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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Lionel Messi’s last appearance for Argentina came on soccer’s biggest stage: this year’s World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium.
The 39-year-old football icon announced Monday that he is stepping away from the Argentina national team following the country’s defeat to Spain in the final. The decision comes four years after Messi lifted the World Cup trophy with Argentina, cementing one of the defining chapters of his legendary career. In an Instagram post featuring a handwritten note spread across three sheets of notebook paper, Messi said he had written the message on July 21, two days after the loss to Spain.
His retirement announcement also arrives a little more than three weeks after the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who died at 68 after battling an illness.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi looks dejected after losing the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. REUTERS
“Today, after what happened with my dad, I am more convinced than ever,” Messi wrote in Spanish.
Messi, who continues to play club soccer for Inter Miami in MLS, leaves Argentina as the national team’s all-time leader in both goals, with 125, and appearances, with 207.
“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts to my core, but I understand that it’s the right time,” Messi wrote in Spanish. “I swear that I always gave my all, not only in the last few years when we won everything, but also before, and I always fought and gave everything for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentinian through football.
Jorge Messi, father and agent of Lionel Messi, holds his son’s “Best player of the World Cup” trophy following the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France on Dec. 18, 2022. Getty Images
“There’s not much time left, and chapters are closing, and this is one that hurts me a lot. I love, loved, and will always love being on the National Team. I’ve given everything; I have nothing more to give, and besides, there are some great young players coming up behind me who deserve to be there.”
I recently went away for my best friend’s bachelorette celebration, and, as these trips often go, the drinks were flowing a little too freely.
During one especially chaotic night out, our group walked past a tattoo studio and, caught up in the excitement, decided that tiny matching tattoos would be the perfect way to mark the occasion.
By the next morning, however, the fun of the impulse had completely worn off, and I was overwhelmed with regret.
The problem isn’t the tattoo itself — it’s just a small heart on my wrist — but the fact that, in my drunken haze, I somehow forgot how much my boyfriend absolutely hates tattoos.
Whenever we see someone in public who has them, no matter how small, he always makes a comment about how they’ve ‘ruined’ their body. He’s repeatedly said he’s so glad I don’t have tattoos myself because he thinks they’re ‘hideous.’ He’s gone so far as to say that he’d even break up with me if I ever got a tattoo.
So, ever since I got back from the trip, I’ve been trying to hide my new ink.
I’ve been wearing long sleeves or stacking multiple bracelets on my wrist to keep it out of sight.
But I don’t know how much longer I can hide this secret. It’s exhausting. I just worry how he will react when I tell him what I’ve done – and how I’ve lied about it.
Sincerely,
Tattoo Regret
International best–selling author Jane Green offers sage advice on readers’ most burning issues in her agony aunt column
Dear Tattoo Regret,
I’m afraid that as much as your boyfriend may loathe tattoos, it is your body, your life and your choice.
You have done absolutely nothing wrong in choosing to get a tattoo without his knowledge or permission.
You are not his chattel, nor his possession. And frankly, if he decides to break up with you because you went ahead and made a decision that you know he would disapprove of, I would say it’s a very lucky escape indeed.
We don’t get to dictate what our loved ones do or do not do. The most we can do is express an opinion, then, if we are emotionally mature and healthy, accept when our partners make a different choice.
For what it’s worth, my former husband also hated tattoos. I knew that if I had let him know I was getting one, he would have prevented me and I didn’t want to continue giving my power away. So, I didn’t tell him. I took a girlfriend with me and got a tattoo, showing him when I got home. Was he disappointed? Yes. Did he accept it? Yes.
Because he was emotionally mature enough to recognize that he did not have dominion over me.
The thing is, Tattoo Regret, no-one has dominion over you. That means no-one holds supreme authority or control over you. And generally, when someone does, it’s because we have unconsciously given them that power.
Wear your tattoo proudly and, when he asks, tell him. If he reacts as badly as you think he might, I promise you, you will be better off without him.
My boyfriend and I have been together for years and it was finally time we started talking about marriage.
We’ve been discussing it for months, going ring shopping together and talking about our future.
I had always envisioned a very specific kind of engagement ring and at all of our appointments had shown him exactly what it was I wanted.
But when it came time for him to pop the question, he pulled out the ring box and inside was a ring nowhere near close to what I had shown him.
Of course, in the moment, I said yes. I wasn’t about to let a ring get in the way of marrying the love of my life.
But in the weeks since, I cringe every time I look at my hand.
While it is beautiful, it didn’t feel like ‘me.’ It’s gold, not silver – and I am strictly a silver girl – and the diamond is an oval rather than the pear shape I had picked out.
