Sometimes acts of kindness are so pure, we mistake them for something else out of suspicion. This nearly happened to Matt Busbice, a 42-year-old Baton Rouge resident and successful multi-business owner.
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Busbice told CBS News that last month something happened to him that would stick with him forever: One early morning, the blaring sounds of a firearm alarm had him jumping out of bed, throwing on whatever was closest in range and headed for the steps of the condo building.
However, upon making it downstairs, he discovered it was a false alarm. Since he was already up, he told reporters he decided to go to a nearby coffee shop for a cup of coffee, despite being dressed in mixed-matched clothes. Before going inside the shop, the businessman realized the fire alarm disrupted his morning routine for prayer.
Busbice told CBS as he took himself the patio corner to pray, he noticed a kid walking toward him with a clenched fist. He thought lil’ man was about to start beef with him but the boy didn’t want any smoke.
Kelvin Ellis Jr., the 9-year-old boy, believed Busbice was homeless. Ellis opened his palm to offer him a dollar.
“I always wanted to help a homeless person, and I finally had the opportunity,” Ellis told CBS.
What makes this even sweeter was that Ellis received the dollar in reward for good grades. Busbice not only got him a snack from the coffee shop in response to this random act of kindness but also offered him a 40-second shopping spree at the sporting goods store he owned. Ellis walked away with a new bike and more goodies that would make a 9-year-old smile.
“I haven’t had that much faith in humanity in a very long time,” Busbice told CBS News.
Following their Black boy joy moment, Mr. Busbice vowed to stay connected to young Ellis.
“It feels crazy, like, I’m 50 and [Sports Illustrated is] 60,” Banks told Extra. “I love being … somewhat like the older model on set. I don’t know why I do, but I feel like a sage. I feel like the Oprah of modeling, you know what I mean? I feel like I’ve been here, I can teach you guys things. So it feels, it feels really good.”
Banks first appeared in Sports Illustrated in 1993 and, in 1996, became the first Black woman to pose on the cover of the publication’s swimsuit issue. Since then, the star built a career breaking barriers and lifting the veil on the modeling industry. Though she’s built a name for herself in various industries as an actress, producer, author and entrepreneur, Banks still has a soft spot for modeling.
“[Lately,] I don’t feel like I’m modeling, but people keep telling me that I should do it again, so I’m thinking about maybe doing it, like, runway and stuff,” she exclusively told Extra. “We’ll see … I’m thinking about really, really modeling, for real, for real. Like, fashion shows and … covers of magazines that are not Sports Illustrated.”
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While the Sports Illustrated cover star was serious about potentially returning to the industry, she joked about her body being able to keep up with a modeling comeback. Having experienced sciatica pain, which causes injury and pressure on the nerve connecting the lower back and legs, Banks revealed not being able to walk and experiencing hip pains.
“[Let’s] hope that my hip is here for it and … that I can get the right lighting so the front of my thighs with the cellulite is not showing as much,” she said jokingly. “We’ve come a long way when it comes to beauty empowerment and inclusivity, but y’all will still hate on me in the comments about the cellulite on the front of my thighs.”
Despite the physical challenges and changes she’s experienced, the model wears the age of 50 like a badge of honor, describing it as empowering.
“I’m poppin’. I am not insecure about myself. I ain’t trippin’…I could not wait to be 50 because I felt it was a rite of passage to be my true self,” Banks said, reflecting on her golden birthday year. “Now, I speak my truth. I demand respect. And it feels good. I can’t wait until 60 comes along because I’m probably going to be cursing everybody out.”
Feeling confident and free, Banks is using her wisdom and experience to uplift others. Ahead of the SI 60th-anniversary photoshoot, the veteran model reportedly gave another one of this year’s cover stars “deep, deep advice, career advice on how to take her stuff to even the next level,” which she said made her made her feel good.
For Banks, being a part of the publication’s swimsuit legends represents “busting down the door so other people can come through.” Just as Banks supported her fellow cover star, she told Sports Illustrated that women should “use their platforms if they’re in power to lift the next generation up.”
Days after his explosive rap feud with Drake concluded, Kendrick Lamar made headlines again with a lavish real estate purchase. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pulitzer-winning rapper has agreed to buy a 16,000-square-foot mansion in Brentwood, Los Angeles, for $40 million. The property was sold by a trust linked to Viet Dinh, the former Chief Legal and Policy Officer of Fox Corporation.
