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Ricky Rubio, the veteran guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers who was expected to suit up for the Spanish national team at the FIBA World Cup this summer, announced on Saturday that he’ll put his career on an indefinite pause. In a statement, Rubio asked for privacy as he steps away from the game, but announced that his hiatus will be in an effort to focus on his mental health.

“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health,” Rubio said. “I want to thank all the support I have received from the (Spanish national team) to understand my decision. Today #family makes more sense than ever. Thank you. I would ask that my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time is right.”

As Brian Windhorst of ESPN noted, Rubio left Spain’s training camp and was not part of the team’s game against Venezuela on Friday that served as a tune-up for the World Cup. Spain will begin its World Cup group play slate on August 26.

Rubio, who will turn 33 in October, is about to enter his 13th season as an NBA player, and has two seasons remaining on his contract with the Cavaliers. His 2022-23 campaign did not begin until January as he was recovering from an ACL injury he suffered the prior season. In all, Rubio appeared in 33 games with a pair of starts for Cleveland last season, and averaged 5.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 17.2 minutes a night.

Remember “Let’s go Brandon”? It was the right’s classy way of hurling an f-word at Joe Biden without actually saying it. One of them even did it over the phone to him, during a children’s Christmas broadcast. Eventually the Biden team was able to co-opt it, turning it into “Dark Brandon,” which was used any time the president did something badass, like helping the nations core low unemployment numbers. He’s even been selling “Dark Brandon” merch. His latest item is a “Dark Brandon” coffee mug, which drove Fox News crazy.

Late last week, the Biden team dropped a video of the president drinking from a mug bearing a “Dark Brandon” logo and the numbers “2024.” After taking a sip, he says, “I like my coffee dark.” Those mugs are now for sale on Biden’s campaign site.

That triggered multiple Fox News hosts.

“Dark Brandon is not funny!” declared Julie Banderas. “I mean, that’s actually a really dark joke at the expense of the American public. Like, I don’t think it’s funny. And Brandon is not a compliment. So, to— that’s all he’s got to go on? Take the worst insult that he’s adopted through his presidency and make something of it?”

On The Five, Jesse Watters sort of, not really championed the merchandise. “It’s funny because he is a dark guy,” Watters said. “He’s a nasty guy. He’s arresting his rival. And he’s been shaking down Chinese and Ukrainian executives for years and hiding it. He’s nasty to his family and to his grand-daughter. He’s a nasty guy. He calls people white supremacists.”

A lot of what Watters said was conspiracy theories or private family matters. He then went on to claim Barack Obama, who’s vowed to start helping Biden’s re-election campaign starting in the fall, hate each other. “He only chose Biden as VP because he was a white guy who had foreign policy chops and knew his way around Washington, to balance that ticket,” Watters claimed. He also said that Obama would “laugh at him behind his back.”

“Let’s go Brandon” emerged in late 2021, when Trump folk dreamed up a way to say “F*ck Joe Biden” without really saying it. The phrase eventually went out of favor. But it lives on as “Dark Brandon,” which must make all its original users hopping mad.

(Via Mediaite)

Last week, Donald Trump enjoyed his third indictment in only a handful of months. During his arraignment in D.C., he was told not to post threatening messages. He agreed not to. That promise didn’t last long. On Friday, he took to his rinky dink Twitter clone to make a not-so-vague threat — which his campaign team is now trying to spin as no big deal.

Trump’s post read, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” Now, the former president has many, many, many enemies. He has multiple lawsuits, some of which have advanced in the courts. But the Department of Justice was quick to propose a protective order, arguing that future posts of that nature “could have a harmful chilling effect on witnesses.”

Not long after the post, his campaign tried to defend the big guy’s reckless antics, as per Mediaite.

“The Truth post cited is the definition of political speech, and was in response to the RINO, China-loving, dishonest special interest groups and Super PACs, like the ones funded by the Koch brothers and the Club for No Growth,” the campaign wrote in a statement.

