Bill O"Reilly on Gretchen Carlson"s Lawsuit: "I Stand Behind Roger 100%" Dear TIME Reader,
As a regular visitor to TIME.com, we are sure you enjoy all the great journalism created by our editors and reporters. Great journalism has great value, and it costs money to make it. One of the main ways we cover our costs is through advertising.
The use of software that blocks ads limits our ability to provide you with the journalism you enjoy. Consider turning your Ad Blocker off so that we can continue to provide the world class journalism you have become accustomed to.
Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke registers his candidacy for the November 8 ballot as a Republican at the Louisiana Secretary of State"s office in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, July 22, 2016. Duke"s candidacy comes as the state is grappling with deep racial tensions after the shooting death of a black man by white police officers and the killing of three law enforcement officers by a black man. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) syndication.ap.org
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Declaring "the climate of this country has moved in my direction," white supremacist David Duke registered Friday for Louisiana"s U.S. Senate race, saying he was partially spurred by the recent shooting deaths of three law enforcement officers by a black man.
"I believe my time has come," the former Ku Klux Klan leader said after submitting his paperwork for the ballot. He added: "The people of this country, the patriotic, decent, G*d-fearing people of this country are now right with me."
Duke"s candidacy comes one day after Donald Trump accepted the GOP nomination for president, and Duke said he"s espoused principles for years that are similar to the themes Republicans are now supporting in Trump"s campaign, on issues such as immigration and trade.
He said Americans are "embracing the core issues I have fought for my entire life."
Duke, 66, is registered with the GOP, but Republicans at the state and federal level quickly denounced his Senate bid.
Roger Villere, chairman of the Republican Party of Louisiana, said in a statement the party "will play an active role in opposing" him, calling Duke a "hate-filled fraud who does not embody the values of the Republican Party." Ward Baker, with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Duke will not have the support of his organization "under any circumstance."
Trump faced criticism from some GOP leaders for failing during the primary season to immediately denounce the tacit endorsement of Duke, who once told his radio show audience that a vote for any other candidate "is really treason to your heritage." Trump eventually did disavow Duke. Trump"s campaign didn"t release any statement on Duke Friday.
The launch of Duke"s campaign comes as Louisiana is grappling with deep racial tensions after the shooting death of a black man by white police officers and the killing of three law enforcement officers. Duke said he was "shattered" by the slayings of police.
In a lengthy speech, Duke talked of the "massive racial discrimination going on right now against European Americans," and what he called a biased media working against him. He called the Black Lives Matter movement a "terrorist organization" and said he wanted equal rights for everyone.
"You don"t come together by a narrative in the controlled media that white people are evil and black people are faultless. You come together on the idea that every people in this country have a right to respect, every people have a right to fairness," he said.
Duke is among two dozen candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot seeking the open Senate seat. Republican David Vitter is not running for re-election. Republican and Democrat opponents sought to distance themselves from Duke"s campaign, with many offering critical statements of his candidacy.
In Metairie, a predominantly white and Republican stronghold in the New Orleans area where Duke once was elected to the state House of Representatives, voters expressed mixed feelings about Duke"s interest in returning into politics.
Maria Fox, a 68-year-old housewife who came to the United States from Nicaragua, was pleased that Duke is running.
"Many, many years ago he woke up the consciousness of this country and this state just like Trump is doing to the country," she said.
Chuck Diesel, a 46-year-old Republican and bass player, shook his head at the news that Duke was running, calling him a "n**i." But he gave Duke no chance of winning.
"Every time he"s tipped his toe back in, it"s zero chance," he said.
Duke reacted angrily to a question about whether he remained involved with the KKK. He said he was active with the organization for four years in the mid-1970s. He described it "four decades ago in a nonviolent group."
Duke"s last tenure in elected office was more than two decades ago, in the state legislature. He"s run unsuccessfully for Congress. His failed bid for governor in the 1991 race against former Gov. Edwin Edwards who was later convicted of corruption was one of Louisiana"s most high-profile elections, with Duke opponents proudly showing bumper stickers supporting Edwards that read "Vote for the crook. It"s important."
Edwards said Duke would have a "hard row to hoe" in the upcoming election but there might be a "niche" for him.
"There"s a great deal of racial unrest in the country, and he may capitalize on it," Edwards said.
Duke also starts with name recognition that other candidates don"t have, Edwards said.
Raymond Jetson, an African-American pastor in Baton Rouge who was a state lawmaker during Duke"s tenure, said Duke can potentially thrive with the national political scene currently so divided.
