Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot early Sunday morning ... when she and Tory Lanez were pulled over, and he got arrested for gun charges.
Megan says, “The narrative that is being reported about Sunday’s morning events are inaccurate and I’d like to set the record straight. On Sunday morning, I suffered gunshot wounds, as a result of a crime that was committed against me and done with the intention to physically harm me."
Megan does not say who pulled the trigger, but she wants to make it clear ... she did nothing wrong. She adds, "I was never arrested, the police officers drove me to the hospital where I underwent surgery to remove the bullets. I’m incredibly grateful to be alive and that I’m expected to make a full recovery, but it was important for me to clarify the details about this traumatic night. I’m currently focused on my recovery, so I can return back to my life and back to making music as soon as possible.”
As we reported, police were responding to reports of multiple gunshots outside a Hollywood Hills party were Meg and Tory had been.
LAPD found a handgun in the SUV that was driving Tory, Meg and another woman -- and Tory was booked for possession of a concealed weapon. To this point ... police have NOT connected Tory to the shots that were fired outside the party.
Director: James “JMP” Pereira Producer: Jiorgi Garlyn Miller Executive Producer: Ben "Lambo" Lambert AD: Thomas Dangy DP: Marcelo Peschiera AC: Alex Taupier 2nd AC: Bruna Pires Drone: Frankie Puentes AC D2: Davin Duran Gaffer: Julian Voltus BB Grip: Roger Olivas Key Grip: All Grip No Stop LLC Gaffer D2: Bryan Sills Art Direction: Jason Wool Editor: Chaz Smedley VFX: thekroot VFX Producer: Tomash Kuzmytskyi VFX Post Production Company: dreambear Color: Kinan Chabani Lead Actress: Ashly Robinson Lead Actor: Freddie Gibbs Supporting Actor: Rick Ross Male Extra: Jorge Miller Stunt Coordinator: Juan Bofill Stuntman: Danny Eorio PA: Alexa Merico
Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp is using more than $1.75 mil to help out "Black and Brown communities" -- making big moves to fight COVID and help people who are behind bars.
Here's the gist of the breakdown ...
COVID-19 Relief -- The Org. believes "COVID-19 disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities" and has earmarked $800,000 in grants to 13 groups that help people affected by the pandemic.
Legal Defense Initiative -- The Org. has said it will help pay legal defense for people arrested in protests after the killing of George Floyd.
We're told, KYRC continues to expand on the defense initiative it was managing nationwide by giving a $500,000 collaborative grant to the National Lawyers Guild to support the defense of thousands of cases throughout the country.
Bail Funds -- KYRC has dedicated $200,000 to various groups in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and more to help cover bail funds.
Essential Living Costs/Rent Relief -- $450k in grants to groups in various cities.
A rep for Colin's organization says it has also teamed up with Impossible Foods to help people experiencing food insecurity since the start of the COVID pandemic.
The group also tells us, "KYRC is proud of the breadth and depth of our community impact during these difficult times."
"We look forward to the partnerships created through the initiatives having both a significant immediate and long term impact. Our efforts to become deeply entrenched in communities and with organizational partners has ensured our ability to maximize the impact on the lives of people living in communities we serve."
Nick Cannon's firing back at ViacomCBS after it dropped him for making anti-Semitic comments -- and he's now claiming it's the media giant that's being divisive, not him ... and he has a list of demands.
"The Masked Singer" host responded to Viacom's decision Wednesday morning, saying, he's "deeply saddened" the company "misused an important moment for us to all grow closer together and learn more about one another" and, instead ... he claims it's trying to "make an example of an outspoken black man."
Cannon vows to not be bullied or silenced, and says Viacom "does not understand or respect the power of the black community."
As we reported, Viacom cut bait with Nick over his comments on his podcast "Cannon's Class" ... where he openly espoused Anti-Jewish, and clearly divisive, rhetoric from Minister Farrakhan. He got a ton of backlash online, and then Viacom dropped the hammer, but Nick alleges the pot's calling the kettle black.
Cannon says ... "I honestly can’t believe that Viacom has such poor council that would allow them to make such a divisive decision in the midst of protests and civil uprising within our current pandemic. Truly an unwise decision."
He goes on to say he hoped his comments could lead to reconciliation and he could "use this moment to show healing and acceptance" ... but claims Viacom has no interest. He also accuses the media giant of banning all advertising that supported George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Nick acknowledges he's had an incredibly successful past with Viacom -- including his Nickelodeon days and the creation of 'Wild 'N Out,' but says the company is "now on the wrong side of history."
