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On Top Of Everything Else, George Santos Also Worked For A Company Accused Of Being A Ponzi Scheme

Before he was improbably elected to Congress, George Santos was busy. He wasn’t busy doing a lot of the things he told voters he’d done, such as going to prestigious universities and having Jewish heritage. Instead, he’s been accused of all manner of underhandedness and tomfoolery. On top of allegations ranging from fraud in Brazil to lying about being a college volleyball star, you can now add “worked for a company accused of being a Ponzi scheme.”

As per CNN, the embattled New York representative worked at a Harbor City Capital Corp. in 2020 and 2021, an investment company located in Florida. A year after his employment, the company was sued by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, calling it a “classic Ponzi scheme” in which existing investors are paid with funds from new investors.

Santos’ name was nowhere in the complaint and it’s possible he had no inkling of the company’s malfeasance. Last year he told The Daily Beast that he was “as distraught and disturbed as everyone else” to learn about their possible wrongdoing.

However, in April of 2020, in a now-deleted tweet, Santos responded to someone over Twitter who had accused the company of being a “complete fraud.” He responded by calling the company “100% legitimate.”

Santos has refused to remove himself from the House amidst an ever-growing Scooby Doo-sized sandwich of allegations, some he has admitted were spot-on. Instead it appears he spends his days on Capitol Hill trying to ignore reporters and palling around with some of the other sketchy members of Congress.

(Via CNN)

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Trump’s Fate May Already Be Sealed Thanks To A Georgia Grand Jury Over His Attempts To Overturn The 2020 Election

Donald Trump’s got a lot of problems. His third presidential campaign has so far been a non-starter. His tax records were finally made public. His company was found guilty of fraud. He was widely mocked, even by his own supporters, over his dorky NFTs. And then there was the time he dined with anti-Semites. Still, nothing every sticks to him. And yet there’s a chance his fate is already sealed.

As per The Guardian, a grand jury in Georgia spent had been quietly convening to consider what to do over Trump and cohorts’ interference in the 2020 election. They broke on Monday and recommended that their findings be made public. Those findings won’t be made public till the end of the month, but if they recommend prosecution, it will come down to a county district attorney, Fani Willis, to decide whether Trump becomes the first American president in history to be hit with a criminal offense.

It’s not just Trump who’s in danger of prosecution. Georgia prosecutors have warned 18 other Trump allies — including Rudy Giuliani — that they are targets of the investigation as well. Among the crimes with which they may be charged are criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with the performance of election duties, conspiracy, and racketeering.

The investigation was launched shortly after Trump left office in disgrace. Some of those subpoenaed have fought them, including Lindsey Graham, who took his grievances all the way to the Supreme Court. Their star witness is Brad Raffensperger, who oversaw the elections. He voted for Trump only to find himself on the other end of a damning call from Trump himself, who was caught on a recording asking him to “find 11,780 votes.” He subsequently found himself the object of death threats.

In other words, Trump may already be screwed — unless he’s screwed by one of those other investigations, including the federal one involving his absconding with hundreds of classified government documents then obstructing investigations into it.

(Via The Guardian)

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Lana Del Rey Shared A NSFW Photo Which Will Serve As An Alternate Cover For Her Upcoming ‘Ocean Blvd’ Album

It looks like Lana Del Rey fans may have to wait a little bit longer. For new music. Yesterday, she took to her private Instagram page to reveal that her upcoming ninth album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd is set to drop on March 24, two weeks after its original planned release date. But she did manage to tide fans over by sharing the tracklisting, which features artists like Bleachers, Jon Batiste, and Tommy Genesis, as well as production by Jack Antonoff, Zach Dawes, Drew Erickson and more. Additionally, she shared another steamy photo from the album’s photo shoot, shot by her frequent creative collaborator, Neil Krug.

In the picture, Lana is seen wearing a coat with no shirt underneath, exposing her breasts. While the picture was shared on her private Instagram account, fans have since shared it on Twitter. You can see the NSFW picture here.

The topless photo will be one of several variants of the album artwork for Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd‘s vinyl editions.

Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Ocean Blvd is out 3/24 via Interscope and Polydor. You can pre-save it here.

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Nick Jonas Revealed That A New Jonas Brothers Album Is On The Way And They Will Tour ‘Later This Year’

It was a great Texas meet-up on yesterday’s (January 13) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Pop icon Nick Jonas stopped by to discuss fatherhood, and the success of the Jonas Brothers’ Las Vegas residency.

Clarkson asked Jonas if he’s prepared to balance marriage, fatherhood, and life on the road. He revealed that he and his brothers, Kevin and Joe, are actually in the process of gearing up for tour.

“Later this year, there will be a tour,” he said. He also revealed he may seek advice from Clarkson, who is a mother of two. Jonas shares a child, one-year-old Malti, with his wife, Priyanka Chopra, however, he has not been on the road since Malti’s birth.

“Kevin and Joe have had kids on the road, but I haven’t,” said Jonas

Of course, with every tour comes a new album. Jonas then revealed that a new era of the Jonas Brothers is imminent.

