Stephen A. Smith says Jada Pinkett Smith has “exceeded cruelty” with public remarks about marriage to Will Smith

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ByAngelina Velasquez

Jada Pinkett Smith sent the media and fans into a dizzying tailspin when she revealed that she and Will Smith have been separated since 2016 despite appearing as husband and wife in public.

The actress, who is promoting her upcoming memoir, “Worthy,” has also dished on the infamous Oscars slap, her “soulmate” connection to the late Tupac Shakur, and more in revealing interviews with NBC News and People. Responses to her revelations have reignited vitriol for Pinkett Smith, especially among those who believe her tell-alls have further damaged the box office star’s reputation and his public perception. One of the critics is Stephen A. Smith.

On the Friday (Oct. 13) episode of his eponymous YouTube show, he unleashed on the 52-year-old. The “First Take” host began, “Let me tell y’all what Will Smith does not deserve: He does not deserve what Jada Pinkett Smith has done to him.”

He continued, “Now I know people very, very close to Jada Pinkett Smith, and I am not going to utter a disrespectful word about her. That’s not where I’m going. It’s deeper than that. There are a few questions that Jada Pinkett Smith deserves to be asked to her. Where’s your compassion? Where’s your decency? Where is your respect for a man you still acknowledge as your husband? Where is the respect for a man you walked down the aisle with and pledged your life to in 1997 for better or worse, for rich or [for] poorer, in sickness and in health, ’til death do you part?”

Stephen, who has never wed, implied that Pinkett Smith has fallen short of honoring her wedding vows with some of her remarks — e.g., speaking on her entanglement with August Alsina and stating that she was shocked that Will referred to her as his wifeafter slapping Chris Rock for joking about her shaved head. For the latter, the Emancipationactor has taken a public pummeling.

“Somebody gotta say it to Jada plain and simple: Go to the Torah, go to the Bible, go to the holy Quran, pick whatever you want. Let’s talk about the role of a wife, at least from the perspective of just sparing him,” added Stephen. “I’m not getting in the right or wrong; it’s none of my business… I know it is uncomfortable and grotesquely unfair to emasculate your husband publicly! Publicly. He’s Will Smith. How much smaller do you want to make him? How could you do this? It’s exceeded cruelty.”

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Watch Stephen’s Full Comments Below…..

Israel Avoided Hard Choices: Former Israeli Negotiator Daniel Levy

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Flashback: David Cameron describes blockaded Gaza as a 'prison

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UK Prime Minister David Cameron has condemned the blockade of the Gaza Strip, describing the territory as a "prison camp".

He also criticised Israel for launching an attack on a convoy transporting Turkish activists and aid to Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens died in the raid. 

He was speaking to an audience of businessmen during a visit to Ankara.

The Israeli embassy in London said Gazans were prisoners of Palestinian militant Islamist group Hamas.

Israel and Egypt enforce a blockade on Gaza which restricts goods and people from coming in or out freely.

"Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp," Mr Cameron said. 

"People in Gaza are living under constant attacks and pressure in an open-air prison," he said.

In May, Israeli commandoes stormed the Mavi Marmara and in fighting that followed, nine Turkish activists were killed and four soldiers wounded.

During a press conference held with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Erdogan called the Israeli raid an act of "piracy".

"Israel must apologise as soon as possible, pay compensation and lift the blockade," he said.

The British government's policy has been to call for an end to the blockade, but never before has a British prime minister been so blunt, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Ankara.

A spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London said Hamas, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, was responsible for the situation in Gaza.

"The people of Gaza are the prisoners of the terrorist organisation Hamas. The situation in Gaza is the direct result of Hamas' rule and priorities," the spokesman said.

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A TYRANNICAL DESPOT: THE REAL BUHARI

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Israeli Offensive UN says nearly 200,000 displaced in Gaza, water shortages expected

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The United Nations humanitarian office said on Tuesday that nearly 200,000 people or nearly a tenth of the population, have fled their homes in Gaza since the start of hostilities and is poised for shortages of water and electricity due to a blockade.

"Displacement has escalated dramatically across the Gaza strip, reaching more than 187,500 people since Saturday. Most are taking shelter in schools," Jens Laerke, OCHA spokesperson, told a Geneva briefing, saying further displacement was expected as clashes continue.

A World Health Organization spokesperson said it had reported 13 attacks on health facilities in the Gaza strip since the weekend and said that its medical supplies stored there had already been used up.

REUTERS 

What goes into designing the flagship S-Class -- Mercedes-Benz

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Liverpool and Brighton share the spoils on the South Coast

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By Sports Desk

Liverpool FC dropped more points in their penultimate match against Brighton & Hove Albion, as both teams battled to a pulsating 2-2 draw on the South Coast. 