While I am disappointed that it isn’t what I wanted, I’m more so concerned that he just didn’t listen to what I wanted and completely went off script. Honestly, it felt disrespectful and rude that he had ignored me.
This isn’t the ring I want for the rest of my life – nor even the rest of the month – but I fear that telling him would hurt his feelings.
Should I just suck it up until it’s time to upgrade after we’re married, or do I break it to him that I can’t stand the ring?
Sincerely,
Wrong Ring
Dear Wrong Ring,
First of all, congratulations on the engagement – ring, no ring, even wrong ring, it’s still a lovely thing to celebrate.
And while your fiancé didn’t hear what you were telling him, let’s assume that rather than him deliberately ignoring you, or choosing not to hear you, he was perhaps busy, or thought you would love the ring he chose.
Whatever the case, I doubt very much that he intended to give you a ring that would make you cringe, nor do I think he has deliberately done something that is disrespectful, or rude.
Look at this as your first big test. Marriage, after all, is a series of tests, which means you do need to tell him that you would like to change the ring. As always when delivering news that may be difficult to receive, sandwich the bad news between two bits of good news.
Start by telling him how much you love him, how excited you are to be married to him, then slide in the fact that you are a silver girl. That you had your heart set on a pear shape and perhaps add that you feel a little hurt that he didn’t recall after you had talked about it so much.
End by asking if the two of you can go together to look at exchanging it and finding something that you know you will love forever.
Millions of Americans could soon face a painful hit to their monthly income.
Social Security, the federal safety-net program that sends monthly checks to eligible retirees, disabled workers and surviving spouses, is facing mounting financial pressure. More than 71 million Americans depend on Social Security benefits, which often serve as a crucial replacement for income after retirement, disability or the death of a partner.
According to the Social Security Administration, if Congress does not act, the program’s trust fund reserves are projected to be depleted by 2033. After that point, the agency would be able to pay only about 78% of scheduled benefits — a shortfall that could cost the average recipient roughly $500 per month.
“This train wreck is going to happen,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) told Politico, warning that lawmakers cannot afford to wait. “So as early as six years from now, we’re going to have to have a plan. And of course, I’m a big believer that we need to deal with it now, or we need to start the process of dealing with it now.”
If nothing no legislation is passed, Social Security funds will be wipes out by 2032 Monkey Business – stock.adobe.com
With anxiety rising among beneficiaries and policy experts, members of Congress have introduced a wave of proposals aimed at strengthening Social Security’s long-term finances. So far, however, none of those bills have made it across the finish line.
In July, the Promise Act — bipartisan legislation from eight senators — would create a process for Congress to develop a plan to keep Social Security solvent for at least 50 years.
“I won’t pretend there’s consensus on how we solve this, but the math is unforgiving: the longer Congress waits to act, the fewer good options remain, which is why I am proud to support this legislation,” Senator Thom Tillis, who co-sponsored the bill, said.
Just before that, the Bipartisan Social Security Commission Act was introduced in June by two representatives which would also establish a committee to develop solutions.
The Social Security 2100 Act was also introduced back in June and would increase benefits while shoring up Social Security’s finances by making higher-income Americans pay more into the system.
According to the bill — which was first introduced back in 2017 — all current and new beneficiaries would see a 2% benefit increase, it would change how COLA is calculated and make other switches to benefit structure.
Social Security recipients are at risk of losing an average of about $500 a month zinkevych – stock.adobe.com
The new minimum benefit would change to 125% of the Federal poverty line, and switch the COLA calculation to the CPI for the Elderly (CPI-E).
The CPI-W currently calculates Social Security COLAs. It tracks the spending of working-age people — specifically wage and clerical workers. But it also tracks the cost of food, housing, energy, transportation and healthcare.
Meanwhile, the CPI-E is another measure for folks 62 and older, offering more information on expenses that directly impact seniors. Some advocates believe that this change would be more beneficial to Social Security recipients as it’s a “senior-focused” inflation measure instead of “working-person-focused.”
However, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) — a non-partisan advocacy group that makes very accurate COLA projections — fear the chance of the bill passing is slim to none.
“Although the Social Security 2100 Act is unlikely to pass in the current Congress, it should. The bill is the gold standard for Social Security reform and accomplishes the majority of changes older Americans want to see for the program,” TSCL Executive Director Shannon Benton said.
Op-ed by Texas General Land Office Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D.
Every American relies on three essentials that are easy to take for granted until they are put at risk: reliable energy, a stable food supply, and national security.
No country can stay strong and prosperous if it cannot power its homes and businesses, feed its people, or protect its borders and critical infrastructure. When the lights fail, when grocery shelves thin out and prices climb because supply chains break down, or when vital systems are exposed to danger, the effects ripple through communities large and small. These issues are often treated as separate debates, but in reality, they are closely connected.
