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The 2020 election wasn’t great for Donald Trump, who’s faced an avalanche of legal headaches ever since. But it also wasn’t for Fox News, who aired a lot of his and his cronies’ election fraud nonsense — and, unlike Trump, have already paid the price. Earlier this year they settled with Dominion Voting Systems for a fortune over the airing of conspiracy theories by the likes of Tucker Carlson, who they subsequently fired. But that might not be the end of their Tucker-related legal woes.

As per The New York Times, lawyers representing one Ray Epps, a two-time Trump voter repeatedly smeared by Carlson on his then-Fox News show, are reportedly moving ahead with a defamation lawsuit against the network.

“We informed Fox in March that if they did not issue a formal on-air apology that we would pursue all available avenues to protect the Eppses’ rights,” said Michael Teter, one of Epps’ lawyers. Since they’ve done no such thing, Teter says, “That remains our intent.”

Epps was present the day of the Jan. 6 riot, taking part in demonstrations, even leading a charge to march to and enter the Capitol building. Later video, though, shows him pleading with the whipped-up crowd to calm down and turn back. Epps met with federal agents to discuss his role that day, but he, like many who were outside the Capitol but didn’t go inside, were not charged. He could, though, still be charged.

But Epps wound up being singled out by conspiracy theorists, claiming he was a secret government agent. Carlson, who as recently as last week was still calling the Jan. 6 siege an inside job and that the crowd that day was “filled with federal agents,” mentioned Epps in nearly 20 episodes. His actions caused Epps and his wife to flee their home in Arizona and sell their wedding venue business and ranch after a flurry of death threats.

First Amendment experts told NYT that Epps has a “viable” case against Fox News, one that’s similar to Dominion’s lawsuit, which ended with Fox News forking over $787 million. On top of that, the network still has to worry about that $2.7 billion suit from Smartmatic, another voting technology company.

Epps’ potential lawsuit is not a slam dunk. His legal team has to prove that by being defamed his reputation is in tatters. The people who don’t like him are mostly Jan. 6 criminals and those who sympathize with them. But it could also force Fox News to fork over more damning intel that may show they knew the Epps story was bunk — and we know the kind of stuff that happened the last time the network had to provide that kind of dirt.

In the meantime, you can watch Epps’ appearance on 60 Minutes from two months back below.

(Via NYT)

One of the most joyous parts of childhood is hanging out with friends. But friendship isn’t just about having a good time. These relationships give kids a sense of belonging, self-esteem and help them develop vital social skills.

That’s why it’s devastating for kids to be ostracized and bullied by their peers.

A young boy named Shayden in Amarillo, Texas, was so in need of friends that he went door to door to try to find some his age. He stopped by Brennan and Angel Ray’s home, and the interaction was caught on their doorbell camera.

“I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around, like, 11 or 12, maybe, because I need some friends. Really bad,” Shayden told Brennan through the doorbell camera. Unfortunately, they don’t have any kids Shayden’s age, so Brennan tried to redirect him to another house on the block. “Well, um, they’re not my friends anymore because they’re bullies to me,” Shayden admitted.

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After learning that the Ray family only has a 2-year-old daughter, Shayden replied: “They’re just like the most cutest things I have ever known.”

@brennanray

Its takes 2 seconds to make someones day, you never know what people are going through until you get a chance to talk to them. This young man is well mannered, kind, and brave. So tiktok can we help shayden make some friends???#fyp #bekind #nobullying #love #kindness #letschangetheworld

The fact that Shayden had to knock on doors to find someone his age to play with is an unfortunate thing to watch.”

“He is like my younger brother. I hope he finds some true friends and that he doesn’t continue to get bullied, no one should get bullied,” Tiktok user krive’s girlfriend commented on the post.

“Awww, this breaks my heart, I was bullied all through school, and I was miserable all the time. Poor kid. I hope life gets better for him,” Shayne Moss added.

The video went mega-viral on TikTok, receiving over 67 million views. So the Rays used their notoriety to help their new friend by creating a GoFundMe to help Shayden and his family.

“We are raising money to help buy him a gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets and anything else he may want or need,” the Ray family wrote on GoFundMe. “100% of the donations will be given directly to Shayden and his family, he may raise enough to take a family trip. Let’s continue to show kindness to Shayden, and raise awareness for bullying and suicide prevention!”

@brennanray

We finally got to meet Shayden! He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy. We have exciting news for yall coming soon, stay tuned! 💪🏽💪🏽 #fyp #shaydenstrong #kind #happy #sweetkid

The Ray family paid a visit to Shayden’s family, and in a follow-up video, they saw his rock collection and some funny videos he loves watching online.

