Source: Chicago Tribune / Getty R. Kelly and his legal struggles will continue to mount for the unforeseeable future and deservedly so . Kelly was in court Friday for an arraignment hearing for his racketeering and sexual misconduct charges in New York and was denied bail in the process. Variety reports : he singer, wearing blue prison togs over an orange shirt, pleaded not guilty to the charges through his attorneys, Douglas Anton and Steven Greenberg. While he looked ahead through most of the hearing, Kelly smiled ruefully and nodded briefly at girlfriends Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, who were seated with two other associates of the singer; the two women each let out a sympathetic sigh as Kelly was led into the courtroom in prison togs. He did not address the courtroom except to tell the judge that he understood the charges against him. Attorneys for the government claimed that if the 52-year-old singer were released on bond, he would be a flight risk with a serious danger of obstruction of justice and noted the allegations of his sexual crimes against minors. They also noted his “lengthy and wide-ranging history of criminal conduct” and said that during his 2002 child-pornography trial, of which he was acquitted in 2008, there were multiple claims of obstruction of justice — specifically “paying off and intimidating witnesses not to appear” — and noted the assistance of his “inner circle” with those obstruction claims. The outlet adds in its reporting that among the 13 known alleged victims, five were connected to the matter in New York. — Photo: Getty
Source: Leon Bennett / Johnny Nunez / Getty Blac Chyna And YBN Almighty Jay Seen Together In Houston What’s going on here??? Just a few weeks ago YBN Almighty Jay accompanied Dream Doll to Colombia while she got her tummy knifed up and took her on a helicopter date while she recovered. But now, it seems the teen is back being friendly with his ex-GF Blac Chyna. The pair was spotted visiting a Houston area restaurant together. Seems like Chyna was on Jay’s turf since (we assume) he lives in Houston. He is signed to Texas area music label Rap-A-Lot. Their reunion is interesting because in a recent ‘ Breakfast Club ‘ interview, Chyna acted like she was completely done “playing” with Jay. But here they are, again… View this post on Instagram Thanks for all the support @theshaderoom @blacchyna @ybnalmightyjay A post shared by The Turkey Leg Hut & Company (@turkeyleghut) on Aug 4, 2019 at 8:13pm PDT Meanwhile, Dream Dol l seems to already know what Jay has been up to. She’s already dropped him like a bad habit. Dream reminded everyone that she’s “single” on her IG page, despite canoodling with the teen just a few weeks ago. View this post on Instagram Stop reporting back to me about niggas actions please and thank you ! A post shared by The Original DreamDoll (@dreamdoll) on Aug 3, 2019 at 9:42pm PDT In related news, Blac Chyna noticeably switched her hair up to red finger waves for her reunion with her teen lover. Are you feeling Chyna’s new hairstyle? View this post on Instagram Category is FACE @jamaalterrance @kendrasboutique A post shared by Blac Chyna (@blacchyna) on Aug 2, 2019 at 7:53pm PDT Hit the flip for more of Blac Chyna and her new red hairdo.
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Eric Garner Killer Daniel Pantaleo Suspended The man who killed Eric Garner , Officer Daniel Pantaleo, has been suspended while NYPD Deputy Commissioner and departmental administrative judge Rosemarie Maldonado decides whether or not he should be fired according to GulfNews . Pantaleo used a chokehold that had been banned by the department and ignored Garner’s pleas for breath while he was being arrested for harmless cigarette sales. NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill suggested Pantaleo be fired and the community is encouraged by better-late-than-never semblance of justice: “Today, we finally saw a step toward justice and accountability,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. “And I hope that this will now bring the Garner family a sense of closure and the beginning of some peace,” he added. Firing is the bare minimum of consequences that Pantaleo should face. We’d much rather see him in a prison cell than on LinkedIn.
