A petition to preserve video game access recently achieved an important milestone of one million signatures, but it has two more challenges to overcome before reaching the final level. The “Stop Killing Games” movement reached a million votes earlier this month, meaning the European Union will have to consider adopting legislation addressing this issue. However, the petition first has to deal with the threat of potentially fake signatures and the resistance from major game studios and publishers.
The Stop Killing Games initiative, created by Ross Scott, aims to pass new laws to ensure that video games still run even when developer support ends. The petition was a direct response to when Ubisoft delisted The Crew from online stores, shut down the game’s servers in 2024, and revoked licenses from players who bought the game. Scott and other critics felt Ubisoft’s actions set a dangerous precedent for gamers who may lose access to their purchased games at a developer’s whim.
Even though there are enough signatures to move to the next step, Scott explained in a YouTube video that many of these may have been incorrectly filled out, while others could have been falsely submitted. The movement’s founder said, “This is not a change.org petition, this is a government process,” adding that “spoofing signatures on it is a crime.” To ensure enough legitimate signatures are collected, Scott said that there needs to be at least 10 percent more to cover the potentially invalid ones. As of July 6, the petition has earned more than 1.2 million signatures.
Beyond the signatures, a European advocacy group that includes major gaming studios and publishers like Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Nintendo released a statement opposing the movement.
“Private servers are not always a viable alternative option for players as the protections we put in place to secure players’ data, remove illegal content, and combat unsafe community content would not exist and would leave rights holders liable,” the statement read. “In addition, many titles are designed from the ground-up to be online-only; in effect, these proposals would curtail developer choice by making these video games prohibitively expensive to create.”
In a longer report, the Video Games Europe group said that this initiative would “raise the costs and risks of developing such games,” create a “chilling effect on game design” and “act as a disincentive to making such games available in Europe.”
LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood has been getting better over the years. There is still a lot of work to be done, but the industry as a whole is in a better position than it was two decades ago. This is despite some corporations shying away from overt representation due to changing cultural attitudes in the modern political landscape. But what if a series from 20 years ago had better trans representation than many contemporary shows do today? And what if the show in question was one of the darkest comedies of all time?
Believe it or not, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphiahad a positive depiction of a transgender woman way back in its very first season. We use the term “positive” loosely, as there were many 2005-era jokes made at her expense. But the character herself was just… normal. No stereotypes, no unrealistic attitudes or behaviors. She was just a regular person. The show portrayed the gang’s attitude toward her as the main issue, not the character herself. Yes, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was apparently decades ahead of the representation game. Let’s examine Carmen, the transgender woman in question, and her relationship with the gang.
Carmen’s Storyline in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’
Carmen, played by Brittany Daniel of Joe Dirt fame, first appears in the Season 1 episode “Charlie Has Cancer.” Spoilers to follow. Dennis and Mac are looking for a woman to date Charlie when they believe that he has cancer. This is truly an early episode, as Dennis and Mac seem to genuinely care about Charlie’s health. Of course, it turns out that he’s lying to gain sympathy from his eternal crush, the Waitress.
Carmen is one of the women the guys bring to the bar for Charlie; however, Mac takes an interest in her instead. Dennis knows that she is trans, and the gang mocks Mac for dating her. They all freely toss the t—-y slur around, but that’s what we’d expect. This is 2005, and the gang is known to be horrible people. But Carmen is never portrayed as a problem or a bad person. Mac even privately likes her, though he is uncomfortable with the whole situation. He accidentally punches her in the face when she startles him, though he tries to claim that she is a man when a crowd sees the punch. In a refreshing bit of honesty, the town then gangs up on Mac for assaulting a trans woman in a hate crime.
Carmen returns in Season 3’s “Mac is a Serial Killer.” The gang believes that Mac is the town’s serial killer when he begins acting strangely, but in reality, he’s covering up the fact that he’s back with Carmen. There are more tasteless jokes, but Mac seems genuinely happy when they’re alone together. He’s not quite ready to go public, though, and she breaks up again because of his embarrassment. Again, it’s Mac and the gang’s fault for talking badly about Carmen. She just wants a conventional relationship with someone who cares about her.
Her next significant appearance comes in the Season 6 premiere, “Mac Fights Gay Marriage.” Mac discovers that Carmen has completed her transition and is now married to a man. He believes it to be the sin of gay marriage and tries to rally the gang to his side. But they’re confused, as Carmen is a woman and the marriage is not same-sex. The gang completely accepts Carmen’s new gender identity without question. They also point out that the only reason Mac is against her marriage is that he’s jealous of her husband. Carmen’s last appearance comes in that season’s finale, “Dee Gives Birth,” where it’s revealed that Dee acted as the surrogate for her and her husband.