Brighton took the lead before Mo Salah shot the Reds in front with two goals in the first half. A moment of indecision by Andy Robertson allowed Lewis Dunk to equalize for Brighton in the 78th minute, setting up a nail biting finish to an exciting affair.

The Reds sit fourth on the league table with 17 points, three behind Arsenal and Tottenham (both tied for the lead), and one point behind the defending champions, Manchester City, who sit in third after losing 1-0 to Arsenal in a rather dull affair at the Emirates. 

It was finally great to have this weekend’s ties devoid of the usual VAR and refereeing issues that have plagued the Premier League this year. The fans pay to watch the players, not the referees and VAR, something Howard Webb and the top brass at the English FA need to clearly understand. 

The league takes an international break with the teams returning to action the weekend of 10/21/23. Liverpool will take on Everton then, while Arsenal travel to West London to take on Chelsea. 

Atiku Abubakar: The Architect of Stealth Corruption

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In leaked audio, Atiku allegedly admits to setting up channels for corruption

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The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar, has been accused of complicity regarding bribery and misappropriation of public funds.

This came to light in a viral audio shared by Atiku’s former aide, Michael Achimugu, where the former vice-president allegedly admitted to having collected N100 million bribe from Mr Joshua Dariye, a former Plateau State governor, which was paid directly to Marine Float, one of the three firms he registered.Play audio 

In the audio recording which Achimugu claimed was with Atiku, the former Vice President is heard explaining how he set up an ‘SPV -Special Purpose Vehicle’ to receive monies from corruption-related dealings.

During his tenure as governor from 1999 to 2007, Dariye was found to have stolen N2 billion in public funds. He was found guilty of criminal misappropriation and criminal breach of trust.

“When the governor sent donations, he sent it to Marine Float. It stayed in Marine Float. One of the subscribers of Marine Float was Otunba Fasawe. That was where the N100 million went to. It did not go to Atiku Abubakar. It went to Marine Float. Marine Float was a special-purpose vehicle,” Atiku revealed in the YouTube phone recording.

Atiku said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had afterwards “very thoroughly” investigated Marine Float accounts but had still not “discovered anything” connecting him to the company’s fraudulent practices.

The former vice president also described how he was in charge of establishing onshore shell companies to operate as a conduit for taking large sums of money from public works contracts for himself and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He said, “What happened was when we came into office and I advised the president against open corruption.

“I told him to give me three people you trust and I will prepare three companies in which they will be subscribers or rather the directors.

“So that if there is any contract that we give they will act like consultants and they are given a fee. That fee is what we use to fund the party.”

Atiku was accused by Nigerian senators in 2007 of misusing more than $100 million (£51 million) in taxpayer money for personal gain.

A Senate investigation suggested that Atiku be prosecuted for diverting funds to businesses he was associated with.

After the then-president, Obasanjo, transmitted accusations made against Atiku by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, the Senate opened the investigation.

The investigative panel acknowledged in a report given to the Senate that it concurred with the conclusion that Atiku had abetted in the transfer of $145 million from Nigerian government accounts to banks.

The panel’s research and conclusions, though, had no effect.

Flashback - Atiku Abubakar: Corruption Incorporated

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Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar said he is willing to disclose his assets if compelled by law and denied a new corruption allegation against him ahead of the Feb. 25 election, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Atiku, who was vice president from 1999 to 2007, is the main opposition People's Democratic Party's candidate and among the top three contenders to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari, whose final term ends in May.

The candidate, a 76-year-old businessman, has previously faced allegations of corruption, which he denies.

Atiku told the BBC he would disclose his assets if a law was enacted requiring it and that he would "take it in good faith" if he lost the election.

"The law doesn't provide that we should make it (assets) public. But if the law says we should make it public, I will make it public. I don't mind it," he said.

A ruling party official last week filed a motion with the High Court in Abuja asking it to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other agencies to arrest and prosecute Atiku over a leaked audio.

On the audio, which Reuters has not verified, someone who sounds like Atiku describes a plan to divert funds from government projects and cover up that the person received the money.

When asked to comment on the audio, Atiku told the BBC: "That voice has disclosed nothing new."

When pressed if it was his voice in the audio he said, "Nothing new."

"All what I know, all corrupt practices or corrupt allegations against me have been investigated in this country more than anybody else and nothing was found against me."

Atiku figured prominently in the corruption trial of former U.S. Representative William Jefferson, who was accused of trying to bribe Atiku in an effort to expand a technology business in Nigeria. Jefferson was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. His sentence was subsequently reduced.

Separately, U.S. Senate investigators in 2010 alleged that one of Atiku's four wives helped him transfer more than $40 million in "suspect funds" into the United States from offshore shell companies.

REUTERS