Posts Categorized: news

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Teen Vogue editor resigns after old racist, homophobic tweets resurface

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Alexi McCammond stepped down as editor of Teen Vogue after racist and homophobic tweets resurfaced from a decade ago.

McCammond, who was 17 when she wrote the tweets, apologized profusely after the internet recirculated the old tweets earlier this month.

The tweets included comments about the appearance of Asian features, derogatory stereotypes about Asians and LGBT+ slurs.

Screenshots of the old tweets were recirculated after Condé Nast announced her new gig at the helm of Teen Vogue on March 5.

As the outrage ensued on social media, Ulta Beauty and Burt's Bees, major advertisers with Teen Vogue, suspended their campaigns with the publication.

One social media user wrote:

"I was happy to see a young, black, woman successful in a space that was NOT ALLOWED in my day but after reading her racist, comments... I am DONE! Sadly, she always seemed a little too cocky and now a racist, too!!!"

But others were willing to give McCammond another chance.

One Instagram user wrote:

"How is our culture supposed to evolve if we can't forgive? She said these things when she was 17. Everyone here judging is secretly happy that they didn't have Twitter when they were ignorant teenagers."

Another user wrote:

"Wait that's it? She basically only states that asian people exist and are not without fault. This, when tweeted at 17, is supposed to ruin someone's career? Are you for fucking real? She's not the problem, you are."

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Vanessa Bryant publicly names officers who shared Kobe Bryant death photos

WENN/Avalon

Kobe Bryant's widow Vanessa Bryant publicly named the Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies and L.A. County Fire Department employees who sent Kobe's death scene photos to friends via text messages.

The NBA legend, 41, died in a fiery helicopter crash in Calabasas, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others on January 26, 2020.

EVGA / BACKGRID

The mom-of-four was saddened to learn that officers showed photos from the crash site to friends and random acquaintances.

Vanessa filed a lawsuit against the four officers for negligence and invasion of privacy. She posted the lawsuit - naming the officers - on her Instagram page on Wednesday.

The lawsuit alleged one sheriff's deputy showed crash scene photos on his smartphone to a bartender at the Baja California Bar and Grill on Jan. 28, 2020.

The bartender approached a table of four patrons and "excitedly" stated that the sheriff's deputy had shown him graphic photos of Kobe Bryant's charred remains.

The court papers stated the bartender described certain characteristics of Kobe's remains that verified it was him.

The bartender was eager to divulge more graphic information, but the four patrons indicated they didn't want to hear anymore.

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Instagram.com/@VanessaBryant

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Outrage: 8-year-old social media star dating 13-year-old social media influencer

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Instagram

Parents around the world are in an uproar after an 8-year-old social media star revealed she is dating a 13-year-old fellow influencer.

The scandal has many parents unfollowing their children from the social media influencers' accounts.

Under California law it is legal for an adult to have consensual sex with a minor if the offender is within 10 years of the age of the child.

Milana Makhanets and her beau, Pasha Pai, are both minors who live in Russia and the Ukraine.

Milana has over half a million followers on Instagram and almost 7 million followers on the video-sharing mobile app Likee, a Tik-Tok-style platform popular with kids in Russia and Ukraine.

Pasha Pai has over 53,000 followers on Instagram, which features a photo of him posing with his girlfriend and her mother, Darya Makhanets, who runs Milana's social media accounts.

In another photo, he wears what appears to be a cheerleading outfit complete with a black pleated miniskirt.
 

The intimate photos of the children together are disturbing for American parents who aren't used to such open sexuality among underage children.

In one now-deleted post, Pasha shared a photo of the two shackled together while the little girl brushes her teeth in her underwear. In another post, the two appear to be in bed together.

Other inappropriate photos show the pair kissing, the girl sitting on the teenager's lap wearing thigh high boots, and the two looking at a phone in bed.

Those photos have since been deleted following the uproar on social media.
 

A report from RT noted that a lawyer named Anna Malyar, claimed that Milana's "mother made a seductive woman out of an eight-year-old girl for perverts."

Ukrainian journalists and politicians are among those calling for the police to investigate.

After fierce backlash on social media, the girl's progressive mother wrote on her personal account "this is their life, and they will figure it out on their own."
 


 

Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the photograph(s) or video(s) used in this post. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" of photographs for purposes such as parody, criticism, commentary, news reporting, education, and research.

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IRS Extends Tax Filing Deadline to May 17

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has delayed the April 15 tax filing deadline to May 17, giving taxpayers an extra month to pay any PPP taxes or outstanding levies.

