Lyft driver charged with kidnapping, raping intoxicated female passenger
A Lyft driver in Louisiana kidnapped and raped an intoxicated female passenger at his apartment last month, authorities said.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the 43-year-old victim told police in New Orleans that a driver later identified as Yousef Hamed, 30, picked her up after a night of drinking on Jan. 23. A friend of the woman had earlier called for a ride on her behalf because she was “fairly intoxicated,” Lopinto told reporters Thursday.
But instead of taking the woman to her home just several blocks away, Hamed drove her to his apartment in Harvey, where he asked the woman to come inside. She accepted the invitation and Hamed proceeded to remove her clothing inside the residence before raping her vaginally and anally. He then returned to the Bywater section of New Orleans and dropped the woman off, Lopinto said.
At some point during the ride, Hamed disconnected the fare, signaling to the woman’s friend that the trip was over and that she presumably had arrived home safely, according to the sheriff.
“Most people are going to be able to get home [when using ride-hailing apps like Lyft] but it goes to show that we have sick people in this world,” Lopinto told reporters.
The woman reported the alleged rape to New Orleans police the following day, prompting a rape kit to be performed. Due to her state of intoxication, the woman was initially unsure of exactly where the sexual assault occurred, but investigators later determined with the help of Lyft representatives that the rape took place in Jefferson Parish, authorities said.
Hamed, who has no known prior criminal history, remained held on $400,000 bond at the Jefferson Parish Correctional as of Friday, jail records show.
Lopinto also noted that Hamed claimed that he had consensual sex with the woman, claiming that she had acted in a “childish” manner and admitted to him that she was intoxicated. But Lopinto dismissed that claim, saying that an impaired person cannot provide consent to sexual activity.
“I hate to put it this way, but when somebody’s intoxicated to any point, we know in this society that this action is not appropriate, so I could care less about what he says from that standpoint,” Lopinto told reporters. “A Lyft driver should never be picking up a stranger and bringing them back to their apartment under any type of circumstance, so let’s make that very clear.”
Lyft reps, meanwhile, characterized the allegations as “horrific” in a statement to The Post.
“The safety of our community is our top priority, and we have no tolerance for this behavior on our platform,” the statement read. “We have deactivated the driver and reached out to extend our support to the passenger. We have also been in touch with law enforcement, and stand ready to assist with their investigation.”
Two Florida men accused of plotting to groom and rape a 3-year-old girl
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida — Two men have been arrested after police discovered a series of text messages in which the two men discussed plans to groom and rape a 3-year-old girl in Florida.
Lafe Best, 37, was arrested Tuesday and is in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond. He is charged with conspiracy to commit sexual battery on a child. He was arrested in connection to a different case involving his friend and sexual partner, Benjamin Worster, 39, according to a Facebook post from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Worster was arrested in January on charges of lewd or lascivious molestation, lewd or lascivious conduct and 21 counts of possession of child pornography.
Police began investigating Worster after discovering a series of text messages on Worster’s phone which he had exchanged with Best. The messages detailed their plan to groom and rape a 3-year-old girl.
The messages were first discovered by the girl’s mother, according to police. The 3-year-old and her mother moved into Worster’s apartment in December. Police said on Facebook that soon after, the 3-year-old told her mother Worster had touched her.
On December 17, Worster was taken to the hospital after an apparent overdose, police said. The 3-year-old’s mother found Worster’s phone lying on his bed and discovered the text messages.
Police included a portion of the text messages in their Facebook post to demonstrate “how predators work to groom young children for sexual abuse.”
Detectives executed a search warrant at Best’s residence Tuesday and discovered what appeared to be child pornography on his cell phone, in addition to the graphic texts exchanged with Worster. Police said they expect Best will face additional charges.
Best was living in a home with two people who have a 20-month-old child. Police do not believe the 20-month-old was a victim of any abuse at this time.
