Author: J.P. Knowles

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and CNN anchor Jim Acosta had it out Thursday over a text message she’d sent calling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “a traitor.”

Greene attended a Friday court testimony over her involvement in the Capitol riot and whether she called for martial law prior to President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Several text messages written by Greene were collected to link her to the “Stop the Steal” rally.

Acosta confronted Greene specifically about the text messages when she called Pelosi a “traitor” and called for former President Donald Trump to issue martial law.

“You know, Jim, you have a show, and in all fairness, you try to present this image of me to your viewers and it’s just really not correct,” Greene said.

“Well, we’re just trying to get some answers,” Acosta said. “Did you send a text asking the president to declare martial law? Did you do that?”

Greene said she did “not recall” making those statements.

“Why don’t you be honest? You know, your problem is you’re just one of those liars on television and people hate it,” Greene said. “They can’t stand the liars on television.”

“I’m not the one saying, ‘I don’t recall, I don’t recall, I don’t recall,’” Acosta said.

At that point, Acosta pulled up the text message on his phone. Greene then pointed to a sentence where she reportedly said she did “not know on those things.”

“Why don’t you tell that story? You’re lying,” Greene said. “You’re a liar. Do you know why people do not like you? Because you’re a liar. Why do you want to lie on television for your viewers? You’re accusing me of something and then when you read the actual words it tells another story. It tells the truth. … When you want to be honest and you actually want to talk about me as a real person and present me fairly, then I’ll talk to you. But until then, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”

Acosta pressed the Greene on whether she will testify if subpoenaed by the January 6 committee, which she vehemently refused to answer.

“Stop harassing me,” she said. “I’m not subpoenaed, stop harassing me.”

“I’m just trying to ask you some questions,” Acosta noted.

“You’re not, I didn’t give you permission to. Leave me alone,” she said.

Acosta questioned her recent statement concerning the Catholic Church, where she said the church “must stop abusing children and stop covering up the abuse of children.” She told the CNN host to read her statement and accused him of lying about her.

“We’re not trying to lie about you,” Acosta began. “We’re very politely, professionally trying to ask you a question.”

“No, you’re politely and unprofessionally lying, because that’s what you are: a liar. A professional liar,” Greene said. “Good for you. Way to earn a paycheck.”

A federal judge approved an effort by the nonpartisan group, Free Speech for People, to disqualify Greene from re-election over her alleged involvement in the January 6 riot. Greene’s lawyer, James Bopp Jr., called the ruling “fundamentally antidemocratic” and claimed Greene had condemned the riots.

Actress Olivia Wilde didn’t miss a beat Tuesday after being served legal documents on behalf of her ex, Jason Sudeikis while on stage at CinemaCon.

Video of the awkward moment has surfaced that shows Wilde handling it all with poise and grace.

The actress was in the middle of promoting her new movie, “Don’t Worry Darling,” when only moments into her speech – a woman jumps onto the stage and drops a manila envelope at her feet. She pauses, asks if that’s for her … and then picks it up.

She wonders aloud whether it was a script, and lightheartedly said she was going to open it right then and there to unpack the mystery. As soon as she saw the contents, Olivia simply said, “Oh okay, got it” … and carried on as if nothing had happened.

Olivia held on to the envelope — marked “personal and confidential” — for a good while before eventually placing it behind her.

The mystery envelope contained custody papers from Sudeikis. The actor denied knowing the papers would be served at that time and place and blamed the process server.

Jason and Olivia were together for 9 years and share two young children together, the couple split in late 2020.

A six-year-old in Michigan child took some of their mom’s marijuana edibles to school and shared them with classmates, causing several children to be hospitalized.

After several children fell ill at the Edgerton Elementary School on April 29, the school was evacuated, with students being sent home as a safety precaution. An investigation ruled out exposure to carbon monoxide and other gasses as being the cause of the children’s illness, according to Genessee Sheriff Chris Swanson.

