Monthly Archives: June 2022

Drake's first music video from his new album is a giant not-so-inside-joke -- and while he and Tristan Thompson are laughing ... Khloe Kardashian is definitely not.

Drizzy dropped the vid for "Falling Back" Thursday night, and it's a full-on wedding party, complete with him saying "I Do" to his beautiful brides.

Yes, plural ... 23 gorgeous women, actually -- and the guy getting him ready for the big day is none other than TT, who's clearly leaning into his rep for infidelity.

TT tells the rapper, "Doesn't feel right, we scrap it, we go home," while making sure the guy's looking fresh for his 20+ brides ... clearly poking fun at Tristan's multiple cheating scandals, and Drake's timing for this video is pretty on the nose!

As you know, Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians" featured Khloe's heated reaction to finding out about Tristan's affair with Maralee Nichols ... who he got pregnant.

Khloe says "You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy, or you don't f*** random people that you meet in other states. It's not rocket science".

So, the release of "Falling Back" -- the first single from his "Honestly, Nevermind" album -- kinda plays like a Kardashian's sequel or spinoff. TBH, it's brilliant marketing -- unless you're Khloe -- and Tristan's clearly in on the joke.

BTW, Drake's vid -- directed by Director X -- has a quick "Free YSL" moment ... making him the latest in a string of rappers to publicly support Young Thug and Gunna after their indictments in Georgia on RICO charges.

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Drake Makes Tristan Thompson Best Man in Polygamy-Themed 'Falling Back' Vid

Seeking Sister Wife introduced new plural families this season, and TLC fans have a lot of questions about Ohio native Marcus Epps. Keep reading to find out everything we know about Seeking Sister Wife star Marcus Epps.

Marcus debuted his relationship with his wife, Taryn, and fiance India on the latest season. The series sets to document the polygamist brood as they actively seek another wife to join their family, but not without some serious growing pains.

Marcus met Taryn when he was in college, and following their marriage, she explained, Marcus was doing things that a married man probably shouldnt do.

It was not an open relationship. There was not an understanding that he shouldve been able to go out and have other women, she continued. After Taryn moved out with their daughter, Marcus got engaged to his new flame, India.

A year later, Taryn and Marcus began rekindling their relationship. So, when Marcus brought up the idea of polygamy to me, I felt it kind of made sense for us, Taryn told producers, as she explained she allowed Marcus to continue his relationship with India. I also really like the fact that I can have a relationship and love another person, without it being, like, a relationship that threatens my marriage with you.

Surprisingly, Marcus is an elected official for his hometown of Euclid, Ohio.

Living a polygamous lifestyle affects my profession quite a bit, he explained in a June 2022 confessional. One of the hardest parts for us was the idea that Im some deviant or something is wrong with me by living this lifestyle. But Im committed. Despite being an elected official in Ohio, Marcus continues to live in Florida with the rest of his family.

On the series, Marcus currently lives with his daughter, Kielyn, son Tristen and his sons friend JB.

However, Marcus revealed on June 2022 Instagram Live session that he actually has more children than the ones shown on the reality show. Yall know how many kids I have. I have 10 children, he explained after mentioning producers felt it would be too much to explain.

He added, My children are all over the world. . Most men out here in this lifestyle, theyre pimpin all over the world. Not me. Im chasing children all over the world!

Marcus was previously arrested and found guilty of domestic violence in 2008, according to case information viewed by In Touch.

The charge was filed in his home state of Ohio, and the TLC personality entered a no contest plea.

Read more here:

Father of 10! Get to Know Seeking Sister Wife Star Marcus Epps: Find Out His Job, Kids and More - inTouch Weekly

Described as a hard-hitting but compelling watch, the new Netflix documentary Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), delves into the charismatic and cult-like leadership of its head, Warren Jeffs, who presided over years of abuse in the secretive organisation.

The church, which has been called a polygamous cult, made national headlines in the early 2000s, when its illegal practice of polygamy, as well as incest and marrying female children to much older men came to light after Jeffss arrest for sexual assault on a minor.

