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Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2022, 02:07:34 PM »
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‘Stomach flu’ on the rise again in US. 5 things to know about noroviruses

While COVID-19 cases continue to drop in the U.S., outbreaks of another virus — the stomach flu — are ramping up, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

This comes amid easing virus restrictions nationwide. For most of the U.S., roughly 99.5%, it isn’t recommended to wear a mask indoors in public because of low or medium COVID-19 Community Level as of March 31, the CDC says.

Meanwhile, 448 norovirus outbreaks were reported in the U.S. from Aug. 1, 2021, to March 5, 2022, according to the agency. In comparison, that’s 370 more outbreaks than reported from Aug. 1, 2020, to March 5, 2021, when 78 stomach virus outbreaks were seen.

With people returning to offices and schools — two of the most common spots for norovirus outbreaks — cases of the stomach flu are getting closer to the numbers reported before the pandemic, according to NBC News.

Dr. Robert Atmar, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told the outlet that the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions is likely connected to the rise in norovirus infections.

“Battling norovirus while nursing my sick daughter. Worrying when my son goes to school if he will get Covid …. anxiety levels are reaching breaking point,” British art historian Dr. Janina Ramirez wrote April 5 on Twitter. The norovirus “is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting people of all ages,” according to the Broxbourne Council.

Here’s what to know about the stomach flu:

What are noroviruses?

Noroviruses are themost common cause of acute stomach and intestinal infections in the United States, reports the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. It’s also sometimes called stomach flu, viral gastroenteritis or the winter vomiting bug. The U.S. reports 19 million to 21 million cases a year. Humans are the only hosts of the virus.

The virus was formerly known as the Norwalk virus because thefirst known outbreak took place at an elementary school in Norwalk, Ohio, according to norovirus.com. Scientists identified the virus in 1972 from stool samples stored after the outbreak. It was officially renamed norovirus by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

How contagious are noroviruses?

Extremely. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions thatnoroviruses can be transmitted by infected people, contaminated food or water, or just by touching contaminated surfaces. People with a norovirus are most contagious during the illness and for a few days afterward, and the virus can remain in stool for up to two weeks after the illness. The virus can survive temperature extremes, too.

Also, catching a norovirus doesn’t help you fight it off later, in part because there are many different types of noroviruses – catching one doesn’t protect you from the others.

Where do noroviruses spread?

Cruise ships, nursing homes, daycare centers and schools are common breeding grounds for norovirus – anywhere large numbers of people are packed in close quarters, basically, reports the CDC. Outbreaks on cruise ships frequently make the news, and there are countless travel websites dedicated to tracking cruise lines with the worst records for the illness.

What are the symptoms of a norovirus?

Diarrhea, cramps and vomiting usually start within12 to 48 hours of exposure to the virus, says the Mayo Clinic. Norovirus symptoms normally last one to three days, and most people recover without treatment. But infants, older adults and people with chronic illnesses may require medical attention for dehydration.

Since it’s a virus, antibiotics aren’t any help, and there are no antiviral drugs for noroviruses.

The Mayo Clinic advises that people with norovirus take special care to replace fluids lost by vomiting or diarrhea to prevent dehydration. Drinks like Pedialyte are good for young children, while sports drinks and broths are suggested for adults. But sugary drinks, like sodas and fruit juices, can make diarrhea worse, while alcohol or caffeinated drinks can speed dehydration.

How can you avoid noroviruses?

Good hygiene is the key toavoiding noroviruses, suggests WebMD.com. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, particularly after using the bathroom and before preparing food. Alcohol-based cleaners are not as effective. The site also advises carefully throwing away contaminated items, such as dirty diapers.

Wash raw fruits and vegetables, and cook oysters and other shellfish. Clean and disinfect surfaces with a mixture of detergent and chlorine bleach after someone’s sick, WebMD says. And if you catch a norovirus, don’t prepare food for at least two to three days after you feel better.

© The Charlotte Observer

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2022, 02:07:34 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #17 on: April 10, 2022, 11:41:52 AM »
FDA investigating as hundreds post about experiencing stomach illness after eating Lucky Charms
On a consumer safety website, more than 1,000 people have reported stomach symptoms that they say appeared after eating the cereal.