"You have a climate that ... highlights and stresses the divisions within us, a climate that in so many ways has a strong racial overtone and challenge to it," Jetson said.
A convicted felon, Duke pleaded guilty in 2002 to bilking his supporters and cheating on his taxes. He spent a year in federal prison, but later denied any wrongdoing.
___
AP reporters Rebecca Santana and Cain Burdeau in New Orleans contributed to this story.
___
Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte
A fast-moving bush fire that has already burned through 200 acres in Santa Clarita, California has forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people.
Around 1,000 people and 500 homes in Santa Clarita and Newhall were evacuated, Los Angeles County Sherriff"s Department Commander Mike Parker told reporters. An additional 30 horses were being taken care of at the Hart Park emergency animal evacuation centre.
Another 200 people from Wildwood Canyon Road and about 100 people from the Crescent Valley Mobile Estates were evacuated. Officials also asked residents to leave from La Salle Canyon Drive, Oakbridge Lane, Pine Street and Champagne Lane.
Officials set up an evacuation centre in Santa Clarita at West Ranch High School.
Los Angeles County Deputy Chief John Tripp told reporters that the Calgrove fire was 25 percent contained. Firefighters were able to contain parts of the fire, but not before it damaged one garage.
The fire, which is on the verge of destroying hundreds of homes, began around 1.10pm local time on 24 June near the 5 Freeway, the Los Angeles Times reported. The interstate briefly closed but was reopened later on Wednesday (24 June), the California Highway Patrol announced.
Fire investigators were creating a grid along the interstate to determine the cause of the fire, an Tripp said.
According to the LA Times, around 450 firefighters were tasked with protecting structures in the Wildwood Canyon Road neighbourhood. Officials said four fixed-wing aircraft were dropping water on the fast-spreading fire. However, ABC7 reported that five helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were dropping 1,000 gallons of water on the flames.
Fire officials told reporters that a firefighter and an inmate fighting the fire had suffered minor injuries. The firefighter, who slipped and burned his hand, was taken to a local hospital.
Ready to Rule Music Video | Elena of Avalor | Disney Channel
Like many kids born sometime in the mid-80s, I grew up watching (and rewatching) the golden-age trifecta of Disney movies: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast. I knew every line and every lyric of these films, and was the proud owner of a Little Mermaid sleeping bag and lunch box. These classics will always hold a dear place in my heart, but as an adult, Ive come to terms with the fact that these movies often projected a pretty terrible message to young girls.
Think about it: Princess Ariel gave up her voice (and later her family) after falling in love at first sight with the dreamy-eyed Prince Eric. Princess Jasmines greatest achievement was the fact that she refused to marry royalty and instead settled for the good-hearted yet poor villager, Aladdin. And while Belle was a nonconformist book lover, the movie puts its emphasis on her beauty, not her intelligence.
Aside from its feminist issues, Disney has also faced criticism in recent years for its lack of diversity. As of now, there has only been one black princess in its animated canon, Tiana from The Princess and The Frog. And earlier this year, a campaign to have the first-ever gay Disney princess, Elsa from Frozen, took off after the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend started trending on Twitter. Then in January 2015, Disney announced it was introducing its very first Latina princess, Elena of Avalor, in a new TV series on the Disney Channel. The news was met with overwhelming excitement.
As a Latin-American mother of a young daughter, I was curious to see how the show, which melds a variety of different Latino cultures together, would hold up. I was hopeful that this cartoon would allow my daughter to see her parents culture reflected on TV. Thankfully, the first episode of Elena of Avalor, which premieres tonight, presents a multitude of Latino traditions in a fun way, without ever falling into the trap of stereotypes. The opening song is a catchy merengue tune like the ones I grew up dancing to back in Venezuela. A few of the characters, such as Elenas grandparents, have noticeable accents, similar to the ones my parents have. And most of the people who live in Avalor have Spanish names like Mateo, Luna, and Francisco.
Aside from the tasteful cultural representation, Elena of Avalor also wins big points for the positive and feminist portrayal of its titular heroine. After losing her parents to an evil sorceress, Elena, a sixteen-year-old princess, is busy trying to figure out how to rule the land of Avalor. In the first episode, she displays bravery when attempting to rescue her younger sister, and later learns the benefits of diplomacy in times of crisis. Despite being only a teenager, Elena also displays a healthy confidence in her ability to rule over the kingdom. And when shes tasked with choosing a grand council of advisors to help her lead, she takes a page from Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and appoints a gender-equal cabinet.
Aimee Carrero, an actress of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage currently starring in Freeforms Young and Hungry, provides the voice of Elena. Shes tenacious and flawed and funny and compassionate, she said over the phone. One of my favorite things about her is that when she fails, she always, always tries again.
