For a Memphis mother, President Donald Trump’s federal crime crackdown has delivered something years of appeals to local officials did not: quiet streets and the freedom for her children to play outdoors.

“For once, I’m walking to my mailbox and it’s quiet,” Dalisia Ballinger told News Media. “I’m hearing the birds chirp. I’m hearing the birds sing. I’m seeing children play in the middle of the street. I’m seeing fathers playing football.”

Ballinger, a former journalist and survivor of violent crime, has become one of the Memphis Safe Task Force’s most vocal backers as the federal operation reaches its first year in the city.

Her support has also placed her in the middle of an escalating dispute with Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, a Democrat. Mulroy is challenging two recently enacted state oversight laws in court, prompting a petition that calls on him to drop the lawsuit and publicly explain how his office is processing cases stemming from the task force.

“Public safety should not be up for debate,” Ballinger said. “I don’t care if you are a Republican. I don’t care if you are a Democrat.”

Trump launched the multi-agency Memphis crime initiative via a presidential memorandum on Sept. 15, 2025. The order directed federal, state and local agencies to work together in combating violent and street crime across Memphis. The U.S. Marshals Service leads the task force, which also includes activated Tennessee National Guard personnel.

According to the White House, which released an update Tuesday, the operation had resulted in 12,747 arrests by Sept. 15. Those totals included 131 homicide arrests, 1,276 firearms-related arrests and 1,408 arrests involving known gang members.

The administration said the Memphis Safe Task Force also removed 2,160 illegal firearms from the streets and helped locate 189 missing children.

Overall crime in Memphis fell nearly 36% compared with the previous year, while murders dropped 36%, robberies fell 42% and vehicle thefts plunged 57%, according to figures released by the White House. City data had already shown crime falling before the task force arrived, and the statistics do not establish how much of the decline resulted directly from the federal surge.

“That era is over. President Trump rejected the excuses, restored law and order, and once again proved that decline is a choice,” the White House said.

FBI REPORTS LARGEST DROP IN VIOLENT CRIME AND MURDER SINCE 1937 AS HOMICIDES FALL MORE THAN 18%

Ballinger said the change became personal when her children could play outdoors without the constant fear that had gripped her neighborhood.

She recalled a shooting four houses away in which she said roughly 30 gunshots struck a home occupied by a grandmother and her grandchildren. The family never returned, she said, leaving the property overtaken by grass and weeds.

TRUMP’S DC CRIME CRACKDOWN ‘WORKING’ AS CITY SEES HOMICIDES PLUMMET 43% SINCE 2025: SLAIN INTERN’S MOM

“We’ve been begging for years for our local leaders for assistance and for help,” Ballinger said. “My children deserve peace, and with the Memphis Safe Task Force being here, we’ve finally been able to get that peace.”

Now, she and other supporters argue the operation’s arrests mean little if prosecutors later reduce or dismiss cases without explaining why.

A Change.org petition titled “Stop Memphis DA From Protecting Criminals” had gathered nearly 10,000 verified signatures Wednesday. 

The petition calls on Mulroy to drop a May lawsuit challenging the Memphis Safe Task Force Accountability Act and a separate law that authorizes the Tennessee attorney general to audit his office’s decisions in task force cases.

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The accountability law requires Mulroy’s office to submit a report every 10 business days when it settles or dismisses a charge arising from the task force. The second law allows the state attorney general to review prosecutorial decisions in those cases and ask the Tennessee Supreme Court to appoint a temporary prosecutor.

Mulroy argues that both laws unconstitutionally single out Shelby County, intrude on the discretion of a locally elected prosecutor and burden his staff with duplicative reporting. His office said it already reports case outcomes under existing Tennessee law.

“These bills target Shelby County unfairly and infringe on the rights of Shelby County voters,” Mulroy said when the lawsuit was filed. He has characterized the dispute as a battle over whether Shelby County voters or state officials in Nashville control the district attorney’s office.

