Happy Monday! Kick-off the work week catching up on everything you missed over the weekend.
1. Diddy has changed his name again. The hip hop mogul celebrated his 48th birthday by changing his name to Brother Love. He announced in a video, “I’m just not who I am before. I’m something different. So my new name is Love aka Brother Love. I will not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, or any of my other monikers.” (Instagram)
2. A 5-year-old is reportedly among those killed in the Texas church massacre. A gunman, 26-year-old Devin P. Kelley, opened fire during Sunday service at a church in Sutherland Springs, killing at least 26. Details are unraveling, including the names of victims whose ages range from 5 to 72-years-old. (BuzzFeed News)
3. Lil Kim has opened up about the time Biggie pulled a gun on her. The rapper stopped by HOT 97’s “Ebro in the Morning,” where she said that Jermaine Dupri’s story wasn’t exactly how it went down, but admitted that she and Biggie had a “very violent relationship.” (Vibe)
4. Gun death rates went up for the second year in a row, along with an increase in drug overdoses. The CDC reports that suicide makes up two-thirds of gun deaths, however homicides ballooned from 9,600 in 2015 to 11,000 in 2016. The report also shows that deaths from drug overdoses have increased, which is driven by America’s ongoing opioid crisis. (Fortune)
5. Paris Jackson has suggested that the ghost of her father, Michael Jackson, made Wendy Williams faint. Jackson tweeted Thursday, “Looks like someone from above had enough of her bullshit and decided to clock her for not keeping his kids’ names outta her mouth o well.” (Twitter)
6. The owner of Marshalls, HomeGoods, and TJ Maxx chains is being praised for still paying employees in Puerto Rico despite stores being closed. TJX spokeswoman Erika Tower confirmed that employees at the company’s 29 TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods locations are still being paid because “we believe it is the right thing for us to do.” (The Boston Globe)