'Black Panther' wins top honor at SAG Awards, 'Maisel' soars
"Black Panther" took the top award at Sunday's 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, giving Ryan Coogler's superhero sensation its most significant awards-season honor yet and potentially setting up Wakanda for a major role at next month's Academy Awards.
The two leading Oscar nominees — "Roma" and "The Favourite" — were bypassed by the actors guild for a best ensemble field that also included "BlacKkKlansman," ''Crazy Rich Asians," ''Bohemian Rhapsody" and "A Star Is Born." Although "Black Panther" wasn't nominated for any individual SAG Awards, it took home the final award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Before a stage full of actors, Chadwick Boseman tried to put into context the moment for the trailblazing "Black Panther," which also won for its stunt performer ensemble. "To be young, gifted and black," he said, quoting the Nina Simone song.
"We know what it's like to be told there isn't a screen for you to be featured on, a stage for you to be featured on. ... We know what's like to be beneath and not above. And that is what we went to work with every day," said Boseman. "We knew that we could create a world that exemplified a world we wanted to see. We knew that we had something to give."
The win puts "Black Panther" squarely in contention for best picture at the Academy Awards where it's nominated for seven honors including best picture. Actors make up the largest percentage of the academy, so their preferences can have an especially large impact on the Oscar race. In the last decade the SAG ensemble winner has gone on to win best picture at the Academy Awards half of the time.
In the lead acting categories, Glenn Close and Rami Malek solidified themselves as front-runners with wins that followed their triumphs at the Golden Globes. The 71-year-old Close, a seven-time nominee but never an Oscar winner, won best actress for her performance in "The Wife." In her speech, she spoke about the power of film in a multiscreen world.
"One of the most powerful things we have as human beings are two eyes looking into two eyes," said Close. "Film is the only art form that allows us the close-up."
Malek, wining best actor over Christian Bale ("Vice") and Bradley Cooper ("A Star Is Born") for his performance in "Bohemian Rhapsody," seemingly sealed the Oscar many are predicting for him. Malek's awards are mounting even as the director of "Bohemian Rhapsody," Bryan Singer, is facing multiple accusations of sexual assault with minors . Singer has denied the claims.
As he did at the Globes, Malek dedicated his award to Mercury.
"I get some power from him that's about stepping up and living your best life, being exactly who you want to be and accomplishing everything you so desire," said Malek.
More surprising was Emily Blunt's best supporting actress win for her performance in the horror thriller "A Quiet Place." Blunt, also nominated by the guild for her lead performance in "Mary Poppins Returns," was visibly shocked. She wasn't among Tuesday's Oscar nominees for either film.
"Guys. That truly has blown my slicked hair back," said Blunt, who praised her husband and "A Quiet Place" director John Krasinski as a "stunning filmmaker." ''Thank you for giving me the part. You would have been in major trouble if you hadn't."
Best supporting actor in a film went more as expected. Mahershala Ali, who won two years ago for "Moonlight," won for his performance in Peter Farrelly's interracial road trip "Green Book."
The Amazon series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won the first three awards handed out Sunday, sweeping the comedy series awards. It won best ensemble in a comedy series, as well as individual honors for Rachel Brosnahan and Tony Shalhoub, whose win was a surprise in a category that included Bill Hader ("Barry") and Michael Douglas ("The Kominsky Method").
"We cannot thank you enough," said Shalhoub, speaking for the cast. "Stay with us."
Tom Hanks presented the lifetime achievement award to Alan Alda , who in July revealed that he had been living with Parkinson's disease for more than three years. The 83-year-old actor took the stage to a standing ovation while the theme to "M.A.S.H" played. He said the award came at a reflective moment for him.
"I see more than ever now how proud I am to be a part of our brotherhood and sisterhood of actors," said Alda. "It may never have been more urgent to see the world through another person's eyes. When a culture is divided so sharply, actors can help — a least a little — just by doing what we do. And the nice part is it's fun to do it. So my wish for all of us is: Let's stay playful."
For the second time, the cast of "This Is Us" won best ensemble in a drama series. Other TV winners included Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve"), Darren Criss for "Assassination of Gianni Versace", Jason Bateman ("Ozark") and Patricia Arquette ("Escape at Dannemora"). Arquette thanked Special Counsel investigator Robert Mueller "and everyone working to make sure we have sovereignty for the United States of America."
