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September always feels like a reset. Summer isn’t technically over until later in the month, but unofficially… we feel the shift. The temperatures are cooling and the days are growing shorter.

That doesn’t mean that the excitement of our summer National Park travel has to abruptly end. In fact, September is actually the best time to visit many National Parks. The shoulder season brings fewer crowds and lower temps, with the same (if not more) accessibility and, in some cases, a display of early fall colors.

Here are eight of my favorites parks to visit this month, plus one “can’t miss” experience.

Grand Teton National Park — Wyoming

I’ve visited Grand Teton National Park more than any other national park throughout the years. I love the dramatic and jutting peaks, the sparkling lakes, and the almost never-ending options for beautiful hiking. Like many parks at a higher altitude, the main road through the park closes at the end of October and like many — if not all — national parks, summer is high season.

But my favorite time to visit is in the fall. The crowds have thinned, and fall colors are already popping. Campgrounds are all still open throughout the month (you can reserve here) and the summer rush in Jackson has lessened a bit.

There is nothing quite like a fall sunset over the Tetons. There’s a chill in the air and you get a sense of peace and quiet that I have never experienced elsewhere.

Don’t Miss:

• Drive the park road and stop to marvel at the fall colors.
• Hike down to Schwabacher Landing.
• Watch a sunset at Colter Bay.

Glacier National Park — Montana

Glacier National Park, to me, is the most quintessential National Park landscape in the system. It is truly jaw-dropping driving the winding Going-to-the-Sun road — nearly 50 miles long and the only way to cross the park. The first time I visited I spent an entire day on the road, stopping at every turnout and hike. Tears in my eyes at the beauty and vastness of it all for probably 90% of the drive. Feeling so much gratitude to be able to be surrounded by such magnificence.

Of course, not the only one who has this experience on their bucket list. The road has become so popular that there is a (very difficult to acquire) timed entry reservation system to drive it at all. But good news for fall travelers — the system ended after Labor Day. With the road closing sometime in October (whenever the weather decides), September is your best bet. The snow and ice are melted and you can enjoy the cooler temps, fewer crowds, and make as many stops as you want.

Don’t Miss:

• Stop at Logan Pass.
• Hike the Highline Trail.
• Rent a kayak on Lake McDonald.

Rocky Mountain National Park — Colorado

Fall colors peak a lot earlier in the higher elevations — making Rocky Mountain National Park a perfect place to visit in September. This is still a fairly busy time in the park, so timed entry reservations will still be in effect throughout the month but seeing the majestic surroundings lit up with gold is worth it.

September is also elk rut (mating) season in and around the park. It’s a great time to get a view of the elks — they’re often just hanging around Estes Park right outside of the park.

Don’t Miss:

• Drive Trail Ridge Road (watch conditions! It’s already been closed once this year for ice).
• Visit during the Long’s Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival (September 10-12) or during the Autumn Gold Festival (September 25-26).
• Hike to Emerald Lake.

Great Basin National Park — Nevada

“Is Great Basin worth visiting?” people always ask me. It’s one of those parks that most people have never even heard of, much less seen. But yes, it is definitely worth visiting. Its diverse landscape includes a peak of over 13,000 ft, ancient bristlecone pine groves, and even a marble cave. It’s in a super remote area in Nevada, near the border of Utah. Like, super remote. Salt Lake City — the nearest major city — is still over 200 miles away. This means whenever you visit you’re likely to be light on crowds and in the perfect position to stargaze.

I’d recommend a visit in September to coincide with Great Basin’s Astronomy Fest — a festival from the 9th-11th with guest speakers, workshops, and tours of the Great Basin Observatory. There is also a telescope area where the public can view the stars in the evenings.

Don’t Miss:

• Tour Lehman Cave.
• Participate in one of the many astronomy programs within the park.
• Hike in the bristlecone pines grove at Wheeler Peak.

Acadia National Park — Maine

Acadia National Park is known as a destination for autumn colors… that usually peak in October. So why is it on the list for September? Because it’s a great time to lose some of the crowds and still get some of the sights — best of both worlds!

Acadia is one of the top ten most visited parks while also being 5th smallest by land area — so it is almost always fairly crowded. September is a great time to visit since it falls between the summer crowds and the leaf-peeping crowds. If solitude is what you’re after, this is a perfect time of year to find it.

