Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Four months after ‘The Slap,’ Will Smith answers fan questions in apology video

As nearly everyone with internet access knows, Will Smith made headlines for slapping comedian Chris Rock during a live taping of the 94th annual Oscars ceremony. The slap came after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss reportedly caused by alopecia.

Four months following the incident, Smith has released a video showing a formal, official apology to Rock.

“It’s been a minute…Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work…” the onscreen text read before Smith became visible.

During the video, Smith addressed why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech while claiming the “Best Actor” award for his role in “King Richard.” The actor admitted to being “fogged out” during the moment, but has since reached out to Rock to open up a dialogue about what happened.

“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out,” Smith said in the video.


He then apologized to Rock’s mother, after seeing an interview she did. “I didn’t realize how many people got hurt in that moment.”

Getting emotional, Smith shared, “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

Smith also spoke to the theory that Pinkett Smith’s alleged eye roll caught on camera prompted him to get aggressive. Smith took full ownership for his actions, saying, “I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences.” Where Smith confessed that his prior choice “hurts, psychologically and emotionally,” he is doing everything he can to “be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I’m human.”

The five-minute video concluded with Smith vowing to transform a mistake into a growth opportunity.

To his disappointed fans, he promised that he would be “deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. And, you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

School shooting survivor delivers heartbreaking performance on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Sometimes the best part about watching “America’s Got Talent” isn’t seeing extraordinary performances—it’s witnessing extraordinary courage.

Eighteen-year-old Ava Swiss displayed both talent and courage with her breathtaking rendition of “Remember” by Lauren Daigle. Swiss’ vocal chops and stage presence were certainly enough to make a lasting impression. But the reason behind her song choice made it all the more impactful.

“I chose this song because back on November 30, my brother and I were a part of the Oxford school shooting,” Swiss told judge Simon Cowell. “We lost four of our students, and seven others were injured, one of which was a teacher.”


In an exclusive interview with People, Swiss shared that she had been close friends with 17-year-old Justin Shilling, one of the four students killed. The trauma of such loss and surviving a harrowing (though sadly, not unimaginable) experience made the thought of going back to school seem impossible.

“It’s been hard. I remember my brother and I, we were talking to each other, and we said, ‘There’s no way we’re ever stepping foot back in the school,’” she told the judges.

The high school senior’s audition had been filmed prior to the recent series of public shootings across America. It’s heartbreaking that these tragedies have become so common, no question.

But as Swiss demonstrates, resilience can be immensely healing. Swiss added that she and her brother had been back at school for about two months … all before singing so powerfully she was met with a standing ovation.

Mandel told her. “The fact that you can break through that, and shine the way you did today, is so inspirational for every human being.”

This was, of course, before receiving a unanimous “yes” to move onto the next round of the competition.

If the resounding praise from all four judges wasn’t enough, fellow students of Oxford High sent a flood of loving comments to the video posted on YouTube as well. One student wrote:

“Hi another student from Oxford high school, this performance will stay on repeat in my head for years to come. It was extraordinary and so beautiful it gave me chills down to the bone. This was something I didn’t know I needed, it made me cry a lot but also gave me a lot of strength. I’m so proud of our community and of Ava for sharing her voice with us and the world and making our healing process a little less rough. Stay strong Oxford.”

It’s not easy to get up on stage and bare your soul, especially after trauma. Swiss’ performance was a big win before she hit a single note.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Woman kept getting alerts from her Apple watch about her heart. They wound up saving her life.

Kim Durkee, 67, of Solon, Maine, told Today that she purchased an Apple watch two years ago to count her steps and to get help if she fell. But she ended up getting a lot more than that out of her watch. In fact, it wound up saving her life.

Back in May, Durkee got an alert from her watch in the middle of the night that said she appeared to have an abnormal heart rhythm and suggested atrial fibrillation. “The message basically said something to the effect of, ‘You are in a resting state but we noticed AFib,'” Durkee told News Center Maine.

The Mayo Clinic describes atrial fibrillation as an “irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart.” It increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.


