Biden says Trump sowing doubts about US commitment to NATO is ‘un-American’

President Joe Biden on Tuesday said Donald Trump’s comments calling into question the U.S. commitment to defend its NATO allies from attack were “dangerous” and “un-American,” seizing on the former president’s comments that sowed fresh fears among U.S. partners about its dependability on the global stage.

Trump, the front-runner in the U.S. for the Republican Party’s nomination this year, said Saturday that he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense. It was the latest instance in which the former president seemed to side with an authoritarian state over America’s democratic allies .

Speaking from the White House as he encouraged the House to take up a Senate-passed aid bill to fund Ukraine’s efforts to hold off a two-year Russian invasion, Biden said Trump’s comments about the mutual defense pact were “dangerous and shocking.”

“The whole world heard it and the worst thing is he means it,” Biden added.

Biden said that “when America gives its word, it means something,” and called Trump’s comments sowing doubt about its commitments ”un-American.”

Biden said of Trump: “He doesn’t understand that the sacred commitment that we’ve given works for us as well.”

NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all members. But Trump has often depicted NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for more than 70 years.

Since the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Biden has ushered Finland into the alliance and is clearing the way for Sweden to do the same. While Ukraine is not a member of NATO, the alliance has served as a key contributor of the U.S.-organized effort to support Kyiv’s military defenses in the nearly two year old conflict.

Woman, baby found dead in west Baltimore apartment

The bodies of a woman and a baby were found Tuesday morning in west Baltimore, police said.

City police said officers were called around at 9 a.m. to an apartment in the 1800 block of McCulloh Street, where they found a 32-year-old woman and a 13-month-old child dead.

Police said there were no signs of foul play or anything suspicious and that detectives are investigating the deaths as “questionable.”

The causes of the deaths remain under investigation.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan split after a year of dating, talk of engagement

Looks like Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan won’t be heading down the aisle after all.

The reality TV star and the former college basketball star have called it quits after a year of dating, The Times has confirmed. After breakup rumors surfaced over the weekend, a statement shared with The Times said the former couple has “decided to take some time apart to reevaluate their relationship.”

The statement added:”This has nothing to do with any family input, but solely for their personal growth.”

Speculation around the couple’s standing began on Instagram, where social media sleuths saw that the former partners had unfollowed each other and deleted photos that documented their relationship. Pippen, the ex-wife of NBA star Scottie Pippen, fueled the rumors with a pair of since-deleted Instagram stories seemingly shading her now-ex.

Former President Trump asks Supreme Court to put off election interference trial

Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his election interference trial, saying he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss.

His lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the court on Monday, just four days after the justices heard Trump’s separate appeal to remain on the presidential ballot despite attempts to kick him off because of his efforts following his election loss in 2020.

The filing keeps on hold what would be a landmark criminal trial of a former president while the nation’s highest court decides what to do. It met a deadline to ask the justices to intervene that the federal appeals court in Washington set when it rejected Trump’s immunity claims and ruled the trial could proceed.

The Supreme Court’s decision on what to do, and how quickly it acts, could determine whether the Republican presidential primary frontrunner stands trial in the case before the November.

Former President Donald Trump faces a Monday deadline for asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his trial on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss.

His lawyers have indicated they will file an emergency appeal with the court, just four days after the justices heard Trump’s separate appeal to remain on the presidential ballot despite attempts to kick him off because of his efforts following his election loss in 2020.

The filing would preserve a delay on what would be a landmark criminal trial of a former president while the nation’s highest court decides what to do. The federal appeals court in Washington set the deadline for filing when it rejected Trump’s immunity claims last week and ruled the trial could proceed.

The Supreme Court’s decision on what to do, and how quickly it acts, could determine whether the Republican presidential primary front-runner stands trial in the case before the November election.

There is no timetable for the court to act, but special counsel Jack Smith’s team has strongly pushed for the trial to take place this year. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly sought to delay the case. If Trump were to defeat President Joe Biden, he could potentially try to use his position as head of the executive branch to order a new attorney general to dismiss the federal cases he faces or even seek a pardon for himself.

The Supreme Court’s options include rejecting the emergency appeal, which would enable U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to restart the trial proceedings in Washington’s federal court. The trial was initially scheduled to begin in early March.

