Amber Heard stepped into the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni fray on Monday after learning that the crisis control PR firm Baldoni had hired was the same one ex-husband Johnny Depp used during their 2022 defamation trial. “Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on,’ ” she told NBC News. “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive .” Heard was vilified online during the bitter trial between her and ex Johnny Depp, and there are some suspicions that Saudi bots could have played a role , according to CBC News. While there is no indication Baldoni’s firm employed such measures, The New York Times on Saturday reported on apparent attempts to discredit Lively after she complained during the shoot about Baldoni’s behavior. Heard and Depp were embroiled in a bitter trial amid dueling defamation charges stemming from a 2018 Washington Post op-ed Heard penned saying she was a domestic abuse survivor. While she didn’t name Depp in the piece, he sued her for $50 million in damages. Depp denied all allegations made by Heard during their trial, including one of sexual assault. After months of contentious testimony, a seven-member jury found unanimously that Heard had libeled her ex and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Heard was awarded $2 million in defamation damages for her countersuit. They settled the case in December of that year, with Heard paying $1 million to Depp. He later said he planned to donate the money to charity . Lively alluded to the firm’s clientele history in the complaint she filed Friday with the California Civil Rights Department accusing her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star of sexual harassment followed by a smear campaign. Baldoni’s attorneys and spokespeople have vehemently denied her allegations, calling them “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious.” The day after Lively filed her complaint, Baldoni’s talent agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped him. In addition, author Colleen Hoover, whose novel of the same name is the basis for the movie, came out in support of Lively, as did the star’s sister, Robyn Lively. Soon afterward her “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn shared a joint statement declaring they “ stand in solidarity ” with their friend of 20-plus years. Since then, a slew of other Hollywood stars have cropped up in Lively’s corner, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer and director Paul Feig, according to Deadline.Advocates of the Second Amendment are pushing the incoming Trump administration to dismantle anti-gun policies erected by the Biden White House and rein in Washington’s firearms regulatory agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Several gun groups have asked President-elect Donald Trump to abolish the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention when he returns to the Oval Office. Trump is expected to comply. Lawrence Keane, the senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation , the industry representative, said, “Nowhere else, within the U.S. government, are taxpayers forced to fund efforts to denigrate their rights protected by the law. This office was established to appease the special-interest gun control lobby and donors.” Trump is also being pressured to abolish or limit the authority of the ATF. The agency under Biden has become a regulations-heavy anti-gun outfit that targets gun sellers and has been trying to regulate commonly used and owned firearms. In a speech at a National Rifle Association outdoors convention in Pennsylvania earlier this year, Trump promised action. "Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day,” he said. On Capitol Hill, Republicans are feeling more confident they will have a partner in the White House to limit the power of the ATF and the major law it enforces, the National Firearms Act. That act forces the buyers of short-barrelled rifles and suppressors, for example, to register those items and pay a special tax. 🚨 I'm introducing legislation in the next Congress to Abolish the ATF! pic.twitter.com/keK0zpmhRJ — Rep. Eric Burlison (@RepEricBurlison) Rep. Eric Burlison, (R-MO) told Secrets on Thursday that he plans to offer legislation to kill the NFA and abolish the ATF. Both are uphill battles, but he said he and others joining him feel confident they will make advances against the anti-gun forces. “I think that the odds are good that we at least move the ball,” Burlison said. He succeeded as a Missouri legislator in changing several gun laws in the Show Me State, and he plans to follow that path of educating Washington lawmakers on how changing the ATF or federal gun laws will be a positive thing for liberty. Mark Oliva, the spokesman for NSSF, said the group is eager to see a change in anti-gun attitudes at the ATF and in Washington. “NSSF believes the ATF needs a course correction. The next ATF director should serve the public by dedicating the agency’s resources to targeting, arresting, and