Listening to your deceased mother read &#8220;The Wizard of Oz&#8221; to your sons and daughters may soon become a reality thanks to Amazon&#8217;s Alexa.
During the multinational technology and e-commerce company&#8217;s annual <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22cb24-sGhg">MARS conference</a> in Las Vegas, Alexa head scientist Rohit Prasad unveiled the virtual assistant technology&#8217;s latest feature. Instead of Alexa&#8217;s so-called normal voice reciting the words of your favorite novel, now her voice can transform into that of a loved one who recently passed away reading your favorite bedtime story.
&#8220;We are unquestionably living in the golden era of AI,&#8221; Prasad said. &#8220;Where our dreams and science fiction are becoming a reality.&#8221;
Prasad paused for a moment while a video appeared of a young child in his bedroom talking to Alexa, who has a panda bear&#8217;s face.
&#8220;Alexa,&#8221; the boy said. &#8220;Can grandma finish reading me ‘The Wizard of Oz’?”
&#8220;OK,&#8221; Alexa responded. 
Alexa immediately turns her voice into the boy’s grandmother&#8217;s and reads the excerpt where Oz reminds the Lion to have courage as long as he has confidence in himself.
Prasad tells the audience that through this feature, Alexa will enable &#8220;lasting personal relationships.&#8221;
The technology makes those relationships happen by producing a high-quality voice recording in less than a minute versus hours of recording in the studio.
He said the company made it happen by framing the problem as a voice conversion task rather than generating speech.
As the words &#8220;Human-like empathy&#8221; slowly zoomed in on a giant screen behind Prasad, he said &#8220;companionship relationship&#8221; surprised him the most about Alexa.
&#8220;In this companionship role, human attributes of empathy and affect are key for building trust,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These attributes have become even more important in these times of the ongoing pandemic when so many of us have lost someone we love.&#8221;
Amazon&#8217;s annual re:MARS conference, an acronym for &#8220;Machine learning, Automation, Robots, and Space,&#8221; showcases leaders and technologists who are bringing the future of artificial intelligence to the present day.
&#8220;While AI can&#8217;t eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last,&#8221; Prasad said.

Echo

Amazon Showcases Technology Transforming Alexa’s Voice Into Your Deceased Loved Ones’ Voice

Technology Transforming Alexa's Voice Into Your Deceased Loved Ones Introduced

Amazon

Death

Jeff Bezos

Robots

Technology

An Indonesian woman filed a lawsuit against her former husband of ten months after learning he is actually a woman—despite engaging in intimacy several times, according to local media reports.
NA, 22, first met her ex-husband — who used the name Ahnaf Arrafif on a dating app — in Jambi City, the capital and largest city in the Indonesian province of Jambi. However, local media reports Arrafif’s real name is Erayani.
Erayani and NA developed an online relationship before dating in person.
Erayani, who said she graduated from an unknown school in New York and practiced neurology, visited NA for a week to help take care of her sick parents.
<a href="https://video.tribunnews.com/view/397914/potret-erayani-wanita-yang-nyamar-jadi-pria-nikahi-gadis-jambi-ini-momen-prewed-pernikahannya">Tribun News</a> reported, NA’s parents gave Erayani permission to marry their daughter after several weeks of dating. However four months after tying the knot, the family became suspicious of the NA’s “husband” questioning why they never met Erayani’s family or why “he” never removed clothing—even when bathing.
Erayani also appeared to have an open schedule for a “neurologist.”
At some point during the short marriage, NA confronted her ex-partner’s lumps on Erayani’s chest, which “he” claimed was a hormonal problem. That’s when NA’s mother forced Erayani to remove her clothes to prove she is, in fact, a man.
In that moment, Erayani came clean admitting he was a she and not a doctor.
According to local media, NA told the Jambi District Court she never suspected Ahnaf Arrafif was, in fact, Erayani, until her mother became suspicious of the marriage.
NA also said Erayani insisted their intimacy only consisted of using hands.
Erayani has appeared in court only for lying about her medical qualifications.

