Month: February 2023

In the late ‘70s, the FBI started the ABSCAM operation in an attempt to catch New York City underworld figures dealing in stolen art. Agents had no idea that it would grow to ensnare prominent national leaders and open the public’s eyes to rampant corruption.

To connect the bureau with crooks willing to sell stolen works of art, the FBI enlisted the talents of con man Mel Weinberg, who was facing prison time for fraud and willing to lend his talents to settle for probation.

“Mel was a fabulous con man,” former FBI agent John Good, mastermind of the operation, told Inside Jersey. “He was a very, very intelligent guy. A little on the crude side, but with a magnificent ability to con people. He was a significant part of the case. Without him, it’s unlikely we ever would have had a case.”

If this story sounds familiar, Christian Bale played Weinberg in “American Hustle,” a fictionalized version of the ABSCAM operation.

The centerpiece of the operation was a fictional Arab sheik named Kambir Abdul Rahman who, with the help of a group of FBI agents posing as members of Abdul Enterprises, was looking to invest oil money in stolen works of art. The operation was a success, nabbing $1 million in stolen goods. The art thieves led investigators to criminals dealing in fake stocks and bonds, stopping the sale of nearly $600 million worth of fraudulent securities.

“From there, our investigation led to southern New Jersey, and on to Washington, D.C. Our criminal contacts led us to politicians in Camden willing to offer bribes to get our ‘business’ a gambling license in Atlantic City,” the FBI wrote on its website.

What began as a scheme to nab shady art deals quickly evolved into a political scandal after the FBI realized that state and federal officials were more than happy to accept bribes to do favors for the fake sheik. After learning that Angelo Errichetti, the mayor of Camden, New Jersey, was on the take, Abdul Enterprises approached him about getting the phony oil baron a gambling license to buy a casino in Atlantic City.

“He was a nice guy. But he was just an unbelievable crook. He had no fear,” Weinberg said about Errichetti. The mayor was later charged with promising a casino license for $25,000 upfront and a total payment of $400,000.

At one meeting, Errichetti intimated that he knew of congressmen who were willing to take bribes.

So the sheik and Abdul Enterprises approached Democratic Rep. Raymond F. Lederer of Pennsylvania who said he’d gladly sponsor legislation so the sheik could become a permanent resident of the U.S., if need be, for $50,000 upfront and another $50,000 upon delivery.

The agents then approached Democratic Rep. Michael “Ozzie” Myers of Pennsylvania with the same proposal. “I’m gonna tell you something real simple and short: Money talks in this business and bull**it walks. And it works the same way down in Washington,” Myers told Abdul Enterprises. Before he left the meeting, he too was given an envelope containing $50,000 in $100 bills.

u201cOn February 2, 1980, the FBI released details of ABSCAM, an undercover operation targeting political corruption in government. Agents, disguised as sheiks, met with officials and offered money or other items in exchange for favors. More than 30 political figures were investigatedu201d

— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow)
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The sting would go on to nab Democratic Sen. Harrison A. Williams, Jr. of New Jersey after he promised to use his influence to aid the sheik in return for a multi-million dollar loan to a titanium mining corporation in which the senator had a secret financial interest.

Williams would be indicted and found guilty on nine counts, including bribery, receipt of an unlawful gratuity, conflict of interest and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

“When the dust settled, one senator, six congressman, and more than a dozen other criminals and corrupt officials were arrested and found guilty,” the FBI says on its website. Of the six congressmen, two resigned, three were defeated when running for reelection and Myers was expelled by the House.

On February 2, 1980, NBC News shocked the world after making the ABSCAM operation public.

The ABSCAM operation was an overwhelming success, but it also faced accusations of entrapment from critics who believed that making bribes so easily available was unlawful.

But in the end, all of the convictions stuck. “It was so easy,” Weinberg says of the investigation. “But it could never happen again.”

One wonders if a similar sting was run today, how many in Congress would take the bait?

At Upworthy, we love to share cuddly, feel-good videos of heartwarming stories about animals.

This is not one of those stories.

Behold, today we offer instead a video of a parasite crawling out of a praying mantis. Sure, it might not be as cute as a beaver building a dam out of household items, but rest assured, it’s mesmerizing in its own dark and twisted way.

Shared by @WowTerrifying on Twitter (with the original video being credited to “Insect World”), the video shows a mantis gently having its bottom submerged in water.