Don’t Miss:

• Sunrise or sunset at the summit of Cadillac Mountain (reservations here).
• Beehive hike.
• Popovers at Jordan Pond House.

North Cascades National Park — Washington

Somehow North Cascades National Park is still somewhat of a hidden gem in the park system. I’m not sure why, as it is one of the most dramatic landscapes I have ever personally laid eyes on. And September is one of the best times, in my opinion, to visit.

North Cascades is mostly alpine. With some peaks over 9,000 ft that means the snow is just fully melted in September before winter comes again. The North Cascades Highway is fully open, it is even less crowded than during the summer, the bugs are thinning, and in late September the larches begin to magically turn golden. Really the perfect time to visit, all around.

Don’t Miss:

• Drive the North Cascades Highway.
• Stop at the Diablo Lake overlook.
• Hike Thunder Knob.

Zion National Park — Utah

I always give others advice not to visit Utah parks in the summer (and then, of course, I always seem to visit in the summer) but the truth is — if you have the flexibility — shoulder seasons are a much better time to visit the state. The temperatures are cooler and if you haven’t seen a fall desert sunset you are missing a truly life-changing experience.

Zion is the park I would visit in September for a few reasons — the aforementioned temperature and light(er) crowds, of course — but also still being able to comfortably hike through the water of The Narrows. Hiking The Narrows is undoubtedly a bucket list experience. And for a hike that is nearly 16 miles through water — September is a perfect time to attempt it. Still warm, fewer fellow hikers, and still enough daylight to get in some serious miles.

Don’t Miss:

• The Narrows!
• Hike Angel’s Landing… if you dare.
• Alternately, hike to Observation Point from the Eastside for a similar view.

National Public Lands Day — September 25

The largest single-day volunteer effort takes place in all National Parks and public lands on September 25. National Public Lands Day is an annual Saturday volunteer event and holiday aimed at promoting responsible recreation in our public lands.

It’s a fee-free day in the parks if you just want to visit, but also so much more than that. There are volunteer projects at many parks you can become involved in to further your connection to the land we recreate on.

Find a list of volunteer opportunities here.

Stephen A. Smith has been vocal regarding his belief that people in the United States should get one of the three COVID-19 vaccines. On Tuesday’s episode of First Take, Smith and Marcus Spears (who, likewise, wants people to get the vaccine) went through some of the thoughts they have regarding unvaccinated players.

Spears, along with host Molly Qerim Rose, brought up that there are legitimate, competitive reasons for teams to only want vaccinated players on their teams, citing things like the more relaxed protocols the NFL has in place for vaccinated athletes.

“If you’re vaccinated, it’s cut in half, the time you have to sit out,” Spears said. “That’s the bottom line, that’s the reality of the rules in the NFL. If you’re not, you’re 10 days, it’s gonna be 10 days, regardless. And 10 days is gonna cost you a game — unless you’re potentially in a bye week — or two.”

Smith, meanwhile, said that while he understands this is something that has to be vaccinated between the NFL and the Players Association, if he were in Roger Goodell’s shoes, he would invoke a “best interests of the league” clause and unvaccinated players wouldn’t play.

“The reality is that if you end up testing positive, you can have an effect on somebody else,” Smith said. “We all understand, if you’re vaccinated, you can still catch COVID. But people forget the crisis about COVID-19, believe it or not, wasn’t just being unvaccinated, wasn’t just the virus, wasn’t just that some people were dying. The problem was you didn’t have medical facilities available, you didn’t have personal protective equipment, you didn’t have all of those things. There was a shortage — there’s a shortage of hospital space, there’s a shortage of beds, there’s a shortage of doctors. That’s why this was so pivotal, because you didn’t have the people to treat you. That’s what made it so catastrophic as well. So if you’re vaccinated, chances are you don’t have to go to the hospital. You can go home, you’re gonna feel sick, but you can recover because you already have the vaccine.”

Smith went on to talk about how sports leagues are private industries that don’t owe athletes the right to play, before turning his ire to athletes who pass on getting the vaccine.

“I think it’s shameful when athletes talk about, ‘Oh, it’s a private matter,’” Smith said. “It is not a private matter, because it affects anybody that’s standing right next to you. You’re not living a private life, that’s ridiculous.