Petition supporters see the lawsuit differently.

“Thanks to President Trump, the Memphis Safe Task Force has delivered more for this city in one year than anyone thought possible,” Ballinger, one of the petition’s leading voices, said in a statement. “While federal, state, and local agents risk their lives taking criminals off our streets, DA Mulroy is fighting in court to hide how his office is undermining this task force.”

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor previously pressed Mulroy for details after his office reported that 430 of 514 felony cases resolved in December 2025 ended without prison time and that 166 of the cases were categorized as violent. The lawmakers said the figures left unanswered how many defendants in violent cases received no prison sentence. Mulroy has accused his Republican critics of distorting crime data for political purposes.

Ballinger rejected the claim that the petition is merely a partisan campaign against a Democratic prosecutor.

“We have children. We have regular people that might not even be into politics,” she said. “We deserve peace. Whether it’s on the East Coast, the West Coast or South, we all deserve peace.”

The task force has also drawn fierce opposition. The ACLU of Tennessee and several Memphis residents have accused agents of aggressive policing and retaliation against people who record law enforcement.

Four residents filed a federal lawsuit this year alleging harassment, unlawful arrests and physical mistreatment while exercising their First Amendment rights.

The allegations have not been proven in court, while task force supporters point to thousands of arrests and sharply falling crime numbers as evidence the operation is working.

Ballinger said legitimate complaints should be reviewed, but she does not believe they justify dismantling an operation she credits with making her neighborhood livable again.

“I’m all for fairness, and I’m all for law and order,” she said. “If we need to go back to the table [and] restructure so that people can feel safe, we can definitely put that on the board.”

For Ballinger, the anniversary is measured less by government statistics than by what she can see and hear beyond her front door.

“It was noticeably enough to where it’s like, ‘Wow, there’s kids actually outside playing,’” she said.

News Media reached out to Mulroy’s office for comment.

Prince Harry knew about Earl Spencer’s forthcoming memoir on Diana after discussing the book with his uncle during a visit to Althorp with Meghan two months ago, it emerged today.

A bitter row has erupted between the King and Princess Diana’s brother following Spencer’s claim that Charles said Diana would soon be ‘forgotten’ in the days after her death in 1997.

The Daily Mail understands that Harry was alerted in advance to the explosive memoir. The first extract from the book is due to be published on the Daily Mail website and app at 5pm today.

However, a source close to the Duke of Sussex said he has not read it.

Harry and Charles Spencer are said to have discussed the book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, during the Duke’s stay at Althorp in July.

During that trip, Harry made an emotional visit to the grave of Diana, Princess of Wales, with Meghan, Archie and Lilibet at the Northamptonshire estate where she grew up. Meghan later shared an Instagram image of their poignant walk to Diana’s final resting place, with the children carrying bouquets of flowers.

The King today found himself in conflict with Earl Spencer over the bombshell allegation that Charles told him, during a heated telephone call shortly after Diana’s death: ‘Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.’

Royal aides responded sharply, suggesting that grief can ‘cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory’, while experts said the monarch was apoplectic with fury over the accusation.

The Daily Mail’s revelations have divided opinion, with rival camps lining up behind either side.

Last night, one senior establishment figure — a household name — told friends that Earl Spencer ‘should be horse-whipped across town’.

Buckingham Palace has issued an extraordinary statement in response while friends of the King have insisted it is ‘just not in the King’s nature’ and that he would not have used ‘this kind of language’ about Diana.

The King’s anger and an unprecedented slap-down by Buckingham Palace came after the Daily Mail revealed the first details from his searing new memoir.

ITV royal editor Chris Ship said he was ‘not expecting’ the Palace to respond, but that ‘what became very clear from seeing that statement is they’re not going to take this one lying down’.

Mr Ship revealed he had spoken to a Palace source who referred to a ‘war’.

‘I know that Harry’s aware of what his uncle has written in this book. And we also know that Harry stayed with Charles Spencer when he was over in the summer and had a big family gathering,’ he said.