Only a few seconds go by before these super creepy, spindly, dark black lines start crawling out of the mantis, and they clearly have a mind of their own. Honestly, it’s beyond gross. The only silver lining here is that the person handling the mantis appears to be offering help to the poor creature.

Watch below…at your own risk.

Praying Manis lowered into water to entice out the parasite within! 🪱😱 video credit: Insect world. pic.twitter.com/R5zvLp6KsJ

— Wow Terrifying (@WowTerrifying) February 23, 2023

This nightmarish sight is a parasite known as a horsehair worm, which is best known for a) looking a bit like the symbiote from “Spider-Man” and b) hijacking an insect’s nervous system to control their minds. Usually the latter entails getting insects like mantises and crickets to drown themselves in water so that the horsehair worm can lay eggs…thus repeating one of Mother Nature’s more morbid cycles.

If you’re feeling traumatized, you are not alone. Pretty much everyone who saw the video shared their instant regret.

“That’s enough scrolling for me,” one person lamented.

“This will haunt me,” wrote another.

Sure, the natural world is full of wonders both beautiful and terrifying, but it never fails to provide something fascinating.

Imagine heading out to grab a pint, bask in nature and spend quality time with your family…and all it took was a walk to your (free) neighborhood park. Apparently, that fantasy is just an average day in the life for Copenhagen residents.

Just ask American mom Annie Samples, who feels living overseas in Denmark with her family is like living in a “real life wonderland.” That’s the descriptor she gives on her Instagram, and she routinely backs up this claim with some pretty awe-inspiring photos.

According to a video recently posted to Samples’ page, even the parks there have a sprinkling of fairytale-like magic. Let’s just say there’s a stark contrast between what families in Denmark experience versus what most families do.

Samples spoke specifically about parks in Copenhagen, first explaining that many families in the area live in apartments and therefore “our parks function as our backyards and are super important for family time and socialization.”

She then went on to brag about there being an abundance of clean and functional bathrooms and (and!) diaper stations.

“Thanks tax dollars!” she quipped.

See on Instagram

The fun doesn’t stop there. Samples listed other commonly enjoyed amenities like restaurants, coffee kiosks and…drum roll please…bars. Yes, it is completely legal to sip on beer, wine or an aperol spritz while your little one goes crazy on the jungle gym. What a world.

Get this—many parks even have bonafide playground babysitters to watch the kids during a supervised play sesh, sometimes with toys, animals or kiddy vehicles. Between that and the alcohol, no wonder Danish parents seem so chill.

One community program offered is the trafiklegepladsen, aka kid-size replica towns where children can learn about traffic safety while riding bikes. Samples mentioned that all three of her kids learned how to ride their bike from the same trafiklegepladsen staff member.

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Why do I feel like adults should have their own trafiklegepladsen to practice driving without road rage?

Lastly, Danish parks have seasonal activities like summertime splash pads and ice skating rinks for winter, where families are also legally allowed to build fires (in designated pits or mobile grills) and drink a type of mulled wine folks call glogg.

Seriously…who needs Disneyland when you have Denmark?

Samples concluded her video by saying, “Overall, I think the city does such a good job of providing the perfect backdrop to let the good times roll.”

“This is so impressive! I would be willing to pay so many taxes to create this kind of experience and dedication to people’s lives,” one person wrote.

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Many Denmark residents noted how these parks might be specific to Copenhagen only, which is the country’s most expensive city and one of the most expensive cities in the world. Denmark as a whole has a tax rate of up to 52.07%, whereas the U.S. rate tops out at 37%.

However, it certainly seems like those tax dollars do go towards improving quality of life in a big way, especially for parents and families, who get free access to doctors and midwives, 24 weeks of paid leave for each new parent and a guaranteed spot at daycare for their children…not to mention free college. Kind of feels like a no-brainer that Denmark is regularly noted as one of the world’s happiest countries. Just sayin.’

If you need me, I’ll be booking my one-way ticket to Copenhagen. There’s a cup of glogg calling my name…

Oh goodness, here we are again watching the media and “experts” speculate on the mental health of a celebrity. After nearly two decades working with a population deemed to have “severe and persistent mental illness,” I’d like to weigh in a bit. The term “severe and persistent mental illness” is a catch-all for serious mental health conditions from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia and everything in between.

I’ve worked with a variety of clients over the years, many of whom refused medication, though their psychosis caused them to have extreme paranoia and terrifying visual hallucinations. I’ve also worked with several folks that have been under a guardianship, which is equivalent to a conservatorship in California.