“If I hear one more person, Molly, if I hear one more person, Marcus, talk to me about, ‘What’s in the vaccine?’ I might slap ’em with my phone,” Smith continued.

To close, Smith called out the hypocrisy of people getting other vaccines over their lives, like the flu shot and chicken pox, along with the various vitamins and supplements they pick up, saying no one Googles the ingredients of these sorts of things.

“These people, we go to the doctor, we’re feeling sick, the doctor prescribes the medicine, we go to the CVS, Rite Aid, or something, we pick it up, and we take the medicine,” Smith said. “Why all of a sudden, we actin’ like, ‘Oh, we dissecting and picking apart, one ingredient after another.” It’s the biggest damn lie imaginable, they’re full of it.

“I tell you right now, the NFL, I’m glad the NFL’s made it inconvenient for unvaccinated people,” Smith closed. “I’m glad the NFL and the NBA, I’m sorry, have stepped it up. If it were me, they wouldn’t even be allowed to play.”

September might be the best month for craft beer releases. Seriously. We’re finally free of the repetitive and sparse IPA drops of summer and getting into two seasons worth of very diverse beer offerings. Plus there’s are still plenty of IPAs on the way, so don’t worry there.

This month finds us at the intersection of hefty German lagers (or märzen beers) being released for Oktoberfest (which would have started this month, had it not been canceled for the second year in a row) and all the pumpkin ales you can drink. Right after this, we’ll be into the holiday season with its winter warmers, bocks, and stouts. In short, there’s a lot of interesting and delicious beers on the horizon starting … now!

Hopefully, the eight beers we’re giving love to this month will pique your interest and inspire you to explore exciting taprooms, beer halls, and breweries in your own neck of the woods. These picks represent regional craft beer releases from makers that we vouch for, along with some seasonally released bottles that we’ve been looking forward to trying again.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST DROP: Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 6.7%

Average Price: $10 (six-pack)

The Beer:

This pumpkin ale adheres to the hard and fast rules of the style: Add a lot of fresh pumpkin and spices to create a fall beer. Pale, Munich, CaraHell, C-20, C-45, and Special B malts and Magnum hops form the foundations of the beer before 150 pounds of fresh and roasted pumpkin, green and roasted pumpkin seeds, and ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice are added to each batch.

Tasting Notes:

You get a sense of real pumpkin from the nose through the finish. Imagine slicing up a whole pumpkin and you’ll be on the right track. There’s a matrix of pumpkin pie spices in the base of the taste but it’s not the focus of the beer. There’s a nice bitterness thanks to those pumpkin seeds and the beer maltier notes touch on a buttery pie crust.

Bottom Line:

I just tried this again recently and it’s shocking how well it holds up. I tried it with a friend who lives and dies by Coors Light and even they had to admit that this was a delicious beer. So yeah, give it shot and leave your preconceived notions about pumpkin ales at the door.

SOUTHWEST DROP: Stone Orange Scream Hazy IPA

ABV: 8.8%

Average Price: Only Available At Brewery

The Beer:

This beer was made by one of Stone’s oldest employees as a sort of testament to the brewery’s staying power. The brew leans into the orange creaminess by building on a backbone of CTZ Hop Extract, HBC 685 Azacca, Nugget, and Citra hops with orange puree, lactose, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes:

This smells like a citrus bomb on the nose with a deep vanilla cream soda vibe. The taste leans into the richest orange creamsicle you’ve ever had. It’s kind of like taking a bite out of the frozen orange juice concentrate brick with a rich bourbon vanilla cream in the middle. A hint of dank hop florals cuts through the citrus and cream and leaves you with a hazy and very crushable beer for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Bottom Line:

I generally don’t like these beers but this one took the idea of an orange creamsicle and really elevated it. This isn’t something I’d reach for often, but I can see downing these easily on a hot late-summer day without hesitation.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN DROP: Odell Oktoberfest

ABV: 6.1%

Average Price: $12 (six-pack)

The Beer:

The marriage of Munich malts and German Noble hops with that Colordao craft ingenuity and Rocky Moutain water (pulled from the Cache la Poudre River) makes for good beer. The result is a brew that leans very close to the traditional Munich brews served in the Theresienwiese, with a nod to the hoppier end of American craft.

