united-states

U.S. Government Seeks $64 Million From Fugees’ Pras Over Financial Crimes Conviction

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The government seeks the seizure of over $64 million from Pras of the Fuguees after his conviction on financial charges. Federal prosecutors argue the funds stem from illegal lobbying efforts and fraudulent schemes designed to bypass U.S. financial systems. In a motion filed in Washington, D.C., prosecutors requested a forfeiture judgment of $64,923,226.40. They claim the amount represents funds funneled into Pras’ accounts through covert operations. The news follows Pras’s attempt to sue Lauryn Hill for canceling their anticipated reunion tour. Hill canceled the tour over the summer for unforeseen reasons.

The case centers on Pras’ relationship with Jho Low, the fugitive Malaysian financier at the heart of the 1MDB embezzlement scandal. Prosecutors allege that Pras received roughly $104 million from Low to influence U.S. government officials. This effort included lobbying for the dismissal of a Justice Department investigation into Low’s activities and pushing for the extradition of a Chinese dissident at Beijing’s request. Court filings reveal that Pras concealed the origins of the funds using a network of shell companies, fake contracts, and fraudulent financial agreements. Prosecutors allege that Pras worked with co-conspirators. They reportedly orchestrated a scheme to access U.S. banks.

Read more: Hip-Hop’s Biggest Breakout Stars Of 2024

The U.S. Wants To Seize $64 Million From Pras

“Michel and Higginbotham created fake contracts and agreements and repeatedly lied to financial institutions to fraudulently obtain access to $104.24 million from Low,” prosecutors stated in court documents. Pras’s trial, one of the most high-profile celebrity cases involving foreign lobbying, exposed the intricate connections between global financial crime, politics, and pop culture. The Fugees group member has been curious about his future and spoke candidly about it in November.

The $64 million represents funds the government has not yet recovered from the criminal activities linked to Pras. Prosecutors argue that federal law mandates the forfeiture of proceeds from criminal conduct, citing his alleged money laundering. Pras faces a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean have continued to flourish in music with new music and performances.

Read more: Best Hip-Hop Collaborations Of 2024

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Lil Pump Takes A “Victory Lap” To Celebrate Trump’s Presidency

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Lil Pump has the last laugh after Donald Trump was elected 47th President of the United States after years of backlash. To win a second presidential term, Trump received 277 electoral votes over Vice President Kamala Harris’s 224. In an Instagram post, the “Gucci Gang” hitmaker addressed everyone who hated him for aligning with Trump’s campaign by wearing a MAGA hat next to Trump via television.

Marveling at Trump’s track record, Pump unleashes great vengeance and furious anger in the post. The explicit caption includes 22 American flag emojis: “They put him in jail try to assassinate him and he’s still here and became president that’s a fucking warrior MAGA. I lost a lot of friends over this, but don’t come back over on this side because now Trump won and your dumbass was on the other side. Everybody was so pussy to endorse Trump, but guess what I speak what was on my mind and I don’t give a fuck .”

Read more: Cardi B & Other Celebrities React To Donald Trump Winning The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

Pump Trolls Kamala Harris & Trump’s Haters Waving The American Flag

Lil Pump was one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in pop culture. The rap star and Trump first became acquainted during Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, when he introduced him as “Lil Pimp.” During the campaign, Pump defended Trump while trolling Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift, who supported Harris. On his celebratory post, Lil Pump turned off comments. This is one of those things that many artists do as a means to avoid criticism. It seems like Pump is not exempt.

Kamala Harris congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday morning. Other celebrities who congratulated Trump after the election include 50 Cent, Waka Flock Flame, and Kid Rock. Trump is set to deliver an acceptance speech on Wednesday (Nov. 6). Donald Trump will be sworn into office on January 20, 2025. How do you feel about the 2024 election? Is Pump’s reaction valid? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.

Read more: 50 Cent’s Congratulatory Post For Donald Trump Divides His Fanbase

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Joe Biden Receives Repeated Calls To Drop Out Of Presidential Race

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President Joe Biden has received a whole lot of scrutiny over the last few weeks. Overall, this is mostly thanks to his horrific debate performance against Donald Trump. While Trump wasn’t exactly performing to the best of his abilities, Biden appeared to be in a bad state. There have been signs of cognitive decline, and his debate performance was one of his worst looks yet. Democrats have started to freak out, although Biden remains of the mindset that he is going to stay in the race.

