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Conservatives haven’t been rejoicing too much about the end of safe and legal abortion across the whole of America. Even the former president who made the Supreme Court decision possible is reportedly worried it will lead to a massive backlash against the GOP. Others are worried about violent protests. It’s true, police have been attacking protesters across multiple cities. But so far, the only violence from protesters has been made up by the far right.

On Friday, hours after Roe v. Wade was overturned after almost half a century, possible future former restaurant owner (and lawmaker) Lauren Boebert posted an ominous image: several piles of bricks sitting on a road in D.C. She tweeted at the Capitol police, asking “why are there 20 pallets of bricks one block from the House Office Buildings?”

Alas, all she had to do was take a closer look. The Daily Beast did, and they revealed that, as per signs right next to the pallets, was a sign informing passersby that it’s part of an ongoing construction project on First Street in D.C. There was even a permit. She could have also consulted the District Department of Transportation’s website, which informs citizens that that part of First Street is indeed “under construction.”

Had she approached the bricks, she would have also seen a construction site, with a back alley in the midst of being ripped up, complete with a nearby bulldozer.

Perhaps what Boebert was trying to do was make a call-back to the summer of 2020, when conspiracy theories abounded about pallets of bricks “mysteriously” showing up near Black Lives Matter protests sites. Conservatives would claim that they were put there for antifa members to wreak havoc. Antifa members wondered if they’d been planted by the far right to discredit them. Alas, there was never evidence of either.

Boebert’s tweet tricked a lot of people on the right, but others took the time to educate her about a mystery she could have easily solved on her own.

Naturally Boebert has, at least of this writing, not taken down her misleading tweet.

(Via The Daily Beast)

The Phoenix Mercury sit in fifth place in the Western Conference through 18 games this season. The team is 6-12, and now, one of its major offseason acquisitions is on the move.

The team posted a tweet indicating that Tina Charles, who joined the team prior to the year as a free agent following one season with the Washington Mystics, was on her way out. Shortly after, the Mercury released a statement from general manager Jim Pitman that confirmed the 2021 WNBA leading scorer will not longer play for the team as part of a contract divorce.

“After discussions with Tina and her agent, it was best for both parties to go our separate ways at this time,” Pitman said. “Due to circumstances both in and out of our control, our season has not gone according to our plan, and we will continue to pursue all avenues for improvement.”

Charles, an All-Star selection in eight of the last 10 seasons, started all 16 games in which she appeared for Phoenix this season, and averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 33.1 minutes per game. She led the team in rebounding and was second only to Skylar Diggins-Smith in scoring. There is no word on which teams are going to look to acquire Charles now that she is free to head elsewhere.

Nearly two months after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion confirmed that Roe V. Wade would be overturned, that ruling was made officially by the Court on Friday. The announcement was met by anger and protests by many all over the country. A number of entertainers also expressed their displeasure with the ruling as 26 states in the US have already or will make plans to ban abortions for any reason in their states. Rage Against The Machine is one of the musical acts that took a moment to criticize the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion.

“We are disgusted by the repeal of Roe V. Wade and the devastating impact it will have on tens of millions of people,” the group wrote in an Instagram post. “Over half of the country (26 states) is likely to ban or seriously restrict abortion very soon, if not immediately, which will have a disproportionate impact on poor, working class and undocumented BIPOC communities.”

The band went on to say that their fans helped raise $475,000 from the sale of charity tickets for shows they had in East Troy, Wisconsin and Chicago. Rage Against The Machine revealed that they will donate that money to reproductive rights organizations in those states.

The band concluded their message, writing, “Like the many women who have organized sophisticated railroads of resistance to challenge these attacks on our collective reproductive freedom, we must continue to resist.”

You can view the Instagram post above.

Earlier this month, BTS announced that the group would be going on a hiatus so that individual members could pursue solo projects. The announcement came after they released their 35-track anthropology project, Proof, but the report was clarified by a representative of the group who said that a hiatus was not in order for BTS. The rep said that the group will just “take time to explore some solo projects at this time” and they assured that they will “remain active in various different formats.” Less than two weeks after that news arrived, we now know which member of BTS will be the first to release a solo project.

