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LOCAL FOX REPORTER TELLS VIEWERS LIVE ON AIR NETWORK ‘MUZZLING’ HER, GOING TO PROJECT VERITAS
Houston, Texas television news reporter Ivory Hecker announced on air that she is sharing secret recordings at her own network with Project Veritas. Ivory Hecker sitting on a table: KVIR reporter Ivory Hecker said Monday that Project Veritas would be releasing “behind the scenes” recordings related to her claim of being “muzzled” by Fox Corp. Hecker is pictured during the live broadcast on June 14, 2021.© Twitter/Screenshot KVIR reporter Ivory Hecker said Monday that Project Veritas would be releasing “behind the scenes” recordings related to her claim of being “muzzled” by Fox Corp. Hecker is pictured during the live broadcast on June 14, 2021. Hecker made the unusual announcement during a live broadcast on Fox station KRIV on Monday. While expected to report on a local heatwave, she said that the channel’s parent company had been “muzzling” her and other reporters to keep quiet about unspecified “information” before announcing that “behind the scenes” recording would be shared on Tuesday. “I want to let you, the viewers, know that Fox Corp has been muzzling me to keep certain information from you, the viewers,” Hecker said. “And from what I’m gathering I am not the only reporter being subjected to this. I am going to be releasing some recordings about what goes on behind the scenes at Fox because it applies you, the viewers. I found a non-profit journalism group called Project Veritas who’s going to help put that out tomorrow,” she added. “So, tune into them.” The contents of Hecker’s purported recordings are unclear, although Project Veritas has previously shared hidden camera videos alleging left-wing media bias. Some critics have accused the group of deceptive editing.
[SOURCE: msn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 23.54%]
LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA SORRY ‘IN THE HEIGHTS’ ‘FELL SHORT’ ON REPRESENTING DARK-SKINNED AFRO-LATINOS
Lin-Manuel Miranda is asking for some paciencia y fe, saying in a note posted to social media on Monday that he will do better representing Afro-Latinos in his future projects. Miranda’s statements come days after “In The Heights,” a musical about a vibrant and diverse Latinx community in New York City, was released in theaters. The film has been criticized for featuring dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in background and dance scenes but not in main roles. “In trying to paint a mosaic of this community, we fell short,” he said. “I’m truly sorry.” Actress and singer Leslie Grace, who plays Nina Rosario in the film, is Afro-Latino. In an interview with The Root’s Felice León, which reignited the discussion about Latinx colorism this weekend, Grace diplomatically handled her response to the criticism saying, “I hope that this is cracking that glass ceiling because I do hope to see my brothers and sisters that are darker than me lead these movies.” Miranda said in his note that he’s “learning from the feedback. I thank you for raising it, and I’m listening,” he wrote. “In The Heights” opened to $11.4 million at the box office. It was also made available for streaming before its theatrical debut via HBO Max.
[SOURCE: cnn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 8.84%]
TODRICK HALL IS CRITICIZED FOR TWEET SAYING ‘SLAVERY WORKED’
YouTuber and musician Todrick Hall is facing backlash for a tweet on Saturday that said “slavery worked. They hoped we’d still be here today fighting and trying to take down our own. We can prove them wrong. UPLIFT YOUR OWN,” the tweet elaborated. Over 5,000 users quote-tweeted the message, with many responses criticizing Hall’s choice of words. “I don’t think that’s why they enslaved the ancestors,” said one reply to the tweet. Other tweets criticized Hall for a message that they said placed the burden on Black Americans to “prove” that the country’s systemic racism and history of slavery was wrong. Then, people began to criticize him for rumors of unpaid labor. This is only Hall’s latest controversy. The 36-year-old entertainer gained popularity on YouTube with parody videos and music videos of original songs before appearing on season nine of “American Idol” in 2009. He’s also gained notoriety for his association with pop star Taylor Swift. In 2019, he was embroiled in controversy when several former employees and dancers said online and in at least one lawsuit that Hall underpaid them, among other employment allegations, as Insider’s Kat Tenbarge reported at the time. One former assistant accused Hall of failure to pay overtime, wrongful termination, failure to pay minimum wage, breach of contract, and sexual harassment, in a 2018 lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Central District of California that was reviewed by Insider. The case was settled in 2019, Insider previously reported. As the accusations of nonpayment came out against him, more former employees came forward online with similar allegations, including a dancer who worked on multiple projects with him, two drag queens, and a DJ. Hall responded to the dancer publicly on Twitter and wrote that he adores the dancer. “This is surprising to me, he hasn’t been paid yet, he will be…not because he’s trying to ‘expose’ me but because he deserves it. I only got two texts, no calls, I was overseas opening my tour & that video has only been out for 2 weeks,” Hall wrote.