FX
Is the episode perfect? No. Carmen’s portrayer, Brittany Daniel, is a cis woman. Had the episode aired today, a trans actor would likely have been cast in the role. But it was remarkable progress for 2005. All of Carmen’s appearances share the same overarching theme. She’s normal, and the rest of the gang are their typical, unhinged selves. Carmen wants to live a regular life by dating and going to the gym. The show could have taken the easy way out and made Carmen a stereotypical object of ridicule. But they showed remarkable growth and consistency by fleshing her out as a complete person.
Rob McElhenney has responded to Jerry Seinfeld’s recent declaration that “the extreme left” is killing comedy.
Understandably, she wouldn’t want to date Mac since he is ashamed to be seen with her in public. Her reaction is justified, and Mac is clearly shown to be in the wrong for his lack of acceptance. The gang is even genuinely happy for Carmen when her marriage is announced, using female pronouns for her. Mac’s fight against her marriage could have easily devolved into a moral high ground for him. But it’s not taken seriously, and he’s wrong for imposing his religion on someone of a different lifestyle. In a roundabout way, Mac does love Carmen, supporting her after her transition surgery. But she deserves to be treated better than just an object of his affection, and the gang points that out when discussing his jealousy after her marriage.
The gang is perpetually the bad guys in every scenario, and that’s no different here. Just like everyone else the gang meets, Carmen is better off without them. Her arc ends when she and her husband receive their surrogate baby from Dee and live happily ever after. It’s a better result than Cricket, who falls deeper into addiction and depravity with every gang-centered interaction. Remove some of the dated jokes, and this episode could easily pass today. Studios should take note. There was better representation two decades ago on a raunchy cable sitcom. And if the worst people on television can fully accept a trans person, can’t we all? It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is streaming on Hulu.
Marvel Studios has finally adapted Sentry, who is often dubbed the MCU‘s Superman, into live-action, but whether the character is as powerful as the Man of Steel is debatable. Thankfully, there is plenty of cinematic evidence to help with discerning that answer.
Robert Reynolds debuted in Thunderbolts* as the down-and-out participant of Project Sentry. He survives the ordeal where others failed and lost their lives, imbuing him with an incredible amount of power as part of his Sentry alter-ego. Sentry’s MCU debut in Thunderbolts*saw him making short work of the titular team when instructed to subdue them.
Superman’s next cinematic outing will be in Superman on July 11. Unlike Sentry, Superman is well accustomed to the silver screen. The character additionally boasts a much larger comic book career, and throughout that time has demonstrated a wide array of powers.
Nevertheless, Sentry is no joke. While the MCU’s adaptation is characterized as a complete novice, the effortless way in which he unleashes his powers on the Thunderbolts suggests he could still hold his own.
Sentry’s Powers Explained
Sentry Is As Powerful As One Thousand Exploding Suns
Sentry is described in Thunderbolts* as boasting the power of one thousand exploding suns. This is likely a reference to his super strength, though Sentry also boasts a litany of additional superpowers, most of which are seen during his fight with the Thunderbolts. These include:
Invulnerability
Super Speed
Super Strength
Telekinesis
Flight
Heat Vision
Quantum Phasing Manipulation
Sentry is more commonly described as boasting the power of one million exploding suns in Marvel Comics.
It is unclear whether Sentry will also be afforded the exact same powers as his comic book counterpart, which include many more godlike abilities, such as molecular manipulation and immortality. If he does, it is hard to fathom just how drastically the balance of power in the MCU will shift.
The Sentry’s main weakness is the Void, the dark alter ego who wishes to sow chaos where Sentry would typically act heroic.
On that note, precious little has been seen of Sentry thus far, with the only evidence being his impossibly short battle with the Thunderbolts. As for the Void, his power to banish victims to another plane seems to be impossible to resist, though escaping the realm seems only to be a matter of helping Bob’s psyche pull through.
The Sentry’s main weakness is the Void, the dark alter ego who wishes to sow chaos where Sentry would typically act heroic. Although this dynamic seems to emulate the comics, the Sentry was seen declaring himself to be a god, suggesting the MCU’s Sentry might also harbor some less-than-heroic traits himself.
