The legal teams for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard have only one more week to prove their respective clients’ former spouses defamed them in what has been an alternately disturbing and surreal civil trial in Virginia . Over the last five weeks, Fairfax County jurors have heard damning allegations of domestic violence and damaged acting careers. Depp, in his $50 million lawsuit, alleged Heard “devastated” his career when she penned a 2018 Washington Post op-ed. In the piece, which did not mention Depp by name but came two years after she sought a restraining order against him, Heard identified herself as a domestic violence survivor. In her own $100 million counter lawsuit, Heard alleges that Depp and his legal team defamed her by launching a “smear” campaign against her, which included calling her allegations an “abuse hoax.” Throughout the trial, both actors have insisted that they were victims of domestic abuse during a relationship that officially dissolved in 2017—and … [Read more...] about The Bombshell Testimony Looming Over Johnny Depp’s Case
The Massive Screwup That Could Let COVID Bypass Our Vaccines
After weeks at a two-year low, COVID cases are on the rise again in some countries. In the United States, there were 100,000 daily new infections, on average–up from 30,000 in mid-March. The trend is intensifying an important debate in epidemiological circles. What’s the best strategy for preventing catastrophic mass death from the worst possible new COVID variants ? New restrictions? New vaccines? New therapies? A mix of the three? Whatever consensus takes shape could guide us into the pandemic’s fourth year. But there’s a catch, of course. Public-health costs money. And in the world’s richest country, the United States, a few right-wing politicians are doing their damndest to make sure no new money is available to speed up development, production and distribution of new vaccines and therapies. Vaccine development is stalling. China is still pushing locally-made vaccines that don’t work very well. The leading Western vaccine-manufacturers are focusing on developing boosters … [Read more...] about The Massive Screwup That Could Let COVID Bypass Our Vaccines
FNC’s Kurtz Defends Network, Tucker Carlson over Buffalo Shooting — ‘Troubling,’ ‘Absurd’
On Sunday, Fox News Channel’s “MediaBuzz” host Howard Kurtz took the opportunity to defend his network and colleague Tucker Carlson after they were blamed for the recent Buffalo shooting aimed at black shoppers. Kurtz aired clips of MSNBC hosts saying Fox News Channel was to blame for the shooting and said to blame the network or Carlson was “absurd.” He called the “knee-jerk partisanship” response to mass shootings “troubling.” “The murder of 10 innocent people in Buffalo is utterly heartbreaking in so many ways — all victims of a suspect whose writing reeks of racism, antisemitism, and a twisted mind,” Kurtz stated. “But what I also find troubling, and I have been talking about this for decades, is the knee-jerk partisanship with which pundits and politicians on the left and sometimes the right respond to mass shootings. President Clinton blamed the Oklahoma City bombing in part on Rush Limbaugh. Liberal pundits, and later The New York Times, blamed a mass shooting in Tucson on … [Read more...] about FNC’s Kurtz Defends Network, Tucker Carlson over Buffalo Shooting — ‘Troubling,’ ‘Absurd’
Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson to leave ‘Saturday Night Live’ as part of big cast shake-up
Kate McKinnon and Pete Davidson said goodbye to "Saturday Night Live" during the finale of the show's 47th season - as part of a major cast shake-up reported at the popular late-night comedy show. Aidy Bryant and Kyle Mooney also are leaving the show, according to the Associated Press, after "SNL" creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels predicted a "year of change" after this season. While the show has not formally acknowledged the exit of the four cast members, some openly said goodbye while others featured in skits with themes of departure during Saturday's finale, hosted by actress Natasha Lyonne and featuring the band Japanese Breakfast. NBCUniversal could not immediately be reached for comment early Sunday. In the cold open, McKinnon played a woman who was abducted by aliens and was interviewed at the Pentagon by intelligence officials. Toward the end of the skit, McKinnon's character volunteered to leave Earth with a group of aliens as part of a deal with the … [Read more...] about Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson to leave ‘Saturday Night Live’ as part of big cast shake-up
Heard’s lawyers try to poke holes in Depp’s libel lawsuit
Attorneys for actor Amber Heard spent much of last week trying to portray her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, as a jealous and drunken abuser who can only blame himself for his nose-diving Hollywood career. Since Heard concluded her testimony in a Virginia courtroom Tuesday, her lawyers have presented witness testimony from people who were once close to Depp but shunted from his orbit. They've included Depp's former longtime agent, the actor Ellen Barkin and Heard's sister. The attorneys' goal: Undermine Depp's libel suit against Heard. The suit claims she falsely portrayed him as a domestic abuser and cost him his lucrative film career, including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie franchise. Depp points to a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which Heard described herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Depp's lawyers say he was defamed by the article even though it never mentioned his name. The trial will enter its sixth week when it resumes Monday. Below are … [Read more...] about Heard’s lawyers try to poke holes in Depp’s libel lawsuit