‘They must have spoken about the fact this was going to come out and the things that he was going to say about his father.’

However, other sources claimed that Harry, William and the Palace were not informed about the contents of his memoir because security around the final manuscript was so tight.

The King’s remarkable statement disputing Earl Spencer’s claims reveals the depth of the his anger, especially because the Palace ignored Prince Harry’s book Spare, according to experts.

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said Charles, who is meeting bosses from some of the world’s leading AI developers in Scotland today, is ‘clearly absolutely incandescent’ over the allegations he said Diana would be quickly forgotten.

Former BBC royal reporter Jennie Bond said: ‘It is incredibly sad and it is, it seems to me, pure war now. We lived through the war of the Waleses – I did – back in the 90s between Charles and Diana.

‘Now we have another war between Diana’s brother and the King and I do not know what purpose it serves. It can only go to hurt, I think, William and Harry who love their father and probably undoubtedly love their uncle as well. To see the family torn apart by this serves no purpose.’

Editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward said: ‘I think Diana would be horrified that her brother has revealed this remark by Charles.

‘When I last met her, six weeks before her death, she was adamant that she and Charles really loved each other. It was so important to her that their children knew that.

‘So she would be horrified that he has shared a comment that could appear to show so much malice. I am sure it was not meant like that. But at the time, the Spencers and the Royal Family were at loggerheads.’

Meanwhile Julian Payne, the King’s communications secretary between 2016 and 2021, said the ‘highly unusual’ statement from the Palace displayed the ‘strength of feeling that there must have been for them to feel that they needed to go out there and correct it’. 

He said: ‘I just don’t recognise the way the King is characterised in those remarks.’

In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the earl tells how in 1997 he clashed with Charles over the idea of Princes William and Harry walking in their mother’s funeral procession. 

Earl Spencer, 62, says he has written the memoir to correct ‘untruths’ told about his older sister. The astonishing account of the King’s alleged outburst, almost 30 years ago, is described by the earl over several pages.

He says that one of Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aides had told him, in the days before the funeral, that William and Harry would take part in the procession, which is when he responded that this was not what his sister would have wanted and was ‘not going to happen’.

Minutes later, he recalls, he received a phone call from Prince Charles who questioned the Spencer family’s sense of duty and insisted that, 18 years earlier, he had walked in the funeral procession of Lord Mountbatten, his great-uncle.

The memoir describes how Charles ‘went nuts’ after the earl pointed out that the prince had been 30 at the time of Lord Mountbatten’s funeral in 1979.

In one of the book’s most extraordinary passages, Earl Spencer writes: ‘Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped.

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‘I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. ‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, “we’ll forget her soon enough!”.’

Earl Spencer said that he was ‘so stunned’ by the alleged remarks that he took a few seconds to reply.

‘”I can’t believe you just said that,” I said flatly, before hanging up,’ he writes.

Last night Buckingham Palace took the highly unusual step of issuing a withering put-down to the incendiary claims about the King.

A Royal spokesman said: ‘While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.’

The caustic response is being compared to the late Queen Elizabeth’s celebrated remark that ‘recollections may vary’ about Harry and Meghan’s outlandish claims in their Oprah Winfrey interview attacking the Royal Family.

A source close to the King said the comment he is alleged to have made about Diana was ‘just not in his nature and it certainly wasn’t in his nature at that time, when he was a man absolutely grief-stricken’.

They pointed out that the then Prince of Wales was the person who overruled Royal protocol to insist that Diana should have a full state-style ceremonial funeral.

The rebuke was issued by the palace shortly after the Mail revealed claims made by Earl Spencer in his book.

Julian Payne, the King’s former communications secretary between 2016 and 2021, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘I personally was working for him during the 20th anniversary of the late princess’s death in 2017 and naturally we ended up discussing her several times during that summer because the media interest was so intense.