The SAG Awards had one thing the Oscars don't: a host. Emcee Megan Mullally kicked off the awards by tweaking their role among the many honors leading up to next month's Oscars. She called the SAGs "the greatest honor an actor can receive this weekend."
The show did not boost the chances of other Oscar hopefuls, "A Star Is Born," ''The Favourite" and "BlacKkKlansman," which were all shut out Sunday night.
Among the attendees Sunday was Geoffrey Owens, the "Cosby Show" actor who caused a stir when he was photographed working at a New Jersey Trader Joe's. He was among the performers who began the show with the SAG Awards' typical "I am an actor" testimony. The SAGs also made time for one reunion: "Fatal Attraction" stars Michael Douglas and Glenn Close joined each other on stage as presenters.
Girl group in hot water over singer's swastika shirt
A popular Thai music act has apologized after one of its members wore a shirt showing the swastika flag of Nazi Germany during a performance.
The incident involving the girl group BNK48 occurred just two days ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marked Sunday with somber ceremonies in other parts of the world to remember the 6 million Jews and others killed in Adolf Hitler's death camps.
Israel's embassy in Thailand posted a statement on Twitter expressing "shock and dismay over the Nazi outfit worn by the singer."
"Presenting Nazi symbols by the band's singer, hurt the feelings of millions around the world, whose relatives were murdered by the Nazis," it said.
The performer, 19-year-old Pichayapa 'Namsai' Natha, blamed her own ignorance for her actions as she delivered a tearful apology and asked for forgiveness. In the video apology made on the stage where the group usually performs, she dropped to her knees as she finished her brief statement and was comforted by fellow band members. Her apology was also posted on her Instagram account.
Management of the group, noted more for its marketing prowess than its musical abilities, also apologized that they had "inadvertently caused dismay and distress to people affected" by the historical crime against humanity.
Incidents involving insensitive use of Nazi symbols occur from time to time in Thailand, where there is little awareness of the Holocaust and an inclination to use them as design elements or comic props.
Past scandals have involved bars, restaurants, motels and clothing using swastikas and images of Hitler for decorative purposes. But on several occasions students at schools and colleges have mimicked Nazi regalia and rituals, including the 'Heil, Hitler' salute, in skits, artworks and ceremonies.
Thais are not alone among the peoples of Asia with little knowledge or sensitivity about the Holocaust. In what may be a mark of disinterest in history among the younger generation, several other youth-oriented music groups have been involved in similar scandals.
Late last year, management for the South Korean hit K-pop boy band BTS apologized for one of its members wearing a T-shirt depicting the explosion of an atomic bomb and another a hat with a Nazi emblem in a magazine photo book. Band members previously flew flags with what appeared to be the Nazi swastika during a concert.
In 2016, the producer for a Japanese all-girl "idol" group like BNK48 joined Sony Music in apologizing after the popular act performed in outfits resembling Nazi-era German military uniforms.
Keyakizaka46, a group of about 20 mostly teenage girls who sing and dance in synch, appeared at a concert in black knee-length dresses that look like military overcoats, and black capes and officer caps with a Nazi-like eagle emblem. Sony Music is the group's label.
Trump rollbacks for fossil fuel industries carry steep cost
As the Trump administration rolls back environmental and safety rules for the energy sector, government projections show billions of dollars in savings reaped by companies will come at a steep cost: more premature deaths and illnesses from air pollution, a jump in climate-warming emissions and more severe derailments of trains carrying explosive fuels.
The Associated Press analyzed 11 major rules targeted for repeal or relaxation under Trump, using the administration's own estimates to tally how its actions would boost businesses and harm society.
The AP identified up to $11.6 billion in potential future savings for companies that extract, burn and transport fossil fuels. Industry windfalls of billions of dollars more could come from a freeze in vehicle efficiency standards that will yield an estimated 79 billion-gallon (300 million-liter) increase in fuel consumption.
On the opposite side of the government's ledger, buried in thousands of pages of analyses, are the "social costs" of rolling back the regulations. Among them:
— Up to 1,400 additional premature deaths annually due to the pending repeal of a rule to cut coal plant pollution.
— An increase in greenhouse gas emissions by about 1 billion tons (907 million metric tons) from vehicles produced over the next decade — a figure equivalent to annual emissions of almost 200 million vehicles.
— Increased risk of water contamination from a drilling technique known as "fracking."
— Fewer safety checks to prevent offshore oil spills.
