Duck Dynasty Season 4 is set to premiere on Wednesday, August 14.
It was earlier reported the new season will bring with it a new family member: Phil Robertson and Miss Kay’s eldest son, Alan Robertson.
Duck Dynasty Season 4 is set to premiere on Wednesday, August 14
Alan Robertson is a preacher who happens to be clean shaven. The beard-free reverend said he plans to use his role on the massively popular reality show to spread the good news of the gospel.
“Because of my association with the show, I’ll get to minister to a lot more people,” Alan Robertson said.
“Any person that’s an evangelist, that’s what you want to do, so I had to give this up for something possibly bigger.”
Before Season 3 came to a close, there was some concern about whether a Season 4 would see the light of day. Contract negotiations between the Robertsons and A&E reportedly stalled when the cast members demanded raises. But the network must have decided it was worth shelling out the $200,000 each of the Robertsons is said to have demanded. After all, the Season 3 finale caused the show to smash its own record for highest-rated telecast in A&E history with a whopping 9.6 million viewers.
Duck Dynasty Season 3 left off in Hawaii, as Willie Robertson fumbled and bumbled his way through a Robertson-style family vacation. But the clan is back in Monroe, Louisiana, now, doing your average duck hunter things – like having Scotty McCreery perform at a “Redneck Red Carpet” party.
James Gandolfini’s estate is reportedly about to be gutted by the federal government.
James Gandolfini will calls for 80% of his estate to go to his sisters and his 9-month-old daughter Liliana, according to reports, which subjects them to death taxes – which are levied at a rate of about 55%.
The remaining 20% goes to his widow.
As written, the will subjects everyone involved to significantly more taxation than is normally the case.
“It’s a nightmare from a tax standpoint,” estate lawyer William Zabel told the New York Daily News, calling the segregation of assets a “big mistake” saying the will is “a disaster”.
The enormous tax bill – about $30 million – will be due in about nine months, according to William Zabel.
James Gandolfini, like most high net worth people, probably didn’t keep his assets in cash, which will force his family to sell off his multiple properties and liquidate other holdings to cover the bill, explained William Zabel, but they will have a little wiggle room.
James Gandolfini’s estate is about to be gutted by the federal government due to his disastrous will
“They can get an extension of time to pay the entire amount, but they’re going to have pay a substantial amount in nine months,” said William Zabel.
Though the exact amount of James Gandolfini’s estate is not known since an inventory does not have to be filed until December, estimating it to be worth $70 million leaves heirs to divvy up $40 million after taxes instead of $70 million before taxes, since the will calls for shares to be divided after settling the tax bill, according to the Daily News.
This leaves Deborah Lin, James Gandolfini’s widow, with a significantly smaller share of the pie, according to William Zabel.
“It’s a catastrophe,” the lawyer said.
Untouched by the taxation issues will be a $7 million life insurance payout to Michael Gandolfini, the actor’s 13-year-old son. Separate trust funds had also been set up for James Gandolfini’s wife and son prior to his passing, according to the Daily News.
James Gandolfini died last month in Rome after a massive heart attack. He was in Italy attending a film festival with his family.
Any royalties from his lengthy acting career in film and television going into the estate would also be subject to death taxes. It’s not yet clear whether they are set up to go into trusts or the estate, the Daily News reported.
Should the sisters and daughter renounce their shares in the estate, they would avoid taxes and be able to receive larger payments down the road, since they would default to Deborah Lin as spouses are not subject to the same rates of inheritance taxes as others.
An Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft has crash-landed at San Francisco international airport.
There is no word so far on casualties. The aircraft operated by the South Korean airline Asiana had taken off from Taipei and was on the runway, with plumes of smoke rising from it.
Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft has crash-landed at San Francisco international airport
Pictures posted on Twitter showed passengers jumping down the inflatable emergency slides and leaving the area.
Firefighters and rescue teams are at the scene. The cause of the emergency is not known.
It is not known how many people were on board – the Boeing 777 can carry as many as 300 passengers.
Asiana is South Korea’s second-largest airline.
Passenger David Eun tweeted: “I just crash landed at SFO. Tail ripped off. Most everyone seems fine. I’m ok. Surreal…”
The Crave Brothers Les Frerescheese is being recalled from supermarket shelves after it may have killed at least one person and caused a Listeria outbreak.
Listeria monocytogenes can lead to severe illness for children and women who are pregnant or people who have weakened immune systems.
In healthy people, Listeria can cause symptoms including high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Whole Foods Market Inc. is one of those supermarkets recalling the cheese, which has sickened people in several states, according to theHuffington Post.
The FDA said five people between the ages of 31 and 67 have been hospitalized and one – an elderly person in Minnesota – died on Thursday as a result of the outbreak.
One pregnant woman is believed to have suffered a miscarriage as a result of contracting the disease. Cases were reported in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Public health officials in Illinois said on Wednesday that one resident became sick after eating contaminated cheese in May, according to the Huffington Post.
The FDA said the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is testing samples of the cheese and early results indicate that there is Listeria present in the samples. Confirmation of these results is pending.
The Crave Brothers Les Freres cheese is being recalled from supermarket shelves after it may have killed at least one person and caused a Listeria outbreak
If ingested, Listeria can cause listeriosis, a rare and serious illness.
The cheese was sold in 30 states under names including Les Freres and Crave Brothers Les Freres.
On the company’s website, the cheese is described as: “This European style cheese was developed with care to reflect the Crave Brothers’ Irish-French heritage.
“It is a rich rind washed cheese with an earthy, fruity flavor. It tastes wonderful served with fruits and breads, paired with wine or in a cheese course.”
The cheese was cut and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with Whole Foods Market scale labels.
Whole Foods has now started posting signs in its stores to inform customers about the recall and said customers should throw away the cheese and bring in their receipts for a full refund.
Crave Brothers, which is based in Waterloo, Wisconsin, has announced a voluntary recall of Les Freres, Petit Frere, and Petit Frere with Truffles cheese made on July 1 or earlier.
It said the cheeses were distributed around the country through retail and food service outlets and mail order.
The president of Crave Brothers, George Crave, issued a statement on its website, saying: “We are cooperating with the regulatory agencies’ ongoing investigation of the cause of the potential health risks.”