Justin Bieber says he had ‘legitimate problem with sex,’ saved himself for marriage with Hailey Baldwin
Article via FOXNewshttps://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/justin-bieber-says-he-had-legitimate-problem-with-sex-saved-himself-for-marriage-with-hailey-baldwin
Justin Bieber revealed he had a “legitimate problem with sex” and explained why he and Hailey Baldwin saved themselves for marriage after rekindling their romance in June.
Bieber, 24, said in a Vogue interview published Thursday that he had been celibate for more than a year when he ran into Baldwin at a conference in Miami. The “Sorry” singer opened up about his sex addiction, saying abstaining from sex helped him feel closer to God.
“He [God] doesn’t ask us not to have sex for him because he wants rules and stuff,” Bieber told Vogue. “He’s like, ‘I’m trying to protect you from hurt and pain.’ I think sex can cause a lot of pain. Sometimes people have sex because they don’t feel good enough. Because they lack self-worth. Women do that, and guys do that.”
“I wanted to rededicate myself to God in that way because I really felt it was better for the condition of my soul. And I believe that God blessed me with Hailey as a result. There are perks. You get rewarded for good behavior,” Bieber added.
The singer said running into his now-wife in June made him realized how much he loved Baldwin despite their previous rough breakup.
“When I saw her last June, I just forgot how much I loved her and how much I missed her and how much of a positive impact she made on my life,” Bieber recalled. “I was like, ‘Holy cow, this is what I’ve been looking for.’”
Bieber and Baldwin, who said they saved themselves for their wedding day, tied the knot in a New York City courthouse in September after 12 weeks of dating. Bieber admitted that sex was one reason for the quick marriage, but the couple is still planning their wedding party.
Baldwin, 22, said the “common denominator” between she and Bieber was “always church.” She admitted she was lonely the first few weeks after becoming the singer’s wife because of the nasty comments about her relationship being posted on social media.
“I prayed to feel peace about the decision [to get married], and that’s where I landed,” she said. “I love him very much. I have loved him for a long time.”
Baldwin said she’s committed to her marriage with Bieber.
“We’re really young, and that’s a scary aspect. We’re going to change a lot. But we’re committed to growing together and supporting each other in those changes,” the model said. “That’s how I look at it. At the end of the day, too, he’s my best friend. I never get sick of him.”
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Where’s my paycheck? Wells Fargo customers say direct deposits not showing up after outage
Article via USAToday
Social media users said Friday they were having trouble seeing paychecks and direct deposits in their Wells Fargo online and mobile banking accounts a day after the bank suffered a major outage.
Widespread technical difficulties hit Wells Fargo’s online banking and mobile app Thursday following a power shutdown caused after smoke was detected at a data center in Shoreview, Minn. The outage was “not due to any cybersecurity event,” the bank said.
By late Thursday, Wells Fargo said in a statement that ATM services had been restored and mobile and online banking were “operational” with the exception of some features, like consumer credit card and mortgage balances.
Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the issues Friday.
However, some customers reported direct deposit paychecks were not appearing in their accounts early Friday.
“My check is not in my account #WellsFargo,” Twitter user @_MinaDan wrote.
“Wait did i not get my direct deposit bc Wells Fargo is garbage,” Twitter user @unfortunvteF wrote.
Some Twitter users said calling 1 (800) 869-3557 provided a correct, updated balance. However, others reported they had trouble getting through to Wells Fargo customer service.
“Alright @WellsFargo once your ‘contained issue’ is resolved I will be moving every account I have at Wells Fargo elsewhere. A mason jar in the backyard seems like a much better option at this time. #DontFWithMyMoney,” Twitter user @ILoveMyRicky10 wrote.
FDA: Breast implants cancer warning
Article via Fortune
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement on Wednesday about the seriousness of the known link between breast implants and a rare cancer, anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). At least 457 women in the U.S. have been diagnosed with breast implant-associated lymphoma, also referred to as BIA-ALCL, and nine of those women have died. The FDA is basing these numbers on medical device reports related to ALCL that it has received since 2010.
