Society News

Fireworks Set Off by Kids Burn Down Nearby Home as Neighbor Watches HelplesslyBy Inside Edition Staffinsideedition.com 5 hours agoIllegal fireworks allegedly set off by two youngsters in the bushes ended up burning down the adjacent home as a distraught neighbor captured the harrowing ordeal on video. “They’re losing everything!” the neighbor shouted as she watched helplessly from the street. She desperately tried to warn first responders that someone...www.insideedition.com

New Israeli government approves nationalist march in JerusalemBy Rami Ayyub, Jeffrey HellerPosted by Reuters 12 hours agoIsrael's new government on Monday approved a Jewish nationalist march in Jerusalem, a step that risks inflaming tensions with Palestinians hours after veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu handed over power to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.In the flag-waving procession, planned for Tuesday, far-right groups will march in and around East Jerusalem's walled Old City, where tensions have remained high since 11 days of fighting between Israel and Gaza militants in May.Palestinian factions have called for a "day of rage" against the Jerusalem march, with memories of clashes with Israeli police still fresh from last month in the contested city's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and in a neighbourhood where Palestinians face eviction in a court dispute with Jewish settlers."This is a provocation of our people and an aggression against our Jerusalem and our holy sites," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said of the march.After meeting with Israel's police chief and other security officials, newly sworn-in Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev approved the march and said police were well-prepared, according to a statement carried by Israeli media."(Great) efforts are being undertaken to preserve the delicate fabric of life and public security," Barlev was quoted as saying.It was not clear whether participants would be allowed to enter the Old City's Muslim quarter, on a route that Israeli police had previously barred. A police spokesman did not immediately provide comment.An original march on May 10 was re-routed at the last minute as tensions in Jerusalem led Hamas to fire rockets towards the holy city and Israel responded with air strikes on Gaza. Right-wing Israeli groups accused their government of caving into Hamas and rescheduled the march after a truce took hold.Hamas has warned of renewed hostilities if it goes ahead, and Israeli media reported the military had made preparations for a possible escalation.The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem prohibited its personnel and their families from entering the Old City on Tuesday "due to calls for a Jerusalem Flag March and possible counter-demonstrations".The march poses an immediate challenge for Bennett's government, which was approved on Sunday by a 60-59 vote in parliament.A route change or cancellation of the procession could expose the Israeli government to accusations from Netanyahu, now in the opposition, and his right-wing allies of giving Hamas veto power over events in Jerusalem.Suggesting that a route adjustment could be in store, Yoav Segalovitz, a deputy internal security minister, said past governments had stopped nationalists visiting Muslim sites in times of tension."The main thing is to consider what's the right thing to do at this time," he told Israel's Kan radio.People celebrate after Israel's parliament voted in a new coalition government, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year hold on power, at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, Israel June 13, 2021. REUTERS/Corinna Kern'DAY OF RAGE'Formation of Bennett's alliance of right-wing, centrist, left-wing and Arab parties, with little in common other than a desire to unseat Netanyahu, capped coalition-building efforts after a March 23 election, Israel's fourth poll in two years.Minutes after meeting Bennett, 49, on his first full day in office, Netanyahu repeated a pledge to topple his government."It will happen sooner than you think," Netanyahu, 71, who spent a record 12 straight years in office, said in public remarks to legislators of his right-wing Likud party.With any discord among its members a potential threat to its stability, Israel's new government hopes to focus on domestic reforms and the economy and avoid hot-button issues such as policy towards the Palestinians.Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, to be the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem in a move that has not won international recognition after capturing the area in a 1967 war, regards the entire city as its capital.BUDGET IN FOCUSA key test for the new government and its stability will be how quickly it moves to pass a budget, said Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute."If within 3-4 months this government will pass the 2021-22 budget then we can expect this government to serve for at least two or three years. Otherwise, the instability will continue," he said.Palestinians held out scant hope of a breakthrough in a peace process leading to a state of their own. Talks with Israel collapsed in 2014."We don't see the new government as less bad than the previous ones," Shtayyeh told the Palestinian cabinet.Under the coalition deal, Bennett, an Orthodox Jew and tech multi-millionaire who advocates annexing parts of the West Bank, will be replaced as prime minister in 2023 by centrist Yair Lapid, 57, a former television host.Lapid, widely regarded as the architect of the coalition that brought down Netanyahu, is now foreign minister. read more Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A Nurse Has Allegedly Been Fired for Racist and Homophobic TikTok VideosPosted by Distractify 4 hours agoAlthough TikTok can be great for users who are hoping to start trending, there are also some risks to posting your personal beliefs on the platform. One nurse in Alabama has discovered the risks that TikTok brings with it after he was allegedly fired for posting racist and homophobic videos on the platform. The controversy all started after the nurse, who is referred to as Nathan, was featured in a compilation video from TikTok user @rx0rcist.www.distractify.com

Meghan McCain Shares Cute Photo of Baby Liberty's Smile: 'Her Two Bottom Teeth Are Killing Me!'By Benjamin VanHoosePeople 2 hours agoMeghan McCain can't get enough of her baby girl's smile!. The View co-host shared an adorable new photo on Instagram of her daughter Liberty Sage, 8 months, on Sunday highlighting her smile, particularly the pair of baby teeth she now has. "Her two bottom teeth are killing me!