The Food and Drug Administration said it was looking into reports of stomach illness possibly linked to Lucky Charms cereal.

Though the agency has not issued a formal alert, many people have reported feeling sick after eating the breakfast cereal in posts on the consumer safety website iwaspoisoned.com.

Since April 1, more than 1,000 people across the U.S. have posted about gastrointestinal symptoms that they believe are linked to Lucky Charms, according to Patrick Quade, the website's founder and CEO. Quade said it was the biggest surge of reports related to any single product that he has seen on the site.

Many of the reports mention related symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and green stools.

"The FDA is aware of reports and is looking into the matter. The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury," an FDA official said.

Racquel Ashman, who lives in Georgia, said she and her 7-year-old daughter, Olivia, recently got sick after consuming Lucky Charms. Olivia developed a headache and stomach pain on March 29, one day after eating the cereal.

"She was vomiting everywhere. It was a mess. She had diarrhea. She was complaining of cramps," Ashman said.

At first, Ashman said, she didn't connect her daughter's illness to the cereal. Then, on Saturday, she ate Lucky Charms from the same box.

"On Monday when I woke up, I started feeling absolutely terrible," she said. "I had abdominal cramps. It literally felt worse than my labor pains. I was very confused. I was just vomiting. I couldn't keep anything down at all. I had diarrhea, too. I kept getting chills."

The timing of their illnesses and the overlapping symptoms led Ashman to conclude that the cereal likely made both her and Olivia sick. She posted about it on iwaspoisoned.com.

The website allows anyone to report symptoms and note where they believe the illness originated. The posts are reviewed and curated but not individually investigated. Iwaspoisoned.com is one of several crowd-sourcing sites owned by parent company IWP Health Inc.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-investigates-lucky-charms-stomach-illness-reports-rcna23483

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2022, 03:04:36 PM »
World's oldest person dies in Japan at 119

[

A Japanese woman certified the world's oldest person has died at the age of 119, local officials said Monday.

.... Tanaka was born January 2, 1903, in the southwestern Fukuoka region of Japan, the same year the Wright brothers flew for the first time and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Tanaka was in relatively good health until recently and lived at a nursing home, where she enjoyed board games, solving maths problems, soda and chocolate.

In her younger years, Tanaka ran various businesses including a noodle shop and a rice cake store. She married Hideo Tanaka a century ago in 1922, giving birth to four children and adopting a fifth.

She had planned to use a wheelchair to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the pandemic prevented her from doing so.

When the Guinness World Records recognized her as the oldest person alive in 2019, she was asked what moment she was the most happy in life. Her answer: "Now."

Her daily routine was described at the time as including a 6:00 am wake-up, and afternoons spent studying mathematics and practising calligraphy.

"One of ....'s favourite pastimes is a game of Othello and she's become an expert at the classic board game, often beating rest-home staff," Guinness said.

Local governor Seitaro Hattori hailed Tanaka's life after she passed away on April 19.

"I was looking forward to seeing ....-san on this year's Respect for the Aged Day (a national holiday in September) and celebrating together with her favorite soda and chocolate," he said in a statement on Monday.

"I am extremely saddened by the news."

Japan has the world's most elderly population, according to World Bank data, with around 28 percent aged 65 or over.

The oldest-ever living person verified by Guinness was Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 years and 164 days in 1997.

© 2022 AFP

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2022, 03:04:36 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2022, 12:41:43 PM »

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #20 on: May 02, 2022, 01:33:50 PM »
Former Fox News employee claims network execs encourage white nationalism



In a New York Times deep dive into the growing popularity of Fox News personality Tucker Carlson as his primetime show becomes the go-to cable show for white nationalists, one staffer at the conservative network claimed his fiery rhetoric is not only tolerated but encouraged.

According to the report, decision-makers at the network survey "minute by minute" data indicating viewers' reactions to stories and use that to dictate what should be covered to increase viewership.

According to one former employee interviewed by the Times, "They're all obsessed with the minute-by-minutes. Every second that goes on that network now gets scrutinized."

