Liam Payne's Death & TMZ Backlash, Andrew Tate VS Coffeezilla, Kamala Destroyed Fox News Host
PDS Published 10/17/2024
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Liam Payne of One Direction Dies at 31
Someone or some people at TMZ just bought themselves a ticket straight to hell.
That is the online consensus following the outlet’s coverage of the death of One Direction’s Liam Payne, who died yesterday in Argentina at the age of 31.
The death has just shocked people around the world, fans devastated and mourning.
And in breaking the news of his death, TMZ decided to publish photos apparently depicting part of Liam’s body.
I will obviously not be airing them, but for some context, the images were of his arm and part of his torso, with the outlet initially explaining:
“TMZ obtained a photo showing Liam’s body….we’re not showing his whole body, but you can clearly see his tattoos – a clock on his left forearm, and a scorpion on his abdomen.”
But their article no longer includes the photos, with that removal following loud and intense backlash online, people saying things like:
“TMZ is trying to get clicks and ad money off of a young man's dead body just minutes after the news of his death. Imagine being a member of Liam Payne's family and seeing this.”[]
“not even confirmed whether the family know or not and you’re posting images allegedly of his body. you sick fucking scumbags.”[]
People calling the move deplorable and irresponsible journalism, arguing his family should sue. [][][]
Others just adding:
“fame is such a terrifying thing because why is there currency in a photo of portion of a dead man’s arm. and why would thousands and thousands and thousands of people see that within an hour of a young man dying… even the people who look like they’re most worshiped & blessed are treated like spare parts for sale.”[][]
Regarding specifics of his death, he died at the hotel he was staying at, but we can’t really say how it happened without YouTube suppressing us, but right now, it is unclear if it was intentional or accidental.[]
Police said they went to his hotel in response to an emergency call that said there was an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
The hotel manager telling 911 that:
“He’s destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please.”
Later adding that staff was afraid he “might do something.”[]
Police saying that when they found his hotel room, it was in “complete disarray” with packs of supplements and over the counter drugs strewn about, and various items were broken.[]
The New York Post published photos of the room that, again we will not show, but in them you can see a broken TV.
And Liam had been vocal about his struggles with substance abuse and alcoholism in the past. []
His family released a statement to BBC following his death, saying they are heartbroken and ask for privacy.[]
Reports noting that he is survived by his 7-year-old son.[]
And his death comes as there were a lot of allegations coming from his ex-fiance, Maya.
She had reportedly issued a cease and desist order against him because he allegedly would not stop contacting her, even getting new phone numbers to reach her and her mom. []
And earlier this year, she published a novel based on her relationship with Liam, and in it, the Liam character chases her character with an ax. []
And she recently did an interview claiming that did actually happen.
The book also details an apparently real experience where she gets pregnant and the Liam character says he will leave her if she keeps it and pressures her to get an abortion at home to keep it secret, leading to medical complications.[]
Maya was 18 and he was 26 when their relationship was confirmed.
And she previously said that she was naive at the time and:
“I don’t know if it was a power imbalance, [but] I feel like maybe my love was taken advantage of in a way.”
And during an interview that was just published this week, Maya claimed he would send messages threatening or dangling his potential death as a manipulation tactic after their breakup.[]
And this has led to a ton of discourse, as some people are now harassing Maya and blaming her for his death, []
Others defending her and her right to speak out, saying no one should blame her, even if these allegations make grieving complicated for fans.[][]][
And tons of people noting that his death and many of the other issues Liam was dealing with boil down to the predatory nature of young fame, with some saying:[]
“the worst part is that there is no closure. maya won’t have justice; liam won’t ever be able to get sober and make amends; the industry that chews and exploits young people to get everything out of them will continue to thrive.”
“this is another case of child stardom taking a life too soon. after one direction ended that man was not well, we could all see it. he harmed others and himself. what a fucking tragic end. he deserved so much better.”[]
But that is where we are on this story, on the many discussions going on around it, and I would love to know your thoughts, One Direction fan or not, whether it be about TMZ, about the toxic nature of fame, anything you have here.