The mansion’s previous owners had acquired it for $19.5 million in 2019, meaning Lamar is set to pay more than double the initial cost once the deal is finalized.
Lamar’s major splurge came just days after Drake waved the white flag, ending their highly publicized rap feud with the release of “The Heart Part 6.” Throughout their feud, Drake had taken aim at Lamar’s personal life in his diss track “Family Matters,” mocking Lamar’s New York living situation and his relationship status.
“Why did you move to New York? Is it ’cause you living that bachelor life?/Proposed in 2015 but don’t wanna make her your actual wife/I’m guessing this wedding ain’t happening, right?/’Cause we know the girls that you actually like,” Drake rapped, suggesting Lamar lived alone in Brooklyn without his fiancée, Whitney Alford, the mother of his children.
Lamar did not hesitate to retaliate, dropping severe accusations against Drake in his hit “Not Like Us.” The track features biting lyrics about Drake’s alleged personal issues and his entourage:
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young/You better not ever go to cell block one/To any b#### that talk to him and they in love/Just make sure you hide your lil’ sister from him/They tell me Chubbs the only one that get your hand-me-downs/And Party at the party playing with his nose now/And Baka got a weird case, why is he around?/Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles,” Lamar rapped.
The feud, which had the hip-hop world buzzing, concluded with Drake’s release of “The Heart Part 6,” in which he signaled a desire to end the conflict.
“I don’t wanna diss you anymore, this really got me second-guessing. You could drop a hundred more records, I’ll see you later/Yeah, maybe when you meet your maker/I don’t wanna fight with a woman beater, it feeds your nature,” Drake responded, suggesting an end to their public sparring.
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of Lamar’s former label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), confirmed the end of the feud on social media. “This battle is over. A win for the culture, while keeping it all on wax. Especially when these publications try to make it something else. We proved them wrong. That’s a victory within itself. On another note, it’s time to wrap up this TDE anniversary compilation,” he tweeted.
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Cardi B had a lot to say in a new interview with “Rolling Stone,” which was published Thursday. During the interview, The “WAP” artist discussed her union to Migos rapper Offset. Even though Cardi once filed for divorce in 2020 (she later canceled it), the star confessed her love for him runs deep.
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“We’re best friends. And it’s like, ‘OK. Well, there was a time that I didn’t have a best friend, or I didn’t have a support system.’ It’s not even about ‘How do you leave a partner?’ How do you stop talking to your best friend?” she explained.
Cardi elaborated:
“We have our own bad stuff. We’re from two different worlds. Sometimes I cannot be … not that I cannot be a wife. It’s just like, my career takes my life. You know what I’m saying? My career comes first, then my kids come second. And then sometimes I don’t realize that I’m putting so many things before my relationship.”
Cardi confessed that her children are her number one priority. Much to the chagrin of fans, she didn’t discuss the follow-up to her 2018 debut album “Invasion of Privacy.” However, she has previously declared on social media that her sophomore album is, in fact, coming out in 2024.
The emcee also stated she’s not voting for either President Biden nor Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. Cardi did vote for Biden back in 2020, but has since had a change of heart.
“I feel like people got betrayed,” the “Bodak Yellow” rapper said. “It’s just like, damn, y’all not caring about nobody.” She went onto describe how upset she’s been with Biden’s “domestic and foreign mismanagement.”
“Then, it really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any f***ing thing…There’s countries [where] kids are getting killed every single day, but because the [U.S.] won’t benefit from that country, they won’t help,” Cardi continued.
“I don’t like that America has this superhero cape on. We never did things to be superheroes. We did things for our own convenience.” What Cardi somehow forgot to mention is that Republicans in the House—whom comprise its majority—passed a bill that forced Biden to send military aid to Israel.
A protest vote isn’t as noble as she thinks it is—but Cardi B isn’t trying to hear that.
HOUSTON (AP) — Power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston, an official warned Friday, after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city, knocking out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses in the region, blowing out windows on downtown high rises and flipping vehicles.
The National Weather Service said it confirmed a tornado with peak winds of 110 mph (177 kph) touched down near the northwest Houston suburb of Cypress in Harris County.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, said crews were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and the number of casualties from Thursday’s storms. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people, and possibly five, had died.
“It was fierce. It was intense. It was quick, and most Houstonians didn’t have time to place themselves out of harms way,” Whitmire said at a news conference.
