It's The Boombap

Kanye West has lost his Yeezy deal, Balenciaga collaboration, and now, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is demanding their degree back.

On Thursday, SAIC president Elissa Tenny slammed the "All Falls Down" rap mogul for his recent "disturbing behaviors" and "dangerous statements" that have made it impossible for the school to continue supporting Ye. While many people have been outraged regarding the shocking antisemitic comments made by the Donda school founder, Tenny pointed out the offensive remarks toward Black people as also being a deciding factor in revoking the degree, which was granted to Ye in 2015. 

"The School of the Art Institute of Chicago condemns and repudiates Kanye West's (now known as Ye) anti-Black, antisemitic, racist, and dangerous statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities," she wrote in the statement.

The announcement comes after a SAIC group called Against Hate shared a petition on December 1st pleading with the school to rescind the degree. The Change.org initiative attracted 4,148 signatures, with an original goal of 500. 

West's downfall began when he had models wearing "White Lives Matter" t-shirts during Paris Fashion Week. He was condemned for the slogan, which has commonly been used amongst white supremacists as pushback against the Black Lives Matter movement. What followed was a string of hateful comments towards Jewish people and, most recently, his expressed love for dictator Adolph Hitler during his appearance on "InfoWars" with Alex Jones and Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes. 

SAIC believes that despite Ye's past good deeds, his current antics do not align with the school and student values. 

West has not publicly responded to the school's decision, but given his suspensions from both Twitter and Instagram, we likely won't hear much about this latest mishap.

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Beloved workwear brand Dickies is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a glamorous makeover from the luxury fashion house Gucci. 

Just in time for the holidays, the partnership is the bejeweled surprise we didn't realize we needed. The Gucci x Dickies dropped with very little announcement but quickly found itself on everyone's radar. Imagine the standard Dickies workwear reimagined with hand-placed stones and studs covering every inch of the cotton twill jackets, pants, and shirts. 





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With constructing the line, Gucci was careful not to take away from the classic silhouette that has kept Dickies in business for generations. The Dickies logo remains on each piece in its traditional yellow, red and blue. Gucci also took meticulous steps to mimic the Fall/Winter 2022 line, despite Gucci x Dickies being a stand-alone capsule. 

In fact, these customs are exclusively available in the Gucci Vault, a concept store presented by the brand that shines a spotlight on vintage pieces and independent creators such as Luar and jewelry designer Mondo Mondo. 

While there are many Dickies fans fawning over this sparkling line, nothing in the collection is for those ballin' on a budget. The Work Shirt is the least expensive item of clothing, standing at $985, with the Eisenhower Jacket listed as the priciest piece at $7,410.00. Every look is available now for a limited time on Vault.gucci.com

 

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In Virginia, authorities say that "human error" led to the hiring of former state trooper Austin Edwards, 28, who has been accused of killing a California family after he "catfished" a teenage relative.

"Human error resulted in an incomplete database query," Virginia State Police said in a statement. However, the police did not elaborate on the error.

"Although we believe this to be an isolated incident, steps are currently underway to ensure the error is not repeated going forward," the statement said.  "The department is also proactively auditing existing personnel records and practices."

Officials say that Edwards didn't divulge anything that would have prevented him from getting the job.

According to a police complaint, Edwards threatened to harm himself and his father in 2016 and was held for a mental health assessment, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.

When Edwards was employed, Virginia State Police stated that a background check revealed no "indicators of concern." He resigned on October 28, a few months after receiving his state police academy diploma in January.

A statement released Wednesday reported that Edwards' behavior had not triggered administrative or internal investigations, as required for all sworn personnel.

Due to a state law prohibiting it, the police department has chosen not to disclose the reason for his resignation.

Edwards was hired by the Washington County Sheriff's Office after resigning from Virginia State Police, where no reprimands or internal investigations were reported.

On November 25, Edwards is believed to have set fire to the Family's Riverside home, killing the mother, Brooke Winek, 38, and grandparents, Mark Winek, 69, and Sharie Winek, 65.

According to police, Edwards drove off with the 15-year-old after previously "catfishing" her or posing as someone else - a 17-year-old - to interact with her online.

However, Riverside police spokesman Ryan Railsback said Wednesday that authorities now believe Edwards died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Previously, the police department claimed Edwards died in a shootout with officers in San Bernardino County.