By the time US law enforcement caught up with the man who had become one of the FBIs most wanted, Jeffs had more than 78 wives, the youngest being 12.

Young girls in the church are groomed from birth to 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey'. They wear old-fashioned clothing and are married off while in their teens to much older men. Photo: Netflix

The church is a fundamentalist Mormon organisation that emerged as a splinter in the early 20th century.

It split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) after a row over plural marriage, which the LDS renounced, but some members wanted to continue.

Followers believe that a man should have a minimum of three wives in order to get to heaven.

The FLDS is led by a succession of men who regard themselves as prophets, and who have convinced their followers that they have been ordained by God to lead them.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre has designated the church a hate group, and a white supremacist, homophobic, anti-government, totalitarian cult, quoting Jeffss disturbing views on women, ethnic minorities, law enforcement and the apocalypse, which he previously insisted would come in 2012.

Jeffs, 66, is serving a life sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Louis C Powledge Unit and is ineligible for parole until 2038.

Despite being imprisoned, many in the FLDS still regard him as their president and prophet.

Having been accused by numerous women and men of rape and sexual assault, including family members and his own children, Jeffs was found guilty on August 9, 2011, on two counts of sexual assault of a child and sentenced to life in prison.

Warren Jeffs made the FBI's 'Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives' list, and when arrested, he was found with several disguises and mobile phones. Photo: FBI

In June 2005, Jeffs was charged with sexual assault on a minor and with conspiracy to commit sexual misconduct with a minor.

The following month, the Arizona Attorney Generals office released wanted posters offering $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.

In April 2006, Utah issued an arrest warrant on him for accomplice rape of a teenage girl aged between 14 and 18 years old, and on May 6, the FBI put Jeffs on its Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, offering a $60,000 reward.

In June 2006, Jeffs travelled to Colorado City in Arizona to oversee some child-bride marriages. On August 28, his car was pulled over because of number plate issues, with a highway trooper discovering him inside, along with one of his wives and his brother Isaac.

Also found in the car were four computers, 16 mobile phones, wigs and sunglasses to be used as disguises, and more than $55,000 in cash.

Members of the FLDS, who have spoken to the media, claim Warren Jeffs is still their leader and they believe the claims against him are fabricated. Photo: Netflix

As shown in the four-episode Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, the church remains active despite Jeffss incarceration.

Many members claim he is still running the organisation from behind bars and exerting influence over his remaining congregation.

In the documentary, former members claim they have become estranged from their families over their decision to leave.

Three of us are out, says Lola Barlow, who was in the group as a child. The rest of everybodys still in. I could just drive to their house and talk to them but they wont talk to me.

Amazon has announced 41 new titles spanning several genres and Indian languages to be launched over the next two years. Photo: Amazon Prime Video

Updated: June 28, 2022, 5:22 AM

Read this article:

What happened to Warren Jeffs? Netflix's 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' highlights 'cult' - The National

Courtesy of Leon Brown/Instagram; Inset: Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

Unveiling their truest self!Leon Brown, the child of Sister Wives stars Kody and Meri Brown, has come out as transgender.

Someone recently told me that I didnt have to have all of my st figured out in order for me to share myself with the world,Leon, 26,wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, June 28, alongside a photo of themselves posing for the camera. So heres me, definitely not having almost any of my st figured out, to let you know that I am trans. My name is Leon or Leo (i love both) and my pronouns are they/them.

The TLC personality went on to detail their journey towardfiguring out their identity, revealinghow long theyve known who they are.

I was pretty young & unfortunately I grew up in a context that was incredibly gendered & restrictive,Leon explained. So I continued to be socialized as a girl & later a woman. and heres the thing, Im finally ready to share my favorite self with the world. and that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic.

The Utah native called being queer and trans some of theirfavorite parts of myself.However,admitted that there are so many things that I am learning to love about myself through the process as they continually evolve to be themost authentic version of themselves.

