🔗: https://theconversation.com/ariana-grandes-appearance-attracted-intense-scrutiny-not-just-genuine-concern-288926

Halle Berry denied ever abusing her 13-year-old son, Maceo, and described their disputed September 26 confrontation as roughhousing. Maceo testified privately for nearly four hours after Olivier Martinez accused Berry of choking him and secured a temporary restraining order limiting her contact. Martinez wants sole custody, while Berry seeks to restore their 50-50 arrangement and accuses her ex of interfering with Maceo’s education, therapy, and relationship with her.

🔗: https://people.com/barack-michelle-obama-exclusive-personal-interview-12005023

Excerpt:

It’s in the way his hand rests gently on her knee; the way she crinkles her nose at the joke she’s probably heard before; the way they can speak at the same time but somehow never seem to talk over each other. It’s in the details. After nearly 34 years of marriage, and perhaps because of the minutiae and magnitude of what that time encompassed, the love between former President Barack Obama, 64, and former first lady Michelle Obama, 62, is palpable.

“I don’t know if it’s been an equal partnership,” he says, “but it’s worked out for me pretty well. I’ve gotten more out of it than she has. For her it’s probably more of a mixed bag.”

Today she’s not accepting his usual self-deprecation. “My husband is always thinking about reflecting the light on other people,” she says, cozied up next to him on the couch of his office at the new Obama Presidential Center, located on the South Side of Chicago, where they met, married and welcomed daughters Malia, 27, and Sasha, 25, amid his historic journey from a young community organizer to America’s first Black president.

Now, almost 10 years after leaving the White House, and just days before the star-studded grand opening of the sprawling public campus housing his presidential library, Mrs. Obama has no problem singing her guy’s praises for him.

“I am so proud of how my husband showed up in that role, how he shows up every day,” she says. Here, in a wide-ranging interview, the two open up about love, “ups and downs,” White House memories and what excites them most about this new chapter of their legacy.

🔗: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116659958155235373

Sounds like he was a violent thug sociopath-in-training. Next thing you will be telling me that he hurt animals, played with fire, and wet the bed. Prior bad acts are strong indicators of future behavior, and he has had several. He wasn't on trial, and none of this changes the outcome of Karmelo's trial.

His parents can be pissed all they want, but statistics suggest this ticking time bomb's 💣 end would be jail or worse. Just to be clear, I'm not saying he deserved to die.

I actually would have preferred for him to get the help that he needed BEFORE he crossed paths with Kamelo. I also wish Kamelo would have received appropriate help in advance too. So many lives unnecessarily ruined.

Society failed BOTH kids.

A lesson on how to be a horrible human being

Source article and video here (published October 2, 2026): https://www.ms.now/the-briefing-with-jen-psaki/watch/local-news-busts-trump-on-empty-economic-promises-2516183107845

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Get out and vote, America! ✅

Visit Vote.org for online voter guides for every state, including voter registration forms, absentee ballot applications, and information on deadlines, directions, and ID and residency requirements. 🗳️

Famous influencer, Marta Kelly de Oliveira Silva tragically died after her cosmetic surgeries went terribly wrong. She gave a tough fight but couldn't survive.

🔗: https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kendall-jenner-no-plastic-surgery

Excerpt:

Let me start with this: I admire Idris Elba. The man has range, gravitas, and a screen presence that makes you believe he could save the world in a tuxedo or a durag. He has been in films I absolutely love. His advocacy for young people through the Elba Hope Foundation is real, tangible work. And I genuinely celebrated his success, even as I was critical of him receiving the knighthood from King Charles. But then GQ published an interview that made me put down my phone and stare at the wall for a solid minute.

The GQ Interview Was Disappointing

Here is his GQ excerpt that did it. The setup is familiar: Idris Elba, the man who has been rumoured to play James Bond for nearly two decades, finally addressing it directly:

“It was never legit. It was always just a rumour. I’ve always felt that it’s not a realistic thing. James Bond was written how he was written for a reason. But I was complimented by it. And also, I think, in realistic terms, some markets just don’t go for that. Bond is big all over the world. And [audiences] won’t [all] go for a Black male, an African male, playing Bond. That’s not what they like in their culture. Period.”