The website urges its customers who have purchased any of the products “not to consume them”.
In 2011 a Listeria outbreak related to tainted cantaloupes sickened 147 and killed 33 people, according to the ABC.
Prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been named as Egypt’s interim prime minister.
Mohamed ElBaradei was appointed following crisis talks led by President Adly Mahmud Mansour – three days after the army removed Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi amid growing nationwide unrest.
The move has in turn triggered mass unrest by supporters of Mohamed Morsi.
Prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been named as Egypt’s interim prime minister
Mohamed ElBaradei – a former head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog – is expected to be sworn in later on Saturday.
He and other party leaders attended a meeting called by Adly Mahmud Mansour on Saturday.
Mohamed ElBaradei leads an alliance of liberal and left-wing parties, the National Salvation Front.
More than 30 people died and about 1,000 were wounded in Friday’s protests by Islamist supporters of the deposed president.
The Muslim Brotherhood – to which Mohamed Morsi belongs – has said its followers would remain on the streets until he is restored to office.
French tennis player Marion Bartoli won her first Grand Slam title with a dominant 6-1 6-4 victory over German 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki in the Wimbledon final.
Marion Bartoli won the first set in 30 minutes as Sabine Lisicki failed to cope with the enormity of a first Grand Slam final.
The 23-year-old cut a fragile figure and was reduced to tears in the second set, helpless to prevent Marion Bartoli from lifting the Venus Rosewater dish.
Marion Bartoli ended with an ace, collapsing to the ground once victory was hers.
When the stunned 15th seed rose to her feet, she celebrated by climbing to the players’ box to embrace family and friends.
Among those whom Marion Bartoli hugged was her mentor and 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, the last Frenchwoman to win at SW19, and her father and former coach Walter.
Marion Bartoli had bossed her opponents during the tournament and her decisive victory over Sabine Lisicki meant she is now the sixth player in the Open era to win a Wimbledon title without dropping a set.
Marion Bartoli won her first Grand Slam title with a dominant victory over Sabine Lisicki in the Wimbledon final
“Honestly I cannot believe it,” said the world number 15, a major winner on her 47th Grand Slam appearance.
“When I was a little girl I dreamed of this moment for so long. Finishing with an ace, in my wildest dreams I’d never believe it.”
It was the final few had predicted and the inexperience of playing on such a grand stage perhaps explained the edgy opening from both finalists.
The unconventional French number one surrendered the first game of the match but her rival followed suit, double faulting to restore parity at 1-1.
Marion Bartoli, five years the senior and seeded nine places higher than the German, settled the quicker, securing the second of two break points in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.
The experience of losing the 2007 Wimbledon final perhaps helped Marion Bartoli deal with the occasion better.
“I missed out in 2007, I know what it is like and I’m sure Sabine will be here one more time, no doubt about it,” she added.
Marion Bartoli had returned brilliantly throughout the Championships – making 81% of her returns prior to the final – and her ploy of returning from inside the baseline was key to her success over a player known as ‘boom boom’ in Germany.
Sabine Lisicki’s powerful serve had been neutralised and the 23rd seed double faulted again in the sixth game before directing a forehand long to gift Marion Bartoli a 5-1 advantage.
In 30 minutes, Marion Bartoli had secured the opening set and the debutant seemed ill at ease on the same turf where she had defeated top seed Serena Williams in the fourth round.
Sabine Lisicki had opportunities in the second game of the second set but Marion Bartoli held firm.
Double faults blighted the German’s game, a third of the match gifting Marion Bartoli three break points which the Frenchwoman took with an angry overhead at the net to move 3-1 up.
In the fifth game, Sabine Lisicki dissolved into tears as another double fault presented her opponent with a break point.
The German regained her composure, although victory was soon within Marion Bartoli’s sight when the German netted to fall 4-1 behind.
Sabine Lisicki saved two Championship points on her own serve and broke in the eighth game to haul Marion Bartoli back to 5-4.
But Marion Bartoli served out the match, concluding an impressive performance her second ace of the match.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has reportedly started to reject the strict Muslim rules her husband forced upon her.
Katherine Russell, 24, is living at her parents’ home in Rhode Island with her daughter by Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and her family is encouraging her to convert back to Christianity, according to reports.
She has also changed her name back to Katherine Russell from Karima Tsarnaeva, the name she adopted after marrying Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed earlier this year following a police shootout.
“Katherine is slowly starting to change,” a source told the National Enquirer, adding that she is already wearing fingernail polish and eating at fast food restaurants.
It had previously been reported that she drastically changed after meeting Tamerlan Tsarnaev while at a club during her college years.
Katherine Russell is cooperating with officials in the investigation, but claims she had no idea her husband was plotting to bomb the Boston marathon as she was working 80 hours a week as a health care aide.
“Katherine was completely subservient to him,” a source told the Enquirer.
“She cowered around him.”
Katherine Russell has started to reject the strict Muslim rules her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev forced upon her
Katherine Russell has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but the FBI have questioned her to find out if she had any clue as to her husband’s plans.
The bombing at the marathon’s finish line on April 15 killed three people and injured more than 260.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar, originally from Chechnya, are believed to have carried out the attacks due to their radical jihadist beliefs.
Katherine Russell’s lawyer Joshue Dratel, from New York, said that he joined Russell’s legal team to help her navigate the criminal justice system and to protect her interests.
He said she had spoken with investigators and planned to keep co-operating.
“I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future,” he said.
“There’s no inconsistency between that and her interests at this point.”
Katherine Russell was widowed when Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a police shootout on April 19 – four days after he and his younger brother Dzhokhar allegedly set off bombs during the Boston Marathon. Three people were killed in the cowardly attack and 264 more were wounded, several of whom lost limbs.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is in a prison hospital facing charges that could bring the death penalty.
Tamerlan tsarnaev, 26, died on April 19 after a shootout with police.
Katherine Russell had been living in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and two-year-old daughter, but has been staying with her parents in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, since the day her husband was killed.
Among the questions about Katherine Russell is what she knew or saw in the weeks leading up to the bombing, and in the days after it.
