Names and faces
Tommy Chong has a message for those fearing a crackdown on recreational marijuana use: Don’t worry . Stay High. Chong shot to fame in the 1970s alongside Cheech Marin in the stoner comedy duo Cheech & Chong. After White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice “will be further looking into” recreational pot use, Chong tweeted, “Of course Trump is going after legal marijuana but like the failed Muslim ban it will be defeated in court. Don’t worry stay High.” Chong has a line of marijuana products on the market in states where pot sales are legal.
Rock guitarist Rick Derringer has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a $1,000 fine after stepping off a Delta Air Lines flight from Mexico with a loaded handgun in Atlanta’s airport. Derringer, 69, of Bradenton, Fla., told a federal air marshal that he kept his gun with him on commercial airline flights 30 to 50 times a year, and never before had a problem carrying it through airport checkpoints, prosecutors said. A Transportation Security Administration spokesman, Mark Howell, said earlier that the agency investigates such statements when it can but that there’s no way to substantiate claims dating back years. In 2015, some U.S. Congress members said fake weapons, explosives and other contraband went unnoticed in 67 out of 70 tries — about 96 percent of the time — at airport security checkpoints. Derringer’s plea this week involves a single charge: carrying a Kel-Tec pistol on an airplane and in a secure area of Atlanta’s airport on Jan. 9. “It was just a mistake, a simple human mistake,” said Kenn Moutenot, his manager and the drummer in The Rick Derringer Band. Derringer sang the 1965 hit “Hang on Sloopy” and later recorded “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” He has also been a writer and producer, helping to shape the careers of artists including Cyndi Lauper, Steely Dan and “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Ellen DeGeneres has handed out college scholarships to the entire senior class of a New York City charter school. DeGeneres surprised the 41 students from Brooklyn’s Summit Academy this week at her California studio during the taping of Thursday’s episode of her chat show.