Superman’s Powers Explained
Superman Has Several Powers But One Key Weakness
Superman boasts a far greater back catalogue from which to discern his powers. He has evolved substantially during that time, with the Man of Steel now boasting an incredibly versatile power set. Superman’s powers are almost too numerous to count, but among the most prominent are:
Invulnerability
Super Speed
Super Strength
Flight
Heat Vision
Reversing Time
Throughout his cinematic appearances, Superman has also demonstrated some lesser-known (and sometimes questionable) superpowers, including a memory-wiping kiss and the ability to rebuild the Great Wall of China with his vision alone. It’s decidedly unclear if modern interpretations of Superman boast the same powers.
Superman draws his powers from Earth’s yellow sun, which trailer and teaser footage for James Gunn’s Superman shows he uses to regenerate and recharge after being battered and bruised. A red sun, on the other hand, has the opposite effect and drains Superman of his powers.
Another, more renowned weakness of Superman is kryptonite. Despite being nigh-unstoppable, the presence of this material is what allows much weaker characters like Batman and Lex Luthor to gain the upper hand against the otherwise godlike being. With that in mind, it’s easier to determine who is most powerful.
Sentry Is More Powerful
Sentry Doesn’t Have As Exploitable A Weakness
While Superman and the Sentry boast an incredibly similar collection of superpowers, Superman’s weakness is far easier to exploit. Although a straight-up test of strength between the two might be close, Sentry losing control to the Void does not strip him of his powers, but instead only makes him more dangerous.
Superman, on the other hand, is drained of his power after being exposed to one material. This is possibly what causes Superman to appear weak in the upcoming Superman, as it is likely he has been subjected to a dose of kryptonite that can indeed remove such powers as invulnerability.
Superman was killed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with a Kryptonite spear. Sentry, on the other hand, did not die when a kill-switch was engaged and instead gave way to the Void, suggesting he, like his comic book counterpart, is immortal. Furthermore, should the MCU’s Sentry boast such powers as molecular manipulation, this gives him an extra edge.
Superman is DC’s most powerful hero and the movie versions showcase all of his abilities. Here’s just how mighty every movie Man of Steel really is.
Ultimately, Superman’s weaknesses, while they help make the character more grounded, are too easily exploited. While kryptonite and a red sun make Superman vulnerable to everyone else, Sentry’s weakness makes everyone else vulnerable to him.
How Powerful Sentry Is Compared To Other Marvel & DC Characters
Only The Most Powerful Characters Stand A Chance Against Sentry
There are very few who could hope to stand up to the Sentry in the MCU. His godlike abilities make him almost unstoppable, though some might stand a chance.
Cosmic entities like Death or Mephisto, meanwhile, seem to have complete control over the very fabric of existence.
The Scarlet Witch, for example, is a powerful reality warper. The ease with which she dispatched Earth-838’s Illuminati suggests that she could hold her own against much more powerful entities, and it is possible that she can do just that for Sentry. Doctor Strange, meanwhile, is another powerful magic-user who has outwitted the ruler of the Dark Dimension.
Jean Grey, especially when powered by the Phoenix Force, could also give Sentry cause for concern, particularly when paired with her telepathic abilities. Cosmic entities like Death or Mephisto, meanwhile, seem to have complete control over the very fabric of existence.
Thanks to Thunderbolts*, the MCU now has a Superman-tier hero in the Sentry. But does Bob Reynolds’ hero actually live up to the nickname?
DC’s Spectre boasts nigh-omnipotent powers as a result of representing DC Comics’ equivalent of God. Superman Prime One Million, meanwhile, is a version of Superman who spent 15,000 years charging from the yellow sun to gain nigh-omnipotent power, though he is still weak to kryptonite.
Ultimately, only godlike entities hold a candle to Sentry, especially if he boasts the same matter manipulation powers as he does in Marvel Comics. Still, without seeing more of the unfathomably powerful character in live-action, it’s difficult to know the full extent of his powers and whether the DCU’s Superman could stand a chance against him.
Created By
Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee, Rick Veitch
First Appearance
The Sentry (2000)
Alias
Robert Reynolds
Alliance
Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers, Horsemen of Death
Franchise
Marvel
Created By
Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel
First Appearance
Action Comics
Alias
Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent
Alliance
Justice League, Superman Family
Franchise
D.C.
Race
Kryptonian
The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
Speaking with musician and producer Adrian Quesada elicits a calming effect, as if a salve has been applied to the people conversing with him. His voice moves and bounces with intrigue and interest, but never catapults itself upward in decibels.
