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BBC gets 40,000 complaints in just two days after Emily Maitlis broke impartiality rule with Dominic Cummings rant – The Sun

THE BBC has been bombarded with more than 40,000 complaints in only two days after Emily Maitlis broke the impartiality rule with a rant about Dominic Cummings. 

The Newsnight presenter was swiftly reprimanded by the BBC who admitted she had crossed the line when reporting on the PM's chief advisor "breaking lockdown rules".

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The number of people writing to the BBC to lodge their anger at Ms Maitlis' monologue about Mr Cumming's trip to Durham doubled from 18,000 in 24 hours.

The BBC put out an apology the day after the controversial introduction to the program on May 26.

Ms Maitlis had told her Newsnight viewers that the Prime Minister was playing the country "for fools" and accused him of blind loyalty to his adviser – which was putting Government messaging on coronavirus at risk.

A statement the broadcaster put out on twitter said: "The BBC must uphold the highest standards of due impartiality in its news output.

"We've reviewed the entirety of last night's Newsnight, including the opening section, and while we believe the programme contained fair, reasonable and rigorous journalism.

"We feel that we should have done more to make clear the introduction was a summary of the questions we would examine, with all the accompanying evidence, in the rest of the programme.

"As it was, we believe the introduction we broadcast did not meet our standards of due impartiality.

"Our staff have been reminded of the guidelines."

According to the MailOnline, just over 20,000 people who complained thought Ms Maitlis had not been impartial, and just under 20,000 were angry at the BBC's statement.

Some complaints have not been categorised yet.

Media watchdog Ofcom said it had received 366 complaints over the broadcast.

Despite the stampede of complaints, Ms Maitlis said she had been "overwhelmed" by kind messages from fans.

She wrote on twitter: "Been overwhelmed by all the kindness, messages – and support on here – and I’ve probably missed much of it"

Rumours swirled earlier this week that Ms Maitlis had been kicked off the air, and a colleague asked to step in for the following nights program.

But Ms Maitlis insisted she had asked her colleauge Katie Razzall to fill the spot for her.

Ms Razzall took to twitter to clarify the reason for filling in: "Just for the record, Emily @maitlis has not been asked by the BBC to take tonight off – and if I thought she had been, I certainly wouldn’t have agreed to present the show."

She did not address Ms Maitlis' absence as she opened the programme yesterday evening.

And later Ms Maitlis herself tweeted: "So grateful to my friend and excellent colleague @katierazz for stepping in this evening.

"She did so because I asked for the night off -knowing tonight’s prog would be in the most excellent hands 🖐 #newsnight."

 



Another BBC presenter, Andrew Marr, has also been the subject of more than 1,000 messages to the broadcaster from viewers after he grilled Transport Secretary Grant Shapps over the Dominic Cummings row.

BIAS ROW

The Newsnight presenter's position on the row sparked fury from MPs.

Tory grandee Iain Duncan Smith slammed Ms Maitlis' comments, and warned it was not the job of presenters to offer a personal opinion.

He told The Sun: “It’s quite wrong of an interviewer to express their own views using a platform they have been fortunate to get.

“The charter is very clear that the BBC is not to express its own personal opinions.”

Tory MP Michael Fabricant said: "The BBC is supposed to present news in an unbiased way without a personal commentary.

"Newsnight is meant to do just that: present news and interviews. Not the personal views of its presenters.

"The BBC seems to be losing all its values as a national public broadcaster."

Former Labour MP and Brexiteer Kate Hoey added: "Understand that the BBC is being inundated with complaints about Emily Maitlis and Newsnight from last night.

"I have also put in a complaint and am sure many many more will #bbcbias".

The comments also prompted a backlash from the public on social media.




One wrote: “What a totally disgraceful speech from Emily Maitlis and the BBC Newsnight editorial team.

“Ofcom need to step in because the BBC are clearly breaking their own charter. This in nasty and not at all unbiased or impartial."

Another said: “This is a presenter's opinion and using her position to give her viewpoint. We deserve as taxpayers to have impartial broadcasters.”

Boris Johnson has far refused to sack Mr Cummings despite a Tory civil war breaking out.

The PM again stood by his chief aide who is accused of twice breaking lockdown rules to travel with his family.

More than 40 backbench Tory MPs have also publicly called for the Vote Leave guru to step down.

Some have been spooked by polls showing the PM’s approval rating has plummeted by 20 per cent and that more than half of the public think Mr Cummings should quit.

A Savanta ComRes poll from earlier this week shows Mr Johnson’s rating has dropped to minus one.

The Government’s approval is down by 16 per cent.

