In a new video, CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King interviewed Miya Ponsetto, the 22-year-old woman known as “SoHo Karen.” Throughout the conversation, Ponsetto dismisses the acclaimed reporter and at one point says, “Gayle, enough.”
The woman attracted national attention after a video allegedly showed her physically tackling a 14-year-old Black teen, son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold, while falsely accusing him of stealing her phone at a New York hotel.
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On Thursday, Ponsetto, who has a history of outbursts and legal troubles, was arrested on a fugitive warrant in Piru, California.
Per an NBC News report, a spokesperson said police "forcibly removed Ponsetto from the vehicle, saying she resisted arrest, refused to get out of the car, and tried to slam a car door on one of the deputies."
In the remote interview with King, Ponsetto wears a baseball cap reading "Daddy" and sits with her lawyer Sharen Ghatanas as she breaks down the now-viral altercation at the Arlo Hotel.
When King asks her why she thought the younger Harrold had stolen her phone, she responds that there was a possibility that anyone coming in and out of the hotel could have had her phone.
"I admit I could have approached the situation differently, or not yelled like that," Ponsetto says. "I never meant to hurt him or his father."
Ponsetto calls herself a "sweet person," but King points out that the reaction was "very extreme."
Ponsetto responds, "How would you feel if you were alone in New York, and you're going to spend time with your family during the holidays, and you lose the one thing that gets stolen from you that has all the access to the only way to get back home?"
King presses the issue, questioning if her reaction was appropriate for the situation, especially for a random stranger. Logic dictates she could have found a new or temporary phone, if necessary.
King points out further that the video evidence shows Ponsetto physically attacking the younger Harrold. Ponsetto denies the attack but says the teen's father "slammed her to the ground and pulled [her] hair."
When King asks for further context on Ponsetto's verbal and physical aggression, her story gets flimsy and nonsensical.
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"Basically, I am a 22-year-old girl," she says. "How does one girl accusing a guy about a phone a crime; what is the deeper story?"
One Twitter user noted the statement infantilizes herself as a "girl" but refers to the Black teen as a man.
It’s interesting how she refers to herself as as a 22 year old girl and the 14 year boy as a man... That says it all about how black boys are seen in this country. Not as boys but as men.
There’s a problem with that.
— Faith Crittenden,MPH (@FaithCrittenden) January 8, 2021
"Miya, that's not the problem," King says. "You have to at least understand your actions that day ... You seem to have attacked this teenager about the phone, and then it turned out he didn't even have your phone ... You're 22 years old, but you're old enough to know better."
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"All right, Gayle, enough," Ponsetto says, waving at her laptop dismissively.
After the interview, King tells the other anchors that Ponsetto's attorney suggested she not wear the "Daddy" cap. She refused.
Worst lawyer ever.
1. She let her client be filmed discussing a case she wasn’t charged yet & interview could be used as evidence of her singling boy out
2. She never interrupts to prevent client from incriminating herself
Disgusting she frames self as a girl & boy as a man
“Life Is Good, But It Can Better” is a memorable quote uttered by the character Maxwell Lord in the 2020 DC superhero film Wonder Woman 1984. Online, images of Lord saying the line are used in a series comparison memes (similar to Drakeposting).
Origin
On December 25th, 2020, Warner Bros. studio released the film Wonder Woman 1984 in theaters and on HBO Max. In the film, television businessman Maxwell Lord (portrayed by Pedro Pascal) points at fans and says his catchphrase, “Life is good, but it can better” (shown below).
Following the release of the film, people began sharing images and GIFs of Lord saying the line. For example, on December 26th, 2020, Twitter user @123porRod tweeted a GIF with the caption “Life is good, but it can be better” (shown below).
On December 28th, Twitter user @pingpongflix tweeted the earliest known comparison meme featuring the images, comparing Zack Snyder’s Justice League to the cinematic universe proposed by Snyder. The post received more than 2,100 likes and 550 retweets in less than two weeks (shown below, left).