J-Hope announced his debut album and even shared when its lead single will arrive. Jack In The Box is set for a release on July 15 and its first song will touch down on July 1, according to Billboard. A statement about the upcoming project said that it “represents [J-Hope’s] aspirations to break the mold and grow further.” The album will also feature “diverse content to show J-Hope’s creative identity as an artist will be introduced.”

Jack In The Box will arrive just in time for J-Hope’s headlining set at Lollapalooza’s Chicago festival at the end of next month. J-Hope’s headling gig will make the first time that a “South Korean artist will headline a main stage at a major U.S. music festival.”

You can view J-Hope’s Instagram post about Jack In The Box above.

The Detroit Pistons have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Deandre Ayton. Following the trade that sent Jerami Grant to Portland earlier this week, Detroit seemed prime to use their considerable cap space to send the restricted free agent a max offer sheet, which the Phoenix Suns would have to either match for a player they reportedly do not want to have on a max or watch as the former No. 1 overall pick leaves for nothing.

Despite the fact that Ayton apparently has some interest in heading to the Motor City to play alongside Cade Cunningham, a new report from James Edwards III of The Athletic indicates that might not be in the cards anymore. Detroit was viewed as one of the winners of the 2022 NBA Draft for its selection of Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and its acquisition of Memphis center Jalen Duren, and according to Edwards, the thought of signing one gigantic free agent is less appealing now.

The Pistons now move into the next phase of their “restoration” with one of the more intriguing young cores in the NBA — Cade Cunningham, Ivey, Saddiq Bey, Isaiah Stewart and Duren — as well as enough cap space to make a run at a max-level player. However, while all signs have pointed to Detroit making a serious run at Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton over the last few days, that appears less likely after the Pistons walked away with two of the players highest on the organization’s big board.

Edwards reports that the Pistons would rather use their cap space to acquire “multiple veterans” as opposed to going all-in on one guy like Ayton. It makes a ton of sense from their perspective, especially if they believe that Duren has the potential to become the perfect frontcourt compliment alongside Cunningham and Ivey.

Pusha T has spent most of 2022 promoting his fourth album It’s Almost Dry. The 12-track project is his first full-length effort since 2018’s Daytona, and it’s a body of work that Pusha thinks very highly of. He’s billed the project as 2022’s rap album of the year, something Tom Brady agrees with, and he’s made sure to remind fans about that at every chance he gets. One of those moments came during a recent interview with HotNewHipHop where he spoke about a number of topics regarding It’s Almost Dry. Pusha also took a second to speak about a recent album from one of his rap competitors, that being Kendrick Lamar.

During the interview, Pusha was asked for his opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s fifth album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “I think he made a strong album,” Pusha replied. “I think his album is definitely a conversation piece, for sure. I think that Kendrick does what he does lyrically. I think… man, it was impressive. I think it was impressive, for sure.”

He continued, “I think it’s great competition. It’s a matter of what you want to hear. I feel like for what it is that I do and what I was going for, and like I said, this is rap album of the year to me. It’s Almost Dry. That is the mood and that is the energy. I think I put out that type of energy. I don’t think me and Kendrick made the same type of album, at all. It’s two different listens.”

Both Pusha and Kendrick are responsible for big moments in hip-hop this year thanks to their respective 2022 albums. Another big moment came last weekend when Pusha T and his brother Malice — a duo better known as Clipse — reunited to perform together for the first time since 2010.

You can read Pusha T’s full interview with HotNewHipHop here.

Russell Westbrook struggled during his first season in Los Angeles and made clear that he thought lines were crossed with how people responded to that, going as far as to say that his family did not feel comfortable going to Lakers games at one point. One issue, in particular, that Westbrook had was people using the nickname “Westbrook,” a not exactly kind way to highlight the issues he’s long had as a consistent jump shooter.

The nickname is hardly new, but Westbrook told the press that “Westbrick, to me, is now shaming. It’s like shaming my name. It’s my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means more, not just to me, but to my wife, my mom, my dad are he ones that kind of paved the way for me.” One person who has gotten a whole lot of mileage out of that nickname over the years is Skip Bayless, and after the Lakers drafted Max Christie of Michigan State, the Fox Sports personality saw an opportunity to get that joke off.

Westbrook caught wind of this a day later and told Bayless to tread carefully.

His wife, Nina, was likewise clear that Bayless repeatedly crosses a line with his use of the nickname.

Bayless has not issued up a response.

