Lamar Odom is weighing in on the latest news that Tristan Thompson cheated on Khloé Kardashian and fathered a child with the other woman.
When TMZ caught up with the former NBA baller, who was previously married to Khloé, he stated, “Dude is corny for that.”
While Odom said he hadn’t “been fortunate enough to reach out to her,” he said that if he got the chance, “First, I would give her a hug. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“What would I say?” he pondered before answering, “Just to be strong. Keep her faith in God and be strong for her daughter.”
The remarks come after, earlier this month, Thompson admitted to fathering a child with Maralee Nichols and publicly apologized to the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star for the embarrassment.
As they say, “lemons to lemonade”: An ugly Christmas sweater that was park of a prank on Ryan Reynolds from his pals Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal back in 2018 has helped raise some $850,000 for a children’s charity.
The hideous jumper — made to look like a wearable present, complete with an obnoxious gold bow at the center — was just one of the items that Reynolds auctioned off to benefit Canada’s Sick Kids Foundation before the holidays, and now the Deadpool series star just announced the results.
“Thank you for helping this butt-ugly sweater raise over $850,000 for Sick Kids Foundation,” the star posted on his social media while “proudly” modeling it. “Turning something ugly into something beautiful is what @sickkidsvs does every day.”
Other items up for grabs were player-signed sweaters from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and to boot, Samsung Canada apparently also kicked in a $100,000 check.
(NEW YORK) — As the midterm elections approach later this year, some states and jurisdictions have required voting ballots to be made available in other languages besides English.
The Latino population continues to grow in the United States and some counties have mandated that ballots in Spanish are available at polling sites.
However, Spanish and non-English ballots are not required across the nation, though some advocates say that multilingual ballots are critical for democracy.
“We need to have bilingual ballots, bilingual material across the country, it should be a national requirement and a national norm,” said Domingo Garcia, the national president for the League of United Latin American Citizens.
In the 2020 U.S. Census data, the Latino population accounted for over 60 million people. Yet, according to a study conducted by the City University of New York, only 10.6% of Latinos voted in the 2020 elections.
Some advocates believe that one of the reasons behind this lagging voting number is a language barrier.
“When we look at the language barrier, it is voter suppression, right? It is discriminatory against eligible citizens who … have the right to access ballots,” said League of United Latin American Citizens Chief Executive Director Sindy Benavides.
Benavides said the need for ballot materials in Spanish include a need for other voting resources, such as interpreters, bilingual ballot directors and even flyers that can influence voter turnout.
“The requirements are very straightforward. … All election information that is available in English must also be available in the minority language so that all citizens have the opportunity to register and to participate in elections and be able to cast a free and effective ballot,” said Benavides. “We know that language barrier is directly tied to low voter turnout.”
The areas of impact
Across the nation, at least 331 U.S. jurisdictions are required by law to offer language assistance to specific groups. But that number only makes for 4.1% of the 2,920 counties and 5,120 minor civil divisions that constitute the political subdivisions in U.S. Section 203 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“In our own backyard, across the entire United States — Ohio, Utah, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, you name it — we are touching every single state and one fact that is true, is that the Latino community will continue to grow for decades to come,” said Benavides.
According to U.S. Section 203, if over 5% of a township or county’s voting-age citizens are limited in English proficiency they need to be covered by language provisions within the Voting Rights Act, according to the U.S. Census.
Just last month, in the Washington, D.C., area, Prince George’s County in Maryland and Prince William County in Virginia mandated ballots in Spanish to accommodate their significant Latino populations.
But in Georgia, Latino activists have pushed for Spanish-language ballots in Hall County, where 28% of all residents are Hispanic, according to Census data.
“What we’ve heard specifically from the community has been that not having information in Spanish limits their ability to be able to freely and openly participate,” said Jerry Gonzalez, founder and CEO of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, or GALEO.
“Our community really takes voting very seriously, and they want to be informed and educated about what’s on the ballot,” said Gonzalez. “Sometimes not knowing what’s on the ballot, because they can’t read it in Spanish, makes them hesitant to actually cast a ballot and it prevents people from voting.”
In November 2020, according to a report from GALEO, there were 385,185 Latino voters, representing 4.1% of the total electorate in Georgia. When compared to the 2016 analysis, the Latino electorate in the state grew by 140,995 Latino registered voters, representing a growth rate of 57.7%.