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Coffeezilla Says Andrew Tate’s War Room is Attacking Him
This all started when Andrew tweeted a screenshot of an email Coffee apparently sent him seeking comment on a story, with that email saying:[]
“Hey Andrew I'm reaching out for comment, as I have a story about your crypto endorsements coming out. Please respond in 48 hours to ensure I can get your answer in the video for context.”
“Last year you said you do not endorse shitcoins. You've also claimed you do not have anything to do with any crypto. What changed?”
With him then asking how much he and his brother Tristan were paid to promote a coin called $ROOST, and if they were aware it had been hacked.
Then asking questions about his affiliations with other coins like RNT and DADDY, as well as other previous he made statements about the SEC.
And in sharing that email, Tate used language to insinuate Coffeezilla is gay and then wrote “$Daddy.”[]
And he continued that language in another tweet where he said:
“COFFEEZILLA IS GAY. $DADDY TO THE MOON. $RNT TO THE MOON. Fuck that loser. Every single negative email, negative comment and negative review on his bullshit is money I spend in the trenches.”[]
That tweet also included use of the n-word, as well as a video where Andrew said:
“Coffeezilla is a bitch. This is my statement to you Coffeezilla, you’re a fucking pussy. I guarantee I drink more coffee than you, meaning you are a fraud to begin with.” (0:00-0:11)
“Nobody likes you. Nobody is scared of you’re fucking investigation. Your email sounds gay. I accidentally leaked your entire email address and now everyone is calling you gay.” (0:42-0:50)
And that last part is very true because one, Andrew literally tweeted for his followers to “Email him and call him gay.”[]
And Coffeezilla posted the evidence himself, sharing a screenshot of his inbox, which includes tons of emails of people using homophobic language and slurs.[]
With Coffee then writing:
“I asked Andrew Tate about his crypto scams and I think he sent the "War Room" after me.”[]
With him then reposting the questions he asked and saying “Would still appreciate answers @Cobratate, you've got my email.”[]
And that is where we are on this, so it seems like there could be a pretty big video in Coffeezilla’s future here, we will have to see if he uncovers anything, what that video might hold, but until then, I would love to know your thoughts on this spat.
On Andrew deliberately sending homophobia Coffee’s way, on this seeming refusal to answer questions, any of it.
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Hospital tries to take living man’s organs script
All it takes is one mistake at a hospital for a standard procedure to turn into a horror film.
And this story, which NPR just pieced together through interviews, takes place way back in 2021 at the Baptist Health hospital in Richmond, Kentucky.
With doctors preparing for an organ retrieval operation when nurses wheeled the donor, who had been declared braindead, into the operating room.
But as one of the doctors, Natasha Miller, told NPR, after he came in he was moving and thrashing around on the bed. [Quote, find “had tears”]
And when they looked closer, tears were streaming down his face as he shook his head “No!” [Same quote and quote, find “shaking”]
Which, just to explain so y’all understand, are technical symptoms of a man desperately trying to stop them from taking his fucking organs.
So the two doctors on the case saw this, were shocked, and naturally refused to perform the procedure.
With Miller recalling, “The procuring surgeon, he was like, ‘I’m out of it. I don’t want to have anything to do with it.’ It was very chaotic. Everyone was just very upset.” [Quote]
And then she says she overheard the case coordinator for the organ procurement organization, Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliate, or KODA, call her supervisor for advice. [Quote same link, find “overheard”]
But according to Miller, the supervisor told the coordinator that she needed to “find another doctor to do it,” that “We were going to do this case.” [Quote same link]
With Miller describing the call: “And she’s like, ‘There is no one else.’ She’s crying — the coordinator — because she’s getting yelled at.” [Quote same link]
Now ultimately, the organ retrieval was canceled.