Durkee ignored the warning because she felt fine. “I didn’t have one single hint that there was something wrong in my body, not one,” Durkee told Today. But her Apple watch went on to wake her up three nights in a row from midnight to 4 a.m. So she decided to go into the emergency room on June 3.

Apple watches can be useful for monitoring one’s health but they shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for a regular checkup with a doctor. However, they are able to monitor the heart for irregularities and if they find an irregular rhythm five out of six times within 48 hours, users are sent an irregular rhythm notification.

A 2020 study found that 34% of individuals who received a notification of arrhythmia were later found to have atrial fibrillation.

She told the doctor on duty that her Apple watch said she has AFib and he was a little skeptical. How could a watch replace the expertise of a heart specialist? “He looked at me, like, ‘Really, your watch told you you have AFib?’ Everybody in the hospital was amazed. I was like the talk of the hospital,” she told Today.

“He did some tests and he said, ‘Your watch is right, you’re in AFib,’” she added.

After an echocardiogram, the doctors also discovered that she had a myxoma tumor in her heart. These noncancerous tumors are rare, but they grow very rapidly. If the watch hadn’t notified her of her heart irregularity she could have been in real trouble.

On June 27, she underwent a five-hour open heart surgery and has since made a full recovery.

“I asked Dr. Osho in Boston who did the surgery and I also asked my doctor up here when I went for a check-up … They both said the same thing, [that] I probably would’ve had a massive stroke, and they would’ve just said she died and they never would’ve known I had the myxoma,” Durkee told News Center Maine.

“So, I’m very grateful to be alive. So, without that watch, I might not be having this conversation with you right now,” she told WCVB.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Jon Stewart Masterfully Trolled Fox News With A Hunter Biden Joke While Fighting Like Hell For A Veterans’ Health Bill

Jon Stewart unloaded on Fox News today over Republican lawmakers’ refusal to pass a much-needed bill to help veterans exposed to burn pits.

Stewart, who’s been fighting to secure medical benefits for vets since late last year, made headlines this week when he called out the GOP for blocking the bill which was intended to help military servicemen and women suffering from various ailments as a result of the toxic pits. First, Stewart slammed Republican Congressmembers who voted down the bill, saying “If this is ‘America First’ then America is f*cked.”

Now, Stewart is popping up on Fox News, hoping to plead with the network’s conservative fanbase while getting in a few digs at some of the more ridiculous reporting the news platform has done in the past. First, Stewart appealed to Fox News fans by trying to debunk some of the misinformation surrounding the bill before directing them to Congress.gov, where they could read it for themselves.

“No spending that is not related to veterans has been added to this bill,” Stewart said. “No last-minute budget gimmicks have been added to this bill. This bill is purely based on toxic exposure, health care, and benefits to veterans.”

Then, for good measure, Stewart snuck in a Hunter Biden joke, using one of Fox News’ favorite punching bags to mock the news channel’s tendency to cast a shade of conspiracy over every little thing Democrats try to get done in the House and the Senate — even medical help for vets forced to breathe in jet fuel, incinerated ammunitions, and burned human feces.

“Hunter Biden didn’t sneak in and add unrelated spending in the middle of the night,” he continued. “It is despicable to continue to use America’s men and women who are fighting for this country as political pawns for anger you have about separate issues. There is no pork in it. It is a kosher bill. I’d say halal, but I know how that might play on this network.”

You can watch Stewart’s full tirade below:

(Via Mediaite)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Taylor Swift Is Reportedly The Celebrity With The Most Private Flight CO2 Emissions So Far This Year

After Kylie Jenner posted a picture with Travis Scott that flaunted both of their private jets, a Twitter account dedicated to tracking celebrity jets, CelebJets, made note that Jenner also recently took a 17-minute ride across a California suburb, which would be an estimated 45-minute drive. Drake also did something similar. It stirred up a conversation about how much environmental damage is caused by rich celebrities.