With multiple transmission towers down, Hidalgo urged patience. Thousands of utility workers were headed to the area, where power had already been restored to roughly 200,000 customers. Another 100,000 customers were without power in Louisiana, down from a peak of 215,000.
“We are going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days,” Hidalgo said.
Rapper Trae tha Truth, in yellow, cuts fallen tree limbs on top of a car in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
She said she had heard “horror stories of just terror and powerlessness” as the storm came through. The weather service also reported straight-line winds of up to 100 mph (161 kph) in downtown Houston and the suburbs of Baytown and Galena Park.
Noelle Delgado’s heart sank as she pulled up Thursday night to Houston Pets Alive, the animal rescue organization where she is executive director. The dogs and cats — more than 30 in all — were uninjured, but the awning had been ripped off, the sign was mangled and water was leaking inside. With power expected to be out for some time and temperatures forecast to climb into the 90s Saturday, she hoped to find foster homes for the animals.
“I could definitely tell that this storm was a little different,” she said. “It felt terrifying.”
Yesenia Guzmán, 52, worried whether she would get paid with the power still out at the restaurant where she works in the Houston suburb of Katy.
“We don’t really know what’s going to happen,” she said.
The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill. Trees, debris and shattered glass littered the streets. One building’s wall was ripped off.
School districts in the Houston area canceled classes for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people avoid downtown and stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights.
Whitmire said at least 2,500 traffic lights were out. He also warned would-be looters that “police are out in force, including 50 state troopers sent to the area to prevent looting.”
At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another happened when a crane blew over in strong winds, officials said.
Whitmire’s office posted a photo Friday on the social platform X showing the mayor signing a disaster declaration, which paves the way for state and federal storm recovery assistance.
Rap artist Trae the Truth and his ReliefGang serves pizza to residents at Pleasant Hill Village Retirement Community, that was without power in the aftermath of a severe storm on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Houston. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)
President Joe Biden later issued a disaster declaration for seven counties in Texas, including Harris, due to severe weather since April 26. His action makes federal funding available to people affected by the storms.
The problems from Thursday’s storms extended to the Houston suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing the damage to transmission lines as “catastrophic.”
High-voltage transmission towers that were torn apart and downed power lines pose a twofold challenge for the utility company because the damage affected transmission and distribution systems, according to Alexandria von Meier, a power and energy expert who called that a rare thing.
“It’s more typical that the damage is just at the distribution system, which is, you know, just not as strong,” von Meier said, referring to power lines that tend to be more susceptible to wind damage.
How quickly repairs are made will depend on a variety of factors, including the time it takes to assess the damage, equipment replacement, roadwork access issues and workforce availability. Centerpoint Energy deployed 1,000 employees on Friday and had a pending request for 5,000 more line workers and vegetation professionals.
Down power lines are shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm Friday, May 17, 2024, in Cypress, Texas, near Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
One silver lining, von Meier said, is that the damage was localized, unlike what happened in the 2021 statewide freeze, which could allow for other jurisdictions to send resources more readily. Although customers might want an aggressive repair timeline, she cautioned that it must proceed carefully and methodically.
“Because if you try to fix this kind of thing in a hurry and you try to restore power in a hurry, you might injure people. You would be putting the workers at risk. You could be putting other people at risk. You could be blowing up equipment that then is going to take longer to replace,” von Meier said.
The storms also weren’t over Friday. Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible for eastern Louisiana into central Alabama, the National Weather Service said. Flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas to the east.
The Storm Prediction Center’s website showed a report of a tornado in Convent, Louisiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from New Orleans, with multiple reports of trees and power poles down.
A suspected tornado hit the Romeville area of St. James Parish on Thursday night with some homes impacted and trees down, but no injuries or fatalities had been reported, parish officials said in a social media post on Friday morning.
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There were wind gusts of 84 mph (135 kph) at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and 82 mph (132 kph) at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, according to Tim Erickson, a meteorologist at the weather service’s office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
The office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge issued a flash flood warning through Saturday.
Heavy storms slammed the Houston area during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.
Rising Jamaican artist Lila Iké has released her latest single, “He Loves Us Both,” featuring the immensely talented H.E.R. Produced by Protoje, this track sees the two artists engaging in a poignant and soulful exchange about the complexities of dating the same man.
