Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) surprised the crowd at AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday night, taking the stage during Chris Brown and Usher&#8217;s joint &#8220;R&amp;B Tour&#8221; to formally recognize both artists&#8217; careers in the U.S. Congressional Record.
Crockett appeared on stage alongside Texas state Rep. Venton Jones and producer Roccstar, telling the crowd she &#8220;couldn&#8217;t miss&#8221; the hometown show. She said the honor was meant to permanently document both singers&#8217; decades of influence on R&amp;B music and entertainment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jasmine Crockett honors Chris Brown and Usher with an official entry into the U.S. Congressional Record recognizing their artistry. <a href="https://t.co/PHXolnMisI">pic.twitter.com/PHXolnMisI</a>
— Pop Base (@PopBase) <a href="https://x.com/PopBase/status/2099208711507964340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Brown embraced Crockett after the announcement, thanking Dallas-area fans for their support. Crockett also worked in a swipe at Washington, telling the audience there are &#8220;a few scammers&#8221; in the capital compared with the &#8220;real one&#8221; standing on stage.
The gesture drew immediate pushback online, largely tied to Brown&#8217;s 2009 felony conviction for assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, for which he pleaded guilty and served probation. Critics circulated posts accusing Crockett of hypocrisy, noting she has previously criticized fellow Texas Democrat James Talarico&#8217;s standing with Black voters while publicly celebrating a musician with a domestic violence record. Crockett&#8217;s office had not responded to the criticism as of Sunday.
Brown and Usher launched the co-headlining &#8220;R&amp;B Tour&#8221; — a name nodding to both the genre and the performers&#8217; shared initials — in June, and the run has generated a series of viral clips beyond Saturday&#8217;s political cameo, including audience interactions during both artists&#8217; sets.
Crockett, who represents Texas&#8217;s 30th Congressional District, lost the state&#8217;s Democratic Senate primary to Talarico in March by an eight-point margin.

Goldman Lawyer Tells Congress Her Epstein Emails Were Misread

Jasmine Crockett Honors Domestic Abuser In Official Congressional Record

chris brown

congressional record

domestic violence

jasmine crockett

texas

usher

The Trump administration is moving to claw back tens of millions of dollars in pandemic relief that went to celebrities, music artists, and entertainment industry elites.
The Small Business Administration announced Tuesday that it has referred $34 million in outstanding Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) debt to the Treasury Department, marking the first time the federal government has referred unresolved debt from the program to the Treasury for collection.
The move is part of a broader effort by SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler to recover pandemic-era funds that the agency says were improperly awarded or remain outstanding. 
“Under the Biden Administration, the SVOG program became one of the biggest cash-grabs of the pandemic,” Loeffler said in a statement first obtained by The Daily Wire. “For the last year, the Trump SBA has been working to recoup funds meant for struggling small arts and entertainment businesses that ended up lining the pockets of celebrities, music artists, and elite talent agents.”
“Today’s $34 million referral to the Treasury Department is only the first one,” she added, saying the agency will continue using “every lawful tool to claw back unmerited SVOG payments.”
The Treasury referral comes after recipients failed to resolve outstanding repayment obligations through the SBA’s debt-resolution process. The $34 million figure includes principal, applicable administrative costs, and accrued interest. The Biden administration never referred the outstanding SVOG debts to the Treasury for collection, according to the SBA.
The SVOG program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide emergency assistance to live venue operators, promoters, theatrical producers, performing arts organizations, museums, movie theaters, and talent representatives whose businesses were affected by pandemic-related shutdowns and revenue losses.
Congress authorized $16.25 billion for the program, with individual applicants eligible for grants of up to $10 million. 
But the program ultimately became a source of millions of dollars in federal aid for some of the entertainment industry&#8217;s wealthiest names. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-chris-brown-covid-relief-funds-svog-grant-2024-12">Business Insider</a> previously reported that musicians including Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello, Steve Aoki, and members of Alice in Chains received millions of dollars through the program.
Lil Wayne&#8217;s touring company received an $8.9 million grant. Records reviewed by Business Insider showed that more than $1.3 million was spent on private-jet flights and more than $460,000 on clothing and accessories, while nearly $88,000 was charged to taxpayers for a concert the rapper did not ultimately perform.
Chris Brown&#8217;s touring company received $10 million, with approximately $5.1 million going to Brown personally. His company also charged nearly $80,000 to the grant for his birthday party.
Marshmello received $9.9 million, while Steve Aoki&#8217;s touring company received millions more. Business Insider reported that Aoki&#8217;s company used approximately $1.9 million of its grant for officer pay.
The program&#8217;s rules allowed recipients to spend grant money on a broad range of authorized business expenses, including payroll and owner compensation. That meant wealthy artists could qualify through corporate entities connected to their touring operations even if they personally possessed substantial assets, provided their businesses met the program&#8217;s eligibility requirements.
The grants were intended to help keep struggling businesses in the live entertainment industry afloat during the pandemic, when venues and performances were shut down across the country.
Instead, critics have pointed to instances in which large sums flowed to already wealthy entertainers and their business managers.
The SBA now says it is attempting to recover money it determined was improperly awarded or remains subject to repayment.
The agency began issuing rescission and demand letters to SVOG recipients in June 2025. Those recipients were given opportunities to appeal the agency&#8217;s determinations or enter repayment agreements before the SBA pursued additional collection measures.
The agency says it has recovered more than $50 million through voluntary and involuntary payments since the Trump administration began its recovery effort.
The SBA said additional referrals could follow as it continues reviewing outstanding awards and resolving recipients&#8217; repayment obligations. The SBA&#8217;s Office of Inspector General identified approximately $544 million in potentially improper SVOG payments. It also found that 2,590 awards worth approximately $4.8 billion remained open more than a year after they were supposed to have been closed out.
A separate 2025 inspector general report found that 1,080 SVOG grants remained open as of May 2025, meaning the agency had not yet fully accounted for how the funds were used. Roughly two-thirds of those recipients had either failed to submit required audits or failed to respond to questions about their use of the funds.
The program&#8217;s problems began almost immediately after Congress authorized the grants.
In 2021, amid pressure from lawmakers to get money out to struggling entertainment businesses as quickly as possible, the Biden administration directed SBA personnel to “presume applicant assertions to be true” and expedited the review of applications under $500,000. As many as two-thirds of approved applicants were reportedly on the Treasury Department&#8217;s Do Not Pay List. The SBA says its current effort is intended to restore accountability and ensure that pandemic-relief programs do not become a permanent loss for taxpayers.

