Category: Opinion

GoFundMe has shut down several fraudulent campaigns set up under the pretense of raising funds for Amber Heard to pay $10.35 million in damages to Johnny Depp following this past week’s ruling on his defamation case against his ex-wife.

Kimberly Moore, who claimed that she knew Heard’s legal team, started a campaign trying to raise $1 million for her.

“The trial was a disgrace. I believe Amber and social media protected the abuser,” the campaign’s page read. “The judgment exceeds her net worth. It’s so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can, please help her.”

GoFundMe said its policy is to remove any campaigns that have not “been authorized by the recipient of the funds.”

Depp sued Heard for defamation in response to her 2018 Washington Post op-ed accusing him of domestic violence with Heard filing a countersuit shortly after. A lengthy, publicly broadcast trial ended with Heard required to pay $15 million to Depp and Depp required to pay $2 million to Heard for statements made by his attorney.

Heard is to pay $10.35 million per Virginia state law regarding punitive damages. Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft. said Thursday that they plan to appeal, as Heard can “absolutely not” pay the damages.

Pizza Hut is gettings some harsh reactions from conservatives and other social media warriors for including a book about “drag kids” in its “Book It!” reading incentive program.

“Pizza Hut has gone full woke, now we must make them full broke,” conservative author Brigitte Gabriel said on social media.

According to the “Book It!” website, the book “Big Wig,” is represented as a “wonderful read-aloud” book that “celebrates the universal childhood experience of dressing up and the confidence that comes with putting on a costume,” and describes it as a picture book that “celebrates drag kids.”

“In the spirit of Julián Is a Mermaid, this irrepressible picture book celebrates drag kids, individuality, and self-confidence from the perspective of a fabulous wig!,” the description reads.

Haters of the children’s book pounced on Pizza Hut, with some threatening a boycott over the company’s choice to go woke.

Should we boycott @pizzahut? https://t.co/epZ8yaaYtK

— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) June 3, 2022

Boycott Pizza Hut, order from Papa John’s instead.

Better ingredients. Better pizza. No wokeness.

— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) June 4, 2022

Can screwed up adults give children a break and just let them be children …I’m so sick of messed up people/ and companies on a quest to mess children. This is not necessary 👇 bye bye @pizzahut https://t.co/r6baWn7ksK

— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) June 3, 2022

Pizza Hut officials have not made any official comments on the matter.

The NFL is continuing its investigation into Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson following accusations of sexual misconduct by 23 women. Amid the investigation, Watson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, did a radio interview with Sports Radio 610 and said that he believes Watson did not commit any crimes.

During the interview, Hardin gave an interesting explanation of why he believes a “happy ending” is not a crime.

The term “happy ending” describes either oral sex or manual stimulation of the penis during or after a massage. Watson has been accused of touching some of the massage therapists with his penis or exposing himself to them. Some of the women involved in the lawsuit say Watson ejacutaled on them or forced them to put their mouths on his penis. One accuser said Watson deliberately moved his erect penis to her hand and told her to “just grab it.”

Hardin argued that a “happy ending” is not a crime unless extra money is paid for the service and Watson had never paid extra for that “service.” The question is whether Watson forced these women into unwanted sexual encounters. If that was the case, it could qualify as sexual misconduct or sexual assault.

Hardin tried to clarify his comments Friday, saying that he believed Watson had engaged in consensual sexual activity with the massage therapists. Hardin added that Watson “did not pay anyone for sex.”

Hardin said that he had been speaking hypothetically when he used the term “happy ending” and was not specifically talking about Watson’s case.

In the statement, Hardin said, “It’s not OK to do anything that a woman does not agree to do.”

Watson will not face criminal charges but is still subject to punishment from the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell said in May that the league’s investigation into Watson was nearly complete. Since then, a 23rd accuser filed a civil suit against Watson.

Watson offered $100,000 to each of the 22 initial accusers last spring in an attempt to settle each case.

In spite of the lawsuits, the Browns acquired Watson in March. The team gave Watson $230 million, the most guaranteed money in NFL history.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested this week after police discovered he had been recruiting classmates to shoot up a high school in Berkeley, California.

“On Saturday, May 21st, we received a tip that a 16-year-old boy had attempted to recruit other high school students to participate in a school shooting at Berkeley High School that included explosives,” Berkeley police said in a statement. Officers obtained a warrant to search the boy’s home.