He did apologize "if I have furthered the hate speech" ... but also makes it clear he's gonna fight for "full ownership of my billion-dollar 'Wild ‘N Out' brand that I created, and they will continue to misuse and destroy without my leadership! I demand that the hate and back door bullying cease and while we are at it, now that the truth is out, I demand the Apology!"
DJ Absolut was fortunate enough to chop it up with Fred the Godson prior to him passing.
Fred talked about where he rates himself as an artist, upcoming projects, wanting to work with Nas, Eminem and Jay-Z, his admiration for Drake, Meek Mill, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, 2Pac and rated his top 5 DOA emcees.
Gordo ended the interview by spitting a freestyle. Hope y'all enjoy!
Rochester, New York rapper, producer, engineer, Jehovah Nissi, has beeb in the lab working nonstop on new music. His latest release/music video is for "Do My Thang."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nick Cannon’s “hateful speech” and anti-Semitic theories led ViacomCBS to cut ties with the TV host and producer, the media giant said.
“ViacomCBS condemns bigotry of any kind and we categorically denounce all forms of anti-Semitism,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. It is terminating its relationship with Cannon, ViacomCBS said.
The company’s move was in response to remarks made by Cannon on a podcast in which he and Richard “Professor Griff” Griffith, the former Public Enemy member, discussed racial bias. The podcast reportedly was filmed last year and aired two weeks ago.
“We have spoken with Nick Cannon about an episode of his podcast ‘Cannon’s Class’ on YouTube, which promoted hateful speech and spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,” ViacomCBS said.
“While we support ongoing education and dialogue in the fight against bigotry, we are deeply troubled that Nick has failed to acknowledge or apologize for perpetuating anti-Semitism, and we are terminating our relationship with him,” the company said.
Cannon produced “Wild ’n Out,” a comedy improv series for VH1, a ViacomCBS-owned cable channel. He’s been a regular part of TV shows unconnected to the company, including as the former host of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and host of Fox’s “The Masked Singer.”
There was no immediate response to requests for comment made to a representative for Cannon and to him through his website. Fox also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Cannon’s hour-plus podcast, he and Griffin contend that Black people are the true Hebrews and that Jews have usurped their identity.
Cannon then segues into a discussion of skin color — “And I’m going to say this carefully,” he begins — to allege that people who lack sufficient melanin are “a little less.”
Those without dark skin have a “deficiency” that historically forced them to act out of fear and commit acts of violence to survive, he said.
“They had to be savages,” Cannon said, adding that he was referring to “Jewish people, white people, Europeans,” among others.
ViacomCBS’ action came as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball great and writer, condemned several sports and entertainment celebrities for anti-Semitic tweets and posts and what he called a “shocking lack of indignation” in response.
Abdul-Jabbar made his comments in a column for The Hollywood Reporter that didn’t refer to Cannon.
As controversy over his remarks began to bubble up Monday, Cannon replied in a Facebook post.
“I do not condone hate speech nor the spread of hateful rhetoric ... The Black and Jewish communities have both faced enormous hatred, oppression persecution and prejudice for thousands of years and in many ways have and will continue to work together to overcome these obstacles,” he wrote.
In the lengthy post, Cannon also said he welcomed being held accountable for his statement and that he held himself accountable “for this moment and take full responsibility.”
DJ Absolut was fortunate enough to chop it up with Fred the Godson prior to him passing.
Fred talked about where he rates himself as an artist, upcoming projects, wanting to work with Nas, Eminem and Jay-Z, his admiration for Drake, Meek Mill, J. Cole, 2Pac and rates his top 5 DOA emcees.
The NFL has unveiled a face shield prototype that it believes will be a better option than masks to help thwart the on-field spread of COVID-19.
The device revealed on Monday called the Oakley Mouth Shield was developed by Oakley in collaboration with the NFL and NFL Players Association. The league hopes that it’s a more attractive option for players who have pushed back on the idea of wearing masks during gameplay.
The shield is still a work in progress. Whether a finished product will be mandated is unclear. There is no mandate as of now.
Chairman of the NFL’s Engineering Committee Dr. Jeff Crandall told the Associated Press that the league has worked with players to get feedback on the device and will continue to do so.
