controversy

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4 Dicey Jokes From Shane Gillis' ESPY Set

Comedian goes after Belichick, Trump, and Caitlin Clark, among others

(Newser) - Comedian Shane Gillis kicked off the ESPY awards on Wednesday night with a monologue heavy on cringe and controversy, reports the Guardian . Gillis, previously ousted from the cast of Saturday Night Live over jokes about Asian people, didn't shy away from controversy—or race—in his set. A...

Lion Cub Cuddles at Eatery Spark Animal Welfare Uproar

Reaction online has been mostly negative to Wanhui restaurant offering hugs with cubs

(Newser) - A restaurant in Taiyuan, China, is facing backlash for offering a $150 four-course tea experience that includes hugging lion cubs. The Wanhui eatery, which opened last month in Shanxi province, sells about 20 tickets a day to customers eager for up-close encounters with the cubs. Photos and videos of...

Cuban Minister Says 'There Are No Beggars,' Now an Ex-Minister

Labor Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera suggested poverty-stricken people were pretending

(Newser) - A Cuban minister who sparked criticism after saying there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, resigned on Tuesday. Cuba's Presidency said in a post on X that Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feito Cabrera "acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation....

Putin-Linked Conductor Catches Ire of Navalny Widow

Russian leader's ally is set to perform at Italian festival, and Yulia Navalnaya isn't having it

(Newser) - Yulia Navalnaya, widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is urging Italy to revoke an invitation extended to Valery Gergiev, a conductor with strong Kremlin ties, to perform at a major music festival later this month. Gergiev, known for his decades-long alliance with Vladimir Putin, is set to...

Cops Charge Woman With Seducing, Blackmailing Monks

And Thailand is a bit rattled by the possible violation of the celibacy rule

(Newser) - Police in Thailand arrested a woman Tuesday who allegedly enticed a string of Buddhist monks into sexual relationships and then pressured them into making large payments to cover up their intimacy. The possible violation of the celibacy rule for monks has rocked Buddhist institutions and gripped public attention in Thailand....

'Gold Digger' Game Sparks Sexism Debate in China
'Gold Digger' Game Roils China
Jul 7, 2025 7:40 AM CDT

'Gold Digger' Game Roils China

Critics say all-female scam plot fuels harmful gender stereotypes—but it's immensely popular

(Newser) - A new video game in China, originally titled Revenge on Gold Diggers, has sparked a fierce national debate over sexism and gender stereotypes. The live-action game, which quickly shot to the top of Steam's sales charts after its June release, puts players in the shoes of men targeted...

Rosie O'Donnell Goes After Jeff Bezos' Wedding Guests

Comedian wasn't impressed with excess of nuptials to Lauren Sanchez, nor with stars who attended

(Newser) - Speaking out the loudest against the extravagant Jeff Bezos-Lauren Sanchez wedding on Friday in Venice, Italy: environmentalists, Venetian locals, and ... Rosie O'Donnell. BuzzFeed reports that the comedian has some thoughts on the nuptials— thought to cost around $25 million and even up to $50 million-plus—as revealed on her...

Lorde Includes NSFW Image of Herself in New Album

Singer's new release raises eyebrows with pic of her nude crotch under see-through pants in insert

(Newser) - Lorde's latest album, Virgin, dropped on Friday, featuring 11 tracks and a little something extra that has some fans in a tizzy. USA Today reports that the Grammy-winning artist, known as Ella Yelich-O'Connor in her prefame life, included an eight-page picture booklet with the vinyl version of the...

Lauren Sanchez's Wedding Dress Took 900 Hours to Make
What Was Up With Those
Bezos-Sanchez Invites?
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 28, 2025 7:00 AM CDT

What Was Up With Those Bezos-Sanchez Invites?

'Clip art,' one columnist described them, though the rest of the affair in Venice was rife with luxury, celebs

(Newser) - The event we've all been hearing about for months has finally wrapped. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are now husband and wife, after an elaborate wedding in Venice, Italy, that attracted a fair amount of pushback from locals and activists and backlash overall . Both USA Today and...