bringing to justice those criminals who illegally traffic firearms and threaten community safety,” he said. Gun advocates are also eager for Trump to name a pro-gun ATF director. One name spreading like wildfire on social media is of the “AK Guy,” Brandon Herrera, a firearm maker and YouTube sensation. In a new video, he acknowledged those supporting him and admitted it would be ironic if he got the job. One reason: He wants to abolish the ATF. Herrera, who ran for Congress in the Texas primaries this year, said he would be an unlikely choice, though Trump has been picking Cabinet secretaries who have said critical things of the agencies they would run. “This would be one of the most legendary appointments Donald Trump has ever made,” Herrera said on his YouTube channel. SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS But even killing the agency, he and others said, will not address the anti-gun legislation that ATF enforces. That job would likely shift to the FBI, which even fewer gun advocates want. “Abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will not solve the problems. The underlying laws and regulations will still be there and transferred to a bigger and more well funded agency like the FBI with more manpower to enforce them. Be careful for what you wish for,” warned Alan M. Gottlieb , the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Niagara Falls woman sentenced to 6 months for running over 11-year-old‘Youth must be equipped with entrepreneurial skills’
India-UK bridge: Government eyes push to roads, renewablesThe dreaded “gales of November” on the Great Lakes pose a threat to commercial shipping from Duluth, Minnesota, to Kingston, Ontario — and everywhere in between. One place that gets special attention during storm season is the narrow passage through the Straits of Mackinac between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, a 30-mile stretch that connects Lakes Michigan and Huron. Federal, state and county officials are now working together with ship owners and private industry to help minimize the chance of collisions, anchor strikes or other serious accidents at the scenic location. A major player in that effort is the Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center, just west of St. Ignace. Known as ESMOC, the center integrates advanced technology and human expertise into a “layered defense system” that both monitors and alerts shipping traffic in the Straits. The center also shares information and resources with the Coast Guard, first responders and area law enforcement agencies. Local officials call it their “eyes on the water.” To provide updates on ESMOC, Enbridge representatives and local law officials hosted an information session about the $50 million ops center at the Michigan Association of Counties conference in Traverse City this fall. ESMOC became fully operational at its current facility in 2022. Its primary mission is to protect the Line 5 pipeline from anchor strikes and other ship-related hazards. Mike Davanzo, who leads the ESMOC team, called it a temporary measure during tunnel construction. The former U.S. Coast Guard captain with 44 years of maritime experience, including 12 years in the Great Lakes region, said his team monitors almost every type of vessel that crosses through the Straits. Hundreds of ships pass over Line 5 and under the Mackinac Bridge every year. Some are enormous ore boats called “lakers,” while others are international cargo ships called “salties.” Add to that list pleasure craft, tugboats, passenger ferries and various patrol boats. “We know 12 hours in advance the name, size and type of ship that’s coming towards the Straits, thanks in part to AIS,” Davanzo said, referring to the Automated Identification System now in use. “We’re never surprised when a ship enters the area.” After an anchor strike in 2018, the Coast Guard established a “regulated navigation area” in the area of the Straits that includes Line 5. Ships passing through that zone are forbidden to anchor or loiter there. In addition to AIS, the ops center uses a wide variety of electronic monitoring and communications equipment throughout the day and night. These include: Other provisions add to this “layered-defense” strategy. For example, ships entering the Straits are required to have a licensed maritime pilot on the bridge. Captains of U.S. and Canadian cargo ships operating on the Great Lakes (the lakers) already meet that requirement. However, international ships (the so-called salties) may be required to add a local pilot to their crew during the Straits passage. ESMOC doesn’t operate in a vacuum, but rather serves as a force multiplier for law enforcement, Coast Guard and emergency management officials in seven counties on both sides of the bridge. One such partner is Bryce Tracy, the 911 coordinator for Mackinac County in the Upper Peninsula. “Living in the Straits area is like being in the middle part of an hourglass,” Tracy said. “We’ve got traffic coming through by almost every mode of