MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A year ago, the estate overseeing the affairs of the late Minneapolis rock star Prince said they would not give President Trump permission to play any Prince music at any campaign event.
When Trump appeared in Minneapolis Thursday night, the song “Purple Rain” could clearly be heard playing from speakers prior to the arrival of the evening’s speakers.
Because of that, the Twitter account for Prince brought receipts, and tweeted that, “President Trump played Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs.”
The tweet contained a photo of a letter confirming that nearly one year ago to date, the campaign promised to “not use Prince’s music in connection with its activities going forward.”
President Trump played Prince’s “Purple Rain” tonight at a campaign event in Minneapolis despite confirming a year ago that the campaign would not use Prince’s music. The Prince Estate will never give permission to President Trump to use Prince’s songs. pic.twitter.com/FuMUPzSWOe
Reckless driving caused the California crash last month that injured actor and comedian Kevin Hart and two other people, the state highway patrol said in a report released Thursday.
Jared Stanton Black was driving Hart’s 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when it rolled into a ditch early Sept. 1 in Malibu, according to the California Highway Patrol. Hart suffered back injuries, authorities have said.
Hart’s production company has said that Hart underwent back surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
The performer doesn’t expect to return to work full time until early next year, assuming everything stays on track with his physical therapy, his attorney, Andrew Brettler, said.
Kevin Hart visits “Sway In the Morning” on “Shade 45” with host Sway Calloway at SiriusXM Studios in New York City.Roy Rochlin / Getty Images file
The cause of the crash was determined to be reckless driving, which is defined under state law as “a person who drives a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property is guilty of reckless driving,” the report says.
While turning, the driver “quickly accelerated,” which caused the right rear tire of the muscle car to break traction and resulted in a loss of control, the agency said. The car hit a tapered curb and a vinyl fence before going down the embankment and hitting a tree, according to the CHP report.
“I have nothing but love for Jared and wish him and Rebecca a speedy recovery,” Hart said in a statement through his attorney, referring to the driver and the other passenger, Rebecca Kathleen Broxterman.
Diana Dasrath
Diana Dasrath is Entertainment Producer and Senior Reporter for NBC News covering all platforms.
Andrew Blankstein
Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers the Western United States, specializing in crime, courts and homeland security.
Donald Trump played “Purple Rain” at a rally in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis Thursday night, violating a legal agreement made with the late musician’s estate last year. In a short statement posted to Prince’s Twitter, representatives from his estate said that Trump’s usage of the song violated an agreement made last year that Trump’s campaign would not use any of Prince’s music. They also posted the letter confirming the agreement, which is dated October 15, 2018. Read the letter in full below.
Asheville Citizen Times Published 11:05 p.m. ET Oct. 10, 2019 | Updated 11:05 p.m. ET Oct. 10, 2019
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In light of the recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City, here are five facts you need to know about the disease. USA TODAY
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – State health officials have confirmed a second death in an outbreak of Legionella bacteria that has infected more than 100 people who attended a North Carolina fair last month.
Officials with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Public Health confirmed 134 cases of Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac Fever in people who attended the 2019 N.C. Mountain State Fair, which took place Sept. 6-15 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher.
Eighty-eight people have been hospitalized.
Personal information, including the victims’ location of residence, ages and genders, was not released.
“We send our sincerest condolences to the families of the two people who have died and to all those who have been affected by this outbreak,” said Dr. Zack Moore, state epidemiologist. “Legionnaires’ disease is a serious illness which can lead to complications and death, especially in older individuals or those with underlying conditions.”
While officials have not yet confirmed a source for the deadly bacteria, officials have pointed to a hot tub display as the most likely culprit.
“The preliminary epidemiologic and environmental findings suggest that exposure to Legionellabacteria occurred in the Davis Event Center of the WNC Ag Center, particularly near the hot tubs and during the last five days of the fair,” the health department release stated.
Hot tubs are a well-established source of aerosolized water exposure and have been associated with previous Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks nationally and internationally.
“These results highlight the importance of caring for and maintaining equipment that can aerosolize water,” according to the release. “There were no other significant sources of aerosolized water at the WNC Ag Center and no other ongoing potential sources of exposure identified.”