Officials at the FDA wrote, “We hope that this information prompts providers and patients to have important, informed conversations about breast implants and the risk of BIA-ALCL.” Despite being associated with implants, ALCL is not breast cancer. It is a rare blood cancer, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and can spread throughout the body. As a supplement to its Wednesday statement, the FDA also published a letter asking health care providers to continue to report possible cases of breast cancer-related ALCL to the agency.
The FDA first sounded the alarm on BIA-ALCL back in 2011. The World Health Organization has noted that since the link was identified two decades ago, ALCL has been linked with both implants saline- and silicone-filled implants.
Additionally, implants are linked to a heightened risk of developing ALCL regardless of whether they are smooth or textured. In November, a renewed investigation into the link between textured breast implants and the rare lymphoma forced several companies that manufacture textured implants, including Allergen and Mentor, to state that despite risks, they would not cease production. The companies urged physicians to continue to inform patients of potential risks associated with the implants.
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Lauryn Hill disappoints on Australian tour: ‘She should have cancelled her show’
Article via The Guardian
Clearly unwell, the groundbreaking artist arrived more than an hour late to an anticipated Sydney show many are demanding refunds for
Lauryn Hill’s solo debut was a defining album for people of my generation, and the artist’s Australian tour promised us pure, indulgent nostalgia: Hill would be playing the record in its entirety, to commemorate its 20th year.
Unfortunately on Thursday night in Sydney it was mainly the fans doing the singing – often at Hill’s request, when she couldn’t reach the notes.
What we mainly heard was noise, over a croaky, failing voice.
No stranger to tardiness, Hill’s tour has already drawn criticism in Europe for her late arrivals. This time, she arrived almost 90 minutes late; she was “feeling under the weather,” warned the DJ tiding us over. That turned out to be a euphemism: at times Hill looked close to fainting.
This Sydney show followed less than favourable reviews from the tour opener in Perth, where the Australianreported that her show was “plagued with production problems” and she “complained via hand gestures that her in-ear monitors were failing”.
In Sydney, many are demanding refunds. “She was clearly super sick and should have cancelled her show FULL STOP,” wrote one audience member on the event’s Facebook page. “If I wanted to see back up singers and hear musical coverage over a husky sick voice, I would have gone to the local pub.”
Sydney’s show also seemed to struggle with its production, with Hill wildly gesticulating to sound people throughout. But the big issue was her illness: she seemed to grow physically sicker on stage too, apologising repeatedly and vowing to return to Sydney and “sing like a bird” when her voice was better. “I don’t think I can do the next song,” she said at one point – but gave it her best shot. Calling in sick to work must feel almost impossible when you’ve got a packed out arena that might not be available for a postponed slot.
In one of the album’s uplifting singles Everything is Everything, Hill urges, “Now hear this mixture where hip hops meets scripture”, but live its mellifluous melody was sacrificed for shouty rap. Hill bridged so many gaps in her career: a woman in a rap world dominated by men, bringing a gospel flavour to a hip hop sound, bringing a welcome melody and emotional depth to rap, clearly influenced by Motown and doo wop. But the gap between what appeared to be laryngitis and singing was a bridge too far.
Hill had almost almost lost her voice completely by the time she croaked her way through Doo Wop (That Thing), but this was the moment some of the energy came back too – and we finally saw the Lauryn Hill we were hoping for. She gave it her all, but her throat was clearly in need of respite.
Hill is due on stage in Brisbane on Sunday, before two shows in Melbourne next week. Sending good vibes to her throat between now and then.
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‘He WAS a pedophile.’ Michael Jackson’s former maid claims she fished little boy’s underwear from his Jacuzzi, found Vaseline throughout rooms at Neverland and he stashed VHS tapes of sex acts with children in secret library
Article via DailyMail
- Adrian McManus worked as Michael Jackson’s personal maid for four years at his Neverland ranch and said she has no doubt the singer was a pedophile
- In an interview with DailyMailTV, McManus claims Jackson brought young boys into his bedroom and said she saw troubling things while cleaning up after him
- The 56-year-old says she fished Jackson’s and children’s underwear from a Jacuzzi at the home, and witnessed kids walking around barely clothed
- She says she found Vaseline and tampons next to Jackson’s bed and around the house and recalls the singer having a strange obsession with photos of children
- McManus said: ‘I didn’t question it, because he was my boss and you just do what you’re supposed to do, but I would wonder’
- But most disturbing was a large collection of VHS cassettes McManus believes contained ‘intimate’ footage the star filmed with children in the 1990s
- She says that as details emerged that Jackson could face criminal charges when former child companion Jordan Chandler alleged abuse, the tapes were hidden
- McManus said she was scared to come forward because she ‘was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out’
Michael Jackson was a predatory pedophile who sexually abused ‘dozens’ of children, filmed his sick encounters and kept the footage in a secret library hidden at his Neverland ranch.