Throughout the week, others began sharing memes that use the format (examples below, center and right).
Several media outlets covered the meme, including The Mary Sue and Mashable.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise, businesses across the country – especially local restaurants – have once again been forced to close their doors. Many shuttering for good. According to a September 2020 analysis by Yelp, Hawaii, California, and Nevada have the highest rate of permanent restaurant closures, with Los Angeles having the record number of temporary and permanent closures across the country. The National Restaurant Association predicts 43% of California restaurants will not survive the pandemic.
Even if a restaurant doesn’t face permanent closure, the impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry, in general, and independent restaurants, in specific, is immense. And it’s going to reverberate for years to come.
Faced with bleak odds, hard costs, and the need for income, many chefs and restaurateurs have taken innovative approaches to their own survival. We’ve seen lauded restaurants turn into high-end commissaries, to-go joints, and meal-kit creators. The general mantra for chefs (already experimental types) has been “try stuff” — and try they have, to varying degrees of success.
Among these forward-thinkers is Executive Chef Phillip Frankland Lee, founder of Scratch Restaurants Group — the team behind Sushi|Bar and Scratch|Bar & Kitchen. Lee’s many accolades include being a San Pellegrino “Young Chef 2015” finalist and getting named in Zagat’s “30 under 30,” along with being mentioned in the Michelin Guide. He’s also a favorite of our resident Top Chef recapper, Vince Mancini, appearing on the show in 2016.
Megan Young
Lee’s appreciation for sushi began at the age of 13, when he began buying sushi books and learning how to prepare rolls and sashimi at home. Together with his wife, Margarita Kallas-Lee, co-owner and a pastry chef for Scratch’s various projects, the chef opened the first Sushi|Bar three years ago in Los Angeles, before expanding to Santa Barbara.
“That’s been a passion of mine… pretty much my whole life at this point,” Lee says.
On the heels of Top Chef and heaps of media praise, the company boomed. But when the pandemic hit, all six of Lee’s restaurants had to quickly transition to takeout — which presented a major challenge when dealing with a business model based on tasting menus and serving raw fish. At the time of the lockdowns, Scratch|Bar & Kitchen consisted of a 25-course tasting menu and Sushi|Bar offered a 17-course omakase service, neither of which proved particularly to-go friendly.
There was a sliver of hope for the Scratch team when California restaurants were permitted to reopen over the summer — operating with patio service only — but that was dashed in late November, as California became the poster child of failed pandemic response and a new round of full lockdowns was initiated in LA county.
“It broke our hearts to have to go to our staff a couple of weeks before Christmas and tell them they don’t have jobs anymore,” Lee says. “I immediately thought to myself, ‘I’m not okay with this. I’m going to go out and find a place that will let us operate.’”
Compelled by his love for the Sushi|Bar family, Lee began reaching out to friends across the country, on the hunt for the right place to operate a pop-up.
“The biggest motivation for me is my team,” he says. “My little brother runs one of the restaurants. My sister is our bookkeeper. My wife’s father builds all our restaurants. It really is a family business. We don’t look at our team as staff or employees. We look at them as family members.”
Megan Young
The search for a temporary home ended in Austin, Texas, where Lee found a situation that offered favorable business conditions, friendly chefs, and a dining public eager to try new things. After running a three-week pop-up during SXSW in 2013, he felt comfortable that the local food scene would connect with his inventive style.
“I told myself, ‘You’re going to go out there and sign a deal,’” Lee says. “‘I don’t know how, but I’m going to do it.’’”
In Austin. the chef was introduced to Bento Picnic’s chef-owner, Leanne Valenti, and the two immediately hit it off. Less than two weeks later, the Scratch pop-up was opened to the public.
“The impetus for this was I really wasn’t okay with my staff not being paid over the holidays,” Lee says. “So, I said, ‘How many of you want to relocate and go work?’”
