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An Alleged Goal By The Wagner Group For Their Russian Mutiny Is A Chilling One (For More Than Putin)

As Vladimir Putin possibly sat inside his secret “cosmetology center” on his “ghost” train, the fed-up (now-former) leader of his private army of mercenaries (the Wagner Group) went on a coup. That lasted less than a full weekend in May, and then Yevgeny Prigozhin supposedly went into exile after his life was spared, and it’s kind-of a miracle that he hasn’t mysteriously fallen out of a high-story window like so many who have dared to oppose the Russian president.

In the harsh light of June, Reuters has been doing leg work on alleged plans during this mutiny, and one of the reported attempted feats is truly chilling. This allegation comes by way of Kyrylo Budanov, the Ukrainian chief of intelligence, who claims that the Wagner fighters weren’t simply heading towards the Kremlin. Rather, they reportedly approached a nuclear base, Voronezh-45, “and that their intention was to acquire small Soviet-era nuclear devices.” When Reuters spoke with Budanov, he claimed that Russia was still hanging onto “backpack”-sized nukes that should have been destroyed by the Russians at the end of the Cold War, but perhaps that didn’t happen:

He said Voronezh-45 houses small nuclear devices that can be carried in a backpack. “This was one of the key storage facilities for these backpacks,” he said, without providing evidence for this assertion. Reuters was unable to establish if the backpack-sized nuclear charges, referred to by Budanov, are kept at Voronezh-45.

Such small nuclear bombs – light enough to be carried by a single person – are Cold War relics. American troops trained to parachute from planes with nuclear weapons strapped to their bodies and Soviet troops trained to deploy them behind enemy lines on foot. But by the early 1990s, both nations agreed to remove them from their arsenals as tensions eased, and did so, though Russia kept some to mine harbours, said Hans Kristensen, who leads the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, based in Washington.

Reuters also quotes a former U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration general counsel, David Jonas, who doesn’t quite believe that Russians would still have these devices, “but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.” That’s not an exactly encouraging response, but we may never know the full truth of the matter. That is, unless Putin actually is overthrown after the invasion of Ukraine finally ends. In the meantime, he’s still swearing that Russian troops would have crushed the Wagner Group if they hadn’t aborted their mystery missions.

(Via Reuters)

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The FBI Took Inspiration From ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ For A New Poster About Their Crime Tip Line

It’s only been days since Taylor Swift dropped Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), but it seems companies are pulling inspiration from it already. Whether they make good attempts or just plain cringe ones is up for debate.

The FBI’s official Washington Field account added to the mix earlier this morning by naming specific songs from the tracklist while encouraging social media users to call in any tips on crimes.

“Justice is better than revenge,” they wrote. “You may not be Superman, but you can help the #FBI protect the country. If you have information about a federal crime, speak now. Call 1-800-225-5324 or visit http://tips.fbi.gov to submit a tip.”

The accompanying photo had “Speak Now” written in Swift’s same purple font, followed by a large “Do you have a tip about a federal crime?” underneath. Formatting the rest after Swift’s back album cover, they then called out various crimes like a song tracklist: “1. Terrorism (FBI’s Version)” and so on.

Fans in the replies joked about the person running the account and threw out some simple “lmao” comments — focusing mainly on the graphic design.

However, given Swifties have other priorities on their minds this morning, like battling Ticketmaster again to attend the European Eras Tour leg, it’s up in the air about whether they’ll really be calling in any tips soon. Unless it’s about getting front-row passes — which we wouldn’t encourage.

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Greta Gerwig Is Bummed Timothee Chalamet And Saoirse Ronan Couldn’t Cameo In ‘Barbie’

And now you can be, too!

Cameos of different kinds of Barbies and Kens are clearly an important element in Barbie. Just as there’s a multiverse of Spider-people, there’s a diverse crew of dolls partying for eternity on Perfection Island, but Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan won’t be among them.