Cropped Image Of Lesbian Couple Wearing Rings

Mom Forces Son-In-Law To Strip, Finds Out He’s A Woman. Wife Sues: Report

Indonesian Wife Sues Ex-Husband After Learning He Is A Woman: Report

Indonesia

Marriage

Wedding

Women

A Florida catfish stabbed a child under 10 in the chest on Monday, prompting authorities to rush the victim to a nearby hospital.
While on a fishing trip in New Port Richey, a suburban city along the Gulf of Mexico in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, the catfish spines pierced the child&#8217;s chest cavity approximately 1-1.5 inches causing shortness of breath, local authorities said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/PascoFireRescue/status/1538963756159537156">tweet</a>.
As the incident occurred, the child&#8217;s mother dialed 911, with Pasco Fire Rescue responding and listing the child as a trauma alert.
Pasco County Fire Rescue shared footage of the helicopter transporting the child to St Joseph&#8217;s hospital in Tampa in a <a href="https://twitter.com/PascoFireRescue/status/1538957261644644352">tweet</a>.
According to <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/5604036/catfish-florida-fishing-trip-child-stabbed-chest/">The Sun</a>, the department&#8217;s PIO Corey Dierdoff said that although the child remains in stable condition, it&#8217;s unknown whether the catfish was venomous.
Dierdorff described the incident to <a href="https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pascocounty/florida-child-stabbed-catfish/67-da2d769c-ba00-46fe-9054-0038cbe9cd20">WTSP-TV</a> as &#8220;very odd,&#8221; saying he&#8217;s &#8220;never heard of anything like that.&#8221;
&#8220;You hear of fisherman that might be cut by a barb or hit in the back of the leg and get an infection, but never heard of one penetrating the chest,&#8221; Dierdoff said.
According to a 2009 <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/venomous-catfish-species-news-animals">report</a> by National Geographic, roughly half of the 3,000 catfish species contain venom.
Biologist Jeremy Wright, who conducted the study, concluded that &#8220;the venom and microscopic tissue structures of 158 catfish species. . . . at least 1,250 to 1,625 catfish species are likely venomous.&#8221;
Wright said North America&#8217;s toxic catfish population has &#8220;relatively mild venom,&#8221; but other species are venomless—like flathead catfish. However, Wright noted a few are &#8220;dangerous enough to kill a human.&#8221;
According to Wright, catfish only use venom &#8220;strictly for defense&#8221; rather than hunting.
National Geographic added, &#8220;when a catfish feels threatened by a bigger fish, it can pop out the collapsible spines that usually lie close to its sides, making its body wider and harder to swallow.&#8221;
The sharp spines of the catfish cut inside the predator&#8217;s mouth when a bigger fish attacks it.
&#8220;Meanwhile, pressure on the spines causes them to shift at their bases, ripping the skin over adjacent venom glands. Venom spills out and into the predator&#8217;s mouth wounds,&#8221; National Geographic reported.

