Category: News

In October, Rex Orange County (real name Alexander James O’Connor) was charged with six counts of sexual assault in the UK. At the time, a representative said, “[O’Connor] is shocked by the allegations which he denies and looks forward to clearing his name in court. He is unable to make any further comment because of the ongoing proceedings.”

Now, O’Connor has cleared his name in court and made further comment: Today (December 22), he revealed all charges against him have been dropped and offered some context about the situation.

In a written post shared on social media, O’Connor starts, “Today, all charges against me have been dropped. The Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the evidence and decided that there is no merit in this case going to trial, not guilty verdicts were entered to all the charges. I have always denied these allegations and am grateful that the independent evidence has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have never assaulted anyone and I do not condone violence or abusive behaviour of any kind.”

He goes on to note that he was “wrongly accused of touching someone one evening on their leg, neck, back, and bottom,” but that “CCTV footage obtained by the police contradicted their version of events.”

NME contacted Crown Prosecution Service and a spokesperson confirmed the charges have been dropped, saying, “CPS prosecutors have a duty to keep each case under review. Having carefully considered all the evidence, our legal test for a prosecution was no longer met and so we will not be continuing a prosecution. We will always seek to prosecute sexual offences, where our legal test is met, no matter how challenging.”

Find O’Connor’s post below.

“Today, all charges against me have been dropped. The Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the evidence and decided that there is no merit in this case going to trial, not guilty verdicts were entered to all the charges. I have always denied these allegations and am grateful that the independent evidence has cleared me of any wrongdoing. I have never assaulted anyone and I do not condone violence or abusive behaviour of any kind.

I would like to clarify some details around what I was accused of, as I have not been able to address this until now and inaccuracies about the case have circulated. I was wrongly accused of touching someone one evening on their leg, neck, back, and bottom. That led to 6 charges of sexual assault. The only evidence against me was the individual’s account. However, CCTV footage obtained by the police contradicted their version of events. Their partner was also present throughout the evening in question and gave a statement to the police which did not support the allegations against me.

It’s been a difficult time for everyone involved and I’d like to thank the people who have helped me through it as well as my family and loved ones for their continued support.”

The Jan. 6 committee wrapped up its final hearing on Monday, which ended with a bang: Among those they awarded a criminal referral was the big guy himself, Donald Trump. More revelations are bound to come pouring out as they make still more material public, but they’ve already started releasing transcripts of their depositions. One of those belongs to Roger Stone, the longtime GOP fixer and Trump World boogeyman, who played a key role in the lead-up to that fateful day. Alas, Stone proved so cagey that he pulled an Eric Trump and pleaded the fifth on even the most anodyne questions.

As caught by CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane (which in turn was caught by Raw Story), when Stone appeared before the committee for his deposition last December, he really committed to the bit. When asked his address, he replied, “On the advice of counsel, I will be availing myself of myself of my Fifth Amendment rights in all of the questions today, including that one.” When asked his age, he said much the same thing.

His interrogator soon asked, “Mr. Stone I understand that you’ll be asserting your Fifth Amendment right to each question we ask today.” When he was informed that “the Fifth Amendment protects your right to refuse to answer questions if the truth itself is incriminating,” he replied, “On the advice of counsel, I will yet again assert my right to decline to answer your question respectfully on the basis of the Fifth Amendment.”

Stone is a famously cagey guy, but he doesn’t always hang out with those who feel likewise. Back in 2019, Matt Gaetz was caught on a hot mic telling Stone he could get Trump to give him a pardon a month before a grand jury convicted him of obstruction over Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference. Stone didn’t serve a day.

(Via Raw Story)

The Jan. 6 committee wrapped up its final hearing on Monday, which ended with a bang: Among those they awarded a criminal referral was the big guy himself, Donald Trump. More revelations are bound to come pouring out as they make still more material public, but they’ve already started releasing transcripts of their depositions. One of those belongs to Roger Stone, the longtime GOP fixer and Trump World boogeyman, who played a key role in the lead-up to that fateful day. Alas, Stone proved so cagey that he pulled an Eric Trump and pleaded the fifth on even the most anodyne questions.

As caught by CBS News correspondent Scott MacFarlane (which in turn was caught by Raw Story), when Stone appeared before the committee for his deposition last December, he really committed to the bit. When asked his address, he replied, “On the advice of counsel, I will be availing myself of myself of my Fifth Amendment rights in all of the questions today, including that one.” When asked his age, he said much the same thing.

His interrogator soon asked, “Mr. Stone I understand that you’ll be asserting your Fifth Amendment right to each question we ask today.” When he was informed that “the Fifth Amendment protects your right to refuse to answer questions if the truth itself is incriminating,” he replied, “On the advice of counsel, I will yet again assert my right to decline to answer your question respectfully on the basis of the Fifth Amendment.”

Stone is a famously cagey guy, but he doesn’t always hang out with those who feel likewise. Back in 2019, Matt Gaetz was caught on a hot mic telling Stone he could get Trump to give him a pardon a month before a grand jury convicted him of obstruction over Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference. Stone didn’t serve a day.

