Farrakhan Sues Anti-Defamation League For $5 Billion
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan took legal action against the Anti-Defamation League on Oct. 16, as the New York Post reported.
In his lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Farrakhan seeks a substantial $4.8 billion in damages. At the heart of his legal complaint is the allegation that the ADL, a prominent civil rights organization, has infringed on his First Amendment rights by erroneously branding him an “antisemite.”
Farrakhan argues that the ADL’s labeling has perpetuated a “false narrative” that has unfairly tarnished his reputation and that of the Nation of Islam.
He stated, “This lawsuit is to ensure that the abuse, misuse, and false use of the terms’ anti-Semite,’ ‘anti-Semitic,’ and ‘antisemitism,’ as falsely charged by the [ADL], is permanently barred from being a tool to defame [Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam] and stifle the exercise of constitutional rights.”
In the legal documents, he adamantly denies accusations of promoting antisemitism, asserting that he has never harmed or advocated harm to any Jewish individuals.
Farrakhan further expresses his respect and admiration for several Jewish community members, including his boyhood idol, the celebrated violinist Jascha Heifetz, a Russian Jew, and his Jewish violin teachers. Characterizing his ongoing dispute with the ADL as a “battle of Biblical proportions,” he has bolstered his court filing with an extensive 787-page collection of supporting documents.
The lawsuit has spotlighted Farrakhan’s history of controversial statements and beliefs and his alleged promotion of harmful stereotypes. The ADL and other organizations have previously criticized Farrakhan for promoting conspiracy theories and making antisemitic comments, heightening the scrutiny surrounding the case.
ADL Director Jonathan Greenblatt told the New York Post the suit “has no merit. “Louis Farrakhan is an antisemite. One need look no further than his own words and statements to come away with the same conclusion,” he said.
Arrested Home Depot Employee Accused of Embezzling $1.2 Million
A Home Depot employee in San Rafael, California, was arrested Oct. 17 for allegedly embezzling a staggering $1.2 million over a year, according to KIRO 7 News.
The incident came to light after a comprehensive internal investigation by Home Depot. The employee’s actions not only raised concerns about the security of the retail establishment but also highlighted the importance of stringent internal checks and balances to prevent such occurrences.
According to the San Rafael Police Department, the retail giant reported the alleged embezzlement on October 17, 2023, prompting swift action from law enforcement. The investigation revealed that the employee in question had been surreptitiously siphoning off cash from the company since August 2022.
Investigators secured a search warrant for the employee’s residence and found a small amount of cash alongside an extensive collection of high-end designer merchandise. Authorities suspect that the embezzled funds were employed to acquire the luxury items, KRON reported. Furthermore, police said the employee admited to embezzling funds.
The arrest of the Home Depot employee, whose identity has yet to be disclosed, was executed on charges of felony embezzlement. Due to the substantial sum involved and the possibility of the individual being a flight risk, investigators decided to enhance the bail amount.
Home Depot is the premier home improvement retailer in North America, with 690 stores across 43 states and five Canadian provinces.
These expansive warehouse-style establishments, averaging an impressive 130,000 square feet including a dedicated garden center, meticulously stocks 40,000 to 50,000 home improvement products. While primarily catering to the do-it-yourself clientele, these stores also exert a magnetic pull on a substantial number of professional building contractors.This year, Home Depot is on track to achieve a remarkable milestone, with projected revenues poised to reach a substantial $5 billion.
The group went to the Crazy Cajun after a funeral on Oct. 6. The restaurant was short-staffed the day the incident occurred due to the lunch rush and the size of their party. The restaurant’s assistant manager, Brenda Garcia, told the Houston Chronicle that the group was complaining about the wait time, the food quality, and the 20% gratuity fee added to their over $500 bill.
Garcia explained that at least one party member returned to pay her portion of the bill in person while claiming she feared for her safety after a party member threatened to shoot a server.
“I got a call from one of the ladies that walked out without paying her tab,” the assistant manager said. “She explained to us that the woman that threatened my coworker showed them the gun.”
Funeral party walks out on $542 restaurant tab — dine and dash caught on video pic.twitter.com/I5drrmAcwQ
Video of the dine and dash recorded by her staff was sent by Garcia to a local outlet, Grizzy’s Hood News, which the employee claimed was intended more as a warning for other restaurants. Subsequently, the video went viral from there.
Two of the 20 diners returned to pay their portion of the bill, which Garcia said was $270. The servers rely on the gratuity to supplement the low hourly pay rate. The Crazy Cajun also has signs posted about its gratuity policy.
According to Fox 26 News, the guests could not be pleased even after several items were comped and a discount was given by management.