The soothing and entrancing qualities of his disposition mirror that of his latest album, “Boleros Psicodélicos II,” a 12-track sonic field trip through Quesada’s Latin American influences — and a testament to teamwork — that dropped on Friday.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the mellow Austin-based musician prefers to kick it in the background, fancying himself more of an Izzy Stradlin than a Slash — despite having his name splashed across his imminent record.
“I always consider myself more of a producer than an artist. Being a solo artist is a very recent thing for me,” Quesada told The Times on a recent sunny day by Echo Park Lake. “It’s really raw and kind of a weird thing for me because it’s not my style to be in the forefront. I just like to make the music. I try to move in silence.”
He managed to maneuver the music industry by flying under the radar up until a few years ago by playing in large ensembles. His former band, Grupo Fantasma, had 10 members; his mid-2000s Latin-funk group Brownout was also a dectet; and his Grammy-winning group, Black Pumas, had seven (sometimes eight) members. While he obscured himself physically, his musicianship and production skill always stood out.
Grupo Fantasma’s “El Existential” won a Grammy for Latin rock or alternative album in 2011. Black Pumas were nominated in the new artist category in 2020, then received three more Grammy nods in 2021 — which included record of the year for the track “Colors” and album of the year for the group’s eponymous album. Black Pumas also nabbed two Grammy nominations in 2022 and another one in 2024.
Quesada embarked on his journey as a solo artist with “Boleros Psicodélicos” — the spiritual precursor to his latest album. It featured covers of boleros from across Latin America, as well as original material, with Quesada enlisting artists such as iLe from Calle 13, Mireya Ramos and Gaby Moreno to lend their voices to the project.
The Times called that 2022 album a “tropical mystery-thriller of a record,” imbued with a “crispy, 1960s psych-rock feel [that] … sets the scene for Latin indie’s best and brightest vocalists to truly sparkle.”
“Boleros II” finds Quesada as aurally slick as ever as he tackles the oft-covered romantic Spanish standard “Cuatro Vidas,” plus Los Pasteles Verdes’ “Hoy Que Llueve” and brand-new tracks — all while integrating his signature three-over-two rhythms.
(James Carbone / For De Los)
Born and raised in the border town of Laredo, Texas, Quesada always felt he was “at the crossroads of a crossroad.”
“It’s not quite Mexico, but it’s not quite Texas and it’s not quite the Rio Grande Valley,” Quesada said. “Laredo is completely bilingual, everybody just speaks Spanglish. I didn’t have a distinction between English and Spanish and it was a couple of different cultures together. Now with music, people seem really caught up on genres — this is in Spanish and this is in English. And none of that really fazes me.”
Like most American kids of the ’80s and ’90s, Quesada’s biggest source of musical consumption came from binge-watching MTV, with a sprinkling of recommendations from friends.
“I was home a lot by myself and I would just watch MTV, so I used to watch all the shows: ‘Yo! MTV Raps,’ ‘Headbangers Ball,’ ‘Alternative Nation’ and ‘120 Minutes,’” he said. “That was where I was discovering stuff. And then friends had an older cousin who used to make me cool tapes, and other friends would pass around hip-hop tapes.”
Quesada says he finally became curious about what a music producer does after listening to N.W.A in his teen years. He recalls sitting in front of his Casio keyboard with its pre-programmed drum machine and trying to dissect the intricacies of what producer Dr. Dre was able to craft.
Revealing the arbitrary nature of self-imposed borders — of both countries and genres — is one of Quesada’s artistic goals, opting to build bridges and not walls.
“There’s a thing called the narcissism of small differences, which means we can’t get over our differences that we have with other people that are so minuscule, we have to differentiate ourselves,” Quesada said. “And I’m starting to finally feel a responsibility for showing people nothing is that different. Latin rhythms are not that different from soul rhythms, or funk rhythms, or rock ’n’ roll. That’s probably the biggest [impact] my upbringing has on me.”
Despite his deeply Texas roots and sensibilities, Quesada’s “Boleros II” and his recent life experiences have been immensely L.A.-coded.
Quesada was nominated for original song at this year’s 97th annual Academy Awards, for writing the track “Like A Bird” with Abraham Alexander, as featured in the Colman Domingo-led film “Sing Sing.”
“I had fun with that. I was catching key things in the movie, seeing what they did visually, and what I could do musically on the song,” he said of working on the piece.