That conversation isn’t over. An article was published on The Tab today that ranks celebrities by the most CO2 emissions this year using their private jets. Jenner isn’t even in the top 10 — though Scott is, as well as her sister Kim Kardashian. However, that’s not what people are worried about. Reportedly, Taylor Swift is the worst of all of them, sitting at No. 1. This is shocking to many because of her status as a sweetheart who also speaks up about political and social issues. Her amount of CO2 flight emissions this year is allegedly 8,293.54 tonnes, with the stats coming from Yard, a sustainability-driven digital marketing agency.

Of course, Swift hasn’t always been as vocal about the state of the world as she is now. She used to be criticized for her decision to keep political beliefs to herself. “I feel like at 22, it’s my right to vote, but it’s not my right to tell other people what to do,” she said.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Markelle Fultz Brings A Distinct Game To The Magic’s Young Core

Although Markelle Fultz is approaching his sixth NBA season, who exactly he is and will become feels rather murky. Since entering the league in 2017, he’s suited up for just 131 of a possible 391 games. Injuries have derailed him in all but one year (2019-20). Adaptation to a novel environment, whether it’s a new team or rotating cast of teammates, is central to his NBA story.

After tearing his ACL in early January 2021, which sidelined him for nearly 14 months, Fultz returned to the Orlando Magic’s lineup in late February last season. Across 18 appearances, the 24-year-old (again, he’s still very young) averaged 10.8 points (51.7 percent true shooting), 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes per night.

Almost from the outset, the 6’3 guard illuminated that he’s Orlando’s premier creator in the backcourt. A newfound willingness to embrace contact, when paired with his long-standing creativity and contortion, amplified his emergence as a dynamite slasher and interior scorer.

According to Cleaning The Glass, he shot 72 percent at the rim, which ranked in the 98th percentile among combo guards. His 35 percent rim frequency placed him in the 78th percentile, while just 19 percent of those buckets arriving via assists was good for the 100th percentile. All three numbers determine a logical conclusion: he’s an elite finisher and slasher. They’re also reinforced by visual aids.

Fultz’s handle is remarkably fluid. Among spins, crossovers and between-the-legs weaponry, his acceleration and change of direction out of complex dribble moves are uncanny. Despite his straight-line burst being mediocre, his second, third and fourth steps are top-tier. He gobbles up space with long, powerful strides downhill and punctuates drives by virtue of his ingenuity and flexibility around the basket.

Sometimes, he proceeds with the brashness of a bulldozer to plow through ill-equipped defenders; the degree to which he applied his functional strength in 2021-22 seemed like a significant improvement from prior years. Other times, he spirals and slaloms around defenders like a graceful tap dancer. His comfort toggling between divergent natures helps fuel him.

There’s an ease to which he manufactures paint touches unrivaled by his Magic contemporaries, as well as few other guards around the NBA. His movement skills and physicality pop off the screen, especially considering he was playing his first 18 games following a torn ACL a year earlier.

Fultz’s slashing style suitably complements the likes of Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Franz Wagner. Anthony and Suggs are best deployed in off-ball roles, while Wagner showcased significant proclivity on cuts and attacking closeouts, in addition to his budding creation, last season.

Between inverted pick-and-rolls and Fultz’s interior passing chops, Wendell Carter Jr. and Fultz also cultivated some rapid chemistry. Fultz is a gnarly screener and breathtaking finisher, which fit aptly alongside Carter’s renewed confidence and ball skills as a shooter and driver; Carter also paved runways at the cup for his teammate with Gortat Seal Screens, and I’d like to see their partnership explored even deeper this coming year.

If No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero refines his off-ball scoring (he’s prone to pausing and surveying options off the catch, thus surrendering advantages), it’s evident how Fultz could simplify life for him and how they could team up in ball-screens, each cast as an initiator and roller.

Fultz’s 45.2 percent assist rate was in the 100th percentile last season. A lot of dimes were rather straightforward, yet stemmed from an innate ability to bend the defense. Once he compromises the shell of a unit, whether his handle, measured pacing, or use of screen is responsible, he excels at building upon that initial advantage.

