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Following reports that Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian barge carrying weapons and troops to the border where fighting has intensified, Vladimir Putin is now pleading with weapon manufacturers to ramp up production. Putin’s plea also arrives after the the MOEX Russia Index — “the ruble-denominated benchmark of the Russian stock market” — fell in response to the battlefield losses and troop mobilization. In short, things are not going great for the Russian leader, who is reportedly in danger of being ousted by the country’s wealthy elites.

Via Newsweek:

A video posted by journalist Mary Ilyushina shows Putin meeting with military complex higher-ups on Tuesday. Quoting Putin, she wrote on Twitter that a boost in production is necessary to “urgently” supply the armed forces while ensuring “100% import substitution in this sector.”

It’s a change in tone from just over a month ago, when Putin bragged at the opening of the Army-2022 International Military-Technical Forum and the International Army Games 2022 in Moscow about Russia’s weapons being “decades ahead of their foreign counterparts.”

To illustrate how poorly Russia’s invasion is going, the state-sponsored Kremlin TV has been calling out Putin and calling the war a “serious failure.” The network defiantly aired one propagandist who urged Putin to admit defeat and end the whole thing.

“This is our most serious defeat during the last six months, and the most significant success of our adversary,” political scientist Sergey Mikheyev told Kremlin TV. “Perhaps this failure is beneficial, because being so obvious, now it’s impossible to pull the wool over our eyes, pretending that everything is wonderful.”

(Via Newsweek)

Did Alex Jones learn nothing from the public humiliation of his first Sandy Hook defamation trial? We ask only because the latest news surrounding the InfoWars host suggests he either has selective amnesia about how that first court case turned out, or he really is just that hardheaded.

Here’s the update: Jones, who was already ordered to shell out $49 million to the family of one Sandy Hook victim, is now heading into a second defamation trial set to take place in Connecticut. This latest lawsuit was filed by parents of more victims of the 2012 school shooting plus one FBI officer who responded to the scene. Even though Jones should know how to act after making an enemy out of his last presiding judge, the TV snake-oil salesman is apparently up to his old tricks, as evidenced by his behavior in court earlier today.

“This has never before been done in U.S. history. It’s a struggle session, right out of communist China or South Africa,” Jones said of the proceedings, via Mediaite. “This is serious tyranny, regardless of what you think about me or how the media has twisted what I said over the years, I’ve apologized for past things I said that hurt people’s feelings.”

Jones has already been found liable in the case for using the tragic massacre to spread unfounded conspiracy theories that banked InfoWars millions in revenue over the years. The hearings this week are to determine how much he owes his victims, and whatever remorse the right-wing blowhard seemed to have after the verdict of his first case was rendered — he’s not feeling sorry anymore.

“I wasn’t the first person to question Sandy Hook,” he continued. “And I apologized, years ago, they have misrepresented what I’ve said and done. There is a whole industry of lawyers around these families that have sued Remington and won $73 million and won all these other lawsuits. And they simply now are not just coming for the second amendment, but the first amendment, this is a travesty of justice.”

In fact, Jones pulled from his old playbook, eventually lumping the judge in with the people who are “out to get him.”

“This judge is a tyrant,” he ranted. “This judge is ordering me to say that I’m guilty. And to say that I’m a liar. None of that’s true. I was not wrong about Sandy Hook on purpose. I questioned it.”

Just a reminder to Jones and anyone else wondering: The first amendment protects the right to free speech, it doesn’t protect you from the consequences of the things you say — especially when those things involve labeling one of the worst school shootings in our country’s history as a “hoax,” targeting grieving families who suffered unimaginable loss and profiting off the death of six-year-old children.

(Via Mediaite)

Model Sumner Stroh surprised the world with a new TikTok video yesterday, in which she claimed that she and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine, who is married to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo, had a year-long affair. Furthermore, Stroh alleged Levine actually wanted to name is and Prinsloo’s forthcoming third child after her.

Hours after that post, Stroh felt the need to clarify a few things, so she shared another video.

The new video is a response to a comment that reads, “It’s no secret he’s been married for a decade. The only victim here is his wife and children.” In the video, Stroh says she’s “embarrassed and disgusted” with herself and that she didn’t want people to think she was trying to portray herself as a victim.

Elsewhere, she noted that during her and Levine’s affair, she was “under the impression that their marriage was over.” She continued, “I believed that they were keeping it quiet to avoid the negative press because, as I had said, I was new to LA, so I just assumed that with celebrities of that caliber, that’s just how it was. And that’s why I feel exploited, because he knew I believed everything that he said, because of my vulnerable position, being new to LA.”

She concluded, “Again, in no way was I trying to gain sympathy and I fully realize I’m not the victim in this. I’m not the one who’s really getting hurt here: it’s Behati and her children, and for that, I’m so, so sorry.”

This new video came before Levine shared a statement about the situation today. He told TMZ, “I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life. […] In certain instances it became inappropriate. I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family. […] My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it and we will get through it together.”