Catfish

Young Child Airlifted To Hospital After Catfish Stab To The Chest

Florida Catfish Stabs Small Child in the Chest

Children

Fish

Florida

Rescue

Pro-abortion group Jane&#8217;s Revenge on Tuesday allegedly smashed the front door and shattered multiple windows of an office building shared by a pro-life organization and a Michigan Republican&#8217;s campaign office.
Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) said in a <a href="https://mailchi.mp/58dc69c42468/walberg-office-vandalized?e=fc4bc30e9f">statement</a>, &#8220;these criminals spray-painted a message signaling they were a part of a pro-abortion group called Jane&#8217;s Revenge.&#8221; 
Tagged in pink ink on the side of his office building and underneath a window, which he shares with Jackson Right to Life in Jackson, Michigan, reads, &#8220;IF ABORTION ISNT SAFE NEITHER R U! Jane&#8217;s REVENGE.&#8221;  
Walberg said his &#8220;record as a strong conservative and defender of life puts him in the crosshairs of those on the radical left.&#8221; 
&#8220;I will never stand down or compromise my convictions, and knowing the people at Jackson Right to Life, this will only strengthen their determination to protect the unborn,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I will continue to fight for our principles and will stand strongly against the culture of violence and death.&#8221;
The Congressman also stated that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had refused to condemn intimidation tactics from pro-abortion groups, calling it &#8220;shameful.&#8221;
Pro-life organization Jackson Right to Life condemned the vandalism in a <a href="https://mailchi.mp/380feb8a9b5a/jackson-right-to-life-office-vandalized-by-janes-revenge">statement</a> calling Jane&#8217;s Revenge &#8220;an American far-left terrorist organization which [sic] has perpetrated and threatened domestic terror attacks in the name of defending abortion rights.&#8221;
Jackson Right to Life also accused Jane&#8217;s Revenge of committing acts of firebombing, arson, and other forms of vandalism on pro-life organizations and pregnancy resource centers around the nation, while calling on federal law enforcement to &#8220;stop ignoring the wave of attacks.&#8221;
&#8220;It is a sad state of affairs that such a group uses acts of domestic terrorism and hate crimes to intimidate and threaten those who do not agree with them,&#8221; Jackson Right to Life said. &#8220;Be assured that we pray fervently for those who oppose us, even in violent ways, but will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.&#8221;  
The pro-life group said Jane&#8217;s Revenge did not immediately get the location correct, and &#8220;mistakenly&#8221; vandalized the neighbor&#8217;s property.
Jackson Right to Life said they plan on offering a reward to bring &#8220;these terrorists to justice.&#8221;
Barbara Listing, president of Right to Life of Michigan, said in a statement: &#8220;Prolifers will continue to fight for life and the violence will not deter or intimidate us. We are resilient and will work through any adversity that comes our way&#8221;.
Jane&#8217;s Revenge appears to have formed in the wake of a leaked draft Supreme Court decision last month that would strike down the landmark decision Roe v. Wade.
Since then, the pro-abortion group has been linked to a string of attacks on pregnancy centers and pro-life groups around the nation. Most recently, Jane&#8217;s Revenge reportedly claimed responsibility for vandalizing the office of another pro-life organization known as Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.
<a href="https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/post/2022/06/16/janes-revenge-attack-on-anti-abortion-organization-in-minneapolis/">Jane&#8217;s Revenge</a> said the Minnesota organization is &#8220;responsible for untold amounts of suffering as a result of their anti-science propaganda campaigns, ghoulish legislative attempts at social control and support for hateful bigoted politicians.&#8221;
&#8220;So, in a small gesture of defiance and joy, we decided to smash all their windows and leave them a message from our friend Jane,&#8221; the group added.
See photos of vandalism below:
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_400101" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400101" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-400101" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />(Photo courtesy of Jackson Right to Life)</div>
<div id="attachment_400102" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400102" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-400102 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/71389754-d7ae-92d8-1afb-ade5b1230c6c-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />(Photo courtesy of Jackson Right to Life)</div>
<div id="attachment_400103" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400103" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-400103 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/b7da4c98-4db9-ecfa-ac57-44abe243ffff-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/b7da4c98-4db9-ecfa-ac57-44abe243ffff-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/b7da4c98-4db9-ecfa-ac57-44abe243ffff.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />(Photo courtesy of Jackson Right to Life)</div>
<div id="attachment_400104" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400104" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-400104 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/bfced652-6ea4-5c03-8bf9-987a693301e1-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/bfced652-6ea4-5c03-8bf9-987a693301e1-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/bfced652-6ea4-5c03-8bf9-987a693301e1-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/bfced652-6ea4-5c03-8bf9-987a693301e1.jpg 1067w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />(Photo courtesy of Jackson Right to Life)</div>
<div id="attachment_400105" style="width: 235px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-400105" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-400105 size-medium" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/dfdb780a-ce03-8d46-b392-60fd54cf6d35-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px" />(Photo courtesy of Jackson Right to Life)</div>
&nbsp;

1e17399a-5d90-ac81-651a-e105751142f6

Michigan Congressman And Pro-Life Organization Accuse Abortion Activist Group Of Vandalizing Offices 

Pro-Abortion Group Linked to Another Attack on Pro-Life Organization and Congressman's Office