And a YouGov poll shows 71 per cent of Brits say Mr Cummings did break lockdown and 59 per cent think he should resign.

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This bus driver gets essential workers to hospitals while the city sleeps

Bus driver Monique Fletcher’s late-night runs on Brooklyn’s B63 and B70 routes have become a vital connection in the city’s fight against the coronavirus.

“My bus runs through four different hospitals. I’m the only bus that can get them close to their destination,” Fletcher, 47, told The Post.

“You’re doing a small part in helping the bigger picture, so they can get to the hospital so they can help the sickest person they could find.”

Fletcher — a second-generation, 16-year transit employee — works the graveyard shift, but says “I love my job,”

“Being a bus operator combines all the things I like. I love driving, and I’m a people person, so it works for me.”

With ridership down as much as 90 percent on city transit, hospital workers are some of the only late-night commuters left.

“I have a few nurses and a few home health aides that ride that bus a lot of times. They are very, very grateful,” she said.

“They tell me about the chaos, how the emergency room is overflowed. It’s taken a toll on them as well.”

Fletcher said she has “an encyclopedia worth of stories to tell.”

She takes comfort in her relationship with one frequent passenger who walks with a cane.

Fletcher lets the man sit in the front of the bus, which is roped off to most passengers in order to protect drivers from catching COVID-19, but is more accessible.

“He appreciates it, and says I’m the only bus operator that does that,” she said.

monique-fletcher-2monique-fletcher-3

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Las Vegas gets June 4 reopening date amid coronavirus crisis

Gamblers, keep your fingers crossed: Las Vegas casinos are slotted to reopen June 4 after shutting down nearly three months ago because of the coronavirus.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak settled on the date after the number of COVID-19 infections — both confirmed cases and hospitalizations — have continued to drop since he lifted restrictions on a handful of businesses nearly two weeks ago, NBC News reported.

Sisolak expects to give more details about the next phase of the reopening Tuesday, provided the number of infections keeps dropping through the Memorial Day weekend.

Also Tuesday, state gambling regulators will meet will consider reopening plans that must be submitted by each casino; the Gaming Control Board needs to sign off on a casino’s blueprint at least seven days before guests can walk through the door.

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Derick Dillard Gets ROASTED By Duggar Fans For New Look: Major Serial Killer Vibes!

Derick Dillard is not very popular with his in-laws these days.

That’s mainly a result of Derick’s ongoing feud with Jim Bob Duggar and his continued threats to expose his father-in-law’s allegedly unethical business practices.


Of course, at the moment Derick’s also not very popular with Duggar fans — or, for that matter, the world in general — either.

There are many reasons for that, including the fact that Derick is the kind of guy who likes to bully transgender teens on Twitter.

But now, there’s a fresh new reason to be grossed out by D-Dill, and Jill Duggar shared it with the world on Instagram this afternoon.

“Enjoying some beautiful weather outside today before the rain starts. Love my family,” she captioned her newest set of pics.

On Instagram and on the always-amusing r/DuggarSnark subreddit, commenters pointed out a few interesting things about Jill’s latest post.

For one thing, Israel Dillard is wearing a shirt that says “Stay Curious” and has a microscope on it, indicating that unlike the rest of his family, he actually has respect for the world of science.

We’re guessing Jim Bob’s not a fan of his grandson’s interest in scientific explanations for the world around him.

Pissing off JB is always fun, but there’s something even more important going on in Jill’s latest photoset.

We’re talking, of course, about the fact Derick suddenly looks like the class virgin in an ’80s high school comedy.

No, that’s not the guy who was caught stealing other people’s underwear out of your building’s laundry room — that’s Derick!

As you can see, he’s sporting a glasses-mustache combo these days that sort of makes you want to laugh, but also leaves you feeling like if you laugh, you’ll wind up diced into little pieces in the trunk of his car.

“He looks like an actor playing an 80s serial killer who targeted young male hitchhikers in a reconstruction for a true crime documentary,” wrote one commenter.

“Derrick looks like the dude you warned your kids about offering puppies from a tinted out van,” a second pointed out.

“If Ned Flanders were a serial killer with BTK like tendencies,” a third chimed.

“He looks like the guy whose house you skip when taking your kids trick or treating,” yet another follower observed.

Some fans used visual metaphors to express their thoughts on Derick’s new look, such as this side-by-side comparison of Derick and Matthew McConaughey’s character in Dallas Buyer’s Club.

So is Derick entering a weird hipster dad phase of his life, or has he been watching too many true crime documentaries?

You be the judge.

One thing’s for sure, if Jim Bob suddenly comes up missing, we’re sending an anonymous letter to the Springdale police telling them to check the Dillards’ basement for DNA and flannel shirt fibers.

