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‘Lion King’ composer sues comedian for $27M over ‘Circle of Life’ joke

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Zimbabwean comedian Learnmore Jonasi faces a lawsuit for $27 million after making a joke about the lyrics to the opening song of the Disney film “The Lion King.”

While appearing on the One54 Africa podcast last month, Jonasi jokingly claimed that “Nants’ingonyama bagithi Baba,” the opening African chant to the song “Circle of Life,” translates to “Look! There’s a lion! Oh my god!”

South African composer Lebohang Morake, otherwise known as Lebo M, the vocalist behind the opening chant, accused the comedian in a legal document on March 16 of making “false statements of fact about the meaning of the ‘Nants’ingonyama’ composition” which he insists translates to “All hail the king, we all bow in the presence of the king.”

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He claimed Jonasi was diminishing the song’s value, which could have a negative impact on Morake’s reputation and estate, and is seeking more than $27 million in damages.

In an Instagram video on March 13, Jonasi acknowledged speaking to Morake about the joke, which reportedly led to a harsh confrontation.

“When this man first approached me, he approached me with the attitude of saying that I am disrespecting his work, right?” Jonasi said. “And I was like, ‘No, actually, I am a big fan of yours. I actually love the song.’ And therefore, this was just a joke, and comedy has always had a way of starting a conversation. I told him this. This is now your chance to educate people because now people are listening.”

Jonasi claimed that Morake referred to him as a “self-hating” Black man and “idiot” for telling the joke.

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“I realize I’m not actually having a conversation with someone who wants to do that. This person is literally not attacking the joke but my character,” Jonasi said.

Jonasi revealed that he was later served with the lawsuit days later during one of his comedy shows at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.

“I now have a gluten allergy, anxiety. I got served. I am now American,” Jonasi joked in a video of the performance.

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Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Jonasi and Morake for comment.

In an interview with the New York Post on Friday, Jonasi, who has launched a GoFundMe page for legal support, denied the allegations in the lawsuit, arguing that the joke has built up more interest in the film and song.

“I’ve actually gotten a lot of messages saying, ‘Hey that joke actually made me wanna go back and watch the movie again.’ It has revived people’s interest in the song. It actually made it more relevant,” Jonasi said.

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Passenger bomb threat triggers police response and evacuation on Frontier flight under investigation

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A Frontier Airlines flight was moved to an isolated runway at Atlanta’s airport Sunday after a passenger made a bomb threat, prompting a law enforcement response before officials deemed the threat non-credible.

Frontier Flight 2539 from Columbus, Ohio, had landed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was taxiing to the gate when a passenger allegedly made the verbal threat.

As a precaution and in coordination with local authorities, the aircraft was redirected to a remote location where law enforcement responded.

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Passengers deplaned using airstairs and were bused to the terminal. Authorities later determined the threat was not credible.

The FBI and Atlanta Police Department told Fox News the incident remains under investigation, with the FBI taking the lead. Atlanta police initially took the lead and it is unclear why the FBI took over.

Atlanta police would not say whether anyone has been arrested.

This is a developing story.

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Why Meta and Google are losing court battles for damaging kids by trying to get them addicted

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It’s hardly shocking to learn that our lawmakers fell down on the job, given the inability of Congress to solve just about any problem.

Just look at how long the self-inflicted airport chaos dragged on while the parties squabbled.

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For more than a decade, Capitol Hill has been all talk and no action when it comes to the tech giants that are hooking generations of kids. One reason is that these companies are incredibly wealthy and increasingly determined to use their colossal amounts of cash to buy influence.

In the 2024 cycle, Big Tech made more than $764 million in donations.

Elon Musk, the ruler of X, contributed more than $240 million. Tech guru Marc Andreessen and his firm donated $89 million. Meta, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple each kicked in $1 million for President Trump’s inauguration.

Lo and behold, the few lawmakers pushing legislation to help ensure the safety of kids online found their bills going nowhere fast. 

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That’s why a pair of verdicts against Silicon Valley giants is so important, and a potential turning point.

By filing these suits, individuals are trying to do what the politicians will not, and that’s to hold these mega-corporations accountable.

In a New Mexico case last week, a jury ordered Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, to pay $375 million for endangering children,

The next day, a Los Angeles jury found both Meta and Google, which owns YouTube, guilty of negligence and awarded $6 million to a woman who argued that as a child she had become addicted to these sites.

The numbers are a rounding error for these corporations. But with thousands of other suits pending, the message is not.

