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Records: Trainer That Sued Peyton Manning May Have Reported Him For Academic Fraud In 1994

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Records: Trainer That Sued Peyton Manning May Have Reported Him For Academic Fraud In 1994

The biggest sports story since the Super Bowl has been the renewed focus on allegations that Peyton Manning sexually assaulted trainer Jamie Naughright in 1996 while at the University of Tennessee. Manning contends that the incident was a mooning, while Naughright says he pushed his butt and genitals into her face. Newly unearthed court records suggest a possible motivation for Manning’s actions; Naughright may have accused Manning of academic fraud.

http://deadspin.com/how-tennessee-...

Court documentation refers to the 1996 training room incident as “The Second Manning Incident.” As the Washington Post first reported last night, Manning’s lawyers tried their best to redact all references to something that happened between Naughright and Manning in 1994. While presenting the initial facts of the case, this is how Naughright’s lawyers began to explain Manning’s disdain for her:

Records: Trainer That Sued Peyton Manning May Have Reported Him For Academic Fraud In 1994

Unfortunately, the next three pages of the document were all redacted. Before the redaction, the document states, “Counsel for Peyton Manning has requested that certain exhibits and deposition testimony related to this 1994 incident be designated as part of the ‘confidential record’ and not be publicly revealed.”

But whoever redacted the records missed a spot, and left a crucial bit of evidence in the deposition of former UT athletic director Doug Dickey. Naughright’s lawyers asked Dickey, after establishing that Naughright was a guest lecturer in a course Manning took as a freshman, if he was aware that she accused him of “academic fraud” in 1994.

Records: Trainer That Sued Peyton Manning May Have Reported Him For Academic Fraud In 1994
Records: Trainer That Sued Peyton Manning May Have Reported Him For Academic Fraud In 1994

Tegano—an adjunct professor and athletic department figure who had a dining hall on campus named for him after Manning donated $3 million to the university in his name—told the Post that the the class in question was a one-hour pass/fail class, and the grade was entirely attendance-based.

Jamie Naughright wanted to overhaul disciplinary procedures for athletes at Tennessee, and she also approached administrators and coaches with plans for improving football players’ GPAs. Her approaches were met with scorn and mockery. Head coach Philip Fulmer even gave back Naughright one of her proposals with “11-1, that’s all anybody cares about,” written on it.

http://deadspin.com/how-tennessee-...

If Nauright did accuse star quarterback Manning of cheating when he was a freshman, it could explain why the higher-ups wouldn’t allow her to to write and enforce a more rigorous academic code of conduct for football players. It could also explain Manning’s animosity towards Naughright.

The Post reports that the Polk County Court doesn’t have the original unredacted transcripts, so they can’t simply be unsealed. Only the lawyers and clients involved in the case—the settlement of which included a non-disclosure agreement—do. Neither Manning nor Naughright commented on the report.

Know anything about the case? Contact Deadspin at tips@deadspin.com.

Dickey’s deposition and the facts of the case statement are below.

Correction: This post previously stated that Manning referred to Dr. Naughtright as “Dr. Vulgar Mouth Whited.” That was an anonymous person who mailed her a copy of his book in 2001.

Photo via Getty


A Devastating Tropical Cyclone Has Made Landfall On Fiji

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A Devastating Tropical Cyclone Has Made Landfall On Fiji

The most powerful tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Southern Hemisphere has made landfall on Fiji. Tropical Cyclone Winston has been forming since February 7th, and earlier today, it hit Fiji with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane.

A Devastating Tropical Cyclone Has Made Landfall On Fiji

The storm slammed into the island of Viti Levu, home to a majority of the country’s population, earlier today, blowing away homes and flooding the island. The eye of the storm has since passed over the island, but storm warnings remain in effect for the island. The storm brought winds of an estimated 140 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 200 mph.

A Devastating Tropical Cyclone Has Made Landfall On Fiji
The storm on February 19th, from Himawari-8.

Winston began to form in early February, initially designated as Tropical Disturbance 09F. It was designated a Tropical Cyclone on February 10th, and continued to intensify. The storm passed over the tropical nation of Tonga earlier this week while it was a category 2 storm, only to turn and pass over the islands once again as a category 4 storm.