Naturally, writer/director Greta Gerwig tried to get them into the mix, but the stars just didn’t line up.

“Well, it was always going to have to be like a sort of smaller thing because [Ronan] was actually producing at the time, which I am so proud of her for,” Gerwig told CinemaBlend. And of course, it’s brilliant. But it was going to be a specialty cameo. I was also going to do a specialty cameo with Timmy, and both of them couldn’t do it, and I was so annoyed. But I love them so much. But it felt like doing something without my children. I mean, I’m not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom.”

It would have been the third time the actors have appeared in Gerwig films had it gone through, but the more important question is which style of Barbie and Ken would they be? Rebellious Indie Teen Barbie? 19th Century Polite Society Ken? Or maybe something further afield like Bumbling Irish Detective Barbie or Crying In Front Of The Fireplace For Five Whole Minutes While the Credits Roll Ken.

At any rate, I think we can all agree that Lovely Bones Barbie wouldn’t have been fun.

(via CinemaBlend)

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Drake Brushed Off A $10K Per Minute Fine For Breaking Curfew In Detroit For The ‘It’s All A Blur Tour’

Since the opening night of his It’s All A Blur Tour, Drake has apparently stoked beef with Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and people who have been throwing their phones on stage, and now, it looks like he’s going after city curfews. During the tour’s Detroit stop, Drake told the crowd he’d gone over curfew but that didn’t stop him from finishing out the show.

“It’s $10,000 a minute to stay in this building past curfew,” he said. “I don’t give a f**k. We’re doing this whole song, let’s go.” He continued performing for another 23 minutes, which has some outlets positing a $230,000 fine for the rapper. Interestingly, however, the Detroit Free Press noted the venue, Little Caesars Arena, does not have a curfew — although the city of Detroit itself recently established a curfew for minors due to recent shootings downtown. That could be what Drake’s referring to, or he could just have bad information — or, as speculated by the Free Press and HipHopDX, he might have just been bullsh*tting for the benefit of his loyal fans.

Drake’s tour will continue tonight at the TD Garden in Boston, where he’ll do two nights before returning to Canada for two-night homestand in Montreal, Quebec. We’ll see if he incurs anymore “curfew fines” as he keeps going.

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Nick Castellanos Made A Strong Case For Scooby-Doo Being A Superhero

All-Star Game media days are extremely bizarre, as they feature a wide range of outlets that are often there for very different reasons. There’s the writers that cover the sport every day looking to get answers about sport-specific questions from the best players in the world. Then there are also outlets looking for something fun to post to social media (or for local TV) asking players a set question and looking to compile the answers into a hopefully viral video.

At the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle, one of those questions was “who is your favorite superhero?” It’s a question most would see as straightforward and is the perfect social media cut-up opportunity, but Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos decided to go off the board with his choice, leading to some necessary follow-up questions. Castellanos very bravely said his favorite superhero is Scooby-Doo, naturally begging the question: Is Scooby-Doo a superhero?

Castellanos then gave an impassioned answer as to why the mystery-solving great dane is, in fact, a superhero, with a provocative and persuasive case.

“I think that a dog that can talk and helps people by solving mysteries, I think is a superhero,” Castellanos explains.

It’s hard to argue with that logic, and I’d like to thank Castellanos for providing the most thought-provoking answer ever given to a silly All-Star media day question.

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A Kim Kardashian Selfie Got SAG Union Leader Fran Drescher Into Hot Water For Living It Up In Italy Amid Last-Minute Negotiations

Fran Drescher might learn a valuable lesson in never going near a Kardashian. The iconic TV actress and star of The Nanny is currently the president of the SAG-AFTRA union, and its members were not thrilled to see Drescher posing for a selfie with Kim Kardashian while attending the lavish Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda festivities in Italy.

SAG is in the middle of intense contract negotiations would could result in a strike as early as this week, and the optics of Drescher cavorting in Italy are not going over well.

