On Sunday morning, Donald Trump, seemingly out of nowhere, tweeted a sort of "Save the Date" for a big celebration in D.C.
On July 4th.
And you'll never guess what it's going to celebrate:
"A Salute to America"
Ya don't say.
People were puzzled as to why Trump thought this was a new idea, and the mockery came fast:
Sounds kind of familiar.
You're in luck, Mr. President!
Accurate:
Here are some more ideas, for Trump!
Fair question:
People on social media are applauding Rachel Zegler for defending Taylor Swift against others online who constantly comment on her every move.
Zegler sat down with Teen Vogue to promote Sam Gold’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, now on Broadway, alongside her costar Kit Connor.
During the interview, the discussion evolved into setting boundaries and the impact of social media.
And Zegler had a lot to say.
"F**k Twitter."
"It can be a nasty place. I saw what it did to [Kit]."
In 2022, Connor said he was basically "forced" to come out after people on social media accused him of queerbaiting.
Zegler continued:
"I've seen women in particular be torn down my entire life."
"Jameela Jamil, why? Taylor Swift, why? Jennifer Lawrence, why? Anne Hathaway, why? Halle Bailey, why?"
"And I know why, but the general public will never learn..."
The actor then shifted to Chappell Roan's recent outspoken stance on fan behavior.
"Now they've moved on to Chappell [Roan]. F**k them."
"It creates this environment that's bad for everyone."
Connor jumped in.
"It makes me really angry because I don't like people talking about things they don't know."
And Zegler wholeheartedly agreed, using Taylor Swift as the prime example.
"'Why is Taylor Swift XYZ?'"
"You don't know her."
"It's so [wild] that you're talking like that, because you don't know her."
She added:
"I don't know her, and that's why I'm not on the internet going, 'But actually, I think that she's actually conniving in this and her relationship isn't real."
"You don't know this person."
The The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star finished on the topic:
"Spend your time learning a craft."
"Touch some grass."
"Kiss a girl, do something."
People on social media commended Zegler for calling out unnecessary and unhinged online behavior.
Good for her for speaking out! Very well said.
Shortly after former President Donald Trump's photo-op at a Pennsylvania McDonald's, it was reported that the fast food giant has been linked to an E. Coli outbreak across several states—and the internet couldn't help but jokingly connect the two events.
Trump's visit was more of a publicity stunt than anything else—and was predominantly set up so he could promote his false claim that Vice President Kamala Harris did not work at McDonald's in college.
The restaurant was closed to the public during his appearance, and the motorists he served at the drive-thru were pre-screened by the U.S. Secret Service and positioned before his arrival. No one placed an order; instead, attendees received whatever Trump handed out.
The stunt drew criticism toward McDonald's, but the company is facing even more serious issues following reports of E. coli food poisoning linked to its Quarter Pounder hamburgers. Federal health officials have confirmed that at least 49 people in 10 states have been affected, with one death and 10 hospitalizations.
Infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 across Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Colorado has the highest number of cases with 26, followed by Nebraska with nine.
According to the CDC, everyone interviewed in connection with the outbreak reported eating at McDonald's before becoming ill, with most mentioning Quarter Pounder hamburgers. The U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration, and state health officials are investigating.
While the exact cause has not been identified, investigators are focusing on onions and beef. A preliminary FDA investigation points to slivered onions served on the burgers as a likely source of contamination, while the USDA is examining the hamburger patties.
No one is actually blaming Trump for this but considering the timing... the jokes flew almost immediately.
E. coli bacteria are naturally present in the intestines of animals and can be found in the environment. Infections can lead to serious symptoms, including fever, stomach cramps, and bloody diarrhea. Anyone experiencing these symptoms after consuming contaminated food should seek medical attention and inform their healthcare provider about what they ate.
In a statement, McDonald’s officials noted that initial investigations point to onions from a single supplier as the likely source of the outbreak. The company has suspended distribution of the slivered onions and temporarily removed the Quarter Pounder from menus in the affected states, as well as in parts of Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
Following the CDC's announcement, McDonald’s shares dropped 9% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.
When you have a political disagreement with your neighbor, you have one of two options: Ignore it like a normal person and let people live their lives, or do what one Missouri MAGA fan did and steal their political signs.
Springfield, Missouri resident Laura McCaskill and her partner John were fed up with their Harris-Walz signs being stolen from their yard, which they'd caught on their Ring doorbell camera.
But the footage wasn't quite clear enough to crack the case, so after four consecutive incidents, they moved on to another method.
@ruralhealthjustice Stay tuned!! I have the recovery video!
McCaskill attached an Apple AirTag to the sign to catch the culprit. And before long, she and John had their man. But the interaction they had with the thief—and especially what they found in his car—was anything but what they expected.
After tracking the AirTag they initially ended up at a Springfield restaurant, and then to a home in Nixa, about 12 miles south of Springfield, with a car in the driveway they recognized. So they went up and rang the doorbell, where a woman finally answered the door. McCaskill told local news outlet OzarksFirst:
“She finally came up and we said hello, and we said we think that you have something in that car that was taken from our neighborhood."