transport: big ships, pleasure boats, cars, trucks and aircraft.” “In summer, the transient population is 10 times larger,” he added. “We have to maintain partnerships at all levels to handle the load — not just collaboration, but also technical interoperability and personal relationships with those directly responsible. “It’s like concentric layers of an onion.” More than 4 million vehicles cross the Mackinac Bridge each year, according to state records. The busiest months are July and August, when the bridge sees an average of 20,000 vehicles per day. John Malnar is a county commissioner in Delta County, which borders the northern shore of Lake Michigan in the U.P. Malnar noted that ESMOC cameras can have more than one useful function: “We’ve had to rescue people out on the lake more than once and the Enbridge high-resolution cameras have helped us locate those people so we can send a boat to the right location. “That same technology would be a great help if there’s ever a need for a pollution response.” In an event of a leak, Line 5 could be shut down in about 15 minutes, according to Paul Meneghini, community engagement manager for Enbridge, who works out of Escanaba. Automatic shut-off valves are installed on both sides of the Straits, according to Enbridge spokesman Ryan Duffy. At any given time, about 5,000 barrels of “product” — petroleum and natural gas liquids — are in the Straits section of the dual-pipe line, he added. Completed in 1953, Line 5 carries about 540,000 barrels of petroleum and natural gas liquids per day from Superior, Wisconsin, through the Upper Peninsula and then on to the Lower Peninsula. Much of that material continues on to Ontario via a pipeline between Port Huron and Sarnia. The section of Line 5 under the Straits consists of two parallel, 20-inch-diameter pipes that run for about 4.5 miles from Point LaBarbe in the U.P. to McGulpin Point just west Mackinaw City in the south — the shortest path between the two peninsulas. Not far away, American Transmission Company operates two underwater power circuits with solid dielectric insulation. In April 2018, ATC’s previous two cables leaked about 600 gallons of dielectric insulating fluid into the Great Lakes when a tugboat with barge apparently dragged its anchor through the prohibited area. After analyzing data from the 2018 incident, Consumers Energy decided to remove its own decommissioned cables from the Straits, a project completed in September 2020. AT&T still operates a fiber-optic cable under the Straits. If a new Great Lakes Tunnel is built to house the Straits portion of Line 5, Enbridge officials say ESMOC could find a new use as an emergency response and/or water safety monitoring system.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Corey Stephenson had 21 points in CSU Bakersfield's 68-60 victory over Northeastern at the Homewood Suites Classic tournament in Fort Myers, Florida on Sunday. Stephenson shot 8 of 16 from the field and 5 for 6 from the line for the Roadrunners (4-3). Marvin McGhee shot 4 for 10 (1 for 5 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line to add 12 points. McGhee went 3 of 7 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 10 points. LA Pratt led the way for the Huskies (5-2) with 15 points and six rebounds. Masai Troutman added 15 points for Northeastern. Harold Woods also had eight points. CSU Bakersfield led Northeastern at the half, 34-29, with McGhee (six points) its high scorer before the break. Stephenson's layup with 4:08 left in the second half gave CSU Bakersfield the lead for good at 56-54. NEXT UP These two teams both play Saturday. CSU Bakersfield visits Southern Utah and Northeastern visits Vermont. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Hezbollah fires about 250 rockets and other projectiles into Israel in heaviest barrage in weeks
Qatar rejects any attempts to terminate, reduce UNRWA roleNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Brian Callahan is sticking with Mason Rudolph at quarterback for a second straight game to see if the Tennessee Titans can build on the veteran who's played in four of their highest scoring games this season. Callahan said Tuesday that he thinks Rudolph earned another chance to play despite a 38-30 loss to Indianapolis. “Obviously the one interception was probably his only really poor moment," Callahan said. "The rest of it was pretty well executed on his part and operated in a drop-back passing game and had to fight his way back through it. And it was good to see, so we’ll let him take another crack at it.” Rudolph is 2-4 in the six games he's played in this season. That includes coming in for an injured Will Levis on Sept. 30 in a 31-12 win at Miami , and he tried to rally the Titans in a turnover-plagued 37-27 loss to Cincinnati before being selected as the starter last week. Rudolph, who is in Tennessee on a one-year deal, was 23 of 34 for 252 yards with two touchdown passes and three interceptions. One went off running back Tony Pollard's hands with the final pick