“Some real let them eat cake vibes for the SAG-AFTRA members who were marching alongside us WGA members just this morning,” Fleishman Is in Trouble writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner tweeted with a screenshot of the selfie. “For context, Fran Drescher is the SAG president, and SAG’s contract extensions expire at midnight tomorrow. Unless the bargaining table has moved to Italy (along with the dress code), this is a terrible look for a union president. Do not get me started on her friend here.”

Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Twitter
Via Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Twitter

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a SAG-AFTRA representative defended Drescher’s trip and noted that it was a prior obligation for her “brand ambassador” work:

“This was a commitment fully known to the negotiating committee. She has been in negotiations every day either in person or via videoconference. President Drescher is managing a physically demanding schedule across three time zones, overseeing negotiations and working on-location daily as well as managing her parents’ needs in [Florida]. She is returning to the States and will be on the ground in L.A. tomorrow, and will continue to chair our negotiations.”

THR also notes that “presidents in top entertainment coalitions typically do not take a lead role in negotiations.” That task is handled by a chief negotiator. In this case, SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. However, that fact didn’t save Drescher from a wave of backlash on Twitter.

Writer Gennefer Gross wrote, “When your sweet six-figure residuals from a 90’s sitcom allow you to jetset off to Italy in the middle of a critical labor negotiation that doesn’t afford your fellow union members the same financial advantages, that’s amore.”

Carina Adly Mackenzie added, “It takes a lot to blow my mind these days but I’m actually floored. Not to mention Kim is working on one of the only scripted shows that has completely given the middle finger to the writers’ strike.”

And Nancy Lee Grahn wondered, “This is a joke right? The deadline for a union that she is President of has a deadline to strike Wed at midnight. Livelihoods are on the line. I’m hoping this is not true. It can’t be. No one could be this stupid.”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

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Rina Sawayama’s Beef With Matty Healy Is Far From Over, Or So The Singer’s NOS Alive Performance Highlighted

Rina Sawayama tends to avoid making splashy headlines unless, of course, it’s about her music. However, last month the “Eye For An Eye” singer was all the talk after calling out The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy for his behavior toward his friends’ insensitive remarks about the Asian community during her set at Glastonbury Festival 2023. Although Healy has made it clear that he’s f*cking proud of himself despite what the public thinks. Rina Sawayama’s beef with Healy is far from over, as she doubled down on her thoughts on the musician at NOS Alive Festival.

“So I was thinking a lot about apologies. It’s just funny how some people get away with not apologizing ever for saying some racist sh*t, for saying some sexist sh*t. Why don’t you apologize for once in your life without making it about your f*cking self,” said the entertainer referring to Healy’s past controversial remarks.

Rina’s first time blasting Healy for his remarks was much more direct, as she said, “I wrote this next song because I was sick and tired of microaggressions. So, tonight, this song goes out to a white man who watches [pornography series] Ghetto Gaggers and mocks Asian people on a podcast. He also owns my masters. I’ve had enough.”

Never one to back down from responding to another artist’s criticism of him, during The 1975’s performance at TRNSMT Festival began to address Rina’s Glastonbury comments. However, his bandmates stepped in to stop him.

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Jamila Woods Announces Her New Album, ‘Water Made Us,’ With The Subtle Video For ‘Tiny Garden’

Four years removed from the release of her critically-hailed 2019 album Legacy! Legacy!, Jamila Woods has returned to announce its follow-up, Water Made Us, with the first video from the new album, “Tiny Garden.” The song, produced with Wynne Bennet and featuring Duendita, is described by Woods in the press release as “a song about the way my heart works, the slow and steady way I love.”

She also directed the video, her first time doing so, saying of her debut, “I wanted to create a visual representation of how I often feel in relationships — like I’m having huge feelings that I end up expressing in small specific ways.” “Tiny Garden” opens with a subtle, bubbly instrumental and flourishes into a full-bodied heartbeat — just like the sort of relationship being described in the lyrics.