Then he added the line that is now living rent‑free in my head:

“Bond is so unrealistic, so a hint of reality is good, but let’s not try and make it woke. I think you’ve got to be pure to what it is: escapism. Don’t try and answer the world’s taste. Just be Bond.”

Did He Just Use “Woke” Like That?

I know Elba is Black British, not Black American, but the word “woke” still carries a history that matters. But even so, something irks me when a Black person uses the word “woke” as a pejorative. Because here is the history that too many people have forgotten or chosen to ignore:

Originally, “woke” meant being alert and actively attentive to racial prejudice and systemic discrimination. Rooted in African‑American English, it was an in‑group term used as a survival tactic for decades before being adopted by modern civil rights movements. It was not an insult. It was a warning, a consciousness, a call to pay attention

The Problem With Saying “Don’t Make Bond Woke”

Did Idris just use “woke” the way racists and right-wing culture warriors use it? Because that is exactly how it sounded. He acknowledged that some global markets would reject a Black Bond, and instead of challenging that racism, he seemed to accept it. “Period,” he said, as if that ends the conversation.
There were a thousand ways to make his point without adopting their language. He could have said Bond is a specific fantasy. He could have said the franchise has commercial realities. Or perhaps, maybe black and brown people are not ready to see a Black man work to destabilise black and brown countries in the service of the British Empire. Instead, he reached for a word that has been weaponised against Black people.

And that is what makes it so awkward. This is a man who gained global fame playing Black American characters in The Wire, despite fair debates about whether Black British actors always understand the specific history behind those roles. He also played Heimdall, a Norse god, in Marvel. So where was the concern about purity then?

Apparently, crossing cultures is fine when it benefits him. But when Blackness enters Bond, one of Britain’s most protected white male fantasies, suddenly the worry is that it might become “woke.”

The Knighthood and the Conservative Turn

I have long wondered if Idris Elba is secretly a conservative, because he repeatedly says conservative‑adjacent things. Not in a firebrand, flag‑waving way, but in a quiet, “let’s not rock the boat” way. Accepting a knighthood from King Charles already told me something about how comfortable he is with establishment approval. We covered that last week: a talented Black man kneeling before a monarch, receiving a title tied to an empire built on colonialism and slavery. David Bowie turned down a knighthood. Benjamin Zephaniah refused an OBE because the word “empire” reminded him of brutality. Elba knelt, smiled, and posted a photo holding hands with his wife.

That is his choice. But choices signal values. Now, with this interview, the pattern feels clearer. He accepted the royal honour, adopted the right‑wing redefinition of “woke”, and told GQ that a Black Bond wouldn’t work in certain markets, not as a critique of the character, but as a statement of fact to be accommodated. How disappointing.

…….

BREAKING:
The diesel fuel Russia is now exporting to the United States at U.S. President Trump's request may have originated in Iran, as Russian oil refineries are largely unable to produce diesel because of Ukrainian attacks.

Russia has been importing most of the diesel it needs from Iran. In September, thousands of Iranian tanker trucks were spotted in various regions of Russia, including Ryazan, carrying Iranian diesel.

Russia may be buying Iranian diesel and reselling it to the United States. If so, Trump's attempt to lower U.S. energy prices and deceive American voters is putting money into the hands of Russia and Iran's Islamic regime.

A pastor sparked fury from Fox News viewers after he claimed President Donald Trump understands the Bible "better" than the Pope.

Pastor Robert Jeffress appeared on Fox News on Friday, May 8, as he discussed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV the previous day. The pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, has been a Trump supporter since 2016.

The pastor serves on his evangelical advisory board and has even previously delivered him a sermon on the morning of his inauguration during his first term. He said, “It looks like President Trumphas a better understanding of what the Bible teaches about the role of government than the pope has.”