As I watch the media, fans and professionals speculate about whether a celebrity needs to be hospitalized or placed in a conservatorship, I often wish they had a better understanding of what severe mental illnesses looked like. Not only that, but what constitutes a concern and what’s just normal for that person. But let’s be real for a minute. The media continuously guessing if you’ve rounded the bend is likely enough to be the cause of a mental breakdown, even in a mentally stable person.

So here’s what I wish people understood about these severe and persistent mental illnesses. When people enter a psychiatric facility against their will, it’s a trauma. The effects of that trauma can stunt brain development and create coping mechanisms that may seem a bit odd to others. This doesn’t mean that they’re off of their medication or need to go back. It just means they came out of it a little differently than they went in and we have to adjust.

Everything about their behavior isn’t related to their mental wellness. I’ve seen this a lot with families after a loved one gets released from the hospital and is doing well. If the client gets upset because someone ate all of their favorite cookies, instead of looking at the cause of the person’s anger, immediately the thought goes to, “They must not be taking their medicine.”

The same happens when it’s just plain silly behaviors, like Britney Spears getting the human equivalent to the zoomies and talking in a fake foreign accent. Suddenly it’s front page news and people are concerned, but if you take away the information of her being previously hospitalized, the concern would likely be nonexistent.

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There’s also a misunderstanding about what can actually be done if someone is in need of acute psychiatric care. There are generally two reasons someone can be hospitalized against their will: if they’re a danger to themselves or if they’re a danger to others. Outside of it being the person’s first psychotic break, it’s extremely difficult for someone to be forced into help and there’s good reason for that. No matter your mental health status, you’re entitled to autonomy.

Back in the olden days (think the 19th century), husbands could commit their wives because they got too sassy or independent. Parents could drop off their children or family members with mental disabilities, just because they found them difficult to care for. Do you know what happened to those sassy independent wives? They got lobotomies to make them more docile. Others deemed mentally unfit were sterilized against their will.

This is why it’s difficult to commit someone, and while it makes my job more difficult sometimes, I’m happy it’s hard to do. Even when I know a client is reaching the point of danger but still doesn’t meet the criteria, I’d rather make a safety plan with the family than make the committal process easier where ill-intentioned people could take advantage.

The public speculating on what warrants intervention or not mostly comes from a place of concern, but it’s often incorrect. There are licensed therapists that struggle with identifying it as well because we have different areas of expertise. While I couldn’t tell you all the ins and outs of treating an eating disorder, a therapist that specializes in eating disorders could. My area is psychosis and other severe mental illnesses, so I stick to what I know when speaking authoritatively.

Specializing in psychotic disorders has taught me more about the human condition than anything else. Getting to know the incredible people that hear voices that I cannot or believe things no one else does has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.

People living with severe mental illnesses still deserve respect and basic human autonomy. They’re allowed to be weird. They’re allowed to be silly. They’re allowed to be angry. They’re allowed to be boring. They’re allowed to just be and we should let them.

Dilbert creator Scott Adams just took a huge hit following his racist rant that has already prompted several newspapers to pull his office-based comic strip. On Sunday evening, Andrews McMeel Universal announced that it will be “severing” its relationship with Adams. Essentially, this makes Dilbert dead in the water as McMeal Universal distributed the strip to newspapers as well as published collected books.

“The process of this termination will extend to all areas of our business with Adams and the Dilbert comic strip,” the publishing company wrote in a statement:

As a media and communications company, AMU values free speech. We are proud to promote and share many different voices and perspectives. But we will never support any commentary rooted in discrimination or hate. Recent comments by Scott Adams regarding race and race relations do not align with our core values as a company.

Our creator-first approach is foundational to AMU, and we deeply value our relationships with our creators. However, in the case with Adams, our vision and principles are not compatible.

Adams has been under fire since the middle of last week when he called Black people a “hate group” and instructed white people to “get the f*ck away” from them.

“Wherever you have to go, just get away,” Adams ranted. “Because there’s no fixing this. This can’t be fixed. So I don’t think it makes any sense as a white citizen of America to try to help Black citizens anymore. It doesn’t make sense. There’s no longer a rational impulse. So I’m going to back off on being helpful to Black America because it doesn’t seem like it pays off.”

The rant caused several newspapers to pull the Dilbert comic strip in condemnation of Adams’ remarks, which has now caused him to be dropped by his own distributor. However, Adams does have one powerful person on his side: Elon Musk. The Twitter CEO waded into the Dilbert controversy by declaring that actually, “The media is racist.”

