Month: July 2023

Donald Trump’s supporters don’t seem to mind that he’s under multiple criminal investigations. Indeed, it makes him more popular with them if anything. They’re probably going to love even more: On Tuesday the former president said he received a “target letter” from special counsel Jack Smith, who’s looking at two separate cases involving the big guy. Does that mean he’s about to have a third indictment, on top of the other two? A former pal sure thinks so.

Chris Christie, who’s used his campaign to regularly call Trump out on his bull, went on CNN Wednesday to weigh in on the case given his background as a former federal prosecutor. He wanted to hold back on speculating over a possible conviction given that the details of the indictment remain under lock and key.

The ex-New Jersey governor did predict it will be a “speaking indictment, as we call it in the business, which will provide detail about the evidence that backs up the charges, and it’s speculation until we see what the grand jury returns, if they return something.”

But the target letter is a bad omen. He said, when he was a prosecutor, he “would never send a target letter if I wasn’t completely sure to put something in front of the grand jury to return the indictment.”

Christie also argued that it sure doesn’t sound like Trump’s going to emerge squeaky clean. He said Trump “can’t complain about the indictment and not acknowledge that the conduct where you lie to your lawyers, where you show around classified documents regarding our intelligence activities and our military activities. Wolf, what that does is potentially put our troops at risk and potentially put our intelligence officers at risk and we’re out there doing dangerous things around the world.”

Just in case you forgot Christie was a Republican, though, he also said he thought Hillary Clinton should have been charged for her own, far less egregious case of classified information possession. But maybe it’s good to remember that now and again.

You can watch Christie’s CNN appearance in the video below.

(Via Raw Story)

George Santos may be a sitting United States representative, but he’s also out on bail. Back in May the serial fabulist was indicted on 13 charges, among them wire fraud and theft of public funds. He pled not guilty. Soon thereafter some mystery people, whose identities he’s keeping secret, put up the $500,000 bail to get him back on the street, albeit with restrictions, such as being allowed to move freely between New York and D.C. But that’s not good enough for him.

As per The Daily Beast, Santos has asked the judge that indicted him to loosen the law a bit. For one thing, he wants to do away with “unnecessary notifications” when he does travel. He also wants his to expand the areas he can travel to, namely a 30-mile radius around the nation’s capital.

Why does Santos feel he deserves such luxuries? So he can carry out the “usual and customary functions of someone who lives and works in” D.C., among them “dining, shopping, meetings, events, and even use of the local airports.” He also noted the prosecutors are cool with this.

Santos has laid low compared to when he first gained national attention. Late last year and early this year, hardly a day went by without some leftfield, creative revelation of something he claimed or did, including lying about his mom dying in the September 11 attacks, being a college volleyball star, and helping produce one of Broadway’s biggest-ever fiascos. Recently he compared himself to Rosa Parks, so it’s not as though he’s seen the light.

(Via The Daily Beast)

Country singer Miranda Lambert recently paused mid-song during a show in Las Vegas to confront fans who were taking a selfie during the performance, and no one can seem to agree whether or not she was right to do so.

In a video taken at the Sunday night concert, Lambert is seen beginning her ballad “Tin Man” when she suddenly says, “I’m gonna stop right here for a second, I’m sorry. These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song,” referencing a group of friends somewhere in the front section.

“I don’t like it, at all,” she continues, “We’re here to hear some country music tonight…I’m singing some country damn music,” before motioning for them to put their phones away.

The clip quickly went viral, sparking a heated debate about who was in the wrong. Over on TikTok, most commenters thought Lambert was out of line in her chastising and agreed that the harshness did more to ruin the moment than the girls trying to take a photo.

@redneckinvegas Miranda said its My Show.. #selfie #narcissist #Miranda #country #music #show #iPhone #tinman #sing #viral #share #wwyd #comment #vegas @Miranda Lambert #startover #scream #concert #wtf #lol #haha #me #like #love #vegasshow #subscribe #pissmeoff #girls #why #beautiful #sexy ♬ original sound – redneckinvegas

“Imagine it was their favorite song and they were taking a video and they were excited,” one person wrote.