I f it wasn’t clear following last week’s mass shooting in Gilroy, California , this past weekend’s back-to-back weekend shootings in El Paso , Texas, and Dayton , Ohio, respectively, exposed the nation’s lack of laws for domestic terrorism. But with officials announcing that the El Paso shooting that killed 20 people would be treated as domestic terrorism , the deadly gun violence also exposed which presidential candidates have thrown their support behind domestic terrorism legislation that has stalled in Congress. Many politicians and pundits alike tend to use deadly episodes like the three mass shootings in the past two weeks as reasons to ramp up the rhetoric for tighter gun laws, but Senate Democrats have already taken that talk a step further by introducing Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin ’s Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019 back in March. S.894 has 19 co-sponsors. But that number was only made up of half the presidential candidates who are also Senators: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker , California Sen. Kamala Harris , Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders . Conspicuously missing from that list were three other presidential candidates who are Senators: Michael Bennett of Colorado, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. That’s right, Elizabeth Warren, the person who has been lauded for having a plan for everything, has not co-sponsored the fledgling legislation against domestic terrorism, an issue that has been pushed to the forefront in just one week’s time. Warren did recently denounce white supremacy as domestic terrorism, but her efforts to get a law passed about it have been unclear aside from what appears to be her absence from being involved in the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019. Meanwhile, the co-sponsorship by Booker, Harris and Klobuchar immediately gives them a ton of political capital on the topic that is bound to dominate future presidential debates and interviews as the country grapples with the fallout from a problem it doesn’t seem properly equipped to answer. However, since Klobuchar has become a fringe candidate whose campaign may not even last until the next debate, Booker and Harris — the latter of whom has flirted with being a frontrunner among Democrats — could emerge as difference-makers on helping to get the domestic terrorism law on the books. There was also the House’s Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019 for which at least one prominent Congresswoman running for president has not signed on. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is specifically designed to address and specifically NAMES White Nationalism as a terror threat. It only has 10 co-sponsors in the House. Why isn't 2020 candidate @TulsiGabbard on this bill ? https://t.co/YXHVxBegYV — Jason Johnson (@DrJasonJohnson) August 4, 2019 The idea of investigating the El Paso shooting as domestic terrorism was also interesting because even though mass shootings disproportionately waged by white American males have been on the rise for almost a quarter of a century, Esquire reminded readers in June that “the Department of Justice cannot label such acts as terrorism because there is no law under which they can do it.” According to the American Civil Liberties Union, Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act expands “the type of conduct that the government can investigate when it is investigating ‘terrorism’” but “does not create a new crime of domestic terrorism.” All of which emphasizes why Durbin’s bill was especially important in the wake of this weekend’s carnage that on face value certainly seemed deserving of being labeled domestic terrorism. The El Paso shooter, who police managed to arrest, reportedly left behind a racist manifesto that indicated he traveled more than 10 hours by car to the border town in order to kill “Hispanics.” Not only does that type of premeditation mandate a hate crime charge, but domestic terror also fits perfectly into that narrative. Aside from the requisite “thoughts and prayers” offered by politicians following mass shootings, it will be interesting to see how sitting U.S. Senators try to explain why they did not co-sponsor Durbin’s bill that has now taken on an added sense of urgency. SEE ALSO: The El Paso Shooting Was The Most American Day America Is Infested With Domestic White Male Terrorists [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3850202″ overlay=”true”]
Source: AFP Contributor / Getty D.J. Cooper Suspended By FIBA For Suspicious Drug Test Results D.J. Cooper, who was once a stand-out basketball player during his time at Ohio University, was suspended from competition by the International Basketball Federation (better known as FIBA) back in 2018. Now, according to a new report from Eurohoops , Cooper’s two-year-long suspension came after a drug test administered by the governing body revealed that he was pregnant. Cooper–who was looking to join the Bosnian national team last year–tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that’s produced by pregnant women. Of course, this means that the urine used for the test wasn’t actually his, but instead, came from Cooper’s pregnant girlfriend. FIBA immediately suspended the player for fraud. Cooper’s suspension means that he is ineligible to play internationally until June of 2020. D.J. played for the Bobcats from 2009-2013, starting in nearly every game in his collegiate career. After going undrafted, the guard took his talents to Europe. He played two seasons in the Greek League, for both Panathinaikos and AEK Athens, and then three in the French league with three different teams. So, for anyone out there looking to pass a drug test with their significant other’s pee–you should probably consider the fact that pregnancy is detectable through urine.