Derick Dillard: What Damaging Information Does He Have on Jim Bob Duggar?Start Gallery

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Dad with incurable cancer gets to cuddle little girl after she's delivered early

A diagnosis of incurable cancer is devastating for anyone.

But for Jamie Hunter, this diagnosis also meant that he had the added pain of not knowing whether he’d meet his baby girl.

Jamie and his partner Beccy Flint were over the moon to find they were expecting their first child at the end of May 2020.

But the good news was tainted by PE teacher Jamie’s diagnosis of kidney cancer, aged just 38.

In October 2019, Jamie started to suffer a crippling pain in his side and was diagnosed with kidney cancer in March.

Devastatingly, one month later, he was given the news that the cancer had spread to his liver and there was no cure.

Knowing this, Becci and Jamie decided to bring forward the birth of their child by two weeks, giving the new father the chance to hold his baby.

Harper May Hunter was born on Monday May 11, making her very proud
daddy’s wish come true. It’s a beautiful but sad picture.

Family friend Phil Taylor said: ‘It went well and they’ve asked to be
left alone so they can enjoy their precious time together now.’

‘Jamie will never be able to celebrate his baby’s first birthday, teach them to ride a bike and learn to swim or be there for their first day at school,’ said Phil, who launched a crowdfunder to help support the family.

‘These are the things we take for granted.’

Phil and his friend Chad Duggan launched the JustGiving page in a bid to raise £100,000 to support Jamie’s care, his family and Baby Hunter and they were amazed by the huge response it has received, reaching £50,000 in the first 48 hours.

Parents whose children Jamie has taught got in touch to say their kids ‘talk so highly’ of their teacher, along with families whose kids he’s coached at football and even people who have known him since he was a boy.

The appeal has even been retweeted by Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.

Jamie, who works as a PE teacher at John Wilmott School in Sutton Coldfield, joined Sutton United as a teenager and returned as a manager and coach after deciding to stop playing in 2018.

Phil said: ‘He has taken teams from six and seven years of age all the way through to adult football. Jamie loved this so much he did it twice!’

He added: ‘As a PE teacher, he has touched so many lives and has been an outstanding role model, developing young people through all walks of life. The kids love him at school, He’s always helping kids. He’s always put himself out for everyone else before himself.

‘He’s godfather to my daughter and my best friend. I know the money we
raise isn’t going to keep him here. If it could, I’d give it all back. But I thought we should do whatever we can to support Beccy and the baby.’

From the money raised, the friends have pledged a donation would be made to John Taylor Hospice,which has been supporting the couple, who met through football. You can make a donation to the JustGiving page here.

Do you have a story to share? Get in touch at [email protected]

Share your views in the comments below.

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Kesha Gets Her Boyfriend To Put A Butt Mask On Her Every Night, And I'm Kinda Jealous

  • Kesha revealed that her boyfriend puts a butt mask on her every night.
  • The “Raising Hell” singer said that the nightly ritual “brings me happiness” in quarantine.
  • She uses the Bawdy butt mask, which costs only $9 at Ulta.

Like most of the country, pop star Kesha is hunkered down at home with loved ones right now. But she just revealed that she has a slightly totally unusual ritual going on with her boyfriend: He puts a butt mask on the “Raising Hell” singer every night. (Is this social distancing #relationshipgoals? Tbh, maybe.)

In an article written for Refinery29, Kesha explained how her beauty routine has changed while staying at home, dropping this interesting nugget right after talking about dying her own eyebrows with men’s beard dye.

“There are also these butt masks called Bawdy that I have been using, too,” she said. “It helps having someone put it on your butt, so that’s another perk of being quarantined with my boyfriend. It’s one of those things that, at the end of the night, brings me happiness.”

Squeeze It Butt MaskBawdyulta.com$9.00SHOP NOW

Ya know what they say—don’t knock it ‘til you try it. And if you want your own dose of booty-induced happiness, the mask Kesha uses is available at Ulta for $9. It’s called Bawdy Squeeze It Butt Mask, and it hilariously comes in a derriere-shaped package.

According to the label, this is a citrus butt mask that’s designed to brighten and rejuvenate your rear end.The mask comes with two sheets—one for each cheek—with the message “Squeeze It!” written across them.

The mask also claims to help reduce the appearance of blemishes and dullness to give you “radiant-looking skin”…on your butt.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-SRiF1lZBW/

The mask includes cucumber for hydration, orange peel for exfoliation, lemon to brighten your butt skin, and grapefruit to even out its tone.

