Things may not be going too well for actor Jonathan Majors, but he may have one move working in his favor.

On Wednesday, Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, filed documents revealing that the driver who transported the Creed III star and his now former girlfriend witnessed the altercation on the night the alleged domestic attack occurred.

According to TMZ, the driver will testify in court that Majors never hit the woman. Documents revealed the woman attempted to steal the actor’s phone and assaulted him. Majors and Chaudhry claim the driver saw the woman allegedly “hitting, scratching, and attacking” him. They added that the driver stopped the vehicle at Majors’ request so the actor could escape from the woman.

Reportedly, video footage shows the woman was not injured. She allegedly headed to a club and got drunk following the dispute. Chaudhry claims the woman’s complaints are a “lie” and said they have access to hours of surveillance footage and screenshots showing the woman partying hard at the club, using the same hand Majors allegedly injured.

In their version of events, Majors and his attorney say the woman showed up at his apartment around 3 a.m. after her club outing. Majors, who was not home then, received several calls and angry text messages that they described as “jealous” and unrelated to any injury or discomfort. When Majors returned to his home at around 11 a.m., the woman was reportedly lying on his closet floor naked and unconscious. There was vomit in his bed, and the woman told Majors she downed a few sleeping pills. The actor called 911, and the woman told paramedics she was unaware of what had happened.

The New York Police Department said the 30-year-old woman suffered minor injuries to her head and neck and was in stable condition when taken to a hospital. Majors was charged in a criminal complaint alleging he struck the woman in her face with his bare hand and bruised her neck after grabbing her.

Since the domestic violence arrest on March 25, Majors has been pulled from an ad campaign with the U.S. Army, dropped by his management team, Entertainment 360, and uninvited to the Met Gala.

• Celebrity News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 20, 2023

Jonathan Majors Fallout Continues As More Alleged Abuse Victims Come Forward

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Jonathan Majors is facing a court date next month on a charge of allegedly striking his girlfriend in March. The Creed III actor was arrested in New York City on assault and harassment charges. According to recent reports, the upcoming court date may be the least of his worries as more women speak out.

According to Variety, several women have come forward with similar accusations against the man whose star was steadily rising until this alleged incident. The upcoming court appearance slated for May 8 may be the start of bigger legal problems for Majors.

Sources close to the matter have expressed to the media outlet there have been multiple alleged abuse victims of the Yale University graduate. The alleged victims have been cooperating with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office in New York. This news comes amid recent revelations that the management team and publicists for Majors cut ties with him recently.

Although the Ant-Man star and his attorneys assert his innocence, he has been dropped by Entertainment 360 just weeks after his PR firm, The Lede Company, removed him from its roster, Deadline reported. The continued public fallout has led premier fashion house Valentino to release a statement saying it “mutually agreed” that Majors would no longer be attending the Met Gala as one of its guests.

“Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated,” said Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry in a written statement.

The once-emerging actor has also removed himself from the Gotham Film and Media Institute board and his work with the Sidney Poitier Initiative. On Wednesday afternoon, Executive Director Jeffrey Sharp relayed a note to the Gotham board about the voluntary removal.

The Hollywood Reporter reported that the United States Army removed ads that featured Majors during the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament last month after reports of the arrest surfaced.

Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers have also cut Majors from an ad campaign slated to begin on Friday. On top of that, several projects he was involved with are up in the air, such as the studio behind the planned 48 Hours in Vegas project, based on former NBA champion Dennis Rodman.

It’s the same situation with Spike Lee’s “Da Understudy,” which Majors is supposed to star and produce with Will Smith.

“I think the truth is everyone is waiting to see what Marvel will do,” says an industry insider familiar with the situation. “It doesn’t mean everyone will do the same thing, but that’s what people are looking to.”

• News

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

April 20, 2023

Timeline Of Events: Ralph Yarl Shooting From Incident To Arrest

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It’s been a triggering week for the Black community after learning that yet another unarmed Black child was shot for being Black. The details surrounding the shooting incident that left 16-year-old Ralph Yarl hospitalized for two gunshot wounds devastated his parents, protesters, and legal advocates.

A Kansas City homeowner, who has been accused of shooting the teenager, has been identified as an older, white man and officials state that there was a racial component to the shooting.