“They were just making memories,” wrote another.

Another pointed out that even if Lambert were in the right, she could have handled the situation differently, suggesting that “she could have finished her song and just said some blanket statement like ‘let’s try to be in the moment and stay off our phones.’”

One even noted that for folks who “paid upward of $700 to sit up front…they SHOULD be able to take photos.”

It even became a point of focus on “The View,” wherein Whoopi Goldberg defended Lambert against the other hosts, saying that for those willing to pay high prices for front row seats to a show, they should equally be willing to “give respect” by watching someone “do their thing.”

Eventually, one of the women called out by Lambert, Adela Calin, decided to speak up. She assured NBC News that posing for a photo that night took “30 seconds at most” and came from innocent intentions—they had even attempted to capture the image before the show started but couldn’t find proper lighting. They had finally asked a woman behind them to snap a photo when Lambert spotted them.

“We just couldn’t get one good picture,” Calin told NBC. “We were so excited because I think we had the best seats in the whole theater.”

The entire situation reflects a larger exhaustion many people are having with the tech that is now the cornerstone of every aspect of our lives. According to a survey published by Fast Company, an overwhelming number of Americans (including those from Gen Z) long for a pre-plugged-in world, when life didn’t revolve around a 24-hour news cycle, constant content and a barrage of screens. It seems like many would prefer to return to simply being at a concert and trusting that the memories will be made through the feelings felt in the moment, rather than posting something online and then never thinking about it again.

There’s also the recent uptick of concertgoers literally abusing performers by throwing their phones and other objects at them, as with Bebe Rexha and Harry Styles. This is, needless to say, dehumanizing and dangerous, and most likely something that influenced Lambert’s reaction. Even Calin acknowledged this.

Absolutely great show ruined by a fan throwing their phone at @BebeRexha hopefully she is ok after that pic.twitter.com/4eBScgurv5

— Alex Chavez (@captiv_8_) June 19, 2023

However, Calin added that while she might understand Lambert’s concern, her determination to make her group look “young, immature and vain” was unfair.

“It felt like I was back at school with the teacher scolding me for doing something wrong and telling me to sit down back in my place,” Calin said. “We were just grown women in our 30s to 60s trying to take a picture.”

There isn’t a clear-cut solution to this modern-day dilemma. Selfie-taking is a deeply embedded part of our contemporary culture and like any social trend, there are pros and cons to that. Probably the only thing that we can count on not changing is the value of keeping to kindness while discussing the topic.

What gives dogs the right to have such big and hilarious personalities? It seems like these dogs have found a way to make their humans laugh while also annoying them until they’re ready to come apart. It’s truly a skill that only dogs and toddlers seem to possess in great quantities.

Zoe is a pit bull with a bombastic side-eye that makes it clear that she only tolerates her mother, Raven, but adores her grandmother, Yonika. There is no confusion about who her favorite person is, and Zoe’s grandmother only seems to encourage the behavior. The two of them are the best of friends, and Mom…well, she’s the third wheel.

Sure, Zoe likes her mom a little—she does feed her, after all—but the verdict is still being determined if love can be claimed. Raven can’t even convince the sassy pittie to go on a walk with her.

Zoe lays on the ground like a chubby little pancake any time her mom tries to take her for a walk. Raven has even pulled on her leash, slowly dragging the dog down the hallway, but Zoe insists that her legs do not remember how to work. But as soon as Grandma takes the leash, a miracle occurs. Suddenly Zoe is a spry whippersnapper with four working legs and a happy tail.

“She refuses to walk whenever I take her outside,” Raven explains. But that’s just not the case for Grandma, and there really doesn’t seem to be an explanation for it other than preference.

“When I’m around, she is an absolute angel. She listens,” Yonika says.

In fact, Raven says when Grandma is around, Zoe completely ignores her so she can continue getting Grandma cuddles. This dog has mastered the side-eye, and Grandma is only assisting in her snubbing her mom in the cutest way. It’s something you have to witness for yourself to fully appreciate, so check out the video below.