As Texas Land Commissioner, I oversee the Texas General Land Office, known as the GLO, the oldest state agency in Texas. While many Americans may not know the full scope of our mission, the work of this agency is tied directly to all three of these national priorities — and its reach extends well beyond Texas.
The GLO manages more than 13 million acres of state land and mineral interests, oversees over 3,400 miles of shoreline, administers major disaster recovery efforts, supports veterans through the Veterans Land Board, and manages assets that help generate billions of dollars for public education through the Permanent School Fund. Our work begins with responsible land stewardship, but its influence stretches into some of the most pressing energy, security, and economic challenges facing the United States today.
First, America must remain fueled by continuing to produce abundant, reliable, and affordable energy.
Texas plays an outsized role in that effort. Our state leads the nation in oil and natural gas production, refining capacity, and a growing portfolio of emerging energy technologies. Energy production on state lands generates revenue that supports Texas public education while helping provide the oil, natural gas, and other resources that power homes, businesses, farms, manufacturers, and modern innovations.
Energy security is national security. Every barrel produced domestically is one less barrel that must come from unstable regions or strategic competitors. Nations that cannot serve their own energy needs become dependent on competitors and adversaries. Every investment in American energy strengthens our economy, supports jobs, and reduces our vulnerability to foreign influence.
That is why Texas continues to pursue an all-of-the-above approach to energy. Traditional oil and natural gas production remain essential, but so do investments in innovation and emerging technologies. The GLO has helped advance projects involving carbon capture and storage, critical rare earth minerals, and uses for produced water that support continued energy production.
The GLO, in partnership with USA Rare Earth and the Trump administration, is working to end China’s monopoly on rare earth minerals. China currently controls more than 90% of rare earth magnet production. These elements are essential in powering everyday electronics like smartphones, all the way to complex technology like military fighter jets.
These efforts help ensure that future generations inherit an energy system that is competitive, resilient, and capable of meeting growing demand.
The same lands that help power our economy also support another national priority: food security.
America’s agricultural strength depends on reliable infrastructure, responsible resource management, and access to affordable energy. Farmers and ranchers rely on water to nourish their crops and livestock, fuel to operate equipment, electricity to process and store products, and transportation networks to move food across the country.
Food security is often discussed as an agricultural issue, but it is also a land and resource issue. Energy costs, water availability, infrastructure development, and responsible stewardship all play a role in ensuring Americans have access to affordable, dependable food supplies.
In Texas, those responsibilities frequently intersect. Texas leads the U.S. in cattle inventory and beef production. The GLO leases land for grazing and farming and uses the revenue gained from those leases to fund public education in Texas. Whether managing natural resources, conducting surveying work, or helping protect critical water supplies, the GLO’s work contributes to the broader systems that support agricultural productivity and economic growth. A nation that can feed itself is stronger, more stable, and better prepared to withstand disruptions at home and abroad.
The third pillar is one that has become increasingly impossible to ignore: America must remain fortified.
While our armed forces remain the greatest in the world, national security extends well beyond military readiness. It encompasses the state of our borders, infrastructure, supply chains, strategic assets, domestic energy production, and cybersecurity.
Texas occupies a unique position in each of these areas. Our state is home to critical energy infrastructure, major ports, strategic transportation corridors, and the majority of our nation’s southern border. The security of these assets affects not only Texans but Americans across the country.
The GLO has worked with state and federal partners to support public safety and law enforcement efforts on state-owned land along the border. We have assisted and led initiatives aimed at combating cartel activity, human trafficking, and other criminal operations that threaten communities on both sides of the border.
Beyond the border, Texas lands and coastal resources carry national importance. The Gulf Coast serves as one of America’s most significant energy and trade hubs. The industries operating there help power our nation’s economy, support domestic manufacturing, and connect American products to global markets. The fortification of our coast is vitally important, which is why the GLO is working with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to build the largest infrastructure project ever conceived, the Coastal Texas Project. This plan will be a combination of storm risk management systems including surge barriers, as well as beach restoration and renourishment efforts along our entire coastline.
The common thread running through all of these responsibilities is stewardship.
For nearly two centuries, the Texas GLO has managed resources that support economic growth, public education, infrastructure, and public safety, the same national priorities that affect every American household.
The challenges facing our country may evolve, but the foundations of prosperity remain the same: dependable energy, secure food systems, and the infrastructure and resources to protect both.
The Texas GLO plays a critical role in each—leveraging state lands and resources to strengthen our economy, advance energy and food security, and protect Texas and our nation.
Everything else depends on it.