According to CNN, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson has announced that Andrew Lester has been arrested and charged with two felony charges for shooting Ralph Yarl in the head last week.

“I can tell you there was a racial component to this case,” Thompson said at a news conference on Monday.

Lester is being charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action, according to a tweet from Ben Crump:

BREAKING: A Clay County prosecutor has filed charges against Andrew Lester for the shooting of 16-yo #RalphYarl. The 85-yo white man will be charged with assault in the 1st degree and armed criminal action. https://t.co/RT73dk6XDm

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 17, 2023

After mistakenly going to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings in Kansas City, Yarl was allegedly shot in the head and arm by the 84-year-old white man when he appeared at his door.

Here’s a timeline of events from the shooting of 16-year-old Yarl leading up to Lester’s arrest:

Thursday, April 13

• • A Black teenager, 16, named Ralph Yarl mistakenly goes to the wrong house when going to pick up his younger brothers and allegedly gets shot twice by a white homeowner, Andrew Lester, in Kansas City, Missouri
  • After being shot, Yarl, while bleeding, goes to three different homes before someone finally helps him and calls police officers
  • Kansas City police officers arrived at the scene before 10 p.m. and Lester is taken to the hospital
  • Lester is then arrested in connection to the shooting the 16-year-old Black teenager

Friday, April 14

• • While Yarl lies in the hospital receiving medical aid for his wounds, police officers release Lester after holding him for 24 hours; the investigation into the incident continues.

Saturday, April 15

• • After news of the incident goes to the press, local residents begin to protest the shooting of the unarmed Black teenager
  • Residents go to the scene of the shooting and vandalize Lester’s home
  • While Yarl recuperates in the hospital, a police investigation determines that charges should be brought against Lester

Sunday, April 16

• • Yarl is released from the hospital and sent home to recover from his gunshot wounds

Monday, April 17

• • An arrest warrant is issued for Lester’s arrest
  • A press conference by Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson reveals the arrest warrant, and suggests charges against Lester are “a racial component to this case.”
  • A GoFundMe is created for Yarl and quickly raises more than $2.5 million within 24 hours.
  • Lester is arrested and charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action

It’s been reported that no words were exchanged between Lester and Yarl. Lester is accused of shooting Yarl through his glass door before going outside to fire an additional shot to Yarl’s body. The teenager never set foot in his home and was shot with a .32 caliber revolver.

RELATED CONTENT: Ahmaud Arbery’s Mother Seeks Face-to-Face Meeting with Ralph Yarl In the Wake of Missouri Shooting Incident

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday extended by two days a temporary block on limits set by lower courts on access to the abortion pill mifepristone in a challenge by anti-abortion groups to the drug’s federal regulatory approval.

The decision to keep the matter on hold gives the justices a bit more time to consider requests by President Joe Biden’s administration and the pill’s manufacturer Danco Laboratories to block an April 7 preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas that would greatly limit the availability of mifepristone while the litigation proceeds.

Alito’s order extended the pause on the dispute until Friday at 11:59 p.m. EDT (0359 GMT on Saturday). He had previously halted the lower court rulings until the end of Wednesday.

The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority.

The administration is seeking to defend mifepristone in the face of mounting abortion bans and restrictions enacted by Republican-led states since the Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized the procedure nationwide. Alito authored that ruling.

The White House is prepared for a long legal fight on the issue, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

“We’re clearly keeping a close eye on this. … We are prepared for any outcome the Supreme Court may issue,” Jean-Pierre said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. agency that signs off on the safety of food products, drugs and medical devices, approved mifepristone in 2000. The current case could undercut federal regulatory authority over drug safety.

“We will continue to stand with FDA’s evidence-based approval of mifepristone,” Jean-Pierre added. “… And we will continue to support FDA’s independent expert authority to review, approve and regulate a wide range of prescription drugs.”

Mifepristone is used in combination with another drug called misoprostol to perform medication abortions, which account for more than half of all U.S. abortions.

The administration and Danco told the justices in their filings that mifepristone might not be available for months if the restrictions were allowed to take effect.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on April 12 declined to block the curbs ordered by Kacsmaryk. The 5th Circuit did halt a part of Kacsmaryk’s order that would have suspended the FDA approval of the drug and effectively pull it off the market.