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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau appealed to francophones concerned about climate change to elect a Liberal government “full of Quebecers” and defeat the Conservatives during the final debate of the election campaign, in an attempt to beat back a surging Bloc Québécois that could threaten a Liberal majority.
The debate, which took place in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday evening, was the second French-language debate of the campaign. The only English-language debate featuring Trudeau took place on Monday.
Thursday’s debate was a far cry from Monday’s, which was dominated by personal attacks and crosstalk. The leaders were in general much better behaved on Thursday, though Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Trudeau did exchange barbs.
Climate change and pipelines dominated the first part of the debate, with Trudeau claiming that his government “has done more already than any other government in the history of the country to protect the environment and fight climate change.” He took aim at Scheer, urging voters to cast their ballots for the Liberals and avoid a government of “Conservatives who want to do nothing.” But he also targeted Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, who is positioning his party as the only one that will defend Quebec’s environmental values.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, left, and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer take part in a French-language leaders debate in Gatineau, Que. on Oct. 10, 2019. Chris Wattie/The Canadian Press
“What we saw in 2015 is that Quebecers chose to be part of the government, and that’s what ended 10 years of (former prime minister Stephen) Harper,” he said. “And now that the Bloc wants to regain a place and consign Quebecers once more to opposition, Quebecers have to reflect very clearly. Do they want to be part of a government that will continue to fight climate change, to work hand-in-hand with Quebecers on common priorities? That’s exactly what we’ve been doing for four years, and it’s what we will continue to do.”
However, Trudeau also took heat on his environmental platform, when he was asked whether a Liberal government could impose a pipeline on Quebec. Though Trudeau didn’t give a decisive answer, he did say a pipeline through Quebec would be preferable to transporting more oil by rail.
Throughout the campaign, Scheer has received criticism in Quebec for his proposed national energy corridor, which would transport oil, gas and other natural resources across the country. The project is unpopular in Quebec. People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier also supports a new pipeline through Quebec.
But Trudeau’s equivocation gave NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh a chance to paint his opponents with the same brush. “I think I can sum up the situation,” he said. “For the viewers, here is Mr. Pipeline, here is Mr. Pipeline again, and Mr. Trudeau I think is also Mr. Pipeline. I am Jagmeet Singh. I will never impose a pipeline on Quebec.”
Scheer attacked Trudeau repeatedly, at one point using an exchange on the Liberals’ fiscal record to criticize his handling of the SNC-Lavalin controversy, calling him a “compulsive liar.” During a section on foreign affairs, Scheer mocked Trudeau for his disastrous trip to India in 2018.
Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took aim at Trudeau over his record on Indigenous issues, particularly the Liberal government’s recent decision to appeal a ruling from the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordering the government to compensate Indigenous children discriminated against by the child welfare system.
But Trudeau, Scheer and Singh all turned their sights on Blanchet as well, as all three parties are losing ground to the Bloc in Quebec. Scheer accused Blanchet of hypocrisy for aligning himself with Quebec’s right-leaning CAQ government, a change for a party traditionally linked to the sovereigntist Parti Québécois. The Conservatives had hoped to benefit from the popularity of Premier François Legault’s government, but nationalist voters seem to be flocking to the Bloc instead.
“You pretend to be Legault’s best friend, but be honest. After the election, what party are you going to work for?” he asked, suggesting Blanchet’s allegiance remains with the Parti Québécois.
After the election, what party are you going to work for?
Earlier Thursday, Blanchet had to apologize for four of his candidates who have previously made comments or shared articles on social media attacking Islam. The posts were revealed by the Journal de Montréal. “I was very unhappy about this, I asked for apologies from the candidates and none of them hesitated to apologize,” Blanchet told reporters ahead of the debate. He has not asked the four candidates to step down.
The Bloc’s surge in Quebec is increasing the likelihood of a minority government, as the Liberals and Conservatives have both counted on picking up seats in the province.
Polls suggest Singh won Monday’s English-language debate, but the party is facing a near-complete collapse in Quebec, and may struggle to hold onto any of its seats in the province.
