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There’s a chance — a small one — that Donald Trump could have won re-election. Had his response to the COVID-19 outbreak been good, or even competent, or even barely-assed, he might have wormed his way into the hearts of more than simply his rabid and sometimes violent supporters. Alas, he’s Donald Trump, and his response was to mostly ignore it, to mock masks, to give absurdly bad medical advice. Maybe things would be different had he listened to his own wife.

As per CNN, a new book — The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021, by New York Times’ Peter Baker and CNN’s own Susan Glasser — claims that Melania tried to talk some sense into him as cases and deaths skyrocketed.

“‘You’re blowing this,’ she recalled telling her husband,” Baker and Glasser write. “‘This is serious. It’s going to be really bad, and you need to take it more seriously than you’re taking it.’ He had just dismissed her. ‘You worry too much,’ she remembered him saying. ‘Forget it.’”

And so, cases and deaths stayed high, in part because half the country — the Trump-voting half — were convinced by the president and his cronies that it wasn’t worth taking seriously. Even when vaccines became available, many didn’t take them. When Trump advised getting vaxxed, they booed him, even as deaths overwhelmingly affected his supporters.

As for Trump, he now rants to strangers in a resort where he now lives, all while fending off an ever-growing number of headaches that may leave him broke and/or in prison. But at least he can still run a third time from jail.

(Via CNN)

Eminem is decades into his historic rap career and showing no signs of slowing down. With such a storied and prominent career, many details still remain unknown to most. The Detroit rapper, in celebration of XXL‘s 25th anniversary, penned a personal story recounting all he has been through and how drug addiction spanning over multiple years affected his 2004 album Encore.

“My drug usage started at the beginning of that first album,” Eminem said, in reference to 1999’s The Slim Shady LP. “I didn’t take anything hard until I got famous. I was experimenting. I hadn’t found a drug of choice. Back then you went on tour and people were just giving you free drugs. I managed it for a little while. And then, it just became, I like this shit too much and I don’t know how to stop.”

He continued: “Encore took a whole f*ckin’ different trajectory because Encore was during my addiction. I was realizing I’m getting addicted to these f*ckin’ pills. I was just coming off The Eminem Show and the 8 Mile soundtrack and I started recording and had about seven or eight songs that were very much in the vein of what I do. But we ended up putting them out as a f*ckin’ bonus disc because the songs leaked. If those hadn’t leaked, Encore would’ve been a much different album.”

The rapper explained how “We As Americans,” “Love You More,” “Bully,” and “Evil Deeds” all leaked, with “We As Americans” originally intended to be the album’s opening song. “If that would’ve been on Encore and the other couple songs that leaked,” he wrote, “to me it would’ve been right there with The Eminem Show as far as its caliber.”

In having to start the recording process all over again, Eminem’s addiction grew and he was soon in a “goofy mood.” Said mood caused a change in the music he was making. “So now, I go make ‘Ass Like That,’ ‘Big Weenie,’ ‘Rain Man,’ all those silly songs, which I’m writing in f*ckin’ seconds at that point in time,” he wrote. “I was just writing high and feeling good about what I’m doing because I got f*ckin’ 20 Vicodin in me and this is fun to do, and I’m having fun, so f*ck it.”

Eminem had a hard time coming to grips with the fact he didn’t do his best after the album was released. Worst of all, for him, was the critical reception. “I released what I had at that point in time, and I feel that put a kind of a mark on my catalog,” he said. “Encore did some decent numbers, but I was never that concerned with numbers. I was more so worried about what people think about the album. Critics and fans were important to me, and they were always at me about that project.”

Check out Eminem’s full story on XXL here.

Few trailers have wanted you to know that the monster is an internet meme as much as this one for Grimcutty. The funny thing is that it’s not a specific internet meme in the real world being movie-ized (like Slender Man), but the big bad of this teen tech horror (a totally real genre!) is a thing spread from youth to youth over whatever app they’re into these days. Microsoft Excel probably?

If anything, it feels like it’s copypastaing from the Momo Challenge, a challenge that wasn’t a challenge at all, just like tons of moral panics that parents buy hook, line, and sinker because they don’t know that kids stopped using Excel to message each other years ago. A creepy picture and children compelled to do something because they saw it.