That process led to him spending more time in L.A. than anticipated. “The Oscars kind of flipped my world upside down,” he said. “I had to be here a lot between the nomination being announced and Oscars night. That was the first three months of the year.”
Carrying the L.A. momentum from the Academy Awards to “Boleros II” is the notable presence of Angelenos on the album, including Hawthorne’s perpetual sadboi Cuco, El Monte native Angélica Garcia and Carson soul singer Trish Toledo. (L.A. producer Alex Goose may not be Latino, but his intrepid hip-hop production chops blend seamlessly with Quesada’s eclectic sensibilities.)
“L.A.’s such a predominant Latino town,” said Quesada. “All the references I was showing Angelica, Trish and Cuco, they were very familiar with all that stuff. It came really natural to them. So I do think there’s something with L.A. where they get it culturally here. I leaned on a lot of L.A. artists.”
Quesada is currently touring as part of Trio Asesino, in support of Hermanos Gutiérrez on their U.S. tour. Quesada will perform songs from “Boleros II” at L.A.’s California Plaza on Aug. 2, as part of a free summer concert series by Grand Performances. (Editor’s note: De Los will be a co-presenter of Quesada’s performance.)
“‘Sing Sing’ was about rehabilitation through the arts and how it can change people’s lives, not just reaching people as a fan, but also reaching more kids who can take up art,” Quesada said of the mission of the Grand Performances series. “I believe in the power of art. Everything from a song inspiring a whole movement to a song just making you smile for the day, that’s the power of music.”
Lewis Capaldi is officially bringing his powerhouse vocals back to Australia and New Zealand later this year, marking his first headline tour in the region in more than five years.
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The Scottish singer-songwriter will hit arenas across seven cities, kicking off at Christchurch’s Wolfbrook Arena on Nov. 30 before making stops in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and wrapping at Perth’s RAC Arena on Dec. 17. The tour is presented by Secret Sounds, Live Nation and WME.
The announcement follows Capaldi’s emotional return to the stage at Glastonbury Festival last month, where he drew a headline-sized Pyramid Stage crowd for a hit-packed set that doubled as a triumphant comeback after two years out of the spotlight. “Second time’s a charm on this one,” Capaldi told the crowd. “I just wanted to come and finish what I couldn’t finish last time.”
During the set, he debuted his new single “Survive” alongside fan favorites “Before You Go,” “Grace,” “Hold Me While You Wait,” “Bruises” and a unifying performance of “Someone You Loved.” The appearance came after warm-up gigs in Scotland for Mental Health Awareness Week, which were held in partnership with mental health charity CALM.
Fans who purchased tickets to his cancelled 2023 tour will have priority access through a Past Ticket Holders Presale running from July 10 at 11 a.m. local time until July 14 at 11 a.m. local. A Secret Sounds presale follows on July 11, before tickets open to the general public on July 14 at 12 p.m. local time.
The tour arrives as Capaldi enters a new chapter in his career. His latest single “Survive” reunites him with Romans, co-writer of his global smash “Someone You Loved.” That song recently hit 10x Platinum in Australia and remains the U.K.’s most streamed song of all time.
Capaldi’s sophomore album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, gave him his second U.K. No. 1 album and spawned three chart-topping singles: “Pointless,” “Wish You The Best” and the platinum-certified “Forget Me.” His 2019 debut, Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent, was the biggest-selling U.K. album of 2019 and 2020 and earned him BRIT Awards and a Grammy nomination.
The star also found global streaming success with his Netflix documentary Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now, which became the platform’s most-watched film upon release in April 2023, offering fans an unflinching look at the pressures of fame and the mental health struggles behind his meteoric rise.
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Duck Dynasty: The Revival]
Willie Robertson pulled out all the stops during the July 6 episode of Duck Dynasty: The Revival on A&E to get his son Will to move back home with his wife Abby from Dallas. The couple was in Monroe for a visit, which if Willie and Korie had their way, would be to stay. Will was adopted when he was one month old and has grown up a true Robertson. Willie took Jr. around town as he hoped to appeal to his music interests. One stop was the notable gospel songwriter Alton Howard’s monument. Then it was a stop at “The Hub,” a venue in the downtown area that became Willie’s music hall.
Among the major events it hosted was the upcoming Live Original Worship Night. Another tactic Willie went for was “emotional blackmail” using Will’s nieces and nephews who liked seeing their uncle around. With the big gathering coming up, Willie told Will he got him a main slot on the L.O. Worship concert. He said he would write an original song and perform it on stage. This was a good opportunity, but the problem was Will had never written a song before.