Lee bought eager team members their plane tickets and rented a house — the Texas-iteration of the Sushi|Bar concept has been running since December 29th. The pop-up, which is located within a private dining room of Bento Picnic, features a 17-course omakase menu. It’s Lee’s boldly creative, Instagram-friendly cooking in a new setting — a true culinary experience.
Leanne Valenti
Upon arrival at the Sushi|Bar pop-up, you’re greeted with a sake-based welcome cocktail before entering the dimly lit dining room for the full omakase sushi experience. To keep diners safe, the room seats only six people and there are large plexiglass barriers between each pair of guests. As in a traditional omakase experience, dinners face the cutting boards, watching the chefs work.
From yellowtail to a toro and caviar combo exclusive to Sushi|Bar, each bite matches flavor with innovation (including a tasty dessert crafted by Kallas-Lee). With all the excuses in the world to cut corners, Lee and company cut none — making all their own soy sauce and using fresh wasabi imported from Japan. Drink pairings consist of sake, wine, and beer.
Upon completion of the 17 courses, guests have the chance to wind down their evening with Kyoto, Japan’s acclaimed pale ale, Lucky Dog, from a cedarwood masu box – adding a divine exclamation point to the experience.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGt6ZSsDVL6
Lee’s mission while California remains in lockdown is to continue to host pop-ups in Austin and beyond – and maybe even find something permanent. Though the current run is scheduled to last through the end of January, the goal is to operate for an additional 60 to 90 days before evaluating if Sushi|Bar will remain a long-term fixture in Austin. Meanwhile, the Scratch team is considering more pop-ups in Hawaii, North Carolina, and Florida (specifically Miami) for 2021.
“If 2020 taught us one thing it’s to turn on a dime,” Lee says. “My team has gotten good at it. We’ve had days where we’re indoors and at three o’clock in the afternoon, the California government says, ‘You can’t open tonight. You have to go to the patio.’ For me, it’s very important to just assess the situation and move forward.”
Though the need to support local and independent restaurants can’t be overstated, the situation is certainly serious, and chefs like Lee (who have been successful on TV and on the award circuit) have a leg up, his positive outlook remains admirable.
“Don’t give up and don’t take no for an answer,” he says. “You can always figure it out. All that energy you have crying and saying, ‘Poor me’ or ‘Why is this happening to me?’ – figure it out, especially in Austin. I believe that when there’s a will there’s a way — just go and do it.”
Regardless of what happens by the end of the season or even after filming for Season 8 of 90 Day Fiancé ends, things may have to change for the couple before they get better. Jovi works in underwater robotics and, because it takes him all over the world, it has afforded him a pretty lavish lifestyle. But that was before he had a fiancé who wants him to stay home more than a couple of weeks every month.
Yara complained to Jovi on the show that if he’s away from home as much as he is due to his job, it will be hard on her when they start a family. Jovi is intent on keeping his work / life balance the way it is, but Yara already has one foot half-way out the door. If the rumors are to be believed, however, maybe Yara and Jovi having a baby has actually helped their relationship.
Watch 90 Day Fiancé on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.
The Hold Steady have been around for nearly two decades and they’re far from finished releasing new music. Gearing up for the debut of their eighth studio album, Open Door Policy, the band shares the driving single “Heavy Covenant.”
“Heavy Covenant” is the second single shared of their Open Door Policy LP, following the raucous track “Family Farm.” Speaking about the new single in a statement, The Hold Steady’s vocalist Craig Finn says the song came together relatively seamlessly:
“‘Heavy Covenant’ is a song about travel, technology, and human connection. The song came out of two different music pieces that The Hold Steady piano/keyboardist Franz Nicolay brought in, and with the help of producer Josh Kaufman, we combined them. It came together quickly, and when our friends Stuart and Jordan came in and added the horns to the chorus it really seemed to bring it together. To us, this song is a great indication of where the band’s sound is at in 2021.”