His passing acumen can be a curse because he’ll process reads quicker than his teammates and expect them to occupy openings they’re unaware exist, leading to turnovers. But he is a truly magnificent playmaker, slinging feeds at an array of deliveries and angles, both inside and beyond the arc. According to PBPStats, 87 of his 99 assists yielded makes at the rim or from deep. The effortlessness of his paint touches, Elastigirl limbs, and entrepreneurial playmaking eye coalesce for multifaceted table-setting.

Because Fultz can almost always mount two feet in the paint, a vital future step in his development is expanding his means of reliable scoring away from the hoop. Despite shooting 72 percent on a play type that composed over a third of his shot chart, his true shooting percentage (51.7) was nearly five points south of league average (56.6).

He’s at peace from the midrange, but went just 38 of 100 (41st percentile) in that region and had only ranked above the 14th percentile there once throughout his first four seasons. His release point is preposterously elevated, to the point that most big men can’t even contest it, but the effectiveness has yet to mirror the aesthetic pleasure of periodic makes.

Such a glaring dissonance is present between the mechanics of his midrange and outside jumper that expecting viable long-range shooting feels unwise. Enhancing his scoring efficiency likely requires an improvement from midrange (45-46ish percent would be a welcomed, attainable boon) and as a foul-drawer. During his first three years, contact aversion presumably hamstrung his free-throw rate (.209).

But his willingness to weather physicality, in addition to his bountiful rim volume, should, in due time, produce a free-throw rate that genuinely behooves his scoring numbers. That will take time, though, because this retooled approach as an intrepid, devastating acrobat of a finisher is still so young. Even if the trope that established players earn the benefit of the doubt more than their peers is overused, it still carries some relevance. As Fultz continues to boldly and eagerly slice to the rim, I’d wager he’ll experience an uptick in foul shots.

Wing-sized stoppers were his Kryptonite and the lack of a trusty jumper short-circuited more than a few possessions, though such is life for a 6’3, paint-oriented ball-handler. How he fares off the ball as Wagner and Banchero warrant creation opportunities will be worth monitoring for his long-term fit with the Magic. Given his slashing credentials, I like his chances pouncing against tilted defenses, but the inability to spot up beyond the arc is certainly a hurdle to navigate.

Aside from his amended finishing ethos, Fultz’s growth looks most pronounced on the defensive side of the ball. After a few weeks to assimilate to the speed of the league — 14 months off will necessitate that — he began to slip into a positively pestering and useful role.

Once often neutralized by picks or late to engage them, his screen navigation grew evasive, as he ducked his shoulders low, stayed attached to assignments and wielded that 6’9 wingspan to perturb dudes. During his first 10 games, he nabbed seven steals. Over his final eight, he tallied 13 takeaways, shifting from a reactive to proactive manner in which he rediscovered his rangy playmaking instincts. His steal rate (2.4 percent) and block rate (0.7 percent) both ranked above the 69th percentile.

Demanding multiple weak-side rotations of him was still overwhelming occasionally. His foot speed in isolation could be troublesome and flat-footed sequences reared their head. Timing in preparation to maneuver around picks wasn’t always punctual.

Nonetheless, he absolutely played like a solid-to-good guard defender, especially throughout the second half of his abbreviated 2021-22. A Fultz-Suggs starting backcourt is pretty intriguing defensively and the collective upside of Orlando’s core if/when it can streamline cohesion (a weak point last year) is quite appealing.

As the Magic commence their second full rebuilding year, clarifying who all is worth prioritizing on this journey moving forward should further manifest. Wagner, Carter and Banchero are prudent picks. The backcourt is much hazier. Suggs, Anthony, Fultz and RJ Hampton are all 24 or younger and call central Florida home. Currently, Suggs and Fultz should be the frontrunners (if a decision is needed).