To help get those creative juices flowing and find some guidance, Willie took Will to Nashville. It was there he linked up with one of his Buck Commander business partners and good friends Luke Bryan. Someone who happens to know a thing or two about crafting a hit. The country superstar encouraged him and grabbed a guitar to hear what vocal skills Will actually had. “You got a good voice,” the American Idol concluded. It wasn’t the golden ticket to Hollywood, but Bryan did say, “You’re going to Monroe!” Willie then took Will to a studio to see another pal in singer/songwriter Tyler Farr for help.
Later came the moment of truth where Will had the grand finale of the event that evening. Lauren Daigle and songwriter Aodhán King worked him through some vocal exercises before he went on for his big moment. Will got the room moving and would do well. Would this be the catalyst for him to move home? Do the Robertson parents get their wish? Will made the announcement that he would be staying where he is in Dallas.
Holland and Rebecca Roberston (A&E)
Will’s sister Bella had her hands full helping the family get ready for the music showcase. This meant she needed help with a kid’s birthday party coming up in the museum. Without any other viable options, she enlisted John Luke. Bella told him there was no budget, but gave in to provide a $50 budget. John Luke looked to have more action and less education for this party. ”Don’t let anyone get hurt,” Korie’s only request.
Bella gave him a whole list of rules that were basically ignored. John Luke took the kids on the tour that you could say was interactive. He provided ice cream, set up an obstacle course in part of the museum area. The attendees used a bow and arrow on a deer statue. Things got even more messy during biscuit making. John Luke dressed as a duck for the kids to hunt with Nerf guns. Uncle Si came in to have some fun. “We went over budget, broke every rule, but this was a major success.” John Luke said. Korie was impressed to find a good review. Bella discovered the mess left and found out John Luke had spent closer to $500 for this party.
Elsewhere, Rebecca Robertson Loflin prepared to have the family over for a Lunar New Year party. She came as a 16-year-old exchange student from Taiwan and was welcomed as another daughter for Korie and Willie. They were happy she married a “redneck” in John Reed. Rebecca hoped to show a bit of her culture. She tasked John Reed to provide the meat for the dumplings. The mystery meat ended up being squirrel. The girls who came over to help make the dumplings were initially grossed out. Korie recalled eating the squirrel before. It got her thinking about how Miss Kay taught her about the Robertson’s different way of life growing up. Sadie Robertson Huff was not feeling this activity. The squirrel dumplings were served during the big party. It passed the taste test, so a new favorite dish was born.
An Australian mother has been found guilty of murdering her estranged husband’s parents and an aunt by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.
Erin Patterson, 50, invited her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, to the fatal lunch on 29 July 2023.
The mother-of-two, from the state of Victoria in southern Australia, has also been convicted of the attempted murder of Mrs Wilkinson’s husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson.
All four fell ill after eating a meal of beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at Patterson’s home in the town of Leongatha, the court was told.
Image: Erin Patterson. Pic: AAP/AP
Analysis: A classic true crime drama
The poisoned mushroom murder trial has gripped the Australian public for almost two years and now they finally have a verdict. Guilty on all counts.
The case has all the characteristics of a classic true crime drama. The Australian media has fed the audience’s obsession with it.
There’s been a daily mushroom trial podcast and every media outlet in the country has covered it non-stop.
Australians can’t get enough of it. First there’s the setting – the poisoning took place in the small town of Leongatha in Victoria, with a population of around 6,000 people. An alleged murder in the middle of a bucolic country town set the stage for intense interest.
The fact that three guests died after a home-cooked meal, and a fourth became gravely ill, all added to the mystery. At its core this was also a family drama, all the victims were related.
The meal that was served with death cap mushrooms in it – the beef Wellington – sounds straight out of an Agatha Christie drama. It’s considered an old-fashioned dish in Australia, one with British roots (even though that’s up for debate).
Then there’s the death cap mushrooms. They are highly poisonous, even a tiny amount can kill you.
The jury has rejected Erin Patterson’s defence team’s argument that it was all a tragic accident and decided the poisoning was deliberate.
There’s been several inconsistencies and lies in Patterson’s testimony to the court. These include details about foraging, disposing of a food dehydrator and falsely claiming she had cancer.
This is the case everyone in Australia has been talking about it. Dinner invites now often include the line: “There’ll be no mushrooms.”