Two U.S. officials have said that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators the bombs were assembled in the small apartment Katherine Russell shared with her husband.
The Big Ten Conference announced this week that the name of Suzy Favor Hamilton was removed from the award that goes to the Big Ten female athlete of the year.
Suzy Favor Hamilton, an Olympic and University of Wisconsin track star, worked as a $600-an-hour escort in Las Vegas under the name of Kelly Lundy.
A spokesman for the Big Ten, Scott Chipman, said that Suzy Favor Hamilton’s name was removed from the award after discussions between the league and Wisconsin.
Suzy Favor Hamilton, 44, competed in the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000. She is a native of Stevens Point.
The Smoking Gun website in December first reported that Suzy Favor Hamilton worked as an escort in Las Vegas. She later described it as a “coping mechanism” tied to depression and other personal issues.
Suzy Favor Hamilton’s name was removed from the award that goes to the Big Ten female athlete of the year
Suzy Favor Hamilton was the Big Ten’s female athlete of the year three times beginning in 1988 and she retains those honors. She won seven U.S. national titles, her last in 1999.
Her time in the 800 meters (1:59.11), which she ran on June 1, 1990, ranks first on the all-time collegiate women’s list. Her time in the 1,500 meters (4:08.26) ranks seventh on the all-time collegiate list.
In an email to the Wisconsin State Journal, Suzy Favor Hamilton declined to comment on the Big Ten’s decision to remove her name from the award.
“[I’m] focused on getting well and making amends to my loved ones,” Suzy Favor Hamilton said.
Ex-England soccer player Paul Gascoigne has been arrested in the UK over an alleged drunken assault at a railway station.
Paul Gascoigne, 46, who left rehab in the USA earlier this year, was taken into custody following the incident at Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on Thursday.
The former Newcastle, Tottenham, Everton and Rangers player was later released without charge, police said.
Paul Gascoigne has been arrested in the UK over an alleged drunken assault at a railway station
The Mirror reported a security guard and Paul Gascoigne’s ex-wife Cheryl were assaulted in the incident.
A Hertfordshire Police spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a report of a man allegedly being drunk and disorderly at Stevenage railway station at 10:30pm on Thursday 4 July.
“Officers attended the location and arrested a 46-year-old male on suspicion of common assault and being drunk and disorderly.”
According to the Mirror, PaulGascoigne was held in a cell for 12 hours overnight.
Paul Gascoigne, who has struggled with alcoholism in the past, was treated at a clinic in Arizona earlier this year following an appearance at a charity event in which he was visibly unwell.
At least 12 people have died in Alexandria and three in Cairo in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, reports say.
The violence came after three pro-Morsi demonstrators were killed by security forces in another part of the capital.
Troops later restored calm in Cairo, but nationwide violence left some 26 dead and 318 injured, officials said.
The army removed Mohamed Morsi from power on Wednesday after millions of people protested over his leadership.
Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely elected leader, is in detention, as are some senior figures of his Muslim Brotherhood movement.
Early on Saturday, state media reported the Brotherhood’s deputy leader Khairat el-Shater had been arrested at his Cairo home on suspicion of incitement to violence.
The Tamarod [Rebel] movement – which organized recent anti-Morsi protests – accused the ousted president of pursuing an Islamist agenda against the wishes most Egyptians, and of failing to tackle economic problems.
The US State Department issued a condemnation of Friday’s violence and called for all leaders to put a stop to any further aggression.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also expressed alarm at the violence, saying that it was for the people of Egypt to determine the way forward – and all people, including women, needed to be part of that process.
Most of those killed during fighting in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, died from gunshot wounds, said Amr Nasr, head of emergency services in the city.
He told the official Mena news agency that 200 people were injured during clashes in Egypt’s second-largest city.
At least 12 people have died in Alexandria and three in Cairo in clashes between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi
Earlier, after midday prayers, Islamist supporters of Mohamed Morsi staged a series of marches across Cairo – including outside Rabaa al-Adawiya Mosque where tens of thousands massed.
Tensions escalated when a crowd advanced on the nearby headquarters of the Republican Guard, where Mohamed Morsi is believed to be held.
Troops then opened fire on crowds. Three people were killed and dozens wounded, including BBC correspondent Jeremy Bowen whose head was grazed by shotgun pellets.
In the evening, tens of thousands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood filled the square near the mosque, as well as nearby streets.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme leader, Mohammed Badie, told the crowd: “We shall stay in the squares until we bring President Morsi back to power.”
He said their protests would remain peaceful and called on the army not to “direct your arms against us”.
Shortly afterwards, the Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters surged across the 6th October Bridge over the Nile river, towards Tahrir Square where anti-Morsi protesters were gathered.
The rival groups hurled fireworks and stones at each other. A car was set on fire and stones and fireworks were thrown.
Late on Friday, tanks arrived at the bridge to separate the clashing protesters and the violence died down.
There were clashes in other parts of Egypt on Friday.
Islamist attacks on the Sinai peninsula left five police and one soldier dead.
One protester was killed in the central city of Assiut, and AFP news agency reported another death in Minya.
In Qina in the south, troops opened fire on pro-Morsi activists trying to storm a security building. At least two people were injured.
Firing was also reported in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya.
Ahead of Friday’s protests, the army command said it would not take “arbitrary measures against any faction or political current” and would guarantee the right to protest, as long as demonstrations did not threaten national security.
“Peaceful protest and freedom of expression are rights guaranteed to everyone, which Egyptians have earned as one of the most important gains of their glorious revolution,” it said.
On Thursday the head of Egypt’s constitutional court, Adly Mahmud Mansour, was sworn in as interim head of state, and he promised to hold elections soon.
On Friday Adly Mahmud Mansour dissolved the upper house – or Shura Council – which had been dominated by Mohamed Morsi supporters and had served as sole legislative body after the lower house was dissolved last year.
Adly Mahmud Mansour also appointed a new intelligence chief, Mohamed Ahmed Farid.
Officials from North Korea and South Korea are holding talks on reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
The two sides sat down together on Saturday at the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone.
Work at the Kaesong industrial park was halted in April amid high regional tensions.
