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‘FROM THE DESK OF DONALD J. TRUMP’ BLOG SHUT DOWN
The former president shut down a blog he created just a month ago, though many of his written statements that appeared on it remain on his traditional website, a spokesman said Wednesday. Trump used the short-lived blog as an alternative to Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites that banned him because of his constant false statements about last year’s election loss to President Joe Biden. Trump spokesman Jason Miller said the blog, titled “From The Desk of Donald J. Trump,” was designed to be temporary as the organization develops its own social media site. Miller said he did not know when a Trump social media platform might launch. Most of Trump’s written statements through May, which include falsehoods about “election fraud” and attacks on Biden and anti-Trump Republicans, still appear on the ex-president’s website. Twitter and Facebook banned Trump after his statements in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when his supporters tried to halt the congressional confirmation of electoral votes that put Biden in the White House. Trump’s critics relished the demise of the blog.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com / ENGAGEMENT: 19.24%]
KEN KLIPPENSTEIN BLAMES CANDACE OWENS FOR BEING FIRED AFTER PULLING MEMORIAL DAY PRANK ON MATT GAETZ
Jokes can have serious consequences, as journalist Ken Klippenstein recently discovered. Klippenstein took to Twitter to announce he had been fired from his job, at The Intercept, following a prank he played on Rep Matt Gaetz, Matt Schlapp, and Dinesh D’Souza. But they aren’t to blame for his firing, according to him. He tweeted that Candace Owens was responsible for his dismissal. Klippenstein took the Internet by storm on May 31, after he jokingly sent a photo of Lee Harvey Oswald in his military uniform to Gaetz, Schlapp, and D’Souza, asking them to retweet ‘his grandfather’ on the occasion of Memorial Day. All three did so, before realizing it was a prank and deleted their tweets. Owens though, ended up in a bit of a row with Klippenstein, before she too deleted one of her tweets. Shortly after he pranked Gaetz, Schlapp and D’Souza, Owens replied to that tweet and said, “you are making a mockery of a day that is meant to memorialize men that died so that you and other anti-American leftists can laugh at their sacrifices by photoshopping a murder into their uniforms”. She has since deleted that tweet, but responded to Klippenstein with another, in which she said, “It is not ‘political correctness’ to have a soul and a modicum of decency. Reminder: These men DIED— the majority of them on foreign soil—so that you could be free. You do not photoshop murderers into their uniforms so that you can have a laugh.” Twitter users were quick to point out that the image was not photoshopped, and that Oswald did indeed serve in the United States Marine Corps. The exchange led to Owens being widely trolled for her lack of knowledge. It’s unclear what happened next, but hours after that exchange Klippenstein tweeted, “Tell Candace Owens I hope she’s happy I’ve been let go from my job.”
[SOURCE: meaww.com / ENGAGEMENT: 10.19%]
LIL UZI VERT REMOVES $24 MILLION PINK DIAMOND LODGED IN HIS FOREHEAD AFTER HIS HEAD STARTED LEAKING
Nearly four months to the day after Lil Uzi Vert got a $24 million pink diamond surgically pierced into his forehead, the 26-year-old rapper has had a rational change of heart. Back in February, Mr. Uzi Vert unveiled the “10 almost 11 carat” bling for the self-proclaimed reason of not trusting himself to hang onto it. The jeweler Simon Babaev claimed that he and his company had come up with a “specific mounting” made from precious metals to lodge the diamond in there, according to Stereogum. He announced on Twitter that the stone cost more than “all of [his] cars together,” plus the value of his home, and that he’d been paying it off since 2017, just recently making his final payment. $24 million in your melon sounds dope in theory, but when it begins piercing your skull and causing you to leak from your brain, it may be time to reconsider its place. “If I don’t get it took out the right way I could die,” said Uzi after posting a photo with a bloody forehead, adding, “No seriously.” The rapper appeared in an Instagram story on Tuesday with his girlfriend, Uzi appears to have had the diamond removed from his head, which I think we can all agree is a sound decision, both fiscally and existentially.
[SOURCE: brobible.com / ENGAGEMENT: 9.78%]
CHURCHILL DOWNS BANS TRAINER BOB BAFFERT FOR TWO YEARS FOLLOWING MEDINA SPIRIT POSITIVE SAMPLE TEST
Churchill Downs announced Wednesday the suspension of Bob Baffert for two years effective immediately through the conclusion of the 2023 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs Racetrack. The suspension prohibits Baffert, or any trainer directly or indirectly employed by Bob Baffert Racing Stables, from entering horses in races or applying for stall occupancy at all CDI-owned racetracks. This decision follows the confirmation by attorneys representing Bob Baffert of the presence of betamethasone, a prohibited race-day substance, in Medina Spirit’s bloodstream on the day of the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby in violation of the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s equine medication protocols and CDI’s terms and conditions for racing. “CDI has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly,” said Bill Carstanjen, CEO of CDI. “Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated. Mr. Baffert’s record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby. Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.” CDI reserves the right to extend Baffert’s suspension if there are additional violations in any racing jurisdiction. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (“KHRC”) has the sole authority to disqualify Medina Spirt as the winner of Kentucky Derby 147. It is the understanding of CDI that the KHRC is pursuing the completion of its investigation of this matter in accordance with its rules and regulations. A lawyer for trainer Bob Baffert said Wednesday a split sample of Medina Spirit’s drug test following the Kentucky Derby confirmed the presence of betamethasone, further jeopardizing the horse’s status as the winner of the Run for the Roses. On May 9, Churchill Downs announced Medina Spirit would be disqualified as the Kentucky Derby winner if a second test — called a “split sample” — came back positive. Runner-up Mandaloun, trained by Louisville native Brad Cox, would be declared the winner.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.69%]
BOAT EXPLODES IN VIRAL VIDEO AFTER BOATERS ALLEGEDLY HARASSED VESSEL FLYING PRIDE FLAGS
A boat carrying a group of people who were reportedly harassing a family for having LGBTQ+ pride flags spontaneously blew up over the weekend in Washington state, BuzzFeed News reported. Video of the incident, which took place on Moses Lake, went viral on TikTok and Twitter after users shared it to the social media platforms. “These people harassed my family because we were flying gay pride flags,” the user wrote. “Then, their boat literally blew up!” They added the hashtag “#KarmaIsReal.” The TikTok video shows the group approaching the family’s boat, with various people on board holding up their middle fingers. Their boat is then seen billowing smoke, with large flames shooting up as the passengers swim in the water with life vests on. According to BuzzFeed, the occupants of the burned boat swam to the boat they had been harassing for safety. The incident took place a few days before the start of Pride Month, which celebrates LGBTQ+ culture. The person who filmed the encounter posted another video on Tuesday showing them back on the water with their rainbow flag flying. The Grant County Sheriff’s Office told BuzzFeed that the boat fire began Sunday around 7:45 p.m. local time. Authorities extinguished the fire once they arrived on the scene and towed the remains of the boat back to shore. “As of right now, we are trying to make contact with the occupants of the vessel being circled so we can interview them to find out what happened,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We would like to know more, and once we can interview people, we will be able to know more without relying solely on a brief video.”