For two months local and foreign media have covered the trial in the town of Morwell, the public has watched with fascination. The next stage will be the sentencing. It could happen within weeks.
Prosecutors said Patterson, who was arrested in November 2023 and has been in custody ever since, knowingly laced the beef pastry dish with deadly death cap mushrooms, also known as Amanita phalloides, at her home.
The guests ate their meals off four large grey dinner plates, while Patterson ate from a smaller, tan-coloured plate, the court heard.
Image: Ian and Heather Wilkinson Pic: The Salvation Army Australia – Museum
Image: Ian Wilkinson arrives at court during the trial. Pic: Reuters
Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs Patterson died on Friday 4 August 2023, while Mr Patterson died a day later.
Reverend Wilkinson spent seven weeks in hospital but survived.
Her estranged husband Simon Patterson, with whom she has two children, was also invited to the lunch and initially accepted but later declined, the trial heard.
The jury was told that prosecutors had dropped three charges that Patterson had attempted to murder her husband, who she has been separated from since 2015.
Reverend Wilkinson said that immediately after the meal, Patterson fabricated a cancer diagnosis, suggesting the lunch was put together so that she could ask them the best way to tell her children about the illness.
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The death cap is one of the most toxic mushrooms on the planet and is involved in the majority of fatal mushroom poisonings worldwide.
The species contains three main groups of toxins: amatoxins, phallotoxins, and virotoxins.
From these, amatoxins are primarily responsible for the toxic effects in humans.
The alpha-amanitin amatoxin has been found to cause protein deficit and ultimately cell death, although other mechanisms are thought to be involved.
The liver is the main organ that fails due to the poison, but other organs are also affected, most notably the kidneys.
The effects usually begin after a short latent period and can include gastrointestinal disorders followed by jaundice, seizures, coma, and eventually, death.
The trial attracted intense interest in Australia – with podcasters, journalists and documentary-makers descending on the town of Morwell, around two hours east of Melbourne, where the court hearings took place.
A sentencing date is yet to be scheduled. The charges carry a maximum life sentence.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Netanyahu and Trump are to meet again on Monday.
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WASHINGTON — Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet with President Trump on Monday, when they may announce a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
It will be Netanyahu’s first visit to the White House since the two leaders collaborated in an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month.
In the wake of the 12-day war that Israel fought against Iran, the main focus between the two leaders was expected to be how to wind down Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza that began close to two years ago. Netanyahu told reporters Sunday that there was an opportunity to forge new diplomatic ties with additional unspecified countries. Israel is reportedly seeking a security pact with its longtime enemy Syria.
Trump said last week on his social media site that Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, and warned Hamas they had better accept it. Hamas this weekend voiced an initial positive response to the latest framework but said it needed to work out details before accepting.
Hamas triggered the current war when it attacked Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. More than 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel air strikes since then, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials, and Gaza’s towns have been left in ruins.
A new ceasefire plan
According to the ceasefire proposal, Hamas would release eight living hostages at the start of the 60-day ceasefire, and two more hostages on the 50th day of the ceasefire. Israel would release Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli negotiators headed to Qatar Sunday for ceasefire talks with Hamas. But as with previous talks that have ended in stalemate, there are still major obstacles to overcome: the main one being Hamas’ insistence that the talks lead to a permanent end to the war, a demand Israel has rejected. Israel has again said that Hamas is seeking “unacceptable” changes to the latest ceasefire proposal.
The deal resembles a similar one proposed by Israel and the U.S. earlier this year. Israel and Hamas had agreed on a ceasefire that took effect just as Trump came into office in January, and lasted until Israel renewed attacks in Gaza in March, and stopped all aid from entering the besieged coastal enclave. Food deliveries only resumed in late May under tight Israeli control in a system that the U.N. – which used to run aid deliveries – has called “death traps” for Palestinians trying to access the handout sites.
But Netanyahu has said Israel’s accomplishments in weakening Iran – a country that backed anti-Israeli militant groups across the region, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – have opened opportunities to release the 50 remaining living and dead hostages still in captivity in Gaza.
Adding to the Israeli public pressure to end the war is the large number of soldiers, 20, killed in Gaza in the past month alone.
The ceasefire talks have been mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt. An official from the region who was briefed on the talks but not authorized to speak publicly to the media told NPR that the Israeli delegation in Doha was a largely technical team and included Gal Hirsch, the government’s official responsible for hostage affairs; Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s personal representative; and officers from the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, and Mossad, its overseas intelligence agency.
