FACT CHECK: Viral Image Purporting To Show Man Wearing ‘Trans Kids Are Sexy’ T-Shirt Is Altered
The original image was published in an article from the Desert Sun
Kanye West wears 'White Lives Matter' shirt to daughter's basketball game, engages in further social media spats with celebrities
If critics thought that their condemnation of Kanye "Ye" West and his recent "White Lives Matter" t-shirt would convince him to back off, they were wrong. On Friday night, West attended his daughter's basketball game wearing the shirt, all while his ex-wife Kim Kardashian was sitting just a few feet away.
According to reports, West, 45, wore the now-famous shirt — which features the phrase "White Lives Matter" on the back and a picture of Pope John Paul II on the front — to daughter North's basketball game in Thousand Oaks, California. During the game, West could be seen standing, cheering, and strolling the sidelines in support of his 9-year-old daughter.
Kardashian, North's mother, was sitting a few rows in front of where West was sometimes standing. TMZ said that, based on images and eyewitnesses from the event, Kardashian, 41, never seemed to acknowledge her former husband or even "to look in his direction either while they were both there." TMZ also reported that Kardashian actually moved her car at some point during the evening "in order to avoid any run-ins afterward."
"She will not get in the way of Kanye, of him being a good parent," one insider said, according to the Daily Mail, "but she is tired of his antics."
Kanye West wears White Lives Matter tee to daughter's basketball game
And West has engaged in many public "antics" of late. He first debuted the t-shirt at a Paris fashion show earlier this week. He also appeared on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" to defend the shirt and explain his pro-life stance, his claim that Black Lives Matter is a "scam," and his Christian worldview.
He has also spoken out against other celebrities and, in some cases, posted to social media what appear to be screen shots of conversations he has had with them. On Saturday, West shared on Instagram a conversation he supposedly had with Tremaine Emory, his former creative consultant and brand director. In their exchanges, West wrote that French luxury good company LVMH had "brought [Emory] in to seal the art BLM and demographic" but that the company is not going to give black people "what we need." At one point, he also complimented Emory and said that he's "been tremendous."
In addition to Instagram, West has also reemerged on Twitter after Meta — the platform which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp — allegedly censored his Instagram account.
"Look at this Mark," West tweeted on Saturday, ostensibly to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. "How you gone kick me off instagram You used to be my n****."
The tweet also includes a picture of West at a social gathering with Zuckerberg.
CNN's Jim Acosta roasted online for wearing self-promoting shirt during COVID-19 vaccine pic
Far-left outlet CNN's Jim Acosta took to Twitter Monday night to share a picture of himself receiving a shot of a coronavirus vaccine, but a lot of planning appears to have gone into the photo opportunity — and people noticed.
Acosta wore a T-shirt bragging about his journalistic accomplishments last year, leading a wave of folks in the Twittersphere to brand him a narcissist.
What are the details?
"Just the shot in the arm I needed," Acosta wrote in his post. "The latest studies show the Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective. Please do your part to end this pandemic. Get your shot!"
But eagle-eyed observers zoomed in on the photo of the reporter and had a lot to say about his self-promotion.
The T-shirt read:
"In 2020, I covered the impeachment trial & a caucus night (that lasted a week) & the primaries & the covid pandemic & the economic crash & the racial justice protests & Lafayette Square & so many rallies & the death of RBG (Justice Rush Bader Ginsburg) & the president's 1AM coronavirus diagnosis & a Supreme Court confirmation & an election night (that lasted a week) & things by tweet & the recounts & the presidential transition & I have a commemorative shirt to prove it."
Not everyone was impressed.
BlazeTV's Sara Gonzalez replied, "Jim Acosta got a shirt to commemorate himself. Epic levels of narcissism.
Jim Acosta got a shirt to commemorate himself. Epic levels of narcissism. https://t.co/xTbByLoubV— Sara Gonzales (@Sara Gonzales)1617105794.0
Newsbuster's Curtis Houck wrote, "My goodness this t-shirt is quite the way of screaming that you're a certifiable narcissist. Jim Acosta has to be in the top ten of the most self-centered journalists and Americans period."
"If you ever wondered what ego incarnate would look like, here you go," commentator Tim Pool said of Acosta's tweet, while podcaster Stephen Miller declared, "This is the most Jim Acosta thing Jim Acosta has ever done, even more Jim Acosta than Jim Acosta making his Twitter header a picture of Jim Acosta pointing at Jim Acosta's Twitter avatar of Jim Acosta."