And the companies are getting clobbered in the court of public opinion.

Mark Lanier, a lawyer for the L.A. plaintiff known as KGM, told Fox Business: “I believe the companies have purposely put addictive features into their apps because they know the more time we spend watching, the more money they make.” He has also cited the lure of autoplay videos and algorithmic recommendations, 

“Is this the beginning of the end for social media as we know it?” asked the host of Britain’s Fourcast podcast. 

That, I must say, is a tad melodramatic. 

In the California case, KGM, a 20-year-old woman, said such features as the “infinite scroll” got her addicted as a kid and led to depression, anxiety and thoughts of self-harm. (She started using YouTube at 6 and Instagram at 9, though both require a minimum age of 13.)

In that trial, Mark Zuckerberg was asked about lifting a temporary ban on beauty filters that some at Meta cautioned could be harmful to teenage girls.

“I felt like the evidence wasn’t clear enough to support limiting people’s expression,” he said.

But the verdicts may not be as apocalyptic as they seem right now.

For one thing, they could be overturned on appeal. It’s not hard to imagine a conservative Supreme Court delivering such a ruling.

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The companies point to Section 230 of a 1996 communications law, which shields them from liability for what users post on the sites. The latest lawsuits have focused instead on how these platforms  are designed, with “like” buttons and other features.

The Wall Street Journal editorial page warns of a “shakedown” by lawyers:

“There’s no doubt that increasing teen use of social media and smartphones over the last 15 years has coincided with rising levels of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. But it’s hard if not impossible to prove that social media caused any given individual’s troubles, let alone apportion liability among the platforms.”

The Journal added: “Trial lawyers will now use the L.A. verdict in advertisements to recruit more plaintiffs. They may even use the social-media platforms to advertise. Unemployed? Depressed? Spend your Friday nights scrolling? You could make big money by holding billionaires responsible for your problems.”  

In fairness, there must be some level of personal responsibility here, especially among parents setting boundaries for their children.

And little surprise that Congress, which is addicted to political donations, is MIA.

The tactics of the techies remind me of Big Tobacco, which is clearly marketed to teenagers in an effort to get them addicted for life. Obviously, no one’s dying of cancer here, but depression can also be a crippling disease.

Back in 1998, Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds, accused of hiding information about the dangers of smoking, were pressured into a $206-billion settlement with more than 40 states.

The bottom line is that these tech companies were once admired, but their conduct over the years, on children and other issues, has seriously scarred their reputations.

Meta’s president, Dina Powell McCormick, told Axios: “As a mom, this is really important to me, and very personal. I see firsthand just how hard the company is trying to ensure that there’s not harmful content, to ensure we’re empowering parents to the best of our ability, and it’s something that I watch being focused on every single day.”

Sorry, but that doesn’t cut it. I’m not doubting her sincerity. But if Meta and the others had really reformed how they treat children, they wouldn’t be in this legal mess today.

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UConn’s Braylon Mullins hits game-winning 3-pointer to shock Duke, advance to men’s Final Four

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The UConn Huskies needed to dig themselves out of a hole in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils, and behind Braylon Mullins’ clutch 3-pointer and Tarris Reed Jr.’s high-percentage scoring, they were able to pull off an incredible comeback victory to advance to the Final Four.

The Huskies were able to effectively pressure the Blue Devils into a turnover with less than seven seconds left. Caden Boozer had his pass deflected and the ball got into Mullins’ hands.

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The freshman was well beyond the 3-point line when he chucked up the ball. His prayer was answered as the ball went through the back of the net. UConn’s 19-point comeback was complete as the Huskies’ bench jumped in jubilation.

UConn was able to get the ball into Reed many times over the course of the game and for nearly half of the second half, the Huskies were in the bonus. Reed finished with 26 points on 10-of-16 from the field with nine rebounds. He was 6-of-9 from the free-throw line.

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Duke was up three points with 28 seconds to go. UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. was fouled and went to the free-throw line for two shots. He missed the first and made the second. The second free throw enabled UConn to set up its press defense and force the turnover in the end.

The Huskies outscored the Blue Devils 44-28 in the second half after being down 44-29 in the first half.

Cameron Boozer led Duke with 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

UConn is back in the Final Four for the third time in three years. The Huskies will be looking to get back to the national championship after winning two titles in the last three years. UConn will take on Illinois and Michigan will go up against Arizona in the Final Four.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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