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On January 6 of this year, about-to-be-former president Donald Trump took to a stage outside the White House and whipped-up a massive crowd of already enraged supporters, who’d been fed lies about voter fraud in the 2020 election (that they continue to spread, over a year later). A large portion of them proceeded to bust their way into the Capitol building, leading to five deaths. Whether Trump’s speech directly inspired the violent siege has been hotly debated. But Trump seems to think his fiery rhetoric was actually pretty chill.

Trump phoned into Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show Friday night, and she asked him about his attempts to deflect participating in the Jan. 6 House committee, who have been investigating that day’s events, by invoking “executive privilege.” (Some of his allies, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, have done the same thing, even though that that rule only applies to sitting presidents.) Trump suggested that even if they made him talk, it would still go swimmingly for him.

“Honestly, I have nothing to hide,” Trump told Ingraham. He claimed he “wasn’t involved” in the insurrection, and even painted his pre-siege speech as the opposite of impassioned. “And if you look at my words and what I said in the speech, they were extremely calming, actually.”

Among the things Trump said in his hour-long soliloquy were, “And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

During his appearance on Ingraham’s show, Trump also continued to downplay the insurrection. “The insurrection took place on Nov. 3, which was Election Day,” Trump asserted. “This was a protest, and a lot of innocent people are being hurt. A lot of innocent people are being injured.”

He even dramatically lowered the day’s body count while comparing it to Black Lives Matter protests over the preceding summer (where very few people died over hundreds of protests nationwide). “Nobody was killed here other than Ashli Babbitt, who was shot violently by a man who should not have ever been allowed to pull that trigger,” he said. (Five people died that day, not one.)

In the meantime, the Jan. 6 committee continues interviewing hundreds of people, a good many of them who did so willingly. And we’re still learning about some of the perpetrators, including one who claimed he strolled through the Capitol building while pounding Coors Light — which may have been a lie.

(Via Raw Story)

Last Sunday, the same night as one of Succession’s most shocking episodes, The New Yorker dropped a lengthy, revealing profile of one of its more acclaimed cast members, Jeremy Strong. It painted him as intense — not a Method actor, per se, but someone whose approach to playing the deeply troubled Kendall Roy make him at least slightly difficult to work with. The article immediately set off a firestorm, and in the ensuing days longtime friend Jessica Chastain expressed displeasure with the way it was written. Now one of Strong’s directors has done so, too.

On Friday night, Chastain posted a letter from Aaron Sorkin, who directed Strong in The Trial of the Chicago 7, where he played Yippie Jerry Rubin. (He also directed Chastain in Molly’s Game.) Sorkin — who is wisely not on social media — was one of the people quoted in the New Yorker profile, and he worried that he helped contribute to a portrait of him that he felt was inaccurate.

“After reading Michael Schulman’s profile of Jeremy Strong — a profile in which I participated — I wanted to speak up,” Sorkin wrote. “I think I helped Mr. Schulman create what I believe is a distorted picture of Jeremy that asks us to roll our eyes at his acting process.”

Sorkin said he was e-mailed five questions but that “only one and a half of these answers were used.” That, Sorkin wrote, “is perfectly normal,” but they happened to be ones that showed Strong taking his method to extreme measures. One involved him requesting to be tear gassed (Sorkin told him no), and another where he tormented actor Frank Langella, playing a judge, by reading aloud from his (excellent) memoir in “silly voices,” even playing the kazoo as he spoke.

The filmmaker and playwright showed his full responses to Schulman, where he praised Strong’s work on Succession and compared him to Dustin Hoffman.

After the one-two punch of Chastain and Sorkin coming for the New Yorker profile, the publication itself decided to respond. “This is a nuanced, multi-sided portrait of an extremely dedicated actor,” they wrote in a statement to Deadline. “It has inspired a range of reactions from people, including many who say that they are even more impressed by Jeremy Strong’s artistry after having read the article.”

In the meantime, since the public got a fuller picture of Strong’s methodology, it’s sparked a conversation about actors whose dedication can sometimes take them to extremes — and, in Strong’s case, get results. Still, his onscreen pops, Brian Cox, does worry.

(Via Deadline)

In the post-social media world, it’s easier than ever for musicians and celebrities to connect with one another. And, it’s not surprising that the new class of female songwriters would find solace in each other’s work, just as much as their fans do. I’m talking about Taylor Swift being a fan of Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe Bridgers giving Olivia Rodrigo advice on tour, Olivia Rodrigo name checking how much she loves Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever — you know, just girly things.

