5 dead, including 2 children, in S.C. mass shooting

Five people, including two children and a prominent doctor, were killed in a shooting in South Carolina, authorities said. A sixth person was wounded.

Suspect caught after hours-long search »

  • Celebrity
    SheKnows

    Eva Mendes Graced Us With a Glowing Nude Selfie That Got Us Thinking

    Eva Mendes is going deep in her latest Instagram post. On the surface, it looks like another celebrity trying to thirst-trap us into looking at their nude selfie. In reality, the actress is calling attention to an important post about consent and allowing her children to own the word “no” when it comes to their […]

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  • Lifestyle
    NextShark

    Woman Discovers Her Son's Bride is Her Long Lost Daughter

    A woman in eastern China had the shock of her life when she found out that her son was marrying her long-lost daughter. The reunion occurred right at the would-be spouses' wedding in Suzhou, Jiangsu province on March 31, according to Sohu News. The shocking discovery was made after the woman noticed a birthmark on the bride's hand, which looked strikingly similar to that of her long-lost child.

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  • Entertainment
    In The Know

    Former stripper reveals she was the inspiration behind a popular 2000s song: 'I refuse to believe this'

    Prepare for your daily dose of nostalgia.

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  • Politics
    The Week

    Alabama secretary of state admits affair, denies calling Black people 'the coloreds,' drops Senate bid

    Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) said Wednesday morning that he did not have an extramarital affair, claiming that the woman who alleged otherwise, Cesaire McPherson, was "stalking" and "harassing" him. When AL.com played Merrill a recording of him and McPherson discussing various sexual acts they performed over dozens of encounters, Merrill acknowledged the affair and said he will not make an expected run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). "It's clear that I had an inappropriate relationship with her, and it is not something that I am proud of or something that is something that — I'm very disappointed in myself," Merrill told AL.com. "I will obviously not be a candidate for the United States Senate nor will I be seeking any other elected position in 2022." Merrill, in office since 2014, was term-limited out of seeking a third term. Conservative Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and Lynda Blanchard, President Trump's ambassador to Slovenia, are both expected to run for Shelby's seat. McPherson, 44, had provided explicit text messages with Merrill to the conservative website National File on Tuesday, then gave a 17-minute audio recording to AL.com, which posted an excerpt. "I don't want to say anything other than here's the proof that John Merrill is a liar," she told AL.com. "Here's the true John Merrill." In a long interview with National File, McPherson said Merrill used his state car and state cellphone to carry on their affair, and also that he's a "real bad racist" who would refer to Black people as "the coloreds." The Alabama Democratic Party highlighted those allegations. "With the exception of the use of state resources to facilitate his affair, Merrill's personal life and conduct are just that — personal," said Wade Perry, state party executive director. "The Democratic Party is much more concerned about the allegation that he regularly referred to African American judges and citizens in Alabama as 'The Coloreds.' If true, he must apologize AND resign immediately." Merrill said it's not true, telling AL.com Wednesday night he "never referred to African Americans and Black folks as coloreds," adding: "I don't do that. I've never done that." Regarding the use of state resources, he said he doesn't "have any other things to say about this particular incident, now or in the future." More stories from theweek.comThe Matt Gaetz allegations show how QAnon corrupts its followers5 scathingly funny cartoons about MLB vs. the GOPGeorgia's GOP lieutenant governor says Rudy Giuliani's false voter fraud claims triggered voting restrictions

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  • Business
    BGR

    Apple employees knew that if Steve Jobs turned off his iPhone, it meant one thing

    Most of us, when we think of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, probably fixate on the stereotype of him as a detail-obsessed quasi-workaholic, whose near-mania when it came to the seemingly tiniest details brought about world-changing products like the iPhone and helped Apple became the most valuable company in the world. But Jobs' former executive assistant Naz Beheshti paints a different picture of her old boss in her new book Pause. Breathe. Choose: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being. Focused largely on her wellness coaching practice, she also sprinkles the book with nuggets about the mercurial Apple chief executive who prodded Apple to generate a string of hit products like the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad, who was known for melting down when employees didn't live up to his standards -- and who seems to also have put a premium on quiet time, where he could take a mental break, uninterrupted by the demands of being a CEO. Such that, on the rare occasions when he turned off his iPhone, Apple employees seem to have had a good idea of where that meant Jobs was hiding away: In the office of Jony Ive, Apple's former head of design, where he'd be dreaming about the future and playing with mockups and prototypes that Jobs often referred to as his "toys." “I quickly discovered what playtime looked like for Steve Jobs, and how it was one of the keys to his success as a great innovator," Beheshti writes. "Whenever someone was looking for Steve, or whenever he could not be reached on the phone, there was only one place he would almost unerringly be found: In the office of Jony Ive, Apple’s former chief of design officer.” Along these same lines, Beheshti told CNBC that the mythos of Jobs as a tyrannical taskmaster obsessed with work has been overblown, to a degree. He meditated daily, she points out, "maintained strong relationships," and engaged in regular physical activity -- the latter presumably a reference to the walks he often took that frequently included engaging in long conversations with people. But it's his penchant for carving out time to essentially hang out with Ive and his team that's particularly interesting, and even germane to the constant connectivity that many of us feel in the coronavirus era, with the traditional lines between work and home life more blurry than ever. Even one of the most successful, wealthiest business figures of all time, it seems, recognized the need to make clean breaks from work, to recharge and re-calibrate. “We would lose our minds trying to get in touch with him, trying to get him to his meetings," Beheshti writes in her book. "At some point, we would have to call Jony’s office and enlist his help in dragging Steve away from his playtime … His time with Jony gave him the space and occasion to laugh, imagine, create, and feel a renewed sense of freedom.”