Another former staffer who worked on Carlson's show added, "He is going to double down on the white nationalism because the minute-by-minutes show that the audience eats it up,"

According to the Times' Nicholas Confessore, "Mr. Carlson’s darkening arc foreshadowed a transformation beginning to sweep through Fox itself. As Mr. Trump fought to build a border wall and keep Muslims out of the United States, Fox’s journalists and right-wing commentators would clash repeatedly over what many longtime staff members saw as a creeping invasion of the news divisions by allies and functionaries of the higher-rated, pro-Trump prime-time hosts," adding, "Mr. Carlson would be both instigator and beneficiary of Fox’s civil war."

A current staffer told the Times that Fox News execs have turned network into the hub of "grievance," clarifying, "the grievance, the stuff that would get people boiled up."

The employee added the execs see selling fear as the road to ratings, giving the example of "They're coming for you, the Blacks are coming for you, the Mexicans are coming for you," to get the point across.

According to the Times report, "From the beginning, Mr. Carlson’s on-air provocations have been part of a painstaking, data-driven campaign to build and hold Fox’s audience, according to former Fox executives and employees — an experiment that has succeeded wildly in bolstering Mr. Murdoch’s profit machine against the long-term decline in cable news subscriptions."

You can read more here:  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/30/us/tucker-carlson-fox-news.html

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #20 on: May 02, 2022, 01:33:50 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #21 on: May 02, 2022, 01:39:35 PM »
Contrary to popular belief, a dog's breed won't predict behavior



They're well-known stereotypes: rottweilers and pit bulls are aggressive, while Labradors and golden retrievers are extra friendly.

But a genetic study published in the journal Science on Thursday involving more than 2,000 dogs paired with 200,000 survey answers from owners demonstrates that the widespread assumptions are largely unfounded.

To be sure, many behavioral traits can be inherited -- but the modern concept of breed offers only partial predictive value for most types of behavior -- and almost none whatsoever for how affectionate a dog will be, or conversely, how quick to anger.

"While genetics plays a role in the personality of any individual dog, specific dog breed is not a good predictor of those traits," said senior author Elinor Karlsson, of UMass Chan and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

"What we found is that the defining criteria of a golden retriever are its physical characteristics -- the shape of its ears, the color and quality of its fur, its size -- not whether it is friendly," she added.

Lead author Kathleen Morrill explained that understanding the relationship between breeds and behavior could be the first step in understanding the genes responsible for psychiatric conditions in humans, like obsessive disorders.

"Although we can't really ask a dog themselves about their problems or thoughts or anxieties, we do know that dogs lead rich emotional lives and experience disorders that manifests in their behavior," she said on a press call.

Implications for legislation

The team sequenced the DNA of 2,155 purebred and mixed-breed dogs to search for common genetic variations that could predict behavior, and combined this info with surveys from 18,385 pet-owner surveys from Darwin's Ark.

The site is an open-source database of owner-reported canine traits and behaviors.

Because existing stereotypes are so powerful, the team designed their questionnaires to account for owner bias.

They established standard definitions for reporting traits such as biddability (dog response to human direction), dog-human sociability (how comfortable dogs are with people, including strangers), and toy-directed motor patterns (how interested they are in toys).

Physical and aesthetic traits were also surveyed.

In all, Karlsson and Morrill found 11 locations on the dog genome associated with behavior differences, including biddability, retrieving, pointing at a target and howling.

Among these behaviors, breed did play some role -- for example, beagles and bloodhounds tend to howl more, border collies are biddable, and Shiba Inus are far less so.

However, there were always exceptions to the rule.

For example, even though Labs had the lowest propensity for howling, eight percent still did. While 90 percent of greyhounds didn't bury their toys, three percent did frequently.

"When we looked at this factor that we called agonistic threshold, which included a lot of questions about whether people's dogs reacted aggressively to things, we weren't seeing an effect of breed ancestry," Karlsson added.

Overall, breed explained just nine percent of variation in behavior, with age a better predictor of some traits, like toy play. Physical traits, however, were five times more likely to be predicted by breed than behavior was.

The idea runs counter to widespread assumptions that have informed legislation. For example, Britain has banned pit bull terriers, as have many US cities.

Human disorders

Prior to the 1800s, dogs were primarily selected for functional roles such as hunting, guarding and herding, the team said in their paper.

