YK Osiris Paying for 'Orlando Free-Fall' Victim's Funeral ... 'I Know I Had To Help'
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YK Osiris is in talks with the family of the 14-year-old who fell to his death from an amusement park ride, saying he wants to do his part by covering funeral expenses.
We talked to YK Tuesday at LAX, where he told us he's already talking through the process with Tyre Sampson's family. The rapper says he'd also like to be in attendance for the funeral, if they'll have him.
YK says he decided to get involved when ICON Park in Orlando, FL wasn't acting fast enough, in his opinion, so he wanted to make something happen for the family.
As we reported, 14-year-old Tyre was visiting ICON Park a few weeks ago when he fell to his death from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride. The attraction, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.
"I'd like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the young man who lost his life late last night after falling from the Orlando Free Fall attraction. We can't imagine the pain and anguish that his family must be going through."- OCSO Sheriff John Mina pic.twitter.com/a6tRdVn9PC
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) March 25, 2022 @OrangeCoSheriff
Florida officials say Sampson was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped." His family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.
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Emily Bridges Trans Cyclist Deactivates Social Media ... After 'Targeted Abuse'
A British transgender cyclist says she had to deactivate her social media to stop the "targeted abuse" following her disqualification from a women's championship race.
As we previously reported, Emily Bridges was banned two days before the April 2 women's championship race in the UK by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ... because she's registered as a male cyclist.
Ever since, the 21-year-old says her "privacy has been totally violated" to the point where she had to shut down her social media to avoid mistreatment.
"I've had to deactivate my social media to prevent the targeted abuse I am receiving," Bridges said in a statement, "and block websites to stop seeing them."
Bridges calls out the British media for harassing her as well -- saying reporters have been at her home pressuring her for a story.
"I've had journalists at my front door every day harassing us for comment and story, my privacy has been totally violated over speculation around my eligibility and fairness to compete."
"They attack anything that isn't the norm and print whatever is most likely to result in the highest engagement for their articles."
But Bridges -- who was in contact with the UCI about her status six months before the disqualification -- says she will continue to dispute her ineligibility with the org.
"I am an athlete," Bridges said, "and I just want to race competitively again, within the Regulations set by British Cycling and UCI after careful consideration of the research around transgender athletes."
Bridges previously raced in the male competition -- setting a national junior's record over 25 miles in 2018 before starting hormone therapy last year.
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Prince Rare News Footage When He Was 11!!! Found in Station's Archive
Here's Prince at age 11 doing his very first interview, but not about music -- just a kid sharing his opinion on a Minnesota teachers' strike ... an incredible piece of lost TV footage!
The clip is from way back in April 1970, and it shows a reporter from local TV outlet WCCO asking young Prince what he thinks of the picket lines outside schools. The kid was rocking a winter hat and that same sly smile the world would come to know 13 years later.
11-year-old Prince told the reporter, "I think they should get a better education too cause, um, and I think they should get some more money cause they work, they be working extra hours for us and all that stuff."
At first glance, the kid looks a lot like Prince, but the reporter never asked the kid's name ... so there was no proof on camera that it really was Prince Rogers Nelson.
WCCO did some digging, tracking down other kids from the archival footage who did share their names, but ran into some dead ends. That's when they turned to Prince historian Kristen Zschomler, who gasped when she first saw the clip.
Zschomler says it's definitely Prince in the video, standing outside his old Lincoln Junior High School stomping grounds ... and she says footage of Prince as a child is super rare.
The TV station got further confirmation it was Prince, getting in touch with an old classmate who recognized Prince and some of their other peers on tape.
The only reason this Prince clip was uncovered ... WCCO restored some old footage to offer context on a teachers' strike last month in the same school district.
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Alien Life Is There Anybody Out There?!? Scientists Sending New Message to Space
If alien life is out there in this great, big universe, we're doing our best to reach it with a new message -- and this time, it's got some algebra attached. Just in case they're big on math.
NASA is partnering with some of the country's top scientific minds in hopes of broadcasting a new radio message via a high-tech telescope -- very similar to what we did in 1974 from a telescope in Puerto Rico (then called the "Arecibo").
