WASHINGTONShedding new light on the widespread dissemination of misinformation, the Pew Research Center released a new poll Friday that found the majority of Americans still believe the greatest threat to public health is the Undertaker. More than 85% of U.S. adults stated they were extremely concerned about the negative health impact the Deadman could have on their community, said pollster Christopher Hwang, who noted that survey respondents stated they were far more distressed about negative repercussions of the Undertakers chokeslam than they were about the opioid epidemic, antimicrobial resistance, heart disease, gun violence, or climate change. The majority of Americans spend a significant amount of energy preparing for the possibility of the Undertaker entering their home or workplace as Aint No Grave begins to play. Its really outdated information theyre working with, as he hasnt stepped inside the ring since 2020. That being said, small children and the elderly should of course still take precautions against the Undertaker. Hwang went on to stress that most Americans were dangerously underestimating the threat of El Grande Americano.The post Poll Finds Americans Still Believe Greatest Threat To Public Health The Undertaker appeared first on The Onion.

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The OutLook is our weekly roundup of political issues that affect the LGBTQ+ communityFormer Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to overturnObergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 case that legalized same-sex marriage. Her legal team argues that the ruling conflicts with religious freedom, but most observers expect the Court to reject the appeal as marriage equality remains well-established.Washington, D.C.s Office of LGBTQ Affairs is getting its budget slashed by $600,000 for FY2026, down from $2.3 million to $1.7 million, even though key programs and its full-time staff will remain intact. The cut affects specialty projects like the Black LGBTQ History Preservation Commission, but core initiatives like violence prevention, cultural humility trainings, and ~$1 million in annual grants are untouched.The State Departments 2024 human rights report slashed sections on LGBTQ+ rights and gender-based violence, omitting major issues like Ugandas Anti-Homosexuality Law. Advocates warn the cuts weaken U.S. credibility and leave vulnerable communities at greater risk.Ohios Attorney General has certified two constitutional amendment petitions to move forward: one would repeal the states ban on samesex marriage, and the other would establish broad equal rights protections, including for sexual orientation and gender identity, at the local and state level. Organizers can now begin gathering signatures to put both measures on the ballot.West Palm Beach is removing its rainbow crosswalk to comply with state road regulations, but its not disappearing. The city plans to repurpose its historic Pride bricks into a redesigned LGBTQ+ monument at Serenity Park, featuring new lighting, landscaping, and a permanent community tribute.The post The OutLook: August 15, 2025 appeared first on News Is Out.

After their home was vandalized with anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti, a family in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, turned the hateful message into one of love and pride.As Becky Willems told CTV News, she woke up on the morning of August 11 to a text from her son, Sam, who found the words family of f**s spraypainted on their garage door as he left for work. Related Canadian LGBTQ+ group issues U.S. travel ban amid Trumps anti-trans & tariff threats Thats what I woke up to, Willems recalled.Willems reported the vandalization to police, who are investigating the incident. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle told CTV News that it was disappointing to see hateful defacement like this happen in his community.It is disappointing from my place as mayor, and I think for most of the residents of our community, if not all the residents of our community, Kienle said.Willems said her daughter and one of the familys neighbors were particularly upset by the words. When her neighbor sees messages of hate, she explained, Even if its not targeted at her, it hurts her. The words are so ugly, and what was done was so ugly, that its hurtful to everybody.But that same neighbor suggested the family turn the graffiti into something positive. The Willemses painted over the anti-gay slur and added hearts and rainbows so that the message on their garage door now reads Proud family of 2SLGBTQ+.The idea wasnt to fight fire with fire, but to respond to their negativity with positivity, because then you refuse to give them the reaction that they want, Sam explained. Then its honestly the best revenge. Sam added that the communitys response to the hateful message has changed how he feels about living in a small town.Ive always felt pretty isolated, and its just kind of like me and my family, and my friends, and those are my people, he said. It was just a lot of people came to me, like more than I expected it and to be as upset as they were, it made me feel like a part of a community that actually cared about me and understood me.Similarly, Willems noted that the current political climate both in Canada and around the world can leave LGBTQ+ people feeling outnumbered attacked and judged. But, she said, Thats not how we felt that day, which is surprising because we started it off with this kind of ugliness.We are proud of who we are, were proud of ourselves as a family and were proud of the 2SLGBTQ+ people in our family, in our community, and within our friends, Willems told CTV News. The person that did this, is the person that should feel ashamed and small and ugly, not us.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