The storm made landfall over Fiji earlier today, prompting a state of emergency, and a nation-wide curfew. Communications with several islands has since been lost, and there have been numerous reports of damage. At least one person is confirmed dead at this point.

[Fiji Times, NPR, ABC News, FBC]

Image credits: AP Images, (Top), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (Middle)



Follow the author on Twitter at @andrewliptak

The Artistic Director of a Famous Comedy Theater Has Been Fired After Multiple Accusations of Harassment

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The Artistic Director of a Famous Comedy Theater Has Been Fired After Multiple Accusations of Harassment

Artistic director James Grace of iO West in L.A. has been at the center of multiple allegations of sexual harassment. On Friday, founder Charna Halpern finally sweep-edited his employment there. That means he got fired, if you’re not into improv.

Halpern was initially very dismissive of the accusations against Grace, posting a since deleted comment on Facebook that read, “There are times when there are women who just like to either cause trouble or get revenge or just want attention so they make up stories,” in reference to a student who claimed Halpern had put off her complaints with an offer of free classes.

The immediate and critical rage over that comment changed her tune. Halpern wrote to BuzzFeed in an email:

Yes James was let go- I’ll have announcements this week about my new producer and female artistic director... Things will be wonderful and I praise all the [women] who came forward to discuss issues that they felt affected iOWest.

The switcheroo can definitely be attributed to the powerful network of female comedians communicating with one another about their experiences, via social media and also at all the weird little venues improvisors meet to gossip and do montage sets.

Gina Ippolito is an L.A. based comedian who has been working to raise awareness about sexual harassment in the comedy scene. She told BuzzFeed,“There have been no repercussions for this kind of behavior for as long as the community has existed, and now there are going to be a lot of people in for a rude awakening when they start being called out for it.”

As the popularity of improv continues to grow, and theaters like iO and UCB expand, their responsibility to their students and performers increases, and their punk rock no rules attitude decreases. Halpern has announced that in the coming weeks, iO will be releasing an employee manual (and it is insane that they haven’t had one) outlining expectations of students, teachers and staff. Time to wake up.

Grace continues to deny the allegations against him.

Image via Andrea Praefcke/Wikipedia.


Hillary Clinton Wins Nevada's Democratic Caucus

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Hillary Clinton Wins Nevada's Democratic Caucus

Hillary Clinton, perhaps the candidate most closely affiliated with lots and lots of money, unsurprisingly won the casinos during Saturday’s Nevada caucus, according to PBS’s Jon Ralston.

As early results come rolling it, AP reports that the Democratic voters were almost exactly split between candidate Bernie Sanders and Clinton.

The scene at the caucuses looks like one big, giant mess, with crowds of voters getting stuck in doors and waiting in line for hours.

Update 4:36 p.m.

In one precinct, officials used the age-old, tried-and-true method to help elect the country’s most powerful leader: a card draw.

Update 4:50 p.m.

With 33 percent of the vote in, Clinton is holding on to a tenuous lead.

Update 5:07 p.m.

Fox News, AP, CNN and NBC News have all called it for Clinton.

We will update this post as more results become available.

[Image via Getty]


500 Days of Kristin, Day 392: Huge Blowout Sale? 

Donald Trump Wins South Carolina Republican Primary With Huge Lead

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Donald Trump Wins South Carolina Republican Primary With Huge Lead

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump edged out Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to win the Republican primary on Saturday evening, giving us all a little more hope that the country and the world is headed for a slow and excruciating demise.

The Associated Press projected Trump to win a little after 7 p.m., when he was leading by a substantial margin.

And despite our best efforts, we just can’t seem to look away from the train wreck that has been engulfing one of the two largest political parties in the country. What a world.

Update 7:57 p.m.

According to reports, something is afoot at the Jeb Bush camp. It’s not clear whether supporters have been told yet that their candidate suffered a crushing defeat. Please clap.