"She said, that was her son’s car and she said, ‘Well, he’s just an idiot’ and then she goes back in and we thought that was interesting.”
Interesting indeed. Soon her son came to the door and they asked him to open the trunk of his vehicle, which is where the AirTag was pinging.
@ruralhealthjustice Absolutely brazen!! Young man from a weathly neighborhood in the county to the south of Springfield learns from his MAGAMOM to plan a theft, execute 60 trespassings and lie about it! Share FAR and WIDE. THIS is why morals matter in the White House. THIS is why character matters in the President. THIS is what you’re doing to an otherwise bright young kid who could use his privilege and place in the world for good. Now he’s going to face multiple charges. Just like Donny.
Inside was McCaskill's sign—and 58 others. She told OzarksFirst:
"I expected to find the air tag, but not 59 signs. It was kind of like finding a dead body. It was like are you kidding me?"
"Most people, they take them and they throw them in a dumpster or they throw them in someone else’s yard. It was like there was a bounty on [the signs]."
But what happened next truly says it all. After her son was caught red-handed, his mom gathered up the signs, shoved them at McCaskill and her partner and said:
"Here you go liberals."
She went on to protest that the entire situation was "so stupid" and told them to "just go vote," whatever that's supposed to mean. But McCaskill and her partner quickly informed her that since each of the signs costs a $20 donation, totaling well over $1000, his stunt was a full-on crime.
@tizzyent Teens caught stealing dozens of Harris/Walz signs. Full video @MO Health Justice
But the young man shot back that you can find the signs on Etsy for "three or four dollars," a detail about the story that struck McCaskill as kind of disturbing—the young man had clearly taken the time to figure out how many signs he could steal without being charged with a crime.
“I was like, who would look that up?... This is disturbing because he actually had a thought process of what that limit was.”
He went on to admit that he did it because he'd seen it on TikTok, and McCaskill decided that was the best place to post the interaction to "call out" his behavior.
On social media, many were just as mystified by the kid's stunt, and especially his mom's reaction, as McCaskill was.
A county prosecutor confirmed to OzarksFirst that stealing yard signs is in fact a "class four election offense" in Missouri and is punishable by a fine of up to $2500 and/or up to a year in jail.
For McCaskill, it was the young man's mom's reaction that seemed to bother her most. She said:
“If my son stole Trump signs...I would be horrified if he did that."
"I would say, this is really wrong and you need to return their signs. It’s respecting your neighbors, respecting their First Amendment rights.”
Seems the MAGA contingent and the party of "law and order" holds themselves to a different standard.
Former President Barack Obama had supporters cheering at a Harris campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, after he was introduced by rapper Eminem and showed off his rap skills by breaking into the rap icon's Academy Award-winning chart-topper "Lose Yourself," to the delight of the crowd.
Eminem—a Detroit native—issued the following remarks ahead of Obama's appearance, responding to former President Donald Trump's recent suggestion that the military should handle “radical left lunatics” and whomever he considers an “enemy from within”:
“I’m here tonight for a couple of reasons. As most of you know, the city of Detroit and my home state of Michigan mean a lot to me. Going into this election, the spotlight is on us more than ever and I think it’s important to use your voice. So, I’m encouraging everyone to get out and vote please.”
“I also think that people shouldn’t be afraid to express their opinions, and I don’t think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution or what people would do if you make your opinion known. I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country, where this freedom and many others will be protected and upheld.”
"Here to tell you more about that is President Barack Obama."
Obama then took the stage, saying:
“I gotta say, I’ve done a lot of rallies. So, I don’t usually get nervous, but I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem.”
He then broke into the first verse of "Lose Yourself" to underscore the mood he was in:
"Palms were sweaty, knees weak/ Arms are heavy, vomit on my sweater already/ Mom’s spaghetti/ I’m nervous but on the surface, I’m calm and ready to drop bombs, but I keep on forgetting!”
The crowd went wild, prompting Obama to joke:
“I thought Eminem was going to be performing and I was going to jump out.”
You can watch what happened below.
People loved every second of it.
Eminem—whose real name is Marshall Mathers—has been vocally anti-Trump and very direct about his support for Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign.
The artist, who grew up in poverty, has criticized Trump's supporters and addressed the irony of "middle-class" white individuals backing an alleged billionaire who has never faced significant struggles in his life.
In an undated video that went viral last year, Eminem said he gets "flustered and frustrating watching him [Trump] play to his base that thinks that he cares about them and it’s actually the people that he cares about the f**king least."
He was firm in his belief that Trump still enjoys support "because he’s brainwashing them into thinking something great is going to happen" even though "nothing's happening."
As kids, we always looked forward to birthdays, because birthdays mean getting showered with gifts.
However, the joy of birthdays as we get older becomes more about gift-giving to honor a friend or loved one's special day.
That doesn't mean we appreciate the thoughtful gestures we still receive for enjoying another trip around the sun. Some of those special gifts have stayed with us since childhood.
Curious to hear from strangers online about the best presents ever, Redditor Quatumplate asked:
"What is the greatest gift you have ever received on your birthday?"