Amber Portwood continues to make very strong insinuations and accusations on social media. The embattled Teen Mom OG star, who was arrested on July 5 for felony assault against Andrew Glennon, took to her official Instagram account one month after this incident and seemed to make a very bold claim. What did she say? What should we take from this since-deleted message? And how might this affect the case against Amber going forward? Scroll down to help us figure out the answer to these pressing questions… 1. Remember How Amber and Andrew’s Fight Started? We don’t need to rehash the entire morning of the arrest here, but it took place on July 5. The coupld allegedly got into an argument a few hours after they hit traffic and therefore missed out on a July Fourth fireworks show. 2. From There? Amber went off on Andrew, he told police, throwing a shoe at his head and eventually taking a machete to a closed bathroom door, behing which Andrew was hiding with 14-month old son James. 3. It Got Really Bad Andrew told the cops that he feared for both his life and the life of James, who he was holding in his arms at the time. 4. What Has Amber Said About the Arrest Itself? Nothing at all. We’re sure she has to keep quiet for legal reasons, but sources have said she denies the machete part of this story and that she DID throw a shoe at Glennon, but it barely grazed his face. 5. What Has Amber Said About Andrew? That’s a different story. She has seemingly shaded him on multiple occasions, perhaps trying to subtly offer up a few reasons for her alleged attack. 6. For Example? Portwood posted this meme on Instagram, only to delete it a short while later. Was she stating that Glennon had been cheating on her? View Slideshow
A ctress Keke Palmer has broken several barriers in the realm of entertainment. She was the first Black person to play the role of Cinderella on Broadway and she also made history as television’s youngest talk show host five years ago. The Illinois-bred star recently hit another major milestone in her career. According to Deadline , she landed a deal with ABC to join the daytime talk show Strahan and Sara . Keke Palmer Nears Deal To Join ‘Strahan And Sara’ As Third Co-Host https://t.co/dwYv9QWSvb pic.twitter.com/gXiyncyWsa — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) August 1, 2019 Palmer has made several guest appearances on the show hosted by former NFL player Michael Strahan and journalist Sara Haines . She was filling in for Haines while she was on maternity leave. Cognizant of the great chemistry displayed between the hosts, the show’s producers decided to give Palmer a permanent role. The Strahan and Sara team hopes that her presence on the daytime talk show will attract a younger audience. “Keke has been so much fun filling in, so they decided to make her an offer,” an individual involved in the deal told Page Six . “The audience knows her and she’s got great chemistry with both [hosts].” The deal is slated to be finalized soon. Palmer hopes that her journey will inspire Black youth to reach for the stars. “I just want them to know that they can achieve many things if they believe that they can,” she said in an interview with BET . “I know that sounds like a cliche or maybe even corny, but honestly it is the truth, you must believe that all things are possible. Having faith is so important.” The 25-year-old has several other projects in the works. She released a new single dubbed “Twerk N Flirt” on August 2. She also stars in the upcoming movie Hustlers with Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez . The film is slated to hit theaters this fall. SEE ALSO: #BlackGirlMagic: Simone Manuel Makes History At FINA World Championship Serena Williams Invests In Startup Focused On Maternal Health [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3882606″ overlay=”true”]
I t’s been over a year since Debra Lee stepped down from the helm of BET, and the businesswoman is continuing to make power moves. According to Black Enterprise , Lee was recently appointed to join AT&T’s board of directors. Debra Lee, former chairman and CEO of BET Networks, joined AT&T's board while she is leaving Twitter's board https://t.co/We4XdgNIat — Variety (@Variety) July 29, 2019 Lee was tapped to join the board of the telecommunications company for her business acumen and leadership in the media industry. During her tenure as the CEO and chairman of BET, she developed new platforms and outlets that celebrated Black entertainment and artistry and she was a leading force in increasing the network’s budget by 50 percent. She started her journey with BET in 1986 and worked hard to rise up the ranks. Amongst some of the projects that she spearheaded was the creation of BET.com, the BET Awards, the BET Experience festival and the Centric network. She joins AT&T’s board of directors after the company acquired Time Warner in an $85.4 billion deal. “Debra’s outstanding leadership, deep expertise and strong track record in the entertainment and media industry will be terrific additions to our board of directors,” AT&T chairman and CEO, Randall Stephenson said in a statement, according to Deadline . “Her unique perspective as a media industry leader and operations executive, and her lifetime commitment to community service give her valuable insights I look forward to having on our board.” Serving on boards is nothing new to Lee. She has been on boards at Marriott International Inc. and Twitter. She currently serves on the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s board. Her appointment comes at a time where there is a major need for racial diversity on boards. According to Reuters , between the years of 2016 and 2018, African Americans only accounted for 5 percent of new board directors. SEE ALSO: What’s Next For BET After Debra Lee Steps Down As CEO And Chairman? Serena Williams Appointed To Join Poshmark’s Board Of Directors [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3882606″ overlay=”true”]