Dr. Dawn Buckingham serves as the elected commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. The General Land Office manages state lands, operates the Alamo, helps Texans who are recovering from natural disasters, helps fund Texas public education through the Permanent School Fund, provides benefits to Texas Veterans, and manages the vast Texas coast. Follow the GLO on Twitter @txglo and Dr. Buckingham at @DrBuckinghamTX.
A shadowy serial killer leaving horror in his wake. Exhausted detectives racing to catch him. A jailed murderer treated as the one man who might understand the monster at large, complete with the obligatory spine-tingling prison consultation. The Whisper Man plays like a classic 1990s serial killer thriller refitted for the smartphone age.
Even so, the new Netflix film — led by Adam Scott, Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton in a role with unmistakable Hannibal Lecter echoes — gives its villain a taste for old-school menace. Instead of encrypted messages or dark-web theatrics, he records his threats over battered En Vogue cassette tapes and sends them through the mail to traditional media outlets, as if auditioning to become a modern Zodiac Killer. The throwback mood is not limited to the movie’s tone; it’s in the heavy kachunk of the tape deck and the unsettling intimacy of a tongue sealing a postage stamp.
That retro DNA is hard to miss. The Whisper Man draws heavily from the wave of serial killer thrillers that followed Anthony Hopkins turning fava beans and Chianti into pop-culture shorthand for refined evil. Viewers of a certain age may find themselves transported back to the era when Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie — sometimes alone, sometimes in various pairings — pursued sadistic predators or became their targets in stories that flirted with real-world terror while sanding the edges into slick Hollywood suspense.
Without those defining ’90s serial killer movies — and the many early-2000s thrillers that tried to recapture their grip — The Whisper Man likely would not have taken shape.
Orion
The multiple Oscar-winning landmark — still one of the rare horror-adjacent films to receive that level of Academy recognition — became the starting point for a fascination that would dominate pop culture for years. It is brutally tense, profoundly unsettling, flawlessly controlled and endlessly quotable: “IT PUTS THE LOTION IN THE BASKET!” Once Hopkins’ Lecter, the original cinematic serial killer from hell, begins burrowing into the mind of FBI trainee Clarice Starling — played by Jodie Foster at the height of her powers — the film never lets go. It remains an all-timer, and anyone arguing otherwise may need their own psychological evaluation.
where to stream the silence of the lambs
Photo: Everett Collection
Playing hardened detectives who’ve seen it all but not quite like this, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt trudge through the rain — endless, drenching buckets of it — chasing a maniac using the seven deadly sins as thematic thread for his gut-churning murders. Director David Fincher is so good at generating bone-chilling atmospherics, if he had directed The Silence of the Lambs, it would’ve been downright apocalyptic. Anyway, I can’t even look at a cardboard box without saying, “What’s in the box? What’s in the baaaaahhhhhhhhhhhxxxxxx,” and then just calling it and going to bed because the day is ruined after invoking one of the most horrifying final-moment twists of any movie ever made.
where to stream Seven
Photo: Warner Bros.; Courtesy Everett Collection
This gloomy nailbiter from ’95 stars Sigourney Weaver as a forensic psychologist, Holly Hunter as the detective, and Harry Connick Jr. as the wackjob who mimics the moves of the serial killers he admires. Perhaps that’s an unfortunate metaphor for the progression of the serial killer thriller. In a post-Seven world, the subgenre started getting samey, formulaic. But this one ain’t half bad, holding up fairly well thanks to its compelling performances.
where to stream copycat
Photo: Everett Collection
Freeman. Judd. You could theorize that someone shuffled the Seven and Twisted screenplays together if this one hadn’t preceded the latter. But the Seven star more than ably carries this one, playing a hard-bitten detective — note: there are never, I say never, any soft-bitten detectives in these movies — who teams up with Judd after her character escapes the clutches of Casanova, a killer specializing in sexual violence (ironic, considering the movie’s producer, Harvey Weinstein, allegedly assaulted Judd during filming). Derivative? Sure. But cable TV propped this one up until it spawned a 2001 Judd-less sequel, Along Came a Spider, which was a signpost indicating that this genre was creatively bankrupt.