[Image via Getty]


Active Shooter Reported in South Carolina Mall Just as State's Primary Votes Are Counted

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Active Shooter Reported in South Carolina Mall Just as State's Primary Votes Are Counted

While the primary votes rolled in and presidential candidate and gun advocate Donald Trump soared to victory, an active shooter was reported at a mall in Harbison, South Carolina.

According to local WLTX News, the incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Saturday night, and the mall was quickly evacuated.

It’s worth pointing out, on this historic night, that the current Republican presidential frontrunner is running on a platform that advocates for less regulation of gun ownership.

Police are currently searching the area, and have not yet identified any victims. We will update this post when more information is available.


Republican Voters in South Carolina Absolutely Love Trump's Muslim Ban

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Republican Voters in South Carolina Absolutely Love Trump's Muslim Ban

Sometimes it’s better not to know what the majority of people believe, because it will scare you. In this case, it’s just too late.

After Donald Trumps’ saddening win in the Republican primary in South Carolina on Saturday, an exit poll conducted by CBS found that a hell of a lot of Republican voters agree with Trump’s nightmare plan to ban all Muslims from the U.S. From CBS:

Three-quarters of GOP primary voters support Donald Trump’s proposal to block Muslims from entering the United States. Twenty-three percent, on the other hand, said they oppose the proposed ban.

Voters, in their infinite wisdom, also said that prefer someone with no political experience (48 percent to 46 percent who prefer an established politician), because, as they say, an inexperienced candidate is the best candidate.

There were no questions about voters’ preference on the use of bullets dipped in pigs’ blood, but we can assume that the policy would garner resounding support.

[Image via Getty]



Jeb Bush Formally Suspends 2016 Campaign

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After failing to break ten percent in tonight’s South Carolina primary—and blowing through millions of dollars thrown at his own Super-PAC, Right to Rise—Jeb Bush is formally suspending his presidential campaign.

http://gawker.com/for-jeb-quitti...

Bush announced his campaign’s shuttering at a campaign event in the state capital of Columbia on Saturday evening, hours after the GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump, declared victory. According to the Washington Post, Bush refused to blame or even identify Trump, who has reveled in antagonizing Bush about his familial ties and lacking energy levels, during his remarks:

“I’m proud of the campaign we won to unify our country, and to advocate conservative solutions... But the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken,” Bush said to a hote ballroom full of staffers, donors and longtime friends, some of whom burst into tears. “Tonight I am suspending my campaign.”

Bush’s failure to overcome Trump’s surging popularity among Republican voters, in spite of a $150 million war chest dedicated to placing him in the Oval Office and his deep access to the Bush family’s unparalleled political network, will likely go down as one of the more stunning catastrophes in national politics. By the same token, Trump’s decisive victory in South Carolina, where he captured at least 32% of eligible primary voters, spells out a political future in which the influence of Bush or his family retains little, if any, place or purpose.

According to Politico, Bush told supporters tonight that, despite his decision to remove himself from the race, “I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office who understands that whoever holds it is a servant, not the master, someone who will commit to that service with honor and decency.”

Considering Bush’s 2016 strategy up until today—under which he and Right to Rise hammered candidates like Marco Rubio harder than they ever hammered Trump—it’s easy to say he’s just trying to save some face at the lowest, most humiliating moment of his political career. But his words are telling in and of themselves, too. If Bush is being honest about his feelings toward voters—“The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision”—then how does he process his own loss? And if Trump’s victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina haven’t persuaded Bush that the American people might be looking for something other than honor and decency in their future president, what exactly would?

Here is the full transcript of Bush’s concession speech (via Philip Elliott of Time):