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  • Politics
    Reuters

    Trump adviser Giuliani asks judge to throw out $1.3 billion lawsuit over his 'big lie' election claims

    Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani asked a judge on Wednesday to throw out a voting machine company's $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit relating to his false claims about the November 2020 presidential election being rigged. Giuliani's lawyer said in a court filing that Dominion Voting Systems' lawsuit should be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction, and because the company has not adequately justified its request for money damages. The filing said Giuliani denies defaming Dominion, adding that the former New York City mayor would present a more forceful defense on the merits if his jurisdictional arguments are rejected by the federal judge in the District of Columbia who is assigned to the case.

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  • Celebrity
    Oxygen

    ‘A Split Second Of Madness’: NY Teen Dies By Suicide After Cyberbully Used Pics To Blackmail Him For $3.5K, Family Says

    An upstate New York teen died by suicide last week after he was allegedly blackmailed with “personal” images on social media, according to his family. Riley Basford, 15, took his own life on March 30 in Postdam, New York after being “bombarded” with online threats, the Watertown Daily Times reported. Shortly before the teen's death, an unidentified social media user threatened to leak sensitive snapshots of Basford if he didn’t pay $3,500. The suspected scammer, who allegedly posed as Basford’s girlfriend online, later warned the teenager's “personal” pictures would be published on social media and shared with family and friends if he didn't complete the transaction. “I start crying when I think of the four minutes of sheer panic and pain my baby felt to make that decision and that someone out in the world doesn’t even care that they did that to him,” Riley’s mother, Mary Rodee, told the Watertown Daily Times. “It’s so sick and I want everyone to know.” Riley Basford Photo: GoFundMe Basford hadn’t appeared distressed on the morning of his death, according to his family. He went to the dentist, had braces put on, fed his family’s cows, and spent time with relatives. The threatening messages began around noon on March 30, his family said. Hours later, Basford died. “This came down to really a split second of madness in a young brain that couldn’t process the finality of the decision that he was making,” hos mother told WWNY-TV. “I want to figure out how this devil was able to prey on my child in such a short time.” Basford’s parents said their son went into an abrupt tailspin after seeing the sinister messages. “He couldn’t reason out what was happening to him and it was happening so fast,” Rodee told the Watertown Daily Times. “They put him into such a panic that he went out of his mind.” “They continued to bombard him and bombard him, and finally they broke him,” Riley’s father, Darren Basford, added. “He thought this was the only way out because he didn’t want to be embarrassed.” The family cautioned other parents to closely monitor their children’s social media accounts. “I want to get the message out to parents that there is no safe social media,” Darren Basford said. “You need to talk to your kids about all social media, know who they’re talking to and have the kids know who they’re talking to.” New York State Police confirmed they're investigating a number of other incidents in which teen victims were targeted online in similar catfishing schemes. "The suspect(s) locate teen victims on social media, friending or following the teens, then gaining their trust," Major Reuben A. Oliver said in a statement. "When trust is established, investigators say the suspects ask for photos and/or videos of the teen, usually provocative in nature. Once the videos are secured by these predators, they demand payment, sometimes thousands of dollars, or they threaten to release the images on social media." It's unclear if any of these other cases are connected to Basford's death. "At this point, we can't confirm they are linked," New York State Trooper Jennifer V. Fleishman told Oxygen.com. "It is very early in the investigation. These types of investigations take time. This type of cyber deception has been going on for years. They come to the forefront when someone dies as a result. One suicide is too many." The cause and manner of Basford’s death hasn’t been released by officials. It’s unclear if a preliminary autopsy report has been completed. Authorities declined to disclose additional information on Basford’s death on Wednesday, citing the ongoing investigation. Basford was an aspiring environmental conservationist who adored snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, camping, and playing football, his family said. The young outdoorsman, whose hobbies also included collecting and boiling sap, had an “infectious smile,” according to a GoFundMe page organized by loved ones. On Monday, Basford’s family held a balloon release memorial in his memory. “The governor will hear my son’s name out of my mouth,” Rodee said. “The president will hear my son’s name out of my mouth. I will not go to my grave without honoring Riley every day of my life because he did not want to die.” “My son lived a wonderful life in this town,” Rodee also told WWNY-TV. “Full of so much love and support.” The online fundraiser has helped raise nearly $40,000 for Basford’s family in the wake of his sudden death. The family plans to set up a scholarship fund in his memory, WWNY-TV reported. Oxygen.com was unable to immediately reach Basford’s family on Wednesday. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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