Can we do a Darwin Award for the most stupidest people on the planet?
You can't fix stupid!
You can't change minds!
You are completely trapped in stupid.
You are wrapped and emboldened in stupid.
Virginia emergency crews rush to save a man after he was bitten by an African pit viper, one of the most lethal snakes in the world.
A bite from that snake contains a venom strong enough to kill ten people. A dry bite is dangerous as well. The dry bite can bring a bacterial infection which could be instant death.
The pit viper bite leads to an instant necrosis of the wound site. It will lead to increase heart rate, chills and rapid fever. It also can be within an hour without treatment, death.
Decapitating a snake doesn't mean its dead. The head can still strike and inject a lethal dose of venom into its victim. The snake's head can survive up to a day or two without a body. The head is always active and ready to strike.
The bites are rare because it's often trying to avoid confrontation. I uses it to strike at small animals. I am only assuming this idiot was not properly handling this animal with extreme caution.
State police told WRIC the victim was initially taken to VCU Medical Center on Saturday night after his African Pit Viper bit him.
The African Pit Viper, also known as Gaboon viper, is one of the world’s largest and heaviest vipers. The African Pit Viper boasts the longest fangs of any venomous snake, and the highest venom yield of all venomous snakes, according to the Los Angeles Zoo. While the vipers are known to be largely docile, their bites are often fatal.
The victim, who is from Richmond, was initially given an anti-venom treatment from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., but WRIC reported that more anti-venom was needed to save his life. Virginia State Police were brought in to get more anti-venom to the hospital from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach, which was providing 35 more doses of anti-venom.
While the anti-venom was successfully delivered, the victim’s condition has not been released.
Again, why do white people always treat wild animals like they're domesticated?
I would never touch a wild animal.
Alas, some people think that animals are timid when you're petting them. Nope.
The hospital and the Smithsonian will bill him for the animal attack. The city of Richmond, Virginia will probably cite him for harboring a dangerous animal.
The idiot will be getting threats from animal rights extremists.
It's the unfortunate cause and effect of animals and people.
I've said it before and I stand by what I say: "Wild animals are......well you know!"
If you want to be a thrill seeker, you might want to get life insurance.
Media mogul Will Smith hit Chris Rock after the comedian told a joke mocking Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia. The incident at the Oscars is an international story. On top of that, that will be regarded as one of the most memorable in American history.
Willard C. Smith II is a rapper, actor, film producer, media mogul, podcaster and trendsetter.
The Fresh Prince lost his crown.
Smith still earned his first Oscar for Best Actor in the movie King Richard.
The 94th Academy Awards will be considered the most controversial in history.
It shocked the world. I bet Wanda Sykes had to directly talk to Smith about this.
It shook Black Twitter and many are divided over the controversy.
Do you defend your wife or do you want to punish for bad behavior?
I don't normally watch award shows so this will be kind of out of my league.
What should be the consequences in regards to this Oscar controversy?
Rock appeared on stage to present the Oscar for documentary feature and made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being in “G.I. Jane” because of her shaved head. Smith then took the stage to slap Rock. Although it appeared to be a joke at first, Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
During the commercial break, Will Smith is pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motion for him to brush it off. Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side. pic.twitter.com/uDGVnWrSS2
Questlove declines to answer questions about the mood inside the #Oscars following Will Smith slapping Chris Rock: “I’m not talking about that. This is about the Harlem Cultural Festival.” https://t.co/N2VdKSOH2Npic.twitter.com/LxXk6Ssapq
I find it absolutely appalling that some people think they can bully their way outta their own insecurities in life. Disrespected mocked and constantly abused, and that’s how many talented peoples’ promising careers and lives come to an abrupt end.#StopEmotionalAbuse Will Smith pic.twitter.com/iNFDURBFFj
Look at Daniel Kaluuya recapping Will Smith & Chris Rock. 😂💀 Watch till the end. Black people always gotta reenact each moment when tellin a story. pic.twitter.com/ubw9Dl1ygA
Many in the Oscars audience appeared stunned at the altercation. Diddy was the next presenter during the ceremony, where he appeared to introduce the 50th anniversary celebration to “The Godfather.” Diddy addressed the situation by saying, “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve this like family. Right now we’re moving on with love. Everybody make some noise.”
