The Quick Read: Did The Secret Service Yank Omarosa Manigault's White House Security Clearance?  

Today is Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. Here are the hot topics in news this morning:

1. Omarosa Manigault is out of the Trump administration, but there still remains competing narratives of how her final day in the White House played out. One thing that we can confirm is that the Secret Service yanked her security clearance immediately, contradicting the White House’s narrative that she was not fired. Her final work day is set for January 20,  2018. “The Secret Service was not involved in the termination process of Ms Manigault Newman or the escort off of the complex,” the agency tweeted. “Our only involvement in this matter was to deactivate the individual’s pass which grants access to the complex.” (Twitter)

2. Michael Che just became the first Black person to serve as head writer at Saturday Night Live in the comedy show’s 42-year history. Che joined the show in 2013 as a guest writer, and he is currently the co-host of the show’s “Weekend Update.” (Vibe)
 
3. 50 Cent just signed a huge eight-figure deal with Starz, which is the home to his uber-popular Power show. The deal will include three projects that he is currently developing for the network, extending their business relationship to September 2019. (TMZ)

4. JAY-Z’s Tidal is reported to be sinking money fast and may not have enough cash to last the next six months. A spokesman of the streaming service pushed back on the report, saying that the company has always had to battle bad press. Tidal says it will turn a profit by mid-2018. (New York Daily News)
 
5. Former NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp is pushing back on accusations that he sexually harassed a former wardrobe stylist who named him in a lawsuit against the network. Though Sapp denies urinating in front of the accuser and showing her nude photos of other women, he does confirm that he gave staffers vibrators. His reason? He thought the gifts were “cute.” (New York Post)