Was it, though? Trump has not been subtle about claiming there’s some massive, deep state plot allegedly driven by President Joe Biden to derail his third campaign. He’s even been telling crowds that they, not him, are the real target. A Truth Social post earlier this week offered all-caps promises of all the revenge he’d wreak upon re-assuming office.

“The Dems don’t want to run against me or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of ‘Justice.’ BUT SOON, IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!” he railed.

Of course, if he keeps up like this, he’ll be running for president from prison a lot sooner than expected.

(Via Mediaite)

Taylor Swift has been keeping the surprises coming all summer long. As the “Anti-Hero” hitmaker has been on her Eras Tour since March, the Swifties have been showing up in detective mode, trying to decode all of Swift’s Easter Eggs and figure out all the tricks she has up her sleeve.

Over the course of the Eras Tour, Swift has included a unique “surprise song” Last week, in Santa Clara, a fan who was in attendance at Swift’s show in the era made a very specific promise.

In a TikTok video, the fan said “If Taylor plays ‘Right Where You Left Me,’ I will jump from a plane.”

The song, “Right Where You Left Me” comes from Swift’s 2021 album, Evermore, and not only did Swift perform the song, she brought Aaron Dessner.

It appears the Swiftie made good on her word, as her manifestation then cut to a performance of the song, then a clip of her skydiving.

Earlier this week, Swift announced that she is extending the Eras Tour with 15 new North American shows. It was also reported that Swift gifted her crew with a hefty bonus as the first leg of US shows is wrapping up.

You can see a clip of the skydiving Swiftie above.

Friday will go down as perhaps the most consequential day in the recent history of college athletics. Despite some apparent optimism that the Pac-12 would be able to remain in tact, two of conference’s biggest members, Oregon and Washington, jumped to the Big Ten. It immediately led to questions about what would happen next to the Conference of Champions, and several hours after that bombshell dropped, three more schools announced their intention to leave the Pac-12.

In a statement released on Friday evening, the Big 12 announced its latest round of conference expansion, which will see Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah make their way to the conference.

The Big 12 is in a state of upheaval, as Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC in 2024 and BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston joined the conference last year. Back in July, it was announced that Colorado will leave the Pac-12 and join the conference in 2024, and rumors began popping up once it was clear that Oregon and Washington would bolt for the Big Ten that the conference had its eye on adding more institutions from the Pac-12.

As of this writing, four schools remain in the Pac-12: Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, and Washington State. Beyond Oregon and Washington, the Big Ten has previously announced that USC and UCLA will join the conference in 2024. In a statement released following the news involving the Arizona schools and Utah, the Pac-12 expressed that “we remain focused on securing the best possible future for each of our member universities.”

A lot of adults find it hard to make friends past a certain age, and science even confirms that forming friendship bonds as grownups is more challenging than when we were kids.

“Sociologists have kind of identified the ingredients that need to be in place for us to make friends organically, and they are continuous unplanned interaction and shared vulnerability,” University of Maryland psychologist Marisa Franco told Boston NPR station, WBUR, adding that environments with those elements are harder to come by as adults.

“Continuous unplanned interaction” and “shared vulnerability” may sound daunting, but maybe we’re just making it all too complicated.

As a sweet interaction captured between preschoolers shows, making friends doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it. In fact, their conversation is pretty much a masterclass in friendship-making.

Check out this adorable budding friendship captured by mom Katy-Robin Garton and shared on her Instagram:

See on Instagram

While most adults probably wouldn’t feel comfortable asking a brand-new friend if they want to hold hands, the rest of the interaction contains some solid elements of building a relationship with someone.

First of all, research shows that walking together, especially in nature, makes conversation easier. And doesn’t have to be in the beautiful Montana scenery of this video—just being outdoors in general helps.

