Category: Uncategorized

The jeweler popped the question with a bespoke ring embedded with meaning. “It was a lot of pressure to design it, because I wanted it to be right. Also, it is my job.”

Source: Vogue

For their first collaboration, which launches today, SoCal natives and longtime friends Devon Lee Carlson and Frankies Bikinis founder Francesca Aiello have teamed up on a joy-filled collection called Sunshine Girls.

Source: Vogue

Ariana Grande’s mom is showing support for the singer amid her team announcing she will be stepping out of the spotlight following her “Eternal Sunshine” tour due to public criticism. Ariana’s beloved mom Joan took to the comment section on her…

From TMZ.

London Stadium recommends West Ham’s co-owner stay away amid fears of fan unrest following sexual misconduct claims.

Source: BBC.

Tracee Ellis Ross had plenty of supporters in the audience for her Broadway debut, including the women who helped make Girlfriends one of television’s most beloved comedies.

Ross opened Every Brilliant Thing at New York City’s Hudson Theatre this week, with former castmates Persia White, Golden Brooks and Jill Marie Jones coming together to celebrate the occasion. White later shared photos from the evening on social media (Gabrielle Union was in the building as well), offering a look behind the scenes as the cast reunited following the performance.

“I feel so blessed to have experienced this with my lovely Girlfriends and some beautiful faces, I haven’t seen for years, including Tracee‘s handsome dad!” White wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to everyone there who has supported Tracee in this journey and helped make this wonderful show possible. Above all thank you Tracee for giving me a brilliant thing: #1 Watching someone you love deliver a mind blowing performance on Broadway!”

The reunion brought together the stars of Mara Brock Akil’s acclaimed series, which aired for eight seasons from 2000 through 2008. Ross played attorney Joan Clayton alongside Brooks, Jones and White, creating one of television’s most memorable portrayals of Black friendship. Their appearance together served as another reminder of the lasting bond formed during the show’s run.

Ross will headline Every Brilliant Thing through August 9 after succeeding Mariska Hargitay in the production. Daniel Radcliffe previously starred in the revival.

Written by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, the one-person play follows an individual who begins compiling a list of reasons to live while trying to help a parent struggling with depression. Audience participation is woven into each performance, making every show slightly different from the last.

Before Ross stepped into the role, Macmillan praised her as an ideal choice for the production, citing her wit and ability to connect with audiences. Judging by opening night, she already has plenty of people cheering her on both onstage and off.

The illness caused by parasitic infection that spreads through contaminated food or water is not generally life-threatening, health officials say.

Source: BBC.

The illness caused by parasitic infection that spreads through contaminated food or water is not generally life-threatening, health officials say.

Source: BBC.

The illness caused by parasitic infection that spreads through contaminated food or water is not generally life-threatening, health officials say.

Source: BBC.

This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here.

We always like a bit of good democracy news — such news being in overall short supply — and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared to deliver some last night. 

Blanche is currently jockeying for the permanent AG gig, which would put him in charge of the Justice Department. But his confirmation process stalled over bipartisan objections to President Donald Trump’s “anti-weaponization fund,” a $1.8 billion reparation program for people who claimed the government had wronged them. 

On Sunday, in acknowledgement of those objections, Blanche confirmed in writing that the Justice Department had rescinded the fund and had no plans to revive it. It’s a rare reminder that the Senate’s confirmation power can still constrain the White House, even if many Republican lawmakers would rather not rock the boat. And the presidential boat was very much rocked by the dustup over Blanche’s confirmation. 

In a post on Saturday, Trump insisted that he’d get some version of the fund even over senators’ objections. And on Monday, he told reporters that he didn’t sign off on the rescission. Notably, the two Republicans who forced that surrender — North Carolina’s Thom Tillis and Texas’s John Cornyn — will both depart the Senate in early 2027.

All the president’s slush funds

The anti-weaponization fund is just the latest of Trump’s attempts to siphon federal money into an account that he or his allies control. In fact, the quest to secure such a slush fund is a defining feature of his presidency — and several of his previous, less egregious attempts have been more successful. Those include: 

1. Venezuelan oil accounts: Since the US toppled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil have gotten routed into special US Treasury accounts, which are labeled as Venezuela’s sovereign property — but only released at the direction of the secretary of state.   
2. The Board of Peace: Trump’s controversial coalition for rebuilding Gaza was conceived as a pay-to-play operation: Member countries get seats for a mere three years unless they pony up $1 billion to the Trump-controlled organization. While more than 20 countries have signed on, Reuters reported in April that only two had actually made contributions.  
3. US sovereign wealth fund: Trump first floated this idea of a government-owned wealth fund, which would allow him to direct federal investment in private companies, during his first term. While it never got off the ground as such, the administration has since acquired equity stakes in at least a dozen firms.

“The long-term risk is not just that Trump might be doing something illegal,” Tad DeHaven, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute, wrote for Vox earlier this year. “The long-term risk is that his presidency is normalizing treating the receipt and disbursement of money as instruments of personal power.”

One link for later

➨ Happiness is overrated. In a new book, the author Ian Bogost argues we should instead pursue sensory gratification: the simple and immediate pleasure found in physical experiences, whether changing gears in a stick-shift car or holding a warm mug in your hands. 

Before you go…

• Did you know…that dolphins have been known to beat and kill other animals for fun? I spent much of my weekend watching a baby animal documentary with my sick child, and am actually devastated to learn that many adorable animals “are also murderous monsters.” 
• Today’s trivia: What Pennsylvania-born singer/songwriter is sometimes called “the godmother of punk”? (You can find this and other brain puzzles in Vox’s daily crossword. Look for the answer in tomorrow’s edition.)
• Yesterday’s trivia: Last Friday we asked you for the Vietnamese word for festival. That would be “tết,” as in the 1968 Tet Offensive — a brutal military campaign that began during Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations. 

Source: Vox.

From The Hill

Brown University President Christina Paxson said Monday she will step down at the end of the academic year, after she oversaw negotiations with the Trump administration over the past 18 months. Paxson, who started her tenure in 2012, said stepping down is the “right decision” for her and her family and the “best path” forward…

Massive Attack members were detained and investigated. They will not be allowed to re-enter Singapore. The band defends its activism.

Vincent Pastore’s death blindsided the people who knew him … with his ‘Sopranos’ costar Joe Gannascoli telling TMZ there was no indication the actor was sick or battling any health issues. Joe — who played Vito Spatafore on the iconic HBO series…

From TMZ.