In spite of all he’s endured since joining the league overflowing with offensive gusto, Fultz is a good player, one who’s fashioned a funky, potent driving game to mitigate the erosion of his previously silky pull-up jumper. His defense presents obvious utility on and off the ball too. A year from now, following a full season to reintegrate post-injury, merely deeming him “good” might not accurately capture all that he provides.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘Game Of Thrones’ Star Gwendoline Christie Isn’t Sure How To Feel About The ‘Family Guy’ Parody Of Her

In a season 21 (!) episode of Family Guy that aired earlier this year, the Griffins place themselves within the worlds of three HBO shows, Game of Thrones, Succession, and Big Little Lies. Jon Snow is Jon Yellowsnow; “The Long Night” is described as “the most epic battle of all time that nobody will see because it’s too dark, and we’ll say it’s because they have bad TVs; Waystar RoyCo is Peestream Industries; and so on.

“HBO-No” also featured an appearance from Gwendoline Christie (voiced by Alex Borstein), who’s weirdly in the Succession segment, even though she’s best known for playing Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones. The episode recently caught the attention of the real-life Christie, however, who shared her thoughts on Peter confusing her with Big Bird. “Thank you, I think?” she wrote on Instagram, along with the laughing cat emoji.

You can watch the clip below:

The best joke of the episode is Peter saying that Succession is “so popular that almost 6,000 people in New York and Los Angeles have seen it.” Chris pointing out that Game of Thrones, Succession, and Big Little Lies have won 114 Emmys to Family Guy‘s nine is pretty good, too. It’s funny because it’s true.

(Via Winter is Coming)

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Will Smith Apologizes To Questlove For Ruining His Oscars Win With The Slap: ‘I Can Still See Questlove’s Eyes’

In news that you very well may have heard about, back in March, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars. A footnote from that moment, though, is that Rock was on stage to give Questlove the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised), a win that was of course overshadowed by what preceded it.

Well, today, Smith shared a video in which he apologizes to Rock and also to Questlove (who, like Smith, is a Philadelphia hip-hop icon). In the five-minute video posted on Smith’s YouTube channel, an upload titled “It’s been a minute…” that takes the form of a Q&A, Smith said of Questlove:

“To all my fellow nominees: You know, this is a community. It’s like, I won because you voted for me, and it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes. It happened on Questlove’s award, and… you know… it’s like, ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”

Questlove hasn’t publicly said much about the incident. Shortly after it happened, he shared a tweet from somebody else that read, “I think the whole Will Smith assault rattled @questlove who had to give a speech like 90 seconds later. He couldn’t even remember the names of his co-winners. #Oscars.”

Meanwhile, Joseph Patel, one of Questlove’s Summer Of Soul co-producers, wrote in part around the same time, “Once we realized the Chris Rock/Will Smith interaction wasn’t a bit, everything got turned upside down. Everyone was still trying to make sense of it when Chris persevered & started to read the nominees. I think what Will did was selfish. It robbed the category of its moment. It robbed the other excellent and amazing films of their moment to be acknowledged in what was a STRONG year for docs. And it robbed Summer of Soul and our team of our moment. Of a loud, enthusiastic cheer for a celebrated film. I feel bad for Ahmir. I feel bad for my fellow producers. I feel bad for our whole team. I feel bad for all the people watching and rooting for us. “

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

‘House Of The Dragon’ Character Guide: Who’s Who In This New Game For The Throne

In the game of thrones, you either win or you die. That’s still the case for HBO’s latest spin-off series but where GoT gave us feuding houses and white walkers, House of the Dragon is setting up a civil war that will end a dynasty and do away with the one good thing about Westeros: its dragons.

Still, before the bloodshed and violence and political maneuverings take place, it’s good to familiarize ourselves with this particular bit of George R.R. Martin lore — the story of a house divided that takes centuries before the original series. And, to keep track of who the main players are — plus their motivations for the truly heinous things they’re willing to do for power and glory — we’ve crafted a handy guide to the key members of this season’s standout houses.

Let the (new) game for the throne begin.

House Targaryen

King Viserys House of the Dragon
HBO

King Viserys Targaryen

Good men do not necessarily make for great kings and that seems to be the case for House of the Dragon’s Targaryen patriarch played by Paddy Considine. Warm, kind, and devoted to maintaining the decades of peace the seven kingdoms have been enjoying when this story begins, Viserys won the throne on a technicality and he seems to lack the cunning required to keep it. By naming his daughter his successor, he sparks a civil war within his own house, one that threatens the safety of the realm and signals the end of a dynasty.

