In less than two weeks, Machine Gun Kelly will deliver his sixth album Mainstream Sellout. It’s the follow-up to his 2020 album Tickets To My Downfall, an album that featured heavy contributions from Travis Barker who will also work with MGK on Mainstream Sellout. Kelly’s upcoming album was originally titled Born With Horns, but he decided a name change was in order for the project. However, this decision was made after he and Barker got matching “Born With Horns” tattoos. Nonetheless, Mainstream Sellout is locked in for a March 25 release date, and as date approaches, MGK took a moment to share some new information about it.
In recent posts on social media, Kelly revealed the list of collaborators who will appear on Mainstream Sellout. Thanks to singles that MGK already released for the album, we know Willow, who appeared on “Emo Girl,” and Lil Wayne, who can be found on “Ay!,” both have moments to shine on the album. Additionally, Pete Davidson, Young Thug, Gunna, Blackbear, Iann Dior, Bring Me The Horizon, and a second appearance from Lil Wayne will be found elsewhere on Mainstream Sellout. Despite sharing the lists of guests on the album, Kelly did not unveil the official song titles on Mainstream Sellout.
You can view Kelly’s post about Mainstream Sellout above.
Mainstream Sellout is out 3/25 via Bad Boy/Interscope. You can pre-save it here.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Puppies are cute, rambunctious and have a way of worming themselves into your heart, and that’s exactly what happened to Roman Duncan when his family fostered a sweet pit bull mix named Maggie. Roman’s mom stepped up to foster Maggie and get her accustomed to what family life would be like. Being a puppy is hard—it requires learning all the rules that you’re not familiar with and a patient human to teach them to you.
The Duncan family helped Maggie learn the ropes of puppy life to prepare her for her new post-rescue family. The Duncans live in Louisiana and the rescue shelter, North Shore Animal League America, is in Port Washington, New York, which meant Roman’s new cuddle buddy would have to be transported a long way. Six-year-old Roman wanted to do what he could to make sure his best friend was adopted, so he devised a plan. He decided to write letters to Maggie’s potential adopters to let them know that she’s the goodest of girls.
The letters were a way for Roman to express his grief over having to say goodbye to his best friend. The Duncans explained to the 6-year-old on several occasions that Maggie was a foster and would eventually have to go to a new family who would love and care for her forever. Though Roman understood, it didn’t stop him from getting attached to his new friend.
Roman’s letters and drawings were a pleasant surprise to the Animal League rescue transportation team—the boy had slipped them into Maggie’s paperwork without their knowledge. North Shore Animal League America made sure that the letters—which included information about how good Maggie is, her manners and the important fact that she absolutely loved to cuddle—got into the hands of the puppy’s adoptive family.
One of the notes talked about how cute she is, that she loves to play fetch and is the best dog ever. The letter is finished off with a hand-drawn picture of a fuzzy Maggie. It’s clear that in the short time the puppy was with the Duncan family, Roman grew really attached and wanted to make sure her new owners knew about her best traits.
North Shore Animal League America revealed that they hope by sharing Roman’s letters about Maggie it will encourage other families to consider fostering pets until a forever home is located. Often local shelters have fostering programs for families that are willing to take on a temporary pet. It’s clear that Roman has set the bar high for other families and that Maggie was well loved while she got to snuggle with her best friend.
If you want to learn more about NSALA’s work or fostering pets, you can visit the website.
The World Nature Photography Awards announced the winners of its 2021 photo contest and Amos Nachoum from the United States won the top cash prize award of $1,000 for his image of a leopard seal about to capture a defenseless gentoo penguin.
Getting the photo was no easy task. Nachoum had to wait for hours on the remote island of Plano, off the Antarctic Peninsula, for the right moment at low tide when the seals entered a lagoon to catch their prey.
Unfortunately, the photo is one of the last moments of the young penguin’s life. “The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came,” Nachoum said in a statement.
Other winners include a remarkable shot of a humpback whale just outside New York City, a majestic photo of an orangutan in a river and an arctic fox braving the frozen tundra in Iceland.
The photographs are a wonderful example of the dedication and care taken by nature photographers, but they’re also a reminder of our duty to care for the environment.