Denzel. Angelina. He’s a bedridden quadriplegic cop. She’s the cop on the beat. Together, they participate in what Roger Ebert called “one of those plots where a depraved serial killer leads everyone in a find-the-corpse version of “Where’s Waldo?’” Oh well. They can’t all be Hannibal and Clarice holding hands and gamboling through a meadow. But The Bone Collector lives and dies by the strength of its leads, who inevitably elevate this into a guilty-pleasure afternoon watch when you’re stuck on the couch with the sniffles.
where to stream the bone collector
Photo: Everett Collection
By my count, Ashley Judd notched three serial killer movies in her career, but none of her roles grind against her sweetheart persona more than this one. She plays a not-soft-bitten homicide cop who has a habit of shtoinking guys she picks up at bars. No issues with any of this — she’s a liberated woman, allowed to do whatever she wants — but the sitch gets hairy when some of those guys end up on the coroner’s slab, and therefore in her investigations. Did I mention she’s been experiencing blackouts that line up with the murders? This is what you call Bad Optics — or maybe Bad Coptics? And this is kind of a Bad Movie, but that premise is pretty juicy. Maybe it’ll hold up on a rewatch?
where to stream twisted
FILM:Taking Lives (2004) DIRECTOR: Daisy von Scherler Mayer STARS: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke PLOT: An FBI agent must catch a serial killer who takes on the identity of each new victim. [Stream Taking Lives on Netflix] Photo: Everett Collection
I know. These “’90s-style” thrillers are spilling into the 2000s. Sue me. But show me filmmakers and studios who aren’t desperately drafting on decade-old successes in order to rake in some dough, and I’ll show you an entirely vacated Hollywood. Anyway: Jolie. She plays an FBI serial killer sniffer-outter summoned to Canada to ponder the clues carefully and meticulously and purposely left behind by the serial killer, because these guys get some jollies out of teasing the cops trying to bust ’em. Formulaic? Sure. But Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, and Paul Dano turn up in supporting roles, and it all hangs together well enough to be passable.
Denzel. He, Rami Malek and Jared Leto rummage about in a 1990s-coded cop-drama that debuted in 2021, so it’s officially capital-R Retro, a throwback that I remember enjoying even if I don’t remember a bunch of the details. So it goes? It’s gloomy, I remember that much. Oppressively so. Not a bad thing, by any means. Malek and Denzel are the cops, and no one is at all surprised to learn that Leto is a sleaze-ball, and by that I mean, in the context of the narrative of the movie. Loathe him or hate him, Leto’s an entertaining villain. And while Denzel has all the accolades he’ll ever need, he has an entire sub-career elevating so-so movies like this into recommended-with-reservations territory.
where to stream taking lives
Everett Collection
Had to end with a banger — and the only film on the list based on a true story. Fincher does it again, casting Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo so he can psychologically torture them into a padded room. Gyllenhaal is a cartoonist with a knack for deciphering codes. Downey is a journalist so hard-bitten you wonder if it’s fatal. Ruffalo is a cop who looks like he sleeps 12 minutes a night, tops. Together, these three men bicker and squabble as they try to piece together clues and taunts left behind by the Zodiac Killer, all falling prey to the kind of obsession that nearly drives them mad. Leave it to Fincher to create a serial killer movie for the ages, about a serial killer who was never f—ing caught. Sleep well, my friends.
Where to Stream zodiac
John Serba is a freelance film critic from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Werner Herzog hugged him once.
Ella Langley appears to have issued a low-key response after Doja Cat said she was unfamiliar with the rising country music star.
The moment came during Doja Cat’s appearance on the Sundae Conversation podcast, where host Caleb Pressley asked the 30-year-old rapper and singer whether she was an “Ella’s fella.” Doja replied, “I don’t know what that is.”
Pressley then made the question more direct, asking, “Do you like Ella Langley?” Doja Cat gave a similar answer, saying, “I don’t know what that is.”
Langley, 27, seemed to brush off the remark with humor. In a new Instagram post featuring several photos and videos of herself, the country singer nodded to the exchange in the caption, writing, “Ella Langley? What is that?”
During the short podcast clip, Doja Cat repeated Langley’s name after Pressley brought her up, before the host suggested that she give the country artist’s music a listen.
Her reaction divided fans, with some lauding her authenticity, and others speculating that she was feigning ignorance.
Ella Langley, 27, has subtly responded to Doja Cat’s, 30, recent claim that she doesn’t know who the country star is
During a recent appearance on the Sundae Conversation podcast, Doja Cat was asked by host Caleb Pressley if she likes Ella Langley, to which she replied, ‘I don’t know what that is’
Langley took the jab in stride, referencing the dig in an Instagram post captioned, ‘Ella Langley? What is that?’
Langley’s song Choosin’ Texas has seen unprecedented success, spending 19 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
The feat has made the songstress the longest-running solo female artist atop the chart for a non-holiday song.
Langley grew up one of four children in Hope Hull, Alabama with a barn amid rolling pastures south of Montgomery, where she used to sing to cows.
Her family sometimes struggled financially.
Langley’s aunt, Ruth Meek, recently told the Daily Mail they had little money for entertainment or formal music lessons.
‘When you’re that poor and you don’t have access to much of anything and no one has a car, the family just made music together,’ Meek explained.