“Our effort is to make sure that we educate our community in both English and Spanish about the importance of their vote and also the importance of these elections and how consequential they are for us moving our community forward,” said Gonzalez.
Hall County, Georgia, Elections Director Lori Wurtz told the Gainesville Times in December that Spanish ballots in the county would not be reevaluated for another five years, however, after that evaluation, she foresees the county qualifying for bilingual ballots. According to the U.S Census, jurisdictions are evaluated every five years using data from the American Community Survey.
“When we are tapped to do this, we’re ready,” Wurtz told the outlet.
Need for change
This week, the Senate will meet to discuss voting rights. However, Gonzalez emphasizes the need to also have “language barrier” as part of the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
This would be a key addition for Puerto Ricans, who have the right to vote in the United States as American citizens. If Puerto Ricans move to one of the 50 states, they are allowed to vote in federal elections, but they might not feel confident to do so with Spanish being the main language spoken on the island.
“It is important for Puerto Ricans to vote in the language that they understand, because there are now more Puerto Ricans living on the mainland,” said Kira Romero-Craft from Latino Justice Puerto Rico Legal Defense Educational Fund.
“If they want to influence Congress to impact the island then Puerto Ricans need to vote,” she told ABC News. “Puerto Rico, to me, is like the perfect example of why we need to care and why we need to engage and vote as if our life depended on it — because it does.”
Although a language barrier continues to be an ongoing issue in some states, advocates are calling on Latinos to go out and take to the polls regardless of current circumstances that may affect them.
“Your vote counts; your voice is your vote. And right now, more than ever, if you want immigration reform, then you got to vote to make sure that you have a congressperson or senator that will represent your points of view,” said Garcia.
Even the biggest celebrities can get starstruck when meeting their idols for the first time, and Jake Gyllenhaal recently recalled a disastrous run-in with Brad Pitt.
It didn’t help that the meeting took place while Gyllenhaal was filming 2002’s The Good Girl, which featured “a lot of racy scenes” with Pitt’s ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston.
“I remember putting my hand out to shake his and accidentally hitting the door. He said, so confidently and kindly, ‘Well, you have another one. It’s all right,’” the Spider-Man: Far From Home star tells W magazine. “He was very, very, very sweet to me, and it was actually a really lovely exchange. But, yeah — I was starstruck.”
Pitt was married to Aniston from 2000-2005. She later moved on with Justin Theroux, with whom she tied the knot in August 2015. They announced their separation in February 2018.
Gyllenhaal may also be tied to Aniston in another way. Fans have speculated that his ex, Taylor Swift referred to The Morning Show star in the 10-minute version of her song “All Too Well,” which is rumored to be about the Taylor’s breakup with Gyllenhaal, according to Us Weekly.
“Now I’m weeping in a party bathroom / Some actress asking me what happened, you / That’s what happened, you,” the pop star sings on the track — which fans connected to a January 2011 report claiming Jen offered Swift advice at the People’s Choice Awards shortly after her split from Gyllenhaal.
Denis Thaust/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A nationwide strike took place in schools across France on Thursday as teachers and other school staff demonstrated against the government’s management of COVID-19 protocols in schools.
Teachers, other school staff and parents in the country have been complaining for months, saying the health protocols in schools are confusing and continually changing. The government changed the rules twice for schools in the past week.
They argued that they are facing the crisis with inapplicable measures, a growing work overload, teachers not being replaced when sick, no additional resources or staff to alleviate the issues and a lack of transparency from the education minister.
Teachers unions had called for a walkout to denounce the “indescribable mess” in schools as COVID-19 cases have surged and pharmacies have reported shortages of self-test kits since the beginning of the year.
The primary school teachers’ union, SNUipp-FSU, announced an estimated 75% participation rate among their ranks, and the secondary school union, SNES-FSU, said 62% mobilized. However, the Ministry of National Education claimed that 38.5% of primary school teachers and 23.7% of secondary school teachers participated.
“The teachers express their anger at this minister who does not hear them, who does not listen to what’s going on in the field, who does not listen to the distress present in schools and to all the possible dysfunctions, and above all a minister who addresses the press first before addressing the students,” a SNUipp-FSU representative told ABC News. “And so, the teachers are very angry.”
