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NPR reporter who hit Trump in the mouth with a boom mic is identified

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The female reporter who smacked President Donald Trump in the mouth with a boom microphone has been identified.

The incident happened as Trump took questions from reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Friday.

The boom microphone with a fuzzy cover hit Trump in the mouth and slid across his face. Trump leaned back to avoid further contact with the equipment.

“She just made television tonight,” Trump told a Secret Service agent who was off camera. “She just became a big story tonight. Right? Did you see that?”

“Yes, sir,” the agent responded.

On Sunday, conservative political activist Laura Loomer identified the reporter as LGBTQ+ activist Danielle Kurtzleben.

“I have identified the reporter who hit President @realDonaldTrump in the face with a boom mic this week while he was speaking to the press on the tarmac,” Loomer wrote on Sunday.

“Her name is Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka. She is the newly appointed White House reporter for @NPR and a massive Trump hater and LGBTQ advocate who once suggested during the 2024 campaign that Trump only spoke in Howell, Michigan because it has ties to the KKK.

Did she hit President Trump in the face on purpose?”

18 minutes after Loomer identified Kurtzleben, the 26-year-old reporter locked her X page to hide her anti-Trump posts.

Trump’s supporters were concerned that the mic was coated with deadly ricin or a nerve agent.

A nerve agent – such as the one that killed the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un in 2017 – is deadly if it comes in contact with the mouth, nose or eyes.

Symptoms of nerve agent poisoning include nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, and paralysis followed quickly by death. Symptoms begin within minutes or hours after exposure.
 
READ ALSO: Learn the signs and symptoms of ricin poisoning
 
Ricin is also deadly if exposed to the mouth, nose or eyes. Ricin kills by preventing the body from making protein. Symptoms take anywhere from hours to days.

Symptoms of ricin poisoning include swelling of the eyes and lips; lung irritation; sore throat; skin blisters; itchy, watery eyes and difficulty breathing.

Advanced symptoms include respiratory failure; organ failure; and death.

Dawn Robinson speaks from her car after going viral (Video)

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Last week, singer Dawn Robinson admitted she had been living in her car for the past three years after leaving her mother’s home in 2020.

Now she is commenting from her car after going viral.

In a new video on her Instagram page, Dawn, 58, thanked her followers for their love and support. Dawn previously confirmed she is living in her car by choice.

“FAM! I am OVERWHELMED by the out pouring of love from my Car Life video lol!!! Going viral and breaking the internet was AMAZING!” she wrote in the video caption. “As I said, my aim was to inspire but some people are worried. Please don’t be… I’ll go into more detail in Ep 7. Oh, and ignore the trolls who are trying to attach themselves to my story lol!! Leeches do that.”

The former lead singer and founding member of the girl group En Vogue commented after her friends and associates basically called her someone who can’t be trusted.

Photo of Andre Allen and Dawn Robinson
TMZ

Dawn’s former husband Andre Allen offered her a job after she went viral. Dawn and Andre were married from 2003 to 2010. Andre tells TMZ he found God — and a new fiancee — and he now makes more money than he ever did.

He said Dawn would be a good candidate for a job in sales at the Hilton Brands, selling vacation packages.

Also, one of Dawn’s former collaborators came forward insisting Dawn is the problem.

“Still blaming her mama & manager who housed her for 2 years at almost 60,” songwriter Ivan Mattias wrote in a post on X (Twitter).

“Fell out with EnVogue, Rafael Sadiq [sic], Lucy Pearl, Dr. Dre. Atlantic records, Elektra Records & EVERYONE she ever worked with. Including me who wrote & Produced ‘Don’t Let Go.’ She’s the problem.”

After his comments went viral Dawn warned her fans to watch out for leeches — including her ex-husband — attaching themselves to her story for relevancy.

Mystery surrounds twin brothers found dead on top of Georgia mountain after missing flight to Boston

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Photo of Qaadir and Naazir Lewis
GoFundMe

Mystery surrounds the deaths of twin brothers whose bodies were found on top of a Georgia mountain less than 90 miles from their home in an Atlanta suburb.

Qaadir and Naazir Lewis, both 19, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, were scheduled to fly to Boston to visit friends on March 7, but they missed their 7 a.m. flight, according to family.

