Jack Linshi

The bartender, fired last year, blamed Boehner for his troubles and Ebola

A former bartender of House Speaker John Boehner plotted to kill him, federal authorities claim, according to a new report.

Michael Robert Hoyt was arrested and indicted on charges related to an alleged plot that involved poisoning Boehner’s drink, or shooting him and driving off, WCPO reported Tuesday. Authorities said Hoyt, who had worked at a country club that Boehner frequented for five years, called 9-1-1 in October after he was fired and blamed his troubles on the Ohio Republican.

Hoyt allegedly told the operator he was Jesus Christ and accused Boehner of being responsible for the Ebola outbreak. The 44-year-old is also said to have noted that voices told him Boehner was evil, and that he had a loaded Beretta .380 automatic ready to use against him. At the time, police placed him on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.

Boehner’s spokesman Michael Steel released a statement Tuesday, saying “Speaker Boehner is aware of this situation, and sincerely thanks the FBI, the Capitol Police and local authorities in Ohio for their efforts.”

[WCPO]

Scorsese makes the two actors compete for the same role

After starring in many a Martin Scorsese film individually, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro are finally getting to star alongside each another in a “trailer” for a film that, well — turns out to nothing more than a very real commercial.

The “film,” which advertises the City of Dreams Manila casino, is called The Audition, in which Scorsese has DiCaprio and De Niro — two of his favorite lead actors from two phases of his career — compete for the same role.

The teaser trailer is a series of advertisements for the extravagant Manila Bay, Philippines casino, that reportedly shelled out $70 million for the marketing campaign.

Customs officials had noticed he was walking strangely

A Hong Kong citizen was arrested at China’s border after officials found 94 iPhones strapped to his body.

The man attached the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models onto his torso and legs using plastic bags and masking tape, Sina News reported Monday. The phones have been seized by customs officials, who frequently see people smuggling iPhones into China. Officials had stopped the man when they saw him walking strangely.

Smuggling iPhones is a common but prohibited practice in mainland China, where electronics tend to be more expensive than those sold in neighboring regions like Hong Kong. Even after the products are made available in China, many people, some of them hired, smuggle in foreign-bought electronics to evade import taxes before reselling them for a profit.

[Sina News]

Murdoch said even peaceful Muslims have a "growing jihadist cancer"

J.K. Rowling wasn’t pleased with Rupert Murdoch’s tweet about holding all Muslims responsible for terrorism in the wake of the Paris attacks.

The News Corp CEO blamed all Muslims for “growing jihadist cancer” in a tweet posted Friday, following the deadly ambush on the office of satire magazine Charlie Hebdo last week. (al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch claimed responsibility for the attack, but U.S. officials said Sunday there is no credible information yet on which group is responsible.)

The Harry Potter author had something to say about Murdoch’s views on Islam.

Rowling also tweeted sarcastically to take responsibility for the Spanish Inquisition and Jim Bakker, a conservative American televangelist who served time in prison and infamously faced rape and fraud allegations while preaching on Christian values.

All five are expected to survive

Five people were shot early Sunday morning outside a San Jose nightclub where Chris Brown was performing.

Gunfire was reported to police at the Fiesta nightclub, where four people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, while a fifth walked into hospital with a gunshot wound later, the San Jose Mercury News reported. All five victims are expected to survive.

Chris Brown had been performing at Fiesta for a private party, and he was not harmed in the shooting. Cellphone footage from attendees show Brown wincing as the shots rang out, then being ushered away, the Associated Press reported.

Police said they have detained several people as they investigate the shooting, but no further details are available yet.

[San Jose Mercury News]

Will Blue Ivy get a sibling?

Beyonce posted a photo on her Instagram Sunday that has her fans guessing if Blue Ivy’s going to have a sibling soon.

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Jan 11, 2015 at 9:49am PST

In the picture, the 33-year-old singer, who’s married to Jay Z, is buried in sand next to Blue Ivy, who recently turned three, and it appears there’s a mound atop her stomach, People reports. The “baby bump” has people guessing if Beyonce is hinting at a second pregnancy.

Read more at People.