Kanye West blew off a key hearing in one of his Donda Academy lawsuits Wednesday, leading to the first defaults against the rapper’s companies in the wave of litigation over his failed private Christian school . Superior Court Judge Christopher K. Lui entered the defaults for Yeezy Christian Academy, Donda Services LLC, and Stokes Canyon LLC at a hearing in Downtown Los Angeles tied to the headline-grabbing breach of contract lawsuit filed last year by former school staffer Isaiah Meadows. In his complaint, Meadows said he was hired to help run Yeezy Christian Academy in 2020 and continued with the school when it transitioned to Donda Academy in August 2021. Meadows said his compensation was slashed, his promised rent stipend was revoked, and he was eventually terminated in August 2022 after he complained about deplorable conditions such as an overflowing septic tank, exposed electrical wiring, and a skylight and windows left with no glass because West purportedly “did not like glass.” Meadows filed his lawsuit shortly after two teachers stepped forward with claims they were fired when they complained about allegedly poor security, lax safety, and non-existent educational standards at Donda Academy. They said the only available lunch for students was sushi, every single day, and that West “did not allow chairs,” only foam cushions or stools. A third teacher eventually joined that lawsuit, and three additional lawsuits were filed by even more staffers after the teachers and Meadows. West initially had a lawyer named Brian Brumfield battling four of the lawsuits on his behalf, but Brumfield asked to be relieved as counsel over the summer. In court filings, Brumfield said West “terminated” their relationship on June 21, 2024. “Defendant also will not speak to counsel and defendant refuses to pay counsel as well,” he wrote to the court. On Wednesday, Judge Lui made it clear he was running out of patience. He found the three companies in default and made no mention of postponing the trial in the case currently set for April. West, who now goes by Ye, remains a defendant because as an individual — not a corporation — he has a right to wait until trial and then represent himself. Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time “I think the case needs to move on,” Judge Lui said after noting West and his companies failed to appear through a retained lawyer at a similar hearing last month. “There’s basically no representation for these three entities.” The judge said the answers to the lawsuit previously filed by Brumfield on behalf of the three companies would be stricken. “We’re satisfied with the decision. This particular judge is not one to wait for things to happen. He makes sure things happen, and happen correctly. He wants case to move along without any weird loose ends,” Meadows’ lawyer Ron Zambrano tells Rolling Stone . “We’re looking forward to collecting a judgment.” Zambrano said he will soon submit a proposed judgment for the court to consider. If the remaining case goes to trial in April, West will have to chance to appear alongside another corporate defendant, Donda Academy Inc. A lawyer appeared on behalf of Donda Academy Wednesday because when the school transitioned from Yeezy Christian Academy, it picked up a new insurance policy. West, 47, was slapped with his fifth Donda Academy-related lawsuit last month when a former Yeezy staffer, Murphy Aficionado, sued West with claims the artist fired him after he pushed back on a plan to move the controversial K-12 private Christian school to a “decrepit property” without proper permits. Aficionado also alleges West subjected him to antisemitic tirades and forced him to sit in a hotel suite while West engaged in loud sex in an adjoining room. West also is facing legal action from former Yeezy staffers . The complaints started piling up after West posted antisemitic rants on his social media accounts in October 2022, sparking widespread criticism and the end of his lucrative partnerships with Gap and Adidas .
The Duke of York has said he “ceased all contact” with the businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him. Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said. The businessman – known only as H6 – lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. H6 was described as a “close confidante” of The Duke. Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”. They also said that H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, 64, represented a threat to national security. A statement from Andrew’s office said: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. “The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. “He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.” At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020. A letter referencing the birthday party from the adviser, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021. In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon, dismissed the challenge.