That’s the shocking claim made by the star’s former housekeeper who says she witnessed first hand his disturbing interactions with young children and saw the King of Pop’s stash of ‘sex tapes.’
In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV Jackson’s former personal maid Adrian McManus has lifted the lid on the sick behavior she allegedly witnessed during the four years she worked at the Neverland ranch and is in no doubt her former employer was a ‘pedophile’.
She claims the star – who has been accused of serious sexual abuse in a shocking new documentary – brought a long line of young boys into his bedroom and that she saw many troubling things while cleaning up after him.
Watch the maids interview: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6673973/Michael-Jacksons-former-maid-says-pedophile-boys-underwear-Jacuzzi.html#v-8273471457035109188
She says she found Vaseline and tampons next to Jackson’s bed and scattered around the house and recalls the singer having a strange obsession with photos of children.
‘There was a lot of Vaseline around Neverland, a lot in Michael’s bedroom,’ she recalls.
‘I didn’t question it, because he was my boss and you just do what you’re supposed to do, but I would wonder.
‘And they had it all over in the main house, there was a rose room, it was up there. They had it in train room, which was kind of like an attic; they had that up there. It was in every room, the soldier room.
‘It was in drawers. Sometimes it was on counters. Sometimes they would find it on the golf carts that Michael would take out to drive around.’
McManus would often have to clean up after Jackson had boys over for long weekends.
‘I found underwear that were in the back of Michael’s main room and one of the closets and it was in the back of the filing cabinets,’ she recalls.
‘They were very hard, and crunchy, and yellow, but I didn’t know who they belonged to.
‘When I would go in to pick up Mr Jackson’s bedroom, many times when there were his special guests there, little boys, they were taking baths with him in his Jacuzzi. He had a Jacuzzi in the bedroom and I used to have to let the water out of the Jacuzzi, so I had to put hangers together in order to get to the middle of the Jacuzzi to let the water out.
‘But Michael would have his underwear floating in the water and the little boys’ underwear floating in the water together. If they weren’t floating in the water, they were outside on the floor around the Jacuzzi. So I would find stuff like that.’
She added: ‘With all the little boys he would hold their hands and kiss them. And they would fight for Michael’s love. It was a strange environment to watch.’
The maid claims she also saw books on masturbation in the bedroom and one time Jackson asked her to laminate photos of naked babies and have them put in his room for decoration.
But most disturbing was a large collection of VHS cassettes McManus believes contained ‘intimate’ footage the star filmed with children in the 1990s.
The maid believes the singer – who died a decade ago from drug abuse – hid the ‘damaging’ material from police by storing it in a movie projection theater away from the main house on the sprawling Neverland ranch.
Asked about the videos, she said: ‘I think they were of Michael with boys doing inappropriate things that had to be hidden, or they would have put him in jail. I think they were sex tapes.’
While McManus admits she never actually saw the contents of the tapes, she says Jackson’s behavior and the shroud of secrecy placed on the tapes has left her convinced of their more sinister nature.
‘After watching Michael with the boys and dealing with the way he was and what I saw and then hearing what I heard, I believe it to be true,’ she says.
McManus also points to the fact Jackson was obsessed with capturing everything on camera at Neverland and had a walk-in closet filled with expensive camera equipment and battery chargers.
‘He had a lot of batteries charging, the chargers always charging and cameras, a closet full of cameras and battery chargers, so they were always ready for him to use,’ she recalls.
