Entertainment
Alleged mastermind behind Young Dolph’s killing is 2nd to stand trial in Memphis shooting
The trial of a man charged with organizing the daytime ambush killing of rapper Young Dolph at a Memphis bakery in November 2021 began on Monday.
Hernandez Govan, 45, faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted murder. He is not accused of shooting Young Dolph, but prosecutors claim he directed the two people who did. He rejected the state’s offer to settle with a guilty plea last month, CBS affiliate WREG reported.
Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, independent label owner and producer who grew up in Memphis and was admired in the city for his charitable works. The 36-year-old was in his hometown to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when his visit to his favorite cookie shop turned into an attack that shocked the entertainment world.
Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP, Pool
City officials and community activists pointed to the killing as a symbol of the dangers of gun violence in Memphis, where more than 300 homicides were reported that year.
Memphis prosecutors have portrayed the killing as part an effort by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims to get revenge on Young Dolph for diss tracks aimed at Big Jook and the record label he helped run for his brother, Yo Gotti.
Big Jook was shot and killed outside a restaurant earlier this year.
Testifying against Govan on Monday was Cornelius Smith Jr., who has admitted to being one of the two shooters who ambushed Young Dolph. Smith previously was the main witness against Justin Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2024 after Smith named him as the second shooter. Smith had previously testified that Big Jook put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph, as well as smaller bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire.
Smith is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder but has pleaded not guilty and does not yet have a trial date. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in September 2024. He was later sentenced for two other convictions from the trial: conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Smith testified on Monday that “I didn’t know anything about Paper Route having no hits,” before Govan told him about them. He said Govan hired him to “do the hits” and was going to take $10,000 as his cut. Govan was also the person who told him and Johnson that Young Dolph would be in Memphis for the volunteer event, so “that’s our opportunity,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, Govan’s defense attorney, Manny Arora, tried to paint Smith as an unreliable witness who would say anything to try to get a lighter sentence.
Arora pointed to previous testimony where Smith recalled a chance encounter with Big Jook. At the time, Smith implied that Big Jook was the person who hired him. After Smith was arrested, his attorney called Big Jook’s attorney and received somewhere between $38,000 and $50,000 in cash. Smith said Monday that he did not know who had supplied the money.
Smith also testified that he previously heard that Govan might be working with the FBI. Arora asked why Smith would take a job from Govan if that were the case. Smith said that Govan was “innocent until proven guilty.”
Young Dolph began his career by releasing numerous mixtapes. His studio albums include his 2016 debut, “King of Memphis.” He also collaborated on other mixtapes and albums with fellow rappers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and others. Young Dolph had three albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with 2020′s “Rich Slave” peaking at No. 4.
He was among the musical stars that The Grammy Awards paid tribute to during its memoriam segment at the 2022 awards.
In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Carlisa Brown, Young Dolph’s sister, called her brother’s killing a “very senseless murder” and added that his family wants everyone involved to get the justice they deserve.
The attack that killed the rapper wasn’t the first time he was targeted. In 2017, Young Dolph was approached by three men and shot over “beef,” according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was critically injured but survived. Earlier that same year, he was involved in another shooting, where at least 100 bullets were fired at his SUV.
A ceremonial welcome finally happened at the White House as Donald Trump and Melania Trump greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla at the South Portico.
The royal tour coincides with celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary an occasion rooted in the nation’s independence from Britain.
Both the leaders and their spouses gathered for tea, seated together over a carefully arranged spread that included finger sandwiches, cakes, and honey.
The first lady was wese into a butter-yellow outfit designed by Adam Lippes, while the Queen opted for an elegant white chiffon dress adorned with black beaded embroidery by Anna Valentine.
Newly released images show the King and Queen in conversation with the Trump’s standing before a striking painting that portrays the president in the aftermath of the July 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Norway has joined the Type 26 frigates project with Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom in a bid to enhance its naval capabilities and build a formidable naval force for any future conflict.
The Global Combat Ship User Group Charter, overseeing the development, construction and operation of frigates formally welcomed the Royal Norwegian Navy into the team.
The group is building 34 world-class warships for the four states, including Type 26 frigates for Norway and the UK, the River-class frigates for Canada and the Hunter-class frigates for Australia.
The multi-billion-dollar project was initiated in the early 2010s; however, it saw real progress in 2017, gaining momentum after the UK began construction.
Norway was invited to sign the charter around a year ago and now the Kingdom has officially joined the partnership.
Norway wants to procure five Type 26 frigates to enhance its navy’s defensive capabilities in the Atlantic and Europe’s northern flank. The country already operates eight identical warships.
Commodore Stephen Roberts, the Senior Responsible Owner for the UK Type 26 frigate programme, welcomed Norway to the program and said, “Our strategic maritime security partnership with allies is further strengthened by Norway’s inclusion in the wider GCS enterprise alongside our Canadian and Australian partners.”
Captain Alexander Erichsen, Chief Fleet Programme for the Royal Norwegian Navy said that enhanced security cooperation and aligning the designs of frigates will strengthen interoperability and collective security measures across allied navies.
Entertainment
Trump calls for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over jokes made before White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting
President Trump on Mondaycalled for comedian Jimmy Kimmel to be fired Monday over jokes the late-night host made days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
The president’s call for Kimmel’s firing came after hours after first lady Melania Trump, in a rare statement, called the jokes “hateful and violent rhetoric.”
On his show on Thursday, Kimmel said he was taking “a page from the Kid Rock alternative half-time show” and created a mock correspondents’ dinner, which has featured comedians in the past but this year was set to feature mentalist Oz Pearlman. In the skit, Kimmel referred to Melania Trump as having a “glow like an expectant widow.”
Mr. Trump called the joke a “call to violence.”
“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Monday. “Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.”
The first lady had said that ABC should “take a stand” against Kimmel.
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America,” Melania Trump posted on social media. “People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate. A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him.”
Melania Trump was sitting next to Mr. Trump on Saturday at the correspondents’ dinner when gunshots rang out and they were evacuated from the ballroom. No one was injured and the suspected gunman, Cole Allen, was tackled and taken into custody. He is set to appear in federal court on Monday.
CBS News has reached out to ABC for comment.
Kimmel was pulled from the air for several nights in September after being criticized by conservatives, including Mr. Trump, for his remarks in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination. Kimmel had said that America “hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Kimmel did not issue a blanket apology for the remarks, but he did say he could see how they were offensive to some. When he returned to the air on Sept. 23, he said it was “not my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual,” referring to the alleged gunman, who is in custody pending trial.
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