(WASHINGTON) — On Thursday evening, the Senate passed a bill that will start the process of raising the debt limit with only Democrats’ votes.
Having gained the necessary support to clear the filibuster earlier Thursday afternoon, the Senate-passes legislation will permit a one-time change to Senate rules and allow Democrats to raise the federal borrowing limit by a simple majority.
Despite only requiring 51 votes, 10 Republicans voted with all Democrats to pass the rule, resulting in a 59-35 margin.
On Tuesday, congressional leaders announced a deal that would avert a default of the nation’s credit by allowing Democrats to raise the debt ceiling in the Senate without any Republican support, and the House approved the measure along party lines in a late-night 222-212 vote.
The bill will now head to President Joe Biden’s desk. Once Biden signs the rule change, Democrats in both chambers of Congress will need to pass a second piece of legislation that actually raises the debt limit. Biden must sign that second bill before Dec. 15 to avert catastrophic default, according to the Treasury Department.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan and Trish Turner contributed to this report.
Bryan Adams has just released a new track from his forthcoming studio album, So Happy It Hurts, and the tune really, um, kicks a**!
The catchy, melodic-rock song is titled “Kick A**,” and it begins with a spoken-word interlude delivered in the form of a Biblical-style sermon by legendary Monty Python member John Cleese about the creation of rock ‘n’ roll music.
The track, which Adams co-wrote with famed producer “Mutt” Lange, is available now as a digital download and via steaming services, and you can check out a companion lyric video at Bryan’s official YouTube channel.
“Kick A**” is the third advance track released from So Happy It Hurts, following the title track and “On the Road.” The album is due out March 11 and can be pre-ordered now.
“On the Road” also was co-written by Adams and Lange and was penned specifically to promote the 2022 edition of the Pirelli Calendar, for which Bryan shot the photos.
As previously reported, the calendar is titled On the Road, and it was photographed in Los Angeles, the Italian isle of Capri and Canada last summer. Among the artists who Bryan shot for the calendar: Cher, Iggy Pop, Jennifer Hudson, rapper Saweetie, pop stars Normani and Rita Ora, alt-pop artist Grimes and alt-rocker St. Vincent.
After just 10 hours of deliberation, a Chicago jury has found actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts for filing a false police report related to the hoax racist attack he suffered at the hands of two men in January 2019.
The former Empire star had claimed two racist supporters of President Trump beat him up, poured bleach on him, called him racist and homophobic slurs, and tied a noose around his neck.
Not long after giving a tear-filled recounting of the alleged crime to ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Smollett’s story fell apart, and police claimed two associates of his admitted the actor paid them to stage the attack.
Prosecutors maintained he paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 to “fake beat him up” to raise his profile on Empire. Smollett, who took the stand in his own defense, claimed the attack was real, because the bodybuilding brothers were homophobic.
Smollett was initially charged on Feb. 20, 2019, with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson saying the attack was orchestrated because he was unhappy with his salary on the Fox hit show.
The charges were dropped against Smollett in March 2019, but in February 2020, a special prosecutor announced an indictment for six disorderly conduct charges for allegedly filing a false police report. Smollett pleaded not guilty.
The 39-year-old now faces up to three years in prison, though will likely not receive such a stiff sentence.
(CHICAGO) — After just 10 hours of deliberation, a Chicago jury has found actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts for filing a false police report related to the hoax racist attack he suffered at the hands of two men in January 2019.
The “Empire” actor alleged he was attacked, doused with an unknown liquid, had a noose placed around his neck and called racist and homophobic slurs by two men late at night on a Chicago street. He has maintained it was not orchestrated by himself.
He did not show any reaction as the verdicts were read.
Smollett was charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.
The defense rested its case on Tuesday after a week of testimony, with Smollett taking the stand in his own defense. He alleged Abimbola and Ola Osundairo, the brothers who carried out the assault, were lying when they said during the trial that they were friends of Smollett and had been paid $3,500 to carry out the attack.
Smollett, 39, received widespread support in the wake of the attack and made an emotional appearance at a concert in early February 2019, but then word emerged after authorities spoke to the Osundario brothers’ return from overseas that the attack was allegedly a hoax. Smollett was charged on Feb. 20, 2019, with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson saying the attack was orchestrated because he was unhappy with his salary on the Fox hit show.
The charges were dropped against Smollett in March 2019, but a special prosecutor announced an indictment for the six disorderly conduct charges was handed down in February 2020. Smollett pleaded not guilty.