In case you missed that last one, actually, it’s part of a recent new Los Angeles Times profile by critic Mikael Wood, who sat down with Olivia to talk about her incredibly successful year and all those Grammy nominations. Along with Olivia praising Billie’s latest album — “I’m obsessed with her new record,” Rodrigo said — there’s a choice quote from Phoebe praising Olivia that fans will be sure to love.

“Olivia’s music is so exacting — it makes you feel something,” Bridgers told The Times. She further noted that the industry “tries to defame musicians that teenage girls love, even though they forget that teenage girls invented the Beatles.” And she finished by noting that usually women who get into the industry at such a young age are dismissed: “It’s cool to see people finally be taken seriously at her age.”

Did you know Olivia was also at Phoebe’s recent show at the Greek? Incredible stuff. Check out the whole article here.

The Charlotte Hornets are awfully shorthanded right now, as the team is without LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and a handful of other players due to injuries and the league’s health and safety protocols. Despite this, Charlotte defended its home court on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings, 124-123, although it took quite the journey to get there.

The Hornets had the ball with the shot clock turned off and the game tied at 123. Thanks to a layup by Cody Martin and a foul, it appeared he was going to go to the charity stripe to ice it with 5.5 seconds left, but a review indicated that Martin’s foot hit the ground before he shot the layup. Because the foul happened before that, he went to the free throw line for a pair of shots and hit one.

Martin looked like he was going to be the scapegoat moments later, when he appeared to lose track of whether the Hornets had a foul to give and fouled De’Aaron Fox. He managed to get bailed out four times, though: Fox, who is shooting a career-high 74.1 percent on free throws this season, went 0-for-2, and in the ensuing scrum, the Kings missed both of their tip-in attempts to steal a win.

Ever since rumors abuot Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles dating began to swirl, the actress and filmmaker has faced harassment and an incredibly sexist narrative due to the age gap between her and the former One Direction star. Harry is 27, and Olivia is 37, a perfectly normal and even small age gap if it was reversed in Hollywood, but because of rampant sexism, Olivia has had to deal with lots of useless commentary about her age. And all that attention has come while she’s been trying to work on her second feature length film, Don’t Worry Darling — the follow up to her acclaimed breakout, Booksmart — which happens to star her boyfriend as well.

Olivia praising Harry’s acting is part of what first led to rumors the pair were a couple, and since then both parties have mostly kept their mouth shut about the relationship. But in a recent cover story for Vogue, Wilde had to admit that her happiness is part of what makes her want to speak out against the endless media scrutiny.

“It’s obviously really tempting to correct a false narrative,” she began. “But I think what you realize is that when you’re really happy, it doesn’t matter what strangers think about you. All that matters to you is what’s real, and what you love, and who you love. In the past 10 years, as a society, we have placed so much more value on the opinion of strangers rather than the people closest to us. I’m happier than I’ve ever been. And I’m healthier than I’ve ever been, and it’s just wonderful to feel that.”

As Vogue further points out, she never quite confirms the relationship by name… but we all see the writing on the wall. And as far as happier than ever, well, I kind of think I would be too if I was dating Harry Styles — or making a film starring him. And while you’re here, check out a teaser trailer for Don’t Worry Darling above.

Over the last couple years, the world of hard seltzer was exploding with new additions. It seemed like every time you turned around, another brand had launched their own version, including several celebrity-backed options. One of which was Travis Scott’s Cacti hard seltzer, which he announced last winter and we gave a full review of this summer. Up until the last few months, it seemed like the seltzer was just another extension of Travis’ many brand collabs, like his McDonalds deal or the merch that went along with it.

But today, in a statement reported by AdAge, the seltzer’s backer Anheuser-Busch has announced the drink will be no more. It’s likely that the move is due to the continuing fallout from Scott’s Astroworld festival, which tragically left nine concertgoers dead due to trampling and crowd control issues.

“After careful evaluation, we have decided to stop all production and brand development of Cacti Agave Spiked Seltzer,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. “We believe brand fans will understand and respect this decision.” Though asked directly if the decision was due to the events at Astroworld, the brewer declined to comment further, and so far, Scott hasn’t issued a comment about the decision either.

The tragic passing of 21-year-old Chicago rapper Juice WRLD in late 2019 left the hip-hop community devastated. Like with many artists who are taken from us in their prime, Juice WRLD’s family and team have decided to release his music posthumously. Starting with Legends Never Die in 2020, which was a commercial and critical success, the next project came out today, and it’s called Fighting Demons. And as fans discovered when the tracklist for the album was shared earlier this week, the album was stacked with high-profile collabs, including the surprising addition of Suga, from the massive K-pop boy band, BTS.