Kaesong, a major source of income for North Korea, was seen as a symbol of inter-Korean ties, and correspondents say its closure showed how serious this year’s political tensions were.
Attempts to hold high-level talks last month failed on procedural grounds.
The meeting is being held on the North Korea side of Panmunjom, South Korean officials said.
Officials from North Korea and South Korea are holding talks on reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex
Seoul suggested the working-level talks on Thursday, a day after Pyongyang said South Korean businessmen could visit the closed complex to inspect and maintain equipment.
Late on Thursday, North Korea accepted the offer, South Korea said.
Prior to operations being suspended, there were around 120 South Korean businesses in the factory park. The companies have been unable to retrieve goods and materials for three months.
Some have since threatened to abandon the zone entirely and relocate their equipment.
Pyongyang withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex in April, apparently angered by tightened UN sanctions in the wake of its nuclear test in February, and annual South Korea-US military drills.
North Korea also prevented South Korean workers from entering the joint commercial zone.
The last South Korean workers left the zone on May 3.
The talks are very limited but could pave the wave for discussion of bigger issues such as North Korea’s nuclear programme.
Nicaragua and Venezuela have offered political asylum to US fugitive Edward Snowden.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said his country would give asylum Edward Snowden, who is believed to be holed up in a transit area of Moscow airport.
Meanwhile Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said his country would do so “if circumstances permit”.
WikiLeaks said Edward Snowden had applied to six additional countries on Friday.
The whistleblowing website said it would not name the countries “due to attempted US interference”.
Edward Snowden, 30, has already asked 21 countries for asylum, most of whom have turned down his request.
But even if a country accepted the American’s application, getting there could prove difficult as the European airspace could be closed to any aircraft suspected of carrying the fugitive.
Earlier this week, several European countries reportedly refused to allow the Bolivian president’s jet to cross their airspace on its way back from Moscow – apparently because of suspicions that Edward Snowden was on board.
President Nicolas Maduro made his announcement in a speech on Venezuela’s Independence Day.
“As head of state and government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young US citizen Edward Snowden so he can come to the fatherland of Bolivar and Chavez to live away from the imperial North American persecution,” Nicolas Maduro said.
The US wants to prosecute Edward Snowden over the leaking of thousands of classified intelligence documents.
Nicaragua and Venezuela have offered political asylum to US fugitive Edward Snowden
Earlier Daniel Ortega said Nicaragua had received an application at its embassy in Moscow.
“We are open, respectful of the right to asylum, and it is clear that if circumstances permit it, we would receive Snowden with pleasure and give him asylum here in Nicaragua,” Agence France-Presse quoted the Nicaraguan president as saying.
Daniel Ortega was a fierce opponent of the US during his first period as Nicaragua’s president in the 1980s, after the left-wing Sandinista movement came to power.
Bolivia, which had also suggested it might offer Edward Snowden asylum, saw its presidential plane barred from European airspace on Tuesday.
There was speculation Edward Snowden was on the plane carrying Bolivian President Evo Morales back from Russia to La Paz earlier this week.
“Edward Snowden has applied to another six countries for asylum,” tweeted WikiLeaks, which has been helping the former CIA contractor.
“They will not be named at this time due to attempted US interference.”
The US has been blamed for being behind the decision by France, Portugal, Italy and Spain to close its airspace to Bolivia’s president, whose plane was grounded in Austria for 13 hours as a result.
Earlier on Friday, Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo admitted he and the other European countries had been told that Edward Snowden was on board – but refused to say who gave out the information.
He denied Spain had closed its airspace to the presidential plane, explaining that the delay in Austria meant the flight permit had expired and needed to be renewed.
His comment is the first official recognition by the European states that the incident with Evo Morales’ plane was connected with the Snowden affair.
It has been widely condemned by President Morales and several other South American nations, who were critical of the US.
Evo Snowden arrived in the Moscow airport from Hong Kong last month.
He revealed himself to be responsible for the leaking of classified US intelligence documents that revealed a vast surveillance programme of phone and web data.
The documents have also led to allegations that both the UK and French intelligence agencies run similarly vast data collection operations, and the US has been eavesdropping on official EU communications.
According to official figures, the US economy added a net 195,000 new jobs in June.
The figure was well above economists’ expectations of 165,000. Revisions to data for April and May added a further 70,000 jobs to previous estimates.
The jobless rate remained steady at 7.6% of the workforce, according to the data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The dollar and US bond yields jumped as markets expectations rose that interest rates will start rising in a year.
The euro fell three quarters of a cent against the dollar to $1.282, while gold fell almost 3% to $1,214.36 an ounce.
The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds rose from 2.5% to 2.68% to their highest level in almost two years.
Treasury bonds – the US government’s cost of borrowing – provide an indication of when markets expect the US Federal Reserve to begin raising interest rates, with many analysts now predicting that a move could come as soon as the end of 2014.
The news was initially welcomed on Wall Street, where the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all opened higher.
The US economy added a net 195,000 new jobs in June
They turned negative mid-morning but regained the higher ground by afternoon trading.
“US employment data came out on the strong side of expectations,” wrote Brown, Brothers, & Harriman in a note to clients.
“The jobs data will strengthen expectations of tapering Fed asset purchases.”
Economists paid close attention to the number this month due to concerns that the US Federal Reserve might begin to wind down – or “taper” – its policy of propping up the US economy by buying up debts with newly-created money.
Comments by chairman Ben Bernanke in June that indicated that positive economic data in the coming months might lead to tapering of the Fed’s bond buying had roiled markets.
If the US economy continues to add jobs at this pace, the unemployment rate should fall from its current 7.6% to 6.5% by the end of 2014. This is the number the Fed has said the US jobs market must reach before it will end its programme of suppressing rates.
Leisure and hospitality jobs saw the biggest gains in June, as employers hired workers for the summer season.
The data eased fears that the “sequester” – a package of austerity measures that hit the economy in January – would have a negative impact on the jobs market.
The government shed 7,000 jobs in June, slightly less than expected.
Manufacturing, once a bright spot of the recovery, has continued its recent trend of job losses.
This has prompted some to question President Barack Obama’s commitment to the manufacturing sector.