Time for an official synopsis:

“Directed and written by John William Ross (The Birch), Grimcutty follows a suburban teen girl (newcomer Sara Wolfkind) and her little brother (Callan Farris) who must stop a terrifying internet meme brought to life by the hysteria of their parents, played by Usman Ally (VEEP, A Series of Unfortunate Events) and Shannyn Sossamon (Wayward Pines, Sleepy Hollow). Alona Tal (SEAL Team) also stars, as a mother whose son (Kayden Koshalev) is affected by the memetic monster.”

That creature design is super fun and horrifying. It seems like they kept saying “make it bigger” when they saw each incarnation of the face. But can we talk about the most disturbing part of the trailer?

Who stores knives in a horizontal pile inside a plastic food storage container on a high shelf? Monsters.

Grimcutty hits Hulu October 10th.

The story of the week in the NBA has been the league finally releasing its findings from its nearly year-long investigation into allegations of Suns owner Robert Sarver making racist and sexist comments while fostering a hostile workplace environment in Phoenix.

The league’s investigation confirmed what had originally been reported by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, which at the time Sarver vehemently denied as false reporting only to now come out and try to express remorse. Sarver was slapped with a $10 million fine and a year-long suspension, with Adam Silver citing that newfound remorse and him “evolving” as a person as a reason for the lighter punishment in a rather dreadful press conference trying to explain how the league landed on this as Sarver’s penalty.

As many have pointed out, Sarver’s use of the N-word (which he was first told not to say in 2004 and then said repeatedly in 2017, showing a lack of evolution) and sexist comments certainly doesn’t seem far off from Donald Sterling, who was ousted by the league and forced to sell the Clippers for similar comments (that just happened to exist on tape that could be run over and over on networks). Along with Sterling being on tape saying horrific things, one of the biggest reasons for his removal from the league was the threat from players to sit out during the playoffs and their public outcry against Sterling.

Up until today, we hadn’t had much of that given it’s the offseason and the report just came out, but on Wednesday two of the league’s most prominent voices, including a Suns star, called the league out for not doing enough to Sarver. First it was LeBron James, who flatly called the league “wrong” for how it handled the situation, with Chris Paul following suit by first making sure to that he felt for the victims of Sarver’s words and actions, while also saying the league “fell short” in addressing his “atrocious behavior.”

Paul’s statement is notable for a number of reasons, as he is, along with Devin Booker, one of the top stars on the Suns, which Sarver owns, so speaking out on this comes as no small thing. He’s also the former president of the NBPA, and his voice, along with James’, carries tremendous weight around the league as one of its most respected veterans. Paul has also, unfortunately, found himself in this position before as a member of the Clippers as the Sterling tapes became public and he was forced out (in no small part due to the Clippers threatening not to play in a playoff game).

For its part, the NBPA likewise has made clear it feels the league did enough, with Tamika Tremaglio issuing a strong statement on Wednesday as well calling on the league to do more.

The NBA obviously hoped the $10 million fine would suffice in the minds of many, but the findings of the investigation are too damning for that to be the case. As pressure mounts from players, we’ll see if the NBA adjusts course or if players take a more proactive stance to force such action.

Summer 2021 saw the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years at war with the Taliban. The speed at which the Afghanistan government collapsed and the Taliban seized control of the capitol city Kabul shocked the world, leaving American forces scrambling to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghan citizens amid chaos and violence.

Directed by Jamie Roberts, Escape From Kabul chronicles those harrowing 18 days in August.

The official synopsis: “This deeply immersive and emotional documentary combines never-before-seen archival footage from those on the ground at the airport, with exclusive interviews with people who were there throughout the period, including Afghan citizens attempting to flee, U.S. Marines tasked with managing the evacuation, and Taliban commanders and fighters who had recently taken the city.”

The shock moment of the trailer is when it shifts from American perspectives to interview with representatives of the Taliban. That angle alone promises a very different documentary.

Escape from Kabul lands at HBO Max September 21st, a little over a year after the evacuation. Hopefully it will shed some light on the days and months after, even as the Afghanistan War Commission continues to explore the full scope of the 20-year-long war.

No stranger to chaos, Roberts’ Four Hours at the Capitol provided a mob’s eye view into the January 6th insurrection when then-president Donald Trump attempted to get followers to stop the certification of Joe Biden‘s election.