The leading parent association, the FCPE, also joined the movement in support of the teachers, and earlier this week called for a “white day” in schools, urging parents to keep their children at home Thursday.
FCPE co-president Nageate Belahcen said while the COVID-19 protocols look “pretty” on paper, there is “no pedagogical continuity.”
“Nothing is put in place because the means are not there, and there are no substitute teachers,” Belahcen told ABC News, adding that she is also concerned about exams occurring this year. “All this means that the parents are still very, very worried for the future of their children, for the well-being of their children, and above all, we cannot take this situation any longer.”
For weeks now, education professionals have been asking Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer for more staff and reinforced measures — including FFP2 masks for the teachers, CO2 sensors and air purifiers for classrooms — to fight against the growing cases of COVID-19.
Blanquer has come under fire multiple times since the beginning of the pandemic due to concerns over the way he has handled the COVID-19 crisis.
“When will you present your resignation, Mr. Minister?” Sylvie Tolmont, a national assembly deputy from Sarthe, asked Tuesday during a government questioning session. This isn’t the first time his resignation has been asked for since he took office in 2017.
In a bid to appease the demonstrators, Prime Minister Jean Castex met with the unions Thursday evening, along with the health and education ministers.
After a discussion that lasted three hours, Blanquer announced he had agreed to some of the unions’ requests, including the distribution of 5 million FFP2 masks to schools, the recruitment of 3,300 contractual substitute teachers and additional non-teaching and administrative staff.
There has been a similar dispute over health and safety in schools in the United States. After five days of canceled classes, the Chicago Teachers Union voted, with 56% in favor, to approve a COVID-19 agreement with Chicago Public Schools that included expanded testing, masks and a plan to shut down schools during outbreaks.
Thursday’s strike was a “historic mobilization” for France, according to SNUipp-FSU, considering the number of strikers, the unity between teachers’ unions and the fact that the FCPE participated as well.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden will announce a nearly $27 billion investment Friday to fund repairs and replace bridges in need.
The Department of Transportation will launch the Bridge Replacement, Rehabilitation, Preservation, Protection, and Construction Program, which will provide $26.5 billion to states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico over five years and $825 million for tribal transportation facilities.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is thrilled to launch this program to fix thousands of bridges across the country — the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate highway system,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “Modernizing America’s bridges will help improve safety, support economic growth, and make people’s lives better in every part of the country — across rural, suburban, urban, and tribal communities.”
The funding is part of the bipartisan infrastructure package that Biden signed into law in November. While the program is slated to help repair thousands of bridges across the country, the administration is also seeking to use the program to increase resiliency when it comes to climate change, as well as make bridges safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Across the country, the program is expected to help repair approximately 15,000 highway bridges, and will be allocated to each state according to a needs-based formula — though the choice of which projects are undertaken are left up to the states.
While the funding for fiscal year 2022 is being released immediately, states will learn their funding totals for the full five years of the program in order to plan ahead, a senior administration official told reporters.
“As part of this announcement, the Federal Highway Administration will distribute $5.3 billion to states, D.C. and Puerto Rico for the current federal fiscal year, along with $165 million to tribes,” the official said.
Some of the states set to receive the most funding include Pennsylvania, Illinois, California and New York.
In addition to providing funds to states to replace and repair highway bridges, the program has dedicated funding for “off-system” bridges, which are often locally owned and not part of the federal highway system.
“While states generally must match federal funding with up to 20% state or local funding, the bipartisan infrastructure law allows the use of federal funds to pay for the entire cost — 100% of the cost — of repairing or rehabilitating locally owned off-system bridges,” the official stressed.
“The department encourages governors and states to take advantage of this incentive to make their federal dollars go further by focusing on local bridges,” they added.
Pressed on how the administration planned to enforce its desire to focus funds on repairs for existing bridges, and emphasizing equity when new bridges are constructed, particularly in Republican-run states, the official brushed off the concern.
“Bridges in general are neither red nor blue. They’re an important piece of infrastructure in communities,” the official said. “And the state transportation departments have a good track record of investing in bridges based on the condition of those bridges. And we’re confident that with these funds and with the guidance we’ve provided and with the conversations that we’ve been having with them, they’re going to be directing the funds to the bridges that are in most need of repair.”