Not to get all math-y on ya, but that message to the stars only included binary code, plus some images of our Solar System and DNA sequences. This time, we're calling it the Beacon in the Galaxy message -- and we're kicking things up a notch by transmitting math equations.
There will be other graphical information communicating some basic principles and features of our world ... including cosmic landmarks that could help aliens find Earth in the Milky Way.
Sounds neat, of course, especially if some E.T.s actually pick up our signal and respond -- but this sort of reaching out actually spurred a warning from the late, great Stephen Hawking ... who once said we should refrain from chatting, and to do more listening instead.
The reason -- he said not all potential alien life might come in peace, and if they're able to receive what we send, they can presumably come down here and do major damage with way more advanced tech than we have.
Welp ... we're rolling the dice. Aliens, here we come!!!
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Ketanji Brown Jackson She's a Lock for SCOTUS ... First Republican Jumps on Board
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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson should start cleaning out her drawers at the Court of Appeals, because she's headed to higher ground -- the U.S. Supreme Court.
Republican Senator Susan Collins just revealed she'll support the nom, which all but assures her confirmation. With a 50-50 split, Collins will provide the cushion so the Veep doesn't have to cast a tiebreaker. What's more, Collins could open the door for more Republican support, although don't count on it.
Collins said, "After reviewing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's extensive record, watching much of her hearing testimony, and meeting with her twice in person, I have concluded that she possesses the experience, qualifications, and integrity to serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. I will, therefore, vote to confirm her to this position."
Collins met with Brown Tuesday for a second time, and said after the meeting that the Judge had provided clarification on certain issues ... unclear what those issues were.
Brown would become the first female Black justice in the Court's history.
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Amusement Park Death 14-Yr-Old's Harness Was Locked ... Despite Fatal Fall
The teenager who fell to his death in an Orlando amusement park was wearing a safety harness that was still locked after the tragedy ... according to Florida officials.
The new detail comes from an accident report that claims 14-year-old Tyre Sampson came out of his seat when "magnets engaged" during the free-fall ride's rapid descent. Here's the puzzling part ... Florida officials say Tyre was wearing his safety harness and it "was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."
The report, first obtained by People, says Tyre died from "multiple injuries and trauma."
As we previously reported, the terrifying incident happened last week when the Missouri teen fell from the "Orlando Free-Fall" ride, which stands 430 ft. tall.
The ride, which just opened in December, reportedly plummets at 75 mph.
Tyre's family has reportedly raised concerns he was too big for the ride ... or so they believe after checking the ride's safety manual.
Officials are still investigating the tragedy.
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Mariupol, Ukraine Reduced to Rubble ... Zelensky Accuses Russia of Genocide
It's a heartbreaking photo ... Mariupol, Ukraine reduced to rubble as Putin continues his reign of brutality on the country.
The photo was taken after enormously heavy shelling in the Ukrainian city. President Zelensky said more than 100,000 people are still living in what remains of Mariupol ... this despite a Herculean effort to evacuate civilians.
It's hard to process ... once a beautiful city flatted by Russian aggression.
I’ve been trying to avoid posting images of the destruction in Ukraine but this obliteration of Mariupol by the Russian troops needs to be out there. 90% of the city is gone. Duda said it looks like Warsaw in 1944 and it does. pic.twitter.com/G1tRZzhMF0
— Bakhti Nishanov (@b_nishanov) March 23, 2022 @b_nishanov
Zelensky has said this of the unrelenting attack ... it's "ultimate evidence that genocide of Ukrainians is happening."
As you know, Putin is sparing no one ... even bombing a theater with the warning emblazoned on the ground -- "Children." It didn't stop Putin from bombing the building, killing hundreds.
On the other hand, Russian troops have largely been checked by Ukrainian forces in much of the country, and Zelensky has said they've killed 15,000 Russian soldiers. There are multiple reports the Russian army is demoralized.
The war is entering an even more dangerous phase, as U.S. intelligence officials worry the Russian dictator may resort to chemical weapons.
As for Mariupol, those who remain face a desperate situation ... with little water, and no electricity and gas. It's so bad bodies are left in the street because of the danger of claiming them.
