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You never know when you have a legend in your family. Two years ago, a woman named Tara Garcia reached out to “CBS Mornings” correspondent David Begnaud to share a story. Her grandmother, Crescensia Garcia, had just turned 100 and had recently survived COVID-19, only having to briefly use oxygen. Begnaud shared the story of the elder Ms. Garcia with his followers on Twitter, including some pictures Tara had sent him. Little did they know, a bigger story was about to unfold.

Edna Cummings, a retired Army colonel, saw Begnaud’s tweet. One of the pictures Tara had sent him was of her grandmother in her military uniform. Cummings told “CBS Mornings” that seeing the photo of Crescensia “was like being in a casino and hitting the jackpot.” Why? Turns out Crescensia was part of a very special military unit during World War II.

Cresencia Garcia is 100 today. She beat coronavirus. She’s now out of the ICU, (was never intubated) & is no longer requiring oxygen.
She served in the woman’s army corp during World War II. She served in England caring for wounded soldiers. What a woman. HBD Mrs. Garcia! pic.twitter.com/2fFDmWH8pl

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) April 19, 2020

Cummings needed to know Crescensia’s dog tag numbers to confirm her suspicions, so she reached out to Tara. After receiving them, Cummings was able to confirm that Crescensia was part of a burn unit located near Birmingham, England, which treated wounded soldiers due to a shortage of people in the area who could perform those procedures. She may not have thought much of it at the time (it was her military duty after all), but Crescensia Garcia was part of something special.

The SixTripleEight was an 855-member unit that was all Black and all women. Of course, the unit was segregated, but that didn’t stop the members from serving their country. Crescensia Garcia, who is now 102 years old, is one of only six surviving members of the unit. And her family had no idea.

“They’re the only military women’s unit to receive a congressional gold medal,” Cummings told “CBS Mornings.” “They are part of an elite group of less than 200 recipients. The first being General George Washington.” In addition to receiving the congressional gold medal, the family learned that Crescensia’s name is on a World War II monument along with other veterans, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

When Tara Garcia found out this information, “I looked at my parents and said, ‘I think we just opened Pandora’s box here,'” she said. The revelation certainly led to some very cool opportunities, including meeting first lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Both Crescensia and Tara Garcia sat down with David Begnaud on “CBS Mornings” to talk about their family and it was truly the sweetest thing. Although she’s beginning to show signs of her age, Crescensia is still pretty sharp and a truly beautiful soul.

Crescensia was born in Puerto Rico in April 1920, before women even had the right to vote. At that time, a loaf of bread was less than 20 cents! She moved to New York City in her youth, and at the age of 24 she enlisted in the Army because the bombing of Pearl Harbor made her so enraged that she felt it was her civic duty to serve and protect. She was immediately put in an all-Black unit for her basic training in Texas.

“They put me in the Black section and there is a White section. That’s America to you. See? That’s America to you and it’s very sad, very sad,” she told Begnaud. After the segment, he explained to the news desk that the reason she was able to become a medic was due to her light skin color. She was able to “pass” as white, which earned her privilege.

Social media post helps woman discover her grandmother’s World War II past

Much like others who have served in war, Crescensia doesn’t seem to think her time in the Army was anything special. She told Begnaud that she was “just” a medic and was only doing her job tending to the injured.

“I am proud to be an American,” she said.

After the war, she went back to New York City, settling in the Bronx and getting married and having three children. She became a seamstress, working in Manhattan’s Garment District. Now, she is living her best life and sharing her story with the world.

During their interview, Begnaud explained that he had a surprise for both women. He had gotten in touch with the White House and arranged for Dr. Jill Biden to call and FaceTime with them.

“You are one incredible woman and I can’t thank you enough for all your service to our country,” Dr. Biden said warmly.

“And I salute you. Keep it up. Keep up the good work,” Crescensia said, raising her hand to salute the first lady.

At 102, her memory isn’t what it used to be, but, according to Tara, her presence of mind during the interview and conversation with the first lady is something neither of them will forget.

“The fact that she knew who that was. Yeah, and she felt that acknowledgment just now. That’s all I needed. That’s all I needed. I just want her to remember, that’s all,” Tara said.

We salute Crescensia Garcia and thank her for being who she is.

The National Galleries of Scotland made an incredible announcement on July 14. Experts at the Edinburgh gallery discovered a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh after taking an X-ray of his 1885 painting “Head of a Peasant Woman.”

To find another painting by Dutch master Vincent Van Gogh 132 years after his death is an incredible discovery not only for the art world, but humanity. It’s like digging up a hidden track by the Beatles, a secret notebook by Isaac Newton or unreleased poems by Langston Hughes.