According to CNN, Democrats like Nancy Pelosi have been critical of Biden and his choice to stay in the fight. Moreover, even George Clooney has made some strong comments about the President. This is significant considering how Clooney is a major donor to Biden. Despite all of this, the President is not dropping out of the race, at least for now. The Democratic National Convention is in August, which means there is still time for Biden to come out and drop out before it’s too late.

Read More: Fat Joe & E-40 Will Support Joe Biden Against Donald Trump At North Carolina Rally

Joe Biden Refuses To Back Down

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES – JUNE 27: President of the United States Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump participate in the first Presidential Debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on June 27, 2024. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Despite the recent criticism towards Biden, there are certainly those who have defended him. Meanwhile, others are considering potential replacements for Biden. For instance, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Gretchen Whitmer are all names that are floating around right now. Only time will tell whether or not any of them are forced to answer the call.

Let us know what you think about all of this, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that Joe Biden should step down from the Presidential race? Do you believe that he will step down or is it just not going to happen, at this point? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the world. We will continue to bring you trending stories from the music, entertainment, and sports worlds.

Read More: Stephen A Smith Urges Joe Biden To Drop Out Of Presidential Race

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6ix9ine Returns To The United States

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6ix9ine is an artist who angered a whole lot of people during his time in the rap world. Overall, he ended up getting wrapped up in a RICO case just one year into his career. However, he went and snitched on every single person he was associated with. This subsequently led to him receiving a reduced sentence, and by 2020, he had his freedom back. Since that time, he has dropped a few albums, although many of them have Latin influences.

It has been an exceptionally long time since 6ix9ine gave us one of those screamed records he was most known for. In fact, he has mostly been spending all of his time in the Dominican Republic. Overall, this is where he has picked up his new sound, and has ultimately stayed with it for a few years now. However, that could all change very soon. We say this because according to DJ Akademiks, 6ix9ine is officially back in the United States of America.

Read More: SteveWillDoIt Believes He Could Be In Danger After Flying Out 6ix9ine’s Baby Mama & Daughter

6ix9ine Is Back

No one truly knows what this means for his career going forward. Of course, this could just be a temporary visit as opposed to a permanent move. However, fans are certainly anticipating what is about to happen next. The last time 6ix9ine was in the U.S., he was antagonizing the likes of Lil Durk and Blueface. Only time will tell if he begins to troll at the same rate he used to.

Let us know what you think about 6ix9ine returning to the United States, in the comments section down below. Do you believe that this is going to lead to new music from the artist? Would you like to see him try and make a comeback in the rap world? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: 6ix9ine Embarrassed By SteveWillDoIt Yet Again As Nelk Boys Member Takes Rapper’s Daughter & BM To Universal Studios

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21 Savage Is Officially A U.S. Resident, Announces Return To London & Drake Responds

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21 Savage is now officially a legal and permanent resident of the United States, but he wants to go back home soon. Moreover, this is a result of his immigration case with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office (ICE) finalizing, a years-long battle that prevented him from attending his It’s All A Blur tour stops with Drake in Canada this year. For those unaware, the Atlanta-based rapper was born in the U.K. and lived there until he moved to the States when he was seven years old. There, his family raised him, he formed relationships and a family of his own, and he found success as a rap artist. But ICE arrested the 30-year-old in 2019 over an expired visa, and alleged criminal charges from the Georgia detainment held the case back for years even after they released him on bond.

“I knew I wasn’t born here,” he told Good Morning America in 2021. “But I didn’t know like, what that meant as far as when I transitioned into an adult, how it was going to affect my life.” Now, 21 Savage’s legal team confirmed that this all resolved, and he can now travel freely as a legal U.S. citizen. “She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph followed all applicable Immigration laws since his initial detention by ICE,” his attorney Charles H. Kuck in a statement. “His immigration court proceedings have now been terminated and he is a lawful permanent resident of the United States with the freedom to travel internationally.” What’s more is that the “Calling For You” MC also announced that he will return to his London home very soon.

