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Megan Thee Stallion‘s attorneys allege Tory Lanez is harassing their client while behind bars.

In a court filing on Wednesday, Daystar “Tory Lanez” Peterson and blogger Milagro Cooper were named aggressors. Lanez is accused of using Cooper “as his mouthpiece” to curate false narratives online, according to Legal Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff.

Meg’s lawyers have subpoenaed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to get his jail phone call recordings and said Lanez and his father, Sonstar Peterson, discussed Cooper’s role in orchestrating harassment against the Houston Hottie, whose birth name is Megan Pete.

“In one phone call, the Petersons confidently asserted that Ms. Pete would be unable to prove that Mr. Peterson paid Defendant for attacking Ms. Pete,” Megan’s lawyers said, according to an amended complaint. 

In addition to the original complaint, Pete and her team added a defamation claim to their case against Cooper and Lanez. She also filed a petition for an injunction prohibiting Cooper “from committing any acts of stalking and providing any terms the court deems necessary for the protection of a victim of stalking, including possible law enforcement involvement.”

Cooper’s motion was denied earlier this month and claimed that Megan Thee Stallion was using her lawsuit “to intimidate and silence” and worked to prevent her from “exercising her First Amendment rights.” 

Cooper alleges Megan’s lawsuit was “a warning to other critics that if the Plaintiff does not like what you say about her, you will likely have to deal with a federal lawsuit.”

Cuniff reported that the Canadian artist’s lawyer also represents Cooper.

Police in a New York jurisdiction strip-searched every person they arrested, as well as people who were not placed under arrest, according to a Department of Justice report. The illegal searches were part of a more extensive set of rights abuses and illegal activities committed by members of the Mount Vernon Police Department and demonstrate a larger pattern of systemic violations on the part of police forces across the country.

One teenage student and a teacher are dead after a gunman opened fire at a K-12 private school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday. Six people were also injured as the tragedy unfolded at Abundant Life Christian School around 11 a.m., CBS News reported. Two of the injured students sustained life-threatening injuries. Four other students sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 

With the holidays right around the corner, it’s a hard pill to swallow that tax season is also coming up. Inflation has impacted many American wallets, and to help taxpayers prepare to file in 2025, the Internal Revenue Service has announced annual inflation adjustments that highlight changes to more than 60 tax provisions. 

Last year, the IRS released adjustments for the 2024 tax year and encouraged taxpayers to look for the standard deduction for single and married people filing, USA Today reported.

The standard deduction went up by $750 to $14,600 for single taxpayers and married payers filing separately. The deduction for married couples filing together increases by $1,500 to $29,200. For those filing as a head of household, the standard deduction went up to $21,900, an $1,100 increase.

Ahead of next year’s tax season, here’s what you need to know about last year’s findings and what to expect in 2025.

Tax year 2024 brackets and tax rates

In last year’s adjustments release, the IRS shared a breakdown of its seven income brackets and tax rates. In addition to noting that the top tax rate remained at “37% for individual single taxpayers with incomes greater than $609,350 ($731,200 for married couples filing jointly),” it also noted the following:

37% — Single income over $609,350 and married couples filing jointly with income over $731,200

35% — Single income over $243,725 and married couples filing jointly with income over $487,450

32% — Single income over $191,950 and married couples filing jointly with income over $383,900

24% — Single income over $100,525 and married couples filing jointly with income over $201,050

22% — Single income over $47,150 and married couples filing jointly with income over $94,300

12% — Single income over $11,600 and married couples filing jointly with income over $23,200

10% — Single income of $11,600 or less and married couples filing jointly with income less than $23,200

When does tax season start?

Though Tax Day is April 15, it’s unclear when the official start of tax season will be. According to KGW8, the IRS typically designates when it will begin to accept and process tax returns in early to mid-January.