"By contrast, the modern dog breed, emphasizing confirmation to physical ideals and purity of lineage, is a Victorian invention," they wrote.

Modern breeds carry genetic variations of their ancient predecessors, but not at the same frequencies -- explaining the behavior divergence within breeds.

The next steps, said Morill, would be digging more into compulsive behaviors in dogs, and connections to human obsessive-compulsive disorder.

One intriguing finding was that dog sociability toward humans was "incredibly heritable in dogs," even though it wasn't breed dependent.

The team found a location in dog DNA that could explain four percent of the sociability differences between individuals -- and that location corresponds to an area of the human genome responsible for long term memory formation.

"It could be that understanding human sociability in dogs helps us understand how brains develop and learn. So we're kind of just scratching the surface," said Morill.

© 2022 AFP

Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #22 on: May 02, 2022, 02:14:32 PM »
New book explores life of Ted Kaczynski through the eyes of longtime Montana neighbor



As a teenager, Jamie Gehring would find solace at the rock quarry on her family’s sprawling Lincoln property, but on a summer day as a 15-year-old, a trip to the rock quarry would leave her feeling terrified — it was the last time she would see notorious serial killer Ted Kaczynski in person.
“There had been times earlier in the ’90s when he would come by the house, and my parents weren’t there, and I would feel scared enough to hide in the closet until he was gone,” she said.

But the day at the rock quarry was the first time Gehring said she was “truly terrified” of him.

“I said ‘hello,’ he said ‘hello,’ and I turned around to leave, and I walked at first, and as soon I thought I was out of eyesight, I just ran,” she said.

About one year later, Gehring would find out the neighbor that would bring her painted rocks and other trinkets was the country’s longest-running domestic terrorist. The Unabomber.

In her new book, “Madman in the Woods: Life next door to the Unabomber,” released on April 19, Gehring recalls growing up next to Kaczynski, who built his 1.4-acre cabin on land sold to him by Gehring’s father, Butch Gehring.

Kaczynski, now 79, gave up his career as a math professor at the University of California, Berkeley to live a primitive life in his remote Lincoln cabin that did not have running water or electricity. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski would go on to kill three people and injure 23 more. Kaczynski was arrested in 1996 after a search by the FBI that cost $50 million. He is currently serving eight life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The book contains stories of the Gehring family’s interactions with Kaczynski, from friendly family dinners and games of pinochle to more menacing revelations like Kaczynski pointing a rifle at Gehring’s little sister and poisoning their family’s dog.

Gehring’s first and last encounter with Kaczynski could not be more different. As illustrated in the book’s opening pages, Gehring views Kaczynski as her friendly neighbor “Teddy,” who brought the then-4-year-old painted rocks.

“However, what I didn’t know at the time was that this man, this hermit, who took time to find these rocks … had already attempted to kill people seven times,” Gehring writes.

After Kaczynski’s life as a serial killer would become public, Gehring said she needed to dig up more of the story, so she spent five years investigating not only Kaczynski but also herself and her family — specifically the role of her father played in the FBI’s investigation.

“I needed to find out more. How could this man who produced such a happy memory also kill three people and injure twenty-three more?” she wrote.

While her main goal in writing the book was to share her own story, Gehring said she tried to write the book as accurately as possible. The process included interviews with Kaczynski’s brother, David Kaczynski, combing through newspaper clippings and court filings and talking with the FBI agents who investigated the case.

“I really did try and write the book in a very balanced w and very journalistic way … I wanted to tell the story as accurately as I possibly could,” she said.

Both David Kaczynski and Max Noel, one of the FBI agents who tracked down Ted, said Gehring succeeded in her goals for the book.

“Jamie Gehring’s book might well be the best attempt yet to understand the strange life and mind of my brother,” David Kaczynski wrote in his review of the book.

Noel echoed the message in his review: “Her exhaustive research and numerous interviews of Kaczynski’s neighbors and Lincoln, Montana, townspeople give her account a unique perspective. I believe ’Madman in the Woods ’ is a must-read for true crime aficionados.”

The most surprising thing Gehring said she discovered about Kaczynski while writing the book was how methodical he was, which tracks for someone with a genius IQ of 167.

“You imagine that the inner workings of a killer would be dark, but I wasn’t quite prepared to read his own words in his journals. I think that was the most shocking and surprising part of this,” she said.