When I began this journey in Miami, I committed that, I would campaign as I would serve, going everywhere, speaking to everyone, keeping my word, facing the issues without flinching, and staying true to what I believe. For the better part of a year, I have endeavored to do just exactly that. I have put forward a vision for America that includes all and includes all ... because our country deserves a president for everyone. The presidency is bigger than any one person ... and it is certainly bigger than any candidate. This is not, we’re different in our country because our head of state is not above us, but because the head of state, the people who aspire to the presidency are of the people. In a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” we elect a president like us .. .imperfect under God’s watchful eye. I have had a front row seat to this office for much of my adult life. I have seen fallible men rise up to the challenges of our time, with humility, and clarity of purpose ... to make our nation safer, stronger, and freer. I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office to someone who understands that whoever holds it is the servant, not the master. Someone who will commit to that service with honor and decency. Our next president will lead an extraordinary country, whose people have always made the improbable, possible ... in ways big and small. Every day, Americans test the boundaries of freedom and achieve more than what they could have dreamed. But over the last seven years, our nation’s bright light has become little more than a flicker. We have retreated from the world stage. The American values that have brought peace and opportunity are fading. That is not the America we know and love. America is a country that thinks big, acts boldly and leads without apology. It will be up to the next president to restore that kind of leadership. I’m proud of the campaign that we have run to unify the country. And to advocate for conservative solutions that would give more Americans the opportunity to rise up and reach their God-given potential.

But the people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken. I respect their decision. So, tonight, I am suspending my campaign. I congratulate my competitors, that are remaining on the island, on their success in a race that has been hard-fought, just as the contest for the presidency should be because it is a tough job . In this campaign I have stood my ground, refusing to bend with the political winds. We put forward detailed, innovative, conservative plans to address the mounting challenges that we face. Because despite what you may have heard. Ideas matter, policy matters. I truly hope that these ideas that we have laid out will serve as a blueprint for a generation of conservatives leaders at every level of government so that we can take back our country. We laid out plans on everything from reforming our tax and regulatory system, to reviving our economy, to rebuilding our military, to fixing the VA once and for all. Finally, I am grateful to Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, for his steadfast support and his amazing humor. He stole the line that I’m now saying which is that he has become a friend for life. I thank all of the Jeb alumni, many of them are here that have been going door-to-door all across the country, who put their lives on hold for this cause. To my mom and brother, who came here to South Carolina, America truly loves them and respects them and so do I. I want to thank all of my family, 2.0 is always back there in the back. To my dad, who has always served an inspiration to me and is the greatest man alive.

To the volunteers and supporters I have met along this incredible journey. And to all the fellow grinders” on our campaign, our staff who never ever gave up. I’ve had an incredib le life and for me, public service has been the highlight of my life. But no matter what the future holds, here’s the greatest safety landing if you can imagine, tonight I’m going to sleep next to my best friend and the love of my life. I am totally blessed to be the father of three extraordinary children and you might know, four near-perfect grandchildren. And I will be blessed to say I am living in the greatest country the world has ever known. I remain optimistic that, with the right kind leadership, that we all need to work to make sure happens, America’s best days are ahead. With strong conservative leadership, Republicans can win the White House, and we can get back to being in the verge of having the greatest time to be alive and that’s what I honestly believe and I know you do as well. I look forward to working you to make that dream come true. I will do it as a private citizen, just as you are. Thank you for the opportunity to run for the greatest office on the face of the earth. I love you all, God bless you.

Donald Trump Is Going To Be the Nominee Now, Unless He Isn't

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Donald Trump Is Going To Be the Nominee Now, Unless He Isn't

Donald Trump won New Hampshire and, tonight, South Carolina, after a narrow loss in Iowa. Traditionally, that’s the path to the Republican nomination, as MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki explains.

So is he going to win?

A lot of people are still pretty invested in the idea that Trump can’t win (the nomination, I mean). Especially conservatives, because Trump represents the total rejection of the tenets of movement conservatism by Republican voters, who, it turns out, have actually just been voting for nationalism and xenophobia this whole time.

These people might point out that lots of people have been voting against Trump. His “ceiling” is said to be low. Lots of people are, supposedly, anti-Trump, but they are divided on which non-Trump person they ought to vote for instead.

So who will the anti-Trump person be? I have recently told people that I think (based on nothing in particular) that Ted Cruz would end up the nominee. I sort of imagined that, after his Iowa victory, Cruz would pull ahead in South Carolina. He didn’t, though. (But: Texas is on March 1, along with a bunch of other mostly very conservative states.)

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio is hoping that all the “establishment” guys will lose, and he will get all the money and endorsements. This is already basically beginning to happen, actually. But if he keeps not winning primaries, he won’t actually get any delegates. And when will he start winning primaries, exactly? He might win... Minnesota.