Abortion

Jane's Revenge

Michigan

Pro-Life Movement

Roe v. Wade's Long And Brutal Legacy

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/pornhub">Pornhub</a>-owner MindGeek denied allegations from a non-profit organization that exposes sexual exploitation claiming more than half of its employees were likely laid off following the resignation of two of the company’s top executives on the same day.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that MindGeek said Chief Executive Officer Feras Antoon and Chief Operating Officer David Tassillo resigned after more than a decade of running the adult website company, adding that despite both departures being planned earlier this year, the former executives will remain shareholders of the company.
However, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, the non-profit that made the allegations, said in a statement Wednesday that the <a href="https://layoffstracker.com/mindgeek-pornhub-parent-company-layoffs/">reported layoffs</a>, which come from layoffstracker.com, “are more evidence that the infrastructure of the pornography industry is crumbling and that MindGeek needs to be investigated.”
“It is no coincidence that MindGeek’s two top executives have fled amid a growing number of lawsuits we and other law firms have filed on behalf of sex trafficking survivors whose abuse has been shown on Pornhub,” Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the center said. “And because of the intense outcry from survivors, advocates, corporations, and even from news outlets like the New York Times, The New Yorker, and the BBC that revealed Pornhub’s criminality.”
But MindGeek told The Daily Wire such allegations are “categorically false.”
According to MindGeek’s LinkedIn page, the company employs over 1,400 workers worldwide, but according to former employees, the company has undergone major restructuring, causing multiple teams and employees to face layoffs.
Last year, MindGeek faced a lawsuit alleging the company violated federal sex trafficking and child pornography laws. Such violations led credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard to suspend processing payments on Pornhub following a New York Times report revealing illegal content on its website, according to Reuters.
Hawkins said that for the last decade, MindGeek has faced numerous survivors who came forward about their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sex-trafficking">sex trafficking</a> or child sexual abuse being filmed and then uploaded, monetized, promoted, made downloadable, and shared countless times on Pornhub and other MindGeek-owned websites.
“Pornhub has profited from the mass distribution of filmed sexual crime as well as non-consensually recorded and non-consensually uploaded videos,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins also called on the United States to hold Pornhub accountable for mass criminal exploitation, considering the website has servers in the country.
“As long as pornography tube sites don’t have to ensure that all who are depicted in explicit material have truly consented to participate or that all are actually adults, more criminality will happen in this pernicious industry,” she said. “Currently there are no such regulations for pornography tube sites, and as a result, thousands of victims are powerless in removing recordings of their abuse while Pornhub and other websites make millions of dollars from their trauma.”
During a virtual U.S. Congressional briefing in 2021, the non-profit presented evidence of the rampant criminality on Pornhub and included testimony from survivors.
Sexually abused children and trafficking victims have filed multiple class-action civil lawsuits against Pornhub in the United States and Canada.

Pornhub Parent Company Denies Reports That Employees Are Fleeing

Pornhub Owner Denies Allegations From Non-Profit Claiming Mass Employee Layoff

Child Abuse

Crime

Pornhub

Pornography

Sex Trafficking

Media tycoon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rupert-murdoch">Rupert Murdoch</a> and model and actress Jerry Hall are allegedly divorcing after six years, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/business/media/rupert-murdoch-divorce-jerry-hall.html">reported</a> on Wednesday.
The Times allegedly heard of the rumor from &#8220;two people with knowledge of the decision.&#8221; However, no other details have emerged from Murdoch or Hall&#8217;s representatives.
At 91, the alleged news marks Murdoch&#8217;s fourth divorce and his shortest marriage. Murdoch and Hall were married in March 2016 in central London, prompting the media mogul to retire from Twitter, saying, &#8220;No more tweets for ten days or ever! Feel like the luckiest AND happiest man in world.&#8221;
Previously, Murdoch married entrepreneur and investor Wendi Deng in 1999; they divorced in 2013. Before his third marriage, Murdoch divorced former newspaper reporter, Anna Mann, after 30 years of marriage.
He was first married to Australian model Patricia Booker until they divorced in 1967.
However, 65-year-old Hall has only been married to Murdoch, making the divorce her first. Before her marriage with the media titan, Hall was in a 22-year relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, but never officially tied the knot.
Murdoch, worth $17.7 billion, sits as the chair of Fox Corporation and the executive chairman of NewsCorp, which owns media companies like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/wall-street-journal">The Wall Street Journal</a> and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-york-post">New York Post</a>.
According to the Times, the divorce won&#8217;t impact his empire.