“The World Nature Photography Awards were founded in the belief that we can all make small efforts to shape the future of our planet in a positive way and that photography can influence people to see the world from a different perspective and change their own habits for the good of the planet. 2021’s competition saw entries come in from 20 countries across 6 continents,” the World Nature Photography Awards said in a press release.
World Nature Photographer of the Year and Gold Winner in “Behavior – Mammals” — Amos Nachoum, USA
“For hours, I waited for the low tide to arrive along a shallow lagoon on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Like clockwork, the leopard seal arrived in the lagoon just before low tide. It put its head in the water and looked just like a rock sitting in the receding water. The young Gentoo penguins only dare to enter the water when it is shallow and when they got close enough to the seal, it turned its head at lightning speed, catching one of the penguins by its feet and taking it to deep water. Once the seal reached open water, I followed it and swam parallel to it, observing its actions. To my surprise, it let go of the penguin twice. Each time, the seal chased after the penguin again, as if it was enjoying the game. The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came.”
Gold Winner in “Animal Portraits” — Tom Vierus, Fiji
“Long-tailed macaques enjoy the warmth of each other during a hot day in Bali, Indonesia. These animals show very similar behaviour to us humans including enjoying each other trusting company. The macaques are used to humans and are commonly found around temples where they tend to feed on food sacrifices by the locals.”
Gold Winner in “Behavior – Amphibians and Reptiles” — Shayne Kaye, Canada
“This shot came out of a ‘nothing’ outing to a local park. It was the middle of a sunny summer day with harsh light and little activity. After going out with low expectations, I came across this tiny Pacific Tree Frog on a flower. After waiting for it to move into a more photogenic position on the flower, and trying repeatedly to catch the mottled light through the tree’s leaves above it at exactly the right spot, I got exactly what I was hoping for. It proved to me that there’s really no bad time to head into nature with a camera!”
Gold Winner in “Behavior – Birds” — Ashok Behera, India
“A wildebeest’s eyes being gorged by an African vulture, keenly watched by an African fox for an opportunity to scavenge. Taken at Masai Mara, Kenya.”
“The common red ant is ingenious at traversing terrain. When front scout ants encounter a water obstacle, they intuitively form an “ant-bridge” with their bodies, so that their ant-mates at the back of the party can cross.”
Gold Winner in “Nature Art” — Federico Testi, Italy
“The natural creativity of San Quirico d’orcia, in Tuscany, Italy. Waves, shapes and tone created by light, in harmony with the universe.”
Gold Winner in “People and Nature” — Sabrina Inderbitzi, Switzerland
“I crawled into this ice cave on the totally frozen Lake Baikal in Russia. First I didn’t like the fact that the car and the people were in the middle of my picture, but then on a second view I found it just perfect.”
Gold Winner in “Plants and Fungi” — Gautam Kamat Bambolkar, India
“Entrance to a room inside an abandoned house in Goa, India. It is fascinating how mother nature takes over from where man has left.”
Gold Winner in “Urban Wildlife” — Matthijs Noome, USA
“Finally got the shot I wanted: a humpback’s fluke with the New York City downtown skyline in the distance. As water quality measures and conservation efforts have started to show real results over the last years, humpback whales are becoming a common sight more and more in New York waters.”
Gold Winner in “Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments” — Sam Wilson, Australia
“Travelling down random dirt roads can be so rewarding when you are greeted with scenes like this. Taken on South Island, New Zealand.”
Gold Winner in “Black and White” — Vince Burton, United Kingdom
“A recent trip to Iceland where we were lucky to view and photograph the rare ‘blue morph’ Arctic fox. The weather conditions were extreme, but that didn’t seem to bother the fox.”
Gold Winner in “Animals in Their Habitat” — Thomas Vijayan, Canada
“Mature male orangutans have large flappy cheek-pads, known as flanges, a throat sac used to make loud verbalisations called long calls. Once they reach maturity, they spend most of their time alone, about 90%. I was lucky enough to get this fully-grown, matured orangutan giving me the best pose possible.”
Gold Winner in “Nature Photojournalism” — Alain Schroeder, Belgium
“Sibolangit, SOCP Quarantine Centre, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The whole SOCP team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan (she has no teeth yet), for surgery. A sedative is administered, the arm is shaved, her temperature is taken, while others hold her head or her hand out of compassion for the baby. During the three-hour procedure, Dr. Andreas Messikommer, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon invited from Switzerland, will place a pin and screws to secure the damaged humerus. Brenda was confiscated from a villager in Blang Pidie on the west coast of Aceh who was keeping her as a pet.”