(NB: Some—most?—of these polls are very, very old.)

But now Jeb Bush is gone, alas, and the establishment will surely rally around Marco Rubio.

(Unless they rally around John Kasich instead.)

Here’s the state of the GOP race: There’s a pretty clear Trump path to victory, based on polling and delegate math. For every other candidate, any conceivable path to victory relies on a lot of things going very, very well for them. Which isn’t to say that Trump’s inevitable—he’s just, by every traditional and conventional standard, the most likely nominee.


Photo via Getty

What Was Your Favorite Jeb! Moment?

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What Was Your Favorite Jeb! Moment?
Image credit: Jeb Bush campaign

As you may have heard, Jeb Bush’s campaign is no more. That doesn’t mean we can’t reminisce about our favorite moments, on and off the campaign trail, from the past eight months. Can you even believe it’s been that long? Anyway: You can discuss your favorite Jeb! moments in the comments below. It’s (probably) the healthiest way to grieve dead political campaigns.

Six Dead at Multiple Locations in “Random” Kalamazoo Shooting

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Six Dead at Multiple Locations in “Random” Kalamazoo Shooting

Starting at around 6:00 p.m. this evening until roughly 1 a.m., an unidentified shooter killed six people seemingly at random in multiple locations throughout Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two more victims remain in critical condition, and the suspect, a 45-year-old man, is currently in custody.

Police aren’t currently disclosing details of the shooter’s actions. Though they did confirm that “these weren’t drive-bys,” and all of the victims were either outside or in their cars at the time they were shot. What’s more, three different locations appear to have been targeted, including the parking lots of a Cracker Barrel, a Ford dealership, and an apartment complex. In total, there were initially four dead at the Cracker Barrel and two dead at the dealership, with a 14-year old girl from that dealership dying later in the evening.

In addition to the seven deaths, a woman who was shot in the apartment complex parking is in “very serious condition,” while another from the Cracker Barrel remains in “very grave condition.”

After being pushed by a reporter (seen in the clip above), an officer did explain that “at some point, [the shooter] confronts them an shoots them, but the details of what he did—which is how we’re able to link all these—that will come later.” A local NBC affiliate added that [Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul] Matyas “told NBC News the suspect got out of his car at the Cracker Barrel and had a brief conversation with people in two other cars before firing into both vehicles.”

According to police, there’s no known reason why any of these people might have been targeted, and “there’s no connection between any of them. This all appears to be random. This is your worst case scenario that any community can have.” Later in the clip above, the officer continues:

We have no motive whatsoever for this. But we’re also hampered by the fact that all the persons involved in this who could have talked—they’re dead. And the others all in critical or grave conditions an they’re in hospitals. So much of that information is just not known at this time.

Police did find a weapon in the suspect’s vehicle, but aren’t going into detail about what exactly that means at this time. They are, however, “extremely confident” that the person currently in custody is, in fact, the “right individual.”

Update 9:54 a.m.

This post has been edited to reflect that six—not seven—people were reported dead. According to the New York Times, authorities miscounted the number of fatalities after a teenage girl, who was “gravely injured,” was listed as dead.

Correction: A previous version of this post included reports stating that an 8-year-old child was among the victims. Officers now say that early reports were mistaken. This post has been updated to reflect that.


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via BBC.

Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina

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Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINALast night, Ted Cruz took third place in South Carolina—a resounding loss for the candidate, who had banked on conservative evangelicals carrying him to at least second place. His dismal turnout prompted some changes to his victory speech, though not as many as one might assume, given the zero delegates he ultimately picked up.

This is the actual copy of the speech Ted read at his primary party at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds, though it’s unclear to whom the handwriting belongs.

Among the light edits are a gushing eulogy for Jeb Bush (“extraordinary, principled, policy, candor, dignity, honor”) who suspended his campaign last night, leaving his supporters up for grabs, and some hedging on Cruz’s actual placement in the palmetto state.

Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina
Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina
Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina
Here Are the Handwritten Edits to Ted Cruz's Victory Speech After He Lost South Carolina

Marco Rubio To Score Coveted Endorsement From World's Worst Boxer

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Marco Rubio To Score Coveted Endorsement From World's Worst Boxer

Mitt Romney, a man not really known for making good choices, is set to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio for the Republican presidential candidacy.

The Huffington Post broke the news after speaking with two Republican sources, and reports that Romney will likely announce the news before Tuesday’s Republican caucuses in Nevada.

Details of Romney’s endorsement were still being worked out as of Sunday morning. The sources said that the former Massachusetts governor had been eager to provide his backing to Rubio for days but had hesitated, due to his respect for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who suspended his campaign on Saturday night following his dismal fourth-place showing in the South Carolina primary.

It’s nice to see our old friend Mitt, Republican nominee in 2012, back in the news. Remember when Romney drove 12 hours with the family dog strapped to the roof of his station wagon? Remember when he fought Evander Holyfield? What was that all about?

[Image via Getty]


Ted Cruz Got Heckled By His Own Supporter When He Asked for a Moment of Silence for Antonin Scalia 

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Ted Cruz Got Heckled By His Own Supporter When He Asked for a Moment of Silence for Antonin Scalia 

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA—Early on in his third-place victory speech last night, Ted Cruz asked the supporters gathered at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds to take a moment of silence for Antonin Scalia. The entire room fell quiet—mostly.

http://gawker.com/here-are-the-h...

One supporter took the opportunity to deliver his own prayer, which was amplified by the dead-silent room and was clearly audible on the stage where Cruz was standing: “We ask that we never be asked to shut up again.”

Amen.



Kalamazoo Shooting Suspect Was an Uber Driver Who Picked Up Riders Between Killings, Reports Say

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Kalamazoo Shooting Suspect Was an Uber Driver Who Picked Up Riders Between Killings, Reports Say

The identity of a suspect who killed six people in Kalamazoo on Saturday night is reportedly a 45-year-old Uber driver named Jason Dalton.

According to local WDIV News, Dalton was taking Uber fares in between opening fire on bystanders at a car dealership, a Cracker Barrel, and other locations. The shootings happened over five hours in western Michigan, from approximately 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. The gunman shot randomly at people, many of them in parking lots.

“We have multiple people dead,” Undersheriff Paul Matyas of Kalamazoo County said, according to The New York Times. “In summary, what it looks like is we have somebody just driving around, finding people and shooting them dead in their tracks.”

An eerie Facebook post about Dalton was reportedly posted by a woman who claims that Dalton was “driving VERY erratically” and that her fiancee wasn’t able to leave his car while taking the Uber.

The death count was updated on Sunday, after authorities reportedly counted one teenage girl among the dead, before realizing she was still alive but seriously wounded.

Officials have not yet identified a motive for the shootings, and Dalton remains in police custody.

Correction: A previous version of this post included reports stating that an 8-year-old child was among the victims. Officers now say that early reports were mistaken. This post has been updated to reflect that.

[Image via Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office]


‘Who Knows What Was in My Head?’ Donald Trump Asks the Eternal Question

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‘Who Knows What Was in My Head?’ Donald Trump Asks the Eternal Question

Donald Trump is finally starting to talk some sense.

The Republican presidential candidate and crumpled mess of a man went on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning after a win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday night. Trump’s thoughts on the war in Iraq were brought up, specifically his statement to Howard Stern in 2002, when asked whether he was for the war:

“Yeah, I guess so. You know, I wish it was – I wish the first time it was done correctly.”

Trump has garnered criticism for this statement, because he’s been adamantly insisting he was against the war from the start. On Sunday, when asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd to clarify, Trump asked a question that millions of Americans have been wondering.

Trump went on:

“Well, what I mean by that is it almost shouldn’t have been done, and, you know, I really don’t even know what I mean, because that was a long time ago, and who knows what was in my head?...I think that it wasn’t done correctly. In retrospect it shouldn’t have been done at all. It was sort of, you know, it was just done, it was just – we dropped bombs.”

“I really don’t even know what I mean,” coming from the Republican presidential frontrunner, is not a comforting statement.