An emotional Will Smith accepts his Oscar. The repercussions are going to be swift and it could be his last appearance at the Academy Awards.
Smith’s publicist Meredith O. Sullivan came by him at the commercial break to have a discussion. Also during the break, Denzel Washington got up to speak to Smith privately. Smith revealed during his best actor speech that Washington said to him, “At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.”
Sullivan continued to visit Smith during each commercial break following the incident. Oscars producer Will Packer also visited Smith before the best actor category was announced. Smith was nominated for his performance in “King Richard” and won the Oscar later in the ceremony.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said during his speech. He later apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for his actions.
Pinkett Smith announced last year she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia. The actor said in an Instagram post, “Now at this point, I can only laugh… y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day…it just showed up like that. Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions…Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”
Rock ended up awarding the documentary Oscar to Questlove for “Summer of Soul.” Asked in the Oscars press room about Smith smacking Rock, Questlove said, “I’m not talking about that. This is about the Harlem cultural festival.”
Variety has reached out to ABC for further comment on the Smith-Rock incident.
Will and Jada with the kids.
The Los Angeles Police Department did confirm that the incident was not scripted and that Rock did not press charges against Smith. If he does, Smith could face a battery charge.
The consequences could be really bad for Smith going forward. I already know he will be permanently banned from attending future Academy Awards events. He could be stripped of his Oscar.
On top of that, there could be a boycott against him or Rock.
The impact is so massive, I am guessing that The White House will react to the incident. Obviously, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Congress and public officials will be questioned about Chris Rock and Will Smith.
I will say that I do commend Smith for defending his wife. But I wished he would have taken his frustrations off the camera. Cause over 135 million people watched that incident and folks know they'll be talking about this for years to come.
Update: Hip-Hop acts who won Oscars.
Eminem, Common, Three 6 Mafia (Juicy J and DJ Paul), Questlove and Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) won Oscars. Notable mentions in hip-hop include: John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Prince, Jamie Foxx and Lady Gaga won Oscars as well.
This horrible hag is running for Congress again. Now she trying to primary a white nationalist who voted with Washed Up 45 almost 100% of the time.
No one likes you. You are a pathetic troll.
The Loomer is running for Congress again but this time, she is challenging Florida Republican Karen Webster, a longtime lawmaker who supported the former president's call to overturn the U.S. election. Mind you that these members who wanted to overturn the elections won their seats and yet the losing candidate did not challenge the results.
Loomer ran against Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) and lost by 25 points. Frankel's district is where the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort is located. The old fart Rush Limbaugh's mansion is there as well. The old fart died in 2021.
Loomer who is banned on almost all mainstream social media platforms is hoping to be taken seriously.
Webster is as far right as it comes but the troll Loomer calls him a RINO.
This is the woman who literally chained herself to the offices of Twitter because "they ruined her life." This is the woman who tried to steal property from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). This is the bigot who harassed Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) because they are Muslim who were critical of the U.S. and Israeli policies.
She called for assassinations of Muslims, progressive lawmakers and those who spurned her.
This proud Islamophobe is hoping her name recognition and the social media bans would help her achieve the goals of winning an election.
Loomer caught COVID-19 and thought it was going to be mild. The symptoms have been “brutal.” In the past, she expressed an interest in contracting the virus so she could prove it’s no worse than food poisoning.
“Just pray for me please,” she wrote on Gettr, a social media platform launched by Dead Beat Miller, a former spokesperson for Washed Up 45. “Can’t even begin to explain how brutal the body aches and nausea that come with covid are. I am in so much pain. This is honestly the worst part about it.”