coming on the last play of the game after Rudolph led a rally from a 38-7 deficit in the final 18 minutes. Rudolph's ability to avoid sacks is a key piece of sticking with him over Levis, the 33rd pick overall in the 2023 draft. The quarterbacks' stats are similar with Rudolph having eight TD passes and eight interceptions, completing 63.8% of his passes with a 78.8 passer rating. That’s similar to Levis completing 63.7% of his passes with 12 TD passes and 12 interceptions. But Levis has been sacked 40 times compared to just seven for Rudolph. “He’s got the ability to avoid the negative play when it comes to sacks," Callahan said of Rudolph. “He gets the ball out. He knows where to go with it quickly.” That means Rudolph gets a chance Sunday when the Titans (3-12) visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12) to see if he can guide the offense to more than the six points Levis managed against their AFC South rival in a 10-6 loss on Dec. 8 in Nashville. Rudolph said he knows he put the Titans defense in a bad spot with some turnovers. "I’m ready to prove that I can take care of the ball better and keep scoring points,” Rudolph said. The Titans held a walk-through Tuesday with Callahan giving the team Wednesday off for Christmas. An injury report won't be released until Wednesday, and Callahan said it'll likely be lengthy. RG Dillon Radunz, who was knocked out of last week's game with an injury, will be on that report. Lineman Jaelyn Duncan, who hurt a hamstring badly enough early in his first start at right tackle Oct. 20 that he wound up on injured reserve , will be available. Callahan said he is excited to see Duncan play. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflThe Atlanta Falcons have made a plethora of head-scratching decisions since their last playoff appearance in 2017. From forcing Matt Ryan out of the organization in pursuit of Deshaun Watson to the recent signing of Kirk Cousins , the organization has lacked a consistent vision But there’s hope on the horizon. Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. represents a potential turning point, and this Sunday, the Falcons face a do-or-die matchup against the Washington Commanders. With a playoff berth at stake, Penix has an opportunity to cement himself as the future of the franchise. Michael Penix Jr. Legacy Game This year’s rookie quarterback class has been nothing short of remarkable. Jayden Daniels has already ascended to stardom in Washington, Bo Nix looks like the long-awaited answer in Denver, and Drake Maye has been a quiet revelation for the Patriots despite their struggles. Now, it’s Michael Penix Jr.’s turn to deliver his own statement in primetime. Sunday Night Football presents a legacy-defining opportunity for Penix. Yes, expecting a rookie to lead his team to a crucial road victory in just his second career start—against a playoff-caliber opponent, no less—might be overly optimistic. But this is exactly the type of moment that can turn skeptics into believers and etch Penix’s name into Atlanta’s future plans. The hardest thing to do in professional sports is find a franchise quarterback. Organizations can go decades in search of one. There wouldn’t be a better Christmas present for Atlanta sports fans than Michael Penix Jr. leading the Falcons to a win over the Commanders. The End Of Terry Fontenot’s Tenure As Falcons General Manager At this point, I’m not really sure what Terry Fontenot does for the Falcons. He hasn’t been heard from since the offseason, and there were already questions about how much weight his word carries inside the building. Since taking over as general manager of the Falcons in 2021, Terry Fontenot hasn’t done much good. He’s hit on some free agents, but his drafting has been abysmal, and the decision hand Kirk Cousins $90 million in guarantees for just 14 games is a fireable offense. There’s a chance Michael Penix Jr. can save everybody’s job by leading the Falcons to the playoffs, but Fontenot should not be safe regardless of what happens over the final two games. Atlanta needs to get a real GM in the building, one with a track record of success in the draft. A Revamped Falcons Pass Rush The Falcons have been searching for a pass rush for over a decade. They haven’t finished inside the top 10 in sacks since 2004, and they rank dead last with 26 sacks this season. However, Jimmy Lake’s unit has showed some promise getting after the quarterback since the team’s bye week. The Falcons rank first with 16 sacks over the last four weeks, and while some of that can be attributed to the competition, there’s some reason for optimism moving forward. The Falcons’ pass rush should remain the top offseason priority. No matter how promising Penix may be, the team’s long-term success hinges on sustained improvement along the defensive line. Investing heavily in pass rushers—both in free agency and the draft—will be critical to complementing Penix and solidifying the team’s future. This article first appeared on SportsTalkATL and was syndicated with permission.