Back when Shaun White was just 19 he won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Turin and quickly became a household name. White, then known as the “The Flying Tomato” due to his red hair, quickly became a household name for his high-flying antics on his board and laid back Southern California cool.
White would go on to win three Olympic gold medals in halfpipe snowboarding and appear in five Olympic Games. He also holds the record for the most gold medals won in the X Games. White recently performed in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing where he, unfortunately, didn’t win any medals.
After winning his first gold medal, White appeared on CNN, flashing his hardware and talking about all of the perks that come with his newfound fame. He recalled a recent flight where he was showered with attention from the flight attendants.
White: “[They] had all seen the Games and they were just so excited to see me and they’re like ‘you have the gold?’
And I mean, like, I had unlimited, like, service after that. I was getting drinks and I was getting snacks and I was taking photos in the back with all the stewardesses…”
Interviewer: “Wait a minute. Drinks? You’re 19 years old?”
White: “I’m talking about Mountain Dews, baby.”
It’s unclear whether he was actually served Mountain Dew, a sponsor of his at the time, or if he made the most brilliant recovery in live TV history. But what we do know is that White was jazzed about his incredible accomplishment and watching him celebrate is seriously infectious all these years later.
The rescue workers of Borneo Orangutan Survival are going viral for their hands-on teaching approach.
As their adorable pupils learn important lessons at Jungle School, like using tools and building nests, perhaps no bit of wisdom could be quite as important as snakes = danger. So, to really drive it home, the caretakers lean into a bit of theatrics, along with a healthy dose of exposure therapy. And boy, does it work.
To be clear: No real snakes were harmed in the making of these now viral TikToks.
Instead, plastic pythons get placed under branches, mimicking real life. The workers walk with the baby orangutans along the path, and BAM! Fake snake attack!
A female worker screams, flails her arms and falls to the ground. Clearly this woman has done her research. It is a performance worthy of a horror movie. The snakes might be fake, but that drama is 100% real.
Up the trees the terrified orangutans go. Traumatized? Maybe. But also more aware? Most definitely. The conservation group reassured viewers that, despite their shock, “the little guys are fine and learning.”
Snake awareness is a vital life-saving skill for orangutans, but it isn’t necessarily a natural one. According to the Smithsonian, being able to recognize snakes comes instinctively for orangutans, however fearing them is entirely learned. And without parents to teach these little ones about life threats, the workers of BOS have stepped up in the sweetest way.
And hey, it’s not all trauma, the workers are definitely having nonmalicious fun while pulling antics. In a follow-up video, a worker laughs as she sets down a tricolored fake snake on the ground near some orangutans enjoying a midday lunch.
Once the snake is spotted, the orangutans quickly flee. The ones who don’t immediately climb all huddle behind a tree, comforting each other. Seems the lesson plan is working!
Kudos to the team at BOS, who have used amazing creativity to educate these adorable creatures about important safety habits. And also educate the world about how we can be allies to the natural world.
If you’re in the mood for more Jungle School antics, you can watch even more videos here.
All good things come to an end, and so it is for Jane Campion. The acclaimed filmmaker has had it good for months. Her latest film, the revisionist Western The Power of the Dog, has been scooping up one award after another. It even got a bump when actor Sam Elliott inexplicably trashed it, prompting a memorable response from its maker. But now it’s Campion’s turn to get torched for saying something bizarre — though at least she quickly apologized.
As per The New York Times, on Sunday evening, Campion was accepting her second Best Director trophy in as many days, this time at the Critics Choice Awards. She used her speech to thank all the powerful women in the room with her, including Halle Berry (who won the #SeeHer award) as well as Venus and Serena Williams, portrayed in the biopic King Richard. But things went a little off the rails when she discussed the tennis pros.
It started innocently enough. “And Venus and Serena, what an honor to be in the room with you,” Campion said. “I’ve taken up tennis. I truly have. And Will, if you want to come over and give me lessons, I would truly love it. I actually had to stop playing ’cause I got tennis elbow. I’d also just like to give my love out to my fellow — the guys. The nominees.”