House Of The Dragon Matt Smith
HBO

Prince Daemon Targaryen

There are some distinct parallels between the rogue Targaryen prince and his distant relation, Oberyn Martell (Pedro Pascal in the original series). Both are playboys, skilled warriors, and reckless statesmen. Daemon Targaryen (played here by Matt Smith) is a peerless swordsman and dragon rider who seems the obvious choice to wear the crown once his brother’s reign ends but he’s a bit of a divisive figure amongst the lords at court. According to George RR Martin’s writings, “there was never a man simultaneously so loved and so reviled as he was.” So yeah, the jury’s still out on what Daemon’s intentions truly are and whether his own family can trust him.

House of the Dragon Rhaenyra
HBO

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen

It is said Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) was born with everything, but she was not born a man. And apparently, that last fact is enough to throw the entire realm into chaos. Despite being raised and educated with the intention of ruling, and being a skilled dragon rider in her own right, Rhaenyra faces challenges from all sides when it comes to her plans for Westeros. Betrayals and backstabbings have made her paranoid of those in her inner circle but she has a single-minded determination to prove a woman can be king and she’ll sacrifice anything — even a fleet-full of dragons — to make that vision a reality. Sound familiar?

House of the Dragon Raenys
HBO

Princess Raenys Targaryen

Another formidable female figure wielding influence in this power play is Rhaenyra’s cousin, Raenys Targaryen (Eve Best). She was passed over for the throne by her grandfather after her father’s death, with her uncle Viserys being named king instead. The Targaryen’s confusing stance on succession – i.e. they never thought about the rules of it until some of their women were in line for the throne – is what launches an eventual war and heralds the end of the reign of dragons. As the first Targaryen woman to have her crown stolen, Raenys has conflicting feelings towards and complicated motives for both helping and roadblocking Rhaenyra’s path to becoming queen.

Aegon Targaryen

The first-born son of King Viserys Targaryen, Aegon is second in line for the throne but his gender prompts some in court to back his bid to rule. Aegon is also a dragon rider, but he’s inexperienced, quick-tempered, and arrogant – qualities that make for a terrible king-to-be. Because the show is set to take place over decades with multiple time jumps, Aegon will likely have a smaller role when the story starts, but his birth helps set off the Targaryen civil war that’s at the heart of House of the Dragon, so remember his name. You’ll be seeing him again.

House Velaryon

House of the Dragon Sea Snake
HBO

Lord Corlys Velaryon

Nicknamed The Sea Snake after his impressive and intimidating ship, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is a master wayfarer whose house is one of the richest in Westeros. He also commands the largest naval fleet, making him a powerful ally and an even more dangerous enemy. He’s married to Raenys Targaryen but his loyalties to her family aren’t as strong as you might think considering that, when his wife was passed over for the throne, it meant he was too. He has two children by Raenys, a son named Laenor and a daughter named Laena who also factor into the machinations at court.

House Hightower

House Of The Dragon
HBO

Otto Hightower

Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, a cunning and cutthroat politician who has served as Hand of the King for three generations of Targaryen leaders. So, either he’s a great ally in the war to come, or he’s intimately familiar with House Targaryen’s weaknesses and can exploit them for his own gain. Either way, he’s decidedly not a fan of Prince Daemon Targaryen who he views as a threat to the realm – or maybe just his own plans for power. But, for all his cleverness, it’s his arrogance that could easily cause his downfall. There’s a reason other Hands of the King view Otto as a cautionary tale.

House Of The Dragon
HBO

Alicent Hightower

Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) is pretty, smart, and ambitious in a time when women are persecuted for being any one of those three. Unlike in the books, the TV version of the character has grown up in court with Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and though the two were close, Alicent’s eventual marriage and her own designs to elevate her family’s status drive a wedge between the women that turns a political battle for power into something bloodier. The comparisons to Cersei Lannister are, honestly, earned – Alicent is just as devious and manipulative – but where Cersei was cold, calculating, and cruel to everyone she met, Alicent is much more adept at playing the game of thrones and convincing people of her love and friendship … before she stabs them in the back.