Last year, Loomer said she wanted to “get COVID” just to prove she’d had “bouts of food poisoning that are more serious and life threatening than a hyped up virus.”
Shit got ugly. The troll runs for Congress again.
If she gets the nomination, it would be so much shit coming out against her it would be almost embarrassing to even allow her an opportunity to be a candidate.
She is a waste of human. Her outlook of the world is ugly. I am not going to waste my time commenting on her looks. I am not wasting a keystroke to address her looks.
I stand by the hag comment.
If she does get a Twitter handle, she won't be allowed to do trolling or gotcha politics.
It has to be official business with constituents and not click bait.
Rep. Idiot Karen Greene (R-GA) is being warned to not post bullshit on her government Twitter and Facebook handles. She could get in some serious trouble for misuse of government handles.
I look at Loomer as I look at Nina Turner, Kyle Kashuv, Cameron Kasky, CJ Pearson, Terrence K. Williams and Tara Reade. These are the folks no one cares about.
These are the people folks wished would go the fuck away.
Nebraska lawmaker is resigning from Congress amid his conviction on bribery and soliciting illegal donations from a Nigerian business mogul.
Jeff Fortenberry is out and he will leave a seat open. The Republicans are comfortable they will retain this seat. However, Democrats can use this an opportunity to make a pick off.
The disgraced lawmaker on Saturday announced that he would resign from Congress, saying in a statement to constituents, "Due to the difficulties of my current circumstances, I can no longer serve you effectively."
Fortenberry, 61, was convicted by a federal jury in Los Angeles on Thursday of one count of scheming to falsify and conceal material facts and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, as well as fines. He said outside the courthouse that he would appeal.
In a letter to his colleagues in the House of Representatives, Fortenberry said he will resign from Congress effective March 31.
Jane Fleming Kleeb, chair of the Democratic Party in Nebraska, tweeted that "a special election will now be held" for Fortenberry's District 1 seat.
The courtroom sketch shows a broken man.
The government's case against Fortenberry involved a $30,000 contribution to his 2016 r e-election campaign from Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury. Foreign nationals are prohibited from contributing to federal candidates.
Prosecutors said Chagoury used “straw donors” to make contributions equaling $30,000 to Fortenberry’s re-election campaign during a Los Angeles fundraiser in 2016.
Chagoury had entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in 2019 under which he spoke about providing about $180,000 in illegal contributions to four candidates in U.S. elections.
Prosecutors successfully argued at Fortenberry’s seven-day trial that he lied to investigators on two occasions when he was asked in interviews what he knew about the donations.
Clarence's ride-or-die chick in the feds crosshairs.
What is going on here?
The House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6 might subpoena the wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. Virginia Thomas, a prominent white nationalist who embrace culture wars and misinformation.
CBS and the Washington Post released the bombshell story and it got the nation talking.
On top of that, Clarence is out of the hospital for an unknown infection. The justice had been secretive about his health.
Text messages between the Karen and former White House chief of staff Karen Meadows were revealed and it contains some pretty damning remarks on how she tried to convince Washed Up 45 to hold firm on the "big lie."
You know the far right is obsessed with Hunter Biden right now. This must have been why they were starting this up again. They knew it was going to be a bombshell against the former president and on top of that the longest serving Supreme Court justice.
Thomas was the only member of the nine who dissented on releasing public records in regards to the former president. Maybe he knew a lot of shit going on between wife and Meadows too.
The messages showed that Thomas, who goes by Ginni, relentlessly urged Meadows to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which she called a “heist,” and indicated that she reached out to Karen Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, about Washed Up 45’s legal efforts to keep power. She even suggested the lawyer who should be put in charge of that effort.
The public disclosure of the messages Thursday focused new attention on one avenue of the investigation and risked creating a rare rift within the committee about how aggressively to pursue it, including whether to seek testimony from Ginni Thomas.