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch, 91, Reportedly Facing Divorce With Model And Actress Jerry Hall

Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch Reportedly Facing Fourth Divorce

Australia

Celebrities

Fox News

Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday evening retaliated against CBS late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert after his comments insinuating Carlson would rather talk about Colbert’s staffers arrested on U.S. Capitol grounds than the ongoing January 6 Committee hearings.
“How is what Stephen Colbert did different from what the protestors on January 6 have been convicted of doing,” Carlson <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-difference-crime-between-colbert-staffers-jan-6-protesters">said</a>. “That’s a very good question, and it’s a question Colbert himself spent the weekend thinking about.”
Last week a group of nine staffers from “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” including Robert Smigel, the voice of a puppet known as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, were allegedly conducting interviews at the U.S. Capitol Building related to the January 6 committee hearings until the Capitol Police <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stephen-colbert-staff-arrested-in-u-s-house-building-were-snooping-near-offices-of-gop-members">arrested</a> them for unlawfully entering an office building.
The staffers were found near the offices of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Colbert used his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/colbert-defends-staffers-arrested-at-u-s-capitol">opening monologue</a> on Monday to explain why it’s “shocking” he has to explain the difference between his staffers and January 6 rioters.
“An insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders, all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power — this was first-degree puppetry,” Colbert said.
Colbert upheld his belief that the January 6 Capitol riot and Capitol Police arresting his staffers are different from one another.
“The Capitol Police are much more cautious than they were, say, 18 months ago, and for a very good reason,” he said. “If you don’t know what that reason is — I know what news network you watch.”
That’s where Carlson stepped in, calling Colbert all sorts of insulting names like a “partisan scold” or a “Karen” that acts like a “bridle middle-aged woman” who constantly lectures the public.
He even goes so far as to say Colbert and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) might be the same person.
“Have you seen them in the same room recently,” Carlson asked. “No.”
Carlson went on to say Colbert’s defense came off as a “master&#8217;s class on whiny, rich, liberal self-righteousness.”
“It’s a distillation of a worldview that is so concise and so perfect,” he said. “It is certain to be studied by cultural historians in the future seeking to understand how our civilization collapsed.”
Carlson went on to mock the actions of Colbert’s staffers and explain why he believes Colbert lost his sense of humor with the average person—excluding his audience, which Carlson described as “self-hating white liberals” like Colbert.
“Don’t tell us you&#8217;re a comedian and exempt from the normal rules of behavior and the normal federal laws about trespassing—cause you’re not,” Carlson said. “You did what they did, and you should be punished exactly the same way.”

Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Appears At National Review Ideas Summit

Tucker Carlson Bites Back Against Colbert Defending ‘Triumph The Insult Comic Dog’ And Staffers Arrested At US Capitol

Tucker Carlson Bites Back Against Colbert Defending 'Triumph The Insult Comic Dog' And Staffers Arrested At US Capitol