The child’s mother had purchased concentrated (THC) oil, which she added to gummies she had made using gelatin. She wrapped the gummies in a Life Savers wrapper and placed the laced gummies in her refrigerator, according to authorities.

The child found the gummies, took them to school and shared them with classmates, resulting in five children falling sick and later being taken to the hospital. Each edible was reported to have contained up to 30 milligrams of THC oil.

In a video posted to the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page, Swanson said the children became “unconscious, short of breath and lethargic” after consuming the edibles.

The unidentified mother has been charged with second-degree child abuse in connection to the incident.

If convicted the woman faces up to 10 years in prison. Child Protective Services (CPS) will be referred to her home in light of the case.

The mother was set to be arraigned Wednesday.

A left-wing organization is promoting sex education videos for children that cover chest binding and oral sex. AMAZE creates sex education content specifically targeting children, according to the organization’s website. The group advocates beginning sexual education lessons as early as kindergarten but notes that “it’s never too early” to start.

AMAZE’s website provides materials for educators as well, including toolkits and lesson plans to promote sexual education in the classroom. Examples of toolkits include, “Is Sexting Ok?” Another lesson focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Videos promoted to educators include, “What are Pronouns?” “Range of Gender Identities,” “How To Be A LGBTQIA+ Ally” and “Being Female, Male, Transgender, or Fluid.” Videos also discuss sexual orientation, birth control, and abortion.

AMAZE’s content is available on the organization’s YouTube channel, which boasts more than 220,000 subscribers and 60 million combined views. A report from The Federalist questioned whether AMAZE’s content for kids violated YouTube’s terms and conditions.

YouTube’s policy forbids “content that targets young minors and families but contains sexual themes, violence, obscene, or other mature themes not suitable for young audiences.”

One video posted to AMAZE’s channel discusses the use of chest binders to flatten healthy breast tissue and encouraged “transgender men and non-binary individuals” to Google best practices for safe chest binding.

“For transgender men and non-binary individuals, binding their chest may be a way to help create a flatter looking chest and help their body appear more like the gender they are,” the video said.

In the video titled, “Wait, Does Oral Sex Count As Sex?” a child is shown wearing a pansexual shirt and discussing oral sex.

“I’m gay. So, if sex is just a penis and a vagina, then I guess my boyfriend and I will never have sex,” the animated teen said while a triumphant banner read “Virgins For Life!” above.

One video claimed that “girls get erections too.”

Much of AMAZE’s video content would likely not be permissible under several state bans on teaching about sexual education before third grade. Children under 8 years old in states such as Florida are unable to view such content in the classroom under newly enacted state law.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki skirted a question Monday on whether the new head of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Disinformation Governance Board, Nina Jankowicz, will censor news related to Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Psaki if President Joe Biden was aware of the creation of the disinformation governance board.

“This is a continuation of work that was done under the prior administration, under the Trump administration, to take steps to address disinformation, address the use of disinformation in helping smugglers prompt the movement of more migrants to the border,” Psaki responded. “For anyone out there who may be concerned about the increase of migrants to the border, this is the kind of apparatus that’s working to address disinformation.”

Doocy then asked if Biden wants the board to “censor information that’s not helpful to him.”

The “primary mission” of the board “is to establish best practices to ensure that efforts to understand and respond to disinformation are done in ways that protect privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, and the right to free speech,” Psaki said.

Doocy doubled down, saying that Jankowicz has said in the past the Hunter Biden laptop is “Russian disinformation.”

“Should we look forward in the future to her censoring internet traffic about the Hunter Biden laptop?” Doocy asked.

Psaki said that she had already discussed the objective of the board and that Jankowicz has “extensive experience” addressing disinformation.

Psaki made no further comment on the laptop.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the creation of the Disinformation Board on Wednesday to combat misinformation before the 2022 midterm elections.

Mayorkas said Sunday that he could have done a “better job communicating what it does.”

“We address disinformation that presents a security threat to the homeland,” he said. “Disinformation from Russia, from China, from Iran, from the cartels.”