‘What I remember was he was very clear that there was never to be any criticism, never to be any pushback on the narratives that were usually highly critical of him – but he was absolutely emphatic that we were to respect her memory and not undermine it in any way.

‘So it seems to me very odd that in the moment itself with the grief of his family and his own shock that he would choose that moment to use those words. It’s just not language that I recognise.’

BBC royal correspondent Sean Coughlan said the Palace see the allegation against Charles as ‘being entirely out of character for a man with a deeply compassionate nature, who at the time was dealing with his own grief and that of their two sons’.

Royal expert Phil Dampier described the palace statement as ‘extraordinary’, adding: ‘The days of never complain never explain have gone… not surprisingly.’

Sky News royal correspondent Laura Bundock said the Palace statement was a ‘really remarkable intervention’ and a ‘very robust response’ which is ‘beyond punchy’.

She added: ‘It is, as they say very unusual for them to make any comment about a book. They normally do not comment on books.’

Ms Bundock also pointed out that the palace did not respond to Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, but the new book is a ‘very different situation’.

She continued: ‘At this point they feel they simply cannot stay silent given who has written the book, Diana’s brother, given the subject of the book, Diana herself, and given the nature of the allegations made.’

Diana’s death on August 31, 1997, aged 36, sparked a global outpouring of grief.

On September 6, 1997, six days after Diana’s death, Earl Spencer delivered a defiant eulogy at her funeral that was later named one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century.

His raw oration in Westminster Abbey was delivered after he walked alongside William and Harry, as well as Prince Charles and Prince Philip, behind Diana’s coffin in a funeral procession through central London.

The new book includes a string of further extraordinary claims about Diana’s failed marriage to Charles and the tumultuous aftermath of her tragic death in a car crash in Paris.

The revelations are set to plunge Buckingham Palace into a fresh storm just weeks after the return of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children to the UK from California.

Described as ‘historic’, Swan Song is due to be published worldwide next Tuesday – in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House.

Police in the Netherlands are still investigating what publishing sources say is the ‘extremely suspicious’ overnight theft of four copies of the book from the back of a parked lorry earlier this week.

Today, several senior Royal Family members will be seen in public carrying out official engagements.

Charles is set to address bosses from some of the world’s leading AI developers – Nvidia, Anthropic and OpenAI – about the future of artificial intelligence.

He is expected to tell a summit at Dumfries House in Scotland that the new technology should be in the ‘service of humanity, community and the natural world’.

Diana’s son William and his wife Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales who also hold the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, are set to make their first official visit to Isle of Bute.

The day is to include visiting their namesake town of Rothesay and follows their visits to the Isles of Mull and Iona last year.

The Duke of Sussex is also expected to make his first public appearance since returning to the UK – appearing at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards ceremony in London.

The Duchess of Edinburgh’s visit to Zambia, to try to celebrate the relationship between Zambia and the UK, is among other royal engagements.

Elsewhere, Princess Anne will attend the opening of a new History Centre at the German Military Cemetery in Staffordshire.

Get alerted by email as soon as Earl Spencer’s story is published, plus our experts’ insider view. Sign up to the Palace Confidential newsletter here. 

Extracted from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles Spencer, to be published by Michael Joseph on September 22, £28. © Charles Spencer 2026. To order a copy for £23.80 (offer valid to 10/10/26; UK P&P free on orders over £25) go to www.mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. 

Ogee is inviting beauty fans to rethink the role of eyeshadow. With its new Lid Sculpt Liquid Eyeshadow, the brand is positioning eye color as more than a simple wash of pigment.

Ogee’s newest makeup launch, Lid Sculpt Liquid Eyeshadow, aims to carve out a fresh space in the eye makeup category by pairing bold color payoff with skincare-minded benefits. The formula is designed to bridge cosmetics and care, helping eyelids appear smoother and more lifted while providing vibrant color that resists creasing throughout the day.