Servers in Texas can be held responsible for diners who leave without paying if they signed a contract agreeing to be held financially liable. Somewhat complicating things, no labor laws prohibit establishments from charging the staff for customers who leave without paying, so it’s generally left up to the establishment if they will deduct the money from the pockets of its employees.
In Texas, the act of dining and dashing is technically considered theft of service and ranges from a misdemeanor charge up to a felony, depending on the amount charged.
According to Brett Pritchard Law, the original tab would be classified as a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 180 days in jail or a fine not exceeding $2,000.
Tyrod Taylor Makes History As First Black Quarterback To Win A Game For The New York Giants
History was made over the weekend when the New York Giants defeated the Washington Commanders. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who started Sunday’s game for the Giants, emerged victorious and, by doing so, became the first Black quarterback in the team’s history to obtain a win.
According to The Messenger, the upset victory solidified the feat as Taylor filled in for the injured starting quarterback, Daniel Jones. Taylor had 279 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers playing in front of the home crowd at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. This was his second straight game taking snaps after losing to the Buffalo Bills in the last contest. When he started last week’s game, he became the second Black quarterback to start for the Giants. The first was current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.
By leading NY to a victory today, Tyrod Taylor becomes the first Black QB to win a game for the Giants. The team was founded in 1925, and Tyrod is only the 2nd Black QB to start for the Giants in team history (Geno Smith).😳😱 pic.twitter.com/779OKmyXmP
Taylor is a Pro Bowl player selected to play in the post-regular season game in 2015. According to Giants Wire, he previously started 53 games before playing for the Giants. He led the Bills to their first playoff berth since 1999 in 2015. This is his second year as the backup quarterback to Jones. With talk of Taylor’s play being better than Jones’, people are speculating whether there will be an issue when Jones is fit to play. But, according to The Athletic, with the Giants paying Jones $40 million a year compared to the $5.5 million Taylor is getting, there will be no quarterback controversy.
Smith took the reins for the Giants in place of long-time starter Eli Manning in December 2017. When he started the game, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to become a starter for both New York City area teams, the New York Jets and the Giants.
He started for the Jets for two years before joining the Giants, who both play at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 2-5 Giants will play the 3-3 Jets this week. Taylor is expected to start as Jones remains on the injured list.
Man Arrested For Posing As Mannequin In Late Night Jewelry Heist
A man in Warsaw, Poland, has been arrested after getting caught posing as a mannequin to commit the robbery after the store’s closing.
The Warsaw Police issued a statement Oct. 18, but withheld when exactly the crime happened. However, law enforcement did disclose details on how exactly the mannequin ruse was facilitated, as reported by Insider.
The 22-year-old stood motionless for hours in the store’s window until the mall shut down for the night. After hours, the man roamed throughout the shopping area, stealing valuable items from the jewelry stand. The news outlet also shared photos from the police of the man standing in place during the scheme. The image shows the mannequin poser dressed casually in a tan hoodie and light blue jeans, holding a shopping bag as in front of a Wrangler Store.
The undisclosed man was revealed to have a history of frequent theft. At this exact shopping center, the Polish resident was caught stealing food and designer clothing a day prior to this most recent incident, sliding underneath a store’s nearly closed entrance shutter to attempt his crime. At another mall, the man was caught stealing money from a store’s cash registers after waiting until all had left the premises to act.
In the aftermath of his current theft attempt, security on the premises caught the fake mannequin on his after hours stroll, with the Department for Combating Crime Property finally detaining the repeat offender. The Śródmieście Police Department released the statement fully detailing how the man’s “luck finally ran out” as further punishment for his crimes are underway.
For his action, the prosecutor’s office from the district within Warsaw has subjected him to a temporary arrest of three months. The multiple charges of burglary and theft has the accused facing a sentence of up to 10 years.
Oct 23 (Reuters) – Two Texas jurisdictions will consider measures this week to outlaw the act of transporting another person along their roads for an abortion, part of a strategy by conservative activists to further restrict abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Commissioners in Lubbock County are slated to vote on the proposal on Monday. A few hours north, the Amarillo City Council on Tuesday will weigh its own such law, which could lead to a future council or city-wide vote.
Lubbock and Amarillo are the biggest jurisdictions of the 10 places in Texas that have considered restrictions on abortion-related transportation since the June 2022 end of Roe, which had granted a nationwide right to abortion. Five cities and counties in the state have passed bans.
Lubbock and Amarillo are both traversed by major highways that connect Texas, which has one of the county’s most stringent abortion laws, to neighboring New Mexico, where abortion is legal.
Anti-abortion activists backing the proposals say they are meant to bolster Texas’ existing abortion ban, which allows private citizens to sue anyone who provides or “aids or abets” an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
Advocates of reproductive rights say the measures could deter people from seeking abortions or helping others get abortions, even though there is no clear way to enforce the bans. No violations have been reported in the five jurisdictions that have adopted them. Their reliance on citizen enforcement makes them difficult to challenge in court.