Leon concluded the post by setting important boundaries.If you choose to not use my correct name or pronouns, then you do not need to speak to or about me, they said. My name is Leo or Leon, and my pronouns are they/them.Please only refer to me in that way.

Kody, 53, has yet to react to the announcement and the two are not currently following each other on the social media platform. Meri, 51, however, shared Leons post via her Instagram Story on Tuesday.

You are my sunshine, she wrote at the time.

Kody and Meris only childpreviously came out as a lesbian to their polygamous family during an episode of Sister Wives in 2017.Leonhas been engaged to partner Audrey Kriss since January 2019 after the program manager proposed during the Womens March in Washington, D.C.

During a March 2020 episode of the TLC series, Leon shared someintimate details of their personal life anddescribedthe support they received from their fiance. In my teens, I felt very devoted to the church that I was raised in, they explained. I wanted to live polygamy. I think it was a way to protect myself from, like, coming out to myself, really.

Leon continued, Religious institutions are spaces where theres rules and if you are not following these rules or guidelines you can feel pretty marginalized and I did feel that way with my church. But with my family, I found so much comfort and they love me anyway. They love me and they love Audrey, and they love our love.

Kriss, for their part, came out as transgender in December 2021.I just wanted to let you know that I am transgender, and my pronouns are they/them. Im still going by Audrey, they wrote via Instagram at the time. I dont want to hide myself from the world anymore. I am so incredibly excited! I am also scared. I am scared of the hate Ill receive, the things people I care about will say about me, and violence. As a white, masculine presenting person comes a lot of privilege, and I am still scared.

Read the original:

Sister Wives Star Leon Brown Comes Out as Transgender: Im Finally Ready to Share My Favorite Self With the World - Us Weekly

Per a new report from Gallup, the percentage of Americans now saying they believe in God is the lowest since they first started doing the survey.

In 2022, 81% of Americans say they believe in God.

When Gallup first asked this question in 1944, 96% said they believed, and in the early 1950s, it was up to 98%.

It remained over 90% until 2013, when it dipped down to 87%.

The current 81% is a six-point drop from the last time Gallup asked the question in 2017.

Digging down into the data, we get a mixed message about what it tells us about the future.

On the one hand, the age group with the lowest percentage saying they believe in God is the youngest 18 to 29.

Only 68% say they believe.

Given that these young people reflect our future, we must assume that, with no change in their views, the country will continue its purge of religion from our lives.

On the other hand, the ethnic cross section with the highest percentage saying they believe is what Gallup defines as people of color.

I assume this means Blacks and Hispanics. This group registers 88% belief, 9 points higher than white, who register 79%.

Given that that the demographic people of coloris growing faster than white, and becoming each year a larger percentage of our population, this could point to a strengthening of faith, on average, in our population as we move into the future.

Why should we care about this?

From a practical point of view, faith translates into behavior, and as faith diminishes, the incidence of behaviors that once were viewed as morally unacceptable increases.

In 2001, the percentage of Americans saying the following behaviors are morally acceptable was as follows: birth to unwed mother 45%; gay/lesbian relations 40%; abortion 42%. In 2003, polygamy was deemed morally acceptable by 7%; in 2011, pornography was deemed morally acceptable by 30%; and in 2013, teenage sex was deemed morally acceptable by 32%.

Here are the percentages of Americans saying in 2022 these same behaviors are morally acceptable: birth to unwed mother 70%; gay/lesbian relations 71%; pornography 41%; abortion 52%; teenage sex 45%; polygamy 23%.

Again, we can ask, So, what?

The vision of the founders of the country was freedom. The point was to keep government intrusion at a minimum and permit individual freedom at a maximum.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution notes that it was put forth to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

The Constitution was designed to limit government power to very specific defined areas that were deemed essential and appropriate for government.

For this to work, we must assume we have a population of free individuals who manage their own personal affairs in a responsible way.

