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Kim Kardashian Gets Mixed Reactions For Supporting Convicted Murderer

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  • Kim Kardashian West has focused her latest criminal justice efforts on Kevin Cooper, a death row inmate who was convicted of killing two adults and two children in 1983.
  • Cooper claims he is innocent and says he was framed by police for the murders.
  • Kardashian West believes Cooper and lobbied for CA Governor Gavin Newsom to order more DNA examination into the case.
  • While many have praised her for supporting Cooper, others, including the mother of one of the victims, are frustrated and disappointed to see her fighting for a man who has been convicted of gruesome crimes and has separately been accused of two rapes.

Kim’s Recent Efforts

Kim Kardashian West has earned a lot of praise in recent months for her prison reform advocacy. However, the reality star turned aspiring lawyer is now facing some backlash for the latest inmate she has focused her efforts on.

Kardashian West has recently been speaking with 61-year-old death row inmate Kevin Cooper. Cooper was convicted of using a hatchet to kill Doug and Peggy Ryen, their 10-year-old daughter Jessica, and an 11-year-old boy named Christopher Hughes, who was sleeping over at the Ryens’ Chino Hills, California home in 1983. The Ryens’ 8-year-old son survived the attack.

Cooper, who is currently behind bars in San Quentin State Prison, has maintained his innocence throughout his trial and incarceration and claims he was framed for the murders.

Kardashian West successfully lobbied for California Governor Gavin Newsom to order more DNA examination into the case. On Friday, she tweeted a photo with Cooper and said, “I found him to be thoughtful and honest and I believe he is innocent of the crimes for which he was convicted.”

In a separate tweet, she added that she is hopeful Cooper will be exonerated.

Backlash

Kardashian West’s efforts to help exonerate Cooper have since been met with some criticism. Many fans were upset with her for siding with a man who has been convicted of gruesome murders and has previously been accused of rape, according to the New York Times.

Cooper was accused of raping an underage girl in Pennsylvania about a year before the Ryens’ killings. He was also accused of raping another woman in California, weeks after the Chino Hills murders.

Despite all of this, Cooper has maintained his innocence in the Ryen family case. Last May, the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office issued a 94-page denial to Cooper’s petition for clemency. In it, they called him a “brutal killer who has lead a life of crime and been convicted of numerous violent and serious crimes on both sides of this country.”

“Few cases have been subject to the scrutiny that this case has experienced,” the document says.“Cooper was convicted by ‘the overwhelming evidence of his guilt’ that was presented at his trial.’”

One of the loudest voices opposing Kardashian West’s efforts is Mary Ann Hughes, the mother of 11-year-old Christopher. Hughes told TMZ on Sunday that she was disgusted to see the Kardashian West with Cooper.

“It makes me feel sick to my stomach and I pity her. For what she’s doing to us, there’s nothing to justify what she’s doing to us, the immense pain she is causing us.”

Hughes added that Kardashian West has “obviously has not read all of the actual evidence.”

“She has bought into half-truths perpetrated by the defense. If she actually sat down and read the transcripts of all the trials and appeals, she would be sick to her stomach to be in the same room with him,” Hughes said. “He’s 100 percent guilty and the evidence shows it.”

In the interview with TMZ, Hughes also pointed to the 1982 accusation of rape against Cooper. “She portrays herself as being for women’s rights and for the women’s movement and yet she is supporting a rapist and a murderer.”

Support

However, some were glad to see Kardashian West fighting for Cooper. Food Network host Sunny Anderson tweeted, “her dad would be so proud.”

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who has previously argued that Cooper was framed by police, also supported the move. “Brava to @KimKardashian for meeting Kevin Cooper, a man on death row who i believe was framed for murder by the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office.

Since last year, Kim Kardashian and the legal team she works with have successfully freed over a dozen non-violent drug offenders.

See what others are saying: (USA Today) (TMZ) (Vice News)




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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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