‘And when that one died, next, but he always had a camera on him taking pictures of the boys, kids. It was always the boys. That’s all that’s really there.’
Her claims come in the wake of the release of Leaving Neverland – an HBO documentary detailing Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck’s allegations of long term abuse by Jackson.
Producers for the show also claimed they were made aware of potential tapes, but never found them.
A 2003 criminal case spurred by 13-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo’s accusations led to Jackson’s arrest, trial and 2005 acquittal. Pictured: Jackson arriving for an evidentiary hearing in his child molestation case on August 16, 2004
From 1990, McManus spent four years as Jackson’s personal maid – one of just a few staff to have access to the star’s bedroom, bathroom and secret chambers.
She says that as details emerged that Jackson could face criminal charges when former child companion Jordan Chandler alleged abuse, the tapes were hidden.
‘I don’t know where they went, but I did hear that one of the nephews of the man who ran the theater had got a hold of a lot of the videos and hid them,’ she recalls.
‘The rumor was the projectionist said that they were very damaging to Michael.
‘I had heard that the man who ran the theater, he had mentioned that his nephew had come over there once in a while. His nephew would run the theater when the older man wouldn’t. And rumors were that he packed them up in the trunk and took them off the ranch.’
In 1993, 13-year-old Jordan Chandler brought charges of sexual abuse against Jackson that ended in a reported $20 million cash settlement.
And a 2003 criminal case spurred by 13-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo’s accusations led to Jackson’s arrest, trial and 2005 acquittal.
McManus’ claims of the existence of videos were in part supported by Leaving Neverland producer Dan Reed, who says Safechuck was aware of ‘sexual’ videos Jackson had filmed.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, British award winning creative Reed said: ‘James mentioned to me at one point, “You know, Michael had a video camera and he recorded a sexual act.” But he didn’t go into detail. And then Jackson was like, “Oh, what did I do?” and taped over it.
‘I have all the evidence that I need. And there was no video recording that exists of Michael having sex with [these] children.
‘There was no flagrante delicto with these guys. We don’t have the tapes.’
McManus, like Reed, is in no doubt that the superstar singer was a child molester – a claim which is yet to be proven.
These days she works as a carer in Nipomo, California, and says she ‘is at peace’ with branding her former boss a sex abuser, despite still suffering with anxiety and panic attacks as a result of the experience.
She adds that she was not shocked at the claims made by Robson and Safechuck, who were regular private guests in Jackson’s bedroom during her years working for him
‘I’m not shocked. I already know what he is. I live with it. I know the truth. It wouldn’t shock me. It is kind of what it is, what it was. I think it would be devastating to his fans, who are blindfolded by the reality. That’s what would hurt.’
She has previously claimed that she recalls Jackson accuser Safechuck being cajoled into playing dress-up with the King of Pop.
She says she always wondered about Jackson’s relationship with Safechuck in early 1990s.
‘Michael would be obsessed with Jimmy,’ she said. ‘They would go into the bedroom and play dress-up. Jimmy would take his clothes off, and Michael would let him wear his personal shirts, pajamas and famous black fedora hat.’
She said Safechuck was a regular guest at Neverland and his relationship with Jackson ‘didn’t feel right.’
She recalled how Jackson would get Jimmy alone and ‘lock him away’ for days at a time.
‘He was always cuddling him, holding his hand or being amorous towards him more like a girlfriend than a friend,’ she said.
McManus tried and failed to sue Jackson along with other employees in 1994 for their treatment during their employment.
Melanie Bagnall, Kassim Abdool, Ralph Chacon, McManus and Sandy Domz said they were harassed and threatened by security guards and fired or forced to quit in 1994.
In their depositions McManus and Chacon spoke about the singer’s alleged sexual abuse of minors.
McManus was also called as a prosecution witness in his 2005 criminal trial.
The former maid says Jackson got away with the abuse for so many years because of the regime of fear and intimidation he ran.
She claims Jackson’s private security team would issue death threats and intimidate staff and children to stay silent about what they saw in Neverland during the early 90s.