There are so many flavors of lesbians in the world, a veritable smorgasbord of identities that make the sapphic community so delightful. Go into a lesbian bar and youre sure to find butches, studs, high femmes, and lipstick lesbians. But what if youre somewhere in between? Not butch, but not a femme either. Enter futch, a term for sapphics that dont fit these other labels.We wanted to drill down on what a futch lesbian is, where the term came from, and how its different from other labels, so we reached out to LGBTQ+ dating expert Leona Hambarian, the COO of transgender dating app Fiorry, who broke it all down.What is a futch lesbian, and where did the term originate?Futch is a portmanteau of femme and butch that originated in lesbian communities on Tumblr in the 2010s. The term grew in popularity after someone created a futch scale that shows the breakdown of identities with high femme on one side of the scale, stone butch on the other, and futch right in the middle, sandwiched between butchy femme and soft butch.Futch is a lesbian identity term that was a combination of femme and butch, a person whose gender expression is somewhere in the middle or fluidly combines these two terms, Hambarian explains. You may be thinking, This sounds a lot like a chapstick lesbian. And you wouldnt be far off. Chapstick lesbians and futch lesbians" are almost interchangeable labels, and the difference is mostly just vibes, but some people say that chapstick lesbians are a subset of futches, who are just more practical and lower maintenance.How does it present?Presentation is varied but generally consists of a conscious blend of what are considered traditionally feminine and masculine elements such as wearing make-up with jeans and boots, a dress with a leather jacket, or a short haircut with flashy jewelry. It is about a personal style remix that does not seem artificial or tacked on one side of the spectrum, she says. Think Kristen Stewart, Hayley Kiyoko, or Teagan and Sara.How is it different than a nonbinary lesbian?While there are plenty of people who are nonbinary but still resonate with the lesbian identity, and nonbinary folks who consider themselves to be futch too, the term futch stands on its own as a descriptor for sapphics who are both butch and femme.Futch typically refers to a style or an expression of a lesbian identity which remains based in womanhood/female experience. Nonbinary lesbian is a lesbian whose gender identity is not strictly male or female, but they may or may not call themselves futch to describe their appearance, Hambarian says.How is it different from other lesbians who are more masc?There are so many labels these days that things can get confusing. Are you futch? Or are you a butchy femme, soft butch, or chapstick lesbian? Knowing the differences can help you understand yourself and give you a shorthand for describing who you are to other people. Whereas masc lesbians express themselves almost exclusively in a masculine fashion and where center (as in chapstick) frequently suggests a soft, neutral appearance, futch specifically emphasizes a deliberate mix or fluidity between overtly femme and butch elements, not a single middle ground or consistent masc lean, she explains.How is it different from other lesbians who are more femme?Futch lesbians present with both masculine and feminine characteristics and styling, as opposed to other identities that lean more femme or even androgynous. Futch differs from any typical 'femme' expression by including visible masculine elements and varies from 'center' identities by actively mixing and matching clear femme and butch signifiers as opposed to more neutral presentation, Hambarian says.Who can be a futch lesbian? How does gender interact with this identity?According to Hambarian, the term futch usually refers to lesbians, queer women, and sapphics who are comfortable with a fluid gender expression.It is a description of how they choose to present themselves, not their underlying gender identity. Although it has its origins in lesbian circles, its fundamental idea of combined expression might find appeal elsewhere in those experimenting with fluid styles, she explains.

Nature, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02564-0The individual workers in a crew of 15 weaver ants exert more force than a single ant working alone.

Nature, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02658-9Authors welcome serious scientific rebuttal, while researchers say report misrepresents decades of climate science.

The Commanders' offense hasn't looked sharp for much of the summer, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury knows why: Too many players are missing, starting with wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Former NFL players now entering retirement age are more likely to be living with chronic pain or a disability than the average American man, but the vast majority would opt to play football again, a new survey has found.

The NCAA's Committee on Infractions ruled on Michigan's advanced scouting case on Friday with the school getting a significant fine including the loss of two years of postseason football revenue but avoiding punitive penalties like a postseason ban.