The jury deliberated for about three hours on Wednesday and then began again on Thursday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(CHICAGO) — The jury has reached a verdict in the case against actor Jussie Smollett, who was charged with lying about a racist attack.
The “Empire” actor alleged he was attacked and called racist and homophobic slurs by two men in Chicago in January 2019. He has maintained it was not orchestrated by himself.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Common and Tiffany Haddish ended their relationship in November, and the rapper/actor explains why they broke up.
“I don’t think the love really dispersed,” he says. “I think it was just like we weren’t feeding the relationship.”
Common made the comment during Fox Soul’s Hollywood Unlocked Uncensored in a clip obtained by Page Six. The couple went public with their romance in August 2020, and he says their busy careers led to their breakup, preventing them from spending “as much time” or putting “as much energy” into their relationship.
The John Wick: Chapter 2 star added that it became hard “to balance” personal life and career, “and keep the relationship fair.”
In other news, And Just Like That… A New Chapter of Sex and the City,debuts Thursday night on HBO Max with Nicole Ari Parker joining the cast as Lisa Todd Wexley. Nicole tells Essenceshe is proud to bring a woman of color to the show and says the series will not shy away from racial issues.
“They are not going to magically resolve the massive conflict that we are continuing to struggle with in this country; but without giving away too much, they did try to have those issues trickle down into conversations between two women that might become friends,” she says. “How does the absence of Black people in your life manifest when you’re invited to a dinner party, have a cup of coffee or pick up your kids from the same school?”
Finally, Porsha Williams from Real Housewives of Atlanta is planning more than one wedding ceremony with her fiancé, Simon Guobadia. She tells Us Weekly that in addition to the A-T-L,” “we’ll be doing one in Nigeria as well, and we’re thinking about doing one at our home in Costa Rica.
Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram a statement from some of the crew of the movie Rust, on which the actor and producer fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October.
Some crew members have described the fatal incident as a result of unsafe work conditions, long workdays, and unqualified hires — notably neophyte armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.
However, in the message Baldwin passed along to his 2.4 million followers, these other crew members denied claims that the film set was, “a representation of the kind of conditions our unions are fighting against.”
These conditions reportedly led some to walk off the set — even among Hutchins’ own department.
Baldwin, who was an actor and producer on the project, previously told ABC News he hadn’t been made aware of such allegations, nor did he believe the set to be unsafe.
“The descriptions of Rust as a chaotic, dangerous, and exploitative workplace are false and distract from what matters most: the memory of Halyna Hutchins, and the need to find modern alternatives to outdated industry firearm and safety practices,” Thursday’s statement read.
“While it is true that a few crew members quit prior to the accident, the vast majority of us remained, never feeling the need to protest or quit. We were enjoying our workplace. Those disgruntled few do not represent the views of all of us.”
Baldwin denied to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he pulled the trigger on a pistol loaded with a live round, insisting the gun just “went off.”
Industry experts have publicly doubted his claims, including veteran movie armorer Steve Wolf. When asked by The Wrap to assess how likely the odds are that Baldwin was telling the truth, Wolf replied, “On a scale of one to 10? Zero.”
The investigation into the shooting that left Hutchins dead, and director Joel Souza injured, continues.
Florence Pugh might have thought her Marvel Cinematic Universe code of silence expired when Black Widow hit theaters, but she’s just been proven wrong.
The Oscar-nominated actress says she was blocked by Instagram Wednesday for posting a blow-by-blow of her character Yelena’s first appearance on the Disney+ show Hawkeye — accompanied by her own cartoony sound effects.
However, her enthusiastic live stream of the fourth episode’s climactic rooftop fight — apparently being cheered on off camera by boyfriend Zach Braff — didn’t sit too well with some people who hadn’t seen it yet.
An hour later, Pugh added a text message to her Stories reading, “I never thought me posting love about a show in which I appear on would get taken down but here we are.”
She explained, “Someone complained on here so I’ve been blocked from posting my own appearance on a show that I’m very much in.”
“Beyond ridiculous,” she added.
Pugh’s message concluded with, “being in Hawkeye is a privilege and thank you to all who welcome me on set and off and all who are watching.”
The kerfuffle was apparently short-lived, however. She posted a shot of Yelena in the scene shortly after, with the caption: “She’s here.”
An after-credits scene in Black Widow saw a mourning Yelena being lied to by Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She told Yelena that Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye killed her adoptive sister, Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, setting up a showdown between Yelena and Renner’s Clint Barton that began on Wednesday night’s episode.