Small business owners were blindsided by the news that they may owe thousands or millions of dollars for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans they received last year.

A PPP loan can be forgiven as long as at least 60% has been spent on employee payroll costs. Forgiven PPP loans are tax exempt. But those who spent their PPP loans on expenses other than payroll will owe taxes on the loan.

"This extension is absolutely necessary to give Americans some needed flexibility in a time of unprecedented crisis," House Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal and Representative Bill Pascrell said in a statement Wednesday. “While we are pleased with this 30-day extension, we will continue to monitor developments during this hectic filing season."

The tax deadline extension was also necessary because IRS workers are busy processing a third round of $1,400 checks. The IRS said Wednesday it has so far sent about 90 million payments totaling $242 billion.

As of early March 2021, the IRS has been behind in the number of tax returns filed and processed, and in the number of refunds issued.

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Instagram will no longer allow adults to direct message your children

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Instagram has taken a significant step toward protecting children and teens from falling victims to depraved adults on the social media platform.

The social media site, which is owned by Facebook, will block adults from direct messaging children if the minor doesn't already follow them.

Instagram announced the new changes on Tuesday.

Minors who follow adults on Instagram will also receive notices if the adult has "been exhibiting suspicious behavior," such as sending "a large amount of friend or message requests to people under 18."

Getty Images

Other prompts will remind teens not to feel pressured to respond to adults who are messaging them, according to the website.

Instagram said in order to make the new changes work, children must provide their real age when signing up for a new account.

"We require everyone to be at least 13 to use Instagram and have asked new users to provide their age when they sign up for an account for some time," the announcement reads. "While many people are honest about their age, we know that young people can lie about their date of birth."
 

Top photo: ©JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images LLC

2nd photo: Illustration by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images

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CNN’s Don Lemon upset by the Vatican’s stance on same-sex marriages

Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com

CNN anchor Don Lemon is livid after Vatican officials refused to bless same-sex unions.

The leaders of the Catholic Church announced the ruling on Monday, March 15, as part of a two-page decree signed by Pope Francis.

The ruling stated God "cannot bless sin", calling any such blessing "not licit."

The Vatican said the church should be welcoming toward gay people, "with respect and sensitivity," but not endorse their unions.

Lemon was a guest on ABC's "The View" where he promoted his new book, addressing racism in America.

Switching to the Vatican's ruling, Lemon, who is in a same-sex marriage, said the ruling was "wrong" and he called on the Vatican to "reexamine themselves and their teachings."

He added:

"I respect people's right to believe in whatever they want to believe in their God. But if you believe in something that hurts another person or that does not give someone the same rights or freedoms, not necessarily under the Constitution, because this is under God, I think that that's wrong."

He continued: "God is not about hindering people or even judging people."

"We have to start being realistic about God and the Bible," he said. "If you are a person of faith in this country, and we know America is built on faith and religious freedom, a good way of starting is to present the true identity of Jesus."

Lemon went on to describe Jesus as "a Black or brown person."

"[Jesus] is a black or brown person, rather than someone who looks like a white hippy from Sweden or Norway. We should start with that and put that in your home, either a Black Jesus or Brown Jesus. Jesus looked more like a Muslim or someone who is dark, rather than a blonde-looking carpenter."
 

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Thomas “Hitman” Hearns clarifies his statement on Marvin Hagler, who died after taking mRNA vaccine

Jacques M. Chenet/Corbis / Getty Images

Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, left, clarified his statement that former middleweight champion Marvin Hagler, right, was in an ICU after receiving a coronavirus vaccine.

Hagler died suddenly on Saturday at age 66.

Hearns, who is among boxing's legendary "Four Kings" alongside champions Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran, asked fans for prayers for Hagler in an Instagram post.

"A real true warrior Pray for the king and his family.. he's in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine! He'll be just fine but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his Full Recovery!"

The news media slammed "anti-vaxxers" for repeating Hearns' suggestion that Hagler suffered an adverse reaction to the vaccine.

Somewhere in the mountain of media denials was a report that Hagler died from "natural causes."

But people who die from natural causes are terminally ill and/or expected to die.

Hagler's wife, Kay, announced his passing on Facebook, saying his death was not expected.

"I am sorry to make a very sad announcement. Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

Hearns, 62, chastised anti-vaxxers in a statement to London's DailyMail.com.

"Our love and respect to Marvin and his family, this is not an anti vaccine campaign.. it's outrageous to have that in mind during the passing of a King, Legend, Father, Husband and so much more."

However, his original post is still up on his Instagram page.
 