Manchester United have an offer prepared for Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

Read the key takeaways and methodology of the ESPN/KFF Survey of 1988 NFL Players, and see additional stories and videos from the project.

by ProPublica ProPublica announced that Ryan Little and Kevin Uhrmacher have been hired as deputy editors on our data and news applications teams. Little will serve as one of two deputy data editors, and Uhrmacher will work as deputy news applications editor. Together, they will strengthen ProPublicas editing capacity and streamline collaboration between our data, interactive and reporting teams. Were so happy to have Ryan and Kevin joining us at ProPublica, said Ken Schwencke, senior editor for data and news applications. They are excellent managers and journalists, and were excited to bring them on to make the already-excellent journalism coming from these teams even better. Little joins ProPublica from The Baltimore Banner, where he served as data editor and worked on stories that won a Pulitzer Prize, a George Polk Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, among other honors. Those stories included a series revealing the citys overdose crisis, an investigation of the transit nightmare Baltimore students face to get to school, and how listless container ships like the one that collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge are more common than previously known. Prior to his time at the Banner, Little worked at Mother Jones as a Roy W. Howard fellow. Little previously collaborated with ProPublica in 2022 on a rent pricing investigation that led to a Department of Justice inquiry and a settlement with Greystar, the nations largest landlord, who agreed to stop using anti-competitive rent algorithms. He holds a masters degree from the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, where he also teaches data journalism.ProPublica has set the standard for accountability data journalism, and I am delighted to join the team, Little said. Im eager to pursue audacious, high-impact work together. Uhrmacher comes to ProPublica from The Washington Post, where he worked for more than 11 years, most recently as graphics assignment editor overseeing data visualization and interactive stories. Uhrmacher was a driving force behind some of the Posts most impactful visual journalism, including doing graphics editing on work that was a part of three Pulitzer Prizes. He launched numerous trackers, including those that followed state abortion laws and presidential appointees. He also served as a graphics editor and project manager for a database-driven story that detailed the history of enslavers in Congress, which won a Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Im thrilled to be joining ProPublicas stellar news applications team, which has been an industry leader in interactive accountability journalism, including by making consequential data more accessible to the public, Uhrmacher said. ProPublicas work exposing abuses of the public trust at a global, national and local scale makes it a top destination for any journalist, and Im honored that the institution has entrusted me with this role.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolans art commission hits a hot button. I thought they might say, We dont want to wade in these waters and the opposite happened, the painter said.

The president said wokesters in the performing arts wouldnt be honored. A wokester sounds like a car your great-grandfather drove after the war, Meyers said.

Astronomers had hoped to observe an atmosphere on one of the seven planets known to orbit Trappist-1, a red dwarf star. A new study found nothing to write home about.

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore walks on the field before an NCAA college football game against Washington, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)2025-08-15T14:39:53Z ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) The NCAA fined Michigan tens of millions of dollars Friday and suspended coach Sherrone Moore for three games for a sign-stealing scandal that has loomed over college footballs winningest program for nearly two years.Moore, who was already issued a self-imposed two-game suspension by Michigan, will also be banned from the first game of the 2026-27 season for a total of three games. Moore received a two-year show-cause order, but he will be allowed to fulfill coaching commitments and other athletically related activities.Financial penalties are expected to exceed $20 million and include a $50,000 fine, a 10% fine on the football programs budget, a 10% fine on Michigans 2025-26 scholarships and a fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of postseason revenue for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Michigan also faces a 25% reduction in official visits during the upcoming season and a 14-week prohibition on football recruiting communications during the probation period. Connor Stalions, a former a low-level staffer who conducted the scouting and sign-stealing operation, was issued an eight-year show-cause order. Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh faces a 10-year show-cause order following the conclusion of his previous four-year order effective Aug. 7, 2028. Harbaugh and Stalions will be prohibited from engaging in all athletically related activities. The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another teams signals. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back!Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox every week with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here. In a notice sent to the school last year, the NCAA alleged that Moore violated rules as an assistant under Harbaugh. Harbaugh, who left the Wolverines after they won the 2023 national championship and now coaches the Los Angeles Chargers, served a three-game suspension in exchange for the Big Ten dropping its investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court. Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with Stalions before they were recovered and provided to the NCAA. The NCAA investigation surfaced early in the 2023 season amid allegations that Michigan used a robust in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation conducted by Stalions. He was suspended by the school and later resigned.Stalions, who did not participate in the NCAA investigation, recently said he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons.Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions last month, suggesting that Michigans football program should not face more sanctions related to the sign-stealing saga.The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and then play at Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6.___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football LARRY LAGE Lage has been the Michigan Associated Press Sports Editor since 2000, serving as a beat writer for eight teams in pro and college. He has covered the Winter Olympics four times, most recently as the ski jumping and Nordic combined writer at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games. twitter instagram mailto