“We finally got to meet Shayden!” the Ray family wrote on TikTok. “He had the same energy in person as he did over the doorbell camera. A pure bundle of joy.”

While it’s depressing to see that Shayden had to go to such lengths to find a new friend, it’s beautiful to see how the public reacted to the story and did what they could to bring some joy into him and his family’s life. Even though Shayden may have trouble making friends right now, the outpouring he’s received should let him know that he is loved and that there are many great people in this world who can’t wait to meet him.

Everyone needs a good pep talk every now and then. That goes for doggos too. Perhaps especially for doggos who get an unfair bad rep.

A proud pit bull mama named Tiffney Ross recently went viral for the motivational speech she gave to her pup (whose name appears to be Dior, according to previous videos) just before heading out to doggy day care.

“Listen, before we leave, we gotta have that talk, okay?” Ross warns Dior, who is all smiles and tail wags.

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“Listen, before we leave, we gotta have that talk, okay?” Ross warns Dior, who is all smiles and tail wags.

“You a pit bull. Which means people are gonna label you a monster the minute you walk out the door,” Ross continues. “You can’t be out on these streets actin’ a fool like these chihuahuas, cause you don’t get no second chances. You always gotta be on your best behavior and I know that’s hard, okay?”

Ross then tells Dior that even though people might carry the false belief that she is born dangerous and avoid her out of fear, she cannot control the “ignorance” of others. All she can do is her best, “be humble and hold her head up high,” and know that she is “the most amazing dog in the whole entire world.”

Just before instructing Dior to grab her things to head out, Ross says,” I will do everything in my power to make sure that you make it to your third birthday, okay? Mamma loves you.”

@tiffneys.ross Have to have that talk with my baby🥰🥰 #bully #fypchallenge ♬ original sound – Kenisha bell

Viewers were quick to comment on how Ross’ video appeared to have a double meaning, noting how many Black mothers have to bestow this kind of pep talk upon their sons. Pitbull discrimination has become a metaphor for the bias against Black males in the United States, even having similar language associations. As actor Michael B. Jordan famously worded it: “Black males, we are America’s pit bull. We’re labeled vicious, inhumane, and left to die on the street.”

In her book “Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon” author Bronwen Dickey traces back how closely linked the two really are, explaining how in the 70s Latino and Black communities in poorer urban areas came to rely on pit bulls since they were a more affordable breed. As the 80s brought about constant news stories depicting Latino and Black men as “thugs,” pit bulls were vilified right along with them.

Fortunately, pit bulls are slowly but surely being released from their bad reputation, thanks to relentless advocates fighting to show just how sweet, friendly and even keeled they actually are. Not to mention goofy as heck.

And I mean, if there’s any doubt as to their innocence…just watch Dior. That is the face of a furry angel.

Be it humans or animals, made-up biases are harmful. But having someone in your corner can make all the difference.

Jonah Hill has been trending on social media platforms after his ex-girlfriend, professional surf instructor Sarah Brady posted screenshots of Hill’s texts on social media. The newly exposed texts have people debating whether the texts were boundaries or clearly controlling behavior.

With more people going to therapy and Hill not only admittedly seeking therapy but making a documentary with his therapist, people are becoming well-versed in “therapy speak.” But being able to use therapy jargon isn’t really the same as understanding what the words mean, which is likely a leading cause of the online debate.

The surfer posted the series of screenshots to her Instagram account, saying in part, “This is a warning to all girls. If your partner is talking to you like this make an exit plan.” These texts have caused many armchair therapists confusion as to how a boundary could be considered controlling behavior. No worries though, actual licensed therapists, including myself, are stepping in to explain the difference.

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In the screenshot that’s causing confusion, there’s a list of things Hill allegedly says his girlfriend needs to stop in order for his boundaries to be respected. The list includes things like surfing with men, modeling and posting pictures in a bathing suit, but it also mentions hanging out with “women who are in unstable places and from (her) wild recent past.”

The actor ends the alleged text with, “These are my boundaries for romantic partnership. My boundaries with you are based on the ways these actions have hurt our trust.”

So what makes this exchange controlling and not “boundaries”? There are a few things, but the first is that boundaries do not attempt to control someone else’s behaviors and are not geared at changing the person’s way of life. Boundaries are only a measure of what an individual will accept in their own personal life and the actions they themselves will take.

@harpchat

All of surfer Sarah Brady’s shared texts with ex Jonah Hill #jonahhill #sarahbrady

Brady met Hill when she was a professional surf instructor who gave surf lessons to men, modeled and wore bathing suits online. These are things he accepted before they started dating and yet, these are the very things he is saying hurt the trust in their relationship. Jeff Guenther posted to his TikTok account, Therapy Jeff, explaining in detail how Hill was weaponizing therapy jargon to control his now ex-girlfriend.