The music video, directed by CHILD., adds a dramatic visual layer to the song’s narrative. In the video, Lila Iké and H.E.R. find themselves entangled in a love triangle with rapper and actor Joey Bada$$. Drawing inspiration from Brandy and Monica’s iconic 1998 hit “The Boy Is Mine,” the video showcases the emotional depth and tension of the situation. Despite their on-screen rivalry, Lila and H.E.R. maintain a genuine friendship off-screen, bonded by their mutual passion for storytelling through music.
Reflecting on the creation of the song, Lila Iké shared, “I remember working on this song on my guitar and thinking it needs a feature with a really dope female artist as it reminded me of ‘The Boy Is Mine’ collaboration. I met H.E.R. in 2021 during Covid times and we did some sessions together working on her project at the time. That whole experience changed my life. The first time I played this song for her she immediately got in the booth and so effortlessly made it into the masterpiece it is today. I am forever grateful and can’t wait to share this song with people. This song is one of my proudest moments of my career.”
H.E.R. echoed this sentiment, praising Lila’s artistry: “Lila is an incredible artist and we had fun in the studio! ‘He Loves Us Both’ has so many musical elements. She cannot be boxed into a genre!!!”
“He Loves Us Both” is the first single from Lila Iké’s eagerly awaited debut album, set for release later this year. The album will build on the success of her previous EP, “The ExPerience,” delving deeper into themes of perseverance, love, and relationships. The single itself is a masterful blend of vintage reggae with modern elements, featuring steady guitar licks and cracking snare drums that echo the Jamaican dub tradition. The song’s lyrics explore the emotional struggles of love, with both artists navigating a dramatic tug of war that culminates in the chorus: “I don’t want to lose a good thing just because; I really want it to be good for what it’s worth.”
The release follows Lila Iké’s successful U.K. Spring tour with Jesse Royal and Protoje, and her recent collaboration with Davido on “Flex Your Soul,” an exclusive track for Honda Stage and Billboard.
Fans can look forward to Lila Iké’s summer tour, which includes festival appearances across Europe and the United States, culminating in a free BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! show in Brower Park on August 17.
Tour Dates:
Jun 30 @ L’atomium (Couleur Cafe Festival) in Brussels, Belgium
Jul 6 @ SummerJam Festival in Cologne, Germany
Aug 3 @ County Line Ranch (Reggae on the River Festival) in Humboldt County, California, USA
Aug 17 @ Brower Park (BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!) in Brooklyn, New York, USA
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In November 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit alleging that the music mogul raped and physically abused her during their 11 year relationship. In the suit, a specific incident where he allegedly assaulted her at a now closed InterContinental Hotel location in the Century City area of Los Angeles is described. The singer claims an “intoxicated” Diddy punched her, which resulted in a black eye. This prompted her to leave.
CNN states that it “verified the location based on publicly available photos of the former hotel’s interior,” so it seems like this could be the incident from the lawsuit.
The footage begins with Combs—wearing nothing but a towel—following Ventura into the hallway outside their hotel room. As she heads toward the elevators, he chases her down. In the video, which is seen from various camera angles, “He grabs her by the back of the neck and throws her to the floor…As Ventura is on the ground, Combs retrieves a purse and suitcase from the floor near the elevators. He turns around and kicks Ventura again as she lies motionless on the floor.” Diddy then drags Cassie back toward the hotel room and walks away. She get up and goes to the hotel phone near the elevators, but he follows her to the area and proceeds to throw a glass vase in her direction.
There’s no getting around how shocking and heartbreaking it is to view this footage. For all the non-believers who were asking why she didn’t just leave him if things were that bad, here’s your answer. She’s trying to get away and he violently stops her from doing so.
Despite other people who associated with the couple during their relationship coming forward to corroborate Cassie’s statements, there’s also been a lot of talk about how there’s no concrete evidence that Combs did the things she accused him of. Well, here’s your evidence on video. She’s trying to leave and he drags her back toward the room, literally kicking while she’s already down.
Diddy has a long history of controversy and legal trouble, but somehow he’s managed to maintain his reputation and success at every turn. Nothing sticks to him long enough for it to drag him down. Perhaps we’ve finally reached a breaking point, and he’ll actually have to deal with the consequences of his actions. However, history tells us people as rich as he is rarely pay for their transgressions. We just hope this video being released offers some vindication for Cassie.
Combs and Ventura settled the lawsuit the day after she filed it, with the rapper/producer denying the allegations against him.