“The player feedback was integral in coming up with this design,” Crandall said. “They [Oakley] would start with this design and say: ‘Do you like this one better or this one? How’s your field of view on this one?’
“At the end, they did have feedback from players. This was their choice for the players they’ve evaluated so far. I think each player is going to have an evaluation for themselves in terms of exactly how they favor one concept versus another.”
Developing the shield into a device that players will be comfortable wearing is paramount to its viability. Players will likely balk at a device that restricts their vision, which could present safety concerns beyond that of COVID-19.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt already said that he might sit out the season if the NFL mandates face shields after he had a poor experience wearing a visor.
NFLPA medical director Dr. Thom Mayer told ESPN that visibility and breathability have been the biggest concerns voiced by players in the initial development stages. He said that “claustrophobia has not been an issue yet” among the few players who have tested the device.
The shield is clear and has plastic slits. The idea is to block droplets from players’ mouths and noses from spreading while discouraging players from touching their faces during gameplay.
“Clear plastic with slits or holes in it that block any direct path of a droplet, but do promote air flow, communication, soundwaves,” Crandall said.
Police in California are confirming that they found the body of “Glee” star Naya Rivera after days of searching California’s Lake Piru. Authorities say she used the last of her strength to save her young son. TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones reports.
MYSTIC, CT (WFSB) -- Two people suspected in a racially-motivated assault of a woman at an inn in Mystic have been arrested.
According to Stonington police, Philip Sarner and Emily Orbay were found in Brooklyn, NY and taken into custody on Monday by U.S. marshals.
They were extradited to Connecticut later in the day.
Sarner was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree assault and intimidation based on bigotry and bias.
Orbay was charged with two counts of third-degree assault and intimidation based on bigotry and bias.
Sarner and Orbay were both released on their bonds, $75,000 and $50,000 respectively.
They are due in court on July 29.
The arrest warrants for the two suspects were signed last week.
The charges stemmed from a reported incident at the Quality Inn on June 26 involving a Black female employee.
Crystal Caldwell, 59 of Groton, spoke with Channel 3 and said she was the victim of a racist attack while she was working at the front desk at the Quality Inn in Mystic.
"I would love to be at the arraignment. I definitely want to see their hands in handcuffs," Caldwell said.
Her attorney, Joseph Strafaci, released surveillance video of the incident.
Caldwell said she was verbally and physically assaulted. She said she was punched, kicked, and stomped by a man and his girlfriend. While it happened, Boyd said they hurled racial slurs.
"It was uncalled for, unnecessary, and my family has to suffer for the erst of their days on this earth with that," Caldwell said.
Stonington police said authorities in New York actively sought the two suspects.
New episode of Karens Gone Wild. Continental Breakfast Karen & Ken brutally attacked a hotel clerk in Connecticut and called her racial slurs over their hot water not working. #EndRacismpic.twitter.com/tnxasPUpGW
President Trump on Monday again sought to redirect blame for his coronavirus response to the Obama administration.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that increased testing has led to a spike in U.S. COVID-19 cases, was asked by a reporter at the White House whether he was concerned about a resurgence of the virus that has killed more than 135,000 Americans and infected more than 3.3 million.
“We have one of the lowest mortality rates anywhere,” the president said before pivoting to an attack on Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic nominee.
“Biden and Obama stopped their testing,” Trump said. “They just stopped it. You probably know that. I’m sure you don’t want to report it. But they stopped testing. Right in the middle, they just went, ‘No more testing.’”
It’s not entirely clear what Obama-era testing program Trump was referring to. He has previously criticized the Obama administration over its handling of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak, which killed about 12,500 Americans. (On Monday he acknowledged that the so-called swine flu was “a much lesser problem than the one we're having.”)
But it’s not the first time Trump has tried to place blame on Obama and Biden for his halting response to the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 — nearly three years after they left office.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The federal government on Tuesday carried out its first execution in almost two decades, killing by lethal injection a man convicted of murdering an Arkansas family in a 1990s plot to build a whites-only nation in the Pacific Northwest.
The execution of Daniel Lewis Lee came over the objection of the victims’ relatives and following days of legal wrangling and delays.
Lee, 47, of Yukon, Oklahoma, professed his innocence just before he was executed at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
“I didn’t do it,” Lee said. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’m not a murderer.”
His final words were: “You’re killing an innocent man.”
The execution of Lee, who died at 8:07 a.m. EDT, went off after a series of legal volleys that ended when the Supreme Court stepped in early Tuesday in a 5-4 ruling and allowed it to move forward.