Billie Eilish’s boyfriend accused of racism, homophobia after old posts allegedly surfaceBy Gavia Baker-WhitelawPosted by Daily Dot 4 hours agoBillie Eilish‘s new boyfriend, 29-year-old writer/actor Matthew Tyler Vorce, is facing backlash from Eilish’s fanbase due to some offensive comments he allegedly posted on Facebook. These comments include racist and homophobic slurs, resurfacing on Twitter and TikTok this weekend. However, the screencaps haven’t been verified as genuine, as Vorce doesn’t have a public Facebook page. Timestamped between 2011 and 2017, the screencaps include Vorce allegedly using the N-word, mocking Asian people for wearing face masks, using homophobic slurs, calling girls “sluts,” and comparing the singer Adele to Miss Piggy. They’re spreading quickly among Eilish’s fans, leading to accusations that Vorce holds racist, sexist, and homophobic views. @wor6ipi’m very disappointed in billie to be honest. #fypシ #WhatWouldPopTartsDo #NightDoneRight #billieeilish♬ happier – Olivia RodrigoVorce’s current social media presence is pretty neutral, posting photos of his everyday life on Instagram. While he and Eilish haven’t discussed their relationship with the press, they’ve been spotted together in recent months, and Eilish’s brother and mother follow him on Instagram.Vorce was already a divisive figure among Eilish’s fans, with some people criticizing the couple’s 10-year age gap. These new screencaps added fuel to the fire, shared by Eilish stan accounts in a classic call-out post format. But once again, the original posts haven’t actually been confirmed to be real. Neither Eilish nor Vorce have commented publicly on this controversy, although some fans noticed that Eilish liked an Instagram post describing her fanbase as “embarrassing” for reacting to something “literally made up.” The Daily Dot has reached out to Vorce and Eilish for comment.Why is Hollywood so obsessed with Victorian movies?The best films we saw at the 2021 SXSW film festivalHow knitters are making their favorite garments from pop cultureWhy ‘Enlightened’ is still a perfect show

Critical Race Theory is Repackaged Marxism | OpinionBy Liz WheelerPosted by Newsweek 4 hours agoWhen a Rhode Island local school district allegedly considered suing one woman for the high crime of asking for information about school curricula, many were shocked, and rightfully so. To be sued for making a request for school records, in accordance with records laws, would have been a violation of her basic First Amendment rights. Skepticism and dissent are bedrock American values. But shocking as it may be, I wasn't surprised this happened. See, the woman wanted to know about critical race theory being taught in American schools.www.newsweek.com

Kamala Harris Makes History At Capital Pride EventBy Vance BrinkleyPosted by BET 23 hours agoKamala Harris made history over the weekend as the first sitting U.S. vice president to participate in a Pride event. According to People, Harris marched with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff through the streets of Washington, D.C. during the city’s Capital Pride parade on Saturday (June 12), celebrating with fellow attendees and making a brief statement.www.bet.com

Majority of Jewish American have witnessed antisemitism following mideast conflict, ADL saysBy Rebecca BeitschPosted by The Hill 4 hours ago© Getty ImagesA new survey from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that large portions of Jewish Americans are witnessing antisemitism and are concerned for their safety following renewed violence between Israel and Palestinians.A poll conducted after the close of the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas found that 60 percent of American Jews witnessed antisemitism either online or in person at some point since the conflict began on May 10.Another 41 percent of those surveyed said they are more concerned about their personal safety in the wake of the violence.“Around the recent conflict in Israel and Gaza, there was a significant surge of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. and abroad. American Jews are understandably now more concerned about the potential for violence overseas spilling over into antisemitic threats close to home,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL’s CEO, said in a statement.“The antisemitic attacks we’ve witnessed in the streets and on social media in the past few weeks are weighing heavily on the American Jewish community.”The poll, conducted between May 25 and June 1, comes as the U.S. has seen a startling rise in antisemitic attacks in the weeks following the start of the conflict.An ADL report earlier this year found an uptick of antisemitic speech online, with roughly 17,000 tweets between May 7 and 14 using some variation of the phrase “Hitler was right.”More than 75 percent of those polled said that they were more concerned about antisemitism in America because of the recent violence. The data shows the number who have witnessed or experienced antisemitism in the three-week period covered by the poll was roughly in line with ADL’s data from last year where 63 percent of American reported such an incident at any point over the last five years.The poll was conducted among 576 respondents and has a margin of error of 4 percent.

Gayle King Gushes Over Daughter's Baby Bump in Loving Vacation PhotosBy Daniel S. LevinePopculture 1 hour agoCBS This Morning anchor Gayle King shared new photos with her family on Sunday, including pictures with her daughter, Kirby Bumpus, who is pregnant with her first child. One of the fun photos shows King cradling Bumpus' baby bump. Bumpus and husband Virgil Miller married at Oprah Winfrey's home in Santa Barbara, California in December.popculture.com

'Orange Is the New Black' Star Engaged After Surprise ProposalBy Alyssa FiksePopculture 1 hour agoOrange Is the New Black actress Taryn Manning, 42, is engaged to her girlfriend, Anne Cline. The couple got engaged on Friday night while Cline, who is a singer-songwriter, was performing with her band Cline Street and proposed to Manning mid-set. TMZ obtained video footage of the proposal, and Manning is clearly shocked before saying an enthusiastic yes.popculture.com