The restrictions, if enacted, would roll back actions taken by the FDA in recent years to make it easier to access mifepristone after confirming the pill’s safety and efficacy.

Those actions include in 2021 allowing mifepristone to be distributed by mail, and in 2016 approving its use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven weeks, reducing the dosage required and cutting the number of in-person doctor visits from three to one.

Current drug labels for mifepristone would have to be adjusted to account for the restored limits on its use, a process that the Justice Department and Danco previously said could last months, complicating access to the pill.

The restrictions would also suspend the approval of the pill’s generic version made by GenBioPro Inc, which accounts for two-thirds of the mifepristone used in the United States for medication abortions.

Nevada-based GenBioPro on Wednesday filed a lawsuit naming the FDA as a defendant seeking to ensure that it can continue selling its pill amid the ongoing legal challenges. GenBioPro named the FDA as a defendant so that it can ask a court to order the agency to keep the drug on the market.

Reuters/Ipsos public opinion polling shows little support for recent steps to further restrict abortion access.

A majority of Americans – some 68%, including 46% of Republicans – oppose Kacsmaryk’s decision overturning FDA approval of mifepristone. Some 56% of respondents said they have an unfavorable view of the Supreme Court.

• News

by Booker Jones

April 20, 2023

5 Kids Reunited with Parents Two Months After Marijuana-Related Traffic Stop

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The five Georgia children taken from their parents almost two months ago after a traffic stop in Tennessee have returned home. 

According to the Tennessee Lookout, Bianca Clayborne and Deonte Williams were stopped by Tennessee State Troopers for driving with a dark tint and traveling in the left lane without passing. During the traffic stop, state troopers found five grams of marijuana.

Williams was arrested, and Clayborne was given a ticket and told she could leave with her children. 

However, while waiting to post bail for Williams, all five children were taken from their parents. Initially, the children – ages 7, 5, 3, 2, and a four months – were split between three foster homes. However, a friend of the family got custody of the children shortly afterward. 

A Black family from Georgia was pulled over in rural Tennessee for driving with ‘dark tint and traveling in the left lane while not actively passing’

Within hours, they had lost custody of all five of their children, including a nursing babyhttps://t.co/iiiG1mI3HD via @TNLookout

— Anita Wadhwani (@anitawadhwani) March 16, 2023

Department of Children Services (DCS) received an order to remove the children from their parents’ home because they said the children were being neglected and there was no other option, the Lookout reported. The DCS said the children referred to their father as the “weed man” and that they accompanied their parents on drug deals.

In trying to get back their kids, Williams and Clayborne had to take drug tests. Williams tested positive for THC, while Clayborne tested negative, according to the Lookout.

The case got the attention of several organizations and politicians. The Tennessee NAACP and Democratic lawmakers spoke out on the family’s behalf.  As a result, the children were finally returned to their parents’ home in Georgia last week.

“The family is planning a celebration in their hometown,” Courtney Teasley, the family’s attorney said. “We will follow up with a press conference and celebration in Nashville in about a week or so after the family has gotten to enjoy time together and reclaim so much unnecessary lost time.”

WMX, the next-generation artist services, media and creative content division of Warner Music Group, announced the launch of Iconic Records, a visual podcast series illuminating the most iconic albums in pop culture. The debut season, which coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop, focuses on The Notorious B.I.G. and his legendary final album, 1997’s Life After Death. The eight-episode series is hosted by “The Voice of New York,” Angie Martinez.

Throughout the series, Martinez is joined by hip hop luminaries who participated in the creation of, or were influenced by, Biggie’s 11x-platinum double-LP magnum opus. Guests include Lil Cease, Fat Joe, Pusha T, Rick Ross, and Too $hort as well as additional surprise appearances. Throughout their conversations, Martinez and her guests reminisce about the making of the album and explore the cultural impact of Life After Death, as well as Biggie’s broader legacy.

Iconic Records: Life After Death will premiere on the new WMX Hip-Hop channel (Ch. 1137) on The Roku Channel on April 29^th at 8p EST / 5p PST. Viewers can also watch the visual podcast on The Notorious B.I.G’s YouTube Channel, and listeners can stream across all major audio podcast platforms starting May 1^st.

Radio Hall of Famer Angie Martinez has nearly 25 years of on-air experience and has interviewed artists and icons alike from Michelle Obama to Taraji P. Henson. She’s also a New York Times best-selling author, actress, television host, and GRAMMY-nominated recording artist. Additionally, last year she launched her hit podcast IRL with Angie Martinez.

“It’s an honor to host the first-ever season of Iconic Records. Biggie was, and still is, one of the most important artists of our lifetime and Life After Death is a masterpiece!” said Martinez. “To collaborate with WMX on this series has been an incredible experience. It’s especially meaningful as we also pay homage to 50 years of hip hop and how it’s changed the course of history.”

“The Notorious B.I.G. is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. His work has been examined and reviewed before, but this series provides new stories and firsthand accounts by the people that were there. It’s something special,” adds Wayne Barrow, manager of The Notorious B.I.G.

“We’re excited to be able to share stories about the albums that have shaped entire generations so profoundly – beginning with Biggie’s Life After Death,” said Ben Blank, President, Media & Creative Content, WMX. “The launch of Iconic Records embraces the huge appetite and need for unique content tailored for genre-specific audiences. WMX lives at a crossroads where artists, content, and experiences converge to reach music fans where they are, and this exciting series is the first of many forums in which we will continue to tell the stories about the art that shapes and inspires our culture.”

The series is executive produced by Angie Martinez and Kevin Hofman (WMX), and directed by Bonsu Thompson, in collaboration with the Estate of Christopher Wallace.

To view the official trailer, please visit: https://www.iconicrecords.com/

by Sharelle B. McNair

April 20, 2023

First Black-Owned, Woman-Owned Dispensary In Arizona Will Open—Wait for It—on 4/20

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There is more than just cactus growing in Arizona. A new cannabis company its making its mark in the southwest as the first Black-woman owned dispensary in the state.

Fourtwenty Collections was started in 2016 by Marvina Thomas with a focus on CBD-infused soap. “I founded my business with a bar of soap to help a friend with a skin condition. To this day, I make it my mission to help others,” Thomas said in a news release.

Thomas opened shop in Las Cruces, NM, last year and then decided to take it up a notch with CBD skincare and THC– and CBD-infused edibles. Now, according to MJ Biz Daily, she has acquired a vertically integrated medical dispensary license in Arizona.

“It has always been my dream to become the first Black-, women-owned, Arizona dispensary,” Thomas explained. “We are excited to inspire others to reach for the stars and have made history with our acquisition of the Safford license.” Collections is one of six new licenses issued in the state.

Thomas plans on opening on a very important holiday to cannabis fans across the country, April 20, also known as 4/20.

Not only is this the first Black-woman owned dispensary in Arizona, David Fowler, co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association of Arizona, said Thomas is the first Black marijuana store owner in the entire state.

“We look forward to becoming a part of the community there,” Thomas said.

As a former registered nurse, the money she makes from her new endeavors goes toward her nonprofit, Start Living Inc., helping people impacted by alcohol and substance abuse successfully reenter society. Her business offers job opportunities to graduates upon course completion.

More and more dispensaries are opening across the country. In December, New York’s first recreational dispensary opened. Last week, Black-owned dispensary Nuggets Cannibas Co., opened in Detroit.

• News

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

April 19, 2023

3 Teens Arrested After Fatally Shooting 9-Months Pregnant Woman in Case of Mistaken Identity

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Three Baton Rouge, Louisiana, teenagers are in police custody after fatally shooting a pregnant woman just days away from giving birth.

Kerisha Johnson, 36, died on Sunday at the alleged hands of three teenage suspects: Marques Porch, 19, Gregory Parker, 19, and Derrick Curry, 19, who allegedly fired rounds into her car in a case of mistaken identity, ABC News reports.

The shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. on North Carrollton Avenue near Renoir Avenue. Johnson was killed attempting to pick up people from a party she had just dropped off moments earlier, according to WAFB.

Officers found Johnson dead inside her car after responding to reports of shots fired. She tried to flee but was struck by the gunfire, killing her and her unborn child. Johnson was “due to give birth within several days,” authorities said.

The party was reportedly promoted as an Easter celebration for teens. Johnson was driving toward the party when “several individuals” started firing into her white sedan, believing she was shot into the air near the party earlier in the day while driving a similar car.