Tasting Notes:

This is really dialed with a cracker malt base that touches on caramel malts. The hops are never overwhelming and provide more of a spicy floral note kind of like a nasturtium. Combined, you have a crisp, malty, and floral beer that’s extremely refreshing.

Bottom Line:

This beer is very crushable. The extra ABVs make this one a good candidate for a long backyard drinking session where you have nothing else to do besides grill sausages and maybe toss a ball around.

SOUTHERN DROP: Real Ale Brewing Oktoberfest

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $10 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Real Ale Brewing consistently drops seasonals that you want to return to year after year. One of their best is their Oktoberfest which combines Munich and Vienna malts with German beer yeast and hops. They add a little of that Texas craft brashness and end up with another crushable brew to celebrate all things Bavaria, even if you’re in Texas.

Tasting Notes:

Crisp and malty are the best descriptors for this brew. The maltiness has a lovely caramel base with a hint of burnt straw. The hops are dialed way back, mildly floral and dank, and provide a slight effervescent counterpoint to the bready and sweet malts. The end is thick but dry with a slight floral hint leaning towards green grass.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those beers that’ll be easy to drink all day while chilling under a big tree somewhere in Texas’ Hill Country. Hell, you might even break out into song once you get into the back end of your six-pack.

MIDWEST DROP: New Holland Ichabod

ABV: 4.5%

Average Price: $11 (six-pack)

The Beer:

This pumpkin ale starts with an old-school malted ale base full of buttery and almost honey-tasting malts. Then the fresh pumpkin arrives with a good dose of cinnamon and nutmeg. The end result feels like a pumpkin pie your grandparents used to make when you were a kid, except this time it comes in the form of a spicy-yet-malty ale.

Tasting Notes:

The nutmeg is what drives the nose, taste, and finish. The pumpkin provides a nice, savory counterpoint to the sweet malts while the cinnamon lurks in the background, bringing an echo of heat to the mix. The overall experience is very balanced, leaving the sweeter edges to the side and letting the spice and fruit really shine alongside those grainy malts.

Bottom Line:

This isn’t overly sweet and that’s why it’s on the list. A lot of these pumpkin ales go hard on the sweeteners to hide the rougher edges of the brew. This leaves the alcohol low while amping up real flavors. It’s just… really quite nice.

NORTHEAST DROP: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

ABV: 7%

Average Price: $11 (four-pack)

The Beer:

This beer starts out as a sweet and malty brown ale. Fresh pumpkin fruit, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg are added to the brew and Punkin Ale is born.

Tasting Notes:

Those brown ale malts lean heavily into wet brown sugar with a hint of burnt straw. The pumpkin feels more savory than sweet with a slightly stringy edge and a touch of pumpkin seed bitterness. The spices aren’t the star of the show but they’re present in the same sense that they are in a pumpkin pie. The end embraces the spice and malty sweetness of the brown ale for a chewy and bold finish.

Bottom Line:

This is one of the oldest seasonals on the list — it dropped first back in 1995. Still, it’s not really autumn without a cold sixer of this beer in a fridge.

WILD CARD DROP: Revolution Brewing Oktoberfest

ABV: 5.7%

Average Price: $10 (six-pack)

The Beer:

This Chicago beer is German ingredients filtered through American craft brewing. Bavarian malts meet Bavarian hops and Bavarian lager yeast to create this brew. The beer is then properly lagered at low temps for four weeks, and then it’s party time (this beer is very crushable).

Tasting Notes:

The malts are the star of the show with a toasted crusty bread presence. The malt edge is a bit sweet with a touch of orange rind and green grass. The hops kick in late with a spicy/floral vibe next to that orange and grass, creating a crisp and bright finish.

Bottom Line:

If you’re in Chicago, now’s the time to start crushing these beers. They’re a great example of American craft Oktoberfest beers while displaying a real love for the real-deal brews from Munich.

INTERNATIONAL PICK OF THE MONTH: Augustiner Oktoberfestbier

ABV: 6%

Average Price: $16 (six-pack)

The Beer:

Augustiner is the oldest brewery within Munich’s city limits. It started all the way back in 1328. The brew is made from locally grown ingredients. And trust us, they keep it simple by only using water, yeast, hops, and barley. That’s it. Yet, the brewers in Munich are able to coax so many amazing flavors from such humble ingredients that this will be an instant favorite.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a subtle sense of the malts up top with a touch of green grassiness and lager-y fizz on the head. You can almost feel the earthen walls of the underground cellar this was stored in. The sip is super svelte, with a fruitiness that leans towards apple cores and even the bitterness of the seeds. There isn’t really a sweetness to the malts and the hoppiness is dialed back into more fruit and florals than bitterness — yet it’s still all wonderfully balanced.

