Hot Girl Meg Sparks Emergency Power Program for Elderly Amid Texas Outages

Megan Thee Stallion is launching an initiative to provide generators for senior citizens across her native Houston to prepare them for future natural disasters. After Hurricane Beryl recently left 2 million people without power, the rapper decided to take action.

The rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, is partnering with Bread of Life, Inc. to launch the Emergency Power Program through her Pete and Thomas Foundation. The organizations will provide generators to elderly residents in Houston, granting them the ability to maintain electricity during natural disasters.

"It's been painful to watch the elderly population in Houston suffer without electricity during these devastating storms,” she said in a statement. “That's why we wanted to partner with Bread of Life to take a strategic approach to this problem and secure generators to help protect our senior citizens. We need to do our part to provide our elders with the best resources possible to withstand future emergencies.”

Earlier this week, more than 200,000 CenterPoint Energy customers were still without power, struggling with the heat one week after Hurricane Beryl swept through southeast Texas. CenterPoint Energy, the Houston-area utility, said it has restored power faster than in recent storms and expected full restoration by Friday.

Rudy Rasmus, Executive Director and Founder of Bread of Life, Inc., emphasized the urgency of the initiative.

"We want to expand our support of the most vulnerable people in the city, and Hurricane Beryl, the derecho, and other storms have highlighted that our seniors are in dire need of assistance," Rasmus said. "Through our partnership with Megan Thee Stallion and her Pete and Thomas Foundation, we hope to provide generators to senior personal care homes this hurricane season. Our goal is to provide generators to our most vulnerable seniors ahead of storms or other events that knock out power so there is no interruption in service."

The initiative is timely, as Hurricane Beryl left at least 18 people dead and millions without power for several days. Reliable backup power has become critical for Houston’s most vulnerable residents.

Megan Thee Stallion, a three-time Grammy Award winner, recently released her third album, "Megan," and performed at the BET Awards 2024. She established the Pete and Thomas Foundation in February 2022 to support women, children, senior citizens, and underserved communities.

Recognizing the increasing frequency of severe weather events in Houston, the Pete and Thomas Foundation and Bread of Life, Inc. established the Emergency Power Program to support senior citizens in the short term and provide a long-term solution to protect them from future emergencies and power outages.

Missy Elliott Makes History as NASA Sends Her Hit to Venus

Hold onto your inflatable chairs and dust off your butterfly clips, because Missy Elliott just took "Supa Dupa Fly" to a whole new level: Venus. NASA beamed the iconic 1997 hit across 158 million miles of space on Friday, July 12, making it the first hip-hop track to ever reach another planet.

Missy's lyrics hitched a ride on NASA's Deep Space Network, traveling at the speed of light to give Venus a taste of that '90s hip-hop flavor. And where better to blast this female empowerment anthem than the planet named after the goddess of love and beauty herself?

"I still can't believe I'm going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)' becomes the first-ever hip-hop song to transmit to space!" Elliott said in a statement. "I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment, and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!"

The transmission, facilitated by the Deep Space Station 13 radio dish antenna in Barstow, California (aptly nicknamed "Venus"), took just 14 minutes to reach the planet.

Brittany Brown, director of Digital and Technology at NASA Headquarters, said the collaboration was a natural fit.

YOOO this is crazy! We just went #OutOfThisWorld with @NASA and sent the FIRST hip hop song into space through the Deep Space Network. My song “The Rain” has officially been transmitted all the way to Venus, the planet that symbolizes strength, beauty and empowerment. The sky is… pic.twitter.com/g6HofNQSt1

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) July 15, 2024

"Both space exploration and Missy Elliott's art have been about pushing boundaries," Brown said. "Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting."

"The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" is only the second song ever transmitted into deep space, following the Beatles' "Across the Universe" in 2008.

The transmission comes ahead of two upcoming NASA missions to Venus, DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) and VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy), scheduled for launch in the late 2020s. The Deep Space Network, which has been operational since 1963, will be instrumental in receiving data from these missions.

NASA hopes the transmission of Elliott's music will inspire future generations of scientists and explorers, just as Missy's music has inspired generations of artists and fans on Earth. Perhaps, somewhere out there in the cosmos, extraterrestrial life forms are already grooving to the beat.

Judge Ural Glanville Removed from Young Thug Trial Amid Bias Allegations

The high-profile trial of rapper Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, has been further delayed after the presiding judge was removed from the case amid allegations of bias and improper conduct.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville was formally recused on Monday following a written order by Judge Rachel Krause, who was assigned to hear recusal motions from Williams and a co-defendant.

The defense had filed a motion to remove Glanville, citing allegations of bias and misconduct, including holding an improper meeting with a key prosecution witness.

Judge Ural Glanville has been recused from Young Thug's YSL RICO trial after holding a secret meeting with prosecutors and a key witness.

Superior Court Judge Rachel Krause granted the motions filed by Young Thug and his co-defendant Deamonte Kendrick. pic.twitter.com/szo2cr1bvQ

— No Jumper (@nojumper) July 15, 2024

Krause, while agreeing "generally" with Glanville's defense of his actions as "proper," decided that recusal was necessary to maintain public trust in the judicial system.

"This Court has no doubt that Judge Glanville can and would continue presiding fairly over this matter if the recusal motions were denied, but the 'necessity of preserving the public's confidence in the judicial system' weighs in favor of excusing Judge Glanville from further handling of this case," Krause wrote in her order.

The decision follows a dramatic turn in the trial on June 7, when Kenneth Copeland, also known as "Lil Woody," refused to testify despite a plea bargain agreement, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Copeland was subsequently found in contempt of court and jailed. Williams' attorney, Brian Steel, confronted Glanville after learning about a private meeting held in the judge's chambers with Copeland and the prosecution, leading to Steel also being found in contempt of court. His sentence of 10 weekends in jail has been stayed pending an appeal.

Remarkable that it doesn't appear to be the actual ex parte meeting that did Judge Glanville in in the Young Thug / YSL trial - it was how he handled the aftermath, and his arrogant rejection of the recusal motions, and his own written order. https://t.co/JcksdZuNe4 pic.twitter.com/FZbwRMVzt5

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) July 15, 2024

The trial, already the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history, has faced numerous legal hurdles. Jury selection alone took 10 months, and the trial has seen frequent breaks and delays.

Young Thug’s case has been assigned to a new Judge:

Judge Shukura L. Ingram pic.twitter.com/QNoZn866wf

— THUGGERDAILY ひ (@ThuggerDaily) July 15, 2024

Following Glanville's removal, the case has been reassigned to Shukura L. Ingram, according to the court's standard procedures. The timeline for when testimony will resume remains unclear as the new judge familiarizes themselves with the complex case.

Williams, along with several co-defendants, faces racketeering charges. The case, which has attracted significant media attention, continues to unfold with each legal maneuver further complicating the proceedings.