But it turns out the “donor,” 36-year-old Anthony Thomas Hoover II, also known as TJ, woke up more than once that day. [Image, only show left man]
Right, reportedly he was admitted to the hospital after suffering a drug overdose. [Quote, find “overdose”]
And according to organ preservationist Nyckoletta Martin, who reviewed the case file, he showed signs of life during an initial procedure known as cardiac catheterization [Pronounce 00:12]. [Quote same link, find “catheterization”]
Which is where doctors operate on a potential organ donor to see whether the heart is healthy enough to actually be donated.
But reportedly TJ woke up during the procedure and began thrashing around on the table. [Quote same link, find “thrashing around”]
So instead of going, ‘oh shit, this dude’s definitely not dead,’ the doctors just sedated him and went on like nothing happened. [Quote same link, find “sedated”]
And his sister Donna tells NPR she became concerned when he appeared to open his eyes and look around as he was being wheeled from intensive care to the operating room. [Image, only right woman, and Quote, find “open his eyes”]
But she says she and other family members were told what they saw was just a common reflex. [Quote same link, find “reflex”]
With Martin saying, “That’s everybody’s worst nightmare, right? Being alive during surgery and knowing that someone is going to cut you open and take your body parts out? That’s horrifying.” [Quote same link]
And adding, “Several of us that were employees needed to go to therapy. It took its toll on a lot of people, especially me.” [Quote same link]
Now it’s still not entirely clear what went wrong that day, but the organ procurement organization denies any wrongdoing here, telling NPR:
“KODA does not recover organs from living patients. KODA has never pressured its team members to do so.” [Quote same link]
But the Kentucky state attorney general is “reviewing” the allegations, and the federal Health Resources and Services Administration is “investigating” them. [Quote same link, find “Attorney” and “FHRSA”]
So now TJ lives with his sister, and presumably all of his organs are still packed snugly inside his body. [Image]
Though he’s not fully himself anymore, as Donna, who’s now his legal guardian, explained.
Saying he has problems remembering, walking and talking, and that whenever she asks him about what happened at the hospital, he just responds with two simple yet chilling words: “Why me?” [Quote same link, find “talking” and “Why me”]
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Highlights from Harris Fox News interview and Trump townhall
We are just 19 days away from the election, and Harris and Trump are pulling out all the stops.
Right, yesterday, both candidates made major media appearances aimed at reaching essential voter bases that each of them absolutely needs to win the election.
With Harris appearing on Fox News for an interview with Bret Baier.
Which, as we talked about earlier this week when the interview was first announced, is part of an effort to appeal to Independent voters who watch the channel more than CNN and MSNBC.
As well as conservative women who might be willing to break from Trump.
Meanwhile, we also saw Trump doing two different townhall-style appearances.
One that also aired on Fox News where he took questions from an all-woman audience in Georgia in a bid to help him gain traction with the demographic as polls continue to show a serious gender gap.
And the second event was essentially the same style, with him appearing on Univision where he spoke with Latino voters.
Who are predicted to make up as much as 15% of eligible voters and are likely to play an absolutely essential, game-changing role in key swing states that have high Latino populations like Arizona and Nevada.
With that also coming after Harris held her own Univision townhall last week.
Right, and throughout all three of these different appearances yesterday, both candidates largely reiterated the same talking points and campaign pitches we’ve seen on key topics like the economy, immigration, abortion, and other issues.
But there were also a handful of very significant moments, like this one in the interview with Harris where she’s sparring with Baier where he essentially asks her why so much of the country supports Trump if he’s as bad as she says he is, and she responds:
Okay, so I want to break down what’s going on here because Harris is totally correct, and what Fox News is doing is incredibly manipulative and misleading.
Right, Harris is explicitly referencing this comment Trump made while literally talking to Fox News earlier this week when he was asked if he expects there to be chaos from outside agitators and he responded:
“I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within, not even the people that have come in and [are] destroying our country. … But I don’t think they’re the problem in terms of election day. I think the bigger problem are the people from within. We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. It should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by national guard, or if really necessary by the military.” 8:25 - 8:55
And he also made a similar comment at another point in that interview:
With him then going on to specifically target Rep. Adam Schiff, even directly calling him “the enemy within” at one point while also using anti-Semitic tropes.