Stephen Colbert

Tucker Carlson

US Capitol

With the so-called &#8220;Red Flag&#8221; gun laws looming in many state legislators and possibly on the federal level, a new poll suggests the majority of independents and Republicans — and, yes, even some Democrats — believe those laws could pave the way for government officials to abuse and disarm citizens. 
Convention of States Action, a grassroots movement of about 2.4 million supporters to restore self-governance in America, conducted a <a href="https://www.thetrafalgargroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/COSA-RedFlag-Poll-Report-0621.pdf">new national survey</a> in partnership with the polling firm The Trafalgar Group, which asked more than 1,000 likely 2022 election voters about such laws that the Democrats — and, yes, even some Republicans — are working to advance in the Senate.
&#8220;Government officials at all levels have spent the last two years demonizing their opponents and using whatever means possible to censor or threaten those who disagree with them,&#8221; Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Action, said in a statement. &#8220;So the idea that we should now trust those same people to not abuse a law that could infringe on basic constitutional rights is laughable.&#8221;  
The survey asked respondents whether or not they believe that &#8220;red flag&#8221; gun control laws would cause a slippery slope for government and law enforcement to abuse their authority by disarming political opponents and/or citizens who disagree with them.
Survey results showed that 72.2 percent of Republicans, 52.3 percent of independents, and 16.4 percent of Democrats believe the powers that be would potentially abuse those laws.
However, 14.1 percent of Republicans, 23.3 percent of independents, and 53.5 Democrats believe there is no risk of government officials and local authorities abusing &#8220;red flag&#8221; gun laws — leaving the remainder undecided.
&#8220;Americans want real, workable solutions to the mass shootings we are seeing in this nation, but it&#8217;s obvious that they don&#8217;t see the proposed &#8216;red flag&#8217; laws as the answer,&#8221; Meckler said. &#8220;More and more Americans are coming to the conclusion that the government abuses any power it&#8217;s given, and they are responding accordingly.&#8221;
Earlier this week, more than a dozen Republican <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gun-control-bill-advances-in-the-senate-with-help-from-14-republicans">senators</a>, including Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined the majority of Democrats to pass a procedural vote, 64 to 34, of the controversial 80-page legislation two hours after the bill began circulating. 
Fox News <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-votes-advance-bipartisan-gun-052357834.html">reported</a> the bill would provide grants for states that adopt their own red flag laws and offer additional funding for school safety measures and mental health services. 
&#8220;The measure also creates penalties for straw purchases of firearms, requires more gun sellers to register as Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers, and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole by prohibiting gun access for people convicted of domestic abuse against an intimate partner,&#8221; Fox News noted of the legislation.
The National Association for Gun Rights posted a <a href="https://twitter.com/NatlGunRights/status/1539428252275691521">tweet</a> Tuesday that accused nine out of the top 11 highest NRA-funded Republican senators of &#8220;selling out&#8221; Americans&#8217; gun rights.
Those senators include Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT), Richard Burr (R-NC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Todd Young (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Pat Toomey (R-PA).
The bill is expected to pass later this week by the Senate and head to the House before landing on President Biden&#8217;s desk.

March for Life rally in Culver City, California

‘Red Flag’ Gun Laws Survey Reveals American’s Distrust in Government and Local Authority

'Red Flag' Gun Laws Survey Reveals American’s Distrust in Government and Local Authority

Gun Control

Gun Laws

Guns

A massive sunspot named AR3038 doubled in size over the last 24 hours, sparking concerns about a solar flare alert that may head toward Earth.
SpaceWeather.com reports the sunspot went from &#8220;big&#8221; to &#8220;enormous&#8221; within a day.
Sunspots produce radiation waves after forming dark areas on the sun&#8217;s surface with strong magnetic fields.
Spaceweather.com also added it has an &#8220;unstable beta-gamma magnetic field that harbors energy for M-class solar flares.&#8221;
&#8220;And it is directly facing Earth,&#8221; the website says.
NASA&#8217;s Solar Dynamics Observatory video footage confirms AR3038 has evolved while twisting and contorting, techexplorist.com reports.
Although M-class flares — the second largest out of five solar flares ranked — can temporarily cause radio blackouts for approximately ten minutes and disrupt GPS signal transmissions, the explosions are not strong enough to cause any physical harm.
X-class flares can cause more significant disruption on Earth, such as radio communication interference for network and marine or aviation navigation systems.
&#8220;The explosive heat of a solar flare can&#8217;t make it all the way to our globe, but electromagnetic radiation and energetic particles certainly can,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/flare-impacts.html#:~:text=The%20explosive%20heat%20of%20a,be%20off%20by%20many%20yards.">NASA</a>.
Currently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration&#8217;s Space Weather Prediction Center has not issued any warnings about a solar flare event, but is keeping an eye on its progress.
Like the Richter scale for tracking earthquakes, scientists divide solar flares into five separate letter categories — A, B, C, M, and X — ranging from smallest to largest.
Each solar flare sends energy, light, and high-speed particles into space after giant explosions occur.
Last month, the <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/r3-strong-flare-955-am-edt-10-may-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Space Weather Prediction Center</a> reported that an &#8220;impulsive&#8221; X-class solar flare exploded from the sun sending high-frequency energy and light that likely restricted sunlight on much of the Atlantic Ocean, and portions of eastern North and South America, western Africa, and Europe.
Solar flare activity increases approximately every 11 years, with NASA claiming large and small radiation-filled flares will impact the Earth in the future.