It is worth recalling, once again, George Washingtons famous observation in his farewell address, which first appeared in print Sept. 19, 1796:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable support reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Clearly, we have departed in a major way from this.

Supreme Court decisions over the years have reinterpreted the Constitution to grant far more authority to the federal government than the founders had in mind.

And along with this, as we see in Gallup polling, we see major deterioration in faith and significantly higher acceptance of many behaviors that were once deemed morally unacceptable.

Hence, we find where we stand today.

Again, per Gallup, only 16% are satisfied with the way things are going in the country.

Government is in our lives in a major way, with trillion-dollar deficits and debt the size of our entire economy.

And now inflation, which reflects all this.

Is there a way out without restoration of religious principle and personal responsibility, as George Washington warned?

I think not.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and a Creators Syndicate opinion writer.

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Excerpt from:

Faith and freedom go together | News, Sports, Jobs - The Express - Lock Haven Express

Per a new report from Gallup, the percentage of Americans now saying they believe in God is the lowest since they first started doing the survey.

In 2022, 81% of Americans say they believe in God.

When Gallup first asked this question in 1944, 96% said they believed, and in the early 1950s, it was up to 98%. It remained over 90% until 2013, when it dipped down to 87%.

The current 81% is a 6-point drop from the last time Gallup asked the question in 2017.

Digging down into the data, we get a mixed message about what it tells us about the future.

On the one hand, the age group with the lowest percentage saying they believe in God is the youngest 18 to 29. Only 68% say they believe. Given that these young people reflect our future, we must assume that, with no change in their views, the country will continue its purge of religion from our lives.

On the other hand, the ethnic cross section with the highest percentage saying they believe is what Gallup defines as people of color. I assume this means Blacks and Hispanics. This group registers 88% belief, 9 points higher than white, who register 79%.

Given that that the demographic people of color is growing faster than white, and becoming each year a larger percentage of our population, this could point to a strengthening of faith, on average, in our population as we move into the future.

Why should we care about this?

From a practical point of view, faith translates into behavior, and as faith diminishes, the incidence of behaviors that once were viewed as morally unacceptable increases.

In 2001, the percentage of Americans saying the following behaviors are morally acceptable was as follows: birth to unwed mother 45%; gay/lesbian relations 40%; abortion 42%. In 2003, polygamy was deemed morally acceptable by 7%; in 2011, pornography was deemed morally acceptable by 30%; and in 2013, teenage sex was deemed morally acceptable by 32%.

Here are the percentages of Americans saying in 2022 these same behaviors are morally acceptable: birth to unwed mother 70%; gay/lesbian relations 71%; pornography 41%; abortion 52%; teenage sex 45%; polygamy 23%.

Again, we can ask, So, what?.

The vision of the founders of the country was freedom. The point was to keep government intrusion at a minimum and permit individual freedom at a maximum.

The preamble to the U.S. Constitution notes that it was put forth to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. The Constitution was designed to limit government power to very specific defined areas that were deemed essential and appropriate for government.

For this to work, we must assume we have a population of free individuals who manage their own personal affairs in a responsible way.

It is worth recalling, once again, George Washingtons famous observation in his farewell address, which first appeared in print Sept. 19, 1796:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable support ... reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Clearly, we have departed in a major way from this.

Supreme Court decisions over the years have reinterpreted the Constitution to grant far more authority to the federal government than the founders had in mind.

And along with this, as we see in Gallup polling, we see major deterioration in faith and significantly higher acceptance of many behaviors that were once deemed morally unacceptable.

Hence, we find where we stand today.

Again, per Gallup, only 16% are satisfied with the way things are going in the country.

Government is in our lives in a major way, with trillion-dollar deficits and debt the size of our entire economy. And now inflation, which reflects all this.

Is there a way out without restoration of religious principle and personal responsibility, as George Washington warned?

I think not.

More here:

Parker: Faith and freedom go together | Opinion | news-journal.com - Longview News-Journal