An example she pointed to was Kaczynski referring to his victims as numerated experiments. “It just felt so cold and calculated to see a person referenced that way,” she said.

But she also discovered something about herself, specifically her ability to forgive.

“Even after I discovered that he was committing these acts of domestic terror in our backyard, that he had poisoned our dog and pointed a rifle at my sister … I was really angry, but there was still part of me that wanted to learn more about him and write him in a fair light. I think that was a surprising revelation, she said.

Gehring said her 16-year-old self did not fully grasp the weight of the situation when Kaczynski was arrested in 1998, but looking back on it, she said she feels validated.

“My parents told me I had an overactive imagination because I would tell them there was someone outside of my bedroom, so growing up thinking that, and then finding out (Kaczynski) was scavenging for metal and finding out that it was actually him outside of my window … little things like that from my childhood really made sense to me,” she said.

And despite the trauma from growing up to next Kaczynski, Gehring said she has managed to maintain a pretty level head about the situation.

“I haven’t let it change me, and I still feel like people are good for the most part. Plus, what are the chances I would live next to another serial killer? Pretty slim,” she said.

Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence.

https://dailymontanan.com/2022/05/01/new-book-explores-life-of-ted-kaczynski-through-the-eyes-of-longtime-lincoln-neighbor/

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #22 on: May 02, 2022, 02:14:32 PM »


Offline Rick Plant

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Re: Media Today
« Reply #23 on: May 05, 2022, 05:40:45 AM »
'It changed my life': Amber Heard describes alleged abuse by Johnny Depp in defamation trial

Heard is defending herself against her former husband, who alleges that he suffered after she falsely accused him of domestic abuse.



Amber Heard took the witness stand Wednesday to detail her allegations of abuse against her former husband, fellow actor Johnny Depp, who filed a defamation suit against her.

Depp is suing Heard for $50 million in damages over a 2018 essay she wrote for The Washington Post, in which she said she had become the "public figure representing domestic abuse." Although the essay never mentions Depp by name, his attorneys said it indirectly refers to allegations she made against him during their 2016 divorce. Heard is countersuing Depp seeking $100 million in damages.

The high-profile trial, which is being held in Fairfax County, Virginia, is in its fourth week.

Heard described a whirlwind romance with Depp, saying the two bonded over blues music and literature while promoting the 2011 film "The Rum Diary." Depp similarly characterized the beginning of their relationship, previously testifying that Heard seemed to be his "perfect partner" at first.

In her retelling, Heard said that Depp shifted about a year into their relationship after breaking his sobriety after a period of abstaining from alcohol. She described him as jealous, often accusing her of having affairs.

She told the court about the first time Depp allegedly hit her, after she asked about a tattoo of his. Depp told her the tattoo said "wino" and slapped her when she laughed about it, Heard said.

“I will never forget it,” Heard said. “It changed my life.”

Heard said she believed in hindsight Depp may have been high on cocaine because there was a jar on the table but didn’t see him take anything. She said she knew he was drinking at the time.

“I just laughed because I thought he was joking. And he slapped me across the face,” Heard said. “And I laughed. I laughed, because I didn’t know what else to do. I thought, ‘this must be a joke.’”

Depp previously testified that Heard took issues with his tattoo, and that one had been modified after he broke up with a former girlfriend, actor Winona Ryder. He denied hitting her over the issue, though, characterizing it as an absurd reason to hit someone.

Heard told the court that Depp's alleged assaults would coincide with his drug and alcohol abuse. He has previously testified refuting the idea that he was ever "out of control" while inebriated.

But Heard told the court that she was heartbroken, trying to understand the good periods that occurred during his sobriety and the difficult periods of abuse.

"I wanted to want to leave him. I wanted him to get better,” she said, her voice crackling with emotion. “And he expressed to me so many times when he was in that period of getting clean and sober, ‘You saved my life. Baby girl, you saved my life.’ Everyone else is saying that to me, and I believed it.’”

Heard’s attorneys argued for a motion to dismiss Tuesday

Heard’s attorneys argued for a motion to dismiss Tuesday on the basis that Depp's attorneys failed to meet their burden of proof, saying it was undisputed that Heard was physically and verbally abused. They also argued that Depp’s attorneys have questioned the headline for the essay’s online version. But the headline was written by The Washington Post, not Heard, according to one of Heard’s attorneys.