In the wake of PnB Rock’s tragic death via shooting on Monday, legendary rapper Ice-T tweeted about how he’s unwilling to keep on explaining the dangers of Los Angeles and its gang culture, if only because people won’t listen to him. After allegedly being contacted by many people about his stance, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star offered additional details on his stance, related to jewelry and the danger it can bring to those wearing it.

In a tweet from early on Wednesday, Ice-T wrote, “People are still hitting me up about my comments about LA Gang culture.If you NOTICE, LA rappers don’t wear a lotta Jewelry… Me, Snoop, Cube, Dre, Game, Kendrick..The list goes on.. It’s not cause we’re broke. LA is just a Dangerous place,rapper or not. Why test the streets..”

Ice-T went on to defend his stance against a few people who offered opposition. One posted a picture of The Game wearing a large gold chain, to which Ice-T replied, “Thats on certain occasions when you’re ready for whatever… I have Big Jewelry too… But you don’t wake up EVERYDAY and put it on to go down the block.. As I said before… Challenge the hood, somebody’s gonna catch that Fade.”

Another mentioned the existence of Death Row Records chains, to which the rapper said, “Yep, And PAC’s death was connected to the snatching of one of those chains.. You can deny what I’m trying to tell you if you want. I’m done explaining.”

However, there are some exceptions to the rule. Ralfy the Plug, late rapper Drakeo the Ruler’s brother, was quick to contradict the OG. He quoted Ice-T’s jewelry explanation tweet with a photo of himself wearing multiple chains in front of a black backdrop and an accompanying caption saying, “My kneck be hurting on a daily.”

It wasn’t all negativity, though. One person shared a piece of artwork that he painted featuring Ice-T getting his hair done at a barbershop while sporting a large chain. The caption read, “We have a chain obsessed culture. Why I painted this. The irony was ICE doesn’t rock a piece worth a house in vulnerable places. Jewelry ain’t sh*t on a corpse. 3OG knowledge is a gift. You’d think they’d listen.”

Ice-T signaled his approval with multiple fire emojis. He later punctuated his stance with a tweet that read, “‘LA….. Home of the Bodybag…’ Somebody said that 30 yrs ago….,” a direct quote from his 1991 song “Home Of The Bodybag.

Check out Ice-T’s tweets about Los Angeles gang culture and jewelry above.

Disclaimer: While all of the products recommended here were chosen independently by our editorial staff, Uproxx may receive payment to direct readers to certain retail vendors who are offering these products for purchase.

Welcome to SNX DLX, your weekly roundup of the best sneakers to hit the internet. This is a huge week for Nike fans and we’re showing the love with seven of our eight picks this roundup going to the Swoosh. Whether you’re a fan of classic AF-1s, forgotten vintage runners like the Air Pegasus or radical re-imaginings like this week’s J Balvin Air Jordan 2s, we’ve got a little something for every sort of Nike fan out there.

The only other brand to score a spot on our top eight this week is Adidas with a four colorway drop of the Samba Golf. We’re a little surprised that New Balance and Yeezy Brand are keeping quiet this week, which leads us to believe that they have something big coming out in the coming weeks. For now let’s dive into this week’s eight best sneaker drops and where to find them. Once you’ve hit the kicks, be sure to check out the latest Style Watch to complete the fit.

Nike Air Force 1 x Off-White Brooklyn

In a celebration of Brooklyn Museum’s posthumous Virgil Abloh retrospective, Figures of Speech, the same bright green unreleased Off-White AF1s worn by the museum staff is finally getting a retail release this week. Featuring a monochromatic upper in Light Green Spark, this AF-1 features brilliant metallic swooshes, an exposed foam tongue with a cut-out window, and those classic Abloh zip ties. The number of unreleased Abloh designed sneakers is slowly dwindling so as excited as we are for these to finally drop, it’s also a bit bitter sweet.

The Nike Air Force 1 x Off-White Brooklyn is out now for a retail price of $160. Pick up a pair via aftermarket sites like GOAT and Flight Club.