At the center of the Ogee Lid Sculpt Liquid Eyeshadow formula is a skincare-infused liquid-to-powder texture that glides on with ease before drying down quickly to a barely-there finish. It delivers rich, saturated color without the weight often associated with traditional powder shadows. Once set, the shadow is intended to stay put for up to 12 hours, offering a crease-resistant, budge-proof option for rushed mornings and all-day wear alike.

Its liquid-to-powder formula is infused with skincare-focused ingredients, allowing it to apply smoothly and transform into a lightweight finish. The payoff is intense metallic color that feels comfortable rather than heavy on the lids.

The formula features essence of white flowers, an ingredient Ogee says helps improve the visible smoothness and lifted appearance of the eyelid area. The brand notes that its lifting claim stems from an in-vitro study of the key ingredient. Clinically supported for 12-hour wear, Lid Sculpt Liquid Eyeshadow is made to work across a range of eye shapes, skin textures, and ages.

A metallic shade for every mood

Ogee is releasing Lid Sculpt in 10 metallic eyeshadow shades, balancing everyday neutrals with more expressive, light-catching hues:

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Whether swept on as a sheer wash or built up for more intensity, the quick-setting formula is designed to make application simple. The key is speed: prep the eye area with a favorite eye cream or balm, then sweep a light layer of Lid Sculpt onto the lids and blend immediately.

The brush that makes blending effortless

For an even more seamless application, Ogee is also introducing the Eye Blender Brush. Designed to work with cream, liquid and powder formulas, the ultra-soft brush diffuses color for an effortless wash across the lids.

Like the rest of Ogee’s approach to beauty, the brush is vegan and eco-friendly, pairing performance with the brand’s emphasis on more conscious beauty.

Makeup meets skincare

Lid Sculpt reflects the philosophy behind Ogee: makeup doesn’t have to be separate from skincare. The brand’s certified organic, high-performance collection is designed to blur that traditional divide, creating products that combine beauty performance with skin-focused ingredients.

Ogee’s organic collection is certified by NSF, a stringent standard for personal care products. According to the brand, NSF certification requires a minimum of 70% organic ingredients within each formula, compared with certifications that may require substantially less. The certification also reflects Ogee’s focus on using natural and organic ingredients while avoiding harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrances and artificial dyes.

The brand’s products are certified organic, non-toxic, cruelty-free, GMO-free, not tested on animals, gluten-free and made in the USA.

With Lid Sculpt, Ogee is taking a familiar makeup staple and giving it a distinctly modern purpose: color that performs like makeup while bringing skincare thinking to the eyelids. It’s not about making eyes look more vibrant. It’s about creating an eye color experience designed for real skin, real tex

This article was written by Victoria McDonnell, New York Post Commerce Journalist & Content Strategist, who has spent countless hours researching, testing hundreds of products and comparing the latest makeup, skincare, hair and beauty items and trends to determine what’s truly worth your hard-earned cash. She evaluates formulas, textures, ingredients and more, in addition to consulting medical and industry experts. Some of Victoria’s latest conquests include testing the best sheet masks on the market, and a rinse-and-repeat review of the best shampoos for all hair types and budgets. Victoria, who received a beauty industry essentials certification from the Fashion Institute of Technology, has been creating shopping guides for the New York Post since 2021 and previously held positions at Insider Reviews and CNN Underscored.

A charity has presented Pope Leo XIV with a one-of-a-kind artwork as part of its campaign to protect human dignity and define “what should stay human in the age of AI,” an official told News Media.

Images released by Saint Peter for Humanity show the pope accepting the “Sphere of Humanity,” a green Murano glass sculpture featuring handwritten excerpts from his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. The passages address human dignity, vulnerability, solidarity, conscience and the growing challenges posed by artificial intelligence. The presentation took place during the pope’s General Audience in early September.

The gift was presented as Saint Peter for Humanity prepared to convene 70 leaders in New York City next week to begin drafting the Codex Humanitatis. The independent initiative draws inspiration from Pope Leo XIV’s call to defend human dignity as AI becomes more powerful and more influential in daily life.