Though BTS was just beginning to break into the mainstream in America when Juice died, they’ve already collaborated with plenty of other pop stars, so it’s not the most unexpected thing in the world. Still, it’s a little bit more left-field than some of the straight-ahead rap features on the album, even if Suga is known for often launching into a rap verse in the middle of a BTS song, like he does on “Butter.” For their joint song on Fighting Demons, “Girl Of My Dreams,” Suga raps his verse in Korean, adding to the wistful mood Juice has already established. Check it out above.

If you’re looking for the perfect present to buy a special someone or want to treat yourself (because you deserve it), look no further, as we have carefully hand-picked our favorites from Upworthy Market! At our shop, you can feel good about your shopping because every dollar you spend directly supports artisans who create their own products. In this gift guide, you’ll find products that range from jewelry to games, accessories and more—all items that we personally love at team Upworthy.

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1. 3D Tic Tac Toe

$23.99

Waraporn Khamsuk creates a challenging tic tac toe from Thailand. Handcrafted from rain tree wood, the game features a square board with nine standing pegs for the addition of complementary X and O shapes. Just like traditional tic tac toe, the goal is for one of two players to arrange their shapes three-in-a-row. With this game, however, the rules of the old pastime are brought into a three-dimensional space—fun for the whole family.

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2. Crafted Woven Alpaca Scarf

$23.99

Celinda Jaco selects a cozy blend of Andean alpaca for this handsome men’s scarf. Classic in style, it features fine stripes of white and gunmetal grey woven through the midnight-black textile. Hand-tied fringe completes a distinguished design.

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3. Puzzle Set

$39.95

Keep everyone entertained with our handcrafted set of 6 or 12 wooden logic puzzle games. Games include falling star, snake cube, ball in jail and more. Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk handcrafts each of the puzzles that come in a handy storage box.

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4. Unique Recycled Shoulder Bag

$39.99

Fiesta colors alternate with silver in a charming shoulder bag. From Maria Isabel Ramos, the purse is woven from recycled candy and cookie wrappers and lined with cotton fabric.

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5. Handmade Ceramic Tree Ornaments

$39.99

Made of shaped terracotta and hand painted in bright tropical colors, these festive ornaments depict colorful Christmas trees. Jose Arriola creates a set of six, each one different. Poinsettias with distinct stylizations adorn them, and the set arrives in a pouch of hand-loomed cotton.

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6. Set of Six Guatemalan Worry Doll Ornaments

$25.99

Traditional Guatemalan worry dolls share the love as festive ornaments by the Lopez Garcia Family. Each doll in the set of six is crafted by hand and wears a handwoven skirt and head dress. “The idea is to trust each doll with whatever troubles you. It is said that during the night, while we sleep, the dolls will whisper the solution to our troubles,” says Ana from the Lopez Garcia Family. The set arrives in a hand-loomed cotton pouch.

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7. Stylish Elephant Elephant Charm Anklet

$19.99

Tiraphan Hasub crafts a stylish anklet, centering bright brass beads with colorful agate. A symbol of old Siam, an elephant graces this original design. Jingling bells form the clasp, and the anklet is adjustable in length.

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8. Twirling Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings

$39.99

Pichaya designs modern earrings that appear to dance and twirl. The earrings are expertly crafted by hand with the luminous elegance of sterling silver.

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9. Handmade Rain Tree Wood Bottle Puzzle

$23.99

Demonstrating her creativity and love for games, Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk creates this ingenious puzzle that is perfect for entertaining friends and guests. The goal is to figure out how to free a wine bottle using four pieces of interlocking rain tree wood, a task that will prove to be an enjoyable and motivating challenge. The puzzle is reusable and fits a 12-inch by 3-inch wine bottle.

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10. Fair Trade Men’s Brown Leather and Brass Adjustable Bracelet

$25.99

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step,” according to Chinese poet and philosopher Lao Tzu. Show your adventurous spirit with this subtly rugged brown leather wristband bracelet. Thailand’s Chaloemphon crafts the bracelet by hand, weaving a narrow belt of leather along the wider cuff. Brass snaps secure the bracelet at one of three lengths for a comfortable fit.

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11. Apple Green Jade Solitaire Ring

$39.99

Evoking the ancient Maya, this beautiful and simple solitaire ring is crowned by an oval of apple green Guatemalan jade. This stunning accessory is designed by Zandra Lorena Sajbin, who crafts the ring with a band of sterling silver.