But then things got weird. “And you know, Serena and Venus, you are such marvels. However, you do not play against the guys — like I have to,” she said.
The cutaway to Venus Williams’ face quickly went viral as many online shifted their anger from a hater of The Power of the Dog to the person who made it. “No matter how far we come, we get reminded that it’s not enough,” one person commented on a YouTube clip of Campion’s speech.
Campion was quick to issue a mea culpa. “I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved,” she said in a statement. “I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world-class athletes.” She went on:
“The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world. The last thing I would ever want to do is minimize remarkable women. I love Serena and Venus. Their accomplishments are titanic and inspiring. Serena and Venus, I apologize and completely celebrate you.”
Campion still has lots to look forward to. The Oscars are less than two weeks away, and it’s likely that her film, which has already collected so many trophies, will add some more to the towering pile. But the goodwill she’s engendered may if not over then dimming significantly.
Get Lost Podcast/On She Goes/Travel Tales/Like a Local/The Travel Diaries/This Week In Travel/Travel With Meaning
There’s nothing like listening to a well-made travel podcast to get you hyped for your next big adventure. While travel is still somewhat unpredictable and COVID restrictions are shifting daily (though loosening, in general), the auditory travel landscape is thriving.
Whether you need inspiration for where to book your next trip or just an escapist dose of adventure, the 15 podcasts below will inspire your wanderlust and give you vital skills. Some will get you excited for your future travels, some will motivate you to book a flight (and tell you where to do exactly that), and some will provide detailed guides to the world’s most sought-after (and lesser-known) destinations. Check them all out below and find the one that strikes your fancy.
EDITOR’S PICK:
Wild Times Podcast With Forrest Galante
What It’s About:
Outdoor adventurer, TV personality and conservationist Forrest Galante hosts a travel podcast that’ll get you stoked for your next big trip and make you laugh. Every episode combines the outdoors, wildlife, and wilderness with a heaping helping of comedy to keep listeners engaged and entertained. The Wild Times Podcast is ideal for those who are passionate about living life to the fullest and not taking themselves too seriously.
Where To Start:
Well… I say start with “TWT #91,” in which I join Galante and his cohorts to talk about my time spent communing with Komodo dragons on the Indonesian island of Rinca. What I love about this pod is, first and foremost, all the shit talking. But second of all, I think that the show respects ecosystems and cultures when it talks about travel. I often find myself googling destinations I heard about (or animal encounters at certain destinations) after listening to an episode.
The Travel Diaries is an interview series hosted by journalist Holly Rubenstein, in which she chats with guests about their adventures around the world and how travel experiences have shaped their lives. Rubenstein will cover everything from their earliest childhood travel memory and the first place they fell in love with travel to their top bucket list destinations.
Where To Start:
There are six full seasons of The Travel Diaries, so there’s plenty to listen to. If you don’t want to jump all the way back to the beginning, start with season four. Gregory Porter’s episode, specifically, features a conversation about travel intertwined with music, sports, and the many unexpected twists life can throw at you. The multi-Grammy-winning singer, who was traveling 200 days a year before COVID, shares his most far-out travel experiences and how they’ve shaped him as a person.
Hosted by travel writer Joe Sills, Get Lost Podcast dives into thrilling stories of exploration and adventure, as told by journalists, explorers, and vagabonds. With former guests like Matthew McConaughey, as well as UPROXX’s own Zach Johnston and Steve Bramucci, it’s easy to get pulled into each episode.
Where To Start:
The episode entitled “Giza,” which aired in March 2020, is the best way to immediately pique your interest. Sills interviews Egyptologist and Emmy award-winning filmmaker Ramy Romany about the forgotten tunnels beneath the Giza Plateau and how he discovered the likely tomb of an Egyptian God.
On Women Who Travel, Condé Nast Traveler editors Lale Arikoglu and Meredith Carey talk about the realities of traveling as a woman today. They share their own experiences and interview women from around the globe who are trailblazing their way through the food, hospitality, adventure, and travel journalism industries.
Where To Start:
Many women dream of traveling the world but are afraid to go at it alone. “Remembering How to Solo Travel Again” is an excellent place to start for any woman who’s ready to take that leap of faith on her own. This episode provides practical solo travel tips, advice on planning your next solo adventure, as well as reflections about the joys of solo travel for women.