Perhaps the most progressive aspect of Disneys Elena of Avalor is that there are no plans to have a romantic interest for the princess. While there are plenty of male characters in the mix, Elenas relationship with all of them will be strictly platonic. Shes her own hero, Carrero explained. I think its a derivative of whats happening now in our generation. People are finding partners later in life; theyre settling down later. Elena is just focused on her job and on her personal growth and I think thats true for young women today.
For the past few years, researchers have been studying the effects the Disney princesses of yore have had on kids, and most of all on young girls. Well have to wait a couple of years before we find out what kind of an impact Elenaa strong, female leader, who also happens to be a princesswill have on this new generation of children. For now, it seems like a step in the right direction. I, for one, will definitely be buying my daughter an Elena lunch box as soon as shes ready.
Alternative media mogul Alex Jonesone of the most prominent opponents of the New World Order, scientific dictatorship, and the secret society that controls the policehas come a long way since he started his first radio show at KJFK in Austin, Texas.
The Alex Jones Show, which peddles far-right and libertarian leaning political and social views to its emotionally-invested listeners, is syndicated on over 160 AM and FM stations across the country, carried by the Americas Talk channel on internet radio juggernaut iHeartRadio, and distributed as a popular podcast on iTunes. His website Infowars, which runs various news stories and serves as a hub for his show, gets around 6 million unique visitors per month, according to web analytics firm Alexa.
He also seems to be doing a healthy business in dietary supplements.
Infowars Life: Because theres a war on for your life, reads the tagline.
The Infowars Store first appeared online in 2006, when Jones started selling a few books and other products. It now sells an impressive range of products, from books with titles like Bloodlines of the Illuminati and Controlling the Human Mind, to doomsday prepping gear like Survival Seed Vaults and radiation-eliminating water bottles. But perhaps the most curious expansion of the Alex Jones brand is the line of supplements branded Infowars Life.
The banner for Infowars Life. Image: Infowars Store
Some of the products are merely overpriced versions of supplements you could buy at nearly any natural foods store or pharmacy in the country, wrapped in fear-mongering marketing. On the Infowars site, the pages for Infowars Life products rarely provide scientific data or studies, often citing Joness own stamp of approval as the only reason to purchase the product. The other sources often cited are simply links to episodes of Joness show, usually with his go-to science guy, the naturopath and chiropractor Dr. Edward Group.
Dr. Edward Group, whose doctorate is actually in chiropractic medicine, is an alternative and holistic medical practitioner who runs the Global Healing Center. Quackwatch.com, a medical fraud watchdog site, lists the GHC in its Questionable Organizations list. Dr. Group has collected a number of degrees, but only in alternative medical areas and business and management programs. He also listed himself at one point as having earned a full Doctorate of Medicine from the Joseph LaFortune University School of Medicinethe same school that was sued by the Florida attorney general for defrauding nursing students who didnt realize the university wasnt accredited in the United Statesbut the degree was scrubbed from his website in mid-2015.
The reason the FDA has banned colloidal silver, Jones claims, is that its a threat to the pharmaceutical companies and a threat to doctors visits, because it works so good in the body.
Alex Jones and Infowars did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Global Healing Center addressed the various supplements discussed in this article, as Dr. Group promotes and recommends them in Jones videos. They noted, in response to iodine in particular that they wouldn"t discount the importance of research but would also throw in the caveat that there are financial reasons studies happen and financial reasons they dont.
Infowars Life sales pitch #1: Corporations have engineered a condition that makes you sick, therefore you need this product.
Whats amazing about Infowars Life is how well it integrates into the greater Infowars narrative. Take the $29.99 per bottle Secret 12, for example, which is simply liquid vitamin B12. This is a vitamin that plays a key role in the human body, affecting protein metabolism as well as the formation of red blood cells.
In a video from Alex Jones YouTube channel titled The B12 Conspiracy, Jones and Group explain the worldwide conspiracy that has led to a dire need for B12. Everyone is deficient in B12, Group says, because of all the pesticides and everything else thats been sprayed on the soil, 60 percent of the worlds soil is now deficient in cobalt, an ingredient in B12 formation.
Group and Jones cite a study from the Journal of Organic Systems about glyphosate, a chemical found in weed killers, causing various diseases. It mentions nothing about cobalt or B12. The two then digress into discussing the chemical war on America by corporations and the government: they know what theyre doing, theyre targeting us by foisting GMOs, fluoride, and other such chemicals on an unwitting public.
According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, the adequate daily intake of B12 for an adult male is 2.4mcg, and it can be obtained through a variety of foods (fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk) or through almost any multivitamin found in drugstores.
The Office of Dietary Supplements says that most people in the United States get enough vitamin B12 from the foods they eat although anywhere from 1.5 percent to 15 percent of the population could be suffering from a vitamin deficiency, mainly due to conditions such as aging that prevent the body from absorbing B12 from food.
But if youre an Infowars fan, however, why would you trust these institutions?
Infowars Life sales pitch #2: The government is suppressing this highly effective product because it competes with the pharmaceutical industry.
Jones also peddles Silver Bullet, an oral colloidal silver solution that Jones calls the survival silver [that] is the perfect fit for you and your family"s routine and emergency supply.
There was a big crackdown on the medical claims for colloidal silver when it was popular in the 1990s for treating common ailments. Jones is careful not to make any specific medical claims on the Silver Bullet product page, merely saying its unique and has applications for both preparedness and regular use. But its in his video, titled Government Suppresses Ancient Natural Antibiotic, that he and Group make their claims about colloidal silver.
In 1999, the FDA released its final rule regarding over-the-counter drugs containing colloidal silver and silver salts. These products were to be marked as not generally regarded as safe for human consumption, because FDA is not aware of any substantial scientific evidence that supports the use of OTC colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for these disease conditions.
The banner for Secret 12. Image: Infowars Store
In the Silver Bullet video, Dr. Group says that the FDA raided his offices because he was selling colloidal silver; the reason the FDA has banned it, he claims, is that its a threat to the pharmaceutical companies and a threat to doctors visits, because it works so good in the body. They also claim in the video that the FDAs banning of colloidal silver is the government trying to shut down anybody thats producing silver, because they know how effective it is.
In the video, Group says that colloidal silver is an amazing anti-microbial compound. The controversy around it has more to do with how the product is made, he says. If you make it with tap water, lets say, or if theres any salts in the water, you can end up with silver nitrates, which Group blames for health problems in people who have taken colloidal silver supplements.
Scientists have concluded, however, that colloidal silver does not have health benefits and could be dangerous. We emphasize the lack of established effectiveness and potential toxicity of these products, wrote the authors of a 1996 Journal of Toxicology article.
Colloidal silver can cause argyria, a condition that can turn the skin a bluish gray color due to silver granules being deposited in the skin. There was a particularly high profile case of argyria in Paul Karason, known in the media as Papa Smurf, who consumed a homemade colloidal silver solution after reading about it in an alternative health magazine and used a topical silver treatment on his face.
In the Infowars video promoting Silver Bullet, Dr. Group says that silver nitrates are to blame for argyria and it was proved that Karason brewed his silver the wrong way and consumed far too much of it in order to turn himself blue to get media attention.
According to Group, any virus, any bacteria, any organism thats harmful to the body and its non-resistant to iodine, its non-resistant to silver. The chiropractor keeps it vague when talking about the solutions health benefits. User reviews say it works like a charm against infections, colds, and a spot on my foot that wouldnt heal.
Rather than explain why each specific claim regarding colloidal silver was wrong, Sonya Angelone of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics simply told Motherboard that it is not recommended to take colloidal silver by mouth.
Infowars Life sales pitch #3: Our secret stash of a common product will stop the government from secretly poisoning you through the water supply.
Similar to Silver Bullet, another Infowars product called Survival Shield X-2 boasts a lot of claims that, in the end, dont say much of anything at all.
This product is a solution made with what Jones calls nascent iodine. In an Infowars video called The Iodine Conspiracy, Jones describes Survival Shield X-2 as a product that will block fluoride and other members of the halogen family that are so bad for you. Jones says that the government has been practicing eugenics by putting those products into the water supply, and that nascent iodine will protect you from it.
Of course, one of Jones top experts on the product is Dr. Group, whose Global Health Center page is the first Google result for nascent iodine. The GHCs page on nascent iodine says that the body can seamlessly absorb and utilize nascent iodine for metabolic and detoxification processes, making it more effective as a supplement for the body.
Not only is there no research to support nascent iodines supposed effectiveness or special fluoride-blocking characteristics, its supposed chemical makeup is not possible
Just as Jones refers straight to his expertise, Dr. Group provides no concrete data or research to back such claims. A spokesperson for the GHC told Motherboard that "[t]he importance of iodine is pretty well accepted but studies specific to nascent iodine, as I"m sure you"ve found, are light."