The delegation was to discuss Hamas’s response to the latest proposal, hoping to reach a formula that reduces its demands, the official said.
A changing Middle East
The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched a surprise attack on Israel that caught the country off guard, and triggered a cascade of regional events that have transformed the Middle East.
On Oct. 8, Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-back militant group in Lebanon, started firing missiles into Israel in solidarity with Hamas, triggering a months-long exchange of rockets and airstrikes across their shared border.
Last fall, Israel launched a devastating attack on Hezbollah that wiped out most of its leadership. Shortly after that, Israeli airstrikes on Iranian weapons shipments to Hezbollah across neighboring Syria – at the time, a key ally of Iran – weakened the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown last December by rebels.
In June, Netanyahu launched an air war against Iran to destroy its nuclear program, which he said was aimed at building an atomic bomb, something Iran denied. Trump ordered a strike by U.S. strategic bombers on sites that Israeli bombs were unable to destroy, a major boost for Netanyahu.
Despite Israel’s success in decimating Iran’s allies and damaging its nuclear program, the massive death toll in Gaza has led to increasing diplomatic isolation for Israel, including widespread anti-Israeli protests in Europe and the U.S., and charges of genocide brought by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, something Israel vehemently denies.
Rescue crews have recovered the bodies of seven victims reported missing after a fireworks warehouse exploded in Northern California last week, authorities said Sunday.
Television news coverage showed several explosions at the pyrotechnics facility, which is in the rural Yolo County community of Esparto, about 30 miles northwest of Sacramento. The explosions followed a blaze at the warehouse, which is owned by an active pyrotechnics license holder, according to state fire officials.
Seven people were reported missing after the explosion, which sparked a brush fire in the area. Video showed plumes of thick black smoke emanating from the warehouse, and helicopter video from KCRA-TV showed bright sparks shooting out of the burning structure, followed by a large explosion.
In a statement, Yolo County officials said Sunday that they would not identify any of the deceased until their families had been formally notified. But last week, several media outlets reported that several of the victims appeared to be warehouse employees.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation by a host of agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The warehouse was managed by a company known as Devastating Pyrotechnics, which has more than 30 years of experience designing and producing fireworks shows, according to the Associated Press.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with those we lost, their families, and everyone impacted in our community,” the company said in a statement last week. “Our focus will remain on those directly impacted by this tragedy, and we will cooperate fully with the proper authorities in their investigation.”
Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
Why did the courts deny The Gateway Pundit a copy of Epstein’s client list based on an anonymous John Doe who was on the list?
On Sunday night the Department of Justice and FBI released a document that concluded that notorious child predator Jeffrey Epstein did not have a “client list” and that he was not murdered but committed suicide.
The FBI released a video that shows an empty hallway in what they insist proves Epstein committed suicide.
The FBI memo says there is no evidence that Epstein blackmailed powerful political figures.
Additionally, the memo suggests that no further Epstein records will be released.
Here is a copy of the letter that was released by the DOJ and FBI on Sunday night.
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This latest development in the Epstein case came as a complete shock to millions of Americans who have been following the story of this notorious ped0file of the rich and famous.
But this is a completely different story we were told by the courts back in 2022.
Stunningly, at that time in 2022, no media outlet in the country had petitioned the Court to unseal the identities of Epstein’s Clients.
It was almost like corporate media was protecting the disgusting sexual abusers, simply because the victims alleged Epstein’s clients consisted of powerful businessmen, politicians, former presidents and prime ministers, and other world leaders.
GP asked the Court to unseal all records identifying Epstein’s sex clients.
TGP lawyers moved to intervene in the Ghislaine Maxwell case in the Southern District of New York.
However, in August 2022, something truly bizarre and unexpected happened.
An anonymous John Doe—literally styled by his lawyer as “John Doe”—filed an objection to TGP unsealing the sex client list … and the Court SIDED WITH THE JOHN DOE over the interests of the press and public to know what happened in one of the most remarkable court cases in US history.
What possible reason could John Doe have for not wanting the Epstein Sex Client List exposed?
We were very curious about Mr. John Doe. Who is this person and why is he the lone person fighting to keep the Epstein client list hidden from public view? What is his connection to Epstein? Why did the court side with this anonymous and powerful power player?
We were unsuccessful in our appeal and further attempts to gain access of the Epstein client list.
This brings us to today… How can the courts deny our request for the Epstein client list in 2022 based on the wishes of an anonymous John Doe and then today the DOJ tells us there is no Epstein client list?