Secondly, listen to how the kiddos ask and respond to questions. The little girl asked if the boy took naps (a totally a legit question for grownups to ask one another, by the way). But then she shared a bit about her family, tied it to a question about him and his age, and then built on his answer by sharing a bit more about herself. That kind of give-and-take is how people start getting to know each other.

And then, of course, the sweet compliment! “I like your glasses.” So simple, but everyone loves a compliment. And the way she so graciously received it and with such self-assured confidence: “Me too.” Now they’ve established that they share some tastes in common.

Finally, the “Ah, dog poop!” which is just funny. (But also, she’s watching out for them both—friends gotta have one another’s backs, right?)

Naturally, people are loving it.

“My god, these littles are glorious. My faith in the future of humanity has been restored 🌱🙌🏾💫💕🎆,” wrote one commenter.

“They will literally have this same conversation when they’re 90. ‘You take naps anymore?’ ‘You know you’re older than my cousin, he’s 93…,’ ‘I’m 93 and a half…’😂😂😂” shared another.

“I can’t even. The next time I try to make a new friend I’ll lead with “do you wanna hold my hand?” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” wrote another.

Seriously, there’s a lot we can learn from observing little ones who learn and connect without all the baggage we grownups often bring to the table. When it comes to friendship, perhaps we should take a page out of these preschoolers’ book. They seem to have the basics pretty well figured out already.

Drake and 21 Savage have been blowing fans’ minds with their co-headlining It’s All A Blur Tour across North America — including them taking the stage in Milwaukee tonight.

The duo hit the road starting last month in support of their recent collaborative album that dropped last year, titled Her Loss. Those who are planning on stopping by likely have questions about when the two rappers will be gracing the stage. Here’s what to know.

According to Setlist.FM, the set times for past shows in cities like NYC and Washington D.C. place Drake (and 21 Savage) starting things around 9:10-15 p.m.. Then, the show would wrap around 11:15 p.m. — give or take five minutes, depending on the start time.

However, since not every city has the time listed for when he took the stage, this might be different from city to city.

As for the typical opening time for doors, this would vary depending on the local venue. The cities on the website that have set times listed place the doors at 7 or 8 p.m., as the duo does not have an opening act.

The It’s All A Blur North American leg is set to continue until October and fans can find a complete list of dates, along with more information, here.

Beyoncé is having a blast as she continues the North American leg of her Renaissance Tour — and so are the fans, who put on their sparkliest outfits for the shows they attend. It has been this way since the European dates, as the pop star turns the concert into an all-out celebration.

She also doesn’t have an opening act, which might have many wondering when she starts the show and what time they should be there. Thankfully, we’re here to help with the answers!

According to Setlist.FM, Beyoncé’s most recent show at Massachusetts’ Foxborough Stadium had the doors open at 5 p.m.. The concert then kicked off at 9, with her full set spanning several hours until around 11:30.

However, in other cities, she has gone on at varied times. At Detroit and the second New Jersey shows, it began at 9:30 p.m.. For the first Jersey date, she started at 9:10. This also delays the concert’s end time until closer to midnight.

Other key information is that the time that the doors open for the Renaissance Tour also vary by city. Chicago‘s opened at 6, Louisville‘s at 6:30. Depending on what show you’re attending, the safest bet is to verify the times with the venue to get a stronger idea.

View the rest of Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour dates here.

Rita Ora and Taika Waititi got married a year ago today. In honor of the couple’s first wedding anniversary, they opened up more about that day with some special stories and photos in Vogue.

Particularly, Ora and Waititi set the record straight about their choice in wedding venue — and how it was different than fans might have suspected. The two had kept a lot of the details about it under wraps.

“It wasn’t in London or in France like everyone reported,” Waititi revealed. “It was in L.A. with a small group of friends.”

“At our home!” Ora added.

“Our address was… no, I’m just joking,” Waititi joined back in with a joke.

“It’s actually been quite entertaining for us to see the different stories people made up and all the while getting to keep it to ourselves,” Ora continued. “And, I love that we now get to share what really happened — and to do it on our one-year anniversary, no less.”