Vance Calls Sen. Alex Padilla 'Jose,' Rips Cali Leaders

Gov. Newsom, LA Mayor Bass push back as National Guard deployment sparks a legal fight

(Newser) - Vice President JD Vance visited Los Angeles on Friday, sharply criticizing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass for their opposition to recent federal immigration raids. Vance accused both leaders of making it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs and claimed their rhetoric encouraged violence...

States Are Making It Easier to Get Ivermectin

More than a dozen have or are proposing bills to make antiparasitic drug available over the counter

(Newser) - With Robert F. Kennedy at the helm of the nation's health agencies, alternative therapies are finding their way more often into the spotlight, including one familiar from the pandemic: ivermectin. Republican lawmakers in multiple states are now pushing bills that would allow for the antiparasitic to be sold over...

Portrait Gallery Chief Resigns After Trump Tried to Fire Her

Kim Sajet had kept showing up for work

(Newser) - The Smithsonian Institution still maintains President Trump doesn't have the authority to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery, but Kim Sajet announced Friday that she's leaving anyway. "From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first," Sajet said in...

Trump's Rose Garden Makeover Is Happening

Construction began Monday

(Newser) - The White House broke ground Monday on construction projects ordered by President Trump to pave over the grass in the Rose Garden and install flagpoles on the north and south lawns. The Republican president said months ago that he would pave over the Rose Garden, as the grass there is...

Joni Ernst Goes on Defense: 'I'm Very Compassionate'

GOP senator's 'we all are going to die' comment continues to reverberate

(Newser) - On Monday, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst was forced once again to confront statements she made at a Friday town hall in Iowa, though this time around, she was considerably less flip about it. The senator's original remarks in Butler County came about when the event's conversation turned to...

Hundreds of Broadway Artists Call Out Patti LuPone

Open letter urges Tonys ban after remarks about Audra McDonald, Kecia Lewis

(Newser) - A group of more than 500 Broadway artists have signed an open letter criticizing theater veteran Patti LuPone for remarks she made about fellow performers Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis. The letter , circulated by Playbill on Friday and addressed to the American Theatre Wing, the Broadway League, and "...

Trump Has One Big Gripe About Qatar Luxury Jet

'Frankly, it's much too big,' he told reporters on Wednesday of the controversial 'gift' from Mideast

(Newser) - President Trump makes no secret of admiring "big, beautiful" things , but the controversial $400 million luxury jet he says was a gift to the US from Qatar may be too large, even for him. Although Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the recently accepted Boeing 747, which the Defense...

Aussies Blast Tesla's Proposed 'Temple to Billionaires'

Few see Tesla battery factory in Adelaide as a good idea amid Musk backlash

(Newser) - Plans for a Tesla battery factory in South Australia have sparked fierce local backlash, with nearly all of its residents voicing strong opposition—most citing concerns not just over the factory itself, but the influence of Elon Musk . Public sentiment in Adelaide has turned sharply against Musk and Tesla'...

Kanye West Is Having a Tumultuous Week

Rapper ramps up custody fight with Kim, storms off Piers Morgan show, releases 'Heil Hitler' single

(Newser) - Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are tussling over the kids again. TMZ reports that an attorney for the 47-year-old rapper sent a cease and desist letter to Kardashian's legal team "concerning the welfare and custody" of the couple's four children, including 11-year-old daughter North West, who West...

'Least Popular Woman in Pop' Talks Blue Origin Flight

Katy Perry addresses recent criticism, saying 'I get back up and go on'

(Newser) - "Please know I am OK," singer Katy Perry assured fans on Tuesday after her Blue Origin spaceflight turned her into, in her words, "a human pinata." Two weeks after the all-female spaceflight drew criticism from celebrities, pundits, and brands, including Wendy's , Perry commented on a...

Amid Scandal, Cardinal Becciu Bows Out of Papal Conclave

Convicted cardinal steps back after letters reportedly signed by Francis surface on eligibility

(Newser) - Once one of the most powerful voices in the Vatican, Cardinal Angelo Becciu has stepped back from the Vatican's most secretive election after a recent criminal conviction. Becciu made his decision on Tuesday after being presented with two letters written by Pope Francis before his death that said...

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