Right, and those comments have been widely condemned as yet another instance of Trump using increasingly authoritarian rhetoric and threatening violence against his political opponents.
Now, I want to be clear here because there has been so much effort on the right to normalize Trump’s violent rhetoric: this is an absolutely terrifying thing for a presidential candidate of a democratic country to say. This is not normal.
But by showing that clip of Trump claiming he’s not threatening anyone, Baier and his team over at Fox News are trying to downplay and normalize the fact that Trump literally said we should send the military after his perceived enemies.
Trump and his allies claim he’s not making a threat all they want, but that doesn’t change what we all just heard.
Especially because there’s something else that Baier is leaving out here: the fact that Trump LITERALLY made those “enemy within” comments AGAIN at the same Fox News townhall that Baier is using to claim that Trump isn’t making threats:
“It is the enemy from within, and they’re very dangerous. They’re Marxists and communists and fascists, and they’re sick. … They’re dangerous for our country. We have China. We have Russia. We have all these countries. If you have a smart president they can all be handled. The more difficult are the Pelosis, these people. They’re so sick, and they’re so evil.” 1:09:26 - 1:09:57
Hmmm… wonder why you decided to leave that one out, Brett?
Definitely not because Fox News is trying to cherry-pick comments Trump literally made on the network to mislead or even outright lie to its viewers…
But on the note of political violence and blatant dishonesty, that also brings us to another key moment from the various events yesterday.
And that’s this clip that has gone absolutely viral from Trump’s Univision townhall where a voter said he was disturbed by Trump’s failure to take action quickly while his supporters were attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6.
And going on to ask why he should support Trump when people close to him in his administration don’t — including his own former vice president.
With Trump responding by claiming that only a small number of former administration officials no longer support him and then going on to defend his actions on Jan. 6 and downplay the violence while making totally false claims:
“Very importantly, you had hundreds of thousands of people come to Washington. They didn’t come because of me. They came because of the election. They thought the election was a rigged election and that’s why they came. Some of those people went down to the Capitol, I said, peacefully and patriotically, nothing done wrong at all. Nothing done wrong. And action was taken, strong action. Ashli Babbitt was killed. Nobody was killed. There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns. And when I say “we” these are people that walk down, this was a tiny percentage of the overall, which nobody sees and nobody shows.But that was a day of love from the standpoint of the millions, it’s like hundreds of thousands. It could have been the largest group I’ve ever spoken before. They asked me to speak. I went and I spoke and I used the term peacefully and patriotically.” 34:59 - 36:19
But that also wasn’t the only notable false claim Trump promoted in the Univision townhall.
When asked by a voter why he kept repeating the widely debunked myth that Haitian migrants are eating people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, Trump literally just doubled down and repeated it again:
“Well, thank you very much. And this was just reported. I was just saying what was reported. That’s been reported, and eating other things too that they’re not supposed to be. But this is… All I do is report. I was there. I’m going to be there, and we’re going to take a look. And I’ll give you a full report when I do, but that’s been in the newspapers and reported pretty broadly.” (26:19-26:42)
And on the topic of immigration, that also featured prominently in Harris’ Fox News interview.
In fact, almost half of the entire 26-minute interview focused on immigration and border security, which are widely viewed as some of her biggest weaknesses with undecided voters.
And there, Baier repeatedly asked questions that drew from many of Trump’s talking points.
At one point, he even played a Trump campaign ad that noted her previous support for prisoners receiving gender-affirming surgery and claiming — as he did in the debate — that she is in favor of “taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners” and “illegal aliens.”
With Baier going on to ask:
BAIER: “So are you still in support of using taxpayer dollars to help prison inmates or detained illegal aliens to transition to another gender?