But relatives of those killed by Lee in 1996 strongly opposed that idea and long argued that Lee deserved a sentence of life in prison. They wanted to be present to counter any contention that the execution was being done on their behalf.
“For us it is a matter of being there and saying, ‘This is not being done in our name; we do not want this,’” relative Monica Veillette said.
They noted that Lee’s co-defendant and the reputed ringleader, Chevie Kehoe, received a life sentence.
Kehoe, of Colville, Washington, recruited Lee in 1995 to join his white supremacist orgaization, known as the Aryan Peoples’ Republic. Two years later, they were arrested for the killings of gun dealer William Mueller, his wife, Nancy, and her 8-year-old daughter, Sarah Powell, in Tilly, Arkansas, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of Little Rock.
At their 1999 trial, prosecutors said Kehoe and Lee stole guns and $50,000 in cash from the Muellers as part of their plan to establish a whites-only nation.
Prosecutors said Lee and Kehoe incapacitated the Muellers and questioned Sarah about where they could find money and ammunition. Then, they used stun guns on the victims, sealed trash bags with duct tape on their heads to suffocate them, taped rocks to their bodies and dumped them in a nearby bayou.
Directed and Animated by KDC Visions/ @kdcvisions Additional animation by Dario Ricciotti/ @drew94100 and JF Arts/ @jf_arts_vfx Executive Produced By: Brandon “Bibby” Dickinson, George “G Money” Dickinson, Peter "Pete" Jideonwo
Two young men and two teenage boys were charged Monday with killing rap artist Pop Smoke during a robbery at a Hollywood Hills home nearly five months ago.
Corey Walker, 19, and Keandre Rodgers, 18, were expected to be arraigned Monday afternoon on capital murder charges stemming from the Feb. 19 killing of the 20-year-old, New York-based rapper, whose real name was Bashar Jackson.
A special circumstance allegation that the murder was committed during the commission of a robbery and burglary means that, if convicted as charged, Walker and Rodgers would be eligible for a death sentence. Prosecutors will decide later whether to pursue the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole for the defendants, who are also facing gang and gun allegations.
Two boys aged 15 and 17 were charged with murder and robbery in juvenile court, according to the District Attorney's office. Their names were withheld because they are underage.
Officers went to 2033 Hercules Drive in the Hollywood Hills about 4 a.m. in response to a 911 call and found the mortally injured rapper, who was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Los Angeles police said last week, when making five arrests in the case, that investigators believed the men and boys entered Jackson's short-term rental home and shot and robbed him inside. Investigators believe the suspects are "members of a Los Angeles street gang,'' according to police.
Walker, Rodgers and Jaquan Murphy, 21, were arrested Thursday and held on $1 million bail.
Online jail records show that Murphy remains in custody, but shows no pending court date and does not indicate where he is being held.
WAYNESBORO — A game of “cops and robbers” turned deadly Wednesday morning when a 13-year-old boy allegedly pulled a loaded gun from a living-room couch and shot his younger brother in the head in their Waynesboro home.
The defendant, Brayden Leroy Wright, is charged as an adult with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the death of his 9-year-old brother, according to court records. The teen is in Franklin County Jail, denied bail.
The brothers were hanging out in the living room of their Cleveland Avenue home early Wednesday when Wright decided he wanted to play “cops and robbers,” according to the affidavit of probable cause.
The teen said he got a handgun from the couch that he knew his father kept there, and he knew it was loaded. Wright’s father told police he keeps two loaded 9mm handguns in an unlocked compartment in the couch in the living room, for home protection.
Wright told police he was angry that his brother was not listening to him, so he put the muzzle of the gun to the back left side of his brother’s head and pulled the trigger, according to court documents.
The teen said he put the gun back inside the couch after the shooting. He described it as a black and silver handgun, which matched the Smith & Wesson SD-9VE handgun that police found inside the couch compartment while executing a search warrant.
Wright called 911 to report that his brother was injured and needed help. Waynesboro police officers responded shortly after 6 a.m. State police arrived about an hour later.
Police found the 9-year-old bleeding from the head and in cardiac arrest. He was taken to Waynesboro Hospital, where he died.
Medical personnel determined the boy had been shot in the head.
During his interview with police, Wright said he has “some knowledge” about handling a handgun, and that his father told him to never point a gun at another person. He also admitted that he had handled firearms at the home without his parents’ knowledge, likening it to “practicing,” according to police.