Bottom Line:

This is my all-time favorite Oktoberfest beer from one of my top three breweries in the world. So yeah, I’m a bit biased. But this is what real lager is and will help you better understand how great a classic beer can be — even when it’s devilishly simple.

That all being said, you’re going to have to really search the high-end beer shops to find this one. If you do, get as much as you can and make your own mini Oktoberfest.

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As a Drizly affiliate, Uproxx may receive commission pursuant to some entries on this list.

Polo G has once again found himself in trouble with the law.According to TMZ, the rapper was recently arrested in Los Angeles for carrying a concealed weapon after police officers pulled the Chicago native over for a reason that has not yet been revealed. Law enforcement sources told the publication that Polo G was in the passenger seat at the time of the traffic stop. Officers then conducted a search of the vehicle and discovered the weapon. Both parties were arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

This makes for the rapper’s second arrest on a gun charge in 2021. His first came back in June, just days after he released his third album, Hall Of Fame. According to The Miami Herald, an altercation between the rapper and an officer broke as they attempted to put Polo G in handcuffs after he was pulled over for suspected gun possession. The officer was allegedly hit in the head, chin, forehead, and cheek, according to an arrest report. After he was booked on a number of charges and released on bond, Polo G hopped on Twitter to speak out about the arrest.

“1 of the officers told us they was on us since we got Off our Jet,” he tweeted, adding, “They playin foul in Miami & dat sh*t been like that for a minute.”

If you were a very young kid in the late ‘90s or the early aughts, there’s a chance you you’re a massive fan of Steve Burns. He was the original host of Nick Jr.’s Blue’s Clues, where he led preschoolers through a series of mysteries with the help of his titular blue dog. You may also remember that he left in 2002, after four seasons, replaced by Donovan Patton. No doubt the departure was devastating for many, who’d come to love Burns’ wide-eyed, earnest yet goofy mien as much as his animated canine costar. And nearly 20 years later, Burns released a video, as suddenly as he departed so long ago, hoping to give fans some closure.

The video finds Burns — now 47, bald under a baseball hat, yet still boyishly charming — addressing his now also grown-up fans directly. “You got a second?” he says, before reminding viewers about how they all used to “run around and hang out with Blue and find clues and talk to Mr. Salt and freak out about the mail and do all sorts of fun stuff.” He also addresses how he suddenly left and they didn’t see each other “for like a really long time.”

Burns has repeatedly addressed why he left: He went to college! Because he was that age and someone in the prime of his life can’t be doing shows for preschoolers for forever. But he still feels bad. In the video he admits his departure, in hindsight, was “kind of abrupt,” which he says was “really challenging but great, because I got to use my mind and take one step at a time.” It also allowed him, he says, to do all the things he’s doing now.

Throughout the video, Burns retains the mien of a pre-school teacher, talking directly, in simple terms, as though they were still kids at heart. He even tries to cushion the blow of his admission by pointing out that those watching, too, have likely done a lot since Blue’s Clues debuted 25 years ago. “Look at all you have done and all you have accomplished in all that time,” Burns says. “It’s just…it’s just amazing, right? I mean, we started out with clues, and now it’s what? Student loans, and jobs, and families.” (Although perhaps one of those, at least, may not be something worth celebrating.)

When the video dropped, especially following a hellish pre-Labor Day weekend week that saw weather disasters and multiple nightmarish laws enacted in Texas, it couldn’t help but leave Generation Blue’s Clues eating their feelings.

Some were moved by proxy.

And a lot of people did, indeed, find some closure.

Blue’s Clues debuted in 1996 and lasted until 2004. It was rebooted as Blues Clues & You! In 2019. You can watch Burns’ new video above.