(MELBOURNE) — Novak Djokovic will not be deported or detained on Friday night, but the world’s No.1 tennis player will need to attend an interview with immigration officials in Melbourne at 8 a.m. local time on Saturday — two days before he’s expected to start defending his title at the Australian Open.
A late-night emergency hearing was held at the Australian Federal Circuit and Family Court on Friday, after Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke used ministerial powers to cancel his visa again.
Australian authorities on Friday had canceled tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa, putting his participation in the Australian Open in doubt.
“Today I exercised my power… to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” Hawke said in a statement.
It could mean that he is banned from entering Australia for up to three years.
Hawke’s decision arrived days after an Australian court reinstated the 34-year-old’s visa, which had been granted with a medical exemption to Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
But on Friday night, Judge Anthony Kelly decided to move the case to the Federal Court of Australia in order to secure “a quick, inexpensive final determination of this proceeding.”
For now, Djokovic can remain where he is staying, but he will be taken into detention after an interview with immigration officials at an undisclosed location on Saturday morning. He will then be escorted by two Border Force officials to his lawyers’ office, then is due to go back into detention until Sunday’s hearing.
Djokovic’s team said they will challenge the reasons for canceling his visa — including the claim that allowing Djokovic to stay on would “excite” anti-vaccine activists in Australia.
Djokovic’s lawyer, Nick Wood, told the court that Minister Hawke’s reasoning was “patently irrational” and argued that Djokovic was “in good standing.”
“The reasons of the minister stand in stark contrast to the reasons that the delegate at the airport was saying,” Wood said.
Djokovic’s spokespeople said they want the procedure to move as quickly as possible because every minute before the tournament commences is “precious.”
“We are very concerned about time,” said Wood.
Questions had still lingered, however, about whether Djokovic lied on his Travel Declaration Form. Every traveler arriving in Australia needs to submit the document before entering the country.
At issue were the few weeks prior to Djokovic’s landing in Australia on Jan. 5 from Spain via Dubai. Under Australia’s pandemic measures, the tennis star would have had to stay in Spain for at least 14 days before travelling.
Djokovic on his entry form ticked the box saying he hadn’t traveled during that period. Social media seemed to tell a different story, with at least one post suggesting Djokovic had been in Serbia during those 14 days.
Hawke on Wednesday told ABC News: “Mr. Djokovic’s lawyers have recently provided lengthy further submissions and supporting documentation said to be relevant to the possible cancellation of Mr Djokovic’s visa. Naturally, this will affect the timeframe for a decision.”
The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17. Djokovic has won the tournament the last three years and nine times overall.
(MELBOURNE) — Australian authorities on Friday canceled tennis star Novak Djokovic’s visa, putting his participation in the Australian Open in doubt.
Alex Hawke, imigration minister, who announced his decision at about 6 p.m. local time, said the Australian government “is firmly committed to protecting Australia’s borders.”
“Today I exercised my power under section 133C(3) of the Migration Act to cancel the visa held by Mr Novak Djokovic on health and good order grounds, on the basis that it was in the public interest to do so,” Hawke said in a statement.
Hawke’s decision arrived days after an Australian court reinstated the 34-year-old’s visa, which had been granted with a medical exemption to Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine requirements.
Officials questioned whether Djokovic meet the requirements for that exemption, but Judge Anthony Kelly sided with the tennis star, noting that Djokovic’s medical exemption had been provided with input from an “eminently qualified physician.”
“And the point I’m somewhat agitated about is, ‘What more could this man have done?'” the judge said on Monday.
Questions had still lingered, however, about whether Djokovic lied on his Travel Declaration Form. Every traveler arriving in Australia needs to submit the document before entering the country.
At issue were the few weeks prior to Djokovic’s landing in Australia on Jan. 5 from Spain via Dubai. Under Australia’s pandemic measures, the tennis star would have had to stay in Spain for at least 14 days before travelling.
Djokovic on his entry form ticked the box saying he hadn’t traveled during that period. Social media seemed to tell a different story, with at least one post suggesting Djokovic had been in Serbia during those 14 days.