The court also could extend the delay while it hears arguments on the immunity issue. In that event, the schedule the justices might set could determine how soon a trial might begin, if indeed they agree with lower court rulings that Trump is not immune from prosecution.

In December, Smith and his team had urged the justices to take up and decide the immunity issue, even before the appeals court weighed in. “It is of imperative public importance that Respondent’s claim of immunity be resolved by this Court and that Respondent’s trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected,” prosecutors wrote in December.

Trump’s legal team has ascribed partisan motives to the prosecution’s push for a prompt trial, writing in December that it “reflects the evident desire to schedule President Trump’s potential trial during the summer of 2024—at the height of the election season.”

Now it’s up to a court on which three justices, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were appointed by Trump when he was president. They have moved the court to the right in major decisions that overturned abortion rights, expanded gun rights and ended affirmative action in college admissions.

But the Supreme Court hasn’t been especially friendly to Trump on legal matters directly concerning the former president. The court declined to take up several appeals filed by Trump and his allies related to the 2020 election. It also refused to prevent tax files and other documents from being turned over to congressional committees and prosecutors in New York.

Last week, however, the justices did seem likely to end the efforts to prevent Trump from being on the 2024 ballot. A decision in that case could come any time.

Wintry mix to impact Tuesday morning commute

The rain is expected to change into the wintry mix around 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. in the middle of the Tuesday morning commute. It will end around 10 a.m. with only a trace of accumulation possible for most of the area. The northern suburbs near the Pennsylvania line could up to 2″ of snow, but less will stick to the roads.

Most of the roads will remain above freezing but the wintry mix will still reduce visibility so be careful on slippery and slushy roads as they will stay wet do to the ground temperatures.

A Winter Storm Watch is in place for the following counties: Frederick, Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford. A Winter Storm Warning is in place for Allegany and Garrett Counties. A Winter Storm Advisory is in place for Washington County.

Boy critically injured in Texas megachurch shooting is son of suspect in attack

The young boy who was critically injured in a shooting at a Texas megachurch on Sunday was the son of the shooter, authorities said Monday.

Police identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, and said at a news conference that Moreno had a history of mental illness, including being placed under emergency detention in 2016.

The boy, who authorities described as a 7-year-old, remained in critical condition Monday with a gunshot wound to the head. He had been described as a 5-year-old on Sunday.

A motive for the attack that sent worshippers rushing for safety in between busy services at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church remains unclear.

Moreno was killed after pointing the weapon at the security officers, authorities said.

In addition to the boy, a man in his 50s was also injured in the shooting, according to authorities.

Lakewood is regularly attended by 45,000 people weekly, making it the third-largest megachurch in the U.S., according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Osteen said the violence could have been worse if the shooting had happened during the earlier and larger late Sunday morning service.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner at a news conference Sunday said the shooter wore a trenchcoat and backpack and was armed with a long rifle when they entered the church.

Moreno began shooting before being confronted by two off-duty officers — a Houston police officer and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent, who returned fire, Finner said.

Finner said the shooter told officers after being shot there was a bomb, but a search found no explosives. The declaration of a bomb was also noted in the search warrant affidavit, which said the shooter had a “yellow color rope and substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices.”

Finner and other authorities at the scene praised the officers, who have not been identified, for taking down the shooter.

Moreno “had a long gun, and it could have been worse,” Finner said. “But they stepped up and did their job.”

It was unclear how the boy, who was taken to a Houston children’s hospital, was struck by gunfire.

When asked whether the boy was shot by one of the off-duty officers returning fire on the suspect, Finner said he did not want to speculate but added: “That suspect put that baby in danger.”

Shannon Sharpe Apologizes to Fans, Says He and Mike Epps Are Working Out Issues

Shannon Sharpe and Mike Epps made headlines after going back and forth on social media, with Shannon and Mike vowing to settle things on sight. 

The beef between the two entertainers started after Mike insinuated that Shannon was gay. Shannon responded and claimed that Mike DM’d him about being on “Club Shay Shay,” and he threatened to leak the messages to the public. 