Few instruments in this world are as universally loved as the drums. For thousands of years, humans in virtually every culture have used drums to raise energy, be it for ceremonial purposes or good old-fashioned celebration. I mean, have you ever listened to a really bangin’ drum solo and not been immediately revved up? It’s pretty much impossible.

So when a masterful drum player aces an instrument that already gives such a visceral experience, you know you’re in for one hell of an auditory ride. Twenty-six-year-old Timothy Fletcher gave “America’s Got Talent” audiences just that.

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, and armed with only a single drum, Fletcher mesmerized the crowd with a personality-filled hip-hop routine that not only had a fantastic array of rhythms, but fun dance moves and impressive tricks. It really was a whole show in itself.

Watch:

Fletcher shared with the judges that he started playing drums in high school, but stopped. However, he took up the passion once again thanks to the encouragement of a friend who said he had a gift with the instrument, even predicting that one day he would be on the “AGT” stage.

After that friend was tragically killed, Fletcher decided to really take that message to heart by sharing his gift with the world. And yes, coming to compete for the winning title.

Fletcher is clearly well on his way to doing so, earning an enthusiastic “yes” vote from all four judges. Heidi Klum called it a “perfect first audition.”

We don’t always see our talents for the gifts that they are. But that changes when we receive support from a loved one. Their affirmation can carry us to surprising, exciting and wondrous places even after they’re gone. Love really is a magical thing.

An unusual story out of Australia shows that even though someone may be a hardened criminal, they may still have feelings of remorse. It also shows that even their victims can forgive and forget if they don’t take things too personally.

The Daily Mail reports that Christopher Howard Gordon, 35, knocked on the door of a home in the Victorian town of Traralgon in Australia last March, holding a fake gun. When a man opened the door, Gordon demanded that he be allowed in the home and that the owner give him cash.

The man led him into a room where his daughter and partner slept. After seeing the sleeping child, Gordon was startled and immediately fled the home after receiving a box of cash.

The next night, Gordon went out to a video poker lounge 40 minutes from where he had robbed the man. In a bizarre coincidence, Gordon and the victim were there simultaneously. Instead of fleeing the scene, Gordon apologized to the man telling him that he was given the wrong information from an acquaintance. He had no idea that children would be present, and just wanted some “cash and weed.”

— (@)

The victim accepted the apology, and the two sat beside each other playing poker, with Gordon handing the victim the cash that he had stolen. At the night’s end, Gordon asked the victim for a ride home, and he obliged.

When Gordon appeared in court for sentencing, the judge noted that his actions showed remorse for his crimes. “You and the victim sat near each other on the slot machines while you intermittently handed the victim $150 to $200,” Judge Arushan Pillay said, according to ABC Australia.

“When the venue closed at midnight, you asked the victim for a lift home, who eventually agreed to this. I consider that your words and actions to the victim demonstrate a level of immediate remorse,” the judge added.

Gordon was granted time served and released from jail.

So, will the fact that Gordon experienced remorse for his crimes deter him from robbing someone else? The most recent research, albeit from nine years ago, shows that remorse plays a big role in determining recidivism rates, but there’s a difference between whether people feel guilt or shame for their actions.

“When people feel guilt about a specific behavior, they experience tension, remorse, and regret,” the researchers wrote in a 2014 article published by Psychological Science. “Research has shown that this sense of tension and regret typically motivates reparative action — confessing, apologizing, or somehow repairing the damage done.”

Researchers found that criminals who feel a sense of guilt are less likely to commit another crime than those who feel shame. Those who felt shame were more likely to feel defensive, blame others and return to their old ways.

The question is, did Gorgon feel guilt or shame for his actions? He blamed his acquaintance for sending him to the wrong address but accepted responsibility for his actions by paying the man back. Time will tell if Gordon learns from this episode and gets his life back on track.

What would happen if you mixed The Strokes’ early music with alt radio and a love of skateboarding and cigarettes? Well, AlexSucks is here to answer that question. The LA-based four-piece just arrived on the scene with their debut album The Gutter, on a mission to make garage rock cool again.