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Four sponsors drop high school basketball announcer who called team the N-word

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A former youth pastor who called a girls basketball team the N-word for kneeling during the National Anthem has been dropped by four sponsors.

The incident happened last week during a high school state basketball quarterfinals championship game between undefeated Norman High School and Midwest City in Oklahoma.

"They're kneeling? F*** them," said Matt Rowan who announced the game for the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. "I hope Norman gets their ass kicked," he said.

Seconds later, Rowan, who believed his microphone was turned off, said, "Did they even salute the flag?" "F***ing ni**ers."

Norman's basketball coach shared the audio clip on Twitter on Friday: "Hey @NFHSNetwork looks like you forgot to cut the Mic!!! 'F****** N******' is the one that really got me!! Tell us how you really feel!! THIS IS WHY THEY KNEEL!!!"

Following the public backlash, Rowan released a statement blaming his inappropriate language on a spike in his high blood sugar level:

"I will state that I suffer Type I Diabetes and during the game my sugar was spiking," he wrote. "While not excusing my remarks, it is not unusual when my sugar spikes that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate as well as hurtful."

Racism is not a known symptom of diabetes type 1 or 2.

Rowan's statement only infuriated the cancel culture who flooded the social media accounts of his sponsors.

Rowan owns American Lock Shop and OSPN in Tahlequah, OK. His sponsors include Fastenal, ALL Designs, X-Press Stop and Chris Pruitt Auto Sales. All four companies announced they were ending their partnerships with Rowan over the weekend.

Fastenal, a wholesale distributor of construction supplies, tweeted on Friday: "We do not support this type of behavior and have officially severed ties with Matt Rowan and OSPN Live."

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Dr. Fauci pleads with Trump to urge his followers to take Covid mRNA vaccines; ‘It’s a no-brainer’

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pleaded with former President Donald Trump to urge his followers to get the coronavirus vaccine.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, Fauci told Anchor Chuck Todd it's "disturbing" that most Trump supporters are unwilling to get the coronavirus vaccine.

"I want to talk about vaccine," said Todd. "We are seeing a bigger divide by politics. We talked about it earlier. For instance, among Trump voters, 47% have said they'll not be vaccinated, 30% say yes, and half Republican men say they're not going to take this vaccine."

Todd continued noted that Trump was not among four living presidents to appear in a vaccine PSA: "You have the PSA with all the former presidents except one, President Trump, in there. Do you think he needs to be enlisted here ... to get his voters to take this vaccine?"

Fauci replied, "Chuck, I hope he does because the numbers that you gave are so disturbing, how such a large proportion of a certain group of people would not want to get vaccinated merely because of political consideration. It makes absolutely no sense, and I've been saying that for so long."

Neither man informed viewers that Trump was not invited to participate in the vaccine PSA with the living former presidents -- Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George Bush and Jimmy Carter.

Fauci added, "We've got to dissociate political persuasion from what's common sense, no-brainer public health things. The history of vaccinology has rescued us from smallpox, from polio, from measles, from all of the other diseases. What is the problem here?"

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Physical therapist, 28, dies 2 days after receiving mRNA vaccine

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Getty Images, Browning funeral

A physical therapist working at a senior living facility died 2 days after receiving a coronavirus mRNA vaccine.

Haley Link Brinkmeyer, 28, died January 21 after she received an mRNA injection, according to her family.

Her death was reported on the COVID Legal USA blog, which publishes articles that helps people file litigation against companies enforcing mandatory Covid-19 policies such as face masks.

"My 28 year old daughter took the vaccine on a Tuesday and she was dead by Thursday," her grieving mother Shauna O'Neill Link wrote in a comment on Facebook.

Link wrote the comment in response to another user who questioned whether the vaccine caused Brinkmeyer's death.

"You have no idea what the hell you're talking about," Link continued. "Autopsy shows no other red flags. [Coroner] has assured us he will get to the bottom of this vaccine..."

Link speculated that the vaccines are all part of a climate control plan by Bill Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci to decrease the world's population by one billion people in order to save the planet.

"Anything with Bill Gates or Quack Fauci's name attached should be a red flag. Depopulation my folks, depopulation. That's their objective," Link wrote.

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The news of Brinkmeyer's death was shared on Twitter by Houston ophthalmologist Dr. Richard Urso who questioned why young people need the vaccines.

"No reason for young people to feel they "need" this vaccine. IFR (infection fatality rate) is extremely low," he tweeted.
 

Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the photograph(s) or video(s) used in this post. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" of photographs for purposes such as parody, criticism, commentary, news reporting, education, and research.