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12. All Cotton Multicolored Cosmetic Bag

$14.99

Working with a traditional loom, the House of Antigua Artisans creates beautiful accessories like this cosmetic bag. The all-cotton fabric is a jaspe weave in navy, crimson and avocado. The bag is trimmed with light brown faux suede, and fully lined in polyester. It’s just the right size for cosmetics or travel-sized toiletries.

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13. Happiness Mug

$23.95

Painted onto the surface of this ceramic mug is a colorful and vibrant sun in the tradition of Mexican folk art with the message of “Happiness” on the reverse. Eufrosia Pantaleon creates this simple and classic mug.

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14. Cheerful Turtle Plant Pot

$39.99

A cheerful little turtle comes to life in terracotta. Handcrafted by ceramists from the House of El Salvador Artisans, this versatile design is perfect to hold a potted plant. Geometric patterns in pale brown adorn the ornate shell

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15. Wood Three-Sided Domino Set

$29.99

By Thai artisan Waraporn Khamsuk, this domino set offers a unique twist on the traditional tabletop game. Handmade from rain tree wood, 56 triangular dominoes or “trionimoes” come in a handy wooden box. The corners of each domino are hand-painted with colorful dots. This 2-6 player set offers fun for the whole family.

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16. Sterling Silver Cat Stud Earrings

$29.99

For the cat lover in your life, these stud earrings are designed by Thai artisan Sarote Lochotinunt. He crafts each one from sterling silver, forming the cat’s face with geometric shapes that are accentuated by a brushed-satin finish that gleams in the light.

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17. Owl Trio Statues

$39.99

Three petite green ceramic owls recommend that we “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.” Believed to have originated in ancient Japan, these charming statuettes are crafted by hand and given the crackled glaze that is characteristic of celadon ceramic.

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18. Lotus Flower Sterling Silver Band Ring

$25.99

Realized in darkly oxidized relief, the image of a single lotus flower is featured on this band ring from Bali. Asmara Putra designs the ring, crafted of sterling silver.

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19. Alpaca Wool Beanie

$49.99

The colors of the firmament, when the sun finally bids day farewell, inspire the vibrant design of this alpaca hat. Fernando Cano creates vibrant patterns as he knits the hat in shades of plum, orange, green and brown. Alpaca has been prized in the Andean region for centuries thanks to its warm and lightweight fleece.

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20. Protective Tranquility bracelet

$16.99

Rituu Agarwal honors Buddhist meditation practices with the design of this Shambhala-style bracelet. Meaning “bliss” in Sanskrit, the Shambhala-style bracelet symbolizes tranquility, peace and happiness—the oneness of all. Rituu expertly knots the cotton bracelet by hand with macramé techniques and crowns it with black and enhanced onyx, believed to protect against negativity.

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Andre Ingram‘s basketball career included six NBA games as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and many, many more games in the G League, where he has gone down as the person with the most career games played and the most made three-pointers in league history. Now, Ingram gets to add something else to his collection of career accolades: Wheel of Fortune winner.

Ingram, who is still suiting up for the South Bay Lakers, appeared as one of the contestants on Friday’s episode of the show, and he didn’t just do well, he managed to win big. Thanks to some good fortune on the first two puzzles of the night, Ingram ended up taking home $31,750. In second place, Megan won a very impressive $19,855, and in third, Thipp took home $6,800.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about his big payday is that Ingram did it without winning anything in the bonus round. After getting the usual RSTLNE, Ingram picked the letters GCPO, setting up this:

As Pat Sajak said, getting one more letter would have helped Ingram out in a big way. He figured out immediately that the first word was “FIERCE,” but Sajak’s prediction was correct, and Ingram was unable to get “BLIZZARD.” As a result, he did not add $39,000 to his final total.

Still, this is an impressive chunk of change for Ingram. It is debatable whether or not it is as impressive as spending more than a decade in the NBA G League and, upon playing in your first NBA game with the Lakers, you score 19 points and earn praise from the late Kobe Bryant.

Popeyes might have a problem on its hand. It has, unquestionably, the best chicken sandwich in the fast food universe and for two years every fast food chain — and yes we mean every fast food chain — has been swiping for the top spot. Nobody has come close, but what about the few fast food chains that are at least competitive with Popeyes?

In our definitive ranking of the best fast food chicken sandwiches, Shake Shack, Church’s, Jollibee, and Wendy’s filled out the top five, just under Popeyes. If one of those other brands were to drop an exciting new chicken sandwich, suddenly that top spot is back in play, right?

Popeyes knows this. It’s why they dropped this year’s Hottie Sauce Chicken Sandwich and got Megan Thee Stallion to promote it. I called the sandwich an improvement over the original. But there is a new kid on the block, or well, three new kids technically.