In the Thomases, the committee is up against a couple that has deep networks of support across the conservative movement and Washington, including inside the committee. The panel’s Republican vice chair, Rep. Karen Cheney of Wyoming, has led the charge in holding Washed Up 45 to account for his efforts to overturn the election but has wanted to avoid any aggressive effort that, in her view, could unfairly tarnish Justice Thomas, the senior member of the Supreme Court and an icon among the Republican base.
So although a debate has broken out inside the committee about summoning Ginni Thomas to testify, the panel at this point has no plans to do so, leaving some Democrats frustrated. That could change, however: On Friday, despite the potential for political backlash, Cheney indicated she has no objection to the panel asking Ginni Thomas for a voluntary interview.
A New York Times Magazine investigation last month examined the political and personal history of Ginni Thomas and her husband. That included her role in efforts to overturn the election from her perch on the nine-member board of CNP Action, a conservative group that helped advance the “Stop the Steal” movement, and in mediating between feuding factions of organizers “so that there wouldn’t be any division around Jan. 6,” as one organizer put it.
During that period, the Supreme Court was considering a number of cases related to the election, with Justice Thomas taking positions at times sympathetic to the former president ’s efforts to challenge the outcome.
This month, Ginni Thomas acknowledged attending the rally that preceded the violence in an interview with a conservative news outlet, but otherwise downplayed her role. Then came disclosure of the texts to Meadows, the contents of which were earlier reported by The Washington Post and CBS News.
The Thomases are facing scrutiny for spreading the big lie.
If the committee does not summon Ginni Thomas, some legal analysts said, it runs the risk of appearing to have a double standard. The panel has taken an aggressive posture toward many other potential witnesses, issuing subpoenas for bank and phone records of both high-ranking allies of the former president and low-level aides with only a tangential connection to the events of Jan. 6.
“I think it would be a dereliction not to bring her in and talk to her,” said Kimberly Wehle, a University of Baltimore law professor who has closely tracked the committee’s work. “It certainly is inconsistent with their neutral, ‘find the facts where they go’ type of approach to this.”
The committee’s light touch with Ginni Thomas to date reflects a number of considerations by both members and investigators, according to people familiar with the inquiry. Some saw the pursuit of Ginni Thomas as a distraction from more important targets. Others worried that pursuing Ginni Thomas could by implication sully Justice Thomas’ reputation. Still others argued that the panel could not know the full extent of her role without further questioning. And some members of the committee saw the text messages for the first time Thursday.
The lack of consensus also underscores the extent to which Justice Thomas’ shadow, including his network of supporters and former clerks, looms over various aspects of the investigation. Three of Justice Thomas’ former clerks — a federal judge, a top committee investigator and a key adviser to Washed Up 45 — have major roles in the matter.
A main strategist in the effort to try to overturn the election, lawyer John Eastman, was a former clerk of Justice Thomas’. John Wood, one of the Jan. 6 committee’s top investigators and another former Thomas clerk, is leading the so-called gold team examining the former president’s inner circle. And a federal judge, Carl J. Nichols, who is hearing cases related to the Capitol riot, is also a former clerk of Justice Thomas’.
This dynamic was on display during a deposition in December of Eastman, who was subpoenaed by the committee to talk about his role in helping Washed Up 45 try to overturn the election. Wood began the questioning by noting that Eastman had once served as a clerk to Justice Thomas.
“Like you, John,” Eastman shot back.
For at least several weeks, the committee’s senior level has discussed whether to call Ginni Thomas to testify, as well as whether to issue subpoenas for any other communications she may have had with the White House or the president’s legal team about the election, including a message she told Meadows she sent to Kushner, according to people with knowledge of the investigation.
There are plenty of leads to pursue. The committee could recall Dustin Stockton, a rally organizer who told the Times about a conversation he had with Caroline Wren, a Republican who helped raise money for the Jan. 6 “March for America,” in which she described Ginni Thomas’ peacemaking role. They could also recall Karen Kremer and Idiot Karen Martin, two rally organizers close to Ginni Thomas, to ask about her post-election communications with them.
It could subpoena records from not only Ginni Thomas, but also CNP Action, which was deeply involved in the effort to spread falsehoods about the election. Investigators could ask her the name of the friend she was referring to when she wrote back to thank Meadows, saying: “Needed that! This plus a conversation with my best friend just now…I will try to keep holding on.” (Ginni Thomas and her husband have publicly referred to each other as their best friends.) Ultimately, they could ask her whether she had discussed the former president’s fight to overturn the election with her husband.
Justice Thomas has declined to comment on the matter, through a representative. A lawyer for Ginni Thomas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Privately, some Republicans conceded that Ginni Thomas’ texts to Meadows were a mistake — particularly ones in which she urged Meadows to make Karen Powell, a lawyer who had advocated conspiracy theories about voting machines being hacked, the face of the legal team. Yet the Republicans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they worried about being seen as critical of Ginni Thomas, predicted that if Democrats increased pressure on the Thomases, the right would counter with more calls for investigations of Democrats if Republicans win back the House in the November elections.
Conservatives have long viewed criticism of his Ginni Thomas as an attack on Justice Thomas. Her supporters include lawyer Mark Paoletta, who was Justice Thomas’ “sherpa,” introducing him to senators for his confirmation hearings.
The news media “seeks to portray Ginni Thomas’s public policy work as a threat to the Supreme Court in order to pressure Thomas to recuse himself from any case that Ginni, or any of the groups she has worked with, has even commented on,” he wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Examiner.
Justice Thomas could in the coming months consider a long list of important legal issues surrounding Jan. 6. He may be called upon to rule on questions involving the prosecution for contempt of Congress of Karen Bannon, a onetime aide to Washed Up 45, or concerning the House committee’s efforts to obtain emails from Eastman.
Nichols is overseeing the criminal prosecution of Bannon, who was charged with contempt of Congress in November after refusing to comply with a subpoena from the committee.
Nichols is also handling the high-profile defamation lawsuits that Dominion Voting Systems filed last year against two lawyers closely associated with the former president: Karen Giuliani and Powell.
Perhaps most important, Nichols is the only federal jurist in Washington so far to have thrown out the key obstruction of Congress charge that the Justice Department has used against hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants to describe the political results of a pro-Washed Up 45 mob storming into the Capitol. Differing from 12 other federal judges, Nichols wrote in a ruling this month that prosecutors had stretched the statute beyond its original intent.
The ruling could prove important to the House committee as it weighs whether to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department of the former president.
Cheney has indicated that she believes the former president may have violated the obstruction of Congress law, going so far as to read from the text of the statute on the House floor. If prosecutors ultimately use the law to charge the former president, it could face scrutiny from Nichols — or from another district judge who could consider his opinion.
Such a case, too, could eventually be considered by the Supreme Court and Justice Thomas.
The Foo Fighters announced the death of Taylor Hawkins, lead drummer of legendary rock group.
While on tour in Colombia, the 50-year old rocker died in his hotel room. The world is shocked by the news of his passing.
His cause of death is unknown but a toxicalogy report from the country's Attorney General and coroner said that he had 10 psychoactive substances. Some included THC, tricyclic, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
"The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever," the band said. "Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginable difficult time."
They were to perform in Bogota before heading to Lollapalooza Brazil.
The Friday performance was cancelled just as fans were gathering to the event. They just traveled from El Salvador before heading to Colombia. The group apologized to the fans and urged them to donate to charity.
Hawkins was a part of the Foo Fighters after William Goldsmith resigned from the group. He was then a drummer for Alanis Morissette.
The rock community poured tributes to Hawkins.
The Foo Fighters.
The Foo Fighters were expected to perform at the Grammy Awards on April 3.
The rocker was 50 year old at the time of his passing.
The Foo Fighters were a group based out of Seattle, Washington. It was formed by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one man projected. After Kurt Cobain's tragic death, Nirvana broke up.
The Foo Fighters would recruit lead vocalist Dave Grohl along with William Goldsmith, Franz Stahl, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee and William Hawkins.
Hawkins was one of the greatest rockers in history.
It only been on the air for less than two years and now Black News Channel started by J.C. Watts, Bob Brillante and Shahid Khan is shutting down operations and terminating its employees as of Friday.
Watts, a former U.S. Representative from Oklahoma and registered Republican had an idea of bring forward a network that covers news from an African American perspective. At the time, he believed that the cable news and broadcast news channels lack diversity and he wanted to give a fair perspective from Black journalists and opinion commentators.
15 minutes ago: “I am working hard to get people paid for the work that they’ve done.” Staffers say they have been left in the dark for nearly 24 hours as to whether they will be paid. @BNCNews is owned by billionaire @Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, who became the majority owner 2/5
The billionaire Khan will no longer fund @BNCNews and will file for bankruptcy or immediately shutter operations. This development comes as BNC has had its best ratings week ever with the #KetanjiBrownJackson SCOTUS hearings. 5/5
Brillante is a media executive who struggled getting BNC to full operations when it was supposed to be launched in December 2019.
Khan is the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, All-Elite Wrestling, Fulham F.C. and Flex-N-Gate. He was a majority stakeholder and co-founder of the network.
J.C. Watts had a dream but it was actually a nightmare.
In a memo to employees, CEO Princell Hair cited “challenging market conditions and global financial pressures” for the decision to wind down operations, according to multiple reports. The National Association of Black Journalists, a prominent trade group, confirmed the shutdown in a blog post. It pledged to support the roughly 200 employees affected by the move.
The Tallahassee, Florida-based network originally launched in about 33 million households via cable and satellite and eventually got to 50 million households. But multiple reports indicated it could not meet payroll obligations this week and would begin airing old programming for the next few weeks before leaving the air altogether.
Last year, BNC initiated a major revamp, adding a new morning show as well as notable on-air commentators like Charles Blow and Marc Lamont Hill.
For all cable programmers, the wages of cord-cutting are continuing to make life difficult. As ratings keep declining, so does revenue from advertising and distribution. While cash flow is healthy for many well-entrenched networks, newer ones have become vulnerable. Large media companies like Disney, NBCUniversal and Paramount Global have started to cull their portfolios, discontinuing some of their less-robust networks.
Marc Lamont Hill will now hold the title of most useless Black journalist.
Another failure for leftist Marc Lamont Hill. He has been fired from CNN, MSNBC, Fox, HuffPost, DailyMail, Al-Jazeera America and OurWorld. Now this. He will be regarded as the most useless Black journalist in the junk food media.
Hill is a professor from Temple University.
Hill supported Bernie Sanders in 2016 and vowed to vote for the Green Party nominee Jill Stein. He pretty much pushed misinformation about President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He put on leftists and washed up entertainer Raymond "Benzino" Scott.
The state that believes regulations are fucking out businesses. The state's governor believes that federal regulations are bad for Floridians. Had there been state regulations on the way they operated amusement park rides, one teen's life would be spared.
Be warned, extremely graphic. Take discretion.
Okay, the tragic death of Tyre Sampson.
The teen plummeted to his death after falling out of a drop ride in Orlando.
The Orange County Sheriff's department and the U.S. Justice Department and OSHA are involved in the matter. The deadly incident was captured on camera and shared through social.
Tyre’s family has contacted me about the video but they have not decided on whether to take down the video yet. The plan might be to put a fundraiser. Twitter has not responded to my request to cover the video and add a warning.
Sheriff John Mina announced the death of Tyre Sampson, 14.
The Orlando Free Fall, which opened in Orlando’s tourist district in December, takes up to 30 guests high into the air before dropping 400 feet at about 75 mph.
In the video, the boy can be seen falling off the ride as it plummets to the ground.
Tyre Sampson of St. Louis, Missouri passed away.
As witnesses react to the tragedy, ICON Park workers can be heard on the video. The conversation below occurred in a loud, hectic environment, and portions of the conversation are not clearly audible.
It’s not clear what the “light” indicates to the workers, but it appears to be an indication that passengers have been safely secured.
It’s not known how the boy fell from the drop tower.
The company that operates the thrill ride said it is working with authorities to determine what happened.
“Our hearts go out to the family of this young man,” said John Stine, director of sales and marketing for The SlingShot Group.
The ride will remain closed indefinitely, Stine said.
In September 2020, a 21-year-old man fell to his death while conducting a safety check on the StarFlyer attraction at ICON Park.
Authorities said Jacob David Kaminsky was climbing the tower when he fell to the bottom platform. Kaminsky was about halfway up the 450-foot ride, dubbed the world’s tallest swing ride, when he fell, officials said.
Republican lawmaker convicted of bribery and lying to the feds.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and QAnon leader Karen McCarthy (R-CA) are calling for a Nebraska Republican to resign or be expelled.
When the federal court found Rep. Karen Fortenberry (R-NE) guilty of accepting an illegal donation from a Nigerian businessman and lied to the feds, they knew they had enough evidence to convict him.
A close friend ratting him out. That friend said he was a middleman to help funnel $30,000 from a Nigerian-born billionaire to the lawmaker reelection campaign through straw donors.
He had to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles to hear witness testify against him.
Toufic Baaklini said he gotten the cash from the son of businessman Gilbert Chagoury. The money was then left inside an envelope in the car of a Los Angeles doctor to distribute to Fortenberry in the city.
The Omaha and Lincoln area lawmaker who served nine terms in the U.S. House denied he lied to federal authorities about illegal contributions but the feds already had the evidence. Baaklini was told to wear a wire and was told how to conduct the transactions to catch Fortenberry and his aides in the act.
McCarthy, the QAnon leader who is hoping to keep the pressure on President Joe Biden certainly don't want the subject to be on him and the Republican conference. He already is worried about Rep. Karen Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Karen Cawthorn (R-NC) and Rep. Idiot Karen Greene (R-GA) being distractions.
The charges carry five years for each conviction. He was convicted on three of the five charges.
Fortenberry who is a loyal member of Washed Up 45's circus. He earned the ire of the former president by joining the Democrats in establishing a bipartisan committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection.
He also supported the overturning of the 2020 election. He is still an elected official.
It will take a full House vote to strip him of his committees and soon his position as a lawmaker. He will join Greene and Rep. Karen Gosar (R-AZ) as members who were stripped of their committees.
Chagoury entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office in 2019 and came clean about providing about $180,000 that was used to make illegal contributions to four candidates in U.S. elections.
Prosecutors successfully argued at Fortenberry’s seven-day trial that he lied to investigators on two occasions when he was asked in interviews what he knew about the illegal donation.
Fortenberry, 61, also failed to file an amended report with the Federal Election Commission.
“After learning of illegal contributions to his campaign, the congressman repeatedly chose to conceal the violations of federal law to protect his job, his reputation and his close associates,” U.S. Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison said in a statement Thursday. “The lies in this case threatened the integrity of the American electoral system and were designed to prevent investigators from learning the true source of campaign funds.”
The jury deliberated for about two hours before it returned the guilty verdicts.
Fortenberry falsely told investigators he was not aware that one of Chagoury’s ties — Toufic Joseph Baaklini — was involved in illegal campaign contributions when he spoke with investigators in March 2019, after having learned about the illicit contribution, prosecutors said. They also said Fortenberry claimed that all donors at the 2016 fundraiser were publicly disclosed and that he was not aware of any contributions from a foreign national.
In a second interview two months later, Fortenberry denied awareness of any illicit donation made during the 2016 fundraiser or that he had been told that Baaklini provided $30,000 in cash at the fundraiser, prosecutors said.
A judge set Fortenberry's sentencing for June 28.
It is unclear whether Fortenberry will stay in Congress or what repercussions he could face if he does not step down.
NBC News has reached out to Fortenberry's office for comment.
Fortenberry is on the ballot for the GOP primary in May and faces five challengers, including state Sen. Karen Flood, who is seen as the strongest contender. Flood has cited Fortenberry's legal woes in his congressional bid.
Fortenberry was first elected in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District in 2004 and has often cruised to re-election in the reliably red state. In 2020, he defeated his Democratic opponent with 59 percent of the vote.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirms that she tested positive for the coronavirus.
The former first lady and 2016 Democratic nominee said that she tested positive on Tuesday.
On social media, the former Democratic presidential candidate said she was “feeling fine” and that former President Bill Clinton had tested negative and was quarantining until their household was fully cleared.
A spokesman for the former president posted on Twitter that he would continue to get tested in the days to come.
Bill tested negative and is feeling fine. He's quarantining until our household is fully in the clear. Movie recommendations appreciated!
Hillary Clinton, 74, said she was “more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness” and urged people to get vaccine and booster shots.
Former President Barack Obama announced earlier this month that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Clinton said she has mild symptoms and had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Just because the United States has eased up on the coronavirus mandates and regulations doesn't mean that the pandemic is over. We have lost over 1 million Americans to the coronavirus. If things were normal, this would have been less than 100 if Washed Up 45 would have taken the threat seriously.
Hell, he would have easily won his bid for a second term had he took the pandemic seriously.
Now it's tasked to President Joe Biden. He continues to push for vaccinations and following the CDC rules when testing positive for the coronavirus. We have lost over 1 million American lives to the coronavirus.
The funding for the coronavirus pandemic prevention is running out of funds. The Congress is not willing to push for more funding given that Republicans in the House and Senate as well as the two white nationalists in the Democratic caucus refusing to spend more money on preventions. They're willing to spend a lifetime to help Ukraine but never a dime for the needy here in the United States.
Biden thought Americans would take this shit seriously. Alas, they ain't willing to do it.
The pandemic is part of the culture wars. This war is costing lives. Thousands of Americans have tested positive each day of the week. Over 1,000 to 5,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus a day.
These folks not willing to get vaccinated, nor willing to take appropriate steps to prevent infection are the causalities of this culture war.
Folks like myself don't empathize with them. I refuse to. I am tired of dealing with people who think their only way to feel good about themselves is to "own the libs" or stop "wokism."
Of course, there's folks who are fully vaccinated but end up getting the coronavirus. As with vaccines, nothing is 100%. The vaccines are capable of preventing the coronavirus. At best, it's a 94% prevention rate which means 1 out of 500 could be infected even if they're vaccinated.
Republicans so fucking eager to return to power will keep Americans fixated on the culture wars. Now vaccinations are part of this culture war.
We came so far only have a bunch of selfish idiots set it back. Just because they hate President Joe Biden.
The Republicans are so devoted to destroying Biden and the country for what....to regain power.
Pathetic.
The coronavirus doesn't care about your age, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, politics, economic or social standings. It doesn't care about your business, your performances, your personal finances and travel. It doesn't care about the funerals, the birthday parties, the weddings, the vacations, the events and your graduations. It doesn't care about anything. It's a living organism that causes mild symptoms that include: fever, sore throats, chills, respiratory issues, loss of taste or smell and other unknown symptoms. If you have a weak immune system or health issues, your risk increases.
Death does happen to at least 40% of those who are affected by COVID-19.
If you're not vaccinated, your chances of death increases to 48%.
Healthy people can die from this. Take this seriously. You only have one life!
If you need more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov.