[Image via Getty]


Venezuela's President Gets a Facebook, Venezuela Petitions the Shit Out of It

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Venezuela's President Gets a Facebook, Venezuela Petitions the Shit Out of It

Amid Venezuela’s acute economic crisis, President Nicolás Maduro decided there was one Very Important Thing he needed to do before dealing with diving oil prices, the subsequent possible 6000 percent rise in gas prices, or the $2.3 billion the country is expected to pay to investors by a February 26 deadline. And what was that Very Important Thing? Beating any given relative of yours over 90 years old at discovering what Facebook is.

On February 9, Maduro took to Twitter, a social media platform he somehow knew about (?), to let his constituents know that they were invited to “friend” him on his newly-created page (or, as the translated tweet reads: “I invite everyone to “friend” me on Facebook, which as of today I will use to communicate on a daily basis...”).

Accordingly, thousands of Venezuelan citizens decided to take Maduro up on his offer, using the president’s new page as a chance to express their opinion on his overall leadership. With more than 170,000 followers, thousands of comments have already appeared on his few dozen posts since his first post earlier this month.

While some users left messages of encouragement and satisfaction with the Venezuelan president, others were...not so much. Take this comment left by a Facebook user named Geo Loyal, as reported (and translated) by PRI:

“I refuse to be a hypocrite or a brown-noser, you know that the country is in a bad way, due to your and your cabinet’s ineptitude. You know that the country is at the edge of bankruptcy because, instead of being invested in Venezuela, the capital we did have was stolen. Take some responsibility and do something useful with your life like resigning as president and shooting yourself, because neither you or any of the others from your party are good for anything. Go to hell Nicolas Maduro!”

As PRI also noted, the sudden appearance of a presidential Facebook account is a 180 from the government’s previous stance on social media, which once called Twitter a “tool of imperialist penetration used to lie to Venezuelans.” Then again, this didn’t stop former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez from trolling the Obama administration on the reg until his death in 2013.

Sadly, there is still no word on whether Maduro has seen The Social Network.

Image via Getty.


The Presidential Race Is Over; Donnie Wahlberg Has Chosen

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The Presidential Race Is Over; Donnie Wahlberg Has Chosen

Few endorsements are enough to convincingly, without a shred of a doubt, predict the candidate who will become the leader of this many-splendored country. But the country’s foremost pundit and ex-Funky Bunch member Donnie Wahlberg has spoken, and the race can, for all intents and purposes, end.

Wahlberg issued a statement on Sunday announcing that he was endorsing Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio.

Here it is, the words of political prowess dripping from the lips of the man himself, the man who starred in not one but four “Saw” films:

Even though we do not see eye to eye on every issue, I know that Marco is a man of principle who can be trusted to keep us safe and give each and every one of us a shot at the American Dream.

Marco is a humble man who has not forgotten his roots, and he will fight to make sure that where you come from does not determine how far you can go. We need a leader like Marco to inspire a new Republican party and unite our nation, and I am proud to support him for President.

In related news, Tommy Chong also gave a blunt endorsement on Sunday, this time for Sen. Bernie Sanders.

[Image via Getty]


Here's Marco Rubio Trying To Talk Smack 

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Marco Rubio has decided to dispel the rumor that he is, in fact, a robot by lightening up a little. First on the docket: talking smack to Ted Cruz’s 76-year-old father.

In a hotel lobby in South Carolina on Saturday, the staff at The Daily Pennsylvanian caught an uncomfortable exchange: Rubio, as he was walking by Rafael Cruz and a young staffer on Cruz’s campaign, Christian Collins. Rubio saw them, and paused to do a little bullying.

“Got a good book there,” Rubio said to Collins, referencing the book in front of him. “Not many answers in it, especially that one.”

What book was Collins reading to earn such a scolding from a presidential candidate? Why did Rubio feel the need to pick on a young, powerless staffer? Why didn’t Cruz’s father stand up and give Rubio what-for? W

We’ve reached out to Collins and the Cruz campaign, and will update this post when we get to the bottom of it.


Contact the author at melissa.cronin@gawker.com.

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