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Amusement Park Tragedy 14-Year-Old Boy Dead ... Falls Off 'Orlando Free-Fall' Ride
11:16 AM PT -- The victim has been identified as Tyre Sampson, who was visiting the park from Missouri.
"I'd like to extend my deepest condolences to the family of the young man who lost his life late last night after falling from the Orlando Free Fall attraction. We can't imagine the pain and anguish that his family must be going through."- OCSO Sheriff John Mina pic.twitter.com/a6tRdVn9PC
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) March 25, 2022 @OrangeCoSheriff
There was a horrendous accident at a Florida amusement park that left a child dead, and sadly it's yet another case of the fact ... these rides are not risk-free.
A 14-year-old boy was riding the "Orlando Free-Fall" at ICON Park Thursday when he fell to the ground and died.
The apex of the ride stands at 430 feet ... the park boasts the world's tallest freestanding drop tower.
An eyewitness told Fox News 35 ... "At first we thought it was a piece of the ride or whatever until we got a little closer and it was a person laying on the ground. Everyone was just panicking and screaming."
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
The ride is a new edition ... it opened in December. The way it works ... once the chairs reach the top, they hurl toward earth at 75 mph.
Police are investigating.
Originally Published -- 6:22 AM PT
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Russia Gunning To Host UEFA Tourney In '28 ... Despite Ukraine War
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Russia, in the midst of a horrific war where they've killed innocent civilians, wants to host a major soccer tournament, the European Football Championship, in 2028 or 2032.
Yes, Vladimir Putin isn't going to let the invasion of a sovereign nation and the killing of thousands of people stop them from applying to hold the Euros.
According to the Associated Press, the Russian Football Union announced their intent to play host, with RFU president Alexander Dyukov telling Russian TV ... "We must take the opportunity to host the Euro. It will be at the World Cup stadiums, and we have developed infrastructure."
FYI, Russia hosted the 2018 World Cup.
Even back then many fans weren't happy the country got the most prestigious sporting event in the world. But now, Russia has become pariahs of the world.
In fact, Russia has been shunned by the global soccer community. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) decided to ban the country from competing in any international soccer tourneys.
At the time, the organizations released the following statement, saying, "Football is fully united here and in full solidarity with all the people affected in Ukraine. Both [FIFA & UEFA] presidents hope that the situation in Ukraine will improve significantly and rapidly so that football can again be a vector for unity and peace amongst people.”
UEFA also relocated the Champions League finals, originally supposed to be played in Russia in February, to Paris.
Russia will be bidding against Turkey and the British Isles ... who also want to host the 2028 European Championship. As for the 2032 bid, Italy is also vying to host the tourney.
A decision will not be made until September 2023 ... but it's almost impossible to imagine Russia being granted the bid.
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Paralyzed Man Orders Beer Using Brain Implant ... First Words in Months!!!
"I want a beer" ... a simple and direct request, but a damn amazing one because it was uttered by a paralyzed man who's communicating for the first time in months, thanks to a life-changing brain implant.
In a testament to the power of science, and beer -- researchers in Switzerland outfitted a 36-year-old ALS patient with a chip in his brain, which allows him to spell out sentences one letter at a time, and he used it to order up a cold one.
On top of a brew, the guy also asked caregivers for a head massage from his mother, curry and soup fed through tubes, and wanted to rock out to the band Tool. In his words, he wanted it "loud."
The good folks doing the amazing research over at the Wyss Center in Geneva say it's the first instance of someone with no voluntary muscle movement being able to communicate.
The ALS patient, who consented to the brain implant back in 2018 when he could still use eye movement to communicate, is now completely paralyzed. The chip allows him to signal "yes" or "no" to a series of letters and spell out commands at a rate of one character per minute.
That means it took him more than 10 minutes to order a beer, but we're thinking he'd say it was well worth the wait.
Cheers to science!!!
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'Odd Radio Circles' Spotted In Outer Space ... Baffling Scientists
The mysteries of space are offering up a new phenomenon to the list ... astronomers have documented something called 'odd radio circles' ... and there's lots of head-scratching going on.