Nike Air Force 1 Vintage Photon Dust and Sail

As brilliant as Abloh’s take on the AF-1 is, for some people the silhouette willl always look best in an understated low-key colorway, and this week’s Photon Dust and Sail iteration takes the classic all-white AF-1 and ages it up a bit with some vintage detailing. Featuring a weathered canvas and embossed suede upper, the Photon Dust and Sail manages to look both crispy fresh and weathered and worn, with a coconut milk outsole and vintage Nike branding rounding out the design.

The Nike Air Force 1 Vintage Photon Dust and Sail is out now for a retail price of $130. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Women’s Air Force 1 ’07 LX Coconut Milk and Lemon Wash

Your eyes don’t deceive you, this is yet another AF-1 worth copping this week. Let’s just call it the week of the Air Force 1 because in addition to the three that made our list, Nike is dropping four other takes on the silhouette. We’re not complaining, but we’re not about to dedicate a whole SNX to the AF-1. We just won’t do it!

Featuring a Coconut Milk leather upper with Lemon Wash laces and outsole, and a chunky jelly swoosh this AF-1 is beefed up with some extra cushioning for a more comfortable and modern fit.

The Women’s Air Force 1 ’07 LX Coconut Milk and Lemon wash is set to drop on September 14th for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Jordan Super Play J Balvin

It feels a bit late in the year for a sandal (we would’ve worn these exclusively last week during the ridiculous heatwave hitting the southwest) but hey, it’s J Balvin so we’ll take it. This Jordan Super Play slide features puffy over panels with dreamy cloud graphics, a velcro strap, rainbow detailing, and sits atop a glow-in-the-dark foam sole.

It’s a perfect match for Balvin’s music which is always colorful and bursting with life.

The Nike Jordan Super Play J Balvin is set to drop on September 15th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $70. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app or aftermarket sites like GOAT.

Nike Air Jordan 2 J Balvin

The sandals are cool and all but this J Balvin Jordan 2 is easily the highlight of the week. The Jordan 2 silhouette has been in renaissance mode all year but there isn’t a single drop that updates the design as heavily as this cloudy take. Featuring a Celestine Blue upper with puffy panels and cloud graphics at the translucent mudguard heel, the J Balvin 2 features the same rainbow accents and glow in the dark outsole as the Super Play with a light up tongue logo, Air cushioning, and a mix or premium materials across the upper.

Rounding out the design is J Balvin’s smiley logo peeking out through the translucent heel.

The Nike Air Jordan 2 J Balvin is set to drop on September 15th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $300. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike NOCTA Hot Step Black and Yellow

Drake’s NOCTA Hot Step is getting a new Black and Yellow colorway this week, any other week this would be a big deal but it’s definitely being overshadowed by the more exciting Balvin AJ-2. But if you’re a fan of simpler more minimalist designs, this might be your pick up the week.

Featuring an Air Terra Humara inspired upper in premium pebbled leather, the Hot Step features shimmering 3M accents and G-TEK traction for a comfortable glide. Nike didn’t want to give Ye his own imprint back when they were producing Air Yeezys together, but they gave Drake one and we’re getting this? Interesting move Nike.

The Nike NOCTA Hot Step is set to drop on September 16th at 7:00 AM PST for a retail price of $180. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Nike Air Pegasus 83 Vintage Sail

Considering this is something like the fourth dope Air Pegasus colorway we’ve gotten this year, we think it’s pretty safe to say that the Air Pegasus is back! This old early ‘80s runner features a weathered canvas upper with embossed suede detailing in a Sail colorway with bright teal laces adding some contrast.

It’s not the sort of release that’s going to break the internet or make you money on the aftermarket, but it sure looks great!

The Nike Air Pegasus ’83 Vintage Sail is set to drop on September 16th at 7:00 AM for a retail price of $105. Pick up a pair via the Nike SNKRS app.

Adidas Special Edition Samba Spikeless Golf

While this is very much Nike’s week (they scored 7 picks out of our total 8) Adidas slipped one in with this four colorway drop of the Samba. But this isn’t just any Adidas Samba, it’s a special spikeless version of the Samba Golf, which features a subtly different design. The Golf takes the classic Samba design outline and beefs it up with extra cushioning for a more comfortable fit. The Samba Golf features a synthetic upper with a reinforced toe shape for added stability, and OrthLite sockliner cushion, and a thick tread rubber outsole.