“The president laid out a goal of creating a million new manufacturing jobs in his second term. That effort is off to a terrible start,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, an industry trade group.
The broader rate of unemployment – which includes those who would like a full-time job but can only find part-time work, as well as those who have given up looking for a job – increased slightly in June to 14.3%.
While the number of long-term unemployed workers has declined by more than one million over the past year, more than 4.3 million Americans have still been out of work for more than half a year, making up more than a third of the overall unemployed population.
With so many still out of work, pressure on wages has been modest, with hourly earnings rising by 0.2% this June, bringing the total rise for the year to 2.2%.
That is slightly ahead of the US inflation rate, with consumer prices having risen by just 1.4% in June from a year earlier.
The slow rate of wage growth and the large supply of willing workers mean that, while the American recovery continues to pick up steam, pressure on prices continues to be modest.
Honey Boo Boo’s father, Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson, once said he smelled “like a bowl of oyster stew” and Mama June is known to scent the home with her unsavory-looking “multi-meal” cook-ups.
And now viewers can delight in the unlikely smells produced by the reality TV clan thanks to a new “scratch n’ sniff” initiative launched to coincide with the Season 2 premiere of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on July 17.
TLC have produced ten million cards fragranced with six “mystery” scents, allowing fans to experience the “diverse and fragrant” aromas found in rural McIntyre, Georgia.
Each scent will correlate to various scenes in the all-new episodes. In a TV advert promoting the gimmick, June Shannon says: “Get your card. When you see the number on your TV, scratch the corresponding number, take big whiff and see what you smell.”
Many have attempted to guess what the aromas associated with the Boo Boo gang will be.
Scratch n’ sniff initiative launch will coincide with the Season 2 premiere of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo on July 17
IVillage points out that the Thompson family has shared their home with some odiferous pets, like Glitzy the pig and Nugget the chicken.
“And naturally, the Thompson family always enjoys a good game of Guess Who’s Breath?” it continues.
While The Stir wrote: “Can you imagine what your nose is in for? A whiff of Mama June’s multi-meals (which is basically a big mixture with all the leftovers in the fridge), those ever-present cheese balls, the smell of that questionable rug in the family room.”
Explaining how the idea came about, Amy Winter, TLC’s general manager, said: “We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to kick off the new season than with two Watch ‘n Sniff episodes.
“The family loves coming up with crazy games and hijinks, so now our audience gets to play along with one. It’s an experience they certainly won’t want to miss!”
The scratch cards will be distributed in People and Us Weekly magazine, which will hit newsstands on July 5 and July 12 respectively.
Additional cards will also be available at select Time Warner Cable retail stores nationwide and distributed by “street teams”.
The series, which averaged 2.3 million viewers last fall, provides a candid look inside the family’s unapologetically loud and unique lives.
The season premiere of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo will air on Wednesday, July 17 on TLC at 9 p.m.
Cult 51, the latest addition to the litany of unusual lotions and potions, is an anti-ageing cream which claims to have the most expensive ingredients ever.
Cult 51 will cost £125 ($196) for a 1.6 fl oz (50 ml) jar, equivalent to £94,000 ($148,000) a tonne, when it goes on sale online and at upmarket London store Fortnum and Mason tomorrow, July 6.
Model Kelly Brook and singer Myleene Klass are already fans of the night cream made by British chemist Richard Mears after being given samples, but if you’re hoping to get your hands on it, join the queue because there’s already 5,000 women on the waiting list.
In trials so far, Cult 51 has been found to reverse the signs of ageing by up to five years in just six weeks.
It is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by up to 52% in 28 days.
It increases the skin’s absorption of oxygen by up to 45% and in trials reduced the appearance of age spots by up a quarter in 12 weeks.
Richard Mears said it is the first skincare product on the market that can claim to have “3D effects” as it stimulates the skin to produce its own collagen while increasing cell production and oxygen flow in the skin.
He said: “Most anti-ageing creams do only one or two things, so consumers end up buying several products, such as those aimed at day time use, nights, the eyes and skin brightening, to get the full benefits.
“Brands want to sell many products to their customers and maximize sales. However, there is an accepted wisdom within skin care that the skin can only absorb so much active and that too many products actually smother it, preventing it from functioning naturally.”
Richard Mears, who has developed skin products for many luxury cosmetic brands in the past 25 years, said Cult 51’s main ingredient is ATP, a naturally found cell-producing compound which diminishes with age.
Cult 51 is an anti-ageing cream which claims to have the most expensive ingredients ever
He said Cult 51 will increase ATP levels by up to 65% and strengthen the skin’s capillary walls, boosting blood circulation.
It also reacts to humidity, working harder in an air-conditioned environment and cuts the amount of melanin in the skin – which leads to age spots.
The developers said the raw materials used in the cream are the most expensive ever.
Ingredients for a mass market skin care lotion would cost between £800 and £1,500 per metric tonne, while those in a professional cream could cost up £20,000 per metric tonne.
However, the materials used in Cult 51 would add up to £94,000 per metric tonne.
It’s the first product to deliver total skin care suitable for face, eyes, décolletage and hands.
Among trial volunteers, one woman said using Cult 51 for two weeks cleared up a problem over sensitive skin, while another who had acne scarring found pockmarks had virtually disappeared after eight weeks.
The product is available online via the website www.cult51.com.
The most recent product to rival Cult 51 was 111 SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Cream: a potent anti-ageing concoction using rare diamond dust particles that has been developed by NASA scientists and tested on astronauts in outer space.
The galactic cream, which is sold exclusively at none other than luxury department store Harrods, doesn’t come cheap. Beauty aficionados desperate to turn back the clock must pay a staggering £599 for 50 ml.
FOX Sports Next’s Amy Campbell, reporting on a top high school football recruiting event in Oregon, was in the midst of interviewing recruiting analyst Chad Simmons when rising star footballer Ermon Lane came crashing into her on the sidelines.
Though Amy Campbell later told the sports broadcasting network that she was unharmed, the entire incident was caught on video and as with many sports and news bloopers, has become an Internet sensation.
In the video, picked up by local television station ABC WPBF, Amy Campbell is listening intently to Chad Simmons speak when Ermon Lane comes running up behind her at full speed to catch a pass.