These ORCs were first discovered by astronomers in 2020, using the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope ... operated by Australia's national science agency, CSIRO.
Amazing animation of Odd Radio Circles (ORCs) via SARAO pic.twitter.com/8FMmMk4loG
— Kelly Kizer Whitt (@Astronomommy) March 22, 2022 @Astronomommy
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Org believes something like this takes a billion years to end up at its max size, and stretches about 16 times bigger than the Milky Way. It's already expanded past multiple galaxies.
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT telescope was able to get an even better shot.
Researchers have a few theories ... it's either the aftermath of an explosion at the center of the galaxy, jets that push out energetic particles, or the result of a starburst shock wave, caused by the creation of new stars.
Ray Norris, a professor at the Western Sydney University and CSIRO, says "We know ORCs are rings of faint radio emissions surrounding a galaxy with a highly active black hole at its center, but we don't yet know what causes them, or why they are so rare."
So far, only 5 odd radio circles have been spotted, all by telescopes that observe through radio wavelengths. Visible light, infrared and X-ray telescopes have yet to document the ORCs.
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Justice Stephen Breyer Clarence Thomas is Fine ... And I Got No Dog in Confirmation Fight
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Justice Stephen Breyer is reassuring folks, his colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas, is not in any danger after being hospitalized for an infection.
We got the retiring Justice Wednesday outside Cafe Milano ... a favorite watering hole for Washington bigwigs.
Justice Thomas was hospitalized last Friday after he experienced flu-like symptoms. Turns out it was an infection, which was being treated with IV antibiotics.
The SCOTUS Public Information Office said a few days ago, Thomas was expected to be released Tuesday, but on Wednesday the PIO was mum, not saying if Thomas is back home or still laid up in the hospital.
Justice Breyer said simply, Thomas is fine.
We also asked about the confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, which has become acrimonious at times, with Republicans going on the attack.
We wanted to know if he was sad the confirmation process had become hyper-political. His response was muted because the 83-year-old was masked up, but it sounds like he said, "Their politics is not my affair. My affair is done."
Translation, we think ... he's not involved or commenting on another prospective justice's confirmation. He's already been through that.
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Vladimir Putin Super Yacht in Italy ... Allegedly Linked to Russian Leader
Vladimir Putin likes to claim relative poverty in public, but behind the scenes he's allegedly rolling in it ... as evidenced by a super yacht some people believe he owns.
The massive vessel -- dubbed the Scheherazade, and valued at around $700 million -- has been docked at an Italian port off the Tuscan coast since September ... and amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, investigative groups have claimed Putin owns it.
The reason they believe that ... documents detailing the crew members allegedly show the majority of the guys aren't just Russian, but work for Russia's Federal Protective Service.
Of course, it might not be Putin's -- it could easily belong to another Russian oligarch -- but if this is Vlad's palace on the sea, it would fly in the face of what he says he's worth.
The Russian Prez has alleged he makes a salary of no more than $140k/year -- and that he lives in an apartment that's about 800 square feet. No one really buys that, and if this yacht is, indeed, his ... that characterization is almost certainly BS. His net worth has been speculated to be in the high billions, despite what he chooses to disclose to the world.
As for the yacht itself ... it's certainly fit for a king, or dictator. It's more than 400 feet in length, and features 6 decks -- not to mention 2 helipads, 3 saunas, a pool and a lot of other perks. It also accommodates 18 guests and 40 crew members.
Independent watchdog groups -- the same ones alleging the yacht is Putin's -- are calling for the Italian government to seize the boat and cut off Putin.
So far, though, it doesn't seem like anyone's doing much except letting it sit there and float.
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Smash-and-Grab Jewelry Store Hit in Brazen Heist
This is a first ... a Bev Hills jewelry store was hit by robbers who smashed the window that displayed super expensive bling right in the middle of the day and made off with everything inside.
It went down at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills just after 1 PM. The store was open when 5 people showed up and took some kind of instrument to the window, shattering it .... the thieves grabbed everything in the showcase and took off.