Untitled design (4)

EXCLUSIVE: A-Listers Got $34 Million In COVID Relief, The Trump Admin Is Trying To Get It Back

covid19 pandemic relief

kelly loeffler

lil wayne

politics

small business administration

Recording artist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/chris-brown">Chris Brown</a> is suing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/warner-bros">Warner Bros.</a> for $500 million, accusing them of unfairly painting him as an “abuser” with the airing of the docuseries “Chris Brown: A History of Violence.”
The project in question aired on Investigation Discovery in October. Brown, 35, filed the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lawsuit">lawsuit</a> for the alleged offenses of defamation-libel and infliction of emotional distress through the content of the program, per <a href="https://people.com/chris-brown-sues-warner-bros-for-500-million-over-docuseries-says-he-was-falsely-labeled-as-an-abuser-8778289">People</a>.
“A History of Violence” included interviews with multiple women who claimed to have been abused by Brown. One woman identified as Jane Doe claims to have been raped by the recording artist in 2000.
&#8220;This case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth,&#8221; the lawsuit says. The document also asserts that Warner Bros. allowed the project to go forward, &#8220;knowing that it was full of lies and deception and violating journalistic principles.&#8221;
The filing mentions Doe specifically, saying her claims were already &#8220;discredited.” The document says she is &#8220;perpetrator of intimate partner violence and aggressor herself.&#8221; Brown claims Doe originally accused him of assaulting her on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht in 2022, but those charges were dismissed after a Miami Beach Police officer discovered text messages sent by Doe &#8220;that exposed her dishonesty,&#8221; the filing states.
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The lawsuit mentions that despite Brown never being convicted of sex crimes, he’s painted as a &#8220;serial rapist&#8221; and &#8220;sexual abuser.&#8221; The docuseries also reported that Brown smashed a window at Good Morning America in 2011, allegedly threw a brick through his mother’s windscreen in 2013, and punched a female fan in 2016. He was also accused of verbal and physical abuse and making death threats by his ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, per <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jan/22/chris-brown-sues-warner-sexual-assault-allegations-documentary-history-of-violence">The Guardian</a>.
Brown was sued by his ex-manager for assault in 2016 and settled out of court. In July 2024, four concert attendees claimed Brown and his entourage “attacked and brutally beat” them after the show. That case is still pending.
The lawsuit also mentions the harm caused by the docuseries after Brown spent years trying to rehabilitate his image. In 2009, the rapper was charged with assault and making criminal threats by his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, following an altercation they had before the Grammy Awards. Brown pleaded guilty in June of that year and accepted a plea deal of community labor, five years probation, and domestic violence counseling, the outlet noted.
&#8220;Mr. Brown has grown from those experiences, and his evolution speaks for itself,&#8221; the lawsuit states. &#8220;This new production ignores that growth, choosing instead to repackage stale accusations while amplifying them with demonstrable falsehoods.&#8221;

Chris Brown

Chris Brown Sues Warner Bros. For $500M, Saying Doc Made Him Look Like Abuser

Celebrities

entertainment

lawsuit

Rap Music

U.S.