To use the mask, clean your tush and then put the “Squeeze” sheet on your left butt cheek, and the “It!” one on your right. (No word on what happens if you decide to rebel and switch them up.) FWIW, the directions recommend aligning each sheet with the top line of your butt check.

Then, let the mask hang out on your butt for 10 to 15 minutes. During that time, you can move around or just lie there—your choice. Afterward, peel the sheets off and go about the rest of your life, knowing you did something good for your tush.

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Summer House’s Carl Gets Real About Sobriety, Potential Plans for Season 5

What happens in the summer house doesn’t always stay in the summer house — and Carl Radke had to learn that the hard way.

“I’ve been sober the last, you know, I’d say a couple weeks. I’ve been seeking out treatment the last few months,” the 35-year-old reality star revealed exclusively on Us Weekly’s “Hot Hollywood” podcast with costar Lindsay Hubbard. “Ultimately, am I gonna be sober for the rest of my life? That’s not something I’m willing to commit to yet. What I’ve done is basically a sobriety sampling, and it’s just going 90 days without drinking.”

Carl noted that he’s been journaling and detailing how much better he feels without alcohol.

“I actually admitted that I do have so many issues and I wanted to actually get help that’s directly, you know, attacking the alcohol component,” he explained. “And that’s something I’d never done before. So I’m proud of myself, I feel supported.”

While Carl and Lindsay, 33, explored a romantic relationship during the season, they ultimately decided they were better off as friends.

“Carl, I’m so proud of you too. And, you know, not gonna make excuses for you. But I think this summer was really, really hard on you and me,” Lindsay said on the podcast. “Where you are now, you know, compared to the summer is just like night and day and it’s so amazing to see.”

Lindsay, who has since moved on with boyfriend Steven Traversie, added that “there’s no playbook or rule book” about attempting to turn a friendship into a romantic relationship.

“It was difficult in the moment, I think for both of us because it’s sad, like, this is the person you go to you lean on, you call every single day and then we’re sitting there, you know, like, not not on the same page anymore,” she explained to Us. “And it was the first time in a very, very, very long time maybe ever that we weren’t on the same page.”

While fans will see the twosome and their costars — Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo, Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, Jules Daoud and Luke Gulbranson — rehash the season’s biggest drama on the Wednesday, May 6, reunion, friend of the show Danielle Olivera also joins in Us‘ exclusive sneak peek of the special to talk about Carl’s substance abuse struggles.

As for the possibility of a fifth season, Carl and Lindsay noted that the show may be affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

“The prospect of it is incredibly exciting,” Carl said. “I think we’ve got a good crew to do another, but you know, who knows, I mean, this the world that we’re living in right now. Maybe a quarantine house could be cool, but you know, I don’t know. I would love to do it. Because I love the Hamptons.”

The season finale of Summer House airs on Bravo Wednesday, May 6, at 9 p.m. ET followed by the Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen reunion at 10 p.m. ET.

For more from Carl and Lindsay, listen to Us Weekly’s “Hot Hollywood” podcast.

For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!

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Bratz-obsessed woman gets injecting certificate to do DIY lip fillers

Lash artist Steffi Mulic, from Stockholm, grew up loving Bratz dolls.

Since her mum and aunt were both in the beauty and fashion industry, she was introduced to the cosmetic surgery world at the tender age of 13.

The 20-year-old wants to look like the dolls and has spent over 15,000 Swedish krona (£1,200) a month on lip injections since she was 17 – totalling over 540,000 Swedish krona (£43,200).

However, since the coronavirus lockdown, Steffi has had to cancel her appointments and she couldn’t continue on without her regular lip filler fix.

So, she trained to inject her own lips and achieved her certificate at the end of March. Since then she has been self-injecting once a week.

But earlier this month, Steffi was sleeping when she almost suffocated due to her swollen lips, and smaller nostrils from surgery. The incident didn’t scare her off from her goal though.

Steffi even admits that every time she can’t breathe, she ‘loves it’ as she feels it means that her goal of becoming a Bratz doll is getting closer.

Once the coronavirus pandemic is over, Steffi plans to have two Brazilian butt lift surgeries, breast implants, rib removal surgery, cheek fillers, permanent eye colour change to purple and surgery to transform her feet identical to Barbie’s.

Steffi explained: ‘When I was seven to eight years old, I told my mum, “I’m going to have surgery to look Asian”, when she told me I couldn’t, I cried and cried. But later on, I found the doll look. I got to have fillers when I was thirteen years old.

‘I have a goal to look exactly like a Bratz doll – they fascinate me. I’ve been playing with my Bratz dolls since I was five years old, so I always thought they were cool and beautiful, not lame like Barbie. They are more plastic and have big lips.