Songs like their title track, “Can We Forget,” and the electrifying “6 Pack And Cigarettes” show off the band’s knack for making music that’s gritty, tongue-in-cheek, and really damn fun. To celebrate the release of their debut album The Gutter and their US tour, AlexSucks sits down with Uproxx to talk flat earthers, LCD Soundsystem, and always wearing a helmet in our latest Q&A.

What are four words you would use to describe your music?

Indie, grunge, Alternative, Indie.

It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Tight. Ex: “Their music was tight.”

What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?

Denver CO.

Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?

Evel Knievel, because he’s tight.

Where did you eat the best meal of your life?

In n Out, Double-Double animal style.

What album do you know every word to?

Benches’ Wishful Thinking.

What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?

LCD Soundsystem, hella sounds. Every synth was played live.

What is the best outfit for performing and why?

Levis, Converse, and a vintage tee. Because it’s tight.

Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?

@memesforskumbags on Instagram.

What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?

“Do You” by Spoon.

What’s the last thing you Googled?

Flat Earthers.

What album makes for the perfect gift?

Ok Computer by Radiohead.

Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?

The bush of a car dealership. Just slept right on it.

What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?

First tattoo is a dude skating because I like to skateboard.

What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?

Blur.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?

Bought me a 6 pack and cigarettes.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Wear a helmet….

What’s the last show you went to?

The Cure, Hollywood Bowl.

What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?

Starwars.

What’s one of your hidden talents?

Finger boarding.

The Gutter is out now via Stairs Music/Hallwood Recordings. Find more information here.

Math is weird.

On the one hand, it’s consistent—the solutions to basic math problems are the same in every country in the world. On the other hand, there are multiple strategies to get to those solutions, and it seems like people are still coming up with new ones (much to the chagrin of parents whose kids need help with homework using methods they’ve never learned).

Math professor Howie Hua shares math strategies that make math easier on social media, and his videos are fascinating. Hua, who teaches math to future elementary school teachers at Fresno State, demonstrates all kinds of mental math tricks that feel like magic when you try them.

For instance, Hua has two videos showing how easy and quick it is to add multidigit numbers left to right instead of right to left, and it’s genuinely mind-blowing.

Check out how he explains why adding left to right is “underrated.”

u201cNew TikTok video: Adding left to right is underratedu201d

— Howie Hua (@Howie Hua)
1665353677

OK, seriously. That is way easier to do in your head. It’s basically putting the numbers into expanded form and adding them, which makes it easier to visualize.

Adding this way makes sense, but subtracting is a bit more complicated, right?

Wrong, apparently. Watch Hua work his math sorcery subtracting two and three-digit numbers.

@howie_hua

Did you know you can subtract left to right? #math #mathematics #mathtok #maths #teachersoftiktok #teacher #mathtricks #mathtrick

Holy moly. That’s faster than the right-to-left, borrow-from-the-next-column method, isn’t it? And again, so much easier to visualize what’s actually happening, though I don’t know if I could fully do this in my head like I could with the left-to-right addition.

Hua recently shared another cool subtraction trick for problems with minuends that have a lot of zeroes. (The minuend is the first number in a subtraction problem. Don’t be too impressed. I had to look it up.)

Check this out:

@howie_hua

An underrated subtraction strategy #math #mathematics #mathtok #maths #teachersoftiktok #teacher #mathtricks #mathtrick

So simple, so time-saving and so something I would never have figured out on my own.

These tips and tricks might come in handy for anyone, but they’re especially useful for kids who are having to do these kinds of math problems at school all the time. Even if they’re supposed to solve the problem with a different strategy, these methods can be a quick way to check their answers.

Anything that makes math easier, I say. You can watch Hua’s videos on TikTok, YouTube and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on 10.12.22

We’ve all seen our fair share of older-sibling-meets-new-baby videos, which are generally pretty darn adorable. But once in a while, one comes along that socks us square in the heart and has us desperately reaching for a tissue.

Brace yourselves, friends, because this is one video that truly requires a tissue warning.

