Controversial S#!T

Amid all the chaos in Australia over renewed COVID lockdowns, a damning report claims a local government killed a bunch of rescue dogs ... to keep the volunteers from going out.

The allegation stems from a Sydney Morning Herald story published Sunday, which cites a watchdog org that keeps tabs on the Bourke Shire Council ... which sits in a rural area in New South Wales. The shelter, which isn't named, apparently lies in the town of Cobar.

Per the outlet, the watchdog claims it'd been informed of the local council's decision to recently gun down a handful of rescue pups at a nearby pound -- this as a result of what they say is the government's twisted interpretation of Australia's newly imposed restrictions.

The idea behind this alleged onslaught ... keep the volunteers from leaving their home and potentially interacting/spreading the virus. To that end, apparently, they offed the pooches.

The watchdog also says they're investigating whether any laws were broken by the command -- namely, whether any companion animal or cruelty violations were at play. The cruelty one certainly seems like a viable claim ... 'cause this might've been totally unnecessary.

SMH says an anonymous source directly familiar with the shelter's staff/protocol claims they already had COVID measures in place to handle the dogs ... adding one was a new mom.

The drastic move speaks to just how crazy things are down under at the moment -- the government is enforcing strict rules for its residents ... which has led to a lot of unrest, protests and clashes with police -- especially this weekend, where people are out in force.

The issue has gotten so heated that people are finding creative ways to push back -- including reports of big rig truck drivers refusing to deliver goods en masse and slow down the economy. Some people have even gone the Paul Revere route to rally the citizenry.

It's a complicated matter. Like we said ... cases are through the roof there and the government appears to be doing what it thinks is best for its people. But, they're clearly not all down with the method -- and as it relates to the dogs that were allegedly killed ... it's BS.

Donald Trump can say just about anything to his base and they will cheer ... anything, with one big exception -- urging folks to get the vaccine.

Trump was booed -- yes booed -- during a rally in Cullman, Alabama Saturday night, after urging the crowd to get the COVID shot. "I believe totally in your freedoms," he said. "I do, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I recommend taking the vaccines. I did it. It's good."  You'd think he just told them to surrender their guns, because the crowd turned on him.

"That's okay, that's alright," Trump said, pressing on. "But I happen to take the vaccine. If it doesn't work, you'll be the first to know. But it is working. You do have your freedoms, you have to maintain that."

And, there's more. Trump has bragged in the past about his "good relationship" with the Taliban.

At the rally, Trump praised the Taliban as "great negotiators" and "tough fighters." He also said, “with me in office the Taliban would not have ever dreamt of capturing our airfield or parading around with our American weapons.”

He even suggested we might send our troops back to Afghanistan ... curious, since he's the one who set the wheels in motion for the withdrawal.

A husband was not down with his wife allegedly hectoring a Black couple -- berating her in front of them ... but there may be more to the story here than meets the eye, in a bad way.

Check out this wild confrontation that was apparently shot a couple months ago at a gas station somewhere, at which an apparent husband and wife got into a shouting match/scuffle on camera ... all in front of a Black man and woman who were filming.

It's unclear what exactly led up to this ... but you can see the hubby scolding his gal loudly for what sounds like some trouble she may have been giving the bystanders, seemingly over race. It gets pretty heated here -- the guy demands she get in the car and leave them alone.

The woman is defiant ... refusing to cooperate, and at one point -- calling the Black couple drug dealers. To that, the man asks ... why, 'cause they drive a Buick??? It's crazy.

Now, it appears there was a battle going on between these 2 even before whatever run-in the woman might've had with the couple ... because there's the first part to this encounter, and it's pretty ugly. The man and woman are seen physically fighting, and come to blows.

OnlyFans banning hardcore content will bite 'em in the ass, 'cause it's a tell-tale sign of selling out ... so says a guy whose porn star fiancee cleaned up there once upon a time.

We got "No Jumper" podcaster/host Adam22 Friday in L.A. and asked for his thoughts on OF nixing explicit material going forward ... something his baby mama, Lena the Plug, was posting on her own page in recent months -- and who often features Adam in her shoots.

Adam says it's a shame OnlyFans is getting rid of their best feature ... he seems to think it might be the end of the platform as it once was -- while also speculating that another competitor can swoop in right now and pick up all the creators who might jump ship.

The dude also tells us it's a mainstream move to bow to their corporate partners ... calling it exploitative to have built a rep on sex content, but then turn it off on a dime when they feel pressure from up high.