This week, Donald Trump took over D.C.s police force and deployed 800 National Guard troops to the streets of the U.S. capital.In addition to being yet another attempt to distract the media from his controversies and failures, the move is right out of the wannabe-authoritarian playbook and perpetuates one of his favorite longstanding lies. It can be difficult to know how to respond to yet another move like this: we shouldnt allow ourselves to be distracted by Trumps latest circus, but his actions are set to curry support with his base, cause real damage to people on the street, and wont actually fix any of the overstated problems. Related Why Pete Buttigiegs comments on trans athletes are so disappointing Trump claims he will make D.C.s streets safer, but theres an important question to be asked: Who will they be safer for? It likely isnt queer people and other marginalized people.Trump has decried the state of D.C. since retaking office, suggesting that there is a huge crime wave and an out-of-control homeless population. He has used these ideas to declare an emergency in the capital, which (through the never-used Home Rule Act) allows him to use the capitals police for federal purposes. The police, along with the National Guard, will supposedly be used to maintain law and order, protect Federal buildings, national monuments, and other Federal property. While the machinations are different, the effect is notably similar to his efforts to deploy the National Guard to LA, where he claimed the mayor and governor were failing to protect the city. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today Tackling homelessness in the United States and reducing crime rates could be seen as laudable goals. However, Trumps plans wont help homeless people, and the crime statistics he is touting are either wildly misleading or entirely false.As it happens, I was actually in Washington, D.C., for a weekend at the start of August (to see the fantastic queer musician Mal Blum). While Trump has been quick to claim that people dont feel safe on the streets of the nations capital, what I experienced was very much the opposite. As anti-trans hate has spread through politicians and media outlets, Ive felt less safe to be myself in public. Even at the grocery store, Im thinking about how I dress and keeping an eye over my shoulder. And a large part of that is that Ive been living in areas where I feel alone in my identity.Walking on the streets of Washington, D.C., placed me in the middle of a vibrant group of different kinds of people. I felt comfortable dressing how I wanted and going where I wanted, doing it all at 1 a.m. if I wanted. A lot of that comes down to the people on the street: a diversity of people going about their lives and simply being who they are. I didnt feel alone. But that was compounded by regular Pride flags on city light poles and from peoples balconies, supportive signs in shop windows, and even the rainbow decorations in Celebration Alley.What Trump and his crew might really be afraid of is that very diversity that made me feel so safe in the capital. As we know from the no cops at Pride debate, queer people and police often dont mesh well together, and its not unreasonable to suspect that with heightened police and military forces on the street, more queer people and other marginalized groups are likely to stay off the streets for their own sense of safety. The Congressional Black Caucus and other Black leaders have already spoken about their fears that the increased policing will affect Black people and other marginalized groups in urban areas. Of course, all of my experiences in D.C. this month are purely anecdotal and wont represent everybodys experience of the city. However, my feelings are supported by the crime statistics and reports that Trump is ignoring and misrepresenting.Trump claims that D.C. has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World. It will soon be one of the safest!!! and that his actions will essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C. But crime in D.C. is down from last year, with a 26% reduction in violent crime in particular. In fact, at the start of the year, the United States Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia reported that violent crime in D.C. had hit a 30-year low.Did I feel safe in D.C.? Yes. Did I see homeless people? Also yes. But that is sadly common in any major city in the United States, and it had no impact on how safe I felt. It did make me angry, and it made me depressed about the state of this nation and the way that we ignore homeless people and fail to help them. But militarized police and National Guard members in the streets are not in any way going to help address this countrys homelessness problem. Trump wants the National Guard to move encampments, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that they will be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental health services, and, if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time. Those shelters and the services they supply might do a lot of good, but those are not enough, and there are good reasons