Breaking: Wesley Aframian, a jeweler next door to Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills, fights off “smash-and-grab” burglars as they make off with jewelry. He says he was able to recover some watches in the process.
— The Beverly Hills Courier (@BHCourier) March 22, 2022 @BHCourier
Courtesy of Ashley Aframian. pic.twitter.com/UYbFxkUv8I
A source at the Beverly Hills PD tells TMZ they have never seen such a brazen robbery like this ... even with all the smash-and-grabs around town.
The robbers never went inside ... they just took what was in the display window and split.
They are still all at large.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham Asks Ketanji Brown Jackson How Religious Are Ya, Scale of 1-10???
Sen. Lindsey Graham seemed to be feeling the Holy Spirit while questioning SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson -- asking her how religious she is -- but it was really just a major case of grandstanding.
The bizarre badgering went down Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill while Graham was grilling the judge, who's being considered for the Supreme Court -- and it was clear his aggressive line of questioning really had nothing to do with Judge KBJ.
Sen. Graham asked Jackson what religion she practices and she answered, protestant ... but was clearly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the senator persisted and asked, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how faithful would you say you are?"
Jackson explained why she was reluctant to respond, and Graham even acknowledged he believed she could be impartial regardless of her religion. That's when he tipped his hand as to what he was really doing.
Watch the clip, you'll see the SC senator was doing all this to invoke Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whose Catholic faith was under the microscope during her SCOTUS confirmation hearing in 2020, and was labeled "a f***ing nut" by some in the media ... which Graham angrily pointed out.
There was another alleged discrepancy Graham wanted to explicitly state ... namely, the idea that nominees of color are treated differently based purely on their political affiliation.
"I can't speak to something that I just learned two seconds ago."
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) March 22, 2022 @Mediaite
That's what Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson told Sen. @LindseyGrahamSC after he asked her for comment on Joe Biden actively filibustering Janice Rogers Brown, something she said she did not know. pic.twitter.com/8KZUJMv7cK
He was referring to another Black female judge who got appointed to the Circuit Court, but was filibustered during her confirmation simply because President Bush had picked her.
In the same breath, he said the same wouldn't happen to Judge Jackson.
Bottom line ... Graham made her squirm simply to put on a show.
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Sen. Ted Cruz Argues with Airport Staff ... Cop Has to Intervene
7:55 AM PT -- Deputy Director of Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Scott Humphrey, tells TMZ ... one of the airport's public safety officers was asked to help out with a "frustrated passenger" who had missed the check-in window for his flight, and rebooking options were limited.
Humphrey says, "Once travel options were explained to the passenger, he was rebooked and departed Bozeman later that evening." He tells us the officer didn't realize he was talking with Senator Cruz until after the fact ... no action was taken against the Senator.
Senator Ted Cruz apparently got a little spicy with some airport employees this weekend -- so much so, in fact, that a police officer had to step in and calm him down.
Check out this video of Cruz arguing with a couple of United Airlines staffers at the check-in counter Sunday at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana ... after he'd missed his flight, according to the original poster of the clip.
The eyewitness claims they overheard Sen. Cruz getting all 'Karen' on the airline employees ... allegedly asking for names and to speak with their manager. Moments later, as you can see in the vid, cops showed up.
The airport cop is seen standing at the ticket counter and talking down Cruz, and while you can't really make out what either of them is saying -- the Senator was masked up -- it seems pretty tense. Push didn't come to shove, though, and all's well that ends well ... with TC reportedly getting rebooked without further incident.
Cruz was supposedly on his way to D.C. for the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson -- who's being grilled as the Senate considers her nomination to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer.
Sen. Ted Cruz to Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson: "No one is going to inquire into your teenage dating habits. No one is going to ask you with mock-severity, 'Do you like beer?'" pic.twitter.com/dcla99wLYp
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 21, 2022 @Breaking911
As you know by now, Cruz definitely made it on time in the end ... he was one of a handful of senators who made quite a spectacle in their opening statements, bringing up the hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, and invoking race right from the jump.
Seems like his mood might've been influenced by his FUBAR trip 24 hours earlier.
Originally Published -- 6:38 AM PT