“We recognize the benefits of AI. We just believe, again, that there is another force that should belong to that conversation, and that other force is humanity,” Olivier Francois, the organization’s president and chairman, told News Media. “The Codex Humanitatis, which is our initiative, starts from that simple idea. AI should serve people, protect human dignity, expand human potential and advance the common good.”

“So what are we going to do in New York? We are going to gather 70 Nobel laureates, artists, thinkers, philanthropists, technology and AI experts — obviously, that’s important — and we will ask them maybe the hardest question of our times: As artificial intelligence grows even more powerful, what must remain human?” Francois said. “Before we hand over to machines, we should be clear about what we value most in ourselves. We will try to define what being human means and what should stay human in the age of AI. That is a little bit of the initiative we shared with Pope Leo while presenting the sphere and this symbolic gift.”

Based on an original design by Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti, the sphere contains four handwritten selections from Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas. Among them is the passage: “In the era of artificial intelligence, when human dignity is threatened by new forms of dehumanization, ours is the pressing duty to remain profoundly human.”

The pope wrote in the encyclical released in May, “Each generation inherits the task of shaping its own era, of guiding history to become a place where the dignity of every person is safeguarded, justice is promoted and fraternity is made possible,” while warning that “every era also runs the risk of creating an inhumane and more unjust world.”

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“For AI to respect human dignity and truly serve the common good, responsibility must be clearly defined at every stage: from those who design and develop these systems to those who use them and rely on them for concrete decisions,” the pope wrote. “In many cases, however, the internal processes leading to a result remain opaque, making it harder to assign responsibility and correct errors. This is where accountability becomes crucial: the possibility of identifying who must ‘account’ for decisions, justify them, monitor them and, when necessary, challenge them and remedy any harm caused.”

“Calling for prudence, rigorous evaluation and even, at times, a slower pace in adopting AI does not mean opposing progress; instead, it is an exercise of responsible care for the human family. This need is all the more urgent given the frequent imbalance between the speed of technological growth and the slower development of awareness, norms, safeguards and institutions capable of governing its effects,” the pope also said. “It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required. Otherwise, change will be governed only by technocratic thinking and presented as necessary and inevitable, ultimately imposing rules shaped by those who control data, infrastructure and computing power.”

Saint Peter for Humanity said in a statement about its New York gathering, “Working across ten groups, participants will develop a first draft of the Codex focused on issues including the future of work, accountability, information integrity, human oversight and the protection of children and families.”

“The draft will then enter a global consultation process before being refined into a final set of principles. Saint Peter for Humanity plans to engage governments, companies and institutions in translating those principles into practice, including through engagement at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos,” the nonprofit added.

When Tom Cruise made an appearance at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert in London during summer 2024, fans were left asking one question: was the Hollywood star secretly a Swiftie?

It certainly appeared that way as the Top Gun actor joined Travis Kelce in Wembley Stadium’s VIP section, where the two were seen laughing, dancing and taking in Swift’s huge live show.

Nearly two years later, Cruise, 64, has evolved from an unexpected Eras Tour guest into a wedding invitee and game-day companion for Swift. He joined her in an NFL suite on Monday to support her husband Kelce, just weeks after attending the couple’s Madison Square Garden wedding celebrations.

Their unlikely connection has sparked plenty of online speculation — and criticism in some quarters — ranging from rumors of a secret business project to a possible Days of Thunder sequel appearance, or even claims that Cruise may be trying to introduce pop’s most influential star to Scientology.

However, the Daily Mail can reveal that Cruise and Swift’s relationship is not simply a high-profile photo opportunity. The pair developed a genuine friendship following that London concert.

‘Since then, they’ve got close,’ an insider said. ‘They hang out together when they’re in the same city. On the surface they seem like they’re worlds apart, but they’re really not.’

Their friendship has reportedly grown stronger as they have found common ground in navigating the extraordinary pressures of life at the highest level of fame.