HARRIS: “I will follow the law and it’s a law that Donald Trump actually followed. You’re probably familiar with now it’s a public report that under Donald Trump’s administration, these surgeries were available to, on a medical necessity basis, to people in the federal prison system. And I think frankly, that ad from the Trump campaign is a little bit of like throwing stones when you’re living in a glass house.” (11:07-11:42)
But while Baier repeatedly echoed Trump talking points and pressed Harris on topics she is weaker on, he failed to ask her a SINGLE question about abortion.
And it’s super significant because 1) it is arguably the topic that Harris is the strongest on and 2) it is one of the most important issues for women voters, which is one of the main audiences Harris was trying to court with this interview.
So by not asking about it at all, Baier essentially denied Harris a key opportunity to showcase her strengths and appeal to woman voters.
Though, at the same time, Harris also never directed the conversation toward abortion, which really seems like a missed opportunity for her.
But while Harris and Baier skipped over reproductive rights, the topic resulted in another one of the most notable moments from Trump’s all-women townhall.
Right, and there, he mostly just kind of hit on his usual talking points.
But at one point, Fox News host Harris Faulkner made a comment about Amber Nicole Thurman —
A 28-year-old mother who died a preventable death in 2022 as a result of Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws, according to an investigation by ProPublica.
And before Trump’s townhall in Georgia, her family held a press call to talk about how her death was preventable.
But when Faulkner mentioned that call, we saw this interaction:
FAULKNER: “The family of Amber Thurman, who died after not receiving urgent care needed for an infection under Georgia’s abortion ban, is speaking ahead of this town hall”
TRUMP: “We’ll get better ratings, I promise.” 00:01 - 00:12
So, to be clear, that is the former president literally mocking the grieving family of a woman who died.
And if you’re wondering why you can hear so many people laughing, it’s probably because it’s since been reported that the townhall was packed with his local supporters — a fact that Fox didn’t disclose.
And at times, Fox literally edited the broadcast from its original recording to take out moments where they vocally expressed support.
This including cutting one woman who had asked a question mid-sentence to remove a bite of her saying she was already voting for Trump.
As well as taking out a clip where Trump asked the crowd who they were voting for the attendees literally started to chant “Trump, Trump.”
Now, as far as how people have responded to these various media appearances, in general, it’s pretty much exactly what you would expect.
Right, people on the left hailing this as a victory and arguing that Trump just promoted false claims, rambled on as usual, and was actively cruel to a suffering family.
Meanwhile, you had folks on the right saying the opposite — that Trump did a great job and Harris floundered.
Many also accusing of her being testy and too combative.
Though there, you also have others hitting back by noting that Baier repeatedly interrupted her and spoke over her time and time again, so she needed to assert herself.
But at the end of the day, all that matters is how this comes off to the people it was actually meant for: the rare unicorn undecided voters.
Right, the conservative women, the Independents that watch Fox News, the Latino voters.
And, of course, we won’t really know until election day.
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FTC announces final “click-to-cancel” rule to make it easier for consumers to back out of subscriptions and memberships
If you can click to sign up, you can click to cancel.
That’s thanks to the FTC finalizing its new rule combating strategies used by businesses to make it more difficult to get out of a subscription or membership.
With FTC Chair Lina Khan saying:
“Too often, businesses make people jump through endless hoops just to cancel a subscription.”
“The FTC’s rule will end these tricks and traps, saving Americans time and money. Nobody should be stuck paying for a service they no longer want.”
And with that, the basic principle is that the cancellation method must be "at least as easy to use" as the sign up process.
But of course, there’s more.
Right, for example, the rule also requires retailers, gyms and other businesses to get consumers' consent for subscriptions, auto-renewals and free trials that convert to paid memberships.
Plus, businesses will be banned from forcing customers to go through a chatbot or an agent to cancel subscriptions that were originally signed up to using an app or website.
And finally, for memberships that customers signed up to in person, businesses will have to offer the option to terminate them online or with a phone call.
Though, with all that said, keep in mind, the new rule won’t actually take effect for about six months.
And in the meantime, it may be challenged in court.