Dr. Group references a holistic health book called Iodine: why you need it, why you cant live without it by Dr. David Brownstein, which says nothing about nascent iodine but rather just addresses the basic, well-known role of iodine in the human body.
His second reference, a book on womens health from a Dr. Christiane Northrup, does mention nascent iodine, but only in passing and as just another way to consume iodine. Dr. Northrup makes no claims about nascent iodine being any better for womens thyroid health than another product. She links to www.thyroidnascentiodine.com, a broken website that isnt associated with the medical community. Dr. Northrup did not respond to a request for comment.
The final reference that Dr. Group has on his nascent thyroid page is to one of the only other names that tends to be associated with the product, a Dr. Edward Sircus, the founder of the so-called International Medical Veritas Association. Quackwatch.com lists the IMVA under its list of questionable organizations.
Jones. Photo: Sean P. Anderson/Flickr
Not only is there no research to support nascent iodines supposed effectiveness or special fluoride-blocking characteristics, its supposed chemical makeup is not possible. Sonya Angelone of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics referred Motherboard to ConsumerLab, an independent health and nutritional product testing group, which addressed nascent iodine in this post. They note that nascent iodine, which promotes itself as being a free, unbound iodine particle rather than diluted in a solution, is impossible if its in liquid form. To be in a liquid supplement like most nascent iodine is sold, it would no longer be atomic as many of these promoters label it. Therefore, if you are buying a supplement promoted as "nascent iodine", it is most likely sodium iodide or potassium iodide, she said.
Iodine is undisputedly essential to a healthy, working human body. Angelone explained iodines role to Motherboard as a key nutrient required by the thyroid gland. It helps convert T4, the inactive thyroid hormone, to T3 the active thyroid hormone. Most people get iodine from iodized salt, but those that dont may need supplements like Survival Shield X-2. But the Infowars product will have the exact same effect as most other iodine supplements on the market.
Whether or not Alex Jones truly believes in the products he sells is unclear, but this much is true: he knows his audience will throw money at anything he endorses. Many Infowars Life products are devoid of any real scientific data, and those that do have corroborating research to be found elsewhere are simply fancy packaged, branded, marked up supplements that can be found elsewhere online or at local vitamin stores. The rest, as we can see, is snake oil.
Alex Jones chief research buddy is a chiropractor with a similar allergy to scientific data and a penchant for charisma and marketing. Survival Shield X-2 wont save you from a nuclear holocaust, and Silver Bullet wont magically cure your immune system. But it will pad the pockets of Alex Jones and help him scheme up new ways to scare you into paying him all over again.
A Tectonic Shift in Conservative World: Trump Accepts Nomination as Roger Ailes Ousted from Fox News
Getty Images
Fox chairman and CEO Roger Ailes announced today that he"d be stepping down from his roles at the company, effective immediately, following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. He had held his positions for two decades, building Fox into the conservative media behemoth it is today.
For a man who seemed "untouchable" at the top, his resignation comes about two weeks after former Fox News anchor and Fox & Friends cohost Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes, her former boss. She alleged that "on multiple occasions Ailes directed her to turn around so he could leer at her posterior, made comments about her legs, and instructed her to wear more revealing outfits" and that "she experienced cuts in compensation, advertising support, and air time because of her refusal to give in to Ailes" advances." The lawsuit prompted Fox to begin an internal review of the charges.
Since then, more women have come forward with their own experiences with Ailes. The weekend following Carlson"s filing, New York magazine published six more accountspart of a group of more than a dozen women who contacted Carlson"s lawyer in the days after the news broke. The allegations date back to the 1960s.
Most recently, New York reported that the network"s star Megyn Kellywho at first had remained conspicuously silent on the matter, even as several of her male network colleagues rushed to Ailes" defensehad revealed to anonymous sources that she"d been on the end of unwanted sexual advances from Ailes when she was starting out as a correspondent in Fox"s Washington, D.C., bureau. It was speculated that, considering her growing presence and influence in the network, her testimony would be the "final element" needed to oust Ailes.
Rupert Murdoch, the CEO of News Corp (Fox"s parent company), will take over Ailes" duties, acting as chairman and interim CEO.
Tyler Posey doesnt make his debut as an official Disney prince for a while on Elena of Avalor, but that doesnt mean we didnt talk with him about it at 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.
The 24-year-old actor will voice Prince Alonso in the series, a charming prince from the Argentine-inspired Kingdom of Cordoba who will possibly lay his charms on Elena (Aimee Carrero). We mean, you cant cast Tyler and not have that outcome, right?
Im so excited to see it, Tyler told us on the press line for Teen Wolf. To voice a cartoon character is one of my dreams.