In response to the video, Cassie’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, released a statement:
“The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”
As of this writing, neither Diddy nor InterContinental Hotels has commented on the video.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a conservative-led attack that could have undermined the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The justices ruled 7-2 that the way the CFPB is funded does not violate the Constitution, reversing a lower court and drawing praises from consumers. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, splitting with his frequent allies, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who dissented.
The CFPB was created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, car loans and other consumer finance. The case was brought by payday lenders who object to a bureau rule that limits their ability to withdraw funds directly from borrowers’ bank accounts. It’s among several major challenges to federal regulatory agencies on the docket this term for a court that has for more than a decade been open to limits on their operations.
The CFPB, the brainchild of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, has long been opposed by Republicans and their financial backers. The bureau says it has returned $19 billion to consumers since its creation.
Outside the Supreme Court following the decision, Warren said, “The Supreme Court followed the law, and the CFPB is here to stay.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is shown in Washington, D.C.. (Photo: Mariam Zuhaib/AP, file)
President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat who has taken steps to strengthen the bureau, called the ruling “an unmistakable win for American consumers.”
Unlike most federal agencies, the consumer bureau does not rely on the annual budget process in Congress. Instead, it is funded directly by the Federal Reserve, with a current annual limit of around $600 million.
The federal appeals court in New Orleans, in a novel ruling, held that the funding violated the Constitution’s appropriations clause because it improperly shields the CFPB from congressional supervision.
Thomas reached back to the earliest days of the Constitution in his majority opinion to note that “the Bureau’s funding mechanism fits comfortably with the First Congress’ appropriations practice.”
In dissent, Alito wrote, “The Court upholds a novel statutory scheme under which the powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may bankroll its own agenda without any congressional control or oversight.”
The CFPB case was argued more than seven months ago, during the first week of the court’s term. Lopsided decisions like Thursday’s 7-2 vote typically don’t take so long, but Alito’s dissent was longer than the majority opinion, and two other justices, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote separate opinions even though they both were part of the majority.
Consumer groups cheered the decision, as did a bureau spokesman.
“For years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement,” bureau spokesman Sam Gilford said in a statement. “The Supreme Court has rejected their radical theory that would have devastated the American financial markets. The Court repudiated the arguments of the payday loan lobby and made it clear that the CFPB is here to stay.”
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Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, said the decision upholding the consumer bureau’s funding structure would have positive effects across the U.S. economy.
“It’s always nice to see the courts get something right — especially in this tawdry circumstance where payday loan predators sought to wriggle out of basic oversight using absurd distortions of law and fact,” Van Tol said in a statement.
While the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and some other business interests backed the payday lenders, mortgage bankers and other sectors regulated by the CFPB cautioned the court to avoid a broad ruling that could unsettle the markets.
In 2020, the court decided another CFPB case, ruling that Congress had improperly insulated the head of the bureau from removal. The justices said the director could be replaced by the president at will but allowed the bureau to continue to operate.
Britney Spears’ penchant for dancing and partying might be traced back to an unexpected source. According to TMZ, actress Melissa Joan Hart recently revealed that she took a then 17-year-old Britney to her first nightclub, a decision she now feels guilty about.
The connection between Spears and Hart dates back to 1999 when Britney guest-starred on Hart’s ABC show, and Hart appeared in Spears’ “(You Drive Me) Crazy” music video. Despite their six-year age difference, Hart describes their relationship as being close, almost like siblings.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hart explained that she invited Britney to a nightclub after observing how the young star was constantly surrounded by people and unable to enjoy herself freely. “She was underage and young, but I was just like, ‘Let’s go out. We’re just gonna go out and have some fun,’” Hart stated.
Britney’s nightlife escapades became legendary in the early 2000s, often seen partying with Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. This intense partying and public scrutiny eventually contributed to Britney’s personal struggles.
Hart now reflects on that night with regret. “I feel really guilty about that still to this day because I should have known better, being a big sister,” she confessed. While Britney continued to achieve professional success, her personal life spiraled, leading to a highly publicized conservatorship under her father, Jamie Spears, which lasted 13 years before ending in 2021 due in part to the Free Britney movement.
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Yesterday, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with the leaders of the Divine Nine historically Black sororities and fraternities at the White House.
This is the first time that Divine 9 leaders as a group have met with a sitting President and Vice President in the Oval Office.
Check out these photos sent to Watch The Yard from the White House of the visit.
