Wednesday, June 1 top stories
It is Wednesday, June 1. Here are today’s top stories.
Amber Heard found liable of defaming Johnny Depp
The jury in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation case found that Heard is liable for defamation, that she acted with actual malice, and created false statements about Depp when she wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post in 2018 in which she said she was a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp and Heard were married in 2015 and divorced in 2017. The article clearly pointed a finger at Depp and framed him as an abuser, which is something that Depp has denied and as a result brought a lawsuit.
The jury said Heard is liable for $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The first figure has to do with the work that Depp lost as a result of Heard’s defamatory statements, and the second has to do with punishment for the action.
In this case, Heard countersued Depp, and the jury found that Depp did also defame Heard through his attorney based on a story in the Daily Mail in which Heard was accused of intentionally causing a mess in her apartment so law enforcement would become suspicious that there was abuse. The jury found that story had no basis in fact and awarded Heard $2 million for compensatory damages and $0 for punitive damages. The jury ruled against Heard’s two other claims of defamation from Depp.
The trial lasted six weeks and there was a lot of public interest in it. Both Depp and Heard accused each other of being abusive. Heard won a similar case in the U.K. two years ago.
Yellowstone visitor gored by bison
The Yellowstone National Park said in a news release that a 25-year-old female visitor from Ohio was gored by a bison and tossed 10 feet in the air. The woman had a puncture wound and other injuries and was hospitalized. The park said the woman was walking on a boardwalk near the Black Sand Basin when she saw a bison within 10 feet away and decided to approach it instead of walking away to keep a safe 25 yards distance. The park warned that bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans and that bison has injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal.
Florida man killed by alligator while searching for disc golf frisbees
On Tuesday in Largo, Florida, a 47-year-old man was swimming in a lake near a disc golf park to search for disc golf frisbee when he was bitten by an alligator and died. Authorities captured two alligators, one 10 feet long and another 8 feet long and euthanized them but found no evidence that they bitten the man so they are monitoring other alligators in the lake. There are signs that warn of alligators around the lake. It is common for people to dive in a lake to search for disc golf frisbees because either they are trying to get their own discs or because it’s an opportunity to make money by selling them. Although Florida is full of alligators, there have been no fatal alligator attack since 2019.
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Egypt showcases new trove of ancient artifacts
On Monday, Egypt’s antiquities authorities showcased a trove of ancient artifacts that were recently retrieved from a necropolis (ancient cemetery) near Cairo. The items include 250 painted sarcophagi with mummies inside of them and 150 bronze statues of ancient gods. The items are believed to date back to around 500 B.C., which is around 2,500 years ago. The items will be a part of an exhibit at a new museum that is under construction near the Giza Pyramids.
Biden administration sending rocket systems to Ukraine
The Biden administration announced it would send rocket systems to Ukraine as a part of a $700 million security package. The rocket system is called HIMARS for short and it will provide Ukrainian troops with greater precision to attack Russian troops. The rockets are mounted on trucks and have a range of around 45 miles. The Biden administration said the rockets are not intended for Ukraine to conduct airstrikes across the Russian border and that Ukrainian leaders have said they wouldn’t fire them into Russian territory. The U.S. is continuing to provide an array of weapons such as Javelin missiles, helicopters, and ammunition.
Currently there is intense fighting in the town of Sievierodonetsk, which is in the eastern Donbas region.
19 custom caskets for Uvalde child victims
A Texas artist who specializes in creating custom caskets and urns, Trey Ganem, has created 19 custom caskets for the children who were killed in the Uvalde elementary school shooting.
Ganem said his team talked with the families to know more about the children and who they were before creating caskets that are “personalized to that specific person.” The caskets are beautifully painted and heartbreaking to look at, because they are child-sized and represent a child’s life cut short. They include paintings of the Superman logo, cartoon dinosaurs, or a casket with pink paintings, basketballs, and the TikTok logo.
Ganem said the families of the deceased do light up when they remember the good things and the fun times they had when the children were alive. He said he believes it helps with the healing process. The team completed 19 caskets in three and a half days.
The first two funerals for the Uvalde victims took place on Tuesday for Amerie Jo Garza and Maite Rodriguez, both 10 years old.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.facebook.com/NowThisEntertainment/videos/695685434847972
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-61633236
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/yellowstone-visitor-dies-bison-gores-tosses-10-feet-rcna31371
https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/220531.htm
https://apnews.com/article/science-egypt-cairo-b5ec9b17c7f77b775a9958fed7f9df8b
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRwuWJRX6T0
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ukraine-aid-package-himars-rockets/