Tax year 2025 adjustments

In October, the IRS announced adjustments for the tax year 2025, noting that filers should expect higher standard deductions. Single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately should look out for the standard deduction to rise to $15,000. For couples who file jointly, that standard deduction will climb to $30,000. It also noted the following:

35% for incomes over $250,525 ($501,050 for married couples filing jointly)

32% for incomes over $197,300 ($394,600 for married couples filing jointly)

24% for incomes over $103,350 ($206,700 for married couples filing jointly)

22% for incomes over $48,475 ($96,950 for married couples filing jointly)

12% for incomes over $11,925 ($23,850 for married couples filing jointly)

10% for incomes $11,925 or less ($23,850 or less for married couples filing jointly)

The island, which is located about 185 miles north-west of Madagascar, experienced wind of over 225km/h (140mph). It has affected most of the infrastructure, including power and water supplies. An estimated 100,000 residents are without shelter or water, according to […]

Composer and tabla player Zakir Hussain, who’s credited with being pivotal in introducing Indian music to the world, has died. He was 73.

According to The New York Times, Hussain died in San Francisco, where he lived, of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, his family confirmed. Per the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the condition is a progressive chronic lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes thick and stiff, making it difficult to breathe.

Born Zakir Allaraka Qureshi on March 9, 1951, in what is now Mumbai, Hussain was the oldest son of legendary tabla player Alla Rakha Qureshi, better known as Ustad Allarakha. (Ustad is an honorific meaning “master.”) The tabla is a traditional Indian instrument, comprised of two drums played by hand, the BBC reported.

Hussain was a child prodigy, playing the tabla around the world by the time he was 12-years-old. His teenage years saw him perform with renowned artists like Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, The New York Times reported. Though his practice was mostly in Hindustani classical tradition, he had an interest in other genres from around the world. It’s that interest that set his career on an extraordinary path.

Along with guitarist John McLaughlin, he co-founded Shakti, a band that combined traditional Indian classical music with jazz and other Western sounds, in 1973. Though the original band members went their separate ways just five years later, the band morphed with new members several times over the years, The Economic Times reported. Shakti took a hiatus in 2014 following the death of member U. Srinivas, reuniting in 2020 with violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan. The new iteration of the group was a success, leading to the group’s historic 2024 Grammy win for Best Global Album. Alongside Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia, Hussain also snagged a Best Global Music Performance Grammy Award for their track “Pashto” at the 2024 ceremony. Hussain also won Grammys in 1991 and 2008 for his collaborations with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.

Hussain worked with some of the world’s most accomplished musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, George Harrison, Van Morrison and Billy Cobham, the BBC reported. One of his most notable triumphs came in 2009, when he performed four sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

According to The New York Times, per his family, Hussain is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola; daughters Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi; his brothers and fellow tabla players Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi; and his sister, Khurshid Aulia.

ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos have agreed to a settlement with Donald Trump after the President-elect filed a lawsuit for defamation earlier this year.

As part of the settlement, Stephanopoulos and ABC News will pay $15 million to a foundation and museum which will be established by Trump, The Guardian reported.

A new law set to take effect in 2025 will raise the minimum age requirement needed to receive social security benefits. Although the age requirement has been 65 until now, Congress is now preparing to implement the more complex law that first passed in 1983.

According to the 1983 law, social security benefits are calculated by the expected lifespan which varies from year-to-year.

What are the social security age changes in 2025? 

For people born in 1958 for example, the full retirement age is 66 years and 8 months, KTLA 5 reported. Those born in the following year, however, can retire at 66 years and 10 months old to get full benefits. All people born between May 2, 1958 and Feb. 28, 1959 will qualify for full retirement benefits in 2025. As for people born in 1960, they can retire at age 67 for full benefits.

People who don’t want to wait for their full retirement age can receive benefits at age 62, but that means they will get a reduced amount. Retirees who wait until age 70 will get higher benefits.

The amount is based on cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment 

As Blavity previously reported, the amount rewarded to retirees is based on the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which is calculated according to the inflation rate.

Shannon Benton, executive director of The Senior Citizens League, said her group is working to make sure senior citizens receive what they deserve.

“Ensuring that seniors have enough to feed and house themselves with dignity is a major reason why we advocate for a minimum COLA of 3%,” Benton said in a statement, per CBS News. “Approximately two-thirds of seniors rely on Social Security for more than half of their monthly income and 28% depend on it entirely.”

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has hired a high-profile New York attorney to fight his case.

According to TMZ, Mangione is now being represented by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who is the wife of the attorney representing Sean “Diddy” Combs.