Breaking News Rocket attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad January 2022

 Stunning videos appear to show rockets raining down on the US embassy compound in Baghdad

Striking video of a rocket attack on the US embassy in Baghdad appears to show the embassy's C-RAM defense system — meant to detect and destroy incoming rockets — shooting down at least two rockets on Thursday as more got through. 

US officials blamed"terror groups" for the nighttime attack that was launched from the Dora neighborhood of Baghdad and said a woman and child were injured. 

Three missiles struck within the perimeter of the US embassy, Iraqi security officials told the Associated Press. At least one of the missiles hit the Elaf school. 

The videos show the US-made system firing 20mm rounds, some with illumination, through its six barrels so rapidly the sound of the shots blend together. One video appears to show a rocket strike at close range to the person recording.

Baltimore state's attorney indicted on federal charges

 Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the city's top prosecutor, was indicted on Thursday on federal charges of perjury and filing false mortgage applications related to her purchase of two Florida vacation homes.

Mosby, a Democrat elected to her post in 2015, is accused of falsely claiming twice to have suffered a work-related financial hardship from COVID-19 in order to request early withdrawals totaling $90,000 from her city employee retirement account.

In both instances, the indictment stated, Mosby fraudulently cited a federal CARES Act provision allowing for emergency distributions of up to $100,000 from her retirement plan in the event of a furlough, layoff, quarantine, reduced work hours, lack of childcare or impact on one's own business caused by COVID-19.

Prosecutors said Mosby, 41, used the money she received - $36,000 in May 2020 and $45,000 on Dec. 31 of that year - toward down payments on vacation homes in Kissimmee, Florida, and Long Boat Key, Florida.

The two counts of perjury stem from Mosby's false statements of coronavirus-related financial duress at a time when she was earning a gross annual salary of nearly $248,000 in full, the indictment asserted.

Mosby is further charged with two counts of making false statements on mortgage applications seeking a total of more than $900,000 in loans to purchase the two Florida properties in question.

In particular, the indictment says, Mosby failed to disclose as required in both applications that she and her husband were delinquent in federal tax payments resulting in $45,000 tax lien filed against them by the Internal Revenue Service in 2020.

Mosby, who ran for office as a part of a movement of "progressive prosecutors" promising to address systemic inequities in the U.S. criminal justice system, made national headlines in 2015 when she charged six officers in the police custody death of Freddie Gray, a young Black man.

The death of Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury while being transported without a seatbelt in a police van, led to rioting on the day of his funeral. None of the six officers charged in his death was convicted.

There was no immediate comment from Mosby, her office or any legal representative about the indictment.

If convicted, she could face up to five years for each of two perjury counts and decades in prison on charges of making false mortgage applications, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland.

Young Dolph press conference

 U.S. Marshals and Memphis authorities held a media briefing regarding rapper Young Dolph's murder case Wednesday.

U.S. Marshal Tyreece Miller, Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis and Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich held a joint press conference at the Odell Horton Federal building in Memphis, following the arrest of Justin Johnson.

Young Dolph's killing: What we know about the shooting, suspects, indictments

Johnson was captured Tuesday in Indiana for his suspected role in the shooting death of Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr.

Johnson was captured after a coordinated investigation by the U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force, according to a U.S. Marshals release.

Along with Johnson, U.S. Marshals announced the arrest of Shondale Barnett during the briefing. He was charged with helping Johnson evade law enforcement.

A second suspect in Thornton's case, Cornelius Smith, was also indicted by a Shelby County grand jury on several charges, including first degree murder, according to Weirich's office.

Smith was arrested on Dec. 9 in Southaven, Mississippi. 

Memphis' rapper: Young Dolph remembered for generosity, commitment to Memphis, as 'a man after God’s own heart'

Thornton was killed on Nov. 17 after two suspects shot him at Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies in Memphis

Justin Johnson, 23, also known as Straight Drop, was captured Tuesday afternoon in Indiana. Another man, Cornelius Smith, 32, was already in custody in Mississippi but was indicted in Shelby County on several charges in this case including first-degree murder.

Another man, identified as Shundale Barnett, who is originally from Memphis but lives in Dallas, faces charges of accessory after the fact for a role in helping Johnson, officials said. Barnett was a passenger in the vehicle driven with Johnson when he was captured. He is also being held in the Clay County Indiana Jail and will be extradited back to Memphis.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Barnett also faces charges of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and theft of property from $10,000 to $60,000.

Federal survey finds economy is growing modestly despite COVID

The Federal Reserve says the economy was growing at a modest pace at the end of 2021 but was still being held back by ongoing supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages. The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the economy was growing at a modest pace at the end of 2021 but was still being held back by ongoing supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages. In its latest survey of business conditions around the country, the Fed said its 12 regional banks found that the economy was continuing to grow. But many regions reported a sudden pullback in spending on leisure travel, hotels and restaurants because of the rapid spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. “Although optimism remained high generally, several districts cited reports from businesses that expectations for growth over the next several months cooled somewhat during the last few weeks” of 2021, a period when COVID cases were rising sharply. Of the Fed's 12 districts, only one, Dallas, reported “robust” growth in the closing weeks of 2021. But even in that district, Fed officials noted that “uncertainty increased amid a new surge in COVID-19 cases and concern that labor and supply-chain shortages will persist well into 2020.” At the opposite extreme, the Fed's New York district reported an economy growing at only a subdued pace, held back by “intensifying supply disruptions, labor shortages and the omicron outbreak.” The other 10 Fed districts generally reported modest to moderate growth with many citing threats posed by the rise in COVID cases. Kathy Bostjancic, senior economist at Oxford Economics, said that the beige book showed “companies cited strong demand for workers but great difficulty in finding available labor.” She said this severe tightness in the labor market was driving robust wage growth nationwide and, while pay increases were strongest for low-skill workers, wage gains were starting to spread to higher-skill levels. The Fed survey found that some districts were reporting that price increases were starting to decelerate somewhat but many business contacts still reported high costs associated with ongoing supply chain disruptions. The Fed survey, known as the beige book, will form the basis for discussions when the central bank holds its next meeting on Jan. 25-26.

In testimony Tuesday at his confirmation hearing for a new four-year term leading the central bank, Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned that high inflation could make it harder to restore the job market to full health. At the Fed's last meeting in December, Powell said the central bank was accelerating its efforts to tighten credit, with the goal of restraining inflation before surging prices became entrenched. His comments came as U.S. households are under pressure from rising prices for food, gas, rent and many other items. The government reported Wednesday that consumer prices rose 7% over the past 12 months, the fastest pace since 1982.

Nipsey Hustle’s first and only BET Performance in 2009 for the “Ice Cream Paint Job” Remix

 HIP HOP HISTORY! Nipsey first and only BET Performance in 2009 for the Ice Cream Paint Job Remix ft Soulja Boy, E-40, Snoop & Jim Jones.

This was one of the rare instance where we had a Nip verse ona dance record during the jerk era!

Group of robbers armed with sledgehammers take over California shopping center.

 Group of robbers armed with sledgehammers take over California shopping center and steal $110,000 worth of jewelry. Shocking moment gang of nine robbers armed with sledgehammers take over Bay Area shopping center and order terrified occupants to the floor before stealing $110,000 of jewelry New video footage shows a group of thieves carrying sledgehammers storming into a San Jose shopping