that people are choosing a tent under an overpass rather than the shelters. They know the shelters are there, and their reasons for not going have to be addressed. Putting people in jail because they dont have a house is cruel.The idea of moving homeless encampments is a common suggestion. But that doesnt help people to get off the streets; it merely removes them from sight so that tourists and wealthy politicians dont have to think about them. There are things that can be done to help the homeless population in a country: studies and programs have been set up to show that. But Trump doesnt want to hear about that. He wants to play at being a dictator, and fearmongering about homeless people is just another way to achieve that goal.Thats perhaps best exemplified by the fact that one of the tasks given to the National Guard is to protect D.C.s monuments. Theres no sign of a threat to the current monuments, but that reasoning for the deployment will get the attention of his base, especially those who are still mad at statues of Confederate slave owners being taken down half a decade ago. Trumps actions in D.C., as well as the threats he is making to other progressive cities, are all built on one of the rights favorite lies that he has been touting for over a decade: the idea that these cities have no-go zones. The idea simply being that cities across the globe, including London and Paris, have areas that people avoid and police are fearful to go to, either because of the high crime rate, or because of a supposed Muslim takeover with Sharia law. Rightwing pundits continue to push the myth despite there being no evidence to support their claims.But thats what all of this is really about. People like Trump thrive off of fear, and theyll invent problems to promote that fear: we need a border wall to stop the Mexicans, immigrants are raping and murdering scores of people every day, the queers are going to trans your children and attack people in restrooms, and Haitians are going to eat your pets.For those who swallow those bigoted lies, it is very easy to feel unsafe walking down the street, and it can be hard for them to even exit their front doors. But those lies dont represent any real danger: they create it in peoples minds and let their underlying prejudices do the rest. And that is exactly what is happening here, too. None of this is about solving any real problems or doing anything to help the people of the United States. Trumps takeover of the D.C. police and deployment of the National Guard is a horrifying abuse of power and a move that signals hes pushing ever more to see how close to full authoritarian rule he can get. We need to push back against this, hard, especially as he seeks to maintain his control long-term.But we also need to remember the underlying issues he wants us to forget. His scaremongering is about activating his base and distracting from his tariff failures, his tax bill that strips down Medicaid and Social Security after he promised he wouldnt, and, of course, his many connections to known child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his refusal to release documents in that case.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Kevin Aviance is not here to blend in. The drag legend, dance chart dominator, and nightlife icon is back with Bloodline, a ballroom-charged celebration of family, history, and self-expression. Its just the beginning of his bold new era.If youve stepped foot on a dance floor in the past three decades, youve probably felt Aviances presence. Hes the voice behind club staples like Din Da Da, Alive, and the underground classic Cunty. His blend of house, electronic, and soul has kept him at the forefront of music and fashion for decades.Then came a career-defining moment in 2022, when Beyonc tapped him for PureHoney on her Grammy-winning Renaissance album. Now Aviance is stepping forward with HIPPOPATAMUS!, his first full-length project in years, dropping October 10. The lead single Beautiful set the tone during Pride Month, but Bloodline, out August 15, raises the stakes. Produced by DJ Gomi and Cherie Lily, the track pulses with runway energy and pays homage to the late Grandfather Hector Xtravaganza, one of ballrooms most influential figures.Bloodline is more than a song to me, Aviance says. Its a piece of my heart and history. It celebrates the chosen family and legacy that have shaped who I am. With every beat, I want people to feel connected, empowered, and free to express their true selves.DJ Gomi calls the process a journey of passion and respect, adding that they set out to create something that moves bodies and honors the spirit of the ballroom.To celebrate the release, Kevin Aviance is giving Gayety readers early access to download the Bloodline tracks for free. Click here to claim your exclusive download and bring the ballroom straight to your playlist.Following Bloodline, fans can expect the third single Pulled on September 9, which Aviance hints will be another high-energy club essential.With HIPPOPATAMUS! on the horizon, hes ready to keep the party going, and make sure everyones invited to the floor.Source