‘They have so much in common and they both get what they each have to deal with in life,’ the source added. ‘Taylor learns so much from talking to him, and Tom loves seeing everything she does and appreciates her artistry.’

Another insider put it more bluntly: the pair ‘speak each other’s language’ because they are both famous on a frankly absurd global scale.

‘They really understand each other,’ the source added.

And, as with most good Hollywood origin stories, it began with a phone call – in this case, Cruise’s team ringing Swift’s people to secure seats at one of her London shows.

‘When Taylor’s reps heard Tom’s people had called for tickets to one of her concerts in London a couple of years ago, she rolled out the red carpet for him,’ the insider said. ‘She made sure he had one of the best seats in the house.’

It appears the singer was not entirely immune to a little movie-star awe herself.

‘She admits she was overwhelmed when he came backstage after the show to tell her how amazing she was,’ the source said. ‘She grew up watching his movies and was a big fan.’

But the person who helped turn a glamorous backstage hello into a lasting friendship was Swift’s husband.

‘Travis is also a huge fan of Tom’s action movies. Tom’s a big football fan. That’s really what brought Tom into Taylor’s world,’ the insider said.

‘He knew Travis, but it was kind of from afar. They’ve now become good buddies.’

That is particularly useful timing for Kelce, 36, who has been quietly building a second act beyond the gridiron.

The Chiefs tight end made his acting debut in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie in 2024 before popping up alongside Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2 – and, according to the source, he has no plans to stop at a couple of cameos.

‘Tom can help Taylor’s husband Travis get a foot in the Hollywood door,’ the insider said. ‘Travis very much wants to work in Hollywood either as an actor or host, or maybe even both. He feels he has a chance and has the look for it.’

And Cruise may even be able to find Kelce a suitably fast lane.

‘Tom will open doors for Travis, and Tom may even give Travis a role in Days Of Thunder 2, which would be a great fit,’ the source added.

So, while the internet’s theories may have overshot the mark, the Days Of Thunder chatter was not entirely plucked from thin air. 

The insider said Cruise and Swift did discuss the newly announced Days of Thunder sequel, which will see the actor back as NASCAR driver Cole Trickle – this time opposite Anne Hathaway, not his original co-star and ex-wife Nicole Kidman. 

‘Their conversations were pretty innocent, but it’s almost impossible for business not to come up,’ the source said. ‘It wouldn’t be surprising if their friendship eventually became a business collaboration, with her potentially recording a song for Days Of Thunder, which was brought up in the box on Monday night.’

Even their brief televised exchange had fans trying to decode every word. 

Lip-reader Nicola Hickling claimed Swift could be seen saying: ‘It’s the structure of the entire infrastructure of the audience that’s what I love in a positive way.’

The first portion of Cruise’s answer was obscured as ESPN cut away, according to the lip-reader, who then interpreted the actor as saying: ‘You may not know it, but you do have a job.’

Still, the source suggested neither star was entirely blind to the upside of two of the most recognizable faces on the planet sitting together in an NFL suite.

‘They are friends, but of course they also wanted to be seen together because of the media attention,’ the insider said.

‘They might both find themselves nominated for an Oscar early next year, so don’t be surprised when this friendship turns into something awesome professionally for them both.’

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For Swift, that dream would be a first Academy Award nomination for I Knew It, I Knew You, the original song she co-wrote for Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 5. 

An Oscar win would put the Grammy- and Emmy-winning star one Tony away from an EGOT – the entertainment industry’s most exclusive four-award club.

Cruise, meanwhile, is entering a very different kind of awards-season moment.

His next film, Digger, is due in cinemas on October 2. Directed by four-time Oscar winner Alejandro G Inarritu, it casts Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an oil baron whose own actions help trigger an environmental catastrophe.

It is a far cry from the usual run, jump and hang-from-the-side-of-an-airplane Cruise assignment.

The star has spent four decades as one of Hollywood’s most durable action stars, grossing more than $13 billion worldwide and collecting acting Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, as well as a Best Picture nomination as a producer on Top Gun: Maverick.