He calls it soaking in the clout, only to pull the rug out from under-sex workers ... which he considers screwed up, to say the least. Bottom line -- Adam thinks OF will become just like any other premium content platform now ... like Patreon or any number of sites like it. And, he suggests that he and Lena (plus thousands of others) might take their business elsewhere.

Now, we should make a point of clarification -- because while straight banging won't be allowed on OF anymore ... it seems people can still get naked on there if they so please.

Mississippi health officials seem to be dumbfounded they have to say this, but they're doing it regardless -- because people are dumb ... ingesting a livestock drug to battle COVID.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs had to say as much this week during a press call, where he and others were forced to address the soaring number of people there who are apparently ingesting ivermectin at an alarming rate ... all in an effort to ward off the virus.

Local reports say that the majority of poison control calls in Mississippi lately -- a whopping 70%, no less -- are related to folks calling for advice after having taken ivermectin as some sort of COVID remedy. Supposedly, these are people looking for alternatives to the vaccine.

BTW, this drug is usually for livestock (like cows/horses) ... and it's made to fight off parasites that grow in their gut, like worms and whatnot. There have been instances where humans have also been prescribed ivermectin for similar purposes, but in way smaller doses.

As Dr. Dobbs notes in his remarks, taking ivermectin straight out of a box you might find at an animal feed or farm supply store can be VERY toxic and even kill you ... so, it goes without saying, that he doesn't recommend it -- and instead, suggests people just vaxx up.

Speaking of these stores, a photo was circulating this week purportedly showing a shop in Mississippi hawking ivermectin ... and apparently encouraging customers to stock up. It's unclear how exactly this quack treatment started making the rounds, but it looks like many are well aware of it, and a portion of them are even giving it a go with bad results.

Even the FDA had to step in and say something about this ... they tweeted out a direct warning against taking ivermectin, wisely noting that we humans are not cows or horses.

The Taliban is rubbing America's nose in the mess left behind in Afghanistan -- and they're doing so with a massive troll move ... recreating an iconic war photo, for their own purposes.

A Taliban military unit that calls themselves the Badri 313 Battalion put out a ton of propaganda footage this week -- showing a bunch of these guys rocking what appears to be American uniforms and gear left behind in the chaos from the past few weeks.

They're out there patrolling the streets in fatigues that are eerily similar to what U.S. soldiers have worn in the area ... only now, the Taliban seems to have gotten ahold of it. The B313B boys also have rifles in hand, and they're also using jeeps that seem to be American too.

That's not the worst of it though -- in what appears to be a total F-U to the USA, the battalion also posted a photo of them raising a Taliban flag ... in the same style as the shot of American troops raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima during WWII.

There doesn't seem to be a caption attached, but the message couldn't be more clear ... they see this as them claiming victory in the region, which is exactly what this pic has gone on to represent in our history. It's a slap in the face, really ... an audacious one at that.

BTW, what you're seeing here as far as artillery and weaponry and whatnot being used by the Taliban is just a taste of what's said to be part of a total estimate of about $28 billion worth of gear we'd sent to Afghan army forces dating back to the early 2000s.

Bill Maher took a subject that, on the surface, doesn't seem debatable, and he then tore it apart ... Apple announcing it would scan customers' phones for child porn.

The "Real Time" host was incredulous ... calling it a shocking breach of privacy. Mind you, he was not pro child porn, but he said there's a much bigger issue. A phone, he argued, is no different than a wallet or a purse. No one would argue those items are fair game for others to peruse, so what's the different between a wallet and a phone?

He did get something wrong ... he called it a "blatant Constitutional breach" and a violation of the 4th Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. Fact is ... that only applies to government intrusions -- not private companies. Nevertheless, we get the point.

Bill then went on to make a larger point ... the damage smart phones do to our society. As he says, "They turn people into assholes."

Christine Quinn says Chrishell Stause hasn't gotten any favoritism just because her boss/BF Jason Oppenheim ... at least not yet.

We got the "Selling Sunset" star Friday leaving Starbucks on Sunset Blvd. and our photog wondered what all the fans of the show are thinking ... is Chrishell being served hot listings by her boss/BF on a silver platter?

The question's fair ... considering "Selling Sunset" fans know once upon a time Jason dated/hooked up with Mary Fitzgerald ... one of the agents at The Oppenheim Group.

It was quickly revealed in season 2 the women had serious gripes with Jason and took him to task ... accusing him of giving Mary coveted listings.

Well, fast forward to now ... Jason's dating another one of his agents ... and while Christine says she hasn't seen Jason show Chrishell any favoritism ... it's easy to see why people are skeptical.

