_rye , & I on @NewDay . Show some love if you want to see more of us. pic.twitter.com/bupZmXOeP8 — Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) July 30, 2019 Cory Booker’s “Kool-Aid” moment – was it delivered right? @AprilDRyan @Bakari_Sellers @Angela_Rye and @AndrewGillum have some fun dissecting the zinger. “With black phrases you don’t enunciate every word,” says Sellers. “He was too pedigreed with it,” adds Ryan. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/SQze6Qd99T — New Day (@NewDay) August 1, 2019 Would you be here for a show with this quartet?
Source: John Greim / Getty If CNN can pull it off, it will have an essential dream team of all-Black panelists for an upcoming political roundtable show. April Ryan, Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye, and Bakari Sellers all made a recent appearance together on the network during one of its morning shows, and it appears the chemistry was undeniable. Page Six reports : We’re told the cable network hopes to hire regular CNN contributors April Ryan, Andrew Gillum, Angela Rye and Bakari Sellers as panelists for a brand-new show. The plan was kicked into high gear following the positive response the group received after appearing on the network’s morning show, “New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman” during the Democratic debates last week. “It was the most excitement on that morning show since Chris Cuomo left as co-anchor,” a source told us. “CNN is fast-tracking talks … to develop it into a stand-alone show. The early chatter is that it could start as a weekend show that would rival MSNBC’s programming with Joy Reid, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Kendis Gibson.” Sounds promising. Hopefully, CNN can pull this off. — Photo: Getty