[SOURCE: thehill.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.69%]
JOJO SIWA SAYS SHE’S TRYING TO GET HER KISSING SCENE WITH A MAN REMOVED FROM AN UPCOMING MOVIE
Jojo Siwa said she wants a romantic scene from her upcoming film removed because it shows her kissing a man. The 18-year-old Nickelodeon star spoke to Entertainment Weekly for its Pride digital cover and discussed publicly coming out as part of the LGBTQ community earlier this year and her upcoming movie, “Bounce.” Siwa spoke to Entertainment Weekly about wanting to get a romantic scene pulled from the final cut of the film, an adaptation of the book “Bounce” by Megan Shull. She said that she filmed a scene where her character kisses a man, but she’s working on having it removed from the movie. Siwa said her girlfriend, Kylie Prew, is OK with the scene. “I’m madly in love and I do not want to kiss another human,” she told EW. “Especially because it’s a man.” The actress said she’s concerned that viewers may find it hard to separate her from the character and could view the moment as “Jojo Siwa kissing someone” instead of her just doing her job, which she said could “be a little weird.” Siwa has been on-screen throughout the past decade, and her role in “Bounce,” produced by Will Smith, will be her first big part since she came out as a member of the LGBTQ community. She’s said that while she may be “technically” be pansexual she is not yet labeling herself. Fans had begun speculating about her sexuality in January after she posted a video of her singing along to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and then shared a picture wearing a shirt that read “Best Gay Cousin Ever.” In February, Siwa went public with her relationship with Prew with a sweet Instagram post on their one-month anniversary. The two started out as friends. Siwa has described herself as “the happiest” she has ever been since coming out.
[SOURCE: insider.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.96%]
DANISH RADIO JOURNALIST INTERVIEWED MAN WHILE HAVING SEX WITH HIM AT SWINGERS CLUB
A young Danish radio journalist has sparked moral panic after she recorded an interview while having sex at a swingers club – and it was broadcast on air. Louise Fischer, from Denmark’s Radio 4, could be heard moaning as she interviewed the man as they had sex. The reporter was covering the reopening of the club after Denmark loosened its Covid-19 restrictions when she had the encounter, which she says was not planned. The story first aired in March and the audio has since been posted on social media, where it has been shared widely. Fischer told German news outlet Bild that her efforts had received mixed reviews. “Most of them were very positive, they thought it was brave and cool. Others think that I’ve crossed a line in journalism. I don’t have a boyfriend, that definitely made it a lot easier. My mother just thinks it’s funny and laughs, my father thought it was really cool. I enjoyed it. Even though it wasn’t the best sex of my life. But the men in this club are very polite and very considerate. I felt like a goddess. They make you feel very special. For me, it’s very natural. It is part of my job to give an insight into a world that not everyone has access to.”
[SOURCE: nzherald.co.nz / ENGAGEMENT: 3.80%]
IRAN’S BIGGEST WARSHIP CATCHES FIRE, SINKS IN GULF OF OMAN
Iran’s largest navy warship sank in the Gulf of Oman Wednesday after firefighters were unable to contain a huge fire which swept through the vessel, the country’s media reported. Around 400 troops fled the Kharg after it caught fire in unclear circumstances, state media reported, with 20 suffering injuries. The British-built ship was named after the island that serves as the main oil terminal for Iran. Firefighters battled for almost 21 hours to save the vessel before it sank at around 8:30 a.m. local (1 a.m. ET) on Wednesday morning near the Iranian port of Jask, some 790 miles southeast of Tehran on the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iranian officials offered no explanation about what started the blaze, which began at around 11 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET) on Tuesday, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported. However, they said an investigation had begun. Pictures circulated on Iranian social media also showed sailors wearing life jackets evacuating the vessel as a fire burned behind them. NBC News was unable to verify these images. Iran’s navy typically handles patrols in the Gulf of Oman and the wider seas. It recently launched a slightly larger commercial tanker called the Makran it converted into serving a similar function as the Kharg, which was also able to lift heavy cargo and serve as a launch point for helicopters. The country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard operates in the shallower waters of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The fire comes after a series of mysterious explosions targeting ships in the region.
[SOURCE: nbcnews.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.80%]
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