The greater impact of the ordinances so far appears to be how each side is using them to galvanize voters and pursue bigger political goals heading into an election year in which abortion remains a hot-button issue.
Both Sides Mobilizing
The campaign to ban abortion-related transit in Texas was started by Mark Lee Dickson, a Christian pastor who began pushing communities to outlaw abortion by declaring themselves “sanctuary cities for the unborn” in 2019.
Dickson travels widely to pitch his measures. He also mobilizes supporters to unseat local leaders who oppose the proposals, with the aim of electing officials who will also push other far-right policies.
He took that approach in Odessa’s city elections in 2022 after the council initially blocked one of his “sanctuary city for the unborn” proposals. Dickson responded by marshalling support for council candidates who pledged to approve it.
Once elected, the candidates he backed not only declared Odessa a “sanctuary city,” but also adopted the state’s first abortion transport ban and took other steps Dickson supported, such as rejecting state and federal COVID-19-related mandates.
“This isn’t over just when you address one issue,” Dickson said in an interview.
He plans to be at the meetings in Lubbock and Amarillo this week.
Lubbock County Commissioner Jason Corley said he was inspired to bring the transport ban to a vote on Monday after hearing Dickson promote it at Lubbock’s Constitutionalist Society. Corley, who has supported Dickson’s work for years, said he expected the measure to pass.
Not all backers of abortion restrictions support Dickson’s transport bans, however.
Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley said he supported Dickson’s “sanctuary city” movement, but is concerned that the transport bans rely on civil enforcement and do not clarify what local authorities are expected to do, potentially entangling the city in investigations brought by private actors.
The debates over the transport bans are spurring new shows of support for abortion access.
In Lubbock County, Kimberleigh Gonzalez is organizing a local Facebook group of 1,100 reproductive rights supporters to show their opposition to the measure at Monday’s meeting.
The group formed after Lubbock voters approved a “sanctuary city” ordinance backed by Dickson in May 2021. Each new attack on reproductive rights “brings us together a little more tightly,” Gonzalez said.
“Since 2021, I know a lot of people personally that are involved that weren’t before, and it just continues to grow and strengthen,” she said.
Abortion rights supporters, including four abortion funds in Texas, said they expected the transport bans to backfire on the anti-abortion movement by galvanizing political participation from abortion rights advocates in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election.
“We’re going to make sure that there are political and electoral consequences for this,” said Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of the Women’s March activist organization.
Nonie Burch Clarke, an African American woman from Halifax County, Virginia, has turned 104 years old, making her possibly the oldest person in the state.
Thank the Lord I have had a long, long life. I tried to help everybody and love everybody and I worked until retirement,” she told WSLS.
Clarke, a proud mother of 7, firmly believes in the importance of creating enduring family memories above all else. She has also been blessed with 8 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
During her leisure hours, she enjoys singing, sewing, traveling, and baking. She’s known for her skills in making delicious caramel cakes and freshly baked rolls.
Even more, she is well-known for her “green thumb” and has shared her bountiful harvest with many over the years.
Chaka Khan Reflects On Illustrious Career, Bond With Prince Ahead Of Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction
Chaka Khan will (finally!) be enshrined in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Nov. 3. In an interview with the New York Post, the legendary singer discussed what led to her getting a start with Rufus, the 1970s funk/R&B band.
Khan detailed that the band’s lead singer, Paulette McWilliams, who Khan describes as a sister in Chicago’s scene at the time, left the group to go solo. That opened a door.
“When I started with Rufus, Paulette McWilliams had quit. She decided to quit and go solo in the business.”
Khan said her predecessor recommended her to the group.
“And I said, ‘Oh, this is my chance!’ because I really wanted to play with that band. I’d seen them a lot, and they’d seen me a lot. So I happily joined the group pretty quick.”
Eventually, Khan would go solo as well, but not before helping the group have lasting hits like “Sweet Thing” and “Tell Me Something Good” during her six-album run.
In 1978, Khan wrote and recorded the classic song, “I’m Every Woman,” the debut single from her debut album, Chaka. Khan is undoubtedly one of the most important and impactful women in the history of R&B and she will be recognized by her peers as she enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Khan told the Post that she’s keeping everything in perspective.
“I don’t live for prizes or trophies,” Khan said.
“That’s not why I do what I do. I do what I do because I have to, you know what I’m saying? God gave me this gift to use. It’s not a competition.”
“Tell Me Something Good” came about because Khan did not like a few songs that Stevie Wonder, arguably one of the greatest songwriters to ever live, had written for her. Khan actually asked for something else.
“And finally, he said to me, ‘What’s your birth sign?’ I said, ‘Aries.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I know the song for you!’” Khan recalled.