Screams are heard as Amy Campbell, Chad Simmons, and Ermon Lane all take a tumble and drop off camera.
Though Chad Simmons, who saw Ermon Lane coming at the last minute, tried to block Amy Campbell, he was unable to stop the four-star wide receiver prospect.
At 6”2 Ermon Lane is a powerhouse, and though currently a rising senior at Homestead High School in Florida, weights 193 lbs. He is a highly sought after prospect for Universities such as Miami, Florida State or Florida, according toFOX Sports.
Ermon Lane crashed into FOX Sports reporter Amy Campbell while she was mid-interview
The collision happened at The Opening, a summer recruiting camp for the nation’s top high school football players, which was held the Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, according to the television report.
In the aftermath of the crash, which went viral on YouTube, Amy Campbell told FOX Sports she was not injured.
“My knee got a little bit bruised,” she said to the sport network.
“It’s sore today, but nothing serious. It could’ve been a lot worse. At least I can take a hit, right?”
Amy Campbell told her network that the crash may have been captured on film, but was not the first incident that day.
“[Ermon Lane] has almost collided with me several times since I’ve been out here,” she said, explaining that earlier in the day the high school football star narrowly missed her when he came out of the end zone.
Taking it in her stride, Amy Campbell joked around about the incident on Twitter, tweeting: “I can take a hit #grind.”
She kept her good humor when one follower commented: “I’ve watched this no fewer than 10 times in the past few minutes! LOL! Sorry,” to which Amy Campbell responded: “It gets funnier every time.”
She even posted a picture on the social media website of her and Ermon Lane after the collision with the caption: “Still friends!”
Amy Campbell told FOX Sports that her favorite part of the video was when the referee declares the pass completed, ignorant of the accident on the sidelines.
“That to me is just the icing on the cake right there,” Amy Campbell said.
The film adaptation of the best-selling novel Fifty Shades Of Grey will be released in the US on August 1st, 2014.
The film has been highly anticipated, given the widespread success of the books (70 million copies of E.L. James’ trilogy have been sold).
And yet, no cast members have been officially named as the stars of the Sam Taylor-Johnson feature.
The story follows the relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, a college student.
The book received as much criticism as it did praise.
The film adaptation of the best-selling novel Fifty Shades Of Grey will be released in the US on August 1st, 2014
It is rather uplifting that Sam Taylor-Johnson, 46, has been attached to direct, despite having a rather small list of credits to her name.
As Forbes magazine noted, this may have been uncommon for women to date, but not for men – for example, Rupert Sanders was attached to direct Snow White And The Huntsmen with only commercials as credits.
The internet has been overflowing with rumors of who would be cast in the two lead roles. And while there has been no official confirmation as to who will play Christian Grey, some stars have categorically denied it.
Despite Sam Taylor-Johnson’s much younger husband Aaron Taylor-Wood, 23, being a potential choice for the male lead, his publicist told USA Today quite simply that: “Aaron is not doing 50 Shades Of Grey.”
Ian Somerhalder and Robert Pattinson have both been pinpointed as potential players for the male lead, but still nothing is official.
Emma Watson famously denied any potential involvement in the film via her Twitter account, writing: “Who here actually thinks I would do 50 Shades of Grey as a movie? Like really. For real. In real life.”
The movie will be produced by Dana Brunetti, producer of The Social Network and TV series House Of Cards, and distributed by Focus Features.
Minnesota State Fair has released a belly-busting list of 47 news food available to visitors.
Deep fried meatloaf, bacon candied cannelloni, lobster macaroni cheese, fried fare, savory and sweet, makes up most of the list of refreshments available during the 12-day fair, which runs from August 22 to Labor Day on September 2.
State fairs are known for their unhealthy offerings, which in the past have included deep-fried butter on a stick, but Minnesota’s food vendors have come up with some creative – and highly calorific – creations.
Dietician Kristi Pink said: “When you think of the portions that are provided at the fair on top of how many calories and how many fat calories are in that, it’s kind of disgusting because of lot of us over indulge on a daily basis.”
Minnesota State Fair 2013 hypercaloric menu
When she checked the calorie count of food sold at the state fair in 2011 she found that the fat and calorie content soon stacked up, according toCBS Minnesota.
“It’s like thousands of calories and most people – an average woman – doesn’t even need 2,000 calories a day,” she said.
While they may be unhealthy if eaten regularly, the fatty feast on offer is a treat many look forward to at the annual state fair.
Minnesota State Fair has released a belly-busting list of 47 news food available to visitors
And, with attractions spread out across 320 acres there will be plenty of opportunities to burn off the calories, or work up an appetite for a second helping.
As soon as the details of the new offerings were released, fans of the state fair took to its Facebookpage to show their approval.
The candied bacon cannelloni and battered olives were popular early choices, as were the funnel cake sundaes and chocolate pickles.
New additions to the menu, including Moe & Joe’s mouth-watering grilled glazed donut or the more daring fried pickles served with chocolate will be served up at the fair ground alongside old favorites such as St. Paul’s Mancini’s – bread cones filled with meatballs, a steak sandwich and garlic toast.
Food vendors have a new take on bar food too, with Bourbon infused wurst, wine-glazed meatloaf and battered onion rings made with local craft beer Indeed Daytripper.
Those with a sweet tooth can sample funnel cake sundaes, deep-fried bread pudding, donut batter ice cream, or peanut butter and jelly malts.
For more refined treats, visitors can tuck into deep-fried olives, fresh lobster in creamy macaroni cheese, or a Minnepumpkin pie.
And, for those feeling adventurous, a Comet Corn made from crunchy caramel corn in liquid nitrogen is on offer. The cold treat leaves a trail of “comet dust” smoking from the diner’s mouth and nose.
If the state fair food vendors run out of batter they can always head to the pavilion where 90 lb butter sculptures are crafted to grab some supplies.
Kristi Pink has advised that those wanting to ditch the diet and relax at Minnesota State Fair should consider sharing their food with family and friends, and washing it down with water rather than a soda.
The Italian Football Federation has announced they will play Argentina in a friendly match to honor the soccer-loving Argentinean Pope Francis.
The match will be held August 14 in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.