Hikers found their bodies 24 hours later near a hiking trail on top of Bell Mountain in Towns County near the North Carolina border.

The brothers were both shot to death and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said preliminary findings indicate their cause of death as a murder-suicide.

Photo of Qaadir and Naazir Lewis
GoFundMe

A gun was found near the bodies and was dusted for fingerprints. The bodies were also tested for gunshot residue — but authorities did not say which brother pulled the trigger.

Plane tickets to Boston were found inside the twins’ wallets.

Lawrenceville is an hour and 50-minute drive from Hiawassee, which is one of 9 “Sundown towns” in Georgia where Black people were hanged in the 1800s.

Photo of Qaadir and Naazir Lewis
GoFundMe

Family members say the twins have never been to Hiawassee, and the twins didn’t hike.

The grieving family questions the GBI’s preliminary findings that one of the brothers fatally shot the other before taking his own life.

The family members say something else happened to the brothers on top of Bell Mountain.

“How did they end up out in the mountains? They don’t hike out there; they’ve never been out there,” their aunt Samira Brawner told 11Alive News.

“They’re very protective of each other. They love each other,” their uncle Rahim Brawner told 11Alive. “They’re inseparable. I couldn’t imagine them hurting each other because I’ve never seen them get into a fistfight before,” Rahim said.

The twins had been excited to visit friends in Boston, but they never boarded their flight. The GBI will review surveillance video at the airport to determine if they made it there and who they left with.

Qaadir and Naazir’s aunts and uncles are desperate for answers as to how the teenagers died.

“They don’t know anything about Hiawassee, Georgia. They never even heard of Bell Mountain. So how did they end up right there?” asked their mother.

The GBI confirmed autopsies have been completed, but further forensic tests are still pending.

The story has made national headlines, meaning more pressure will come to bear on authorities to provide clear answers. Family members don’t believe the murder-suicde theory.

“We knew right away that wasn’t true,” Samira said. “We want answers, we want to know exactly what happened to the twins.”

Another aunt, Yasmine Brawner, also refused to accept the cause of death as murder-suicide.

“They had a huge support system. We know them. They wouldn’t do anything like this. To say they did this to each other? No. Something happened in those mountains, and we want answers,” Brawner said.

“They came from a family of love, and twins wanted so much for their future – they had dreams of starting their very own clothing line,” Yasmine wrote on the GoFundMe page to raise funds for funeral expenses.

Photo of Bell Mountain
Google Earth

Family members are also confused by the location where the brothers were found. They don’t know how the twins got to the top of Bell Mountain, a scenic tourist attraction in the Georgia wilderness.

Family members say Bell Mountain is not somewhere the brothers had ever mentioned or even visited before.

The family have since made an emotional plea for witnesses to come forward. Someone had to have seen the twins in Hiawassee or on the popular hiking trail.

“Somebody knows something,” Samira Brawner said.

“They didn’t just walk up that mountain and die. Something happened to them.”

Watch the video below.

Ciara: ‘I always want my daughters to feel valued’

Photo of Ciara and her children
Kentisha Brenee’ Berry / Parents

Pop singer Ciara Wilson is raising her daughters to feel valued in a society that diminishes the accomplishments of biological women.

Ciara shares three children with NFL star Russell Wilson – Sienna Princess, 7, son Win, 4, and daughter Amora, born in December 2023. She also has a 10-year-old son named Future Zahir by rapper Future.

Photo of Ciara and her children
Kentisha Brenee’ Berry / Parents

Ciara spoke candidly with Kindred by Parents magazine about nurturing and guiding her daughters to be the best they can be in a male-centered society.

She encourages all young girls and women to “act tall, even when you feel small,” especially in male-dominated environments. Girls and women are constantly under attack today – particularly in the field of sports.

Photo of Ciara and her children
Kentisha Brenee’ Berry / Parents

Ciara, 39, says this makes self-confidence even more important. The mom-of-4 is one of the few artists who claim ownership of her recording masters.

“I always want my girls to feel valued, know that they can create their own self-worth, they’re in control of themselves and where they can in life. I want my girls to know that they’re not limited by their gender or the color of their skin,” Ciara explained.

Photo of Ciara and her children
Kentisha Brenee’ Berry / Parents

“To cut through, you’ve got to believe in yourself,” she says. “You’ve got to be confident in your vision. You have to commit to it, no matter what anyone thinks,” Ciara added.