[SOURCE: insider.com / ENGAGEMENT: 5.98%]
MAJOR DELAYS FOR SOUTHWEST FLIGHTS AFTER REPORTED NETWORK OUTAGE
All Southwest Airlines flights were temporarily grounded after a nationwide outage Monday evening, according to an airport in Southern California. While the outage is now resolved and flights are resuming, it led to delays for all Southwest planes, including ones at the Sacramento International Airport. The delays at SMF vary, but some are reported to be as late as 2 hours long. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. A statement from Southwest reads: “We are beginning to resume flight operations after our third-party weather data provider experienced intermittent performance issues earlier this evening preventing transmission of weather information that is required to safely operate our aircraft. While Southwest Teams and the vendor worked to restore connectivity, we implemented a ground stop to protect the Safety of our Crews and Customers. We appreciate our Customers’ patience as we work to get them to their destinations as quickly as possible. We ask that Customers use Southwest.com to check flight status or, if flying this evening, consult a Southwest Airlines Customer Service Agent for assistance with travel needs.”
[SOURCE: kcra.com / ENGAGEMENT: 5.46%]
RONALDO SHUNS COCA-COLA WITH UNEXPECTED HEALTH ADVICE IN EURO 2020 PRESS CONFERENCE
Cristiano Ronaldo removed two Coca-Cola bottles from the table in front of him at his pre-match Euro 2020 press conference on Monday before holding up a bottle of water to the room and declaring people should drink water instead. Then, for dramatic effect, he rolled his eyes and said with borderline disgust, “Coca-Cola”. The brand is an official sponsor of the tournament, but clearly, Ronaldo is not a believer in the health downsides relative to water. So, what happened? As Ronaldo took his seat in front of reporters, he almost immediately looked perturbed. After a brief moment of apparent internal debate over whether to make his health statement about water, he went for it.
[SOURCE: goal.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.81%]
IKEA FINED $1.2 MLN FOR SPYING ON FRENCH EMPLOYEES
A French court on Tuesday ordered IKEA to pay a 1 million euro ($1.2 million) fine for spying on its French staff, after the world’s biggest furniture retailer was found guilty of improperly gathering and storing data on its employees. The French branch of Ingka Group, which owns most IKEA stores worldwide, was accused of snooping on its workers and some clients over several years. The flatpack furniture group, which has recognised there were some improper practices, was accused of breaching employees’ privacy by reviewing records of their bank accounts and sometimes using fake employees to write up reports on staff. Worker representatives said the information was used to target union leaders in some cases or used to IKEA’s advantage in disputes with customers, after the firm trawled data on people’s finances and even what cars they drove. It was also found to have paid for access to police files. Prosecutors had been pushing for a 2 million euro fine. Lawyers for France’s CGT union and several individuals seeking compensation said the final amount was not hefty, but welcomed the outcome. “It’s the symbolism here that matters,” said Solene Debarre, a lawyer representing the CGT. The company said it was reviewing the court decision to see if further measures were needed, after it took steps to stamp out the surveillance tactics. “IKEA Retail France has strongly condemned the practices, apologised and implemented a major action plan to prevent this from happening again,” the Ingka group said. IKEA employs around 10,000 people in France, its third biggest market after Germany and the United States, and has experimented with new formats there, including a store launched in 2019 in the heart of Paris.
[SOURCE: reuters.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.16%]
AT LEAST FOUR DEAD AND FOUR OTHERS HOSPITALIZED IN SHOOTING AT HOME ON CHICAGO’S SOUTH SIDE
Four people were killed and another four were hospitalized Tuesday morning in a shooting inside a residence on Chicago’s South Side. The shooting occurred around 5:42 a.m. (6:42 a.m. ET), after an argument at a gathering at the home in the Englewood neighborhood, police said. Three females and one male were killed in the shooting, and three men and one female were wounded, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said. There are no suspects in the shooting yet. The victims are the only witnesses, but police have not been able to get statements from them yet because they are still being treated for their injuries, he said. A 2-year-old was also taken to the hospital for observation but was not shot, he said. Brown said a large capacity magazine from a gun and several casings were recovered inside the house. There was no apparent forced entry, he said. There have been several disturbance calls at the address where the shooting occurred, he said, but the block overall has been quiet.
[SOURCE: cnn.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.64%]
TRIPLE SHOOTING OVER MASKS AT GEORGIA GROCERY STORE LEAVES CASHIER DEAD, DEPUTY AND MAN INJURED
A triple shooting at a DeKalb County grocery store in Georgia has left a cashier dead and a deputy and the gunman injured, ABC affiliate WSB-TV reported. The shooting happened Monday afternoon at the Big Bear grocery store along Candler Road. The incident started when a man walked into the store and refused to put on a mask. “I have a friend who works in this store and I think it was her who got shot and it’s just really sad,” witness Marquisha White said. “I don’t know what the world is coming to — period.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the cashier told Victor Lee Tucker, Jr., 30, of Palmetto, to put on a mask and that’s when the chaos unfolded. “Tucker left the store without making his purchase, but immediately returned inside. Tucker walked directly back to the cashier, pulled out a handgun and shot her,” the GBI said in a news release. “The deputy returned fire, shooting the suspect who has also been transported to a local hospital,” said DeKalb County Sherriff Melody Maddox. The GBI said two DeKalb County police officers arrested Tucker as he was attempting to crawl out the front door of the store. Fernandes spoke with owner of Big Bear, who did not give his name. He said he hired and off-duty deputy to help enforce the mask policy at the store. After Monday’s triple shooting, he said he may not allow customers to carry any guns inside the store anymore. People who frequent the store say the gunman is well known at Big Bear and they believe he may have some mental health issues.
[SOURCE: wsoctv.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.38%]
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