Eli Manning’s football career includes two Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVPs, four Pro Bowls, and his number retired by the New York Giants. It is the only NFL team for which the youngest Manning brother played after a sterling career as the starting quarterback at Ole Miss, which led to him getting picked No. 1 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Basically: At no point in Eli Manning’s life has he ever had to wonder what life is like for walk-ons. Despite that, Manning, as part of his program Eli’s Places on ESPN+, decided to see what it is like to join a college football program without the promise of a scholarship during a trip to Penn State earlier this year. Manning met with Nittany Lion coach James Franklin — who was in on the whole thing — before getting fitted for a mask and wig that he wore to the try-out as Chad Powers.

Two things are especially funny here. One, obviously, is Eli Manning, who is 41 years old and wasn’t exactly known for his athleticism during his playing days, running a terrible 40-yard dash time, which assuredly stuck out like a sore thumb among the 18-22 year olds who were seriously trying for walk-on spots. The other is that Manning absolutely knocked the “throwing the football” portion of all of this out of the park, to the point that one offensive analyst for the Nittany Lions, former Maryland QB Danny O’Brien, wanted to bring him on board. In a way, this is a testament to O’Brien’s ability to identify talent, so he can take solace in that.

Anyway, it turns out there is some interest in turning this into the next Ted Lasso, so it is possible this is not the last we see of Chad.

Although he’s seemingly spent the bulk of this year engaged in a prickly feud with Buffalo rapper Benny The Butcher, Gary, Indiana MC Freddie Gibbs has also been hard at work on his next album, the fifth solo full-length of his career and first since 2017’s Freddie. Today, he finally revealed its title, release date, and tracklist, which features Anderson .Paak, Kelly Price, Moneybagg Yo, Offset, Pusha T, Raekwon, Rick Ross, and hip-hop legend Scarface. Titled Soul Sold Separately, the album is due September 30 on Warner Records.

While Freddie’s been spending the past few years cultivating a reputation as rap’s favorite troublemaker, he re-emerged earlier this year to remind fans that he’s still one of the hardest rappers in hip-hop on his singles “Ice Cream” featuring Rick Ross and “Too Much” with Moneybagg Yo. To accompany the announcement of the album’s release date, Benny timed his tweet to the debut of his Funk Flex freestyle, in which he raps over the instrumental from R&B singer Amerie’s 2002 hit “Why Don’t We Fall In Love.” Beginning at the 4-minute mark in the video above, Freddie appears to be caught off-guard when the beat starts but instantly launches into a fiery freestyle with no preamble. You can watch the video above and see the tracklist below.

“Couldn’t Be Done” Feat. Kelly Price
“Blackest In The Room”
“Pain & Strife” Feat. Offset
“Zipper Bagz”
“Too Much” Feat. Moneybagg Yo
“Lobster Omelette” Feat. Rick Ross
“Space Rabbit”
“Feel No Pain” Feat. Anderson .Paak & Raekwon
“Rabbit Vision”
“PYS” Feat. DJ Paul
“Dark Hearted”
“Gold Rings” Feat. Pusha T
“Grandma’s Stove” Feat. Musiq Soulchild
“CIA”
“Decoded” Feat. Scarface (Bonus Track)

Soul Sold Separately is due 9/30 via Warner Records. Get it here.

Madonna is partying in Washington Heights with Tokischa in the music video for “Hung Up” remix that was released today (September 20). The Queen Of Pop also shares a few kisses with the rising Dominican rapper.

On Friday, Madonna released “Hung Up On Tokischa,” a new remix of her 2005 hit. Madonna embraced Dominican dembow for the first time alongside one of the genre’s proponents, Tokischa. The remix managed to seamlessly blend the sample of ABBA‘s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” with a club-ready dembow beat.

The music video for “Hung Up On Tokischa” was filmed in the largely Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights. Madonna and Tokischa share hot-and-heavy moments together in a house party, in the city streets, and in the back of big rig. The two women blow smoke in each other’s mouths and later make out. “Tokischa, ¿que lo qué?,” Madonna says, which is Dominican slang for, “What’s up?” Tokischa blazes through the remix with a fierce guest verse. “I’m going to bajo mundo with Madonna for a party,” she adds in Spanish.

In the past year, Tokischa has a trailblazer for Dominican dembow music. Spanish pop star Rosalía has collaborated with her twice, on last year’s “Linda” and “La Combi Versace” from the Motomami album. Tokischa also teamed up with Marshmello for the queer club anthem “Estilazo.”

“Hung Up on Tokischa” is Madonna’s first new release since she dropped her album Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones last month. The LP peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Some of the artists mentioned are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Creativity comes in many forms — painting, cooking, writing poetry, you name it. And if there’s one place to find inspiration for your next project, it’s on Pinterest. Full of recipes, DIY crafts, #OOTD style tips, dreamy photos that deserve a spot on your vision board, and basically everything in between, the platform is shifting the next generation’s mindset — creating opportunities to discover, experiment, and learn something new. More than that, Pinterest is becoming a hub for culture-creators to pursue all of their passions, championing users to silence their own inner critics, overcome their fears of failure, and just do.

