July 31 — K-Fed continues court battle with Britney Spears for more money

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Today’s 7 after 7 for top news, fashion and entertainment headlines. Here are the ‘Hotness In The News’ stories to know today and make small talk, better.

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HEADLINE – Tuesday July 31

LEBRON JAMES. The LeBron James Family Foundation in partnership with Akron Public Schools opened the I Promise School, a public school for 240 at-risk 3rd & 4th graders on Monday. Basketball superstar Lebron James who grew up in Akron was on hand for the opening. The school will run from 9-5 July through May and more grades will be added over time. Partners at the school includes Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., providing mentors and sponsoring STEM programs, Project LEARN, a nonprofit offering GED classes for adults. Through his remarks he talked about the why and also how “I know exactly what these 240 kids are going through,” he said. “I know the ups the downs. I know everything they dream about. I know all the nightmares they have, because I’ve been there.” He also sat down with CNN’s Don Lemon to talk about the divisiveness of Trump using sports to…..Read more

MORE NEWS

• Paul Manafort’s trial jury selection is underway in Virginia. The lobbyist, who reportedly made $60 million working for Ukraine is accused of tax evasion and bank fraud. According to a report, the trial may “produce politically damaging headlines for the Mr Trump, as the dealings of a man who ran his presidential campaign for three months are picked over in public.”

• In Chicago news: The family of Maurice Granton Jr. are filing a wrongful death against the city and CPD arguing that the unharmed man shot by “officers conducting a drug investigation on June 6” did not pose a threat. Did a recent report by Shia Kapos in Politico cause former ABC7 reporter Charles Thomas to quit his WVON gig? Thomas cited the need to get his life back from early morning commute but just last week, according to Feder, Kapos reported on the connection between Thomas’ co-host Maze Jackson and Gov. Rauner. Congratulations are in order to Chicagoan Gina Rodriguez who is reportedly engaged to her BF Joe LoCicero. She flashed a diamond ring on Insta as they shared pics from their family vacay in Tulum. An ex cop who worked for a marketing firm is behind the rigging of McDonalds’ monopoly game that went on to involve psychics, mobsters and more in this investigative report that surely needs to be made into a movie.

• Collusion is not a crime. That’s what president Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on TV as he continues to maybe possibly dig a deeper hole for his client in this Russian election meddling, maybe corruption, maybe lots of lies investigation. Giuliani initially appeared on CNN to deny the president was present at the infamous Trump tower meeting that Micheal Cohen is saying Trump Sr had knowledge of. Then Giuliani goes on Fox news and keeps talking and shares some info about a meeting that happened before the Trump Tower one with the likes of Manafort, Rick Gates in attendance. “Why are you saying that the president wasn’t at the meeting?” “Who asked if he was there? No one asked if he was there.” Wheew chile!

ENTERTAINMENT

• Award winning veteran actor Alan Alda revealed he is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, a diagnosis he received about three years ago. He decided to go public with it, as shared on CBS, so they don’t write a story from a sad POV on him which is not where he’s at. He is functioning aside from a thumb twitch. Speaking of CBS, they are sticking with CEO Les Moonves at the moment.
• Spike Lee’s headline making Cannes award winning film BlacKkKlansmanmade its NY premiere Monday night with stars Laura Harrier, Zosia Mamet more in attendance. The Spike Lee film set in the 1970s follows African-American detective Ron Stallworth, played by John David Washington, in Colorado Springs, Colorado who infiltrates the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan and becomes head of the chapter.

FASHION

• Menswear brand Corneliani to debut its e-commerce site in the US as continues the push to reach consumers stateside in the direct-to-consumer arena. Naomi Campbell kinda sorta went public with her relationship with rapper Skepta last year via a GQ cover. We haven’t heard much from/about the two since they were in Lagos, Nigeria in April but Skepta just revealed a sonogram of “baby Adenuga” and we’ve not heard reports Campbell is with child, sooo what’s good? Did Vogue/Conde Nast really give Beyonce unprecedented control of its September issue cover? Remember last week HITN mentioned she is set to appear on the cover and it might be Anna Wintour’s last issue, well HuffPo has more details.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”― Leo Tolstoy