“The album is done,” he said. “We are very excited about it. We’re kind of in that planning moment with the campaign, the album, the single — all the things.”

Their upcoming album will mark their first in four years, as their last release was 2019’s Happiness Begins/

You can check out the interview above.

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Four Players Were Ejected After Malik Monk And Garrison Mathews Got Into It During Kings-Rockets

Some extracurriculars during Friday night’s game between the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets led to four players, two from each team, seeing their nights come to a premature end. During the fourth quarter of action in a game that Sacramento led, 112-94, Kings guard Malik Monk took exception to some extra contact from Rockets guard Garrison Mathews while the two chased down a loose ball. It led to Monk poking the ball out of Mathews’ arms after play stopped and the two confronting one another.

Players, referees, and coaches had to intervene to break the two up, but tensions were quite high. Both Mathews and Monk were hit with technical fouls and ejected from the game, while additional players on both teams were kicked out for their actions in the ensuing fracas: Kings big man Chimezie Metu was tossed for “being an escalator,” while Rockets rookie Tari Eason “came in and he was an instigator.”

Prior to his ejection, Monk was one of the game’s leading scorers with 15 points off of the bench. This is the second game of a two-game series between the teams in Sacramento, with the Kings defending their home court on Wednesday night, 135-115. They’ll play a similar series in Houston on Feb. 6 and 8.

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French Montana Claims 50 Cent Was The ‘Biggest Genius’ For Using Beef To Sell And Market Records

French Montana recently appeared on Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion, where the rapper opened up about his views on fellow musician 50 Cent.

“50 was picking on n***** to pick on n*****. At one point, he was the biggest genius in the music industry,” he claimed. “He would just pick on you and drop a mixtape. Pick on you and drop an album.

“He kinda created that marketing scheme for a lot of artists to use. I mean people did it before him, but he became the mastermind he became the warlord of that… That’s definitely a blueprint for a lot of n***** to learn.”

The two previously had some documented beef that began over a Bugatti and 50 claiming that French faked his music streams. However, the two appeared to have squashed it last November after French Montana expressed his love for 50 Cent’s show, BMF.

“Man, let me tell you something,” French said on Drink Champs. “I have no problem with 50 no more after he dropped this BMF joint. That’s my favorite sh*t. Whatever me and 50 ever had – shout out to 50. Yeah, me and him, everything is over after BMF. That’s the best work ever.”

“That was the right answer French, well handled,” 50 Cent responded. “What beef, I don’t remember.”

Here’s hoping this doesn’t reignite any bad blood.

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Maren Morris Apologized For Country Music’s Treatment Of LGBTQ+ People While On ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

Country music star Maren Morris made a dazzling appearance as a guest star on tonight’s (January 13) episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race. While she shined during the show, it was on the aftershow, Untucked, where she made even more of an impact.

During her appearance, Morris visited the queens backstage and apologized to the queens on behalf of country music, and how the genre has treated the LGBTQ+ community.

“Coming from country music and its relationship with LGBTQ+ members, I just want to say I’m sorry,” she said. “I love you guys for making me feel like a brave voice in country music. I just want to thank you guys for inspiring me. I’m gonna cry I need to go.”

The message was received warmly by the competing queens, especially Mistress Isabelle Brooks, who told Morris. “Just you being here shows you’re an ally. Thank you.”

Though Morris didn’t call out any artists in particular, it is likely she was alluding to her online row with Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany, last August, when Brittany made transphobic remarks thanking her parents for not “changing” her gender when she was going through a “tomboy phase.”

Morris later took to Brittany’s Instagram comments, saying, “I’m glad she didn’t become a boy either because we really don’t need another asshole dude in the world. Sucks when Karens try to hide their homophobia/transphobia behind their ‘protectiveness of the children.’”

Fox News later labeled Morris a “Lunatic Country Music Person,” a title which Morris later included in her profile pictures on social media, and turned into fan merch.

RuPaul’s Drag Race airs Friday nights on MTV at 8 p.m. EST, with Untucked following immediately after.

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‘Harry Potter’ alum Rupert Grint builds his Target-obsessed toddler her own mini store

Who doesn’t love perusing the aisles of Target? For many moms it’s like a mini-vacation if you can manage to get out of the house without children. You grab a coffee and walk down every aisle touching anything that looks like it may feel soft. It’s sort of like an American parent’s pastime.

And when you can’t sneak away without your custom-made tiny human in tow, you bring them with and by default it becomes an activity they also enjoy. Turns out Rupert Grint’s 2-year-old daughter, Wednesday, took note during her time living in America and since returning to the U.K., where there is no Target, she misses it. Every American reading this just audibly gasped.

I know, I know. Take a deep breath. They don’t have our weird obsession with the bullseye because it hasn’t had a chance to hypnotize them … yet. But Grint’s daughter, who is fairly new to being across the pond, has felt the joy of being inside that famous red and white store. She has seen the red polos and khaki pants and there’s no turning back for her, so Grint, most famously known for his role as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter, built her one.