The TravelPulse Podcast dives into everything from travel news updates and adventure tips to insightful interviews with industry experts and other guests. Hosted by TravelPulse’s Executive Editor Eric Bowman, this podcast gives you everything you need to know about travel today.
Where To Start:
“Social Media’s Place in Travel” delivers an interesting take on how to utilize the many social media platforms while traveling today. The episode features Tiffany Dowd, a global luxury hotel expert and the founder of Luxe Social Media. She shares her best social media tips and discusses the latest trending topics in the world of travel.
Counting Countries is a show for those who are curious about the farthest corners of the planet. Host Ric Gazarian brings listeners the stories from the few adventurers who’ve spent their lives traveling to every country on Earth — something only a couple hundred people have done.
Where To Start:
“Charles Veley … And The Commitment To Travel” is a great place to jump in. It’s a long episode, reaching almost three hours, but it’s worth the listen. Guest Charles Veley, dubbed an “extreme traveler,” gets real about what it takes to travel the globe and shares some of his most exciting adventures. Save it for a long road trip or flight.
Hosted by Mike Schibel, Travel With Meaning tells interesting travel stories that have impacted the lives and careers of everyone from artists, entertainers, and athletes to entrepreneurs, CEOs, and travel experts. It’s a great listen for anyone who’s interested in how intentional travel can make a difference in our everyday lives. Episodes hover around the one-hour mark, making it an excellent commuter podcast.
Where To Start:
We’d be remiss not to suggest episode 43 of Travel With Meaning as an ideal starting point, which features UPROXX Life’s own founding editor, Steve Bramucci. He shares all about his incredible travel background and past adventures, then discusses the future of the travel industry.
Comedian and TV host Mike Siegel created Travel Tales to highlight the best and worst experiences that travel has to offer, as told by a variety of adventurous guests, including fellow comedians, actors, producers, writers, and travel professionals. This podcast brings a humorous, lighthearted tone to travel that’s sure to get you stoked for your next big trip.
Where To Start:
You gotta love a good music groupie adventure. For Angelyn Rudd, following The Grateful Dead on tour turned into a lifetime of traveling the world. In her Travel Tales episode that aired in August 2021, Rudd dives into the story about how following her favorite band inspired her to visit more than 60 countries (and counting).
Wild Ideas Worth Living, produced by REI, is made for those who love adventure and the outdoors. The show features conversations with people who, “took the path less traveled and brought their wildest ideas to life.” Host and journalist Shelby Stanger interviews everyone from world-class explorers and athletes to authors, scientists, and entrepreneurs.
Where To Start:
As travelers, it’s important to consider our lasting impact on the planet and the environments we visit. “Preserving Our Parks with Keith Eshelman and Sevag Kazanci” shines a light on conservation. This episode features a conversation with the founders of Parks Project, a brand that donates its proceeds to protecting National Parks and inspires the next generation to take care of our public lands.
Hosted by Gary Arndt and Jen Leo, This Week in Travel delivers weekly roundtable discussions on travel news and the travel industry with leading travel writers, bloggers, and podcasters. In a time when travel guidelines are constantly changing, this podcast provides necessary information about what’s going on in the travel world.
Where To Start:
If you want to be up to date with all the latest travel news, I’d start in March of 2021 with the episode, “Simon Wright – The Future of Travel.” Simon Wright, is the industry editor at The Economist, and this episode dives into a conversation about predicting what travel will look like in the coming years and how the pandemic has affected different aspects of the travel industry.
Travel With Rick Steves, who’s a host and writer of over 100 public travel shows and the author of 30 best-selling travel guidebooks, is a weekly one-hour conversation with guest experts and callers, about travel, cultures, people, and the many awe-inspiring things we find around the world. Steves’ immense travel background and industry experience, along with his selection of enticing guests, provides insight into destinations all around the globe.
Where To Start:
There are 11 seasons full of episodes to choose from and you really can’t go wrong with any of them. But I especially love the, “648 Becoming a Digital Nomad; Window Seat; Spirit of the Grand Canyon,” which aired in August of last year. More than ever, the digital nomad life is widely accepted and becoming more common as most people continue to work from home. This episode provides tips on becoming a digital nomad for anyone who’s looking to work off the grid, as well as how to get the best view on your next flight.