But Digger is also a risky dramatic pivot for Cruise – his first non-franchise film since 2017, with the actor buried beneath heavy prosthetics as an eccentric billionaire. 

And there are already whispers that the $200 million gamble may struggle to win over audiences: its first trailer drew relatively modest YouTube traffic compared with rival autumn releases, while many online viewers were more fixated on Cruise’s unrecognizable new look than on the film itself. 

But Cruise is certainly doing his bit to sell the new era.

The actor stripped off for a smoldering GQ cover shoot this week, posing in an unbuttoned black shirt and jeans while promoting Digger in his first cover story for the magazine in 20 years.

A source previously told the Daily Mail that a new romance would not exactly hurt the publicity push – but, for now, Cruise is said to be flying solo.

Fresh from turning 64, the ever-youthful star has no glamorous leading lady on his arm, despite renewed whispers linking him to Russian socialite Elsina Khayrova after their brief 2023 romance.

His former flames, however, have moved firmly into their own next acts.

Ana de Armas, his most recent romance, has been packing on the PDA with musician Beto Montenegro. Katie Holmes, 47, is loved up with artist Jason Bard Yarmosky, nine years her junior. Kidman has enjoyed time in Portofino with new beau Michael Reinstein, while Penelope Cruz has been married to Javier Bardem for 16 years.

Which brings the story back to Swift – and why being seen beside her is, at the very least, an exceptionally canny bit of A-list optics.

‘Tom wants a younger fan base because there is a lot of pressure for his movie Digger to do well at the box office,’ the source said. ‘He wants it to be a success and he wants an Oscar nomination for it.’

‘So hanging out with Taylor Swift is a very savvy move because she is the most powerful star at the moment with the under-40 set. Meeting up with Taylor at the football game was a smart move because all of her fans will now look into Tom and his work.’

Swift, the source said, was more than happy to help a friend.

‘They have been friends for years, so she was happy to help him get some more press.’

But no good deed goes unpunished – particularly when it involves the internet, a Chiefs suite and Scientology’s most famous member.

Some fans criticized Swift for sharing the box with Cruise, a high-profile Scientologist. The church has long faced allegations from former members and critics involving abuse, forced labour and harassment; it disputes such allegations.

The backlash also revived discussion of Cruise’s relationship with his daughter Suri, whom he shares with ex-wife Holmes, who left Scientology following their 2012 split.

Cruise has not been publicly photographed with Suri since 2012, and longstanding reports have said the pair are estranged.

The source, however, insisted Scientology does not feature in Cruise and Swift’s conversations.

‘Neither of them talk about Scientology,’ the insider said.

Suri, 20, has adopted the name Suri Noelle, using Holmes’ middle name rather than Cruise.

The name change drew comparisons with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s children. Five of their six children have dropped Pitt’s surname; their eldest son, Maddox, was reported to have legally changed his name this week.

The family rift has remained under a spotlight since Pitt and Jolie’s 2016 split, following allegations that Pitt was physically and verbally abusive towards the children. Pitt has denied the allegations and investigators found no sign of abuse. 

That background fed a separate strand of online reaction, after fans noted that Pitt was also among the guests at Swift and Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding.

One Reddit user captioned a photograph of Swift and Cruise in the suite: ‘Taylor Swift palling around with Tom Cruise, Scientology’s most high-profile member, whose daughter Suri severed ties and dropped his last name. Reminiscent of Taylor inviting Brad Pitt to her wedding, whose children have also cut ties and dropped his last name.’

Pitt was not the only wedding guest whose presence would later raise eyebrows.

Cruise was also there, but any social-media grumbling appeared to be the furthest thing from his mind as he made the rounds among the newlyweds’ A-list crowd. 

‘A lot of people were surprised when they saw Tom at Taylor and Travis’ wedding,’ the insider said. ‘He was mingling with everyone and seemed like he was having the best time.’