Pope Francis will watch the match not far away from the Vatican with audiences from both sides, according to the Associated Press.
It’s a long-awaited announcement for Italian manager Cesare Prandelli. The 55-year-old stated outwardly back in March that he would be ecstatic over a matchup of these two countries for the pope.
The Italian Football Federation has announced they will play Argentina in a friendly match to honor the soccer-loving Argentinean Pope Francis
“We’ve played friendlies with all the best national teams, only Argentina is missing,” Cesare Prandelli said back on March 27 following a World Cup qualifier with Malta.
“If we could arrange it, it would be nice to have an audience with the pope, who comes from Buenos Aires and loves football, and then go all together with both squads on one bus to the stadium. I couldn’t dream of anything better.”
The matchup has plenty of meaning for the religious Cesare Prandelli. He brought his whole coaching staff out on a trio of half-hour long nighttime trips to a Polish monastery during the European championships last year.
It’s been a while since these two sides met. Their last meeting was in 2001, also a friendly where Argentina came out on top 2-1. Prior to that, Argentina knocked out Italy in the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup on penalties, led by Diego Maradona.
It is a song as deeply embedded in the American national psyche as the Stars and Stripes themselves.
But it turns out The Star Spangled Banner is not about a violent and bloody battle 200 years ago… but about monkeys.
That’s if you believe the words of a 6-year-old boy and his friend who made the hilarious claim on a segment of Jimmy Kimmel’s hit television chat show. And he says it with such deadpan sincerity, it’s hard not to take his word for it.
The boys were among a group of children asked by the TV prankster if they knew the lyrics to the country’s national anthem.
And their answers are more than a little enlightening.
Children trying to explain the national anthem on Jimmy Kimmel
Asked if she could sing the song for the camera on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, one of the girls says the second line actually means “we are proudly to all the states and the uniteds” while another reveals that the song’s real title is “Strong Singled Banner”.
And it wasn’t written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, but by legendary record producer Quincy Jones (though it’s not among the 27 Grammys he has won over the years).
Moments later, a girl reveals the War of Independence was really about gaining freedom from Canada before a young boy performs an interpretive dance while singing the anthem.
They gave the cute responses for a segment on the Jimmy KimmelLive show celebrating yesterday’s Independence Day.
The Star Spangled Banner was in fact based on the lyrics of a poem written by Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships in Chesapeake Bay during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.
It was later made to fit the tune of popular melody The Anacreontic Song, by English composer John Stafford Smith and, in 1889, Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F. Tracy ruled that The Star-Spangled Banner be the official tune to be played at the raising of the flag.
It seems that fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden could be living in luxury at a hotel at a Moscow airport.
The Novotel Moscow Sheremetyevo picks travelers up from the airport, transports them in a bus and houses them on a sealed floor, ensuring that they never step on Russian soil.
It has a fitness centre, games room, library, Turkish/steam bath, and indoor pool.
The hotel is just 35 minutes from central Moscow and with 493 rooms, it is one of the largest in the area.
Edward Snowden is thought to be hiding in the Novotel Moscow Sheremetyevo
Guests can treat them self to a massage and have LCD televisions in each room.
Edward Snowden requested asylum in Russia after he leaked papers revealing many of America’s secrets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered the U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden political asylum – as long as he stops damaging “our American partners” with his leaks.
“Russia never hands over anybody anywhere and has no intention to do so,” said the Kremlin leader, defying a specific U.S. request.
“If he [Edward Snowden] wants to remain here there is one condition – he should stop his work aimed at inflicting damage on our American partners no matter how strange this may sound coming from me.”
Vladimir Putin showed he does not want to provoke a new Cold War in relations with the U.S. by firmly insisting Edward Snowden should stop his disclosures on covert operations which have caused embarrassment to America and infuriated the country’s allies in the EU.
Icelandic lawmakers have put legislation on the table that would make NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden a citizen of the polar country.
Member of Iceland’s parliament Ögmundur Jónasson first made the proposition this morning, the last day before the 63-member legislative body begins their summer leave.
Granting citizenship to Edward Snowden, who admits to revealing key details of U.S. surveillance activities would circumvent the rule that he must be on Icelandic soil to apply for asylum there.
The same tactic helped get eccentric chess master Bobby Fischer to Iceland from Japan in 2005 to escape U.S. prosecution for breaking sanctions imposed on the former Yugoslavia, according to 21st Century Wire.
Ögmundur Jónasson, whose liberal Left-Green Party is backing the proposal along with the Pirate Party and Brighter Future Party, put the issue before the Judicial Affairs Committee, but the idea received minimal support.
“We wanted to do this earlier,” wrote Pirate Party politician Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson on his Facebook page.
“But citizenship is an extremely delicate issue when it’s granted by parliament instead of granted through ordinary legal processes.”
Iceland’s parliament, known as Althing, saw three Pirate Party members elected in 2013. NPR billed the party as an “international online freedom movement”.
Ögmundur Jónasson argued to parliament on Thursday that Edward Snowden “is now being chased and has nowhere to go”, according to Icelandic media.
Icelandic lawmakers have put legislation on the table that would make NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden a citizen of the polar country
Edward Snowden, 30, also has a friend in former Icelandic presidential candidate Asthor Magnusson, who is collecting signatures from Icelanders as part of a petition to make his a citizen.
“I appeal to the oldest parliament in the world, the Althing in Iceland to grant a citizenship to Edward Joseph Snowden and issue him with travel documents for safe passage to Reykjavik,” Asthor Magnusson wrote in an appeal to Parliament, according to RT News.
“As matters have developed, I think that Icelanders should say <<This is enough: We support open society and human rights>>. It’s a basic human right to grant this man asylum in Iceland.”
The ruling Conservative and Moderate parties could halt the bill. And some have speculated that the country’s president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, could succumb to pressure purportedly being placed on international leaders by the U.S. government and veto the legislation.
Not surprisingly, Iceland also plays host to the website WikiLeaks, another well-known whistleblowing foe of the world’s intelligence community.
WikiLeaks has become a sort of public relations face for Edward Snowden, who remains in hiding.
On Monday, WikiLeaks released a letter they say was penned by Edward Snowden.