(Via Raw Story)

Ice Spice’s viral hit “Munch” sent the rapper into instant stardom, and she’s proving that she’s here to stay. October’s release of “Bikini Bottom” was a success, and it looks like she’s about to unveil more.

In a new TikTok, Ice Spice dances to a clip of a song she says is on the way. The bass is booming, and her flow is clear and catchy: “She a baddie, she know she a 10 / She a baddie with her baddie friend.”

@icespicee

new music otw

♬ original sound – ice spice

That line brings to mind the time she clapped back at Drake for his diss of her in “BackOutsideBoyz”: “Love on me, stay down just like a root / She a ten tryna rap, it’s good on mute,” he rapped. She responded by tweeting, “at least ima 10.”

In November, she expressed enthusiasm about the music she’ll be putting out soon. “I’m excited for this new music,” she said on The RapCaviar Podcast. “I’m about to put out an EP. It’s about to be like six songs. ‘Bikini Bottom’ is on there, and then there’s some that people haven’t heard. It’s about to be a vibe. Visuals coming with it, too. Yeah, a bunch of content around it. It’s lit.”

Ice Spice’s viral hit “Munch” sent the rapper into instant stardom, and she’s proving that she’s here to stay. October’s release of “Bikini Bottom” was a success, and it looks like she’s about to unveil more.

In a new TikTok, Ice Spice dances to a clip of a song she says is on the way. The bass is booming, and her flow is clear and catchy: “She a baddie, she know she a 10 / She a baddie with her baddie friend.”

@icespicee

new music otw

♬ original sound – ice spice

That line brings to mind the time she clapped back at Drake for his diss of her in “BackOutsideBoyz”: “Love on me, stay down just like a root / She a ten tryna rap, it’s good on mute,” he rapped. She responded by tweeting, “at least ima 10.”

In November, she expressed enthusiasm about the music she’ll be putting out soon. “I’m excited for this new music,” she said on The RapCaviar Podcast. “I’m about to put out an EP. It’s about to be like six songs. ‘Bikini Bottom’ is on there, and then there’s some that people haven’t heard. It’s about to be a vibe. Visuals coming with it, too. Yeah, a bunch of content around it. It’s lit.”

The Raptors and Knicks came into Wednesday as two teams going in opposite directions, with Toronto having lost six straight while New York was riding an eight-game winning streak into their matchup at the Garden.

Both of those streaks came to an end in a 113-106 Raptors win that was a back-and-forth affair that saw Toronto come out ahead thanks largely to the performance of Pascal Siakam. The All-NBA forward set a new career-high with 52 points, becoming the latest opposing player to have a monster night in Manhattan, while also pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

Siakam was in attack mode throughout the night, as the Knicks simply had no answers for his assault on the paint. Only Fred VanVleet (28 points) and OG Anunoby (15 points) joined Siakam in double figures for the Raptors, but that was still enough to out-duel a pair of 30-balls from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to get Toronto a desperately needed win.

It’s the second straight big scoring night for Siakam, who had 38 in an overtime loss to the Sixers on Monday, and him getting going will be paramount to Toronto making a run back into the playoff picture in the East, as this win moved them back to 14-18. Even so, the lack of help beyond VanVleet and Anunoby is a recurring theme for the Raptors, and they have some decisions to make about whether they need to be active on the trade market as the deadline approaches and what direction they want to take this team. For tonight at least, the vibes were pristine in the Toronto locker room thanks to Siakam, and a glimmer of optimism is peeking back through for Raptors basketball.

The Raptors and Knicks came into Wednesday as two teams going in opposite directions, with Toronto having lost six straight while New York was riding an eight-game winning streak into their matchup at the Garden.

Both of those streaks came to an end in a 113-106 Raptors win that was a back-and-forth affair that saw Toronto come out ahead thanks largely to the performance of Pascal Siakam. The All-NBA forward set a new career-high with 52 points, becoming the latest opposing player to have a monster night in Manhattan, while also pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists.

Siakam was in attack mode throughout the night, as the Knicks simply had no answers for his assault on the paint. Only Fred VanVleet (28 points) and OG Anunoby (15 points) joined Siakam in double figures for the Raptors, but that was still enough to out-duel a pair of 30-balls from Julius Randle and RJ Barrett to get Toronto a desperately needed win.

It’s the second straight big scoring night for Siakam, who had 38 in an overtime loss to the Sixers on Monday, and him getting going will be paramount to Toronto making a run back into the playoff picture in the East, as this win moved them back to 14-18. Even so, the lack of help beyond VanVleet and Anunoby is a recurring theme for the Raptors, and they have some decisions to make about whether they need to be active on the trade market as the deadline approaches and what direction they want to take this team. For tonight at least, the vibes were pristine in the Toronto locker room thanks to Siakam, and a glimmer of optimism is peeking back through for Raptors basketball.