So far so good ... says Christine, who went on to make some jokes at Mary's expense.

Sad and infuriating news out of SeaWorld where a 6-year-old female orca is dead, and the embattled San Diego marine park says it has no clue why.

SeaWorld says the orca, named Amaya, died unexpectedly Thursday with her animal care specialists by her side. The park says she'd shown signs of illness on Wednesday, but at this point they don't have a cause of death ... and won't until a post-mortem exam is complete, and that could take several weeks.

A spokesperson for the park said animal care specialists and veterinarians began treating Amaya immediately on Wednesday, but "despite her care team’s efforts, Amaya’s condition continued to deteriorate. Her death was sudden and unexpected."

The spokesperson described Amaya as "one of the most playful whales in our pod" and that she loved "interacting with her animal care specialists."

SeaWorld's no stranger to controversy over the treatment of its whales and other animals. According to the non-profit Whale and Dolphin Conservation USA ... at least 49 orcas have died at SeaWorld's 3 parks.

The park also came under heavy fire when the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" was released -- and the public pressure led to SeaWorld nixing its breeding program.

The documentary largely focused on the struggles of Tilikum, a male orca that died at 36 in 2017.

Amaya was crucial in helping the park research how a calf develops ... albeit in captivity.

OnlyFans is going to have a new look this fall ... the subscription site says it's about to enact a ban on pornography.

The company says the ban on sexually explicit content is going in to effect Oct. 1 ... and seemingly blames the decision on outside pressure, saying it's making the big change to get in line with requests from banking partners and payout providers.

The company says it's got to evolve to "ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans."

As you know, OnlyFans is mostly filled with women and men reeling in subscribers with nude videos and photos, and porn. It's lucrative too.

Bhad Bhabie raked in $1 million in just 6 hours in her OnlyFans debut back in April, a record for the site.

It sounds like there will still be some wiggle room for nude content on OnlyFans moving forward ... the company says creators will still be allowed to post content with nudity as long at it jibes with their "Acceptable Use Policy."

Colin Kaepernick hasn't played a single snap in the NFL since January 2017, but he's still a better QB than half the starters in the league ... this, according to the new Madden 22 ratings.

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... the 33-year-old ex-San Francisco 49ers star-turned-social justice icon is featured in the newest edition of the uber-popular EA Sports franchise ... and comes with an eye-popping 81 overall rating.

To compare, that's a higher rating than Los Angeles Chargers star signal-caller Justin Herbert, who just won Offensive Rookie of the Year with 4,336 passing yards, 31 TDs, 10 INTs and 230 rushing yards.

In Kap's best statistical year -- 2014 -- he threw for 3,369 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INTs and 639 rushing yards.

Kap's 81 rating is above Herbert (80), Kirk Cousins (79), Trevor Lawrence 78, Ben Roethlisberger (78), Joe Burrow (77) and Jared Goff (77).

While Kap's speed rating is NOT good -- he's at an 83, which is the same as Baker Mayfield-- he's in the top 10 for QB awareness with 87 ... ahead of guys like Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray.

Of course, there's a touchy history between Madden and Kap -- remember, his name was removed from Big Sean's "Big Bank" verse on the game's soundtrack in 2018 ... but EA Sports apologized and chalked it up to a mistake by a member of their team.

Kap was also featured in Madden 21 ... with a better rating than guys like Baker Mayfield and Cam Newton.

Kaepernick -- who first started his national anthem demonstration in August 2016 -- has accused the NFL of blackballing him ... and commissioner Roger Goodell later admitted the league mishandled the player protests.

Shohei Ohtani says he was unbothered by the accent Jack Morris used on the broadcast during one of his at-bats Tuesday ... saying, "I'm not offended and I didn’t take anything personally."

"He is a Hall of Famer," the Angels superstar said of Morris through an interpreter on Wednesday night. "He has a big influence in the baseball world. It's kind of a tough spot."

If you missed it ... Morris -- a Detroit Tigers analyst -- was suspended indefinitely Wednesday after he made offensive comments during Detroit's tilt with L.A. on Tuesday.

Just before Ohtani -- who is Japanese -- stepped to the plate in the 6th inning, Morris used an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said on the broadcast.

Morris eventually apologized three innings later ... but Bally Sports Detroit ultimately still decided to suspend him, calling the remarks "insensitive."

The Tigers, for their part, backed the decision, saying, "We are deeply disappointed by the comments made by Jack Morris during the broadcast."

President Biden has no regrets over the U.S.'s chaotic exit from Afghanistan ... because he says they didn't make any mistakes.