For the Trump administration and its supporters, the rule changes examined by AP mark a much-needed pivot away from heavy regulations that threatened to hold back the Republican president's goal of increasing U.S. energy production. But the AP's findings also underscore the administration's willingness to put company profits ahead of safety considerations and pollution effects.
SIDING WITH INDUSTRY
The AP found the administration has sought to bolster the changes by emphasizing, and sometimes exaggerating, economic gains while minimizing negative impacts.
For example, when calculating future damages from greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants, the Trump administration looked only at U.S. effects, instead of globally. That drastically reduced the benefits of emission restrictions and allowed the administration to conclude the Obama-era rule was no longer justified, given costs to the coal industry.
In another instance, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to stop considering secondary benefits of controlling mercury emissions — namely reductions in other pollutants projected to prevent up to 11,000 premature deaths.
Last month, the AP revealed that the administration understated the advantages of installing better brakes on trains carrying crude oil and ethanol. Transportation Department officials acknowledged they miscalculated potential benefits by up to $117 million because they failed to include some projected future derailments.
In explaining its actions, the Trump administration said in some cases that the previous administration understated the price tag on new industry restrictions. In others, it said President Barack Obama's administration had been overly expansive in how it defined benefits to society.
Michael Greenstone, a University of Chicago professor who served as chief economist for Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said the Trump administration was downplaying the health and environmental impacts of its actions.
"When you start fudging the numbers, it's not that the costs just evaporate into thin air. We will pay," Greenstone said. "They are reducing the costs for industries where pollution is a byproduct."
The rules being targeted were largely crafted under Obama in response to climate change, the disastrous 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, massive releases from coal ash dumps and fuel train explosions.
ADMNISTRATION: NEGLIGIBLE RISKS
Trump's administration has stressed that savings for companies were greater than any increased perils to safety or the environment.
"We fully recognize every significant policy decision has a consequence and that those consequences can differ," acting U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt told the AP. "I think when you look at the track record, holistically, what you see is our deregulatory efforts are still pretty protective."
The AP's tally of savings was derived from government projections required under a 1993 executive order. Five of the rule changes are still pending.
On rules for toxic coal ash, offshore safety and refinery pollution, the administration said companies would save hundreds of millions of dollars with little or no added risk — an assertion former federal officials and environmental groups have disputed.
The potential industry savings were projected largely over the next decade.
Sectors of the coal industry see lifting costly rules as a matter of survival because demand has plummeted as utilities switch to cleaner-burning fuels.
For the oil and gas industry, with hundreds of billions of dollars in annual revenue, the economic impact of the Obama-era rules was comparatively small. But they were vigorously opposed as restrictions on business.
"We need to make sure we're putting together rules that are flexible enough to apply the latest, greatest technologies," said Erik Milito, vice president for the American Petroleum institute. He said the group focused on whether rules make sense, rather than cost savings.
Critics say the impact on public health and the environment will be even worse than projected.
"I don't think it's well understood what the death toll of these policies will be for the American people," said Paul Billings, of the American Lung Association.
OBAMA CLIMATE AGENDA ASSAILED
Two sweeping changes under Trump — the rollback of the Clean Power Plan that threatened to close many coal power plants and a reversal of plans to increase vehicle fuel efficiency standards — were centerpieces of Obama's climate change actions.
Killing the power plan would save companies up to $6.4 billion, the EPA concluded.
The trade-off is almost 61 million tons (55 million metric tons) annually of additional carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. The administration calculated that those emissions carry a maximum of $3.2 billion in "social costs," such as flood damage and higher air conditioning costs.
Since company savings outweighed pollution costs, the administration said scrapping the power plan was justified. That conclusion was possible largely because the EPA limited social costs to effects in the U.S., instead of globally as under Obama.
EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said the analysis complied with a 2003 directive under President George W. Bush that said such reviews should focus on costs and benefits to people in the U.S.
Joe Goffman, a former EPA official who helped create the clean power plan and now at Harvard Law School, said the omission of international impacts "doesn't track with reality" given that climate change is a worldwide problem.
The Trump administration also limited pollution cost considerations in its proposal last month on mercury emitted by coal plants.
When the mercury rule was finalized in 2012, the EPA projected up to $90 billion in benefits, including avoidance of up to 11,000 premature deaths from other power plant pollutants.
Now, the EPA says those benefits could not be considered because they are not directly tied to mercury reductions. The only benefits that should be counted, the agency said, were improvements to IQ scores as a result of less mercury exposure, valued at up to $6 million annually.