The Adidas Special Edition Samba Spikeless Golf is set to drop on September 15th at 8:00 AM PST for a retail price of $120. Pick up a pair via the Adidas CONFIRMED app.

There’s excruciatingly little information about this for such a big change, but with 6 weeks until filming was set to start in New Orleans, the Matthew McConaughey-starring Dallas Sting is shutting down. According to The Wrap, Skydance is pulling the plug after a deep dive into the real-life story uncovered some “disturbing allegations.” Whatever the allegations, the severity and authenticity were enough to make McConaughey pull out as well.

Written by GLOW showrunners Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, the film would have focused on the 1984 high school girls soccer team who journeyed to China under the coaching of Bill Kinder (McConaughey’s character). Against all odds, the team — which needed clearance from a gynecologist proclaiming that soccer wouldn’t mess up young women’s bodies — beat team after team of the best on the international stage. Kaitlyn Dever was also set to play Kinder’s daughter, and Apple would have had the first pass of buying it for its streaming service.

The story would have been an inspirational underdog tale with an amateur team battling odds both bureaucratic and athletic. Of course, based on the news, it’s possible that at least one element of the true story would have marred the film. That’s speculation, and it’s doubtful that Skydance or anyone else will be elaborating any time soon. For now, all we know is we’ll have to turn elsewhere to hear McConaughey give inspirational speeches.

There are lots of hissable billionaires these days. Some of them keep going to space because they’re not sure what to do with the purely abstract amount of money they have. But not all billionaires are bad. Take Yvon Chouinard. He owns Patagonia, the wildly successful maker of outdoor apparel, and he and his family just gave away their entire company’s vast fortune to organizations that will combat climate change.

As per The New York Times, Chouinard, his wife, and two adult children have transferred ownership of the company, which is worth some $3 billion, to a set of trusts and organizations that were created to ensure its future profits — all of it, some $100 million a year — are used to battle climate change.

“Hopefully this will influence a new form of capitalism that doesn’t end up with a few rich people and a bunch of poor people,” Chouinard told NYT. “We are going to give away the maximum amount of money to people who are actively working on saving this planet.”

Patagonia, which sells more than $1 billion of product a year, has always had an environmental bent, the result of its owner, an avid rock climber, fisherman, and all-around outdoors type who clearly cares about the future of the planet. Now 83, he’s now giving away the bulk of his assets in his lifetime. By contrast, most billionaires only give a tiny fraction of their net worth away to charities. Some don’t even pay taxes.

Then again, Chouinard is what you could call a reluctant billionaire. “I was in Forbes magazine listed as a billionaire, which really, really pissed me off,” he told NYT. “I don’t have $1 billion in the bank. I don’t drive Lexuses.”

He’s reluctant in other ways, too. “I didn’t know what to do with the company because I didn’t ever want a company,” he said. “I didn’t want to be a businessman. Now I could die tomorrow and the company is going to continue doing the right thing for the next 50 years, and I don’t have to be around.”

The unprecedented move got a lot of love on social media, though it also inspired some inevitable jokes.

While Chouinard is using his unimaginable wealth to pay it forward, Elon Musk is being roasted by William Shatner while worrying more about his estranged partner’s ears.

(Via NYT)

Looks like the juice is worth the squeeze. The “juice” here being the job of starring in Ed Solomon and Steven Soderbergh’s Full Circle series at HBO Max, and the “squeeze” being whatever the team offered Timothy Olyphant to do it. Variety is reporting that Olyphant has joined the crime drama production alongside Zazie Beetz and Claire Danes.

Details are slim about the characters (Olyphant’s is called “Derek”!) or the specifics of the plot, but the current official synopsis promises “an investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City.”

These names are dynamite. Obviously Soderbergh and Solomon attract talent naturally, but each of these actors makes the show a must-watch on their own merits. Together? It’s a hellaciously promising line up. Who else can this project snag?

Olyphant is currently filming Justified: City Primeval, where he’s reprising his iconic role as Raylan Givens, although production has been rocky since bullets and bombs keep flying on set. Hopefully filming Full Circle will be less death-defying. The other question is which side of the law Full Circle will see Olyphant on — back behind a badge or out there kidnapping people? Something in between? Maybe just hanging around the investigation looking handsome and smirking one-liners? All fine ideas!