Now, Shannon is revealing that he and Mike have agreed to work things out. He wrote on X, “UNC and @TheRealMikeEpps have decided 2 have a man 2 man conversation in Indy at NBA all star weekend 2 discuss our differences. We both realize this situation could’ve been, should’ve been handled differently. I apologize 2 fam, friends, love 1s and my fans. #ClubShayShay.” 

Source: X

Update 02/12/2024 11:07am:

The back-and-forth between Mike Epps and Shannon Sharpe continues, as Mike has responded to Shannon telling him that he will handle their issues on sight. 

This comes after Mike initially got Shannon’s attention after implying that the former NFL star is gay. Shannon replied to Mike on “Nightcap,” as he stated, “Mention my name again, and I’m gonna put the DM … and I don’t like doing this. But you’re lying.” 

In his response, Mike admitted that he DM’d Shannon, and he explained that he did so after Shannon brought his name up during Katt Williams’ viral “Club Shay Shay” interview. Mike stated that he felt like Shannon was trying to bait Katt into speaking badly about him. You can hear more above.

Source: Instagram 

Original 02/12/2024 10:23am:

Update 02/12/2024 9:40am:

Previously, Mike Epps spoke on Shannon Sharpe, seemingly implying that the ‘Club Shay Shay’ host was gay. Now, Sharpe has fired back at Epps, calling him out during an episode of ‘Nightcap’ with Ocho Cinco. 

Sharpe didn’t waste any time getting at Epps, saying: “Mention my name again, and I’m gonna put the DM … and I don’t like doing this. But you’re lying.”

The ‘Club Shay Shay’ host then said, “I don’t care about all that other stuff.  You can say I’m gay … I don’t care about that because I won’t chase a lie. But I won’t let you lie on my name.” 

Sharpe then threatened to release DMs Epps sent him, saying, “You said I reached out to you to come on Club Shay Shay, and you’re a mofo lie. Now when I see you, I’m gon’ see if you’re about that. I’m gon’ see if you want to say what you been saying, trying to get some jokes because you got mad because Katt Williams did what he did.” Watch above.

Original 02/10/2024 6:55am:

Comedian Mike Epps claimed that former NFL player and sports commentator Shannon Sharpe contacted him for an interview, but Epps declined, stating he didn’t want Sharpe “looking across at my balls.” Epps suggested that Sharpe’s podcast, “Club Shay Shay,” might be an attempt to subtly convey his alleged secret homosexuality. Rumors about Sharpe’s sexuality have circulated for about a year, sparked by his association with his stylist, an openly gay man known as “Hollywood.” Sharpe has not publicly addressed these speculations.

Source: youtube.com

Usher marries kids mom, Jennifer Goicoechea in Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend

Usher has married girlfriend ​​Jennifer Goicoechea, PEOPLE confirmed. The singer, 45, and the music executive, 40, wed in Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend. 

The couple obtained a marriage license in Clark County, Nev. on Feb. 8, but didn’t immediately file, so it’s not clear whether they tied the knot before or after Usher took the stage at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show on Sunday.

The “Yeah!” singer and the exec share two children together. They were first spotted together in 2019.

Reps for Usher did not immediately respond to ONFIRE-TV’s request for comment.

D.L. Hughley Calls Mo’Nique a ‘Liar’ for Comments Made About Their Feud on ‘Club Shay Shay’

Monique, the Oscar-winning star of “Precious,” reignited her feud with comedian D.L. Hughley during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast hosted by Shannon Sharpe. The feud began in 2022 over a contract dispute regarding a comedy show in Detroit. Monique claimed she was supposed to be the headliner according to the contract but alleged that Hughley refused to perform if she headlined. The feud escalated, with Monique bringing up an old interview where Hughley allegedly didn’t believe his daughter was sexually abused.

The recent resurgence of the feud on February 7 stemmed from Monique’s explanation of the origins during the podcast. She cited an offensive question posed by Hughley’s co-host during a radio show appearance, leading to a cease and desist order from Monique. Hughley denied the allegations, stating he respected Monique’s wishes and pulled the segment immediately. Hughley responded on Instagram, comparing Club Shay Shay to Wendy Williams’ show and making comments about Monique’s weight.

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