On Like a Local Podcast, the co-hosts Katie Hylton and Stephanie Girard interview travelers about the places they live. The goal is to create a resource that gives listeners a local’s point of view on their next destination, so they can get the inside scoop on all the best places to eat, explore, drink, and stay.
Where To Start:
There are less than 50 episodes since the show just launched at the end of 2020 (with more episodes to come in 2022), so you might as well start from the very beginning. The hosts kick off the show by interviewing Sarah Tahami about her home city of Savannah, Georgia. Throughout the episode, Tahami, a travel influencer who focuses on food and drinks, shares everywhere you need to eat and sip in Lowcountry, Savannah.
This documentary-style podcast, Armchair Explorer, immerses you straight into the travel experiences discussed on the show using music and cinematic effects, for the ultimate storytelling entertainment fix.
Where To Start:
I’m a sucker for anything that has to do with the Titanic, mostly because it reminds me of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. I say start with “Diving the Titanic with Deep Sea Explorer Rory Golden.” The episode follows deep-sea explorer Rory Golden’s fascinating, once-in-a-lifetime journey to see the Titanic up close, 12,600-feet below sea level.
If your dream is to make a living as a full-time traveler, The Offbeat Life podcast is for you. Host Debbie Arcangeles interviews travelers from around the world about how they left their conventional lives to live a nomadic lifestyle.
Where To Start:
“How to Travel for Free Using Miles and Points” is a practical place to start listening. While we’d all love to work as full-time travelers, this isn’t always possible. This episode teaches you how to make use of your airline miles and credit card points so you can travel the world on a budget.
JUMP With Traveling Jackie delivers a collection of guest stories, solo episodes, and often raw and personal accounts from host Jackie Nourse. Throughout the show, she discusses travel and adventure in conversations that are meant to motivate her audience to get out and see the world for themselves. This podcast is ideal for anyone seeking travel advice and inspiration.
Where To Start:
If you’re interested in the details behind planning a big trip, listen to “How to Plan a Long Distance Backpacking Trip, Featuring the Tahoe Rim Trail.” In this episode, avid adventurer Dawn Swinney shares her guide to the iconic Tahoe Rim Trail, while providing useful tips for listeners to plan an epic backpacking adventure of their own.
On She Goes is a travel and lifestyle podcast that’s dedicated to inspiring women of color to travel confidently, adventurously, and more often.You’ll hear a range of topics covering what it’s like to travel while Black, travel tips, representation in travel media, diversity in the outdoors, and getting paid to travel.
Where To Start:
On She Goes ran from 2017 to 2020, but it’s still relevant and worth listening to in 2022. I’d even recommend starting from the most recent episode and working your way backward. Season 5, Episode 11, “How NOT to Travel Like a Basic Bitch in the Time of COVID” talks about the importance of giving back, supporting locals, educational travel, and post-pandemic travel predictions (listen to see if they came true!).
Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine while billionaire Elon Musk strangely challenged Vladimir Putin to a physical fight. Over on Russian State TV, as well, the overriding tone has been surreal, although in compliance with the Kremlin’s wishes. They also grew absolutely giddy when a Fox News commentator suggested that Ukranians bend over and let Putin do, well, whatever. There’s been solidarity-resistance from the outside world when Anonymous claimed to have hacked into Russian TV stations to air graphic battle footage, but there are cracks coming from within now.
Via Meduza editor Kevin Rothrock, here’s a clip of the moment when a then-unidentified woman dashed onto the soundstage of a Channel One broadcast with a sign reading, “Stop the war! Don’t believe propaganda! They’re lying to you here!”
Apparently, a woman just ran onto the stage during a Russian state television news broadcast with a sign that said, “Stop the war! Don’t believe propaganda! They’re lying to you here!” pic.twitter.com/nn5XWsh4Wn
BBC One Russia editor Steve Rosenberg also noted the incident, calling it “absolutely astonishing.”