About their Open Door Policy album as a whole, Finn said: “Open Door Policy was very much approached as an album vs. a collection of individual songs, and it feels like our most musically expansive record. This album was written and almost entirely recorded before the pandemic started, but the songs and stories explore power, wealth, mental health, technology, capitalism, consumerism, and survival – issues which have compounded in 2020.”
Listen to The Hold Steady’s “Heavy Covenant” above and check out their Open Door Policy album cover and tracklist below.
In the chaos of the attack on the Capitol two days ago, some important stories have gotten a bit buried. One story that’s not getting the attention it should—ironically, because journalists usually do everything they can to not make themselves the story—is the violent attacks on the press that took place.
New York Times staff photographer Erin Schaff described her harrowing experience in a Twitter post shared by her colleague Emily Cochrane.
In Schaff’s words:
“Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched. At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away.
But then the police found me. I told them that I was a photojournalist and that my pass had been stolen, but they didn’t believe me. They drew their guns, pointed them and yelled at me to get down on my hands and knees. As I lay on the ground, two other photojournalists came into the hall and started shouting “She’s a journalist!”
the fact that @erinschaff experienced THIS and still filed photos and wrote about makes me want to cry all over aga… https://t.co/nYwfhObRGf
Another photographer, John Minchillo from the Associated Press, was physically assaulted, with the attack being caught on video. Some in the crowd seemed to think he’s part of ANTIFA, despite him clearly and repeatedly pointing out his press credentials. At one point, he is violently thrown over a wall and you can hear someone yelling that they were going to kill him, but he thankfully was escorted away without injury.
The AP, which is known for being one of the least biased, most factual news outlets, had a bunch of their equipment destroyed by the mob, who chanted “CNN sucks” while destroying it. You’d think the big “AP” stickers on some of the equipment would have offered a clue that it was not CNN’s, but no one is accusing these folks of being the sharpest pencils in the pack.
Outside the Capitol, pro-Trump protesters are smashing cameras and other media equipment yelling “CNN sucks!”
One… https://t.co/8TF028ZltW
It should be crystal clear to anyone who values democracy that an attack on the free press is never okay. The freedom of the press is enshrined in the first amendment of the Constitution, and since the people who stormed the Capitol building were attempting to put themselves in the place of our duly elected government, their attacks on the press were an attack not just on the individuals and media outlets involved, but on the Constitution itself.
It shouldn’t be surprising that people who have been told pretty much daily that the news media is the “enemy of the people” would eventually take that rhetoric seriously. This is exactly what people who criticized the president’s extreme language warned would eventually happen.
People can have legitimate criticisms of media companies while still recognizing that the journalists working on the ground are heroes of democracy who put themselves into harm’s way to keep us informed about what’s happening in the world. These are people who document history as it happens. They are the eyes and ears of the people, and without them we would truly be living in darkness.
Attacks on the free press are attacks on democracy itself and should be called out as such. And the fact that these attacks came not from some outside terrorist group, but from a group of American citizens violently attacking an entire branch of our federal government, should be a huge wake-up call about where we are and the extremist rhetoric that led us here.
Donald Trump may have pardoned former national security advisor Michael Flynn, but he can’t do anything to keep the conspiracy theorist and convicted felon on his favorite social media site. NBC News reporters Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny wrote on Friday that Michael Flynn and Trump lawyer Sidney Powell had been permanently banned from the social media platform after spreading QAnon conspiracies that helped, in part, spark a MAGA riot that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Trump’s behalf on Wednesday.
QAnon followers, who believe Trump was elected to save the United States from a cabal of Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic child predators in the Democratic Party and also Hollywood, played a huge part in organizing and carrying out mob violence in Washington, D.C. that left five people dead and resulted in the biggest breach of the U.S. Capitol since the War of 1812. And as arrests of those responsible and talk of a second impeachment of Trump for inciting the violence dominated news coverage on Friday, word that several Trump surrogates were banned from Twitter also made the rounds:
Flynn and Powell both counseled with Trump at the White House in recent weeks as part of efforts to overturn election results. They are also high-profile figures in the QAnon community, and Flynn even took an “oath” to the conspiracy theory last year.