Republicans are none too happy about the Jan. 6 committee hearings, and no wonder: Not only are they unveiling one damning bombshell after another, but they’ve been ratings hits. There’s been little pushback, partly because there’s not much they can say. But some have been trying the “I know you are but what am I?” approach. Tucker Carlson bizarrely described some late night comedy creators, including a dog puppet, staying a bit too long on Capitol Hill an “insurrection.” And now Marjorie Taylor Greene has done the same to peaceful protests over the end of federal abortion rights.

After the Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade after half a century, throwing the nation into chaos, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of the Democratic lawmakers seen speaking with protesters in D.C. That really got to Greene, who was one of the GOP lawmakers alleged to have sought pardons after the events of Jan. 6. “AOC just launched an insurrection,” Greene tweeted. “Any violence and rioting is a direct result of Democrat marching orders.”

But Ocasio-Cortez, who in the past has been harassed by Greene, didn’t let that one go unanswered. “I will explain this to you slowly: exercising our right to protest is not obstruction of Congress nor an attempt to overturn democracy,” she wrote. “If one were a heinous enough person to do that, they’d likely seek a pardon for it too. But only one of us here has done that. And it ain’t me.”

Greene was but three days into her tenure as a Georgia representative when the Capitol was stormed by violent Trump supporters, all revved up on election fraud lies spread by Greene and many others. Since then she’s done very little actual congressional work, having been booted from committees over her incendiary comments and actions, leaving her plenty of time to make bizarre news on an almost daily basis. For instance, on Thursday she went off on a British journalist over gun control, claiming that the U.K. is rife with “mass stabbings.”

Los Angeles Football Club is on the verge of acquiring arguably the best player to ever play in Major League Soccer. According to a report by MLS insider Tom Bogert, LAFC will bring former Tottenham and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale on board, making the Welsh free agent the second high-profile acquisition the team has made in recent months.

The report was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, while ESPN’s Taylor Twellman brings word that Bale and the team’s other recent acquisition, Italian center back Georgio Chiellini, will debut on July 8 when LAFC takes on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

While the last few years of Bale’s career have seen things grow increasingly tense between himself and supporters in the Spanish capital, he is among the greatest players of his era and perhaps the greatest Welsh footballer of all time. Bale went to Real Madrid from Tottenham in 2013 on a transfer worth €100.8 million, a world-record at the time of his move.

He was part of three La Liga-winning sides and won Champions League five times with the club. Across all competitions, Bale scored 106 in 258 appearances for the club. In 2018, Bale scored one of the best Champions League final goals of all time with a breathtaking overhead kick that put Madrid ahead — he would go on to score one more time en route to a 3-1 victory over Liverpool.

Bale had been linked to moves to both Cardiff City and Getafe in recent weeks, with reports indicating that he wanted to get consistent playing time ahead of Wales’ first appearance in the World Cup since 1958. Instead, he’ll head to America with an eye on getting in form ahead of his national team’s opener in Qatar on Nov. 21 against the United States.

Donald Trump only served a single term in office, but he radically changed America. Arguably his most lasting effect will be that he put three far right justices on the Supreme Court. Sure enough, they spent last week dropping one jaw-dropping decision after another, including bringing Roe v. Wade to an end after nearly half a century, prompting horror and even shock by those who should have known better. While Trump has praised them in public, sources claim that in private he has buyer’s remorse.

As per Rolling Stone, a Trump insider said he’s been fuming about the end of safe and legal abortion ever since the decision was leaked in early May. Allegedly even he’s worried about the tidal wave of extremist limitations on women’s rights that’s already begun — not for moral or ethical reasons, mind you, but because he perhaps rightly fears a massive backlash against the GOP for a stance that’s incredibly unpopular.

“He keeps sh*tting all over his greatest accomplishment,” the insider told Rolling stone. “When you speak to him, it’s the response of someone fearing the backlash and fearing the politics of what happens when conservatives actually get what they want [on abortion].” They added, “I do not think he’s enjoying the moment as much as many of his supporters are, to be honest with you.”

That’s very different from Trump’s public statements. After the ruling, Trump gloated, saying it was “only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court.”

But maybe now that women’s lives are in danger and maternity deaths are bound to skyrocket, he’s secretly more in line with what Danny DeVito thinks of the Supremes.

(Via Rolling Stone)