Church’s — our number three pick for best chicken sandwich — has just unveiled a trio of new sandwiches, the Texas-Cut Bacon Chicken Sandwich trio. The bacon-adorned trio is available at Church’s chicken restaurants nationwide until December 26th, so if you want to get your hands on one of these sandwiches, you’ll have to move fast.

We tried the whole flight so you know where to best spend your money, and more importantly, how they stack up against the GOAT. Let’s eat!

Texas-Cut Bacon Chicken Sandwich

The OG Church’s Chicken Sandwich consists of a breaded chicken breast filet on a mayo-smeared bun with thick crinkle-cut pickles, so the only thing that makes the Texas-Cut Bacon version different is the inclusion of bacon. It’s not a big change, but a chicken sandwich with bacon is superior to the same chicken sandwich without bacon every single time, so this is an easy win for Church’s.

The breast filet here is massive and on all three occasions juicy with a crunchy and craggy pepper-forward batter that strikes the perfect balance of the meat-to-breading ratio. The bacon itself is good, but it leaves a bit to be desired. It’s not as thick and glorious as Church’s press photos would suggest, these are unfortunately very thin pieces of bacon, but they add a nice smokey flavor to the whole sandwich, and for $1 more you can get double the bacon. Definitely do that.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

The inclusion of bacon elevates this chicken sandwich, but not quite to the heights of what Popeyes has going for them. If we were to redo our ranking today, we’d still give Shake Shack its well-deserved number two spot. But Church’s is definitely onto something.

Texas-Cut Bacon Smoky Honey-Q Chicken Sandwich

The Honey-Q is Church’s answer to Popeyes Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Chicken Sandwich. It features a new sauce —Honey-Q — that attempts to blend the smokey and sweet flavors of BBQ with honey mustard and what Church’s calls “Texas seasoning.” Not really sure what that means, but overall this sandwich has an artificially smokey flavor that I just can’t get down with.

It’s a shame because the sauce on its own is pretty good, I’d love to use it as a dip, but when paired with the already smokey bacon this thing just comes off as overly smoked. It doesn’t have balance like the other two sandwiches in this review and that’s what makes it not quite as good as the Popeyes sandwich it’s trying to imitate.

This flavor isn’t without its merits though, as I said the sauce is good. So here’s the play: Order the Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich with a side of Honey-Q and then dip. This will allow you to control the sauce distribution and will keep it from becoming overwhelming.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

It has some things going for it and we’re happy Church’s is stepping out of their comfort zone by dropping a radically reimagined chicken sandwich. Definitely worth ordering if you’re curious, but keep your expectations in check.

Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich

The Spicy version of the Texas-cut swaps out the mayo for a much more delicious and complex spicy mayo, and it makes the sandwich significantly better. The spicy mayo leans on the slightly sweet side, to my taste buds it’s a mix of Sriacha and mayo with a bit of cayenne pepper which pairs really nicely with Church’s black pepper-forward batter.

It strangely helps to highlight some hidden sweet notes that I’ve never noticed in this sandwich. But before things get too sweet the smokiness of the bacon balances things out, resulting in crunchy bite after crunchy bite of balanced hot, sweet, and smokey flavors. It’s not the spiciest chicken sandwich you’ll ever have, but it’s one of the most flavorful on the market. Church’s often gives you a side of fried Jalapeño poppers with every order of their spicy sandwich. Definitely put those poppers into your sandwich if you love flavor. It’ll add a bit more of a spicy kick, more crunch, and ooey-gooey cheese, which can never be a bad thing.

How Does It Compare To Popeyes?

This sandwich comes incredibly close to being as good as Popeyes, but at the end of the day we’re still going to have to give it to the GOAT. Popeyes batter just has a better flavor, there are notes of garlic and onion powder that this Church’s sandwich just doesn’t have. Having said that, this one has bacon, so if you have a craving for the smokey crunch of bacon, that’s something Popeyes just can’t satiate.

The Bottom Line

Here’s the thing, at the end of the day I still think Popeyes makes a better chicken sandwich. But ultimately, it’s going to come down to whether or not you want bacon. If you want a chicken sandwich that is piled high with bacon, order the Church’s Texas-Cut Bacon Spicy Chicken Sandwich with extra bacon. You can’t get that at Popeyes, and you’ll probably never be able to.

The sandwich — especially when smartly hacked — is delicious enough that you won’t miss or even think about the Popeyes sandwich. Even if it isn’t quite as good.

Find your nearest Church’s here.