warner bros

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/musician">Music industry</a> celebs Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Marshmello, and others are being accused of misusing funds distributed during the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID</a> pandemic meant to help struggling artists survive ongoing shutdowns.
An extensive <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-chris-brown-covid-relief-funds-svog-grant-2024-12">report</a> from Business Insider noted that these musicians applied for and received funds after President Donald Trump signed the grant into law in 2020. Other musicians and groups mentioned in the report include Alice in Chains, Shinedown, hip hop duo Rae Sremmerd, and Steve Aoki.
The Shuttered Venue Operations Grant (SVOG) allowed artists to collect up to $10 million to cover “ordinary and necessary” expenses. As part of the agreement, they were required to make a good-faith statement to the Small Business Administration and show that their companies had lost a minimum of 25% of revenue between one quarter in 2019 and the same quarter in 2020, the outlet noted.
The report accused Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Carter Jr., of accepting $8.9 million through the SVOG and spending $1.3 million on private jets, more than $460,000 on designer clothes, and $2.14 million to pay a debt he owed to his former manager. He also stands accused of spending more than $175,000 on a music festival promoting his marijuana brand, GKUA.
BI alleged that Brown collected $10 million for his company, CBE Touring. From that, the rapper reportedly paid himself $5.1 million. He also reportedly used $80,000 to host his birthday party. 
Marshmello, whose real name is Christopher Comstock, was approved for a $9.9 million grant, the outlet noted. That money was allegedly all given to him as salary, which was permitted under grant conditions because it did not exceed the amount of money he made the previous year.
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DJ and record producer Aoki’s company, DJ Kid Millionaire Touring, allegedly spent $2.4 million of their approved grant money on payroll, including a $1.9 million chunk for Aoki himself. 
Shinedown band members reportedly took $8.3 million total and split $2.5 million three ways to pay themselves. Rae Sremmurd allegedly took $7.7 million in all.
The outlet noted that 13,000 groups received money from SVOG. The SVOG <a href="https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/shuttered-venue-operators-grant/about-svog">website</a> says the program included more than $16 billion in grants. Originally, musicians weren’t eligible for the grants, but that decision was later changed.
As of Thursday, none of the artists mentioned in the article had responded to requests for comment or publicly discussed the accusations.

Lil Wayne

Rappers, Musicians Accused Of Using COVID Grants For Private Jets And Parties: Report

COVID

music industry

R&amp;B singer Chris Brown, 33, who has a history of domestic violence, precipitated outrage when he grabbed former Love Island star Natalia Zoppa by the throat during his live show this week.
Zoppa reacted to public criticism of the move by defending Brown.
“Why are people assuming the worst?” she told <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11870303/Love-Island-star-left-hot-collar-gets-steamy-serenade-Chris-Brown-stage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mail Online</a>. “It&#8217;s actually annoying. I loved every minute of it. I&#8217;ve seen previous dances he&#8217;s done, and I knew what the routine was. I was more than happy to participate. He barely even grabbed me.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Why does Chris Brown think this is OK? Singer holds Love Island star by the throat in lap dance at his Manchester gig <a href="https://t.co/NJYw65k7rQ">https://t.co/NJYw65k7rQ</a>
&mdash; Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) <a href="https://twitter.com/MailOnline/status/1636656143723380736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Brown’s critics bashed him with comments like these:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">She may be a Love Island star but she doesn&#8217;t look comfortable with it. Why do women pay to go and watch him?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">It looked hideous. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">This is so unpleasant to watch. Even the fact that she’s on a stage with him doesn’t stop her obvious discomfort &#8211; as she puts her hand up to his as it encircles her throat. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe I should mind my own business but, why would you want Chris Brown of all people putting his hands on your throat after what he did to Rihanna[?] </li>
</ul>
Brown assaulted his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, in 2009 in an attack that left her in a hospital. Last month, he berated his critics, claiming he was 17 at the time of the attack, <a href="https://twitter.com/Glock_Topickz/status/1626649287114252288?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writing</a>: &#8220;If yall still hate me for a mistake I made as a 17 year old please kiss my whole entire a**! I&#8217;m f***ing 33! I&#8217;m so tired of yall running with this narrative &#8230; You weird a** n****s are the same ones that tune in every week to see Blueface and Chrisean beat the f*** out each other in front [of] the world.&#8221;
&#8220;But that&#8217;s OK? It&#8217;s entertainment?&#8221; he continued. &#8220;All yall can suck my d*** disrespectfully &#8230; Where are the cancel culture with these white artist that date underage women, beat the f*** out their wives, giving b****** AIDS &#8230; Oh. That&#8217;s right &#8230; they are your buddies 😏. No more fake love from me &#8230; Stay out my way or get [run] over simple as that! None of you and I mean none of you n****s can f*** with me.&#8221;
Blueface <a href="https://hiphopdx.com/news/blueface-chris-brown-beat-up-wrong-bitch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a>, “I’m not even going to trip on you ‘cause the message you trying to send is way off. I get it, you know — she hit me, it’s funny, I hit her back, it’s f*** Blueface. So, I totally get it. That be the most irritating thing ever. But, you gotta play the cards that you was dealt.”
“My last opinion is: ‘Cuz, you beat up the wrong b****!” he continued. “I got a b****, she gon’ fight back; so I’ma get less time, you feel me? You beat up the b**** that just performed at the Super Bowl!”

NETHERLANDS-US-MUSIC

‘After What He Did To Rihanna’: Chris Brown Slammed For Grabbing Love Island Star By The Throat

Chris Brown Slammed For Grabbing Love Island Star By The Throat

Rihanna