B lack scholars across the country are displaying excellence and making history in the process. According to WLFI , Amber Johnson recently became the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in computer science at Purdue University. Amber Johnson, a two time HBCU alumna just became the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science from Purdue University. #HBCU4Life #AKAXO #AKA1908 #LemoyneOwenCollege #LOCMagicians #JacksonStateUniversity #TheeILove https://t.co/QDPFzl2iuh — Xi Omega AKA (@akaxo) August 3, 2019 Johnson’s passion for technology developed at an early age. She received her first computer before she turned 10 and enjoyed fixing tech gadgets. She took her love for tech into adulthood and earned an undergraduate degree in computer science from LeMoyne-Owen College and her master’s degree from Jackson State. While pursuing her Ph.D. in computer science at Purdue she was mentored by Dr. Raquel Hill who was the first Black woman to earn a computer science Ph.D. from Harvard 17 years ago. Dr. Hill hooded Johnson during her graduation ceremony. For Johnson, representation in STEM is important. She is using her journey as an avenue to inspire others; similar to how Dr. Hill inspired her to break barriers in computer science. “I don’t look the stereotypical computer scientist,” she told The Exponent in a statement. “You don’t find many black women in this academic space. This is what computer science can look like.” Outside of her studies, Johnson has been dedicated to paying it forward and empowering the next generation of tech leaders. She volunteers with Black Girls Rock Tech and Girls Who Code. As far as her next chapter, Johnson will serve as a software engineer at Northrup Grumman; a company focused on defense and aerospace technology. Dr. Hill is beyond proud of Johnson’s accomplishment. “It’s not just for us, it is for others,” she said in a statement. “It’s for others to actually see us and understand what they are able also to accomplish.” SEE ALSO: #BlackGirlMagic: Graduate Receives Master’s Degree, Law Degree In Same Week Dr. Patrice A. Harris Officially Becomes American Medical Association’s First Black Woman President [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3882606″ overlay=”true”]
R epresentation matters. Earlier this week Philadelphia children gathered in awe around the newest addition to West Passyunk’s Smith Playground; a statue inspired by the late legendary athlete Ora Washington . According to CBS Philly , the sculpture—dubbed “MVP”—was added to the park as a part of Philly’s 60th Anniversary of the Percent for Art Programs. The statue is inspired by Philadelphia athlete Ora Washington. https://t.co/tZI3jz542O — CBS Philly (@CBSPhilly) July 31, 2019 The statue—which was created by Brian McCutcheon —stands at 5 foot 4 inches tall and depicts a young girl playing basketball. Washington, a Philadelphia native, broke barriers on both the tennis and basketball courts. While playing basketball for the Germantown Hornets, she led them to a national women’s title in 1930 and helped them earn 33 consecutive wins the following year. She also played with the Philadelphia Tribune Girls between the years of 1932 and 1942. Her athletic abilities went beyond the basketball court. Often referred to as the “Queen of Tennis,” she won the American Tennis Association’s national singles title eight times and won 12 straight double championships; marking her place in history as a sports legend. Bringing the plan for the statue to fruition was a collaborative effort between the Percent for Art Program, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Make the World Better Foundation, and Councilwoman Kenyatta Johnson . Leaders of the initiative hope that the sculpture will inspire youth—specifically young girls—to realize their dreams. “The children and teens that come to Smith Playground everyday can see and be inspired by this powerful sculpture that looks like someone in their community,” Kelly Lee , Philadelphia’s Chief Cultural Officer, told Patch in a statement. “My hope is, like the Rocky statue, MVP will become a local destination where people will come, replicate the pose, take photos, or selfies and if only for a moment feel like a MVP – a most valuable player.” Throughout the years Washington has received several posthumous accolades for her accomplishments in sports. In the 1980s she was inducted into Temple University’s Sports Hall of Fame. She also has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. SEE ALSO: New Book Highlights The Legacy Of Black Cyclist Marshall Taylor Black Teacher Gives Students Haircuts For Graduation [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3883319″ overlay=”true”]