The Wildcards

House of the dragon Criston Cole
HBO

Ser Criston Cole

A member of the Kingsguard, Cole (Fabien Frankel) would eventually earn the nickname The Kingmaker for his role in the Targaryen’s civil war but before pulling a Jamie Lannister – you know, shirking his duties and choosing a political side to align with – he was Princess Rhaenyra’s friend and companion. Their relationship is a bit undefined depending on who you ask – either his unrequited love turned to betrayal or her constant romantic pursuit of him threatened his duties – but Cole, like everyone else in this game, has to choose a team and be ready to die for the cause if need be.

House of the dragon mysaria
HBO

Mysaria

Mysaria’s background is murky at best. The show describes her as a prostitute working in Kings Landing’s criminal underbelly, and a slave from Essos before that while Martin’s writings say she was a dancer from Lys before becoming Prince Daemon’s lover. Either way, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) is a trusted ally of the unpredictable ruler and she wields the same kind of spy network and political influence as Lord Varys one day would.

Categories
News Trending Viral Worldwide

Desperate Russia Is Reportedly Stealing Gold From Africa To Help Pay For Putin’s Botched Invasion Of Ukraine

Vladimir Putin waged his imperialistic invasion of Ukraine over a four months ago. Things haven’t gone at all as he planned with Russia becoming increasingly isolated while Putin’s become a near-global pariah. World leaders are mocking his shirtless photos and Russian troops turned on a general and threatened to blow him up. There’s been untold lives lost from both Russia and Ukraine, all while the Kremlin keeps approving the bombing of civilians. Meanwhile, Putin’s inner circle has been angling to install a successor, and the Russian people (on a totally trivial level) can’t even get McDonald’s or Netflix.

It’s a dismal state of affairs, and now, CNN is reporting how — surprise, surprise — Putin’s funding his war in a very illicit way. Russia is plundering gold from Sudan while pretending to export (wait for it) cookies. CNN details an argument on the tarmac between officials, who eventually boarded a suspicious plane bound for Russia:

Inside the hold, colorful boxes of cookies stretched out before them. Hidden just beneath were wooden crates of Sudan’s most precious resource. Gold. Roughly one ton of it.

This isn’t a little bit of gold, either. The numbers are astounding:

A whistleblower from inside the Sudanese Central Bank showed CNN a photo of a spreadsheet showing that 32.7 tons was unaccounted for in 2021. Using current prices, this amounts to $1.9 billion worth of missing gold, at $60 million a ton.

But multiple former and current officials say that the amount of missing gold is even larger, arguing that the Sudanese government vastly underestimates the gold produced at informal artisanal mines, distorting the real number.

Most of CNN’s insider sources claim that around 90% of Sudan’s gold production is being smuggled out. If true, that would amount to roughly $13.4 billion worth of gold that has circumvented customs and regulations, with potentially hundreds of millions of dollars lost in government revenue. CNN cannot independently verify those figures.

This wasn’t the only time this happened. As CNN’s sources recount, this has happened at least 16 times. It’s an “elaborate Russian scheme to plunder Sudan’s riches in a bid to fortify Russia.” That fortification arrives on the heels of Western sanctions that are dragging Russia’s economic state down, all while the Kremlin keeps unleashing more and more military assets upon Ukrainian civilians. In return for Sudan’s cooperation, Russia’s providing “powerful political and military backing to Sudan’s increasingly unpopular military leadership” to help obliterate democracy in the African country.

All of this, of course, sounds about right from Putin, who has prioritized his extensive Botox supply and continues to have his goons spread the word that his health and mental state are just fine. However, an ex-official describes Russia as a “parasite” upon Sudan, so these developments will probably not go unnoticed. Whether or not this CNN report will actually prompt action, well, that’s up for debate. The entire investigative report is well worth reading and digs into watchdog monitoring and Russian grousing over U.S. interference in anything international. And now we know how a desperate Putin is weaseling around sanctions and continuing to fund his disastrous war.

(Via CNN)