Prince and Khan shared a special bond. It was a cover of Prince’s 1979 song, “I Feel For You,” that propelled Khan to new heights.
“We both influenced each other’s careers,” she said.
“I influenced him while he was an up-and-coming artist; he used to tell me that all the time. And he influenced me. We fit musically very well. We did a great album together. We did that album in two weeks.”
LeBron James Top NBA Earner 10 Years Running, Edging Stephen Curry
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James leads the list of Forbes‘ highest-paid players, bringing home a total of $117.6 million split between $46.7 million in on-court earnings and $70 million in off-court earnings.
James’ deals with Taco Bell, Nike, and his position as the largest shareholder in the Springhill Company, the television and movie production company, helped make James the first active player to be listed on Forbes Billionaire list. James has topped this list for the past 10 years, and no athlete makes more in endorsements than King James.
Second on the list is Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry who (almost) evenly splits his income of $101.9 million between $51.9 million on-court and $50 million off-court. Curry is the first NBA player to cross the $50 million marker in on-court earnings. Curry is another NBA athlete with a sizable investment portfolio. Curry’s investments, including his UnderArmour shoe deal which came with a $75 million stock option, set him up to have a lucrative post-NBA career. He may have had even more off-court earnings were it not for his investment into the fraudulent FTX cryptocurrency company headed by Sam Bankman-Fried.
Third on the list is Kevin Durant, who similar to Curry, splits his income between his on-court and off-court earnings. Durant makes $46.4 million for the Phoenix Suns and earns $45 million off-court due in large part to his Boardroom media company. Also, Durant is the principal owner of the Brooklyn Aces, a team in Major League Pickleball as well as a lifetime deal with Nike and an appearance in the Call Of Duty video game series.
Among all professional sports players, the NBA has three of the top 10 spots, which these three players occupy. However, the presence of Saudi Arabian money is felt on this list as both Saudi football money and the upstart LIV Golf, which essentially is subsidizing the PGA Tour, has brought their influence to bear on the list. Cristiano Ronaldo made it back to the pole position after his move from Manchester United to Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr FC, which netted him a total of $136 million across his two clubs contracts.
The list could undergo a seismic shift, however, if French football prodigy Kylian Mbappé gets the $1.1 billion lifetime contract he is rumored to be offered by his current club Paris Saint-Germain. Soccer is truly an international sport and even though Lionel Messi hadn’t yet signed his deal with Inter Miami CF of the MLS when this list came out, he was at number two, while Mbappé, his ex-teammate, occupied the third position. European football players, in stark contrast to NBA players, make the majority of their money on the pitch. Mbappé’s $100 million salary almost eclipses the total salaries of the NBA players’ total income.
Tyler, The Creator Opens Golf Wang Store In London
Tyler, The Creator opened a third Golf Wang Clothing store, and made a surprise appearance, Oct. 21 in London. Tyler’s clothing brand recently released its fall/winter collection for 2023, according to Complex.
Golf Wang is a take on part of the official name of the Odd Future collective that Tyler is most closely associated with. It swaps the first letters in Wolf Gang for each other, and the fashion has regularly reinvented itself alongside the forward-thinking creator.
Following his collaboration with Lacoste using the luxury arm of his brand, Le Fleur, Tyler has expanded his reach in the fashion world. His two other stores are based in New York and Los Angeles,.
Tyler’s aesthetic, according to Hypebeast, features bright colors, such as yellow, which is centrally featured in the London store. The brand’s trademark is eye-popping pattern combinations and a fusion of high fashion and skate culture, which Tyler has been pushing nearly as long as he’s been in the public eye.
"🏌️♂️ Tyler, the Creator's GOLF WANG brand is taking London by storm with its new store! Discover fresh, colorful streetwear that's as unique as Tyler himself. 🛍️🇬🇧 #GOLFWANGLondon" pic.twitter.com/VntVYS6OJ1
In 2016, Tyler had his first fashion show, which fittingly featured runway models skating and biking to Tyler’s music. According to Culted, the show featured the first appearance of Tyler’s Le Fleur upscale collection, which was featured in a Converse collaboration.
Tyler’s fashion has evolved virtually in step with his music career, which has matured beyond his shock-and-awe style lyrics from his Odd Future beginnings to exploring themes like what fragile notions of masculinity do to men.
Tyler’s clothing line is co-designed by Phil Toselli, who described the rapper’s creative process to The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. “Tyler kind of draws like an 8-year-old, but awesome,” Toselli said. “He has a really distinct and crude style. It’s funny to watch him, because he’s not trained in any way. He just has wild ideas that he taught himself to make into reality. He’s very rapid-fire, bouncing off walls and hyper as sh*t. It just works.”