The National Mining Association had urged the change. Spokesman Conor Bernstein said Obama's EPA misused the concept of secondary pollution benefits to justify its actions.
The rollback's impact is unclear since utilities already have spent an estimated $18 billion on new pollution controls.
FUEL STANDARDS AND DRILLING SAFETY
Some experts outside government take issue with the rationale for relaxing the fuel economy rule.
The Trump administration says reducing standards would save as many as 1,000 lives annually and spare consumers and car companies hundreds of billions of dollars on vehicles with higher gas mileage. To reach that conclusion, officials lowered estimates of how many vehicles people would buy.
But economists including from the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research say that assumption was fundamentally flawed, since looser standards would make cars cheaper and therefore increase demand. The economists said the government used misleading findings to wipe out at least $112 billion in potential societal benefits while falsely claiming its change would save numerous lives.
"Every change they made was made in the direction to make the standards look more expensive and the rollback to look cheaper and better," said Jeff Alson, who worked 40 years at an EPA lab in Michigan.
Several rules reworked under Trump tie directly to worker and public safety.
The administration rescinded requirements for improved fuel train brakes after determining the costs to industry would be higher than previously calculated. It acknowledged more spills from derailments would likely occur.
After AP's story about the agency's $117 million benefits understatement, spokesman Bobby Fraser said the decision to rescind the Obama rule would stand because the costs were still greater.
Two safety rules for offshore oil and gas drilling were adopted following the Deepwater Horizon accident, which killed 11 people and spilled 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of oil.
The Interior Department now says less rigid inspection and equipment requirements would save drilling companies hundreds of millions of dollars with "negligible" safety and environmental risks.
Lynn Scarlett, acting Interior Secretary under George W. Bush, said the changes ignore a government commission's findings on the Gulf spill.
"You're removing a tool that was developed intentionally to help reduce the risks," Scarlett said. "The failure to have those protections raises the risk, such that actions can result in accidents like Deepwater Horizon."
YouTube says it will crack down on recommending conspiracy videos
New York (CNN Business)YouTube is making changes to its recommendation algorithm, which serves up new videos for users to watch, in an effort to crack down on the spread of conspiracy theories on its platform.
In a blog post on Friday, the Google-owned company said it would start reducing its recommendations of "borderline content" and videos that may misinform users in "harmful ways."
"Borderline content" includes videos featuring fake miracle cures for serious diseases, claiming the earth is flat and making blatantly false claims about historic events such as 9/11, according to the company. It did not provide further examples. Such content doesn't violate YouTube's community guidelines, but the company says it comes close.
YouTube has long faced criticism for allowing misinformation, conspiracy theories and extremist views to spread on its platform, and for recommending such content to users. People who came to the site to watch videos on innocuous subjects, or to see mainstream news, have been pushed toward increasingly fringe and conspiracist content.
This month, a Washington Post investigation found a YouTube search for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's initials "RBG" turned up videos from the far-right -- some of which falsely alleged doctors are keeping her alive with illegal drugs -- which outnumbered results from reliable news sources. A Buzzfeed News investigation on Thursday found that after news-related searches, YouTube suggested conspiracy videos and content from hate groups. After a mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida last year, a top trending video on YouTube suggested survivor David Hogg was an actor.
YouTube has also faced backlash for running ads on extremist content. A CNN investigation last year found ads from over 300 companies on YouTube channels promoting white nationalists, Nazis, pedophilia, conspiracy theories and North Korean propaganda.
YouTube said Friday's move would apply to less than 1% of content on its platform. However, according to YouTube users watch one billion hours of video on the platform each day -- so even that small percentage is significant.
These videos will still be available on YouTube, and may still appear in search results. They could also continue to be recommended to users subscribed to channels posting such content.
"We think this change strikes a balance between maintaining a platform for free speech and living up to our responsibility to users," the company said.
YouTube also noted this would be a gradual change and will only impact recommendations of a "very small set" of videos in the US. It will roll out the change to more countries as its systems improve, it said.
YouTube has taken other steps to address conspiracy videos in the past. Last year, it announced it would begin displaying text boxes called "information cues," which link to Wikipedia and other third-party sources to discredit a hoax.
Facebook plans to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. What that means for users
New York (CNN Business)Facebook plans to integrate its messaging platforms, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, according to a report from the New York Times.
The three services would remain separate apps, but their infrastructure behind the scenes would be the same.