Columnist Lauryn Overhultz wrote about Acosta's shirt ordeal in The Daily Caller, joking that the journalist "did his civic duty by getting the coronavirus vaccine while doing the one thing he's actually good at...Bragging about himself."
But not everyone roasted Acosta over his self-promotional shirt, with several complimenting him on it and others thanking him for his coverage.
Fox News noted that Acosta "became a hero among liberals for his combative style" as a White House correspondent covering the Trump administration. But after President Donald Trump left office, CNN moved Acosta off the White House beat.
'Is this patriot enough?': GOP Asian veteran lifts his shirt to show scars at town hall in response to discrimination
A trustee in Ohio's West Chester Township delivered a powerful reaction to Asian American discrimination this week, as the nation grapples with a spike in hate crimes against the minority over the past year.
Lee Wong, a 69-year-old Army veteran, took off his suit jacket and shirt during a town hall he was chairing, exposing scars across his chest as he asked, "Is this patriot enough?"
What are the details?
"I don't say much about much what happens unless it uh...hit me," Mr. Wong said, as he addressed the room.
He went on to explain that he came to the U.S. when he was 18, and noted that he had been an American citizen since long before most attendees had even been born. Wong went on to recall that after a few years of arriving in America, he was beat up in Chicago because of his race and the perpetrator was never punished.
After that, he explained, he went into the U.S. Army, and served 20 years active duty before retiring.
""For too long, we have, I have, put up with a lot of s*** in silence, excuse the language, too afraid to speak out, fearing more abuse and discrimination," Wong said according to dictation from The Cincinnati Enquirer.
"People question my patriotism, that I don't look American enough," Wong said. "They could not get over this face. I want to show you something, I don't have to live in fear, intimidation, insults."
As Wong spoke, he removed his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and lifted his undershirt to reveal a scar across his ribcage. He said, "I'll show you what patriotism looks like," and as he showed his scars sustained during military service he asked, "Is this patriot enough?"
Lee Wong, an elected official in West Chester, Ohio & @USArmy veteran with 20-years of service, took his shirt off… https://t.co/cEHuQvmQE9— James LaPorta (@James LaPorta)1616793446.0
Wong said later that his speech and actions were unplanned, explaining to the Enquirer later, "In that moment, I don't know what came over me. I just knew I had to say something."
The outlet noted that Wong campaigned for his seat while riding a Segway and wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap, and he says the reaction from his town hall have been overwhelmingly supportive.
"People thank me for my service," Wong said, "People are glad I spoke. West Chester is a diverse community and we don't need that kind of rhetoric."
What else?
Hate crimes against Asian Americans reportedly shot up 150% in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic according to some estimates, with experts blaming the rise in violence with rhetoric criticizing China — where the disease originated.
The issue has become a political football, with Democrats blaming former President Donald Trump for his comments such as calling COVID-19 the "China virus," although it was widely known as the "Wuhan virus" when it first emerged.
Meanwhile, Asian Americans are fighting back to defend themselves, with gun shop owners claiming for the past year they've seen a noticeable rise in the number of Asian American buyers.
But guns aren't the only way folks are defending themselves. Last week, an Asian American woman in her 70's beat the tar out of a thug who sucker punched her in San Francisco, sending him away on a stretcher as she sobbed and refused to let go of the board she beat him back with.
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DEBATE: Should a Christian wear THIS popular Easter shirt?
With Easter just a few weeks away, Christian-themed merchandise is all over social media.
One such item is this popular T-shirt, which cleverly references the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
No doubt it’s a witty way to fuse the Christian faith and pop culture, but is it morally sound for a Christian to wear such a statement?
“I made the decision after thinking about it that there's enough of a gray area there,” so “I backed off,” says Steve Deace.
Aaron McIntire, however, isn’t so sure it’s acceptable.
“The sunglasses are kind of what does it for me,” he says. “Jesus is not a guy boss who just wears sunglasses. Jesus isn't even a bada**. He's the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
“This shirt is taking Christ’s name in vain by not showing you the totality of what he is, what he did, what he is doing, and what he will do,” he explains, citing the Second Commandment, which states, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above.”
“In the early years of cinema, they would not actually show Jesus on film” because filmmakers thought it would “violate that commandment,” says Steve, “so is any depiction of Christ a violation of that commandment?”
According to Aaron, it’s all about the “motivation” behind the product — whether that product be a T-shirt or Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.”
“The motivation in ‘The Passion’ was to show and shove down your throat what our Savior went through on the cross,” he says, while the kitschy T-shirt does not.
“Until I know whose feet the person wearing this T-shirt will wash, I reserve judgment,” adds Todd Erzen.
To hear more of the conversation, watch the clip below.
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