“In the message Jonah (allegedly) sent to Sarah, he is not setting boundaries that protect his emotional well-being. Instead, he is dictating what behaviors and friendships Sarah is permitted to have…This is not an example of healthy boundary setting. Instead, it reflects an attempt at control,” Guenther says in his video.

@therapyjeff

Jonah Hill was using therapy speak to control his girlfriend. #jonahhill #therapyspeak #therapy #mentalhealth #manipulation

Protecting one’s emotional well-being and integrity is the entire point of boundaries, Guenther points out earlier in the post. But Guenther wasn’t the only person to point this out. Even Lee Hammock, a diagnosed narcissist who dissects videos of narcissistic and toxic people, explained how the concept of boundaries can be abused.

“I tell this to people all the time that some toxic people will go to therapy and pick up therapy speak like the word ‘boundaries’ and things like that. But what toxic narcissistic people do is conflate boundaries with control,” Hammock says.

While people may be confused about what constitutes a boundary versus control, it should be clear that “setting boundaries” around someone else’s career is not what boundaries should be used for.

Jennifer Garner attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Friday, July 7, and came home with two armfuls full of friendship bracelets. In a carousel of photos and videos showing the highlights of her time at the show, she shared a photo of her forearms covered in the good-vibey bracelets.

Friendship bracelets have become a trademark of Swift’s Eras Tour. The tradition was inspired by a lyric to the Swift song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from the singer’s 2022 album, “Midnights.” In the tune’s bridge, Swift sings, “Everything you lose is a step you take / So make the friendship bracelets / Take the moment and taste it.”

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The bracelets often feature ceramic letters with references to Taylor Swift’s songs such as “Antihero,” “All Too Well,” or “Fearless.” Garner clearly made a lot of friends that night. Now, she has some to share at the next Swift show.

TikTok user gabydeimeke documented the friendship bracelet scene during the Eras Tour and set it to “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”

@gabydeimeke

this was such a fun part of the #erastour 🥹 thank you everyone who traded with me, it made the show such a blast!!!! #arlingtontstheerastour #bracelettrading #makethefriendshipbracelets #swifttok #taylorswift

Actress Jennifer Lawrence also received a lot of friendship bracelets when she saw Swift in Philadelphia.

— (@)

Garner wasn’t only at the show to see Swift. She also caught opening act Gracie Abrams, daughter of her “Alias” creator J.J. Abrams. Garner starred on the show from 2001 to 2006.

“We swooned for you, Gracie!” Garner wrote on Instagram. “And our minds are still blown by the generosity of spirit, ferocity and stamina of Taylor Swift.”

See on Instagram

Since his split from his ex-fiancé Avril Lavigne, Mod Sun has leaned on the support of his fans to get through the devastating time. After taking a few months to reflect on the relationship’s end, he’s turned his lingering heartbreak into a new song, namely “Strangers.”

Although Mod shared a note about his break from Lavigne already, consider the song’s lyrics his official statement regarding the relationship. He leaves no rock unturned as he addresses the troubles he and Lavigne faced and the signs of its demise that he ignored. In the third verse, he detailed how their romance was instant but their ending was even more sudden.

“I remember loving you before we ever met / Saw you on a TV, then I met you through a friend / Then I started talking to you on the internet / Went from strangers to lovers to strangers again / Just a couple weeks, and I’m already moving in / Lying to each other while we’re lying in your bed / Guess it really did go up in flames in the end,” sings Mod.

Later in the track, Mod suggests that Lavigne stepped out on him with her rumored new boyfriend Tyga while they were still together: “Our first fight / I saw your true colors, your bad side / Pictures on the internet you can’t hide / Soon as I go out of state, I’m out of mind.”

Before closing out the track, Mod makes mention of his past song “Flames,” in which Lavigne is featured, singing, “Guess it really did go up in flames in the end.”

Watch the full video above.

Tyga and Avril Lavigne sent fans on the Internet into a frenzy back in February after news of their coupling was made public. Meanwhile, Mod Sun fans weren’t too happy about his ex-fiancée moving on. The musicians wasted no time in walking red carpets together or splurging on lavish custom-made gifts for one another. However, after a few short months together, rumors spread in June that the two had split, vowing to remain friends. Well, that was short-lived. According to ET, Tyga, and Lavigne are back together.

The publication’s source sounded off on the matter, saying, “Tyga and Avril are back together after their split. They were still hanging out and talking after their breakup and decided to give things another shot.”

But for now, the pair have agreed to keep their relationship “casual.” According to the source, the reason is that the two could “Focus on enjoying their time together.”