Nature, Published online: 15 August 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02612-9The rest of the world is not following the US governments dangerous path, and will stick with the technology that helped the world out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding has signed a new three-year contract extension that places him among the top four highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football.

It's no surprise that QBs dominate the favorites. But who offers the most value, and is there a sleeper pick among them? Here are our best bets.

The two leaders are bringing some old-world approaches to bear on a 21st-century conflict.

The dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has disrupted the global supply chain that provides a therapeutic food, leaving thousands of malnourished children at risk of dying.

Melinda Farina, known as the Beauty Broker, sends Hollywood actresses and everyday women to doctors around the globe. In her world, the knives are always out.

A colony of bats recently took up residence at the storied Jackson Lake Lodge, where central bankers and economic policymakers will convene next week for an exclusive gathering.

The man had been convicted of manslaughter as a teenager after he admitted to fatally shooting a man during a pool hall confrontation in Brooklyn, arguing it was self-defense.

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This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss OSINT for chat groups, Russell Crowe films, and storage problems.JOSEPH: On Wednesday we recorded a subscribers podcast about the second anniversary of 404 Media. That should hit your feeds next week or so. Towards the end of recording, I went silent for a bit. I said on air sorry about that, a source just sent me an insane tip, or something like that.That tip led to ICE Adds Random Person to Group Chat, Exposes Details of Manhunt in Real-Time. Definitely read the piece if you havent already. It presented an interesting verification challenge. Essentially I was given these screenshots which included phone numbers but I didnt know exactly who was behind each one. I didnt know their names, nor their agencies. It sure looked like a conversation involving ICE though, because it included a Field Operations Worksheet covered in ICE branding. But I needed to know who was involved. I didnt think DHS or ICE would help because they are taking multiple days to reply to media requests if they do at all at the moment. So I had to do something else.

Alternative R&B artist Steve Lacy says his sexuality is fluid.The description from the out bisexual singer comes in a cover story with Rolling Stone ahead of the release of his latest album, Oh Yeah? Related JK Rowlings pro-trans nemesis Nicola Sturgeon just came out as queer Lacy picked up a Grammy in 2023 for his single Bad Habits.The 27-year-old mused on how his attraction to boys was complicated when he was growing up, and said that as a kid, he felt forced to hide his attraction to boys so people wouldnt make assumptions about his sexuality.For example, I really love dance, all styles, contemporary, tap, hip-hop. I love modern dance. But growing up, I couldnt explore that cause I never wanted anyone to call me gay before I told them I was anything, gay or whatever, you know? Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Itd probably be easier if it were just like, Im g-word, but Im not g-word. Its fluid, and queer is a lot harder to explain than just being a gay dude, Lacy added.Fans first got familiar with the singers sexuality in 2017.Back when Tumblr was a thriving and explicit LGBTQ+ social media hub, Lacy was pressed by a fan on the platform about whether he would ever date a man. He casually responded, Sure, why not?The media called it Lacys coming out, but he saw it differently, describing the whole concept of coming out as silly.I didnt really come out, he told Variety about his Tumblr interaction. I didnt try to, it just kinda happened. I dont care to announce who Im into sexually. I think its silly. I never felt I needed to come out.The music and lyrics speak for themselves on Lacys last studio album, Gemini Rights, and the track Cody Freestyle.Why you bother me? Lacy asks an ex. Dont depend on me, no. Unless youre swallowing, I could use your deep throat.You was handsome with a heavy d**k, he adds, a cannon, you do damage.In his Rolling Stone interview, Lacy said he was proud of his sexuality, but detailed that he doesnt represent the LGBTQ+ community as a whole, and hes not looking to become a spokesperson for it.I feel like a lot of people use the gay bug to market their s**t, Lacy told the music mag. And I never did.Right now, for Lacy, its all about the fluidity.I love how my fluidity has just felt through the music, he says.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Every year, the U.S. Supreme Court receives an estimated 8,000 requests petitions, or writs of certiorari to take up cases related to a number of constitutional questions affecting Americans and our lives. It only grants a small percentage of those and denies review to the overwhelming majority of cases, allowing lower court decisions [...]The post Whats At Stake at the Supreme Court in 2025-2026: Fast Facts first appeared on GLAAD.