“I am unbowed in my convictions and impressed at the efforts taken by so many,” Edward Snowden wrote in closing.
Members of the Icelandic parliament, it seems, may be among those “many” taking efforts to help Edward Snowden.
For now, Edward Snowden is believed to be stuck in a Moscow airport transit area, seeking asylum from more than a dozen countries.
Though stuck may be the wrong word. He is one of America’s most wanted fugitives, but it seems that Edward Snowden could be living in luxury at a hotel at a Moscow airport.
The Novotel Moscow Sheremetyevo picks travelers up from the airport, transports them in a bus and houses them on a sealed floor, ensuring that they never step on Russian soil.
It has a fitness centre, games room, library, Turkish/steam bath, and indoor pool.
The hotel is just 35 minutes from central Moscow and with 493 rooms, it is one of the largest in the area.
Bolivian President Evo Morales has threatened to close the US embassy in Bolivia after his official plane was banned from European airspace.
The warning came as four other South American leaders offered him support at a special summit on Thursday.
Evo Morales’ plane was forced to land in Austria on Tuesday after France, Portugal, Italy and Spain apparently barred it from flying through their airspace.
There were unfounded suspicions that US fugitive Edward Snowden was on board.
The Bolivian president blamed Washington for pressurizing European countries into refusing him passage.
“My hand would not tremble to close the US embassy,” President Evo Morales said.
“We have dignity, sovereignty. Without America, we are better off politically and democratically.”
His presidential jet was rerouted as he travelled from a meeting in Russia where he had suggested he would be willing to consider an asylum application from Edward Snowden.
Former CIA contractor Edward Snowden is believed to be holed up at the transit area of Moscow airport after leaking details of a vast US surveillance programme.
Evo Morales was joined by the presidents of Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Venezuela and Suriname at a meeting to discuss the plane dispute in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba on Thursday.
The leaders issued a statement after the meeting demanding an explanation from France, Portugal, Italy and Spain over their actions.
President Evo Morales has threatened to close the US embassy in Bolivia after his official plane was banned from European airspace
The US was not mentioned in the statement, but several of the leaders criticized the Americans in comments after the meeting.
“If this had happened to the president of the United States, it probably would have been grounds for war,” said Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa.
“They think they can attack, crush, destroy international law.”
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said in a TV interview on Friday that Madrid had “no reason to apologize”.
He said airspace was never closed to Evo Morales’ plane, but that the delay in Austria meant the flight permit had expired and had to be renewed.
Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo also said in reference to Edward Snowden: “They told us he was inside [the plane].”
His comment is the first official recognition by the European states that the incident with Evo Morales’ plane was connected with the Snowden affair.
However, he did not say who had given the information to the Spanish authorities.
France earlier apologized for the plane incident, blaming it on “conflicting information”.
The US state department has not commented directly on the latest claims, saying only that Washington had “been in touch with a broad range of countries” over the Snowden case.
Demonstrators marched on the French embassy in La Paz on Wednesday, burning the French flag and demanding the expulsion of the ambassador to Bolivia.
Evo Morales’ plane took off from Vienna on Wednesday morning and arrived back in La Paz on Wednesday night.
Former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin, who resigned after claiming to the world that the Miss USA pageant is rigged, must now pay Donald Trump $5 million for defaming the organization he co-owns.
Sheena Monnin was a contestant in the Miss USA 2012 pageant before she appeared on national television claiming the beauty pageant organization chooses its winners ahead of time.
Donald Trump subsequently sued Sheena Monnin. An arbitrator then ruled in favor of the Miss Universe Organization, awarding it $5 million in damages and stated Sheena Monnin’s statements “showed a reckless disregard”. This week, a judge affirmed that decision.
“On July 2nd, the Southern District Court of New York ruled on my appeal of the $5 million arbitration award,” Sheena Monnin wrote in a July 4 post on a Facebook page billed as the Sheena Monnin Support Page.
“I am grateful to Judge Oetken for his review of the case before affirming the award.”
Judge J. Paul Oetken, in his 30-page ruling, wrote “the Court does not take lightly that Monnin is compelled to pay what is a devastating monetary award”.
However, J. Paul Oetken wrote: “Sympathy, or apparent inequity, may play no role in a court’s legal analysis.”
Now Sheena Monnin must pony up the cash after her earlier struggles just to come up with $50,000 in legal fees.
“The legal fees for standing for truth amount to over $50,000,” writes Sheena Monnin on her Facebook page.
Former Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin, who defamed Miss USA pageant, was ordered to pay Donald Trump $5 million
“I still need to raise money for my legal defense fund. I would greatly appreciate any and all donations.”
Her economic woes all stem from a few statements originally made on Facebook and then the Today show.
Sheena Monnin accused Miss Universe Organization of rigging the competition when she resigned from her Miss Pennsylvania position.
She claimed Karina Brez, who was representing Florida at the contest in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 3, recited the top five women after seeing a list of their names backstage.
In a Facebook post announcing her resignation, she wrote: “Apparently the morning of June 3rd [Karina Brez] saw a folder lying open to a page that said ‘FINAL SHOW Telecast, June 3, 2012” and she saw the places for Top 5 already filled in.
“After the Top 16 were called and we were standing backstage she hesitantly said to me and another contestant that she knew who the Top 5 were. I said <<who do you think they will be?>>.”
She said that she didn’t “think” she “knew” because she saw the list that morning.
“She relayed whose names were on the list. Then we agreed to wait and see if that was indeed the Top 5 called that night. After it was indeed the Top 5 I knew the show must be rigged.”
Miss Universe Organization vehemently denied the claims and said that Sheena Monnin had cited the new rules allowing transgender contestants as her reason for resigning.
Donald Trump also denied the claims and proceeded with the lawsuit against Sheena Monnin, who he believed was suffering “loser’s remorse”.
“I did see her for about a second. I never felt that she had a chance,” he told the Today last year.
“I know what I heard, and I know what I in turn witnessed… so I’m prepared to continue to march forward,” Sheena Monnin responded on Today.
“I feel an injustice has been done, not only to the other people who were not in the top five, but to the thousands of pageant girls across the country who competed, believing this is an honest system.”