(Via TV Line)

Last month was quite eventful for The LOX. The group, which consists of Yonkers rappers Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch, began their run with an amazing performance during a Verzuz matchup against Dipset. The appearance inspired people to praise the group, specifically Jadakiss, with many calling him the star of the show. Shortly after, during Kanye West’s second listening party for Donda, The LOX made a surprise appearance on a track we now know as “Jesus Lord Pt. 2.” During a recent interview with HipHopDX, Jadakiss explained how that song came together.

“Someone from ‘Ye’s camp actually reached out to my older son,” the rapper said. “Then ‘Ye called us the next day after Verzuz, he hit me the next morning. We flew straight there (Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium) and went straight to the studio and knocked the song out. Then went and rested and came back the next day and went to the event and flew back.”

Shortly after The LOX dazzled at their Verzuz against Dipset, the group was gifted the key to their hometown of Yonkers by the city’s mayor, Mike Spano. “We recognize LOX,” Spano said during a ceremony for the key. “We’re gonna give this to you. He doesn’t need it. He could go anywhere he wants but this will confirm it all.”

You can watch the rapper’s full interview with HipHopDX in the video above.

Frank Grasberger has been wishing he could meet Dashauna Priest for more than a decade. The 95-year-old WWII veteran from Strongsville, Ohio received a letter from Priest wrote when she was in the third grade 12 years ago, and he has kept it as a prized possession since then.

The letter was addressed, “Dear WWII Veteran,” and read, “Thank you for saving us from Hitler. If it wasn’t for you we would never have freedom. You made freedom for us. You sacrificed your life. I’m so happy you made sacrifices.” It was signed, “Your friend, Dashauna Priest.”

Grasberger’s wife, Delores, told CBS News that he carries the letter everywhere. He said he sees it as a symbol of a life well-lived.

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“I’m tickled to death that I have a letter like this,” Grasberger told CBS. “I’d never be without it…it’s something that somebody thought of me that much.”

Delores added, “When he has that letter with him, he has a feeling of faith, and trust, and love.”

Priest, now 21, told CBS News that she remembers writing the letter and was honored to do so because she so admired people in uniform. Now Priest has a uniform of her own as a member of the National Guard, and she wore it when she went to surprise Grasberger at the senior residence facility where he lives.

The Grasbergers had always wanted to find Priest but had never been able to. Knowing about his attachment to the letter and how much it meant to him, the staff at the residence facility tracked her down and arranged the surprise meeting for him.

Grasberger was overjoyed. Just watch:

WWII veteran meets woman who wrote him thank-you letter 12 years ago

www.youtube.com

Priest told CBS that meeting Grasberger was the beginning of a friendship, then corrected herself. “Family, not friendship,” she said.

What a beautiful story of gratitude, honor, sacrifice, and connection. You just never know the impact one small gesture will have on someone else’s life.

A new Texas law that went into effect last week criminalizes all abortions performed after the fetus develops a heartbeat, which is at around six weeks. That means that nearly 85% of all abortions that took place in the state are now considered illegal.

Critics of the new law say it’s a major violation of a woman’s right to bodily autonomy. It also has major religious connotations. The pro-life movement that’s been fighting to end abortion rights has been powered by conservative Christian activists for decades.

When signing the law, the Governor of Texas made it clear that the law is a way for Christians to force their beliefs on the population as a whole.

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“Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion,” Abbott stated while signing the law.

Strangely, The Bible has nothing to say about abortion.

Abortion laws in TX violate our religious rights and TST has taken legal action. If TX judges abide by the Constitu… https://t.co/umhFyENbns

— The Satanic Temple (@satanic_temple_)
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One “religious” group is fighting back against the draconian abortion laws in Texas because it believes that “religion can, and should, be divorced from superstition.”

The Satanic Temple, headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, filed a letter with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to request that its members have access to abortion pills using its Religious Freedom Restoration Act rights. Having abortion pills readily available could make it easier to bypass the new Texas law.

The same rights allow Native Americans to access the hallucinogenic drug peyote for their spiritual rituals.

The Temple is a quasi-religious organization that claims it doesn’t believe “in the existence of Satan or the supernatural” but that religious freedom law should apply to all religions.

“Religions have special privileges under the First Amendment and RFRA. The Satanic Temple is utilizing these privileges to protect our religious belief in bodily autonomy – we’re taking our fight to the next level,” Temple cofounder Lucien Greaves said in a statement.

“As the courts affirm the rights of religious organizations to practice their faith, TST is demanding our religious rights to abortion access without unnecessary state interference,” he added.