Absolutely astonishing. During Russian Channel 1’s evening news broadcast, a woman ran onto the set with a sign: “No war…Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying to you here.” pic.twitter.com/wBdFGtzTsg
Via Mediaite, the story took a turn when Financial Times Moscow Bureau Chief Max Seddon identified the woman as Channel One editor Marina Ovsyannikova, who was promptly taken into police custody and charged with “discrediting the Russian armed forces.”
The anti-war protester who crashed the news broadcast is Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, says @pchikov, whose legal defense foundation is going to defend her against charges of “discrediting the Russian armed forces.” She’s already at the police station. pic.twitter.com/h0uyDmMKdF
From there, The Daily Beast’s Julia Davis published a Twitter thread with a video statement (clearly recorded before her on-set move) from Ovsyannikova, who expressed regret in helping to spread misinformation and Kremlin propaganda as part of her job:
“What is currently happening in Ukraine is a crime. Russia is a country-aggressor… All responsibility for this aggression lies on the conscience of one person: Vladimir Putin. My father is Ukrainian, my mother is Russian. They were never enemies… Unfortunately, for the last several years I worked at Channel One, promoting Kremlin propaganda and for that I am very ashamed right now… I am ashamed that I allowed lies to be told from TV screens, that I allowed Russian people to be zombified. We stayed quiet when all of this was just getting started in 2014…. We didn’t come out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned Navalny. We continued to quietly watch this inhumane regime… Now the whole world turned away from us.”
Marina Ovsyannikova remains in custody and will likely remain there for some time. As noted by The Guardian, a rogue independent news broadcasting of this kind could land her in prison for 15 years per a criminal law against so-called “fake news.”
The Brooklyn Nets picked up an important win on Sunday against the Knicks thanks to a 53-point performance from Kevin Durant in what was the first home game attended by Kyrie Irving this season.
Irving purchased courtside seats to the game and watched Durant’s sensational effort as a fan, as he still cannot play in games but can attend them now as New York City’s mandate for workers remains in place but has been lifted for people going to events. It seemed clear that the goal from the Nets and Irving was to point out the rather absurd optics of Irving being allowed to sit courtside at a game as a fan but not play in it, with Kevin Durant not mincing words about his frustration with the situation afterwards (which, again, is one that would’ve been solved long ago if Irving had gotten vaccinated).
The only issue for the Nets was that they allowed Irving to join the team at halftime in the locker room, which is obviously not an opportunity afforded to a normal fan as it is considered part of the “workplace environment.” As such, that violated New York City protocols, which earned the franchise a $50,000 fine from the league.
That, of course, is a drop in the bucket for the Nets, but is simply the league reasserting its commitment to making teams abide by local health guidelines at all times. As for whether the pressure applied by the Nets on the city to lift its mandate will be effective, that once again got shut down by mayor Eric Adams on Sunday morning.
All told, this saga appears like it will continue, with no parties budging on their stance — from Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get the vaccine, to New York’s stance on the vaccine mandate, to the NBA’s stance on enforcing local guidelines — and the result will be continued awkwardness and potential fines should the Nets open the locker room to Irving again during a game at home before anything changes.
Breaking news: Ted Cruz’s definitions of the words “interesting” and “suspect” are apparently very different from the rest of ours.
Take for instance his quippy little anecdote of meeting with Joe Biden’s Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Jackson is making the round with sitting U.S. Senators as part of her confirmation trial so, sooner or later, she was going to have to pay the Republican from Texas a visit. On a recent episode of his podcast/Youtube series The Verdict, Cruz recounted that meeting by offering up details he deemed “interesting” enough to share. One such detail: that Brown refused his offer of Cuban coffee and as a Cuban-American, he found that “highly suspect.”
Ted says when he met with SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson in his office, he immediately became “highly suspect” of her because she turned down his offer of Cuban coffee. pic.twitter.com/CF0eNWepGg
Now, we can obviously take a joke (even a painfully-unfunny poor attempt at one) but it feels necessary to point out that this asinine excuse for not liking a respected judge who might just become the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the country is exactly the kind of stupid reasoning Cruz would lean on to vote no during Jackson’s confirmation hearing.
Still, it’s fairly hilarious to watch Cruz try to trade on his Cuban roots considering he’s been unofficially dubbed the worst Cuban-American, beating out fellow Senator Marco Rubio for the title. Not that that should bother him any. We hear he prefers vacationing in Cancun anyway.
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(@RonFilipkowski)