And the King Of Pop himself issued threats to staff who questioned his behavior.
‘I knew Michael very, very well, and I was told that what I know you just don’t say it, and that really concerned me.
‘I was threatened by Michael when I took over his bedroom, so I was already scared with that and I was afraid for my family.
‘At that point, I was thinking of my life and my family’s life; something could happen to me.
‘I was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out, that they could have somebody slice my neck and you’d never find my body. So yeah, I was very concerned and it’s my life and I cared about my life.’
She continued: ‘Nobody knew what these bodyguards were, and everybody was afraid of them. They carried guns and they would tell you little things and pet their guns. These guys were wicked and scary.’
McManus recalls how Jackson himself used intimidation tactics, calling her at home on Mother’s Day in 1993, just as the pressure mounted around the Jordan Chandler case.
‘He called me at home and he said he wanted to ask me something and I said “yeah, go ahead.”
‘And he asked me continuously “what do you know?” “What do you mean?’, I said. “Michael I don’t know what you want me to tell you.”
‘I think he knew that I was on to him, and he wanted to see if I was stupid enough to say that.
‘He was concerned about what he was doing because after that the allegations popped up. He wanted to see how loyal I was to him.
‘Michael was a manipulator and I was scared of him. I was programmed not to ask questions.’
McManus believes the star’s staggering wealth – at the time an estimated $250million – meant the Bad singer felt untouchable.
Jackson spent millions of dollars on high profile lawyers and even employed notorious private detective Anthony Pellicano to protect his image – and muddy the names of any detractors.
McManus said: ‘I think anybody who came into contact with him (Jackson) has been destroyed, and they suffered, because there was something not right with him. He was a pedophile.’
She added: ‘I am happy the world is now questioning Michael, but there will still be unbelievers.
‘I hope people take off their blinders and realize that he was a man. People have urges. I wish more people would have spoken up, because maybe today Michael would have been alive if they put him in prison. Maybe things could have gone different.’
McManus said she was scared to come forward because she ‘was told by Michael’s bodyguards that they could hire a hit man to take me out’
Wendy Williams Show staff demand producers permanently replace her with Nick Cannon as they accuse her of not being ‘authentic’
Article via DailyMail
- Staff on The Wendy Williams Show are demanding producers replace the star with stand-in host Nick Cannon or Jerry O’Connell
- The 54-year-old TV host did not return to set after the holiday hiatus due to alleged health problems stemming from her Graves’ Disease
- But employees have accused Williams of not being ‘authentic’ with fans or staff and claim she actually took time off to deal with her ‘cheating’ husband Kevin
- ‘It’s time Debmar stepped up, said goodbye to Wendy and Kevin and hired Nick to take over, a source told DailyMail.com, adding: ‘We all want Nick to replace Wendy’
Staff at the Wendy Williams Show are calling on producers to permanently replace the star with stand-in host Nick Cannon claiming she has not been ‘authentic’ with her fans or her employees, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Cannon, 38, is among the rotating cast of temporary hosts filling in for Williams, who did not return to set after the show’s holiday hiatus due to alleged health problems.
Her extended break, however, has sparked outrage among longtime employees who say they were left ‘in the dark’ about her absence and now claim she actually took time off to deal with her ‘cheating’ husband Kevin.
One told DailyMail.com: ‘I mean it’s probably time Wendy steps away from the show. She’s not authentic anymore. How can she discuss hot topics when the biggest topic involves her husband publicly cheating on her for years?’
‘It’s really sad as you’d think that Wendy would have more respect for herself and she would stand up, dump her cheating husband, take control of her business and empower women who are going through the same thing,’ the source added.
This is her chance to be a role model, but she’s letting women everywhere down by not being the boss that she pretends to be on her show.’
‘Think about it – Oprah or Ellen never treated their audience and staff like this on their shows. So it’s time Debmar stepped up, said goodbye to Wendy and Kevin and hired Nick to take over. However, if he says no, we’d happily take Jerry O’Connell who is also a joy to work with,’ the source added.
In 2017, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Williams’s husband Kevin Hunter was having a decade-long affair with masseuse Sharina Hudson, who was wearing a massive diamond ring on her ring finger.
Although Williams initially said she was standing by her man, more reports over their marriage troubles have emerged, with the National Enquirer reporting last month that Williams was a victim of domestic violence.
Last week, the New Jersey-based host was seen in Florida, where her parents live, sparking speculation she retreated to the Sunshine State to spend time with her family while figuring out if she should divorce Hunter.
The insider told DailyMail.com: ‘With Wendy there is always drama, especially when Kevin is around. Now that they are away everyone feels they can breathe and do their best work,’ the source added.
‘We all want Nick to replace Wendy. He has been an absolute dream. Everyone on the team adores him and he’s such a professional.
‘Debmar needs to sign him up and make him the new host. He’s gracious and kind and he’s really fun to be around. We have a chance of surviving if he stays on as host.’
‘He’s also open about his life. He talks about everything. I suppose you can be when you’re not in denial about your life like Wendy.’
‘A few of us have a theory that the glue from her weave has seeped into her brain and she can no longer think rationally,’ the source added.
‘Nick can save the show. Women love him, Wendy’s fans love him and he’s really low maintenance.’
‘He also has ideas about how he can make each segment better and elevate what we’re doing. He’s not checked out like Wendy.’
Staffers had also branded Williams as ‘selfish’ and ‘hypocritical’ for calling Cannon during her absence but refusing to speak to her employees.
Cannon told her audience on Monday that he spoke to Williams, and her husband Kevin Hunter, and said shewas doing ‘amazing’ and praised her ‘family unit’.
Another staffer said: ‘For her to be talking about her ”family unit” to Nick, it’s an absolute joke. That ain’t no normal family unit.’
Meanwhile executives at Debmar-Mercury, the company that produces The Wendy Williams Show, have already been on pins and needles about Williams’ alleged health challenges.
Currently, her show is the only talk show the company has on TV right now and Debmar doesn’t have a backup plan in case they need to pull the plug on her series.
A source at the TV network told DailyMail.com the show fill-ins are being used as on-air auditions of sorts, with the network already having its eye on possibly developing one or more replacement show with several of the stand-in guest hosts.
Among those Debmar is looking at as replacement options, include actor Jerry O’Connell, who filled in for Williams in March 2018 when her health challenges caused her to take three weeks off.
Nick Cannon, KeKe Palmer, Michael Rapaport and Jason Biggs have also been announced as guest co-hosts throughout the month of February; but apparently Debmar is also looking at former The View co-host Sherri Shepherd as a possible replacement option as well.
The network source said: ‘The truth is, it’s become a s**t show behind the scenes and at any given moment, as we’ve already seen twice this year already, the working plans tend to change day to day, hour to hour, and minute to minute.
‘So everyone is holding out hope, and many are already seeking jobs elsewhere.’
A source at the The Wendy Williams Show added: ‘We’re worried, we have bills to pay – who says she is ever coming back. The last thing any of us want is for the show to be cancelled.
‘Just remember – the show is called Wendy. So it needs Wendy Williams back – but when she comes back, she better not bring Kevin back with her because we’ve all had enough of him.’
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Serial killer who stalked Toronto’s gay village to be sentenced Friday
Article via TheWashingtonPost
For years, members of Toronto’s gay community warned there was a serial killer on the loose, that vulnerable men were going missing, that the streets were not safe. They were right.
On Friday, Bruce McArthur, a 67-year-old landscaper and former mall Santa, will be sentenced on eight counts of first-degree murder, ending a trial that shocked a city — and a country — that likes to see itself as inclusive and safe.
McArthur was accused of killing and dismembering eight men between 2010 and 2017, hiding seven of the corpses in planters and the eighth in a ravine. He pleaded guilty last month.
At a sentencing hearing that ended Tuesday, Canadians heard how he lured and murdered men he met in Toronto’s Gay Village, then posed corpses in costumes, keeping pictures of each victim in labeled digital folders.
They learned McArthur was stopped when police raided his home, finding a man tied to a bed. He was a potential ninth victim, the court heard, and McArthur had a folder waiting.
In a city that prides itself on being gay friendly and welcoming to new Canadians, McArthur sought out men marginalized by their sexuality, ethnicity, immigration status or poverty. Most of his victims were refugees or immigrants. Several struggled with substance abuse. Some had not revealed they were gay.
The details of the case are so brutal, the crimes so depraved, that the headlines at times obscured the fact eight men — Skandaraj Navaratnam, Majeed Kayhan, Abdulbasir Faizi, Soroush Mahmudi, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, Dean Lisowick, Selim Esen and Andrew Kinsman — were killed.
Now, with the trial over, advocates want to put the focus back on why so many died before police cracked the case. Some have argued the police response was slowed by homophobia and racism — that the force might have acted more quickly if different men disappeared.
Asked about allegations of bias, Meaghan Gray, a spokeswoman for Toronto Police, said the force launched two investigations, Project Houston and Project Prism, “to do everything possible to locate the missing men.”
“We will continue to do what we can to support the community and look for opportunities to improve our relationship,” she said in an email.
Haran Vijayanathan, executive director of the South Asian Alliance for Aids Prevention and a longtime advocate for the victims and their families, praised the team of detectives that caught McArthur, but expressed anger that it seemed to take the murder of a white man, Kinsman, to spur action.
“This is a real wake-up call for Canada,” he said.
Toronto’s Gay Village is a couple blocks of shops, restaurants and bars in the heart of the city. It was there, in the early 1980s, that police raids on bathhouses spurred Canada’s gay rights movement.
McArthur was a regular in the area. Kyle Rae, Toronto’s first openly gay city councilor, recalled seeing him around. “I remember seeing Bruce McArthur sitting outside Starbucks. He was a fixture,” he said.
The first victim to go missing was Navaratnam, a refugee who fled Sri Lanka and settled in Toronto. He was last seen leaving a village bar in September 2010.
In December of the same year, Faizi, originally from Afghanistan, vanished. By 2012, Kayhan, also an immigrant from Afghanistan, was gone, too.
The disappearances of the three men sparked an investigation called Project Houston, for which officers interviewed McArthur. Eventually, the effort was disbanded. The killing resumed.
In 2016, McArthur was interviewed for a second time after a man claimed McArthur had tried to choke him. Detectives did not press charges. The officer who handled that case, Sgt. Paul Gauthier, now faces professional misconduct charges.
The break in the case came in June 2017, when Kinsman, a white, Canadian-born activist with deep ties to the community, went missing. By July, Project Prism was launched to look into his disappearance and another recent case.
Many in the community say they were convinced a serial killer was on the loose, an idea the police dismissed about a month before McArthur was caught.
“We follow the evidence, and the evidence is telling us that that’s not the case right now,” Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders told reporters in December 2017. “The evidence today tells us that there is not a serial killer.”
Rae, the former city councilor, said the resistance to believing there could be a serial killer reflected the city’s need to believe it was safe. “This is part of the culture of Toronto and Canada. We are, ‘Toronto the good.’ That can’t happen here. But this type of murder can happen here,” he said.
In January 2018, they arrested McArthur on two counts of murder. After months of sifting through remains buried at a property where he once worked, police charged him with eight counts of murder.
At the time of his plea, one of the detectives who helped gather evidence of McArthur’s crimes said he hoped it would provide closure for the families. “People wanted answers,” Detective David Dickinson, told reporters. “I’m hoping we brought some of those answers to them.”
The city, though, is not done asking questions. A recent editorial in the Toronto Star expressed hope that an independent review of the investigations could shed light on whether systemic bias played a role in how the disappearances were handled.
“Why did the police seemingly not take the concerns of the LGBTQ community more seriously?” the paper asked.
“Would police have taken more and swifter action if McArthur’s victims had not been gay or people of colour, homeless or addicted to drugs?” the editorial read.
“Answers to those questions are what the broader community still needs for any real closure in this case.”