Connect with us

CBS News

Jack Black cancels Tenacious D tour as Australia officials criticize Kyle Gass’ Trump comment

Avatar

Published

on


Actor Jack Black has canceled upcoming tour dates for Tenacious D after his bandmate, Kyle Gass, made a controversial comment about Donald Trump during a show in Australia — a comment that led one politician to call for the deportation of the comedy rock duo.

In a statement shared on social media, Black said he was blindsided by Gass’ comment about the shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on Saturday. Trump survived the attack with a wound to his ear, but the assassination attempt killed one person being killed and critically injured two others. 

Gass made the controversial comment when he was presented with a birthday cake during their Sydney concert and was asked what his birthday wish was. “Don’t miss Trump next time,” he replies, according to videos from fans in the audience. 

Black laughed at the joke on stage but later said he was blindsided by the comment. “I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form,” Black said in a statement Tuesday.

Tenacious D In Concert - Charlotte, NC
Kyle Gass, left, and Jack Black of Tenacious D perform at PNC Music Pavilion on Sept. 6, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

/ Getty Images


“After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold,” he said. “I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

Gass also apologized for the remark. “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake,” he said Monday in a statement on social media. “I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

Gass’ agent parted ways with him after the comment, according to BBC News.

An Australian senator called for the deportation of Gass on Monday. “Tenacious D should be immediately removed from the country after wishing for the assassination of Donald Trump at their Sydney concert,” Sen. Ralph Babet said in a statement. 

Babet condemned the call for political violence, saying what Gass said was not a joke. “To advocate and or wish for the assassination of a president is egregious, disgusting, filthy, evil, and not acceptable in any way, shape or form,” Babet said. 

“Anything less than deportation is an endorsement of the shooting and attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th President of the United States,” said Babet, the only senator from the right-wing United Australia Party..

During the popular Australian radio show “Kyle and Jackie O,” host Kyle Sandilands said Tenacious D was now banned from the show, according to local news outlets.

After the shooting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement that he was shocked by the event and relieved that Trump is safe.

“Let us be clear. The people at that event – the candidate, the crowd, the free press covering it – were participating in the democratic process. In Australia, as in the United States, the essence and the purpose of our democracies is that we can express our views, debate our disagreements and resolve our differences peacefully,” said Albanese, a member of the center-left Australian Labor Party, adding that any act of violence is an affront to democracy that should be condemned. 

Other comedians have previously been criticized for appearing to encourage violence against Trump. In 2017, Kathy Griffin released an image of a fake Trump head, severed from his body and dripping in blood. 

Griffin apologized for the video, which nearly cost the comedian her career, with her tour canceled, CNN ending her job as New Year’s Eve host alongside Anderson Cooper, being investigated and being added to a no-fly list.





Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

911 calls released in deadly Georgia school shooting

Avatar

Published

on


A Georgia county’s emergency call center was overwhelmed by calls on Sept. 4 about a school shooting at Apalachee High School that killed four people and wounded nine others, records released Friday by Barrow County show.

Local news organizations report many of the 911 phone calls were not released under public record requests because state law exempts from release calls recording the voice of someone younger than 18 years old. That exemption would cover calls from most of the 1,900 students at the school in Winder, northeast of Atlanta.

Calls spiked around 10:20 a.m., when authorities have said that 14-year-old suspect Colt Gray began shooting. Many calls were answered with an automated message saying there was a “high call volume,” WAGA-TV reported.

One man called 911 after receiving text messages from a girlfriend. He was put on hold for just over 10 minutes because of an influx of calls at the time of the shooting, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

“She hears people yelling outside, so I don’t know if that’s officers in the building or that’s — I don’t know,” he said, adding that she was eventually evacuated out of the school.

Other adults also called 911 after their children contacted them.

“My daughter calling me crying. Somebody go ‘boom, boom, boom, boom,'” one mother said. The 911 operator responded: “Ma’am we have officers out there, OK?”

Parents of students at an elementary school and middle school neighboring Apalachee also flooded 911 seeking information.

“Sir, my daughter goes to school next door to Apalachee. Is there a school shooter?” one caller asked.

“We do have an active situation (at) Apalachee High School right now,” the operator responded. “We have a lot of calls coming in.”

More than 500 radio messages between emergency personnel were also released Friday.

“Active shooter!” an officer yells in one audio clip while speaking with a dispatcher, CNN reported. Another officer responds, “Correct. We have an active shooter at Apalachee High School.”

The shooting killed teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, with seven of those hit by gunfire.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported Thursday that the suspect rode the school bus on the day of the shooting with the assault-style rifle concealed in his backpack.

He then asked a teacher for permission to go to the front office to speak with someone, and when he received it, he was allowed to take his backpack with him, GBI said. He then went to a restroom, where he hid, and then eventually took out the weapon and started shooting, investigators said. A knife was also found on him when he was arrested.

According to investigators, the suspect enrolled at Apalachee High on Aug. 14, and between Aug. 14 and the day of the shooting, he was absent for nine days of school.

The family told CBS News that the suspect’s maternal grandmother had visited the school the day before the massacre to discuss the suspect’s alleged behavioral issues. 

The suspect has been charged as an adult with four counts of murder, and District Attorney Brad Smith has said more charges are likely to be filed against him in connection with the wounded. Authorities have also charged his father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, alleging that he gave his son access to the gun when he knew or should have known that the teen was a danger to himself and others.

The 13,000 students at Barrow County’s other schools returned to class Tuesday. The 1,900 students who attend Apalachee are supposed to start returning the week of Sept. 23, officials said Friday.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

Pope says Trump, Harris are both “against life”

Avatar

Published

on


Pope says Trump, Harris are both “against life” – CBS News


Watch CBS News



Speaking to reporters Friday, Pope Francis made clear he doesn’t agree with former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, or Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance on abortion.

Be the first to know

Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.




Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

9/13: CBS News Weekender – CBS News

Avatar

Published

on


9/13: CBS News Weekender – CBS News


Watch CBS News



Lana Zak has the latest on Boeing factory workers going on strike for the first time in 16 years, an update from the Starliner astronauts still on the International Space Station, and how you can combat election anxiety.

Be the first to know

Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.




Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024 Breaking MN

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.