Depp’s attorneys argued that Heard co-signed the headline as her own when she tweeted the article in December 2018, but his legal team has not submitted the tweet to the court as evidence.

Fairfax County Circuit Judge Penney Azcarate said Tuesday that it will be up to the jury to determine whether the weight of the evidence presented by Depp's team has met the burden, dismissing those arguments.

But as for whether or not Heard's tweet constituted an adoption of The Washington Post's headline, Azcarate said she would continue to take it under advisement.

"There seems to be an agreement that the tweet of Ms. Heard is part of the plaintiff's evidence, which is not in evidence at this point," Azcarate said Tuesday. "So I can't rule on that statement whether or not it is just a tweet or if it's some sort of republication. ... I don't know because I haven't seen it yet."

In 2016, Heard filed for a protective order against Depp, alleging that he threw a phone at her, leaving her bruised. She wrote in a sworn declaration to the court that she was living “in fear that Johnny will return to [our house] unannounced to terrorize me, physically and emotionally.”

Depp has denied the allegations of abuse, telling the court over four days of testimony that he had never "struck a woman in my life." He characterized his former wife as having a "need for conflict," instigating fights and physical violence, in the course of their relationship.

Depp also testified that he felt pressured by his attorneys to agree to a joint statement with Heard following their divorce settlement that stated that neither party made false allegations during the dissolution of their marriage.

He told the court that the tip of his finger was severed after Heard threw a vodka bottle at him during an argument in Australia while he was filming the fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. His attorneys presented photos of his injuries, which Depp testified required surgery.

Heard has said she has hit Depp only in self-defense or in defense of her younger sister.

On the witness stand recounting his version of the 2016 fight that Heard referred to in her request for a protective order, Depp said he "flung" the phone onto a couch. Depp said the two were in his penthouse a day after he called Heard to tell her that his mother had died and that he wanted to file for divorce.

Heard wanted to speak, Depp said, so he went over to have a discussion and gather his belongings. They had not spoken for nearly a month at that point, he said.

Depp's attorneys presented audio clips of fights recorded by the couple while in the middle of arguments, including one in which Heard says she hit Depp while denying having punched him.

During cross-examination, Heard's legal team tried to undermine Depp's characterizations of the couple's time together. They displayed text messages he sent that included violent language and pushed back against his descriptions of his alcohol and drug consumption.

They also played clips recorded during the couple's arguments, including one in which Heard appears to confront Depp for assaulting her.

“You throw a swing when you can — when better than I’m on the floor? ’Cause that’s when it’s really good to hit someone,” Heard says in one recording.

Depp admitted on the witness stand to a previous opiate addiction that he detoxed from during his relationship with Heard, but he denied having an addiction to alcohol. He also rejected any characterization that he was out of control while inebriated.

He accused Heard of using his history with substance abuse against him because it was an “easy target.”

“Once you’ve trusted somebody for a certain amount of years and you’ve told them all the secrets of your life, that information then, of course, can be used against you. ... I am not some maniac who needs to be high or loaded all the time,” Depp said.

Heard’s first witness, Dawn Hughes, a clinical psychologist, told the court Tuesday that she had diagnosed Heard with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of what she described as intimate partner violence she experienced during her relationship with Depp.

Psychologist Shannon Curry, an expert witness presented by Depp’s legal team, previously rejected the idea that Heard had post-traumatic stress disorder. Curry diagnosed Heard with borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder, which Hughes disagreed with.

It is Depp's second legal case regarding allegations that he abused Heard during their marriage. He lost a case against News Group Newspapers, which publishes the British newspaper The Sun, for calling him a “wife beater” in a 2018 article about the couple.

Heard was not a defendant in that case, but she testified at the trial. A judge ruled in the tabloid's favor, saying its attorneys proved that the allegations were substantially true.

Depp's attorney at the time, David Sherborne, argued that Heard was a "wholly unreliable witness" and a compulsive liar.

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/amber-heard-expected-defend-witness-stand-johnny-depp-defamation-trial-rcna26950