Recently, Grint stopped by “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and talked about his daughter, whom he shares with actress Georgia Groome. During the interview, Grint revealed how obsessed Wednesday is with Target, saying she would choose that over going to the park or the zoo. Grint told Fallon, “She loves going to different Targets and kind of seeing how the layout’s kind of slightly different. And sometimes she doesn’t buy anything, she just wants to kind of browse.” Ah, living that American experience.

Fallon reiterates how obsessed Wednesday is with Target, saying, “She’s so into Target that you built a little tiny play store for her in your house,” as he holds up a picture of the mini retail store. It’s complete with a rack of gift cards and scanner.

Watch the interview below:

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5 moments from the ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ trailer that fans are thrilled about

Since it was first published in 1970, Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been a literary rite of passage for young girls. Though written decades ago, the book has remained timeless for its authentic portrayal of that exciting, yet horrifying chapter of female adolescence and all the milestones that come with it—including, but not limited to, that first period.

At long last, fans will get the chance to see this classic play out on the big screen. Movie adaptations of books tend to be hit-or-miss, but the fact that Judy Blume herself gave her seal of approval, even going so far as to say the film is “better than the book,” seems promising.

And judging by the reactions to the trailer released Jan. 12, I’d say that folks are hella optimistic.

A few key moments left people particularly excited and nostalgic:

1. The dreaded “changing bodies” school lecture

Oh, the joys of a stern teacher talking about blood flowing from the vagina at school. Maybe sex education has evolved over the years, but the awkwardness of anatomy conversations at a young age seems to be everlasting.

2. Margaret’s prayers to God that accurately sum up preteen girl angst

Even the nonreligious can relate on some level to just not being the weird one, to please, please, please, please just this once be normal while growing up, and wondering if this discomfort will ever go away. This is an essential part of the preteen experience for many, until we realize, of course, that we are much better off just celebrating who we are. And Margaret’s earnest prayers are obviously a major aspect of the book, given the title. Duh.

3. Margaret asking mom for a bra

Margaret and other girls can be seen clumsily experimenting with hairspray, curling irons and other grown-up beauty products in order to “fit in.” But the most coveted, most revered item of all, of course, is the bra.

4. Buying pads for the first time at the local drug store

The utter humiliation at finding out the clerk is a boy. Perfection.

5. And of course, the iconic line…

“We must, we must, we must increase our bust!”

That’s right, diehard Blume fans. The trailer has all that and more. Watch below:

Comments to trailers can be fairly mixed. However this one received a mountain of positivity.

“I lost track of how many times I read this book while growing up in the 70s. It’s amazing that it’s taken this long for it to be made into a movie!” wrote one person.

Another added, “I’m honestly surprised that a movie version of this book doesn’t already exist. But I guess it’s time. LOL I’m here for it. I remember reading this in fifth grade. Such a good book for young girls to read and realize that all the weirdness they are going through is normal. It will definitely be a good film viewing for today’s middle schoolers and for all the millennials, Xillennials and gen-Xers who grew up with the book.”

Perhaps Margaret’s story is so universal because it was inspired by a real-life experience. On her website, Blume shared that as a sixth grader, she did all the things—like stuffing her bra, doing exercises, lying about getting her period—because she yearned to develop into adulthood the way her classmates were (relatable). Blume put her longings to paper, and the rest is history.

Rather than putting it under a modern spin, the movie takes place in the ’70s, and spreads its focus across three generations between Margaret (played by Abby Ryder Fortson), her mother (played by Rachel McAdams), and her grandmother (played by Kathy Bates).

Bates indicated that the book’s original intention would be kept intact as she told People that “I think women throughout history have been taught to feel negatively about their bodies and about the processes that their bodies go through. I think this film will help young women feel better about their bodies.”

Whether for nostalgia, or for getting a sweet dose of feel-good comedy, you can see “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” in theaters April 28.

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Gracie Abrams Wonders ‘Where Do We Go Now’ About A Relationship On Her Heartbreaking New Single

Gracie Abrams arrived with the lead single, “Where Do We Go Now?” from her forthcoming album, Good Riddance. Throughout the track, she mourns the loss of a relationship as she reflects on the twists-and-turns

“24th street / Where you held me, grabbed my arm / What a mental fire alarm / Cause a lot of that felt wrong,” she emotionally sings on the opening lines.

“Where Do We Go Now?” also received the video treatment, directed by Gia Coppola. The black-and-white aesthetic emphasized the heartbreaking themes of a toxic relationship in a really powerful way, as most of the shots focus on Abrams herself.

As for the rest of Good Riddance, she recorded it at New York’s Long Pond Studio with The National’s Aaron Dessner.

“I feel an unbelievable amount of gratitude for the opportunity to have made this album,” Abrams shared about the album. “Writing this record allowed me to grow up in ways I need to. It forced me to reflect and be accountable. It allowed me to walk away from versions of myself that I no longer recognized. It allowed me to let go.”

Listen to Gracie Abrams’ new song “Where Do We Go Now?” above.

Good Riddance is out 02/24 via Interscope. Pre-order it here.