This was the first French-language debate for May and Bernier, who were not invited to the TVA debate because their parties have never won seats in Quebec.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May take part in a French-language leaders debate in Gatineau, Que. on Oct. 10, 2019. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
May, whose French is weak, delivered several impassioned speeches on the environment, claiming only the Green Party has a realistic plan to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Bernier spent much of the debate focusing on his promise to eliminate corporate welfare, going so far as to tell an elderly woman who had asked about support for seniors that he could do nothing for her other than to balance the budget in two years.
The Liberals hold 40 of Quebec’s 78 seats, while the NDP holds 14, the Conservatives have 11 and the Bloc Québécois has 10. Bernier won his seat in the Beauce as a Conservative in 2015, and is now trying to hold onto it as leader of the People’s Party. Polls suggest he is in a tight race with the Conservative candidate in the riding.
TORONTO — As the six federal party leaders met in Gatineau, Que., for the official French-language debate, it was their last chance to make their mark on a national stage before election day.
Here are five notable moments from the final federal leaders’ debate:
‘MR. PIPELINE’
During a segment on environment and energy, the leaders were divided into two groups of three to respond to the moderator’s questions.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer and People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier were joined together for a question on bringing a pipeline through Quebec.
Singh, notably the only one of the three who is adamantly against building pipelines in Canada, launched a quip deriding both leaders:
“I think I can sum the situation up here for viewers: this is Mr. Pipeline and this is Mr. Pipeline too, and Mr. Trudeau, I’m not so sure, but I’m Jagmeet Singh, I will never force a pipeline on Quebec — that is clear.”
Later in the debate, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet made a dig at the Trudeau government for spending billions to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline but not enough money to give all First Nations clean drinking water.
BERNIER ONCE AGAIN DENIES CLIMATE EMERGENCY
While Green Party Leader Elizabeth May stated several times during the debate that the planet is under a climate emergency and urgent action is required, Bernier once again denied such an issue.
When asked why he ignores the scientific consensus on climate change and instead refers to a handful of fringe reports on climate change, Bernier reiterated that more climate research needs to be conducted before a conclusion can be made.
“We shouldn’t propagate fear about an emergency that doesn’t exist,” he said. “It should be grounded in truth and reality. There should be more studies and there are some studies on the impact of the sun on climate change. Most of the studies to date have been on the impact of CO2 and Ms. May is right, they are the Paris targets, but unfortunately, they will destroy the economy.”
TRUDEAU SLAMS FORD OVER FRANCOPHONE CUTS
When asked about services the federal party leaders would provide to Francophone Canadians, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau took the opportunity to slam Ontario Premier Doug Ford over cuts to Ontario’s French-speaking people.
Notably, Ford axed plans for a French-language university in the Greater Toronto Area in 2018, though support for the project has re-emerged. Ford also downgraded Ontario’s independent watchdog on French-language services.
“You’ll remember, like me, what Mr. Ford has done since he’s came to power. He’s cut services to Francophones even though he said he’s going to help that community when he was going to be elected,” Trudeau said.
“He said he was going to be ‘for the people,’ but he made cuts. We have defended Francophone minorities in Ontario and across the country and we will continue to do that.”
POWERFUL QUESTION ON ASSISTED DEATH
A woman with multiple sclerosis was among the Canadians who had a chance to ask the leaders a question during the debate. She told them she is in serious pain and suffers from bed sores. She asked the leaders about the Quebec court decision on assisted dying and whether the leaders support the judgment, which said the existing law is too restrictive.
In their answers, all leaders thanked the woman for sharing her story and shining a spotlight on the issue.
Debate moderator Patrice Roy told the woman she is very courageous, and she received applause from the audience as the segment wrapped up.
BLANCHET DESCRIBES HIGH-SPEED RAIL AS ‘SASQUATCH’
When asked about a maligned high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Toronto, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet compared the project to a mystical beast.
“That train is the Sasquatch, it’s a yeti, we always speak about it, but never see it,” he said. “I don’t think that train is going to depart anytime soon.”
In July, a report from Via Rail revealed the project would cost $4.4 billion, but would make more financial sense if it axed the $1.14-billion stretch from Montreal to Quebec City.