‘I will never let a pandemic (or anything) affect my goal or pause my transformation. I do my lips at home.’

Though Steffi is enjoying her personal journey, it has been dangerous at times.

When her lips get swollen, it gets hard for her to breath as her nostrils are also tiny following cosmetic work.

‘My nose is so little that I can only breathe through my mouth; so, whilst I was asleep, my lips were so swollen they got blocked and I couldn’t get any air in at all. I had to put my head in the freezer so as not to die! It was dangerous but worth it.

‘I love it when I can’t breathe because that means I’ve come a long way. And is it worth my life? My answer is it’s my whole life.’

Steffi won’t stop there to achieve her ideal look; she plans on getting more surgery.

‘I know what I want, and they know I have this goal to have a career and look like this; a full-time Bratz doll.

‘I plan to get more surgery done in the future.’

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Woman gets dolled up to take out the trash: It’s my ‘only outing of the day’

Charlotte Henderson doesn’t want to look like garbage while taking out the trash.

In fact, the Aussie is treating the filthy chore like an extravagant event. Despite being in coronavirus lockdown, the Melbourne resident is getting all dolled up before doing housework, even if it means only traveling the length of her driveway.

“Whilst isolating because of the coronavirus, taking the bin out was my only excuse for leaving the house,” she tells Viral Hog.

Henderson says she’s been staying indoors as much of the world practices social-distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Her daily trips to rid of her rubbish has become a highlight of her day.

“I put on lipstick, take out my hair and flick it, put on heels and a red dress,” she says of her new routine. In a video, Henderson primps and shows off her sexy outfit before bringing her “bin bag” outside to the garbage can, making the mundane task a bit more glamorous.

While it seems like a waste of makeup to just dump her waste, getting dolled up for the chore is keeping her spirits up.

“I chose to glamorize the event of taking the bin out in a humorous way as it was my only outing of the day and had no other reason to dress up,” Henderson says.

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Blake Shelton Gets Mullet Haircut by Gwen Stefani on Tonight Show, Talks Voice Pandemic Plans

“Dude, you are so Tiger King right now, you have no idea,” Jimmy Fallon says as Gwen adds a shocking twist to Blake’s style — quarantine got them going crazy!

It turns out that the Sheltons and Stefanis have a very strict schedule under self-isolation at Shelton’s home in Oklahoma. So much so that there was no stopping the haircut that Blake had scheduled with his very busy barber, Gwen. Thus, she had no choice but to bring out the clippers during his interview with Jimmy Fallon.

It was perhaps a "Tonight Show" first, as Blake legitimately got a haircut during his interview, and even took it much further than almost anyone would with his quest to bring back that iconic mullet from his early years in country music. He even told Gwen to shave Jimmy’s initials into the sides.

"Dude, you are so Tiger King right now, you have no idea," Jimmy declared as Gwen was giving the finishing touches to the "business up front" portion of the classically derided look. Or are mullets legitimately making a comeback? Blake is certainly doing his part, though we’re not sure talk show host initials will ever become part of the look.

Blake was his usual goofy self, agreeing with Jimmy that the days in self-isolation are certainly going by fast with a quick joke. "Oh my gosh they do, they go by so fast," he said. "Normally it’s because I black out around 5:30 or 6:00."

When Jimmy said that he seems to be handling the "quarantine" well, Blake shot back, "Is that a joke about my weight?"

In all seriousness, though, this quiet period of adjustment is swiftly coming to an end for Blake, as "The Voice" has to resume production soon.

"What’s scary is we’re going to have to do ‘The Voice’ in some fashion like this," Blake said, referencing the conference call with Jimmy. "Because obviously the live shows are coming up here in just a matter of weeks, and especially in LA we’re not gonna be ready to have events again."

As for specifically what that plan is, other than suggesting that he’ll likely be listening to his contestants and coaching them through the computer, Blake admitted producers seem to have a plan, but did not know exactly what it is.

"Gwen’s brother actually set up this computer and this interview and everything for me today because I clearly don’t know how to do this stuff," he admitted. "So I think they have a plan and they’re going to tell me when to be at the computer."

"The Voice" kicked off its Knockout round tonight, which will wrap up next week. Then, there’s a "Road to Live Shows" and then it’s time for everyone to see what the plan is.

"American Idol" is in a similar situation, having already delayed the start of their live rounds. They’re in the middle of a two-week stretch of "This Is Me" shows that offer more insight into their Top 20, but then it’ll be time to rip off the band-aid and get a glimpse of how these live productions can adapt to this era (assuming stay-at-home orders remain in effect into May).

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