Even with minimal changes on the surface, the move could have an impact on the billions of people who use the tools. For example, it could allow the company to build a single user profile from its different apps to better target ads.
The apps could also get end-to-end encryption, which shields messages from being read by people outside of the conversation, according to Facebook.
"We're working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "As you would expect, there is a lot of discussion and debate as we begin the long process of figuring out all the details of how this will work."
Facebook estimates 2.6 billion people total now use Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger each month, according to its most recent earnings report. In addition, more than 2 billion people use at least one of these Facebook-owned apps each day on average.
Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst at research firm eMarketer, said data would likely be shared between the apps as a result of the move. That could make it easier for Facebook to track users' activities across its family of apps and target ads more effectively.
For users, increased data sharing could also mean that information about their activities on WhatsApp will be associated with what they do on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger, she added.
"If users didn't think Facebook and its messaging apps were all the same company, they will have to confront that reality now," Williamson said. "Knitting the messaging apps together shows that Facebook wants to exert more control over them, and that may lead to more internal executive conflict."
After being acquired by Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram remained relatively independent entities. However, both platforms have become increasingly important to the company as Facebook has struggled with fake news, foreign election meddling and privacy scandals.
WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in 2014, and its CEO and co-founder Jan Koum left the company in May 2018. Koum reportedly decided to resign after disagreeing with Facebook over its approach to personal data and encryption.
In October, Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger left Facebook after reportedly clashing with CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the direction of the photo sharing app. Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012.
Jessica Liu, senior analyst at research firm Forrester, believes the user experience would only change slightly.
"I'm sure most users won't notice and won't think twice about it," she said. "As it is, you're already getting Facebook friend suggestions in Instagram and you're already getting kicked from Facebook to the Messenger app if you want to talk 'privately' to another Facebook user."
Saudi Arabia makes new pitch for $400 billion investment
Dubai (CNN)Saudi Arabia has unveiled a new bid to lure investments in the biggest such initiative since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Under a new industry and logistics program, the country is looking for private sector help to develop its manufacturing, mining, energy and logistics sectors, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The country's energy minister, Khalid Al Falih will announce projects worth $18.6 billion (70 billion riyals) on Monday, Reuters reported citing the minister. The kingdom will later announce $50 billion in projects in the military, chemicals and small business sectors.
In total, the kingdom plans to attract $427 billion in domestic and foreign investment. The kingdom is also planning five new airports and 1,200 miles of railways, Reuters said.
The move is part of Vision 2030, the country's ambitious plan to diversify its economy away from oil over the next decade. One of its goals is to raise the private sector's contribution to the GDP to 65% from 40%.
The latest logistics program includes 330 initiatives "and will achieve more than one third of the objectives of the vision of the Kingdom 2030." the Saudi Press Agency said citing Al Falih.
Saudi Arabia is trying to recover from a global backlash following the killing of Khashoggi. Top foreign executives pulled out of the country's flagship investment conference after the murder. Businesses have been hesitant to deepen their exposure to the kingdom ever since.
Sabotage a North Caicos Airport
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks & Caicos Islands, Friday, January 25th, 2019 - The TCIAA regrets to inform the general public that an unfortunate wave of vandalism has taken place on the Island of North Caicos. On Saturday January 19th, 2019 it was reported that persons vandalized property of the TCIAA rendering the fire truck, facility, lighting and other equipment inoperable. Ultimately resulting in the Authority not being in a position to support night services nor emergency night services as would normally be the case.
We appeal to the public to be forthcoming with information relating to this act of sabotage. All information will be made available to the local police to support their investigation.
All efforts will be made to replace equipment and restore services to the community of North and Middle Caicos. The TCIAA has a responsibility to provide services in compliance with all aviation safety standards and procedures.
INCIDENT AT HER MAJESTY’s PRISON TURKS AND CAICOS ON 24 JANUARY 2019
At approximately 0910 hours on the 24th of January, a single prisoner was legitimately restrained after offering a serious threat of violence to the prison officers and the prison estate. He had armed himself with a number of stones, and was throwing them without care of other people or the immediate circumstances.
As a consequence, and the impressive bravery of the prison officers, he was restrained to prevent injury to himself, to the prison staff, other prisoners and the surrounding buildings. This violent act, by a prisoner, occurred immediately in front of a residential wing, and within the vicinity of a number of other prisoners who were involved in outdoor activities in the exercise yard.