Ciara is a Grammy Award-winning singer who is best known for the hit singles “Goodies” (2004), “1, 2 Step” (2004), “Oh” (2005), “Promise” (2006), “Like a Boy” (2006), “Ride” (2010), and her 2010 double platinum single “Body Party.”

The Atlanta native married NFL quarterback Russell Wilson, 36, in 2016.

Stedman Pearson Jr. of British R&B Group Five Star Dead at 60

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Stedman Pearson Jr. (right), of British R&B group Five Star, has died from natural causes after a lengthy illness. He was 60.

His sister Deniece confirmed Pearson was “on dialysis and had diabetes” before his death on March 10.


Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

“He was a gentleman to the very end – in every way and an amazing son/brother and uncle,” Deniece told PA news agency. Stedman and Deniece are pictured in London on September 8, 2011.

“May the memories and love he gave to us and the world be our greatest comfort. He will be deeply missed,” she added.

The group, formed in 1983 in London, England, comprised of siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Deniece, Doris and Delroy Pearson.

Five Star was often compared to American sibling group the Jackson 5 due to their matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines.

WENN.com

Five Star is best known for their pop and R&B songs including “All Fall Down”, which peaked at No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.

The group released their debut album, Luxury of Life, in June 1985, which spawned the singles “All Fall Down”, “Love Take Over”, “Let Me Be The One”, “R.S.V.P.”, and “System Addict.”

Other Top 40 hit singles included “Can’t Wait Another Minute” (1986), “Find the Time” (1986), “Rain or Shine” (1986), “Stay Out of My Life” (1987) and “The Slightest Touch” (1987).

Five Star, managed by their former recording artist father, Buster Pearson, won a Brit Award for Best Group in 1987.

Deniece was the only member still active, with her siblings last performing as Five Star in 2016.

Reporter hit Trump in the mouth with microphone: ‘She just became a big story’

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President Donald Trump glared at a reporter who accidentally smacked him in the mouth with a large boom microphone on Friday evening.

The incident happened as Trump took questions from reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

The boom microphone with a fuzzy cover hit Trump in the mouth and slid across his face. Trump leaned back to avoid further contact with the equipment.

Trump seemed stunned before he raised both eyebrows and glared at the unidentified reporter. One media outlet referred to it as a “death stare.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” the female reporter said, as another reporter hurriedly asked the president a question about Gaza.

“She just made television tonight,” Trump told a Secret Service agent who was off camera. “She just became a big story tonight. Right? Did you see that?”

“Yes, sir,” the agent responded.

The video quickly went viral around the world. The reporter and media outlet she works for were not identified.

Social media users questioned if the reporter’s actions were intentional. They said the reporter should be removed from the press pool and charged with assault.

Others called for the mic to be tested for toxic substances.

Trump’s supporters wondered if the mic was coated with deadly ricin or a nerve agent.

A nerve agent – such as the one that killed the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un in 2017 – is deadly if it comes in contact with the mouth, nose or eyes.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, and paralysis followed quickly by death. Symptoms begin within minutes or hours after exposure.

Ricin is also deadly if exposed to the mouth, nose or eyes. Ricin kills by preventing the body from making protein. Symptoms take anywhere from hours to days.

Symptoms include swelling of the eyes and lips; lung irritation; sore throat; skin blisters; itchy, watery eyes and difficulty breathing.

Advanced symptoms include respiratory failure; organ failure; and death.

Kim Kardashian Plans Shock Marriage To Tesla Robot!

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Kim Kardashian graces the cover of Perfect magazine with her Tesla robot named Optimus. The cover was shot by Steven Klein.

In a recent episode of “The Kardashians”, Kim, 44, hinted that she plans to marry for the 4th and final time.

The SKIMS founder said she has been seeing someone “secretly” and she wondered what her engagement ring for her fourth marriage will be like.

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Kim recently shared that she bought her own engagement ring when she married former NBA star Kris Humphries. So she’s used to buying her own rings.

“I wonder what my next ring shape will be?” Kim asked. “For my last and final hurrah.”

“Number one was a cushion cut, 14-karat,” she said of the diamond rock her first husband Damon Thomas gave her. “I still have it,” she confided.