“It was just senseless,” Deanna Williams, a childhood friend of Johnson, told WBRZ. “She was an innocent person.”

An arrest warrant states that video footage shows the alleged gunmen “raising firearms, pointing them at the victim’s vehicle and then firing” before fleeing the scene.

Porch, Parker, and Curry were all booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree feticide. Porch, who allegedly told authorities he provided the firearms to the other two teens before the shooting, was shot during the gunfire but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

“They all stated that they believed the white car was a vehicle from earlier in the night where [an] occupant had fired a round into the air as it drove past the teen party,” the warrant stated.

Porch was “immediately terminated” from his job as a corrections employee with the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office following his arrest on Sunday. During a court hearing on Monday, the three suspects were ordered held without bond after the shooting.

• News

by Iman Milner

April 19, 2023

Netflix In Hot Water Over Kanye West Documentary After Woman Files Suit For Exploitation

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jeen-yuhs: A Kanye West Trilogy may have been a welcomed walk down memory lane for fans of the Chicago rapper, but for one woman, it made her revisit a dark period in her life.

Cynthia Love, who is filing a lawsuit against Netflix and jeen-yuhs creators Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, says she was exploited by the directors of West’s “Through The Wire” music video during a time in her life when she was in an “altered state and not capable of providing consent.” The documentary used footage from the video, earning Simmons and Ozah a reported $30 million. Love is seeking a minimum of $30,000 in damages.

The Chicago woman says that she faced issues with addiction at the time the video was recorded but has now been sober for 18 years, according to TMZ. After spending time repairing her relationship with family and friends and building a professional life for herself, Love says the documentary revealed her past to people unaware of her past struggles. Simmons was contacted by Love’s son about his decision to include her footage in the documentary, and he allegedly responded by saying he assumed she was dead, according to TMZ.

“Through The Wire” was the lead single from Kanye West’s debut album, The College Dropout, which has sold four million copies worldwide and earned the rapper the Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2004. The video became a cultural phenomenon following the controversial rapper’s near-death accident, the aftermath of which he chronicled in the visuals. The song itself spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts and is considered, by many, to be one of the most prolific songs in hip-hop history. Featuring cameos from Jay-Z, comedian Deray Davis and West’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, the video was a rap classic at a time when stations dedicated to premiering music videos had heavy airplay.

An Oklahoma jail is on the hot seat after a former detainee is diagnosed with a severe facial rash and facial cellulitis.

Oklahoma woman Chandra Graham has filed a federal lawsuit against the Oklahoma County Detention Center (OCDC), alleging she suffered severe facial burns while in custody.

According to ABC News, the suit claims Graham was “subjected to inhuman conditions of confinement in the suicide watch wing” during her time at the detention center. The lawsuit names nine trustees representing the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, the sheriff, the OCDC, and detention center officer Corporal McKinley.

After being taken into custody at an Oklahoma jail on March 24, 2021, Graham was reportedly detained in a suicide watch cell with no running water. The woman’s attorney, Peter Scimeca, said the water was off due to an overflow of feces and urine on the floor. The lawsuit stated that a mix of unknown chemicals and other substances splashed onto Graham’s face, and medical records show the woman was moved to a dry cell.

“She was crying out for help for hours, asking for a cup of water to clean her face,” said Scimeca. “[The corrections officers] let her scream in agony and pain instead of getting her an effing cup of water and her skin was burning. That’s how sorry those conditions are.”

Graham’s lawsuit was filed by Sebastian Van Coevorden, who said the woman was moved to a behavioral health unit where she was ignored for medical aid over 50 times.

“Time and time again, it comes from a lack of training, but also just an indifference to the conditions that Miss Graham had to deal with,” Van Coevorden said, adding that Graham’s family took her to the hospital following her release from the detention center.

“Even worse, when she’s finally released, and it’s so apparent that this girl has burnt her face off, they start trying to make excuses. And the excuse is she did it to herself,” Scimeca said.

The suit states that Graham was diagnosed by the hospital with chemical burns linked to a combination of urine and feces. Additionally, she was diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis in both eyes. 

Graham reportedly filed the lawsuit on March 27, 2023.