“For a very long time, US media was racist against non-white people, now they’re racist against whites & Asians,” Musk tweeted. “Same thing happened with elite colleges & high schools in America. Maybe they can try not being racist.”

Musk made those remarks early Sunday morning. By that evening, Andrews McMeel Universal severed its relationship with Adams, so clearly, Elon helped. Definitely made things better.

(Via Andrews McMeel on Twitter)

Christina Applegate attended the SAG Awards, which means that she got to witness Aubrey Plaza and Jenna Ortega’s witchy magic and Brendan Fraser’s all-around awesomeness firsthand. The event was also a bittersweet one for the Dead To Me star, given that she previously told the to the LA Times that it would be “my last awards show as an actor probably, so it’s kind of a big deal.”

Applegate won’t be acting too much from here on out, as she previously revealed, due to her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, which brought Dead To Me production to a grinding halt. In the aftermath, she’s revealed plans to transition into production and voice work, and for the SAGs, she attended alongside her daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble, who stuck with mom on the red carpet while she brandished a cane that carried a “FU MS” message, as seen in this YouTube vid from Page Six. Yep, MS can stick it where nothing shines.

Applegate was nominated for Best Female Actress In A Comedy Series. Jean Smart took home the top prize, although the Hacks actor was resting up at home, days after revealing that she’d undergone a heart procedure. Everyone put bubble wrap around these two kickass ladies. We need them to stick around for the long(er) haul.

And hopefully, Applegate will receive an Emmys nod, too, but here’s to hoping that the Married… With Children star will have a lengthy production career to come.

(Via Page Six & Hollywood Reporter)

Paramount Network’s Yellowstone is, by some measures, the biggest show on television with record-breaking ratings (and behind-the-scenes drama to boot). It stands to reason that the show’s Oscar-nominated star, Kevin Costner, would be TV’s highest-paid actor, but nope. His $1.2 million per episode isn’t chump change, but there’s someone who’s making nearly double that. Where’s the Jim Halpert stare GIF when you need it?

Puck reports that “most agents and lawyers I talk to believe [the title of highest-paid actor] goes to Jack Ryan star John Krasinski, whose acting (and executive producing) fee is believed to reach, or even top, $2 million an episode on the Amazon series’ just-concluded eight-episode third season.”

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay and recently-departed Grey’s Anatomy actress Ellen Pompeo technically make more overall than Krasinski, due to longer seasons, but they’re not bringing in $2 million an episode. Other stars to crack $1 million include Jason Sudeikis for Ted Lasso, Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren for 1923, and Zendaya for Euphoria. The days of seven-figure salaries could be coming to an end, however.

Having said all that, the post-Peak TV salary comedown is real. All the outlets (except maybe Amazon and Apple) are pushing back on even top tier talent. When I asked one big dealmaker which stars are commanding $1 million these days, he texted back: “$850,000 is the new $1 million.”

I don’t know how much Tim Robinson is making for I Think You Should Leave, but whatever it is, it’s not enough.

(Via Puck)

De La Soul member Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) died on February 12 at just 54 years old. The week before, De La Soul had been part of the 10-minute performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the 2023 Grammys. Collective disbelief and grief permeated the internet once the news hit, from his bandmates Maseo and Posdnuos to Common and Nas.

Gorillaz honored Trugoy more formally today, February 27. The famed animated band dropped a deluxe version of their new album, Cracker Island. One of the new tracks is “Crocadillaz” featuring Dawn Penn and De La Soul, and the first voice heard is Trugoy’s.

“Send a sentiment / Taste a destruction,” he raps over an upbeat loop. Elsewhere, Trugoy intricately balances the benefits of his hard-earned position (“Life is intoxicating, I need a beer”) with the potential pitfalls (“Hypnotized by the crocodile smiles / The exchange is brief but watch for the teeth”).

Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn first acknowledged Trugoy’s passing with an Instagram video on February 13. “A loop for Dave. I love you,” he wrote in the caption.

De La Soul was previously featured on Gorillaz’s Grammy-winning, ubiquitous track “Feel Good Inc.” in 2005.

An official cause of death has not been publicly identified, but as noted in Uproxx’s obituary for Trugoy, he shared he was suffering from congestive heart failure in 2018 and was hospitalized in 2020.

Listen to “Crocadillaz” above.