Hawke on Wednesday told ABC News: “Mr. Djokovic’s lawyers have recently provided lengthy further submissions and supporting documentation said to be relevant to the possible cancellation of Mr Djokovic’s visa. Naturally, this will affect the timeframe for a decision.”
The Australian Open begins on Jan. 17. Djokovic has won the tournament the last three years and nine times overall.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Cardi B is opening up about the mental toll she suffered after YouTuber Tasha K spread alleged lies about her.
Cardi appeared in court on Thursday, January 13 to give an impassioned testimony expressing to a Georgia jury that Tasha, who boasts one million subscribers, went on a “malicious campaign” to damage the rapper’s reputation, according to Billboard.
While on the stand, the “WAP” rapper said that she felt “helpless” as Tasha continued to spread alleged false rumors about her, adding that she also suffered fatigue, anxiety, and migraines as a result.
“I felt defeated and depressed and I didn’t want to sleep with my husband,” said Cardi, who is married to fellow rapper Offset, according to TMZ.
When asked by her attorney what she thought of Tasha, the “Up” rapper said she “felt like only a demon could do that s***.” She then followed her statement up with an apology to the judge for swearing.
Cardi, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, filed a libel lawsuit against Tasha, real name Latasha Kebe, in 2019 after the YouTuber posted videos claiming the rapper was a prostitute, contracted herpes, and used drugs, among other things.
Cardi is seeking damages as well as for Tasha to remove all defamatory and disparaging statements.
(GIZA, Egypt) — Sharm El-Sheikh — Egypt said the best way to mark the centenary of Tutankhamun tomb’s discovery would be inaugurating a new state-of-the-art museum later this year to house the ancient boy king’s vast treasures.
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), a mega project on the outskirts of the capital that Egypt said would be the biggest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization, nears completion as the country applies the finishing touches ahead of its opening.
“If the coronavirus-related conditions are stable, then the (museum’s) opening would be in the second half of the year,” Egypt’s antiquities and tourism minister Khaled el-Anany told ABC News on the sidelines of the World Youth Forum, an annual international youth conference that the country hosts in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
“We will be ready by the middle of this year … but we want to make sure that our guests can arrive in large numbers. We aim to invite presidents and kings from all over the world,” el-Anany said.
The nearly 480,000 square meter museum, which overlooks the famed Giza Pyramids, will hold more than 100,000 artifacts. About 5,000 belong to Tutankhamun, the famous 18th dynasty ruler who died at the age of 19 after a 10-year reign.
The Egyptian Museum, a 120-year-old red storied structure built in Cairo’s central Tahrir square, housed less than 3,000 of those objects, including Tutankhamun’s golden burial mask. Other artifacts were kept in the museum’s storerooms.
However, a century after British archeologist Howard Carter discovered those treasures in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings in 1922, they will be displayed in full for the first time when the Grand Egyptian Museum opens.
“The GEM is distinguished by its location, architecture and the full collection of Tutankhamun,” el-Anany added.
“We are celebrating the 200-year anniversary of Egyptology and 100-year anniversary of Tutankhamun tomb’s discovery in many parts of the world through Egyptian institutions. However, I believe that the best celebration of Tutankhamun would be opening the Grand Egyptian Museum,” he said.
String of discoveries
Egypt made a string of discoveries over the past few years as it seeks to lure back tourists following the adverse effects of the political turmoil that followed the 2011 revolution and 2013 mass protests along with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The highlight of 2021, according to el-Anany, was the unearthing of a 3,000-year-old city in the southern province of Luxor, which Egypt had termed the “Lost Golden City.” It dates back to the 18th-dynasty of King Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt from 1391 till 1353 B.C.
Egypt also held two lavish ceremonies to transfer 22 mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to a newly-inaugurated museum in the old Islamic city of Fustat in a “royal procession” and to celebrate the opening of a 3,000-year-old sphinx-filled avenue in Luxor.
“The numbers of tourists were increasing last year until December when the new coronavirus variant emerged … we are in the recovery phase, but we hope there would be no more variants,” El-Anany said.
El-Anany told ABC News that Egypt plans to announce another significant discovery in February or March, which he said will “capture the world’s attention.” However, he refused to disclose further details.