“The accounts have been suspended in line with our policy on Coordinated Harmful Activity. We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm, and given the renewed potential for violence surrounding this type of behavior in the coming days, we will permanently suspend accounts that are solely dedicated to sharing QAnon content,” a Twitter spokesperson told NBC News.
This is, perhaps, the least of Powell’s worries: Friday brought word that Dominion Voting Systems is suing her to the tune of $1.3 billion for amplifying false claims that the company committed widespread voter fraud in an effort to steal the election from Donald Trump.
The report also noted that the person many believe to be behind many widespread QAnon posts, Ron Watkins, who runs the message board where Q drops are now posted, also had his account deleted. The conspiracy, apart from being completely baseless and wildly detached from reality, originated from a game on message boards far removed from the mainstream. That the conspiracy became popular and was openly shared on a more mainstream site, and it took real-world violence and sedition to remove it from Twitter, really speaks to the long leash afforded to Trump and his followers. After Wednesday, and with Trump’s days in office officially numbered, that stance appears to be changing.
Popular Minecraft creator Dream has found himself in a tough situation, as he was recently doxxed by a handful of viewers shortly after rumors that he had died began to circulate. All of this follows a recent scandal over a speedrun, which was accused of being faked.
To add to the drama, his ex-girlfriend, Sam, has reportedly been posting TikToks and other videos bashing the creator, accusing him of abuse and mistreatment while they were together.
Dream took to his second Twitter on Jan. 7 to address all of these claims. In a TwitLonger, he discussed the doxxing and how he thinks his ex is connected to it.
Who is Sam, Dream’s ex-girlfriend?
It’s unclear how long Dream and Sam dated, though they were together at the beginning of Dream’s YouTube career. If you look back at old livestreams and videos, you can hear him talking to a “Sam,” which many believe is his ex.
The two eventually split, and have been separated for more than a year, though Dream has not publicly commented as to why they broke up. In his statement, he alluded to infidelity, though did not offer specifics.
In the statement, Dream said Sam suffers from borderline personality disorder and self harm. He clarified that he doesn’t believe these things make her a bad person — in fact, she supported him when he started his channel— but said she may not be getting the help she needs. This, he says, is connected with some of the recent drama he’s had to deal with.
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Dream said he believes his ex is connected with the recent drama.
While part of what makes Dream so popular is the anonymity of his online presence (he has never revealed his face on camera), the creator said in his TwitLonger that he believes his ex-girlfriend is connected to the recent doxxing attempt.
“She has recently been in contact with people that want to do harm to me or my family,” he wrote, referring to those who doxxed him.
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“A lot of the things that have been said are very obviously not true and lead me to believe that she was taken advantage of by people who really want to do harm to me,” he continued. “I think that people taking advantage of people with mental health issues is a huge problem in today’s world, and this is a really good example of that. I truly believe that when my ex is healthy and stable she is a wonderful person.”
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He clarified that just because she might’ve helped some of his personal information get leaked, he does not wish for any of his fans to attack her. He stated, “she doesn’t deserve any more hate than anyone else.”
“There are certain people that try and seek her out and cancel her or harass her for the things she’s done in the past, and I really hope that me talking in detail about this will make them stop. I don’t want anyone sending hate on my behalf, and I have said that on many occasions,” he wrote.
Dream said he believes the videos on the internet where she talks fondly of him are a more accurate portrayal of his ex, and that he hopes she gets the help she needs soon.
“I truly think that she is a victim here and I really don’t support any hate towards her at all,” he said. “She deserves support and care and to be helped by the people who care about her. Mental health is a serious issue, and she’s been going through problems for a long time.”
If you or someone you know needs help, use SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to find support for mental health and substance use disorders in your area: https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov, or call 1-800-662-4357 for 24-hour assistance.