Wright is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing at 8:15 a.m. Monday in Franklin County Central Court.
Chicago’s top cop is again calling for community partnerships and additional investments in South and West Side neighborhoods after yet another violent weekend that saw 11 homicides and more than 60 people shot.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown on Monday said he’s already planning to expand a new community policing initiative launched just last week to help grow relationships between police and residents, as gun violence continued to spike over the weekend.
“We should not be seen as an occupying force only there for enforcement,” Brown said during a press conference Monday morning. “So I would say standby. You’ll see community policing on steroids in this department.”
Between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, 11 people were murdered and 53 others were wounded in 50 separate shooting incidents, according to Brown. Of those 64 total victims, six were children.
Among the weekend violence was a shooting in Englewood that left a 45-year-old man dead and three others injured Sunday night. A 20-year-old man was also killed and two teens were injured in a shooting late Sunday at a West Englewood gas station.
The violence continued into early Monday morning with at least two additional homicides: a 26-year-old man was shot and killed in North Lawndale at around 12:30 a.m., and a 27-year-old man was fatally shot in Woodlawn around 1:45 a.m.
Chicago police have recovered 5,100 illegal guns so far this year, Brown said, including 98 in the past week.
Brown’s press conferences have become a grim weekly occurrence as of late following spikes in gun violence weekend after weekend. At least 17 people were killed over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Fourteen people, including three children, were killed the weekend prior to that, and through June, Chicago had matched it’s 2016 homicide pace – a year that finished with more than 760 murders citywide.
The CPD launched a new initiative Saturday with its Summer Mobile Patrol beginning to participate in community service projects every week across Chicago in what the department said is an effort to both tackle serious crimes and address the root causes of violence.
On Monday, Brown said he now wants that patrol to engage in service projects not just once a week, but every single day.
The superintendent has spoken repeatedly in recent weeks about the “open air drug markets” that he said are a main driver of violence and a “pipeline” into the criminal justice system. Brown said policing alone cannot solve these problems, and has called for additional investments and job opportunities in needy neighborhoods.
“If the biggest employer on the West Side for these young people is the drug market, the challenge and the answer is much more than policing,” he said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot echoed those comments at a separate press conference Monday, but said the city has already begun investing in mental health, affordable housing and street outreach and intervention at “historic” levels.
“You look at the root causes of violence, this is generations of lack of investment. Generations where we really haven’t created real opportunities, particularly for young men of color, and they believe their destiny is on a (street) corner,” she said.
“We’re not gonna change that around in a few weeks, but I think the efforts that we are doing both on the short-term interventions, also the longer term strategy, we’re starting to see some difference. Is anybody satisfied with where we are? Of course not. So we’ve got to redouble our efforts.”
Naya Rivera's body has been recovered from Lake Piru ... TMZ has learned.
Ventura County officials said Monday that a body had been found at the lake, and our law enforcement sources have confirmed it is, in fact, her. A press conference sharing the news publicly is forthcoming.
As we reported ... Naya and her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, were swimming in Lake Piru when something terrible happened Wednesday. Josey got back in the boat and when authorities arrived for a check, he told them he and his mom were swimming and he didn't know what happened to her.
Naya made a name for herself as a child actress and model, who appeared in various national TV commercials. She landed the role of Hillary Winston on "The Royal Family" at just 4 years old. She received a nomination for a Young Artist Award.
Naya's big break came in 2009 when she landed the role of Santana Lopez on the FOX hit series, "Glee." She was a talented singer ... signing with Columbia Records in 2011. That same year ... she was part of the "Glee" ensemble nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Don't Stop Believin'."
In 2013, she released a single, "Sorry," featuring Big Sean, whom she dated and was briefly engaged to in 2013, before ending the relationship in 2014.
Naya later dated Josey's father, actor Ryan Dorsey, marrying him in Cabo San Lucas in July 2014. They divorced in 2018 and had been sharing custody of Josey.
She was also no stranger to the big screen ... making her debut in 2014 in the horror film "At the Devil's Door." She also appeared on Lifetime's "Devious Maids."
Last time we saw her was in October 2018 at LAX, ... where we talked to her about doing her own lobbying for a part in Steven Spielberg's flick, "West Side Story."
For years, there was no way to hang ten if there were no waves. Well, no more! Join 2 Chainz as he checks out the JetSurf board, a motorized surfboard that completely removes the need for waves.
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