Tyga recently performed at the 2023 BET Awards, but Lavigne, alas, did not attend. However, the two were spotted holding hands while attending an Independence Day celebration at Nobu Malibu in California. Apparently Mod Sun’s recent track addressing his called-off engagement with Lavigne didn’t phase the happy, reunited couple.

George Santos has been caught telling lots of lies. He lied about his education. He lied about being Jewish. He even lied about his mom dying in the September 11 attacks. Now he’s lying about having anything substantially in common with one of the biggest icons of the Civil Rights Era.

As per The Daily Beast, the forever-embattled New York representative appeared on Unafraid, the podcast by rightwing host Mike Crispi. There, he once again painted himself as some kind of victim of…misleading his way into a House seat. His spin? That he may have lied about being a college volleyball star, but other people suck worse.

“They come for me, I go right back for them,” Santos railed, “because they think for far too long they’ve gotten away with getting along to get along. So, no. It’s not going to stay that way anymore. I’m going to call them out: ‘You wanna call me a liar? I’ll call you a sellout.’”

Santos also came for Mitt Romney, who famously called him an “ass” when he was approached during the State of the Union back in January. Santos is still raw about that one.

“I mean, the man goes to the State of the Union of the United States wearing a Ukraine lapel pin, tells me, a Latino gay man, that I shouldn’t sit in the front, I should sit in the back,” he raged. “Well, guess what? Rosa Parks didn’t sit in the back, and neither am I going to sit in the back! That’s just the reality of how it works.”

In summary, George Santos, a man ostracized by his already chaotic party for doing things like lying about producing one of the biggest flops in Broadway history to weasel his way into Congress, thinks he’s on par with an unspeakably brave women who stood up to a racist law. Cool.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Last month, Victoria Monét treated her fans to some exciting news: the official announcement of her long-awaited Jaguar II project. Excitement for the new project was heavily rooted in the success of its predecessor Jaguar which arrived in 2020. That body of work was released with nine songs and features from SG Lewis and Khalid and featured what was regarded as Monét’s best work to date. Now, Jaguar II will look to take that title, but that’s not all Monét has in store for fans this year.

Today, Monét announced The Jaguar Tour which kicks off later this summer, just a couple of weeks after the release of Jaguar II on August 25. The Jaguar Tour begins on September 6 in Detroit and runs for nearly two months before concluding on October 22 in Chicago.

You can view the full dates for The Jaguar Tour below.

09/06/2023 — Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
09/08/2023 — Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
09/11/2023 — Boston, MA @ Royale
09/13/2023 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
09/15/2023 — Washington, DC @ The Howard Theatre
09/16/2023 — Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts (TLA)
09/18/2023 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
09/19/2023 — Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
09/21/2023 — New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater New Orleans
09/22/2023 — Houston, TX @ House of Blues
09/24/2023 — Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
09/26/2023 — Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
09/28/2023 — Las Vegas, NV @ 24 Oxford
09/29/2023 — Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
10/01/2023 — San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park
10/03/2023 — San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom
10/06/2023 — Portland, OR @ The Wonder Ballroom
10/07/2023 — Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
10/09/2023 — Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
10/11/2023 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
10/22/2023 — Chicago, IL @ House of Blues

Jaguar II is out 8/25 via Lovett Music/RCA Records. Find out more information here.

For the first time since 2006, someone other than Pat Fitzgerald will lead the Northwestern football team. That’s because, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic, the university has made the decision to fire its longtime coach and former All-American player as more and more details have come out in the aftermath of an inquiry into allegations of hazing in the program.

On Friday, Northwestern announced that Fitzgerald would receive a two-weeks suspension after its months-long investigation into allegations made by a whistleblower concluded. The decision — which also included additional measures put in place following the allegations — came under scrutiny, as it meant Fitzgerald would not be with the program for two weeks during the offseason and the recruiting dead period.

But things changed considerably on Saturday, when Northwestern’s student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, wrote a lengthy piece that dove into the extent of the allegations, which were told to them by a former player and confirmed by another former player. You can read the entire report, which players on the football team addressed in a statement that claimed the allegations were “exaggerated and twisted,” right here.

In the aftermath, university president Michael Schill released a statement saying he would reconsider Fitzgerald’s punishment, saying that “in determining an appropriate penalty for the head coach, I focused too much on what the report concluded he didn’t know and not enough on what he should have known.” The news of Fitzgerald’s ouster comes on the same day that The Daily Northwestern published a second set of allegations against the way Fitzgerald ran his program, this time regarding a “culture of enabling racism.”

After a decorated playing career as a linebacker in Evanston that led to him being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Fitzgerald joined the coaching staff at his alma mater as a defensive backs coach. After five seasons as an assistant, he was elevated to the program’s head coaching position, where he has accrued a 110-101 record.