The manner and cause of death of the Wineks remain unknown. Railsback said that autopsies are complete, but an investigation is ongoing.

After the killings, the teenager was placed with child protective services and received trauma counseling.

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The state of Indiana is suing TikTok in a string of lawsuits over child safety and data security concerns.

According to the New York Times, Indiana is accusing the app of not protecting underaged users from mature content. The state also claims the social media app is deceiving the public about its data protection.

On Wednesday, attorney general Todd Rokita mentioned the growing concerns about TikTok's potential threat to the nation's security.

"The TikTok app is a malicious and menacing threat unleashed on unsuspecting Indiana consumers by a Chinese company that knows full well the harms it inflicts on users," Rokita says. "With this pair of lawsuits, we hope to force TikTok to stop its false, deceptive and misleading practices which violate Indiana law."

The first lawsuit states the influence TikTok has on underage users. The suit claims the app has violated Indiana's consumer protection laws by misrepresenting itself as an appropriate outlet for individuals 12 and older.

In the second lawsuit, Indiana claims TikTok is misleading consumers to believe that their information is protected from the Chinese government. However, the app has repeatedly denied sharing users' data and information with Chinese officials.

"In multiple ways, TikTok represents a clear and present danger to Hoosiers that is hiding in plain sight in their own pockets," Rokita said. "At the very least, the company owes consumers the truth about the age-appropriateness of its content. And the insecurity of the data it collects on users. We hope these lawsuits force TikTok to come clean and change its ways."

Indiana's lawsuit comes after several states called for TikTok to be banned from government devices.

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According to ABC News, over 9 million people received an email notifying them that their student debt relief application was "approved."

However, the approval email was misleading since Republican-led lawsuits in mid-November halted the student loans under the Biden administration.

The email body indicated that "lawsuits are preventing the Department of Education from implementing its one-time student loan debt relief program."

A final ruling on the program will not be made until late June when the Supreme Court decides.  But many borrowers were confused by the subject line.

After acknowledging the confusion, the Department of Education told ABC News that borrowers would receive an email soon clarifying the situation and correcting the subject line.

"Communicating clearly and accurately with borrowers is a top priority of the Department.  We are in close touch with Accenture Federal Services as they take corrective action to ensure all borrowers and those affected have accurate information about debt relief," a spokesperson for the Education Department said.

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Donald Trump could be granted immunity in three lawsuits stemming from the deadly January 6th, 2021, Capitol riot.

Three federal appellate judges in Washington, D.C., spent nearly two hours on Wednesday deciding whether or not Trump should be exonerated of culpability for the uprising that resulted in at least five fatalities. His attorney, Jesse Binnall, argued that presidential immunity should protect him from lawsuits, despite him telling angry rioters to "burn Congress down" after he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden.

Throughout the continued legal proceedings surrounding the Capitol attack, Trump has continued asserting his immunity on the basis that he was in office during the time, which would have granted him protections. However, given the magnitude and Trump directly playing a role by motivating his supporters to lash out against members of Congress, his previous requests were rejected. Joseph Sellers, the counsel for the plaintiffs, argued that Trump was not entitled to immunity due to his disruption of the peaceful transfer of power.

According to three lawsuits, the former reality star violated the Ku Klux Klan Act, which was put in place in 1871 to shield federal employees against plots to prevent them from carrying out their duties. This week, judges had a change of heart after Binnall argued that Trump's comments to his supporters were not the cause of the insurrection. He believes that failing to grant total immunity will allow future presidents to be targeted for free speech.

In addition to being accused of egging on his loyal supporters, Trump faces a criminal investigation for failing to turn over valuable White House documents related to the event. Still, his role in the Capitol seizure did not deter him from running for president once more.

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The cherished creamy goodness that is Philadelphia Cream Cheese will be getting a plant-based makeover.

Philadelphia has launched a soft rollout of its non-dairy cream cheese. The signature spread promises the same notable taste and texture produced with coconut oil and faba bean protein.

It has taken two years for the Kraft Heinz Company to develop its highly anticipated Philadelphia Plant-Based. Still, the cream cheese is in its trial phase. Customers in Miami, Houston, and Atlanta have the opportunity to try it out before the nationwide debut in the summer of 2023.

Robert Scott, President of Research & Development at The Kraft Heinz Company, explained the purpose behind the plant-based spread is to ensure that consumers of all diets and lactose tolerance levels are able to enjoy the delicious cream cheese with no upset stomach involved.