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving timeFormer US president Jimmy Carter dead at 100Two NFC contenders looking to clinch their respective divisions face off on Sunday night, as the Washington Commanders host the Atlanta Falcons . Jayden Daniels ' historic outing vs. the Philadelphia Eagles led Washington to a win last Sunday, while Michael Penix Jr . won his first NFL start vs. the lowly New York Giants . The Falcons outscored the Giants by 27 points, but Penix didn't account for a single touchdown. His defense scored twice off of Drew Lock interceptions, while Bijan Robinson rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Facing this Commanders squad on the road in prime time is going to be a different kind of test for last year's FBS passing yards leader, but it is really our first opportunity to see how different this Falcons offense can be with a new signal-caller. Let's break down this prime-time NFC showdown, but first, here's how to watch the game: All NFL odds are via SportsLine Consensus. Commanders vs. Falcons where to watch Date: Sunday, Dec. 29 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET Location: Northwest Stadium (Landover) Channel: NBC | Stream: fubo Follow: CBS Sports App Odds: Commanders -4 O/U 46.5 Clinching Scenarios Washington clinches playoff berth with: Commanders win or tie Buccaneers loss or tie Atlanta clinches NFC South division title with: Falcons win and Buccaneers loss When the Commanders have the ball While the Eagles didn't have Jalen Hurts for the majority of Week 16, what Daniels accomplished against what was statistically the No. 1 defense in football was incredible. He became just the second quarterback ever to throw for 250 yards, five touchdowns and rush for 75 yards. Again, this is a player who has played in just 15 NFL games . It was the passing game that carried Washington vs. Philly last week. Olamide Zaccheaus caught five passes for a team-high 70 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, while Terry McLaurin caught five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. McLaurin is someone who is capable of taking advantage of an Atlanta secondary that allowed Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison to combine for 265 receiving yards and five touchdowns earlier this month. McLaurin has already tied a franchise record with 12 receiving touchdowns this season, and has already secured his fifth straight 1,000-yard receiving campaign. That also tied a franchise record. When the Falcons have the ball Penix is looking to become the first Falcons quarterback to ever start his career 2-0. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 202 yards and one interception in his first start, but the interception was really a Kyle Pitts catch that the tight end handed over to the wrong team in the red zone. All in all, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris labeled Penix's first start, " almost flawless football ." Penix peppered Drake London with targets. The former No. 8 overall pick caught five of eight balls thrown his direction for 59 yards. However, it was Darnell Mooney who was Atlanta's leading receiver with 82 yards on five catches. In what was a surprise on offense, the dual-threat weapon of Robinson tied a season-low with just 9 yards receiving. He was still the main option on offense, rushing 22 times for 94 yards and two scores, and you can expect Penix to rely on him again come Sunday night. Robinson has recorded 1,616 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns this season. One player Penix and Robinson will have to look out for on Sunday is Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu . He's been one of the most impressive defensive players this season, having recorded 89 combined tackles, eight sacks and an interception. Luvu could potentially become the first player to record 100 tackles and 10 sacks in a single season since the legendary James Harrison did so in 2010. Prediction How the Falcons defense contains Daniels is going to be key for an upset victory. While they held the Las Vegas Raiders and Giants to single digits over the last two games, Atlanta's defense recently gave up 42 points to the Minnesota Vikings and 38 points to the Denver Broncos . I'm excited to see these two rookie quarterbacks face off under the lights, but will be siding with the better team at home. Washington is 9-5-1 ATS this season, while Atlanta is 6-9 ATS. More importantly, the Falcons are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. Projected score: Commanders 28-22
Sydney Thomas' future in jeopardy: AI may put ring girls out of a job
FBI director says he intends to resign at end of Joe Biden’s termJuJu Watkins started counting wins weeks before her Southern California team takes the court for the start of college basketball season. Watkins signed an endorsement deal, announced Tuesday, with Gatorade, the latest global NIL agreement for the point guard that puts her on a world-class athlete roster headlined by Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. USC advanced to the Elite Eight behind Watkins' phenomenal freshman season in 2023-24. She set the NCAA women's basketball record for points by a freshman with 920. Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, the prominent agency fronting for LeBron James, represents Watkins. Days after her endorsement deal with Nike was extended, Watkins served up official word she's joining the Gatorade brand. "Gatorade has been a part of my life for years, especially after being named the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2023, so I'm excited to officially be a member of the family," Watkins said in a statement. "Gatorade partners with the best athletes in the world, so joining this roster is a huge milestone for me as I look towards the future." Bueckers, a redshirt senior, opted to return to UConn for the upcoming season after being eliminated from the NCAA Tournament by Clark and Iowa in the Final Four. She has NIL agreements with Bose, Crocs, Gatorade, Nike, U.S. Army, Dunkin' Donuts, Nerf and StockX. The week of massive deals for Watkins adds to a burgeoning NIL portfolio and underscores her position as the heir to the women's college basketball throne that Clark and Angel Reese (LSU) occupied in recent seasons. Her current paid agreements and endorsements also include Dove, NerdWallet, Wells Fargo, Poppi and Celsius. "Our Gatorade roster is the most elite in sport. We're proud to have signed many of our long-term athlete partners early in their careers," added Jeff Kearney, Gatorade's global head of sports marketing. "Having a dynamic young talent like JuJu join the family is an exciting opportunity to build on the incredible impact she's already made and leverage our combined platforms to continue moving the game forward." Watkins was the second-leading scorer in the NCAA last season, trailing only Clark. For the sake of production comparison, Watkins is on pace to score 3,680 points if she plays four seasons. Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball with 3,951 season for the Hawkeyes. Clark took the mark from Kelsey Plum, who had 3,527 points at Washington. --Field Level Media
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BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday. The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14. The England forward is the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game. However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0. Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline. “We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.” Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd. Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another. It’s Bayern’s seventh consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League. “You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.” Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerPrince Andrew breaks silence after royal linked to Chinese 'spy' banned from entering UK