It's not always about monetary value.
"One year my mom was so broke she couldn't afford to get me anything. She felt really bad about it. I was 16 years old. I asked if she could bring me to the mall and let me play the video game demo at game stop."
"I got to play Super Mario Galaxy for 4 hours that day."
"It was the effort that counted for me."
– greenthegreen
"An adoption certificate. My parents adopted me on my 7th birthday. Happiest day of my life :)"
– Practical-Rise-7750
"My granny passed away 3 weeks before my b-day when I was 16... We were really close and I couldn't bring my self to celebrate it since I was still mourning her."
"On the day of my birthday, Mom woke me up and told me that I needed to come downstairs. When I got to the living room, Grandpa, Dad, and Mom were there. Mom then played a video on the TV, and it was Granny. She wore a birthday cap, and I recognized her hospital bed. She was screaming and singing Happy Birthday."
"I was crying and laughing at the same time... Before the end of the video, she said: 'Throw the craziest birthday party ever... If you don't it means that you didn't love me(wink)... Bye, Bye, B*tch(our inside joke). See you on the other side.' "
"Had the best b-day party ever that night!"
– AlannaXoX
These memorable birthday experiences stayed with Redditors forever.
"For my 5th birthday, I was in the hospital with Pneumonia. There was nothing to do at all, and I was bored out of my mind. My uncle came to visit me and gave me one of those game handheld with a hundred games ( if you're from Asia , you'll find these everywhere) . It had Tetris and a snake game and some version of Mario."
"At that time it was the greatest gift. Made the time go by quickly, and honestly, I felt like it helped me recover much faster."
"Front row seats to my favorite musical on Broadway. I got spit on by a flying monkey in the first 10 minutes. Thank you so much for one of the best nights of my life. Omg."
– No_Juggernau7
"Before he went off the deep end, My ex made me a replica of the Harry Potter cake. He wouldn’t tell me what he was doing (collecting food coloring when we went grocery shopping for days, etc.), And then he used the small oven at our disgusting dorm to bake me a cake late one night so I wouldn’t see it before midnight."
"It was the sweetest thing anybody had ever done for me. He was so proud of baking it, too."
– Magenta-Magica
"My husband surprised me with concert tickets to my favorite band's reunion show, at Madison Square Garden in NYC."
"I told him back when we first started dating that NYC was my dream vacation and I felt like I'd never get the chance to go."
"He took me last year."
"Today is my birthday and we're home relaxing and enjoying each other's company. 🖤🥰"
– StonedSeaWard
"Harry Potter & the Cursed Child tickets. In London. Where I had never been, nor expected to be able to go. My husband had recently died, I had 2 little girls and not much money, and my best pal got me the tickets, and we had the best trip EVER."
"It was the most wonderful surprise I’ve ever gotten."
– SamuelWesting
"Around my birthday one year, I went to England to see my best friend. When I walked into her place, my eyes went right to the dinner table where she'd placed freshly made scones, clotted cream, jam, a lovely assortment of treats, and all manner of nice things."
"There was a birthday banner hanging above the table. She'd even bought little birthday hats and set them up on pretty plates."
"I still think about it frequently, even ten years later, because I felt so treasured and seen. I'd mentioned never having had a proper scone before, and she'd remembered, made them fresh, and timed them so they were still warm when I arrived. And of course, the best part - spending time with her."
– andasol
It's not always the grandest, but it's still the best.
"Alone in a hotel in Singapore… wife had a gift delivered. The hotel realized it was my birthday and brought up a birthday cake to my room."
"Both were just what I needed."
– Difficult_Cap_4099
"A week before Christmas, my grandfather passed away. Before he died, he put a gift under the tree. The item was a plush animal. My 'prized' item is this plush animal."
– Aggressive_Fact_3707
"A card, filled with signatures of well-wishers, for my 30th birthday - the next day - since I stayed home, missing the only surprise party I would have had. I felt so happy, as it was all school chums. I had no idea."
– ClearMood269
"I don’t like receiving gifts, and the people around me know and respect that. The guy I was dating once set up a candlelight dinner, made my favorite food, and we watched Tales From The Crypt all night after going on a walk."
– TheVendingMachineWas
"Every year my spouse gets me my favorite pair of shoes. Pumas. It's all I ask for and all I wear. Those shoes get me to work and helps me feed my kids. I love her so much for that every time."
– Molest_Goat
"My mom made me a photo album with pictures from my birthday to my 18th birthday. It has handmade decorations everything has nice little text to it."
"And drivers licence (it's pretty expensive here in the Czech republic)."
"I realized the best birthday present I ever received was my first-ever surprise party on my 17th birthday."
– Trex0Pol
My high school marching bandmates threw me a surprise birthday party at a rec room in a friend's apartment complex. I had no idea, and they got me good.
When my buddy brought me there after initially throwing me off with a different plan of hanging out with him, I was genuinely shocked that over 30 people were gathered in that tiny room to celebrate my birthday.
That feeling of being loved remains a priceless gift rivaled only by Facebook b-day greetings today.