Shared by @brianaarielle89 on TikTok, the video shows a preschooler dressed up in a dinosaur costume entering a hospital room to meet his newborn sibling for the first time. He asks, “Mommy, where is Hudson?” and is guided over to the cot where his baby brother is bundled.

At first, he walks right past him. But then he turns, sees him and simply stares for a few seconds.

A man’s voice asks, “What do you think?” and oh, the emotion in his little voice as he breaks into tears.

“Hudsooooon!” he wails. “Hiiii!” And then he cries out the sweetest BFF declaration you’ll ever hear.

@brianaarielle89

#fyp #viral #heartwarming #siblings #brothers #babiesoftiktok

Oof, right? This is the purest love there is. What a little sweetheart and what a lucky little brother Hudson is.

I regret to inform you that there is a part two, which is also adorable.

@brianaarielle89

#fyp #babiesoftiktok #brothers #feelings #happycry

“I’m happy crying, okay?” Okay, kiddo. So is everyone else now.

Of course, not all young children are overcome with happiness when they get to meet their younger siblings. In fact, some kids can be downright hostile about it, asking the parents if they can send the baby back or acting out in anger and jealousy. Depending on their age, older siblings might demand more attention than usual or regress in certain developmental milestones, such as potty training.

For parents whose young children didn’t gush with love when they met a new sibling, don’t worry. Jealousy of babies is totally normal and doesn’t mean your kids won’t get along eventually. It just takes time to adjust to a new reality and a new dynamic in the household. Dr. Hindie M. Klein recommends tips like referring to the new baby as “our baby,” letting the older sibling help in caring for the baby (in ways that are age-appropriate, of course) and providing some special parental one-on-one time with the older child to help kids more easily adjust to a new baby in the house.

Even baby Hudson and his big-hearted bro here will surely have sibling spats of their own over the years. Sibling love is complicated, but it’s great to see it start off on such a beautiful note.

This article originally appeared on 9.21.22

We’ve all seen our fair share of older-sibling-meets-new-baby videos, which are generally pretty darn adorable. But once in a while, one comes along that socks us square in the heart and has us desperately reaching for a tissue.

Brace yourselves, friends, because this is one video that truly requires a tissue warning.

Shared by @brianaarielle89 on TikTok, the video shows a preschooler dressed up in a dinosaur costume entering a hospital room to meet his newborn sibling for the first time. He asks, “Mommy, where is Hudson?” and is guided over to the cot where his baby brother is bundled.

At first, he walks right past him. But then he turns, sees him and simply stares for a few seconds.

A man’s voice asks, “What do you think?” and oh, the emotion in his little voice as he breaks into tears.

“Hudsooooon!” he wails. “Hiiii!” And then he cries out the sweetest BFF declaration you’ll ever hear.

@brianaarielle89

#fyp #viral #heartwarming #siblings #brothers #babiesoftiktok

Oof, right? This is the purest love there is. What a little sweetheart and what a lucky little brother Hudson is.

I regret to inform you that there is a part two, which is also adorable.

@brianaarielle89

#fyp #babiesoftiktok #brothers #feelings #happycry

“I’m happy crying, okay?” Okay, kiddo. So is everyone else now.

Of course, not all young children are overcome with happiness when they get to meet their younger siblings. In fact, some kids can be downright hostile about it, asking the parents if they can send the baby back or acting out in anger and jealousy. Depending on their age, older siblings might demand more attention than usual or regress in certain developmental milestones, such as potty training.

For parents whose young children didn’t gush with love when they met a new sibling, don’t worry. Jealousy of babies is totally normal and doesn’t mean your kids won’t get along eventually. It just takes time to adjust to a new reality and a new dynamic in the household. Dr. Hindie M. Klein recommends tips like referring to the new baby as “our baby,” letting the older sibling help in caring for the baby (in ways that are age-appropriate, of course) and providing some special parental one-on-one time with the older child to help kids more easily adjust to a new baby in the house.

Even baby Hudson and his big-hearted bro here will surely have sibling spats of their own over the years. Sibling love is complicated, but it’s great to see it start off on such a beautiful note.

This article originally appeared on 9.21.22