Solar Flare

Massive Sunspot Doubles In Size, Sparking Solar Storm Concerns

NASA

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Solar Power

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Late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert used his opening monologue on Monday to defend his staffers arrested last week for unlawfully entering an office building at the United States Capitol.
The group of nine staffers included Robert Smigel, the voice of a puppet known as Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, who was conducting interviews related to the January 6 committee hearings.
Colbert said the encounter caused an unpleasant experience for his staff, and a lot of paperwork for the Capitol Police, but was a &#8220;fairly simple&#8221; story.
&#8220;Until the next night when a couple of the TV people started claiming my puppet squad &#8216;committed insurrection&#8217; at the U.S. Capitol Building,&#8221; Colbert said.
&#8220;I&#8217;m shocked I have to explain the difference,&#8221; he added. &#8220;But an insurrection involves disrupting the lawful actions of Congress and howling for the blood of elected leaders, all to prevent the peaceful transfer of power — this was first-degree puppetry.&#8221;
Colbert claimed Triumph and the production team offered to travel to Washington, D.C., and interview Democrats and Republicans inside congressional offices “across the street&#8221; from the U.S. Capitol.
&#8220;They went through security clearance, shot all day Wednesday, all day Thursday, invited into the offices of the congresspeople they were interviewing,&#8221; he said.
But <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-details-emerge-about-stephen-colbert-staffers-who-were-arrested-for-unlawful-entry-into-u-s-house-building">according</a> to a U.S. Capitol Police statement, &#8220;responding officers observed seven individuals, unescorted and without Congressional ID, in a sixth-floor hallway.&#8221;
However, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rodney Davis (R-IL) said in a letter addressed to the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police that the staffers were part of a group who were directed by USCP officers to leave the building earlier in the day.
According to the letter, the individuals reportedly gained access back into the building through Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-CA) and Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the House Select Committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021.
&#8220;These individuals were arrested and charged with unlawful entry after causing &#8216;disturbances&#8217; at the offices of several Republican members, including &#8216;banging&#8217; on their office doors,&#8221; the letter reads.
A spokesperson for CBS — Colbert&#8217;s network — told Fox News that &#8220;after leaving the members&#8217; offices on their last interview of the day, the production team stayed to film stand-ups and other final comedy elements in the halls when they were detained by Capitol Police.&#8221;
Authorities have arrested more than 840 people for storming the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, with 185 receiving criminal sentences.
According to the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office for the District of Columbia, more than 80 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon, more than 50 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and approximately 35 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Colbert Defends Staffers Arrested At U.S. Capitol

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January 6

Twitter&#8217;s board on Tuesday recommended that shareholders green-light the company&#8217;s proposed $44 billion sale to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the social media platform&#8217;s board of directors said it &#8220;unanimously recommends that you vote (for) the adoption of the merger agreement.&#8221;
Twitter&#8217;s stock experienced a 3% rise pricing each share at $38.98 Tuesday morning before Wall Street rang the opening bell. However, the price remains far less than Musk&#8217;s initial offer of $54.20 per share. The last time the company saw that level was last April when it offered Musk a seat on the board before he offered to purchase the platform.
However, if the merger went through today, investors would only pocket $15.222 profit for each share.
Although Musk told Twitter employees last week he plans to move forward with the purchase, he said in a virtual interview at the Qatar Economic Forum Tuesday the merger would need to see three issues resolved before following through with the transaction.
&#8220;With respect to the Twitter transaction,&#8221; he said. &#8220;What I can say publicly . . . given that is somewhat of a sensitive matter, I will have to be measured in my responses here such as not to generate incremental lawsuits.&#8221;
Musk said the company needs to identify the number of fake and spam accounts on the platform if the debt portion round will come together, and if the shareholders will vote in favor of the transaction.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/freedom-of-speech-and-freedom-of-reach-elon-musk-tells-twitter-employees-users-should-be-able-to-tweet-pretty-outrageous-things">Elon Musk Tells Twitter Employees Users Should Be Able To Tweet &#8216;Pretty Outrageous Things&#8217;</a>
&nbsp;

US-INTERNET-MERGER-TWITTER-MUSK-BUYOUT

Twitter Board Recommends Shareholders Accept $44 Billion Merger Deal With Elon Musk