"As the brand that has set the cream cheese standard for 150 years, we realized the current options weren't meeting consumer expectations, and there was no trusted leader," Scott stated.

Philadelphia occupies a 69% share of the cream cheese market, with multiple flavors such as strawberry, pumpkin spice, peach, olive, and more.

Cream cheese is just the latest product within the Kraft Heinz Company universe to be revamped to appease the plant-based community. Made for Veggiez sauces, Vegan Mayo, and other condiments offer healthier food enhancements that do not sacrifice the taste of our favorite foods.

The non-dairy Philadelphia Cream Cheese is about $6.49 per container, a bit pricier than the traditional cream cheese, which is approximately $4.57.

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Things at ABC are heating up as the company investigates 'GMA 3' co-anchors Amy Robach and T. J. Holmes' relationship.

According to TMZ, ABC has launched an investigation, looking into seeing if the anchors have violated company policies during their secret romance.

A source close to the situation says that ABC's human resources and legal department are working together to gain more information about the relationship.

The departments are trying to figure out if Holmes and Robach breached their contracts by using company vehicles or drivers to disguise their romantic meet-ups. They're also searching if the anchors coerced staffers to keep their relationship under wraps.

The source also added that the investigation started last Friday after news broke of Holmes having another alleged affair with a former GMA producer years prior.

Robach and Holmes were removed from their anchor chairs on Monday after ABC News President Kim Goodwin called the situation an "internal and external distraction."

However, many people at ABC were upset with Goodwin after she made a comment saying Holmes and Robach's relationship didn't violate company policies because the network had not completed a thorough investigation.

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A mural of Deion Sanders at Jackson State University was defaced. However, it was not by the student in the viral video.

A video recently hit the internet of a student at JSU wiping away a mural of Sanders. Many people speculated that the student was defacing the mural, but that was not the case.

According to TMZ, a rep for JSU says the student seen wiping the mural was attempting to clean it up, for which he previously got permission from the school's administrators.

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The mural went up in October for football season and Homecoming and shows Sanders in a hoodie and hat. It remains unknown who the culprit behind the defacement is and when it exactly happened.

The news comes just shortly after Sanders announced he was leaving JSU to become the head coach at Colorado. Sanders spent three seasons coaching the JSU football team going 27-5.

Sanders received plenty of backlash for his decision. On Tuesday, ESPN personality Bomani Jones took shots at Sanders for his new job, saying that he "sold a dream."

"He sold a dream and then walked out on the dream. People have the right to be critical of that," Jones said. "He explicitly said that God sent him to coach at an HBCU, so then when you leave, yeah, people are going to ask questions."

Since then, a few JSU recruits have denounced their commitment to the university. As we've previously reported, wide receiver Robert Lockhart, offensive tackle Jordan Hall, and defensive back Twan Wilson have announced they're 100% open to recruitment.

Deion Sander's Mural At Jackson State Gets Defaced pic.twitter.com/86TKvfTThW

— BigVito (@vitobigvito) December 6, 2022

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As the parents of slain Youtuber Gabby Petito continue their pursuit of justice, they have added Brian Laundrie's family lawyer to their civil lawsuit.

On Tuesday, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt added attorney Steven Bertolino as a defendant to their lawsuit. They claim that Bertolino served as more than just a counsel to the family. He actually held the secrets regarding where Petito was during her family's desperate efforts to bring her home.

The 22-year-old vanished during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, last summer. Sadly, her body was found in September 2021 in Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Laundrie died in October 2021 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park in Florida. He left a note near his body admitting to strangling Petitio.

During the high-profile case, Laundrie's family and Bertolino maintained that they did not know the young woman's whereabouts after Laundrie returned home from their road trip alone. When he disappeared in September 2021, they also denied knowing where he'd gone. However, Petito's family is confident they were aware of what had transpired and even helped Laundrie attempt to flee the country.

During a September 14th, 2021 statement, Bertolino said he and the Laundrie family hoped that Petito would be reunited with her family. However, the slain woman's family says it was "beyond outrageous" for him to give such a speech when he allegedly already knew the fate of Petito.

The Laundries previously agreed to a $3 million settlement in November to settle the wrongful death suit against Brian's estate. The civil case remains ongoing.

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