After being homeschooled for years, Langley enrolled in Hooper Academy in Hope Hull and found a musical mentor in her high school guitar teacher Maury ‘Coach Pop’ Popwell.
‘She could not play very well when she started to come to me,’ he recalled to the Daily Mail. ‘She worked and worked at it. She was just one of these people that she wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
Doja Cat is known to ruffle feathers with irreverent, playful comments
Langley, whose song Choosin’ Texas has seen unprecedented success, pictured in February 2024
Join the discussion
Is it disrespectful for big stars to claim they don’t know rising artists, or just honest?
Earlier this year, Doja Cat opened up about her borderline personality disorder diagnosis.
She told Elle UK magazine in May that she has found it hard to trust her romantic partners.
The singer first spoke about her BPD diagnosis in March, admitting she has been ‘struggling’ and has been in therapy for years.
‘If I have a boyfriend and he leaves just to run errands, my brain thinks he’s breaking up with me,’ she explained of her BPD, which is a mental health condition that causes symptoms such as ‘mood swings, anger and impulsiveness.’
‘I have to scrape against it and teach myself that that’s not happening to me. I’m safe.’
BPD is ‘a mental health condition that affects the way people feel about themselves and others, making it hard to function in everyday life,’ according to the Mayo Clinic.
A Southern California family suddenly became a party of seven after welcoming a rare set of naturally conceived triplets, an arrival doctors described as highly uncommon.
Nyla Craft said the surprise came during a doctor’s visit earlier this year, when she learned she was carrying not one baby, but three.
“Earlier this year, I went to the doctor and I saw like two different sets,” Craft said. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m having twins.’ And she was like, ‘No, there’s three.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, triplets.’”
For Craft, the news was shocking, but not entirely without precedent: multiples run in her family.
“My mom’s a twin, and there are triplets in the family,” she said. “They’re all boys as well. So it skipped a few, but it came to me.”
Her husband, Marco Bernal, recalled his reaction to the news.
“I was like, freaking out,” Bernal said. “I was like, we have two right now. Then five from 2 to 5 was insane, you know?”
The newborns join older sister Naya and older brother Maceo. According to their parents, Naya has eagerly embraced her role as a big sister.
“She’s been excited. She wants to come help,” Craft said.
Maceo, however, has been less interested in the babies.
The family said they received extensive support from medical staff throughout the pregnancy and delivery.
“Amazing care. Everyone was just so caring and, you know, making sure I was OK,” Craft said.
Quynh Vo-Hanser of Kaiser Permanente South Bay said the pregnancy was especially unusual.
“This is a really rare event,” Vo-Hanser said. “This is what we would refer to as mixed triplet. This is a spontaneous pregnancy, which meant that it was achieved naturally. And within this triplet set, there’s an identical twin set, and then the fraternal sibling.”
“Within the United States, there’s 3.5 million deliveries and about 2,400 are triplets. And even more rare than that are these special triplets,” she said.
“The other thing is that they’re all the same sex. I have never seen this, all these conditions within the triplet, in my three decades.”
Gina Renteria, chief nurse executive, said the delivery required a significantly larger medical team than a typical birth.
“We had three NICU nurses, one for each of the babies. We had two doctors for the babies, doctors for the mom, an extra nurse for the mom,” Renteria said. “There were about 15 people in the delivery room when we normally have about five.”
Dr. Rohit Passi, chief of neonatology at Kaiser Permanente South Bay, said Craft’s care reflected a broader effort to support mothers facing pregnancy-related challenges.
“We know that Black moms have a higher mortality rate and other complications within pregnancy,” Passi said. “We adopt a holistic approach and equity lens to really meet patients where they are at in elevating their voices. And Nyla’s case is a perfect example of that.”
Passi added that Craft’s experience was particularly meaningful because of challenges she had faced earlier in life.
“You know, she shared her story of having struggles early on. She wasn’t even sure she would be able to become pregnant,” he said. “And it’s our job as healthcare providers and as a healthcare organization to elevate their voices, particularly of moms like Nyla, because they are truly inspirational.”
For Bernal, the arrival of the triplets also carries a personal significance.
“How can you forget your kids’ birthdays if they’re on your birthday, you know?” he said.
Craft said she is grateful for the family she now has.
Kemi Badenoch launched a significant Conservative reshuffle today, removing Mel Stride from his post as shadow chancellor in one of the most eye-catching changes.
Andrew Griffith has been handed the key economic brief, as Mrs Badenoch prepares to sharpen her attack on Andy Burnham when Parliament returns tomorrow.
In another major move, Tom Tugendhat will take on the foreign affairs portfolio previously held by Priti Patel, as the shake-up proved far broader than many had expected.