TheBasement returned to LA on Wednesday (February 22) with a stacked lineup including a surprise appearance by Atlanta rap standout Baby Tate and the return of burgeoning R&B star Maeta, who last performed at TheBasement in 2018.

The live showcase has been a premiere destination for some of hip-hop and R&B’s breakout artists; in November, Brooklyn native Lola Brooke brought her viral hit “Don’t Play With It” to the West Coast ahead of her ongoing world takeover, while a prior show featured GoGo Morrow and KenTheMan, both breakout stars in their own rights.

Get to know the show’s most recent performers, including Dylan Sinclar, Lil Vada, and Shady Blu, below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Baby Tate

Baby Tate has been an Uproxx cover artist and a fixture on soundtracks from some of your favorite shows including Insecure. She recently teamed up with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds on his 2022 album Girls’ Night Out, joining him on The Tonight Show to perform their collaboration, “Don’t Even Think About It.” Tate’s latest mixtape, Mani/Pedi, dropped in September featuring records like “Slut Him Out” and “Ain’t No Love.”

Dylan Sinclair

Canadian singer-songwriter Dylan Sinclair was nominated for a Juno Award for his debut album Proverb in 2021. He’s a soulful presence in the vein of countryman Daniel Caesar, with a smooth vocal delivery and emotive, plainspoken lyrics that clearly evoke the wealth of feelings that pervade modern relationships. His most recent EP, No Longer In The Suburbs, is out now. “I’ve just started performing live shows and I’m enjoying this stage in my career,” he says. “Hope you do too.”

Lil Vada

Pronounced “Vay-dah,” this LA native has a gift for producing some of his hometown’s finest ratchet anthems. He’s been picking up steam over the past month or so as his high-energy reimaginings of 2000s club favorites have gained traction in the streets. He’s got a deceptively straightforward delivery that slots easily into the well-worn swing pocket favored by LA’s current crop of post-gangsta rappers and a sense of playfulness about his menacing boasts. “I want people to understand that my energy is different and my passion for music comes from hunger and the need to make my dad proud,” he says.

Maeta

Returning to TheBasement for the first time since 2018, Maeta wants listeners “to feel unapologetic about their sexuality, mistakes, and feel comforted through the uncertainty of life and love.” Since her last appearance at TheBasement when she was 17 (her first performance ever), she says she’s a “whole new girl” — and her resume since then can back that up. In just the past month, she’s appeared on Vic Mensa’s new single “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” after collaborating with the likes of Ambré, Beam, Buddy, Kaytranada, and more.

Shady Blu

Shady Blu is a walking testament to the power of shooting your shot. A cold email to famed TDE engineer MixedByAli led to a deal with his label getting advice from LA’s rap uncle Snoop Dogg, and a steadily rising presence in the rap game. Her unconventional style will certainly be a draw for fans of TDE’s woozy backpack rap influenced style but she’s also doing her own thing. She wants listeners “to really give the music a chance and listen openly” because “I may say something you feel too.”

In The Last of Us Episode 7, “Left Behind,” viewers are taken back to the fateful moment when Ellie (Bella Ramsey) ultimately learn she’s immune to being infected by the cordyceps outbreak. Through the flashback, we’re also introduced to Riley (Storm Reid), a pivotal character in Ellie’s journey whose fate isn’t explicitly spelled out at the end of the emotional episode.

After traversing an abandoned mall for some post-apocalyptic teenage fun, Ellie and Riley are attacked by a Clicker, and the two are both bitten despite ultimately killing their attacker. In The Last of Us, this situation is an immediate death sentence. The girls will be turned into infected within hours, and there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Of course, we know that Ellie will survive the encounter, but the episode never shows what happens to Riley as it jumps back to the present where Ellie tends to a severely wounded Joel (Pedro Pascal).

The creative decision to not show what happens to Riley closely mirrors that of the game. Her death isn’t shown, but obviously, she becomes infected. Like the game, the show never outright says that Ellie kills Riley, but it is implied that Ellie has had to kill before. The assumption is that kill was Riley, who more than likely turned and attempted to attack the non-infected Ellie similar to Sam in Episode 5. Ellie also had access to both a gun and a knife while alone with Riley.

However, again, those final moments are never explicitly revealed in either the game or the HBO series, which leaves the horror — of Ellie discovering she’s immune but Riley is not — to the imagination.

The Last of Us airs new episodes Sundays on HBO.

(Via ScreenRant)