“Hidden from view for over a century, the self-portrait is on the back of the canvas with Head of a Peasant Woman and is covered by layers of glue and cardboard,” the museum said in a statement.

u201cWe have made a truly incredible discovery. A previously unknown self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh has been found in our collection. Yes, you read that right! ud83dudd8cufe0fud83dudc47u201d

— National Galleries of Scotland (@National Galleries of Scotland)
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The discovery is historic but it makes sense given the fact that Van Gogh was known for using both sides of a canvas to save money. The artist only sold one painting in his lifetime and became famous after his death in 1890 at the age of 37. He would go on to become one of the most influential painters in Western art history.

Lesley Stevenson, the gallery’s senior conservator, says that she felt “shock” to “find the artist looking at us,” she told the BBC. “When we saw the X-ray for the first time, of course we were hugely excited.”

The Edinburgh gallery describes the painting as “a bearded sitter in a brimmed hat with a neckerchief loosely tied at the throat. He fixes the viewer with an intense stare, the right side of his face in shadow and his left ear clearly visible.”

Even though it will take countless hours of delicate restoration for the new painting to be separated from “Head of a Peasant Woman,” the museum has a good idea of what it looks like thanks to the X-ray image.

Van Gogh famously cut off his ear in 1888, two years before his death, and in what is presumed to be a self-portrait, the artist’s ear is still attached to his head. He lopped off the lower part of his ear during a bout of depression while staying in Arles, France. He later documented the experience in a painting titled, “Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.”

“Later in date than the Head of a Peasant Woman, the hidden painting is likely to have been made during a key moment in Van Gogh’s career, when he was exposed to the work of the French impressionists after moving to Paris,” the gallery wrote on its blog.

The mysterious image was revealed in an x-ray taken when we examined our Van Gogh painting ‘Head of a Peasant Woman’ for our upcoming exhibition A Taste for Impressionism.🔍 pic.twitter.com/jCMu3vZzoE

— National Galleries of Scotland (@NatGalleriesSco) July 14, 2022

Museum visitors will be able to see an X-ray of the image in a lightbox at a new exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery entitled, “A Taste for Impressionism: Modern French Art from Millet to Matisse.”

“Moments like this are incredibly rare,” Frances Fowle, a senior curator at the National Galleries of Scotland, said according to ABC News. “We have discovered an unknown work by Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most important and popular artists in the world.”

On the heels of his new self-titled EP, Guap, formerly known as Guapdad 4000, has premiered the new video for his song, “H*e.” On the bouncy, bass-heavy, West Coast-inspired track, Guap proclaims, “I don’t need a h*e, I need a whole lot of paper / I don’t need a h*e, I need a whole vacation.”

The song’s accompanying video, shot by Paul Middleton, sees Guap driving around Oakland, spending time by himself on the beach, and making himself a charcuterie board.

In addition to the “H*e” video, Guap also took to Instagram to reveal the trailer for his upcoming short film, Stoop Kid. Set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, July 21, Stoop Kid accompanies Guap’s 2021 album, 1176, and tells the story about his Bay Area upbringing.

“It’s crazy to be posting this,” he wrote. “Quarantine got so heavy for me that I fell into a deep depression just too much death and uncertainty but by the grace of God I have been blessed with many talents and also to have a connection with my big brother @illmindproducer with whom I’ve created 1176 the album & inspiring My short Film/ Musical ‘Stoop Kid’ … a story about my journey in Oakland.”

Check out “H*e” above.

Dua Lipa has been living up to her hit song “Levitating” over the last year and this latest achievement takes her to a different stratosphere. The 26-year-old has officially tied Ariana Grande for the most songs with over one billion streams among female artists. Dua and the Sweetener artist now share the throne with seven songs a piece.

Some of Dua Lipa’s records that aided in her achieving this feat include “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris, the PNAU remix to “Cold Heart” with Elton John, “Don’t Start Now,” “IDGAF,” and the aforementioned “Levitating” with received a remix by DaBaby soon after its release. In terms of RIAA certifications, her 2020 album Future Nostalgia and eponymous 2017 album are both certified Platinum. “Levitating” is four times Platinum, “One Kiss” is three times platinum, and “IDGAF” is two times Platinum.

Dua Lipa has been busy in 2022, appearing on Calvin Harris’ “Potion” with Young Thug and “Sweetest Pie” with Megan Thee Stallion. She reportedly told Elton John that her third album is “50% of the way there” and “is starting to feel good,” so she could very well knock Ariana Grande off of their shared pedestal until Grande releases her next album.

Check out the full list of Dua Lipa’s RIAA certifications here.

Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

For the last two weeks, Deandre Ayton has been in the NBA version of purgatory, stuck as a restricted free agent on a market where few teams had cap space to make him an offer and fewer had motivation to extend an offer sheet his way. With Kevin Durant’s trade request further adding to the drama of this summer and having teams even more wary of tying up cap space with an offer sheet, Ayton (along with Collin Sexton) found himself in no-man’s land.

On Thursday, Ayton finally found a suitor in the form of the Indiana Pacers, who cleared enough space with the Malcolm Brogdon trade and a few smaller waivers to extend him a 4-year, $133 million max offer. After failing to reach a sign-and-trade with the Suns over the course of Thursday afternoon, Ayton put pen to paper on that deal and it became a waiting game to see if Phoenix would indeed match as they had insisted they would for weeks.

Sure enough, less than 20 minutes after word broke that Ayton had signed the offer sheet, the Suns matched and retained the former No. 1 overall pick.

The Suns couldn’t let Ayton walk, as that would’ve severely damaged their chances of contending again next season, but given how damaged the player-team relationship seems to be after last year, it’ll be interesting to see how Ayton reacts to being back in Phoenix. The Suns had made clear they didn’t value him as a max player and the way the season ended, with Ayton benched in a blowout loss to the Mavs in Game 7 of the second round, there’s clearly some issues that need to be resolved between he and coach Monty Williams.

Still, the Suns are better with Ayton than without him, and they will at minimum go into this season with mostly the same team that earned the 1-seed last year before falling apart in the final five games of the second round. As Woj notes, Ayton cannot be traded until January 15 and will have veto power on any trade in the next year, meaning if the Suns want to move him in the first year of his new deal, they’ll have to do so with his consent — and he now is guaranteed not to be part of a Kevin Durant trade prior to the season starting.

As for Indiana, they now have to deal with the fallout from failing to land Ayton, as Myles Turner (who has long been considered available in trade talks) surely won’t be thrilled about the Pacers pursuit of another center.

Harry Styles might have called his shot for 2022 when he named his third studio album Harry’s House. After releasing back in late May, the album is officially the first of 2022 to be certified Platinum by RIAA and Styles’ third Platinum album overall. Harry’s House was led by the two times Platinum April single “As It Was,” and the release-day single “Late Night Talking.”

“As It Was” debuted atop both the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, becoming his second solo number one single after 2020’s ubiquitous, five times Platinum “Watermelon Sugar.” The record has spent 9 weeks at No. 1. “Late Night Talking” didn’t reach the same heights, only peaking at No. 4.

Harry’s House closed off a nearly three-year hiatus for the 28-year-old, following up 2019’s Fine Line. Styles debuted as a solo act in 2017 with his self-titled first LP after One Direction took an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Having gone from one of the best-selling boy bands to becoming a consistent solo commercial success, Styles will likely be a major fixture in year-end conversations. Beyond that, this achievement is evidence of what more he can achieve if he continues at this rate.

Harry’s House is out now via Columbia and Erskin Records. Listen to it here.

Zara Larrson is officially on the clock. After delivering two well-received albums within the last five years, there is much anticipation for what the Swedish pop singer has coming next. She knows it and even added to the fanfare back in June 2021 when she posted that she was back in the studio working on album number three. Zara Larsson spoke on her forthcoming album backstage at Mad Cool Festival 2022 in an interview with NME.

According to the 24-year-old, she has “some production stuff left” to take care of. She continued “I shouldn’t say that [it’s almost done] because now people will expect [new music]; but it is.” Fans cling to any announcement, whether direct or cryptic, so it was sensible for her to try and clarify her point but it won’t diminish the excitement fans hold.

This upcoming album will feature production from Rick Nowels and Danja, which is exciting for the “Never Forget You” artist. “The fact that I’m in the studio with them [and am] working with them long term, it’s something that I’ve appreciated a lot,” Larsson said. Speaking about Nowels specifically, the Poster Girl singer said “It’s like ‘it’s you and me’; like ‘you’re looking into my eyes, and we’re writing this song’, which is great. I feel like it’s authentic and brings out something else.”

Check out the full Zara Larsson NME interview here.

New life is a beautiful thing, especially in a world where it can be easy to focus on the negatives. Fans speculated for quite some time as to whether Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas were expecting a baby, especially after pictures surfaced of Turner with what appeared to be a baby bump. The Game Of Thrones actress confirmed the pregnancy back in May, posing on the cover of Elle and fully displaying her pregnant stomach. A few weeks later, Jonas told People that he was “maybe a little less nervous” for this second child after caring for him and Turner’s first daughter Willa for almost two years.

Today (July 14), the pop star and 26-year-old have welcomed their second bundle of joy into the world, representatives for both stars confirmed exclusively to People. The newborn, TMZ reports, who is confirmed to be a daughter and makes that two overall for the couple, was born earlier this month in Miami.