The Opposition leader must also appoint a new shadow housing secretary after James Cleverly revealed he will concentrate on a potential run for the London Mayoralty.
A replacement is also needed in the health brief, with Stuart Andrew confirming he is stepping away from the front bench and returning to the backbenches.
The highly-rated shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho, who is due to go on maternity leave, has been moved to replace Mr Griffith on the business beat.
The new shadow chancellor stressed his Thatcherite credentials, saying the Tories will deliver ‘an economic revolution’ with ‘lower, simpler taxes’ and less red tape.
A senior Tory source highlighted Mr Griffith’s experience as a Sky executive, saying he would have a ‘no-nonsense, pro-growth’ approach.
Katie Lam is among those in the frame for promotion to a bigger job.
Kemi Badenoch is making changes to her shadow cabinet, with Andrew Griffith handed the crucial economic brief
Mel Stride has been axed as shadow chancellor after bring in the job for two years
Sir Mel said he had been ‘honoured’ to serve as shadow chancellor
Mr Griffith said his Treasury team would bring about an ‘economic revolution’
Badenoch’s shadow cabinet overhaul
Shadow chancellor: Andrew Griffith, replacing Mel Stride
Shadow foreign secretary: Tom Tugendhat, replacing Priti Patel
Shadow business secretary: Claire Coutinho, replacing Mr Griffith (Julia Lopez covering during maternity leave)
Shadow work and pensions secretary: Helen Whately
Mrs Badenoch heaped praise on Sir Mel, saying he had done the job at an ‘exceptionally difficult point for the Conservative Party’.
‘He brought experience, seriousness and stability when those things were badly needed,’ she said.
‘He helped us steady the ship, rebuild economic credibility and become an effective opposition, and I am genuinely grateful for his contribution.’
A Conservative source said of Mr Griffith: ‘While the Labour front bench has almost no private sector experience, Andrew’s experience means he not only knows but understands the many issues that businesses face and has a wealth of contacts in the business community.’
Sir Mel said he had been ‘honoured’ to serve. ‘I am especially proud of the work we have done to rebuild the Conservatives’ economic credibility – an issue on which we now consistently lead in the polls – and to have developed the start of a radical and deliverable plan to turn our economy around,’ he said.
In a statement last night, Dame Priti said she was leaving her post as shadow foreign secretary to take on an ‘international role’ strengthening the party’s links worldwide.
The former home secretary said returning to the backbenches would also give her ‘greater freedom to stand up’ for her Witham and Essex constituency in the Commons.
She said: ‘I’m pleased to continue supporting Kemi and the Conservative Party in a new role, strengthening our relationships with fellow conservatives and centre-right parties around the world.
‘At a time of profound global uncertainty, when our values and freedoms are under threat, conservatives must work more closely together.’
She said it had been ‘an honour’ to lead the party’s foreign affairs team, citing challenges to the Government’s Chagos Islands deal and calls for stronger action to protect the UK from threats posed by China, Iran and Russia.
Mr Tugendhat is seen as one of the most hawkish MPs on China and has campaigned against plans for the new super embassy in London.
A senior Tory source said: ‘Within Parliament, Tom has almost unrivalled credibility in foreign affairs as a former soldier, Security Minister and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.
‘Kemi actually gave Tom the good news while he was in Taiwan, talking to the Taiwanese government about the threat of China – a mark of how he is respected across the world. Contrast that with Ed Miliband, who has spent his first months touring the world pushing his weird Net Zero agenda.
‘Kemi has made defence one of the central organising principles of her leadership. Alongside Alex Burghart and James Cartlidge, Tom will be part of a three-person team leading on our national security and international affairs.’
Mrs Badenoch paid tribute to Dame Priti’s contribution.
‘Priti has been exceptionally loyal, hard-working and supportive during a very difficult period for the Party,’ the leader said.
‘She came into the Shadow Cabinet when we needed experienced people who could operate without a large infrastructure behind them. Priti has done a very important job. Now I am asking her to do another important job, as International Secretary of the Conservative Party.’
Mr Tugendhat is seen as one of the most hawkish MPs on China, and he was given the news that he is the new shadow foreign secretary while he was in Taiwan discussing the threat the superpower poses to its neighbour
Dame Priti Patel said her return to the backbenches would give her ‘greater freedom to stand up’ for her Witham and Essex constituency in the Commons
Priti Patel is leaving the front bench as Mrs Badenoch sharpens her attack on Andy Burnham
Stuart Andrew has left the health brief and returned to the backbenches
Dame Priti added: ‘With Labour axing key transport schemes, cancelling plans for a new school, threatening to destroy our countryside, councils and communities, and cutting policing, I will be a vocal champion for my constituents in the House of Commons defending their interests and demanding action.’