“This is a working group that takes best practices to make sure that in addressing disinformation that presents a threat to the homeland, our work does not infringe on free speech, does not infringe on civil rights, civil liberties. It’s not about speech, it’s about the connectivity to violence,” he added.

He added that the board will focus on foreign misinformation, and will not monitor American citizens, noting, “the board does not have any operational authority or capability.”

A Washington D.C. elementary school held an assembly on anti-racism for students and provided parents with a handbook on fighting racism.

Janney Elementary School in Washington, D.C. held a virtual assembly with an anti-racist educator. Doyin Richards an educator who argues that “racism is as American as apple pie and baseball,” taught elementary schoolers about racism and oppression.

Principal Danielle Singh emailed parents informing them that students in grades “Pre-K through third grade participated in the Anti-Racism Fight Club presentation with Doyin Richards.” Students were given a “fist book” with information on combating racism at home.

One portion of the “fist book” taught elementary students “how to deal with racism from loved ones.”

“Even though they love you and are older than you, they can be wrong,” the book reads.

Students were told that racial prejudice is present against both white and black students but that racial prejudice only harms black students.

“If a Black person says something mean to a white person, he has no power over him,” the “fist book” reads. “It’s as if white people walk around with an invisible force field because they hold all of the power in America.”

Richards offers other teachings on so-called “anti-racism,” including a program titled, “Throat Punching Racism In Schools.”

Richards charges between $10,000 to $15,000 for a virtual speaking fee, according to the Executive Speaker Bureau.

Parents received the adult version of the “Anti-Racism Fight Club” “fist book.” The materials told parents that only white adults can be racist, and black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) “cannot be racist, because there is no construct in America where we hold power or influence.”

The handbook stated that white supremacy is infused in America and is often considered “normal, correct, valuable” and “American.” The parents are called on to raise “anti-racist children” to eradicate racism.

“In order to truly eradicate racism, it starts in the home by raising anti-racist children,” the adult “fist book” reads.

Solutions for parents include introducing children to diversity books, helping find their child a “BIPOC mentor,” and helping children make “BIPOC” friends. Other solutions included “fighting to get cops out of school,” “empowering students to get tough on racism,” and removing standardized testing from schools.

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is planning to sell gas canisters calling attention to the rising price of fuel under the Biden administration.

The RSLC, which promotes GOP candidates in state-level races, is the latest organization to highlight gas stations and rising prices in their campaign efforts. National average gas prices reached $4.13 per gallon Wednesday, up $1.15 year-over-year. Prices hit an all-time high of $4.33 per gallon March 11.

The canister features a picture of Biden with the caption, “Fuel up now before gas hits $10/gal.”

“Joe Biden and his liberal allies in the states continue to drive up gas prices with their war on domestic energy production, and Americans simply cannot afford the pain Democrats are causing at the pump,” RSLC Communications Director Andrew Romeo said. “The solution to lowering gas prices is electing more Republicans in the states who can hold the line against Biden’s failing agenda, but until then we hope Americans make use of these canisters and start filling up extra before gas prices skyrocket even further.”

The Republican National Committee announced in March that it would hold voter registration drives at gas stations as part of its campaign efforts. Florida Republican House candidate Anna Paulina Luna has also registered voters at gas stations in St. Petersburg.

The Biden administration has repeatedly blamed international turmoil, most notably Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for high gas prices.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in early April found that 71% of Americans blame Russian President Vladimir Putin a “great deal” or “good amount” for increased prices, 68% blame oil companies a “great deal” or “good amount” for increased prices and 51% blame Biden a “great deal” or “good amount.” Half of Americans are experiencing at least some financial hardships as a result of increased prices.

The Kid LAROI stopped performing mid-show during his surprise Los Angeles Concert after two fans stormed the stage.

The overly excited fans were tackled by security guards after they made their way to the stage. Kid LAROI instructed the crowd to move back and make space. He took time to check on his fans and even took a moment to pick up the sunglasses that one fan had lost during the altercation.

The whole thing unfolded during a concert at the Lodge Room in the Highland Park neighborhood, Los Angeles. As Kid LAROI began giving instructions to the huge crowd that had gathered for his performance, they immediately responded to his requests.

“Everybody let’s back up a little please,” Kid LAROI said, as he stood on the stage and motioned for his fans to move towards the back of the room. His security guards echoed his instructions, gesturing and repeating “back up, back up, back up.”

The crowd responded by moving backward to give the guards some space.

“I don’t wanna keep stopping the show. Let’s just back up, back up, back up,” he repeated, with the support of his guards, as seen in the video. He took time to check on the fan that had attempted to storm the stage by saying “You good?” and then picked up some sunglasses that had fallen during the incident.

“Yo, whose set of glasses was this right here?” he said. As he returned them he said, “They look clean as F-ck,” according to the video.

The added caution at live events comes in the wake of the Astroworld Tragedy where Travis Scott and Drake continued their show during an incident that led to the deaths of 10 fans and left many others injured.

A judge handed down an unusual sentence to the man found guilty of leaving tire marks on a rainbow mural in South Florida.

Circuit Judge Scott Suskauer ordered Alexander Jerich, 20, to write a 25-page essay on the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting.

Jerich was arrested after a video captured him tearing through the rainbow-painted intersection in his truck in June 2021, and leaving black streaks across the mural. The mural had been unveiled only days earlier in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.

Judge Suskauer sentenced Jerich to research the 49 people who were killed and then write a 25-page essay including what motivates people who cause such tragedies. He was also ordered to pay a $2,003 fine.

“I want your own brief summary of why people are so hateful and why people lash out against the gay community,” the judge told him.

The FBI found no evidence that the shooter had specifically targeted gay people. In a 911 call to police, the shooter pledged allegiance to the ISIS leader and did not cite gay people.

The judge declined to adjudicate the criminal felony charges against Jerich, which he said would have profound negative consequences on his life.

Jerich’s attorney compared him to a mentally challenged character from the novel “Of Mice and Men,” citing his struggle to fit in, and said he could not explain why he defaced the mural.

“I was expecting someone who displays complete disrespect for their fellow citizens. A person some might call a thug or a redneck,” Suskauer said of Jerich. “This was not what I was expecting.”

Prosecutors had asked for Suskauer to give Jerich 30 days in jail and five years of probation.

Rand Hoch, president of the Human Rights Council, requested that the judge ban Jerich from the intersection for life and wanted the incident to be prosecuted as a hate crime, which carries enhanced penalties.

Newly released police bodycam video shows Alec Baldwin’s reaction to Halyna Hutchins’ shooting on the set of his movie “Rust”. Baldwin is shown cooperating with law enforcement and asking about Hutchins’ condition.

Baldwin and his crew can be seen sitting outdoors where Baldwin could be heard asking, “what’s her story?” referring to Hutchins’ condition. A male voice replies “a little bit rougher.” The police officer told him the bullet “went through her right underarm and the exit point was on her back left shoulder blade.” A crewmember asked if the wound was life threatening. “Enough to get air flight,” the officer said.

Baldwin asked the officer “why did they wait so long to take her?” The officer replied, “Because we have to stabilize, for every narcotic and everything they administer they have to wait a certain period.” The officer assured Baldwin and the crew that “the flight medics are trained ER techs, so she’s in good hands,” according to the video.

When police asked about Baldwin’s involvement at the time of the shooting, he said “I was the one holding the gun.” He added “whatever you want to do, I’m happy to stay right here.”

The video shows the officer asking Baldwin if he wanted to remain there or wait in the cruiser. Baldwin replied, “I’ll wait right here,” then he asked a member of his crew to pass him a cigarette. “My hands are shaking,” he said.

During an interview with investigators, Baldwin asked, “am I being charged?” The investigator told him that he was not. “We’ve done this for two weeks, and we did it the right way every day,” Baldwin continued.

Halyna Hutchins was airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries on October 21, 2021.