Joe Jonas has been on an informal hiatus from music, with his last individual release, “Go It Alone (From Rumble),” and Jonas Brothers’ release, “Leave Before You Love me” alongside Marshmello, both coming in 2021. This downtime will definitely allow for Sophie Turner to come up with more comedy material as she has new ears to entertain. Surely Joe Jonas hopes they won’t come at the expense of his purity ring again.

The logic behind a new California law that allows people to sue gun manufacturers if they’ve been hurt—most likely shot—by their products makes a lot of sense. In America, you can sue a fast food joint if its burger has tainted meat that made you sick. You can also sue your employer if you are injured on the job.

There have even been instances where tobacco companies have been successfully sued for the deaths of smokers.

Why shouldn’t companies that make fortunes from selling and marketing instruments of death have to be responsible for the carnage created by their use? If you’re going to profit from guns you should also have to be responsible for the repercussions, especially when innocent people are hurt or killed.

A new bill signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom will allow people who’ve been harmed by guns to sue the manufacturer if it didn’t establish “reasonable controls” to keep them from those most likely to cause harm. These include people who are legally prohibited from owning a firearm or those who might hurt themselves or others.

Manufacturers can also face penalties if their guns are “abnormally dangerous” or sold in a way where they can be illegally converted.

u201cIrresponsible gun manufacturers and distributors can no longer hide from the mass destruction they have caused in California. With @AsmPhilTing’s bill, victims of gun violence can go to court and hold the makers of these deadly weapons accountable.u201d

— Office of the Governor of California (@Office of the Governor of California)
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“It’s well known that nearly every industry is held to account when their products cause harm or injury, except one: the gun industry,” Newsom said in a statement.

“California is going to change that. They can no longer hide from the mass destruction that they have caused. … If you’ve been hurt or a family member is a victim of gun violence, you can now go to court and hold the makers of these deadly weapons accountable,” he said.

The bill could cause significant damage to the gun industry through expensive lawsuits. The Sandy Hook families successfully sued Remington in 2017 and won $73 million in damages. Insurance companies would also be less likely to protect gun companies from lawsuits knowing they have a much greater chance of being successfully sued.

The National Rifle Association claims the new law is “intentionally vague” and “can subject the industry to crippling lawsuits regardless of whether there is any actual violation of law, and therefore prevent law-abiding citizens from being able to access the firearms necessary to exercise a constitutional right.”

The new law is bound to be the subject of legal battles, but Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco told Politico that similar challenges to a New York law lost their initial challenges in court.

u201cNEW CALIFORNIA GUN LAW: The measure, AB1594, would make gunmakers liable if they sell assault weapons and do not take u201creasonableu201d steps to ensure those weapons are not used for illegal purposes in California. It has more implications too…nnREAD MORE >>> https://t.co/2hGNU806ASu201d

— Nazy Javid (@Nazy Javid)
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The new law is another bold step against gun violence for the state of California, which already has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country. While gun rights advocates may bristle at the state’s actions, research shows that these types of laws save lives. According to The New York Times, California’s firearm mortality rate is the country’s lowest at 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, compared to the national average that year of 13.7 per 100,000.

People who live in California are also 25% less likely to die in a mass shooting. In the debate in America over whether we’re safer with more guns or fewer firearms, California is making a compelling case for the latter.

Have you ever noticed that there are two different bread sections in the grocery store? There’s the aisle where you get loaves of sliced bread next to the hamburger buns and there’s the bakery section where you get traditional crusty bread.

So why are both types of bread separated?

Adam Ragusea answers the question in a compelling video that has more than 2.2 million views on YouTube. Ragusea is a popular YouTuber who makes videos about recipes, food science and culinary culture. His channel has nearly 2 million subscribers

In the video, he breaks down the five things that distinguish these two types of bread. One of the main reasons they are made differently is because sandwich bread has to last a lot longer than the traditional bread you find in the bakery aisle.

Here are the five ways they are very different.

1. Added sugar and fat

Sandwich bread has additional butter and fat so that it doesn’t mold as quickly.

2. Bread yeast

Sandwich bread manufacturers want to make the product quickly, so it has yeast accelerators to speed up the fermentation process.

3. Hard mix

Sandwich bread is made in aggressive mixers that allow more oxygen to enter the dough, which makes it rise faster. However, this reduces the amount of flavor in the bread so it’s not as tasty as traditional bread.

4. Dough helpers

Sandwich bread contains dough conditioners and improvers, a broad category of ingredients that inhibit mold, soften the bread and preserve it so it’s edible for at least a week.

5. The bake

Sandwich bread is baked in a pan at a lower temperature than a traditional loaf, giving it a cakey texture.