Sir James said Mrs Badenoch was ‘very supportive’ when he told her earlier this week of his plans to step down, though she would ‘stay neutral’ on the Tory selection process for a mayoral candidate.
A Tory source said Ms Coutinho had done a ‘brilliant job’ on the energy brief, where she was shadowing Ed Miliband until he was made foreign secretary by Mr Burnham.
Her new role will be covered by Julia Lopez until she returns from maternity leave in the New Year. Ms Lopez was shadowing the Government’s science secretary job, but that department was abolished by Mr Burnham.
Powerful flash flooding swept through the Grand Canyon over the weekend, crippling a key water line and prompting the National Park Service to impose emergency water restrictions as crews continued searching for missing hikers.
The NPS said stage four water restrictions will take effect at 12:00 p.m. Monday after Saturday’s flooding caused “extensive damage to infrastructure,” including the Transcanyon Waterline, the main system that supplies water to the park. Officials said one person was killed and as many as 15 others may be missing, though they emphasized that the number remains an estimate.
Park officials said the body of a 46-year-old man was recovered from the Colorado River on Sunday night. His name has not been released publicly.
Bright Angel Creek near the Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, after flash flooding triggered by storms on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.(Parth Desai via AP)
The National Park Service has asked the public to share any information that could help locate the 15 people believed to be missing.
“The National Park Service is asking anyone who knows of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on August 29, as well as anyone who had a campground reservation in the affected corridor, to provide information to the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch,” NPS said in a statement.
This photo provided by the National Park Service shows remnants of stone bridge pylons along Bright Angel Creek in the Grand Canyon following a flash flood that destroyed the footbridge, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026.(James Thompson/National Park Service via AP)
Park officials say they have so far evacuated at least 62 people since the Saturday flooding.
The stage 4 water restrictions affecting the rest of the park include forced dry camping with no access to water spigots, the temporary closure of overnight lodgings, and a strict no-fire rule for the South Rim and inner canyon areas.
The flooding struck Bright Angel Canyon and the Phantom Ranch area on Aug. 29, according to NPS, which added that nearly all footbridges spanning Bright Angel Creek were destroyed.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state emergency officials are coordinating with federal and local authorities as the search continues.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of every person unaccounted for after the flash flooding at the Grand Canyon,” Hobbs wrote on X. “DEMA is coordinating with NPS and Coconino County Emergency Management to support search and recovery efforts.”
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs released a statement following flash flooding in the Grand Canyon this weekend.(Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes called the flash flooding “devastating” and thanked first responders for searching for those still unaccounted for and evacuating others from the affected area.
“The physical damage includes a historic lodge near the bottom of the site and untold environmental upheaval,” Fontes said in a statement. “I send my prayers to the community as the search for those unaccounted for continues.”
Howard Stern is bringing his SiriusXM show back for a new season on September 14 — and, in a first for the longtime radio titan, episodes will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
SiriusXM announced Stern’s new HBO Max deal in a press release shared with Page Six on Monday.
“For the first time, the ‘King of All Media’ will bring his signature, long-running SiriusXM show to HBO Max by adapting his live SiriusXM show into a streamable episode for HBO Max, along with periodic extras,” the release stated.
The Howard Stern Show, which first launched on Sirius in 2006, will make its HBO Max debut on September 17. New episodes are set to arrive on the streaming platform every Thursday.
“Howard’s new series on HBO Max takes him to the pinnacle of prestige television and gives his fans a long-desired ‘seat in the studio’ to see what they just heard,” the announcement added.
“As fans hear his live show on SiriusXM, 40 cameras will capture the conversation for a version of the show then adapted into a streamable episode for HBO Max with periodic extras.”
Scott Greenstein, SiriusXM’s President and Chief Content Officer, said in a statement, “There’s simply no one like Howard, and the start of his new season is another exciting chapter in an extraordinary run. For more than two decades at SiriusXM, he’s continued to evolve, surprise audiences and deliver the kind of conversations and moments that only Howard can.”
Greenstein added, “We are proud that Howard chose to continue with SiriusXM through 2028 for his exclusive live show and deep library of classic Howard, and that Howard, HBO Max and SiriusXM have now teamed up to create a compelling new video version of his show.”
Sirius also confirmed that Stern’s Howard 100 channel will have “a new lineup” including “Wrap Up Wednesday,” an expanded version of his “Wrap Up Show” hosted by Gary Dell’Abate and Jon Hein.
There will also be “new ways to hear [Stern’s] multi-decade library of past shows,” according to the press release.
The new deal comes on the heels of the news that Stern’s Howard 101 SiriusXM channel has been dropped after a dozen staffers were laid off earlier this summer.