Twitter Board Recommends Shareholders $44 Billion Merger Deal With Elon Musk

Elon Musk

Twitter

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell pulled the drapes off an art display of an oversized black fist afro comb on Friday in celebration of Juneteenth — the holiday commemorating the ending of U.S. slavery. 
Cantrell, who <a href="https://twitter.com/mayorcantrell/status/1537883562606596098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1537883562606596098%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nola.com%2Fentertainment_life%2Farts%2Farticle_4f63f59e-ef30-11ec-ba76-67c7e7c858fb.html">tweeted</a> a series of photos of the display, called the artwork “breathtaking.”
“This sculpture is very fitting for this time &amp; place as we celebrate the freedoms that we have gained,” Cantrell said on <a href="https://twitter.com/mayorcantrell/status/1537839205396750339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1537839205396750339%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitchy.com%2Fbrettt-3136%2F2022%2F06%2F18%2Fmayor-of-new-orleans-unveils-sculpture-of-a-giant-hair-pick-just-in-time-for-juneteenth%2F">Twitter</a>. “We know that it doesn’t come without struggles, fights, and protests for 200+ years.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As Juneteenth approaches, we celebrated with an unveiling in Lafayette Sq.🖤❤️💚💛 This sculpture is very fitting for this time &amp; place as we celebrate the freedoms that we have gained
We know that it doesn’t come without struggles, fights, and protests for 200+ years <a href="https://t.co/QcwFElDETN">pic.twitter.com/QcwFElDETN</a>
&mdash; Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) <a href="https://twitter.com/mayorcantrell/status/1537839205396750339?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Cantrell <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mayorcantrell/videos/563925055407201/">said</a> during the art display unveiling that the goal for this sculpture and future murals is to recognize and pay homage to “afro-centric hairstyles tied to afro-centric roots” that “only black men and black women can rock.” The clenched fist grooming tool <a href="https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/radical-objects-the-black-fist-afro-comb/">became popular</a> in black American culture after the civil rights era when influential community leaders had embraced their natural, unprocessed hair as part of their racial and cultural identity.
The artwork came into view after the city officials approved a $7.2 million bond in 2019 earmarked for public art, which Cantrell said would primarily fund local black and brown artists.
So far, the city has already purchased and displayed more than 60 pieces of artwork created by local black artists in front of public buildings, according to Cantrell.
However, black conservative commentators responded to Cantrell’s tweet by slamming the display propped in front of Gallier Hall— New Orleans’ former City Hall—in Lafayette Square.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Breathtaking💥❤️💚💛🖤 <a href="https://t.co/gpHmzfvd1J">pic.twitter.com/gpHmzfvd1J</a>
&mdash; Mayor LaToya Cantrell (@mayorcantrell) <a href="https://twitter.com/mayorcantrell/status/1537883562606596098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“A 1970’s afro pick? #cringe,” Anthony Brian Logan, a conservative commentator, <a href="https://twitter.com/ANTHONYBLOGAN/status/1538183329069125632">tweeted</a>.
Barrington Martin II, the host of The Barrington Report, called the artwork “a joke” and “pathetic” in a <a href="https://twitter.com/_BarringtonII/status/1538169871359524866">tweet</a>.
The enormous steel sculpture, dubbed “All Power to All People” by artist Hank Willis Thomas, stands 28 feet tall and weighs 7,000 pounds. 
“Public monuments have a higher charge now. They can celebrate a specific individual, or a group of people, but they should also invite a broader conversation about how a memorial can connect to the rest of the world and represent its people,” Thomas said in a <a href="https://streetsdept.com/2020/10/01/artist-hank-willis-thomas-installs-25-foot-afro-pick-monument-in-west-philly/">statement</a>.
Raising and clenching the fist became a salute and symbol for the Black Power movement during the 1960s, while the hair pick has styled black hair since the 20th century.  
The hair pick display, which is part of the “Monumental Tour,” a traveling exhibition with two other large-scale art pieces, will remain in New Orleans city square until July 12 before moving to the next destination.
In 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday which Cantrell pushed New Orleans city officials to recognize immediately.

HairStatue

New Orleans Mayor Tweets ‘Breathtaking’ Giant Black Fist Afro Comb Art Display For Juneteenth

New Orleans Mayor Tweets 'Breathtaking' Giant Black Fist Afro Comb Art Display For Juneteenth

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Brandon Drey