Woods said of the upcoming album, “Water Made Us feels like the most personal and vulnerable piece of art I’ve ever made. I love creating from source material, diving deep into a subject, and extrapolating from what I discover… I hope it feels like a playlist that carries you through the life cycle of a relationship, whatever stage of the journey your heart may be in.”

Since her last album, Woods has released a slew of singles, including a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” and “WYD” with Peter CottonTale.

Water Made Us is out 10/13 via Jagjaguwar. You can get more info here.

Tracklist:

01. “Bugs”
02. “Tiny Garden” Feat. Duendita
03. “Practice” Feat. Saba
04. “Let The Cards Fall”
05. “Send A Dove”
06. “Wreckage Room”
07. “Thermostat” Feat. Peter CottonTale
08. “Out Of The Doldrums”
09. “Wolfsheep”
10. “I Miss All My Exes”
11. “Backburner”
12. “Libra Intuition”
13. “Boomerang”
14. “Still”
15. “The Best Thing”
16. “Good News”
17. “Headfirst”

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Lana Del Rey Seemingly Tossed More Shade Toward Her Ex By Accusing Him Of Cheating In A Changed Lyric

Lana Del Rey treated fans to a little bit of shade during her recent BST Hyde Park show in London. Specifically, during her song “Chemtrails Over The Country Club,” Del Rey decided to switch up the lyrics to poke at one of her exes, it seems.

While the original line was, “You’re born in December, and I’m born in June,” she spun it to dig at Sean Larkin — her ex, a former cop known for his “Live PD” appearances.

“He’s born in December, and he got married when we were still together,” Del Rey added instead. “Sometimes I wonder what his wife would think if she knew that I didn’t know anything / He’s born in December, and I’m born in June / He’s born in December, and he got married while we were in couple’s therapy together.”

Del Rey and Larkin had been linked together in 2019 and early 2020. And although it’s unclear when they officially broke up, Larkin got married in January 2022.

This is also not the first instance the pop star has thrown some shadiness his way. Not only did she announce her latest album on Larkin’s birthday, but she also put up the only billboard for it in Tulsa — his hometown. “It’s. Personal,” she wrote at the time.

Check out a clip of Lana Del Rey’s lyric change above.

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Some Republicans Are Angry At The ‘Barbie’ Movie For The Dumbest Possible Reason

Oppenheimer, a movie about a man who has an orgasm so strong that it inspires the creation of the atomic bomb (I assume), isn’t the most controversial film of the summer. That distinction belongs to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which has been banned in at least one country over a map in the film that includes the nine-dash line, which is used in “Chinese maps to mark its claim over as much as 90 percent of the South China Sea” — and now Republicans in the United States are mad at the literal “child-like crayon drawing,” too.

“While it may just be a Barbie map in a Barbie world, the fact that a cartoonish, crayon-scribbled map seems to go out of its way to depict the PRC’s unlawful territorial claims illustrates the pressure that Hollywood is under to please [Chinese Communist Party] censors,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Is that “motherf*cker” Ted Cruz somehow involved, too? You better believe it!

Bethany Stevens, a spokesperson for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a statement to USA TODAY, “China wants to control what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think, and they leverage their massive film markets to coerce American companies into pushing CCP propaganda—just like the way the Barbie film seems to have done with the map.”

Senator and Taylor Swift enemy Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) tweeted, “Hollywood & the Left are more concerned with selling films in Communist China than standing up to the regime’s human rights abuses. The Barbie movie’s depiction of a map endorsing Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea is legally & morally wrong and must be taken seriously.”

Another Tennessee politician, Rep. Mark Green, also joined in. “Since the Barbie movie is promoting a world in which China controls most of the South China Sea, perhaps this movie studio should think twice about asking for assistance from the DoD for its next action movie,” he wrote. Was it worth it for 25 likes?

You would think the GOP would love a movie about the idealized person being white and blonde. They’re full of surprises!

(Via USA Today)