Regrettably, a number of prisoners in the exercise yard took exception to the bravery of the prison officers and wanted to shout their protests at this action, that was being managed by the Prison Superintendent. Equally, other prisoners on blue wing took exception to this swift and effective intervention by the prison staff, and they proceeded to damage their own TV used for social purposes, a water cooler to provide them with refreshment and a micro wave cooker. The protest was noisy, but managed and with no occurrence of violence towards the prison staff beyond the damaged items.
The issue that underpinned the initial incident was a prisoner that had a legitimate belief that he should be in court for a judicial hearing. He reacted badly to being told he would not attend court, and used a violent protest as a way of trying to get his problems fixed.
The prison returned to normal very soon after the incident had started, and could never be described as a riot, nor did it last 3 hours. Sadly, in the world of social media, there will always be the potential for the spread false information.
The Prison Superintendent Mr. Grahame Hawkins said; *"I know people may believe what they read on social media, and of course, it is always difficult to get information about incidents that occur in a prison. I can assure the community and the families of those in custody, that the event was handled professionally. My aim is to always get the prison back to normal as quickly as possible, and we achieved this within about 45 minutes and once it was safe to do so.”*
Hon. Vaden Delroy Williams, Minister for Home Affairs Transportation and Communication in his comments on the matter noted; *“Prison staff are exceptionally brave people who we ask to walk into danger whenever it presents itself, and I pay tribute to the brave staff who helped manage one person, and then started working on the de-escalation of what was obviously a brief but challenging incident.”
Celebs responds to Surviving R. Kelly
The Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly debuts tomorrow, and in the first episode, new details of the R&B crooner's relationship with Aaliyah are revealed.
Upon the release of first episode's trailer, however, the late singer's mother, Diane Haughton, has issued a statement via Instagram in response to a testimonial from Kelly's former backup singer, Jovante Cunningham, who claims she witnessed Aaliyah having a sexual tryst with Kelly while on tour.
"The woman and so-called back up singer in the forthcoming Surviving documentary that described seeing, meeting or ever breathing the same air as my daughter, Aaliyah, is lying and is a liar," Haughton's statement begins. "My husband and I were always on tour with her and at interviews and every place she went throughout her entire career. Whoever this woman is, I have never seen her before anywhere on planet Earth, until now."
Haughton continues: "These lies and fabrications cannot be tolerated and allowed to be spewed from the forked tongue of saboteurs of Aaliyah's legacy.... Shame on all those involved in this project who though it kosher to drag Aaliyah's name into a situation that has nothing to do with her today."
The upcoming Liftetime docu-series features an emotional testimony from Cunningham, who claims she witnessed Kelly engaging in a sexual act with the then-15-year-old Aaliyah on his tour bus. She described what she saw as “things that an adult should not be doing with a child.”
Surviving R. Kelly was aired on Jan. 3, on Lifetime at 9/8C.
Meanwhile, John Legend is doubling down on his support of R. Kelly's alleged abuse victims.
Following the airing of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly documentary, in which Legend appears, the R&B crooner took to Twitter to expound on why he chose to participate in the series.
“To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all,” he wrote. “I believe these women and don’t give a f*** about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”
Legend continued by recognizing the shocking expose's producer Dream Hampton for her work. “We should all thank my friend @dreamhampton for her very necessary work to create #SurvivingRKelly,” he added. “These survivors deserved to be lifted up and heard. I hope it gets them closer to some kind of justice.”
In the wake of the premiere, Twitter also became a firestorm of reactions. While some devoted fans simply refused to be swayed, others were appalled by the salacious details of Kelly's alleged illicit acts with under-aged women.
The remaining episodes of Surviving R. Kelly are set to air tonight and Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
ATTEMPTED ROBBERY ON GAS STATION
Police are investigating an attempted robbery that took place a Millennium Highway Gas Station on Thursday, January 3rd, 2019 around 8:50 p.m.
Officers responded to the scene where they to spoke with the gas station pump attendant who said he was approached by two males from nearby bushes with what appeared to be handguns in their hands. According to the complainant, one of the armed men demanded money.
The second complainant who remained on the inside of the gas station after hearing shots fired phoned 911 for help.
The robbers tried to enter the gas station but were unsuccessful.
The robbers were described as slim build, dark complexion, with white T-shirts covering their faces.
There were no reports of injuries.
The armed men who escaped on foot also tried to the rob the neighboring convenient store but was unsuccessful.
Police are appealing to members of the public who may have any information in connection to these incidents to please contact police right away on 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-8477.