“When the patrol officers searched the teen’s residence, they discovered parts to explosives and assault rifles, several knives, and electronic items that could be used to create additional weapons,” the statement continued. Police say the suspect turned himself in on Monday and was arrested on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials and threatening to commit a crime that will result in death or great bodily injury, according to the release.

Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Superintendent Brent Stephens made a statement after the arrest.

“We want to thank the individuals who came forward to report this threat. Speaking up in this instance allowed for the police to intervene in advance of any harm occurring,” Stephens said.

“We know this incident, as well as the shooting at Civic Center Park last week, may result in our students and staff feeling anxious and upset,” BUSD said in a statement. “We will have counseling available at Berkeley High School and all BUSD K-12 schools tomorrow. I encourage our students and staff to reach out for support.”

These threats came just one week after a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 children and two adults dead. Also, a shooting at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, left at least four dead.

The U.S. reopened its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine on Wednesday, according to the State Department.

The decision was made to close the embassy in February amid fears of an impending Russian invasion. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time it was important to ensure “the safety of our staff,” citing the buildup of Russian forces.

“We underscored our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, pledged to continue our assistance, and started working toward the day we could return to Kyiv,” Blinken said in a statement Wednesday. “Now, that day has come. Today we are officially resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.”

“The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the Embassy once again. We stand proudly with, and continue to support, the government and people of Ukraine as they defend their country from the Kremlin’s brutal war of aggression,” Blinken added.

There were many other countries that reopened their embassies before the U.S., prompting questions about why the administration had not yet resumed operations in Kyiv.

Blinken assured that there would be “additional measures to increase the safety of our colleagues who are returning to Kyiv” in his statement. He added that there would be “enhanced … security measures and protocols,” though he did not elaborate.

“We are committed to confronting the challenges ahead. The war rages on. Russia’s forces inflict death and destruction on Ukrainian soil every day,” Blinken continued while acknowledging that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues. “Millions of Ukrainians are displaced from their homes and mourn the loss of their loved ones. With strength of purpose, we reaffirm our commitment to the people and government of Ukraine, and we look forward to carrying out our mission from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.”

The photos of Amber Heard’s bruising which were presented as evidence during the defamation trial were edited, according to expert testimony on Wednesday.

Johnny Depp’s lawyers called Bryan Neumeister, a digital forensics expert to the stand as a rebuttal witness in the ongoing defamation trial. Neumeister was asked to analyze several photographs taken during the couple’s relationship, showing bruises on Heard’s face and arms. Heard’s legal team had presented the photos as evidence of alleged physical abuse by Depp.

Neumeister, a metadata expert, said his examination showed that some of the photos “showed that the software for the file was not from an iPhone, but that it was rendered in an editing program.”

Neumeister said the pictures he had analyzed were screengrabs, meaning that they had not come directly from the iPhone that captured them, meaning the data was altered.

“There’s no way to authenticate any photo that was presented in the way the evidence was collected,” Neumeister said.

The metadata expert also testified that one photo in particular, which appears to show a bruise on Heard’s arm, “had to go through some type of transformation to change sizes” and that the three files “don’t match forensically.” Neumeister said that he believed several photographs had been modified, according to Newsweek.

When a gunman opened fire Sunday in a South California church, the fast-acting pastor hit him with a chair and parishioners quickly hog-tied him with electrical cords and held him until authorities arrived.

The deadly attack unfolded Sunday afternoon around 1:30 p.m., at the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods.

Roughly 40 worshippers had gathered for a luncheon to welcome Pastor Billy Chang home after being in Taiwan for two years.

“Everyone had just finished lunch,” Jerry Chen, 72, said. “They were taking photos with Pastor Chang. I had just finished my lunch and went into the kitchen.”

That’s when David Chou, 68, opened fire on the group, killing Pastor Chang and injuring five senior citizens.

Chen said he peeked out of the kitchen and saw chaos as everyone began frantically running. Chen said he ran outside to call the police.

Parishoners said that when the Chou stopped to reload, Chang hit him with a chair while others grabbed his gun and hog-tied him with electrical cords.

“It was amazing how brave [Chang] and the others were,” Chen said. “This is just so sad. I never, ever thought something like this would happen in my church, in my community.”

Orange County Undersheriff Jeff Hallock said the parishioners “displayed what we believe is exceptional heroism and bravery in intervening to stop the suspect.”

“They undoubtedly prevented additional injuries and fatalities,” Hallock said. “I think it’s safe to say that had people not intervened, it could have been much worse.”

Authorities said Pastor Chang, who served the church for 20 years, was a true hero who saved many lives by sacrificing his own.

“Bridgerton” actress, Ruby Barker shared on Thursday that she was in the hospital being treated for mental health issues.

“I’ve been really unwell for a really long time, and I just wanna be really honest with everybody. I have been struggling. I am in hospital at the minute, and I’m gonna get discharged soon and hopefully get to continue with my life,” Barker said in a video posted on her Instagram page.

She said that she was “rage-filled,” “frustrated” and “angry,” adding that she had “intergenerational trauma bundled up” inside her. “I was carrying the weight of the world on my back,” Barker said.

The “Bridgerton” actress revealed that she had faced mental health struggles amid her successful career. She thanked friends and colleagues who stood by her side and supported her during her most challenging moments.

“I can’t carry on the way I’ve been carrying on. I need to change, so that is what I’m trying to do,” the actress said. “I want to survive and I will survive. I am going to.”

Barker said she had been overwhelmed by having so much going on and being too hard on herself, which she said ultimately became more than she could handle. “I felt like I was so alone. I was trying to hold together my mental health like this, just adding so much pressure like my brain was just gonna go ‘boom,’ and that’s basically what happened,” she said.

The actress said that she has received an official diagnosis and promised to revisit that information at a later time. Adding that she hoped to effect change by having honest conversations about mental health.

“We really need to change the dialogue and think about our linguistics when we’re actually talking about mental health,” Barker said in her video.

“I want to encourage others: if you’re struggling, please do yourself a favor, take a break, stop being so hard on yourself,” Barker said.

Pastor John Lowe of New Life Christian Church in Warsaw, IN faced his congregation Sunday and confessed that he had cheated on his wife nearly two decades ago and that he would be stepping down from his position.

It was a shocking confession made by a trusted pastor: “I committed adultery.”

“It was nearly 20 years ago. It continued far too long,” Lowe, 65, told the church during Sunday service.

“I didn’t make a misjudgment. I sinned. I need to say that, and you deserve to hear it,” Lowe continued.

The church responded to his confession with compassion and applause…at first, then a woman and her husband took the stage.

The woman named Bobbi took the microphone and told the congregation that she was the woman Lowe had spoken of, but the preacher was not telling the whole story.

“I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do,” she said. “You did things to my teenage body that have never and should never have been done.”

She told the church that she had been traumatized for more than 20 years by the things that he had done to her. Then, the woman’s husband spoke while holding up some jewelry.

“This was Bobbi’s purity’s ring which she wore while this man had sex with her and she felt ashamed all these years,” he said.

As Bobbi left the church, members of the congregation embraced her and demanded the pastor come clean.

“If you did it, you need to admit it!” one congregant said.

The pastor faced the congregants and once again asked for their forgiveness.

“I ask you to forgive me. That’s all I can do,” he said.

The local prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation into the allegations.

Church leaders posted a statement saying, “We are hurting and broken for a woman who has lovingly attended and served in the church for many years.”

A woman says her medical emergency while aboard a Celebrity Cruise ship became an absolute nightmare for her after the ship’s medics gave her a blood transfusion from a donor who had HIV.

The woman was aboard a 7-day cruise when on the 5th day she began to have severe rectal bleeding and had to go to the medical center. According to a federal lawsuit, doctors diagnosed her with a gastrointestinal hemorrhage and said she would need an emergency blood transfusion to survive.

According to the suit, the medical staff turned to passengers for assistance, announcing over the ship’s PA system that they needed Type A-negative blood. There were 4 passengers who stepped up to donate blood, and she got the transfusion.

Sometime later, the woman says she was diagnosed with HIV … and she believes she contracted it from the transfusion. In her suit, she calls out Celebrity Cruises doctors for not properly screening the donated blood before giving it to her.

The woman is suing the cruise line for unspecified damages.

Ironically, the cruise doctors told her that she would have died without the transfusion. On the one hand, the doctors as well as her fellow passengers who donated blood saved her life. However, now she has to live with HIV, which thankfully has great treatment options these days.