Yung Miami is accustomed to playfully making her guests squirm on her Revolt TV talk show Caresha Please since it launched this summer. She’s flirted with Megan Thee Stallion and asked Saweetie about her messy split from Quavo. This month, fans began wondering whether Yung Miami would use her popular show to address the shocking news that Diddy, with whom she’s been in an open relationship since last year, had fathered his seventh child.

Today, December 21, Yung Miami shared a 45-second teaser of an upcoming Caresha Please episode featuring G Herbo. She didn’t take it easy on the Chicago rapper — pressing him on cheating rumors from 2019.

“Did your two baby mamas get it on?” she asked. “Did you cheat on Ari [Fletcher] with Taina [Williams]? Were y’all steady f*cking? Why was you there? Did you ever smoke an opp?”

After awkwardly laughing off the intense line of questioning, G Herbo flipped the script: “Did you know about that baby before October?” And then Yung Miami was the one uncomfortably laughing.

“Getting a little messy, man. Clean it up. Clean up on aisle Caresha!” G Herbo added.

On December 10, Diddy tweeted, “I’m so blessed to welcome my baby girl Love Sean Combs to the world. Mama Combs, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie and myself all love you so much! God is the Greatest!” Two days later, TMZ reported that the baby had been born on October 15, and Diddy welcomed her with a 28-year-old woman named Dana Tran.

Simultaneously, DJ Akademiks took a veiled shot at Yung Miami by tweeting, “Diddy different… my N**** done f*cked around and had a side baby on his harem of side chicks. Brother Love a real 1.”

Diddy and Yung Miami each fired back. Miami advised DJ Akademiks to keep her name “out your mouth!!!” Diddy clarified that Yung Miami “never has been, never will be” his “side chick” and asserted that “she’s very important and special” to him.

The new episode of Caresha Please will drop Thursday, December 22, at 8 p.m. EST on Revolt TV.

The Bulls traveled to Atlanta on Wednesday night for a matchup between two of the East’s more disappointing teams thus far in the season. Chicago entered the game with reports swirling about turmoil in the locker room, with Zach LaVine at the center of it all, while the Hawks have had similar reports of internal tension come out recently, along with the sudden news that their president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk was stepping down to take an advisory role.

All of that served as the backdrop for a late December game that felt oddly important, as both are searching for something positive to lean on at the moment. Much like their last meeting, this one came down to a bucket inside the last second, but this time it was the Bulls getting the better of the Hawks on a buzzer-beater, as Ayo Dosunmu corralled a loose ball and put it up for the win after a DeMar DeRozan miss hit John Collins in the chest and fell to the floor.

The win lifts the Bulls to 13-18 on the season while the Hawks fall back to 16-16, as Chicago followed the lead of DeRozan and LaVine, who combined for 50 in the win (with Nikola Vucevic chipping in 20). Unfortunately the win wasn’t without some further injury concern for the Bulls, as Alex Caruso suffered a right shoulder sprain and potential concussion that knocked him out of the game, but for at least one night there’s something positive to talk about in the world of Chicago basketball.

For the Hawks its they type of loss that’s haunted them this season, as a reeling Bulls team should be a win they get as a team hoping to take a leap towards contention. Instead, they continue treading water at .500, with Trae Young putting forth a strong performance with 34 points, while Onyeka Okongwu filled in admirably for the injured Clint Capela with 18 points and 11 rebounds, but a tough shooting night prior to a fourth quarter rally proved to be too much to overcome in the end.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a passionate, even witty address to Congress, in which he asked for more aid for his nation in their fight against Russian forces. It was well-received by both sides of the aisle. But not everyone appreciated it. A smattering of MAGA Republicans spoke out against Zelensky even before his speech, among them Marjorie Taylor Greene. But at least she wasn’t caught acting like spoiled brats like her two former besties, Lauren Boebert and Matt Gaetz.

As per The Daily Beast, Zelensky receiving warm applause for spending much of the last year lording over a war zone, giving the Russians a what-fer and turning what Vladimir Putin and gang thought would be a quick reclaiming of long-lost territory into an ever-increasing disaster. Most stood and rapturously applauded as Zelensky entered the chamber. Boebert and Gaetz did not. They stayed in their seats, even played around on their phones as Zelensky delivered his historic address.

At least they cleared one incredibly low bar: They didn’t heckle him, as some predicted. Boebert has a history of being a childish, immature brat during addresses by figures she doesn’t like. Both she and Greene heckled President Joe Biden during his State of the Union earlier this year, though only Boebert did so as he was speaking about his dead son, Beau.

Greene was not seen sitting with Boebert and Gaetz, with whom she used to be closely aligned. Right now Boebert and Greene are feuding, trading insults and further underlining how the GOP is in disarray in the wake of the “red wave” that failed to materialize during the midterms. Greene’s not only tussling with Boebert; she’s also come for Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who has urged his party to continue to help Ukraine stave off Russian forces, whose defeat he sees as imperative for world peace.

During his speech, Zelensky said that while Ukraine was “alive and kicking,” the fight is far from over, and that they still need artiellery to fight against the “tyranny” of Russian forces. “Your money is not charity,” he told Congress. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

(Via The Daily Beast)