“I am sure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — who famously spends a good deal of his time composing press releases about Religious Liberty issues in other states — will be proud to see that Texas’s robust Religious Liberty laws, which he so vociferously champions, will prevent future Abortion Rituals from being interrupted by superfluous government restrictions meant only to shame and harass those seeking an abortion,” the statement continues.

Shoutout to @satanic_temple_ for protecting my reproductive rights.🖤 https://t.co/YqhG56tJLM

— CEO of ₜₑₓₐₛ (@mikuhatsunegirl)
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@ServeEmma @MemberBlasts If you live in Texas, @satanic_temple_ is fighting to give you a religious right to aborti… https://t.co/xxepDoOpJS

— Trinity 🥀🌼 ($10 premium) (@TrinnityBlair)
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Have you heard the good word of Satan? https://t.co/F16KqVJsgI

— Matt (@aceofknaves88)
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The Temple says its access to abortion pills is made possible by a precedent set by the Supreme Court’s 2014 Hobby Lobby decision. The decision prevents the government from putting a “burden on free exercise of religion without a compelling reason.”

The Satanic Temple places a very high priority on bodily autonomy. Its third tenet reads: “One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone. One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.”

Satanists unveil Baphomet statue at Arkansas Capitol https://t.co/XFG40C0SBy https://t.co/9i5u2t4x9X

— New York Post (@nypost)
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This isn’t the first time that the Temple has fought for the separation of church and state. It caused a huge stir in 2018 when it protested a Ten Commandments monument erected outside of the Arkansas state Capitol.

To make a statement about religious freedom the Temple revealed an eight-and-a-half-foot, half-man, half-goat Baphomet statue in front of the building.

“If you’re going to have one religious monument up then it should be open to others, and if you don’t agree with that then let’s just not have any at all,” Satanic Arkansas cofounder Ivy Forrester, said at the rally.

A trial was supposed to begin last year to settle the issue but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hail Satan!

After thirteen long years, Britney Spears’ conservatorship could finally come to an end in the new future. A new report from NBC News revealed the singer’s father recently filed a petition with the court to bring the conservatorship to an end. In a petition filed to Los Angeles’ Superior Court, Jamie stated that his daughter “is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required.”

In the petition, Britney’s father adds that his daughter’s circumstances have changed to such a point that “grounds for establishment of a conservatorship may no longer exist.” The filing is a huge victory for the singer, who spent the past two years fighting to remove her father as conservator of her estate. If she and her recently-hired lawyer, Matthew Rosengart, were able to accomplish this, filing to end the conservatorship altogether, which she’s labeled as “abusive” and restrictive to her desired lifestyle, would have been the next step for Britney and her team.

The move from Jamie could be a result of recent accusations that Britney made against him. At the end of August, she accused her father of extorting her ahead of his possible removal as conservator. Britney’s team requested that Jamie step down from his position or have him suspended from the role starting on September 29 if he refused to resign.

Over Labor Day weekend, social media fixated on a brief but intense video. It found Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac on the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival, sharing a heated moment. That the video was in slo-mo made it even more of a scorcher. It gave people on Twitter the vapors, and it seems the reaction did not escape at least one of the two actors involved.

Chastain herself weighed in late Sunday night (presumably from Venice), posting a picture that bears an uncanny resemblance to what went down in Italy. It’s a still from the ‘60s TV version of The Addams Family, showing John Astin’s Gomez burying his lips in the long arm of Carolyn Jones’ Morticia.

Was that what Isaac was channeling when he grabbed his Scenes from a Marriage costar’s one arm and laid upon it a gentle kiss? Who knows! The erstwhile Llewyn Davis did, of course, voice Gomez in the animated 2019 version of The Addams Family, so it’s not unlikely.

Just a little reminder: Both actors are married, to other people. And they go way back. They met at Julliard, acted together (as marrieds) in the 2014 drama A Most Violent Year, and share the distinction of both playing X-Men villains, albeit in different movies. Their latest team up is HBO’s revamp of the classic Ingmar Bergman miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, which chronicles the slow, combative dissolution of a couple who realize they can’t be together, even as they’re in effect chained together for life.

Marriage begins its run on HBO on September 12. In the meantime, you can rewatch their red carpet moment ad nauseum.