Right, FTC commissioners passed the final rule yesterday, with the three Democrats (1, 2, 3) voting yes and the two Republicans voting no (1, 2).
And in a dissenting opinion, one of those Republicans speculated that the rule “will likely not survive legal challenge.”
And of course, it’s businesses that are likely to bring that challenge.
Right, the US Chamber of Commerce, for example, has in general opposed the Biden administration’s effort to crack down on junk fees, including the click-to-cancel rule.
Describing it as the FTC’s “latest power grab” "in its pursuit to micromanage business decisions."
With the group also saying:
“Not only will this rule deter businesses from providing sensible, consumer-friendly subscriptions, but it will leave Americans with fewer options, higher prices, and more headaches.”
But while that’s obviously up for debate, it’s also notable that the rule actually seems to have overwhelming bipartisan support.
Right, according to one recent poll, it’s supported by 83% of voters, including 85% of Democrats and 80% of Republicans.
And beyond that, the FTC says it’s been receiving thousands of complaints about negative option and recurring subscription practices every year.
Adding that the number of complaints has been steadily increasing over the past five years, with them getting nearly 70 per day on average in 2024.
So, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, but hopefully canceling really did just get a lot easier for everyone.
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Archdiocese
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has officially topped a billion dollars in sexual abuse settlements. []
Right, in an announcement yesterday, the Archdiocese agreed to pay a $880 million settlement to over 1,300 people who accused the Catholic clergy of sexally abusing them. []
With experts marking it as the highest single payout by a diocese ever.
Before this, the LA archdiocese paid a total of $740 million in a variety of abuse settlements - so this latest news brings the total payout to over $1.5 billion. []
The church has been at the center of a legal battle regarding sexual abuse for over 2 decades - including countless allegations that the church’s previous leadership seriously mishandled abuse cases. []
Even sometimes moving clergy known to sexually abuse children to other parishes rather than removing them or turning them over to the police.
In fact, reportedly more than 300 priests who worked in the archdiocese in LA have been accused of sexually abusing minors. []
Some of the claims in this settlement date back decades and were only able to be brought to light because of a law passed back in 2019, opening a brief 3 year window for their revival. []
With the attorney leading the settlement negotiations saying,
“These survivors have suffered for decades in the aftermath of the abuse. Dozens of the survivors have died. They are aging, and many of those with knowledge of the abuse within the church are too. It was time to get this resolved.’ []
And another lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs against the church added this settlement is a welcome sight, saying,
“It’s never going to be full justice when the harm is a child’s life. But it’s a measure of justice and a measure of accountability that gives these survivors some sense of closure at least.” []
The settlement was approved by the Archbishop - who said that it will be funded by archdiocese investments, accumulated reserves, bank financing, and other assets. []
And he specifically noted that donations designated for specific parishes, schools, or missions will not be used here. []
With the attorneys for the plaintiffs noting that a critical point in their negotiations was making sure the settlement was something the archdiocese could pay without going bankrupt. []
Adding that bankruptcy would drastically slow down payments getting to the victims.
In his announcement to parishioners, the archbishop apologized to the victims - saying he hopes the settlement can provide some healing. []
And he detailed the changes the church has established to address this problem - including strict background and reporting requirements as well as extensive training programs. []
Saying,
“Today, as a result of these reforms, new cases of sexual misconduct by priests and clergy involving minors are rare in the Archdiocese. No one who has been found to have harmed a minor is serving in ministry at this time. And I promise: We will remain vigilant.”
And while the settlement has been applauded, many say that it’s a good start but there’s still a long way to go. []
With the support group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests specifically calling for the archbishop to release all clergy files related to the sexual abuse cases, saying,
“We fear and believe there are many more survivors out there who have not yet come forward.” []
As for those that have already come forward, this settlement means there are only a few lawsuits pending against the church. []
So we’ll have to wait and see how those pan out and whether any more pop up.
Or if this is actually the end of a decades-long legal ordeal.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - especially if you're Catholic in the Los Angeles area.
Let me know in those comments down below.