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Kim shares four children with rapper Kanye West – daughters North, 11, and Chicago, 7, and sons Saint, 9, and Psalm, 5.

Kim and Kanye divorced in 2021. She began dating comedian Pete Davidson in November 2021 and they announced their breakup in August 2022.

She then dated NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. for a few months in 2022.

But Kim’s strangest relationship to date is with her Tesla robot, Optimus.

‘Me not dating and not wanting love and attention? I don’t think you know me.’

In a January episode of “The Kardashians,” Kim teased a new romance around the same time she began going out on “dates” with Optimus.

“I had the intention of staying single. I was fully lying to you guys,” Kim said in a confessional.

“Me not dating and not wanting love and attention? I don’t think you know me,” she joked.

Tickets to Opening Night of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour Going for Less Than $50

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Tickets for opening night of Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter Tour are selling for less than $50 for her shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in April. Some tickets are as low as $36 at SoFi.

Photo of Beyonce concert tickets

Not even England’s King Charles can boost interest in Beyoncé’s current tour. Charles recently shared his love for Beyoncé, whom he called “incomparable.”

Beyoncé is struggling to sell tickets even in her hometown of Houston, Texas. The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer announced her tour in January.

Initially, ticket prices were absurdly high – as much as $3,000 in some places. But many fans took to social media to slam the “Halo” singer as “greedy” for price gouging.

MediaPunch / BACKGRID

Fans said they mortgaged their homes and sold their cars to buy tickets to her Renaissance World Tour 2 years ago. Now they are tapped out.

The “Drunk In Love” singer is set to perform six nights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England from June 5 to June 16. But tickets there are selling slowly as well.

Reports are that 95% of tickets are sold. But resellers bought up most of the tickets and now they can’t find buyers.

Larry Busacca/PW/WireImage

Beyoncé may be forced to perform to half-empty stadiums or cancel some shows.

Fans took to social media to complain.

“BEYONCÉ WHAT ARE THESE PRICES… OH, LONDON BEYHIVE, IT’S SO OVER… F-CK YOU, TICKETMASTER,” one fan wrote.

Another person wrote: “She should think of her poor fans and lower the prices. Ain’t like she ain’t a billionaire already.”

‘The NeNe Leakes Show’ Premieres with Guests Carlos King & Celebrity Blogger Michelle Brown

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Former “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member NeNe Leakes recently launched the 1st episode of her talk show on YouTube.

NeNe’s first guest was Carlos King, best known as a producer for reality shows such as The Real Housewives of Atlanta and “Love & Marriage: Huntsville.”

Next up was celebrity and YouTube vlogger Michelle “ATLien” Brown, owner of StraightfromtheA.com.

Michelle was the highlight of the show (NeNe saved the best for last). In a segment called “All Things Tea,” Michelle spilled The Tea on popular celebrity news stories like Simon Guobadia, Wendy Williams, rapper Future and his side chick, and NeNe’s love life.

Michelle even got NeNe to open up about her dating life. NeNe revealed she is still in an on-again, off-again relationship with her ex Nyonisela Sioh, who cheated on her the entire time they were together.

NeNe and Michelle bring the perfect mix of gossip and tea in their weekly segment on her show.

Watch the video below.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to appear in federal court on Friday

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Rapper Sean Combs will appear in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, March 14, to be arraigned on a superseding indictment.

According to CNN, Combs will return to court for a pretrial hearing in his human trafficking and conspiracy case.

WENN

In an amended indictment, prosecutors allege that Combs forced an employee to engage in sex acts and threatened others with physical force and financial harm if they did not help him carry out sex trafficking crimes over the last two decades.

While the amended indictment does not include additional charges, the allegations were recently expanded to include three victims.

Combs has vigorously denied all of the charges. He is in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial that begins on May 5.

WENN

Defense attorneys for Combs have petitioned the judge for jury selection to start on May 5, with opening statements to follow on May 13. Prosecutors want jury selection to begin on April 21.

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Combs’ lawyers say surveillance video of Combs beating ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a now-shuttered hotel in California will not be allowed in as evidence.

The video is not a part of the case, and the judge is unlikely to allow it to be admitted as evidence.

Combs’ attorneys claim CNN altered and edited the only existing copy of the video before destroying it. The video was purchased by CNN last year.

Judges don’t allow altered videos into evidence in a criminal trial.