Waititi then goes on in the interview to note that the two kept their wedding a small affair, with “about eight people” from their close friends and family. He brought his best friend from New Zealand, and Ora was joined by her sister, Elena.

After their discussion with the magazine, the photos display some sweet moments of the two celebrities getting ready for their intimate wedding.

One of the interesting things that has happened in the social media era is that after someone notable dies, some people come forward with stories about their generosity that no one has heard before. It’s especially common for those who used their fame to spread love and kindness.

One person who did that was Paul Reubens, the beloved comedian and actor best known for creating the Pee-Wee Herman character. Reubens died on July 30 after a six-year secret battle with cancer.

In the wake of his death, Mario Alejandro shared how Reubens reached out to him during a difficult time for himself and his daughter. Alejandro’s story has been seen over 5.4 million times on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Alejandro is a baseball card historian and writer for Wax Haven and Junk Wax Treasure Hunter.

In 2013, I was going through a nasty divorce and bitter custody battle. My ex-wife took our home, and I had to move into a motel temporarily. To make matters worse, she wouldn’t let me see our daughter except once a weekend in exchange for “child support”.

During those weekends,… pic.twitter.com/wmrDHSspUQ

— Mario Alejandro (@BeisbolCardBlog) July 31, 2023

“In 2013, I was going through a nasty divorce and bitter custody battle,” he wrote on Twitter. “My ex-wife took our home, and I had to move into a motel temporarily. To make matters worse, she wouldn’t let me see our daughter except once a weekend in exchange for ‘child support,’”

“During those weekends, I spent every waking minute taking my daughter all over Sarasota, never knowing when I’d be able to see her again,” he continued. “At nights, we’d binge on #PeeWeeHerman for months until she became the world’s youngest Pee-Wee fan.”

After his divorce was finalized, Alejandro gained full custody of his daughter, and he reached out to Reubens to thank him for helping them through such a tough time. Alejandro was shocked when Reubens responded by asking him for his phone number.

“The next day, Paul called, and we talked for 10 minutes about the divorce, my job, my daughter, and of course, his amazing work. He asked me to save his number and to call him next month as he was going out of town for a few weeks,” his story continued.

A month later, Reubens invited Alejandro and his daughter to his home in Sarasota, Florida. Reubens showed them props from his TV shows and movies and fed them juice and snacks by his private lake. Reubens told them that he built his home for his mother, who was at the house at the time, and he loved showing off all the ducks and birds on the property.

“The entire visit was extremely wholesome,” Alejandro said.

​“We didn’t want to overstay our welcome so we left within the hour, but I will never forget the day my daughter and I got to hang out with the person who showed us just how fun even the most mundane activities could be with a little imagination,” Alejandro said.

Alejandro wishes he had a photo of the day he and his daughter hung out with Reubens, but he didn’t ask for a picture during their time together because he didn’t want to be rude.

This wasn’t the only story to come out about Reubens’s genuine kindness after his death. Writer Todd Spence shared how Reubens was incredibly kind to a “Jimmy Kimmel Live” employee and invited him over to his home.

So Paul shows up, nice as usual, extremely friendly to everyone, but hadn’t met my friend before. Let’s call him Jack. Jack is there if Paul needs anything at all, and Jack is a great guy anyway. Super nice and friendly, even to the mean guests.

— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 31, 2023

So, Jack takes him up on it and goes to Paul Reubens house one afternoon. As Jack recounts the story to me, I’m on the edge of my seat. I’m wondering if anything bizarre happened obviously as this just normally doesn’t happen.

Jack continues: Paul greets him and invites him in.

— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 31, 2023

But no, that was the end of the story. The story of a kind man who honestly made friends wherever he went, happy to share a sandwich with a production assistant who made his life a little easier the night he went onto a talk show. Kindness when most can’t even make eye contact.

— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) July 31, 2023