The Prez told George Stephanopoulos he didn't think pulling out troops, U.S. citizens and allies from the war-torn country could have been handled any better.

When asked if any mistakes were made Biden said "no" before adding, "The idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."

Biden, who gained wide popularity because of his empathy, did not show it when asked how he felt when he saw video of more than 600 Afghans packed into a C-17 at the Kabul airport. He did not express sorrow for them ... and that's uncharacteristic.

George grilled Biden on whether U.S. troops might stay beyond the August 31 deadline. Biden hedged at first, saying it "depends on where we are," but Stephanopoulos wouldn't let it go, and Biden finally said he might keep troops past that deadline to get all Americans out. He did not, however, say he would keep our troops there to get the 10's of thousands of Afghan allies out who helped us in the war effort.

If you're thinking of freaking out on a plane, hope you're flush with cash, because freak-outs don't come cheap. Some off-the-rails passengers have been fined and the total is now more than a million bucks.

The FAA just hit a milestone (a bad one) in the total amount of penalties they've dished out thus far in 2021 ... there have been 3,889 reports of unruly behavior this year, and many of these ridiculous passengers have been socked with huge fines.

Most of the in-flight eruptions involve disputes over mask-wearing. There are also a bunch of alcohol-related disturbances. For example ...

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $45,000 for throwing objects, including his carry-on at other passengers, lying on the aisle floor, and then grabbing a flight attendant by the ankles and putting his head up her skirt.

-- A Frontier Airlines passenger was socked with a $30,000 fine after trying to gain entry to the cockpit by assaulting 2 flight attendants, threatening to kill one of them, and demanding they open the door.

-- A JetBlue passenger was fined $17,530 for failing to comply with the mask mandate, vaping on the plane and drinking alcohol not served by the airline.

-- An Allegiant Airlines passenger was fined $10,500 for refusing to wear a face mask and then urinating on the bathroom floor, which leaked into the galley.

Turns out a lot of these passengers got dinged for bringing alcohol on board -- which is a no-no -- and then getting belligerent.

The fines we were provided are all hefty -- starting at $7,500. On top of that, some passengers have been charged with crimes.

It's gotten so bad, flight attendants are now duct-taping out-of-control passengers to their seats.

New "Jeopardy!" host Mike Richards is apologizing for some insensitive remarks he made about women on his old podcast ... he says it's "a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment."

Here's the deal ... Mike used to host a podcast from 2013 to 2014 when he was the executive producer at "The Price Is Right" and he's now under fire for referring to his female co-host as a "booth ho" and "booth slut," among other degrading remarks aimed at women.

The podcast, called "The Randumb Show," has already been scrubbed from the Internet after The Ringer reported on Mike's derogatory comments, which also include him asking his female co-host and his assistant if they had ever taken "booby pictures," during a segment about leaked celebrity nudes.

According to The Ringer, Mike also went on the podcast and said women "dress like a hooker" for Halloween, said a former employee who took up baking would get "giant" and said one-piece swimsuits make some women "look really frumpy and overweight."

There's a lot more comments of the same ilk, according to The Ringer, but these are the lowlights.

Mike's apologizing in a statement, via Sony, telling us ... "It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry."

He adds ... "The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes."

As you know ... Mike was just announced as the new day-to-day host of "Jeopardy!" and lots of folks aren't happy. He's also denied allegations of discriminating against pregnant women at his past stops.

Detroit Tigers analyst Jack Morris apologized on-air Tuesday night ... after he used an offensive accent before an at-bat by Angels star Shohei Ohtani.

Just before the L.A. designated hitter -- who's Japanese -- stepped up to the plate in the 6th inning of the Halos' game against the Tigers ... Morris tried to be funny on the broadcast by using an accent that many felt was mocking Asians.

"Be very, very careful," Morris said when asked by play-by-play man Matt Shepard how the Tigers should pitch to the hitter.

Morris' remarks were immediately panned on social media ... with critics calling them racist and offensive.

In fact, the backlash grew so loud ... Morris issued an apology for the words just 3 innings later.

"Well, folks, Shohei Ohtani is coming to the plate and it's been brought to my attention, and I sincerely apologize if I offended anybody, especially anybody in the Asian community for what I said about pitching and being careful to Shohei Ohtani," Morris said.

"I did not intend for any offensive thing and I apologize if I did. I certainly respect and have the utmost respect for this guy and don't blame a pitcher for walking him."

Morris -- a former MLB pitcher who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 -- has been analyzing games on broadcasts for years ... helping call tilts for the Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers.