Category: Opinion

Sylvie Binder, a fencer for Columbia University, was chosen by the Ivy League over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, a national champion, when the NCAA unveiled its conference selections for the 2022 Woman of the Year award on Monday.

Binder, a senior from Armonk, New York, was one of the eight athletes chosen from The Ivy League conference out of the 577 students that were nominated for this award earlier this month.

She won the NCAA Women’s Foil Championship in 2019 and finished third at the NCAA Championships with a final record of 17-6. This season, she finished fifth at the Ivy League Championships, second at the Northeast Regional, and third overall. She was also recognized as Columbia’s finest senior student-athlete and winner of the 2022 Women’s Connie S. Maniatty Award.

Thomas, whose candidacy in mid-July generated a discussion about her eligibility as a transgender female, lost out to Binder in the competition.

Thomas broke swimming pool records during the college swimming season of 2021–2022, which culminated in an NCAA swimming championship in March and sparked a heated discussion over transgender athletes competing in sports.

Thomas spent three seasons swimming for Penn’s men’s swim team before transitioning.

Following the announcement on Monday, the field was reduced to 151 student-athletes. The top 30 nominees from each division will now be chosen by the Woman of the Year Selection Committee, and they will be revealed in October.

The criteria for selection include each nominee’s personal statement, service and leadership, academic excellence, and athletic excellence.

The winner will be declared at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio in January.

The New York Police Department released a violent video Sunday morning that showed a man crossing the street in the Bronx when a car hit him and sent him flying into the air before the occupants jumped out of the car and robbed him.

Police are now looking for the suspects, who they say robbed the pedestrian at approximately 6:40 a.m. local time.

The video showed a black car that appeared to purposefully strike the 39-year-old victim, sending him flying into the air. While the victim lay on the ground motionless an individual could be seen running over to him and removing items from his person, then coming back and searching his body, even flipping him over onto his back while another person was looking on.

From one angle, the same car could be seen parked nearby while the theft was taking place.

Police are looking for three suspects: two who robbed the victim and one who remained in the car.

The victim was in critical condition and receiving treatment at a nearby hospital after emergency workers responded to the scene and transported him to the facility.

A woman pulled out a gun inside Dallas Love Field Airport Monday morning and began shooting, police say, delaying flight operations for several hours Monday. Witnesses said the woman was confronted and shot by officers. No other injuries have been reported.

Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia said 37-year-old Portia Odufuwa, was dropped off at the airport just before 11 a.m., then once inside she went into a restroom and changed clothes.

Garcia said the woman emerged from the restroom wearing a hoody, pulled out a gun, and started firing several shots. Most of the shots appeared to be directed toward the ceiling, he added.

“At this point, we don’t know where exactly the individual was aiming. From what we are seeing she was aiming at the ceiling,” Garcia said. ” There are several rounds that were found.”

According to the airport, officers confronted Odufuwa at about 11:23 a.m. and shot her in her lower extremities. The woman was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in an unknown condition. No further information about the shooting or who dropped her off at the airport has been confirmed by the police.

Cell phone video showed travelers on the ground, behind chairs at the gates, and sheltering in place while the shooting unfolded.

Garcia said the investigation is ongoing and they do not plan to release any other statements until Tuesday afternoon. The Dallas FBI and ATF are assisting Dallas Police in the investigation.

Witness Colby James said he was standing near the woman when she pulled out a gun and started shooting.

James said the woman declared that she had an announcement to make and said something about her husband cheating.

“She basically said her announcement, talking about her husband was cheating or something. And she basically said she was about to blow this sucker up. After she said that she pulled out a gun. She fired the first shot in the air and basically, everybody scattered,” James said. “We were running. There were 10-12 more shots after that.”

Witness Karen Warner said that she was checking in for her flight when she heard a loud argument about 20 feet behind her, followed by a gunshot. Then she started running.

“I heard about 10 more shots while I was running away,” said Warner, who couldn’t discern what the argument was about.

A video from Lady Gaga’s Stockholm concert shows the moment a fan hurled something onto the stage that abruptly stopped and fell to the floor before hitting the star, by a seemingly ‘invisible force’.

Sharing the video on Twitter, the fan wrote, “CONFIRMED: Gaga has an invisible force field that protects her from dangerous objects as shown in the video.” Another one said, “She’s an icon, renewed her contract with Illuminati. With invisible shield around her.”
Another fan shared the video and wrote, “Some will say she’s a wizard.”

One person asked, “Invisible force field protects Lady Gaga from objects being thrown at her while performing on stage. What kind of high-tech energy shield device is she using for her concerts?” While one said, “She is a f**** goddess,” another one said, “I can’t believe it.”

The Chromatica Ball is the sixth concert tour by Lady Gaga, in support of her album, Chromatica, which was released in 2020. The all-stadium tour began on July 17, 2022, in Düsseldorf, and will conclude in Miami Gardens on September 17, 2022. The Chromatica Ball was postponed from 2020 to summer 2021 and later to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The information obtained from DNA testing firms might be used to create bioweapons that target specific American groups or even specific people, a member of the House Intelligence Committee warned.

During a Friday appearance at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, noted that many Americans are far too willing to give up their DNA information to private companies.

“You can’t have a discussion about this without talking about privacy and the protection of commercial data because expectations of privacy have degraded over the last 20 years,” said Crow. “Young folks actually have very little expectation of privacy, that’s what the polling and the data show.”

“People will very rapidly spit into a cup and send it to 23andMe and get really interesting data about their background,” he added.

Then, Crow, a former Army Ranger, contended that after a private corporation collects a person’s DNA, it can then be sold. The company 23andMe has consistently denied ever selling the user data it collects.

Sen. Joni Ernst, who was also present at the meeting, noted that American foes might employ the same technology to target cattle and crops in an effort to cause famine.

Crow and Ernst issued warnings on the same day that they expressed concern about the accessibility of low-cost, military-capable drones and China and Russia’s growing use of AI.

Crow added that moral and ethical considerations, which he acknowledged many of the United States’ adversaries are not concerned with, must also be taken into account in U.S. study on drone technology.

Deputies in Florida sought to corral a big alligator on a homeowner’s property, and while they struggled, the 11-foot reptile let out a terrible roar that was captured on camera. Around one in the morning, deputies were called to a residence on Oak Hills Place in Rotonda after the owner discovered the enormous alligator under their Jeep.

“Have you ever heard an alligator ROAR?” the sheriff’s office wrote on social media along with a video of the encounter.

When the alligator suddenly lets forth a monstrous roar, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer can be seen trying to contain the animal while assisting the sheriff.

According to the sheriff’s office, the alligator put up a struggle, rolling around on the ground numerous times and destroying the homeowner’s light post.

All 67 counties in Florida have alligators, which live in the state’s marshes, swamps, rivers, and lakes. Alligator encounters can be fatal; the most recent one took place at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, Florida. A woman in her 80s was killed when she slipped into an alligator-infested pond at the country club and struggled to get out while being attacked by two alligators.

Singer, Ricky Martin could face up to 50 years behind bars, after his 21-year-old nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, accused him of domestic violence and incest in Puerto Rico.

Earlier this month it was reported that an unidentified victim had made domestic violence and sexual assault allegations against Martin. On Friday the accuser was identified as Martin’s nephew. Sanchez obtained a temporary restraining order against Martin, who faces harsher penalties if convicted of incest and sex crimes under Puerto Rican law.

Martin is set to be in court on July 21.

The Spanish newspaper reported that Martin and Sanchez had been engaged in an intimate relationship for seven months before Sanchez decided to end things. Sanchez claimed that Martin refused to accept the relationship was over and continued to contact him and make unwelcome visits to Sanchez’s home.

Martin’s attorney, Marty Singer spoke on the singer’s behalf Friday evening. “Unfortunately, the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges. Ricky Martin has, of course, never been — and would never be — involved in any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew,” Singer said.

“The idea is not only untrue, it is disgusting. We all hope that this man gets the help he so urgently needs. But, most of all, we look forward to this awful case being dismissed as soon as a judge gets to look at the facts,” Singer added.

Model, Chrissy Teigen declared on Monday that she hasn’t had a drink in a year.

“Not a drop of alcohol in 365 days!” she wrote on social media. “I miss feeling loopy and carefree sometimes, but to be honest toward the end, it didn’t give that fun feeling anymore anyhow. I drank to end crazy anxiety that later mostly went away when I — get this — quit drinking! sigh. anyhow I feel really good.”

Teigen has previously given up alcohol for periods of his time, but this time she said, abstaining had made her more present.

“Sometimes I get really frustrated looking back on days I should remember way better than I do because of alcohol. Like when I drank cafe patron and fell asleep while an Outback Steakhouse chef taught me (my friends) how to make a bloomin onion at my house,” she wrote. “I wish I was awake for that.”

She said there were other times that she felt had slipped by her.

“Wish I remembered really any awards show lol. There are pictures from huge moments in life where my eyes just look…gone. Some are from real work shoots, some just beach days with the family,” Teigen explained. “While I honestly STILL don’t know if I’ll never have a drink again, I do know I never want to be that way again. And for now, none is best. I’ll let the bad dreams come up and try to sort them out in therapy, without booze. Prayers for a blooming onion redo, @outback??”

Teigen shared in December that Thanksgiving 2021 was a big deal for her, because it was the first dry holiday she’d hosted.

Then, in January, a full six months into her journey, she gave another update.

“I now have endless energy, way less anxiety (no more benzos!) and I am *happier* and more present than ever,” she reported. “It’s pretty cool.”

Teigen, the wife of John Legand and mother of 6-year-old Luna and Miles, 4, was looking forward to that one-year mark even back then.

The ex-wife of former President Donald Trump, Ivana Trump has passed away at age 73, according to several posts on social media.

“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City. She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!,” the Former President said.

After being married in 1977, Donald Trump and Ivana Trump had three kids: Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.

A 73-year-old man was discovered unconscious by police on Thursday after they responded to a 911 call, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told Fox News.

“On Thursday, July 14, 2022, at approximately 1240 hours, police responded to a 911 call of a aided individual at 10 East 64 Street , within the confines of the 19 Precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed a 73 year-old female unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the location and pronounced the victim deceased at the scene,” the spokesperson said.

An Instagram post written by Ivana’s son, Eric, said that her mother was “a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend.”

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump. Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend. Ivana Trump was a survivor. She fled from communism and embraced this country. She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination. She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren,” Eric Trump said of his mother’s passing.

Police are gathering outside her Upper East Side house for security even though no crime is suspected. Former President Donald Trump’s first wife, Ivana, and the couple divorced in 1992.

A Michigan woman trying to sue a man for $10,000 over a bad first date got set straight by a district court judge after screaming over him in a crazy Zoom court appearance, according to a video of the spectacle.

QaShontae Hosomla Short-Brundidge in the Zoom video can be seen alongside Judge Herman Marable of the 67th District Court as well as a man named Richard Jordan.

The judge starts the proceedings by explaining to Short-Brundidge that she cannot sue for “infliction of emotional distress” in a criminal court and she would need to file this case in circuit court.

When the judge asked Jordan if he planned to represent himself in the case, the man told the judge, “I thought this was just gonna be thrown out” before adding “I think this is a waste of your time.”

The judge tells Jordan that he should file the appropriate motion to have the case dismissed, then an argument erupts between the woman and Judge Marable over the definition of the word “perjury.”

Jordan can be seen rubbing his eyes in disbelief as the judge and the Short- Brundidge continued to argue for several minutes.

When the judge asks her if she intends to drop the criminal case now that she knows to file in civil court, Short-Brundidge insisted she would not, sparking another argument.

The judge ultimately orders that the case be transferred to the 7th Circuit Court and that the plaintiff pay the filing fees.