Kelly Clarkson and Sandra Bullock are going viral for the most adorable reason — the two couldn’t stop laughing during their interview.
The “Catch My Breath” singer recently welcomed Sandra onto her daytime talk show and the two took a moment to bask in each other’s presence. But the shenanigans started shortly after the Bird Box star referenced Kelly’s American Idol win, which opened herself up to being asked if she supported Kelly’s rival Justin Guarini in the finals.
“I’m just kidding,” the singer guffawed and doubled over in her seat. Collapsing into giggle fits was the definite theme of their interview.
As the ladies continued to gush over each other in an attempt to establish who admired the other more, they were completely unable to maintain a straight face. Kelly announced several times that she was “sweating” because of her deep admiration for Sandra and, at one point, threatened “I’m gonna cry” because they had been laughing so hard.
Kelly and Sandra also commiserated over the challenges of motherhood, from not understanding new math, battling over screen time, to trying to convince their young children that they aren’t ready for a cellphone.
The two also philosophized over the value of forgiving and forgetting, but even that deep conversation was interrupted by frequent giggles and zingers about why people drink.
The Oscar-winning actress was there to promote her serious movie, The Unforgivable, which is about a woman who is rebuilding her life after being incarcerated for a violent crime. The two did not crack a smile when discussing the film and its heartbreaking theme of learning to love someone by letting them go.
(WASHINGTON) — The lack of police department participation in reporting use-of-force incidents could result in the FBI never publishing the data and the collection effort being shut down, according to a report released this week by the Government Accountability Office.
In 2019, the FBI launched a voluntary use of force reporting system, designed to create a national database for law enforcement use-of-force incidents, in an effort to provide better transparency and accountability. It was started in 2016, when then-FBI Director Jim Comey stated his intention to have the FBI capture use-of-force data.
“It is a narrative driven by video images of real and gut-wrenching misconduct, by images of possible misconduct, by images of perceived misconduct,” Comey said in 2016. “It’s a narrative given force by the awesome power of human empathy.”
Recent police use-of-force incidents have resulted in discipline or criminal charges. Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder after he put a knee on George Floyd’s neck over Memorial Day weekend in 2020. Former Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, officer Kim Potter is currently on trial for allegedly mistaking her gun for a Taser and killing Daunte Wright.
In 2019, the FBI received 44% of participation and in 2020, 55% participation, the report, released Tuesday, said.
“I think the lack of ability to have reliable and comprehensive data on police use of force is one of the biggest things that is, in my view, is hampering law enforcement’s objective, which is really to gain trust to the community,” Jason C. Johnson, President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, told ABC News. “It’s an area that, we’re very clearly, it has struggled in recent years. And so it is critical that we have thorough, comprehensive data about police use of force.”
The Office of Budget and Management tasked the FBI with reporting out the data.
“Due to insufficient participation from law enforcement agencies, the FBI faces risks that it may not meet the participation thresholds established in OMB’s terms of clearance for publishing data from the National Use-of-Force Data Collection, and therefore may never publish use-of-force incident data from the collection,” the GAO report says.
Johnson and Sheriff Vernon Stanforth of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio agree that some local communities don’t have the staffing or funding to fulfill these voluntary data requests.
“An agency has to [sometimes] decide: ‘Do I hire a clerical person or do I hire road units to protect my communities? So, which do I spend my money on?,'” Stanforth, who serves as president of the National Sheriff’s Association, said.
The report says the data collection will be “discontinued” by the end of 2022, if more departments don’t participate.
The stipulation by the OMB says that if the FBI does not reach 60% cooperation by the end of 2022, “the FBI was to end the data collection effort and explore alternatives for collecting law enforcement use-of-force data.”
If there is 60% of cooperation by law enforcement agencies, FBI will publish “limited information.”
Amid the calls for policing reform following the Floyd killing, President Trump Donald Trump issued an executive order tying database reporting to federal funding — on top of the existing FBI program.
The order called for the database to “include a mechanism to track, as permissible, terminations or de-certifications of law enforcement officers, criminal convictions of law enforcement officers for on-duty conduct, and civil judgments against law enforcement officers for improper use of force. The database … shall account for instances where a law enforcement officer resigns or retires while under active investigation related to the use of force.”
But a Congressional Research Service report that addressed whether a potential cutoff in federal grant funding provided enough incentive for local departments to comply concluded that “it most likely accounts for a relatively small portion of any local government’s policing budget.”