Priceless seeds, sprouts key to US West’s post-fire future
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 15 A New Mexico facility where researchers work to restore forests devastated by fires faced an almost cruelly ironic threat: The largest wildfire burning in the U.S. was fast approaching. Owen Burney and his team knew they had to save what they could. Atop their list was a priceless bank of millions of ponderosa pine, spruce and other conifer seeds meant to help restore fire-ravaged landscapes across the American West. Next were tens of thousands of tree sprouts, many of which were sown to make them more drought tolerant, that were loaded onto trailers and trucked to a greenhouse about 100 miles (161 kilometers) away. New Mexico State University’s Forestry Research Center in the mountain community of Mora is one of only a few such nurseries in the country and stands at the forefront of a major undertaking to … [Read more...] about Priceless seeds, sprouts key to US West’s post-fire future
Josh Shapiro: Mastriano ‘Wants to Take Us to a Divisive and Dark Place’
Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that his Republican opponent Doug Mastriano is too divisive to be the governor. Shapiro said, “My opponent, Senator Mastriano — he wants to take us to a divisive and dark place. He openly talked about with the stroke of a pen, being able to do away with voting machines that had votes on it that he didn’t agree with. It’s very dangerous because here in Pennsylvania, the next governor will appoint the secretary of state and the governor, and the governor alone, appoints electors based on the will of the people. Senator Mastriano has made it clear he will appoint the electors based on his belief system. Listen, he’s essentially saying, sure, you can go vote, but I’ll pick the winner. That’s incredibly dangerous. That’s what’s at stake in this governor’s race.” He added, “He is extreme, and he is dangerous. He would ban all abortion and jail doctors who perform it. He was there on … [Read more...] about Josh Shapiro: Mastriano ‘Wants to Take Us to a Divisive and Dark Place’
Gov. Hutchinson: If Roe Overturned — Rape, Incest Exceptions to Arkansas Ban Can Be Revisited
Governor Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that his state could revisit the lack of exceptions for rape and incest in Arkansas abortion law if the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v Wade. Hutchinson said, “If Roe v. Wade is reversed, the trigger law in Arkansas would come into effect. And whenever I signed that law, I did express that I support also the exceptions of rape and incest. The life of the mother and rape and incest are two exceptions I believe should have been added that did not have the support in the general assembly. And so we have to wait and see what the Supreme Court actually does, but if that Roe versus Wade is reversed, then what we’ve fought for 40 years and returning the authority back to the states will actually happen. You’ll see states making different decisions based upon the values and the consensus of the people of that state. In Arkansas, we actually passed a constitutional amendment supporting the life of the unborn and … [Read more...] about Gov. Hutchinson: If Roe Overturned — Rape, Incest Exceptions to Arkansas Ban Can Be Revisited
Pope Francis Praises Pro-Life Group, Birth Not a Matter of ‘Choice’
ROME — Pope Francis waded into the abortion debates Sunday, slamming the pro-choice position and lauding an Italian pro-life group that defends unborn life as sacred and inviolable. In the immediate aftermath of a decision by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to bar Nancy Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion due to her aggressive abortion advocacy, Pope Francis expressed concern over a pro-choice mentality that fails to respect life. At his weekly recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer, the pontiff thanked participants in a national “Let’s Choose Life” event for their “dedication in promoting life and defending conscientious objection, which there are often attempts to limit.” The pope went on to lament an erosion of an ethics that values and defends human life in favor of a mistaken exaltation of individual “choice.” “Sadly, in these last years, there has been a change in the common mentality,” Francis said, and today people believe more and more that life … [Read more...] about Pope Francis Praises Pro-Life Group, Birth Not a Matter of ‘Choice’
UK Conservative Govt Looks to Raise Legal Smoking Age to 21
The legal age of smoking tobacco in Britain could reportedly be raised to 21 years old under the latest nanny state move from the country’s nominally Conservative government. In the hopes of transitioning the United Kingdom into a smoke-free nation by the end of the decade, a “radical” review commissioned by Health Secretary Sajid Javid could see the government recommend raising the legal age of smoking from 18 to 21. Though 18-year-olds are legally allowed to vote and indeed to serve in the nation’s armed forces, Javid, who quit smoking upon his appointment as Health Secretary last year, supports imposing new limits on tobacco, The Telegraph reports . The British broadsheet, which is closely connected to the Tory government, claimed that the report — which is expected to be published within the coming weeks — will also advocate for wider proliferation of vapes and other electronic cigarettes as well as increased taxes on the profits of tobacco companies. A source … [Read more...] about UK Conservative Govt Looks to Raise Legal Smoking Age to 21