That’s why singer-songwriter María Isabel turned to the platform when she decided to pick up a new hobby: sewing. As someone who’s never threaded a needle, she teamed up with Karly Kenyon, a self-taught fashion designer, for some expert guidance, using Pinterest’s platform to help make her idea happen. The challenge? To create her very own shirt from scratch. Pinterest provided the tools to pursue her goal — and gave her the motivation to do it.

“I’m excited to try something new,” María Isabel said. “I feel like Pinterest is a safe space where I can explore and see what I want to do without anyone else seeing it necessarily before I’m ready for them to. It really feels like a brainstorming platform.”

So, was the final result an ensemble worthy of a fit pic on the ‘gram? To see how the musician’s first attempt at sewing turned out, check out our full video above. You might even gain some inspiration for yourself!

Kid Cudi is keeping his fans fed this year with several new projects. Next Friday, he will release his 10th studio album, Entergalactic, which will be accompanied by a Netflix special. While we wait, Cudi has announced that his has begun work on his memoir.

He shared an update on Twitter this morning, saying, “Started writing the first chapter of my book. Its comin together really well. Tellin my story in my own words is scary, but I feel like it needs to be told. I feel like everything will make a lil more sense as to why you all met such a troubled boy in the beginning.”

Cudi first announced the memoir via Twitter this past weekend. He detailed the memoir saying, “Im finally gonna tell my story. The full story. All real. All honest.”

Cudi has not shied away from a multitude of tough topics in his music, including addiction and mental health. If the relatability and emotional intimacy of the memoir is anywhere near that of his music, readers are guaranteed to be struck in the feels.

Entergalactic is out 9/30 via Republic. The Netflix special will be available to stream on the same day. Pre-save the album here.

One of the major storylines that followed the Boston Celtics around during their run to the 2022 NBA Finals was the health of big man Robert Williams. While Williams played in a career-high 61 games during the regular season and anchored a ferocious Boston defense, meniscus surgery and the subsequent knee issues led to him being touch-and-go throughout the team’s time in the postseason.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, those knee issues are continuing to cause issues for Williams in the lead-up to the 2022-23 campaign, which is going to lead to him going under the knife for an arthroscopic procedure later this week. The news was first reported by Sean Deveney of Heavy and confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

If there is a silver lining to this for the Celtics, it is that the regular season begins on October 18, which is exactly four weeks from today, and even if he is out the full six weeks, he won’t miss too much time during the year. Still, it’s a tough break for Williams, who earned an All-Defensive Second Team nod for his ability to protect the rim last year and was a crucial part to Boston’s midseason turnaround that made them into one of the best teams in basketball.

Adam Levine has been dominating the entertainment headlines this week for not the best reasons. Briefly speaking, Instagram model Sumner Stroh spoke about having an affair with Levine over the course of a year and that the Maroon 5 singer messaged her this week to ask if he could name his next child after her. If it sounds awkward, it’s because it is. You see, Levine is married to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo. The couple have two children together (aged five and four) and the third is on the way. But what exactly is going on here in this story that seems far-fetched for any year besides 2022?

Adam Levine And Sumner Stroh: Everything We Know So Far

On Monday, September 19th, Stroh posted a video on TikTok, explaining that she’d had an affair with Levine for a year. “After I stopped talking to him after a period of months, this is how he came back into my life,” she continued. What ensued were screenshots of Levine asking Stroh if she was cool with him naming his and Prinsloo’s third child Sumner. Stroh said she felt “easily manipulated,” and was dumbfounded by the request. She explained her reason for sharing this information publicly: “I had sent some screenshots recklessly to some friends I thought I trusted and one of them had attempted to sell to a tabloid. So here I am.”

Surely, Stroh received a slew of comments questioning her role in this love triangle to begin with. So she then took to TikTok again to “address a few things I wish I had said in the first video.” She elaborated on why she posted the video in the first place, saying it was because she wanted to “kill whatever story the tabloid had” (this seemed clear in this first place, but the internet is apparently slow to the draw) and admitted to being a bit frantic in the process. Stroh also said she was “under the impression that their marriage was over,” and this is at the root of her accusing Levine of being manipulative and exploiting her. She explained, “He knew I believed everything he said,” and that she cut off their tryst when she found out that this wasn’t the case. She ends the clip by not excusing her naiveté and said, “In no way was I trying to gain sympathy and I fully realize I’m not the victim in this. I’m not the one who’s really getting hurt here: it’s Behati and her children, and for that, I’m so, so sorry.”

Levine then issued a statement via TMZ on Tuesday, September 20th, saying, “I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life.” But he did not address the baby-naming question at all. Here’s his entire statement:

“I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period of my life. […] In certain instances it became inappropriate. I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family. […] My wife and my family is all I care about in this world. To be this naive and stupid enough to risk the only thing that truly matters to me was the greatest mistake I could ever make. I will never make it again. I take full responsibility. We will get through it and we will get through it together.”