Read More: 21 Savage Embarking On International Tour After Immigration Struggles: Report

21 Savage Is Going Back Home

Not only that, but even Drake replied to all this with some excitement. “*we’re,” he wrote under 21 Savage’s announcement post, which appears to contain clips of his childhood across the pond. It’s heartening to see, especially since Drizzy broke this news to begin with. “Savage got a green card straight out of the consulate,” he rapped on “8AM In Charlotte.” “Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian.”

Meanwhile, it’s unclear why or in what capacity the Slaughter Gang hitmaker will return to the U.K. Regardless, this is ample cause for celebration after years of struggle. Best wishes out to 21 Savage for this big move, which will hopefully bring him peace and happiness. For more news and the latest updates on the fan-favorite feature killer, keep checking in with HNHH.

Read More: 21 Savage Shares What He’ll Do When He Gets His Green Card

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USA And Canada Stunned In FIBA World Cup Semifinals

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Neither the US or Canada, two of the hottest teams in the FIBA World Cup this year, will contest the final on Sunday. Canada, led by a phenomenal Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fell to a Serbian team that didn’t even have Nikola Jokić. The Serbs beat Canada 95-86, with Bogdan Bogdanović putting up a team-high 23 points. “It doesn’t matter who’s not here,” Serbia’s Marko Gudurić said. “It’s all about this group of guys, whoever is here, whoever is wearing this Serbian jersey. We never give up. We fight until the end. It’s in our blood.”

Meanwhile, the US were favorites against Germany. The German side might have been white-hot, but their nail-biting win against Lithuania in the quarterfinals showed how much they had been relying on Dennis Schröder. Schröder had 17 points, but it was his teammates who helped push Germany past the Americans. Bayern Munich’s Andreas Obst had 24 points while the Pacers’ Daniel Theis had 21 and the Magic’s Franz Wagner had 22. Anthony Edwards had another great performance for the US. However, he was just one of four American players to reach double-digit points.

Read More: Serbian player has kidney removed after World Cup injury

US And Canada Must Settle For Bronze Medal Match

While both teams still secured the consolation prize of Olympic qualification, a bronze medal match finish will be bitterly disappointing. As mentioned, both teams were seen as gold medal favorites at this World Cup. Canada especially finally seemed to be taking advantage of the nation’s golden generation of stars. Meanwhile, while many slammed the US as being a B or C team roster, they were widely expected to run through a German team with just four active NBA players.

The US played a physically small roster all tournament but in their two losses, Lithuania in the second group stage and Germany in the semis, that decision was painfully exposed. As the Olympics roll around next year, Steve Kerr may want to rethink his team strategy. Furthermore, the exit of both major North American teams really gives credence and validation of Noah Lyles’ outage that the NBA champions are dubbed the “World Champions of Basketball”.

Read More: LeBron James spotted in Saudi Arabia

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China Insists it has been ‘Open’ on COVID Origins

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Following speculation on the pandemic’s origins, China said it has been  “open and transparent” with information it has obtained. 

Three years and over 6.8 million deaths later, concerns on how the worldwide virus emerged are at an all time high. 

Most recently, the U.S. Department of Energy  assessed with “low confidence” that the pandemic that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 began with the leak of a virus from a lab. This report remains sealed to the public. 

In defense of the accusations against China,  Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning Mao told reporters at a daily briefing that China has “shared the most data and research results on virus tracing and made important contributions to global virus tracing research.”

Mao added, “Politicizing the issue of virus tracing will not smear China but will only damage the U.S.’s own credibility,” opposing complaints from U.S. officials and members of Congress that China has not been fully cooperative. 

Still, not all opinions sway in favor of the United States. Members of the U.S. intelligence community disagree with the U.S. Energy Department assessment of the lab leak, specifying 

differing opinions within the government. On Monday, John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said “There is just not an intelligence community consensus.” 

The DOE, which oversees a national network of U.S. labs,  concluded that the classified report was based on newly acquired intelligence and noted in an update to a 2021 document, according to the first reports made by the Wall Street Journal. 

Requests for comment made to White House officials by numerous sources to confirm the press report assessments have been declined. The last report, made in 2021, said four members of the U.S. intelligence community believed with low confidence that the virus was first transmitted from an animal to a human, and a fifth believed with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab. The quest to find more information is ongoing. 

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