Once again, Bad Bunny delivers.The sexy Puerto Rican singer has gone viral many times for his steamy underwear campaigns and raunchy photos online, but his latest dance moves are now setting social media on fire.During a recent concert, the Grammy winner started dancing in a provocative new way that has fans going feral online. The new trend is called dwerking, which basically has men hip thrusting and showing off their bulges to a very danceable beat.Bunny's dwerking skills have racked up millions of views on social media, so check out some of the best reactions below. (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)

After spending big in attack, Liverpool have signed Giovanni Leoni, 18, to bolster their defense.

The NBA and its players' association say they support further limitations on certain types of prop bets to curb game manipulation and abuse of athletes by gamblers.

Concerns came to a head during the pandemic, when carjackings surged and many of those arrested were children. Carjackings and other crimes have declined considerably.

Jeffrey Finn, a Broadway producer who has overseen theater programming at the Washington venue since 2016, will leave next month.

The legislation has little chance of success, given that Republicans control Congress.

A citizens group is now in charge of the island of Poveglia, where they will create a park for anyone who wants to leave Venices maddening crowds of tourists behind.

Many people with disabilities depend on Amtrak to travel across the country, but the journey can still present obstacles. Gabe Castro-Root outlines some of the challenges disabled passengers encounter while traveling.

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This photo provided by the Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropology Project in August 2025, shows Oldowan stone tools made from a variety of raw materials sourced more than 6 miles away from where they were found at the Nyayanga excavation site in Kenya. (E.M Finestone, J.S. Oliver/Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropology Project via AP)2025-08-15T18:01:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) Early human ancestors during the Old Stone Age were more picky about the rocks they used for making tools than previously known, according to research published Friday. Not only did these early people make tools, they had a mental picture of where suitable raw materials were located and planned ahead to use them, traveling long distances. By around 2.6 million years ago, early humans had developed a method of pounding rocks together to chip off sharp flakes that could be used as blades for butchering meat.This allowed them to feast on large animals like hippos that gathered near a freshwater spring at the Nyayanga archaeological site in Kenya.But hippo skin is really tough and not all rocks were suitable for creating blades sharp enough to pierce hippo skin, said co-author Thomas Plummer, a paleoanthropologist at Queens College of the City University of New York. Co-author Emma Finestone of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History added: When we think about stone tools, not every rock is equal in terms of the quality of tools.At the Nyayanga site, researchers found durable blades made of quartzite, a rock material that they traced to streambeds and other locations around 8 miles (13 kilometers) away. The new research appears in the journal Science Advances. This suggests theyve got a mental map of where different resources are distributed across the landscape, said co-author Rick Potts of the Smithsonians Human Origins Program. Previously, researchers had assumed the stones may have been found within just a mile or so of the freshwater spring site.The new study shows that these early humans were thinking ahead. This is probably the earliest time we have in the archaeological record an indication of that behavior, said Eric Delson, a paleoanthropologist at the American Museum of Natural History, who was not involved in the research. The oldest previously known example of early human ancestors transporting raw materials for tool-making was about 600,000 years later than the Nyayanga site.Researchers said its unclear who these early toolmakers were whether members of the Homo genus or a related but extinct branch of the family tree, such as Paranthropus. Homo sapiens did not arise until much later, around 300,000 years ago.But the knack for seeking out the best raw materials to make simple technology dates back nearly 3 million years. We today are a species thats still technology-dependent using tools to spread around the world and adapt to different environments, said Finestone.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. CHRISTINA LARSON Larson is a science writer on The Associated Press Global Health & Science team. She has reported on the environment from five continents. mailto

Bhavin Misra, left, and his son, Rumi, 10, assemble a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at their home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)2025-08-15T13:01:22Z When Terrence Dwyer received a knock on his door and a flyer for a solar panel system small enough to fit on his deck, he was quickly sold. Solar systems that plug into regular wall outlets have been popular in Europe for years and are gaining traction in the U.S. for their affordability and simple installation.We thought absolutely, lets do this right away, said Dwyer, who lives in Oakland, California. These small-scale solar systems could become attractive to more homeowners now that President Donald Trumps sweeping budget-and-policy package will scrap residential rooftop solar tax credits and may shift interest to cheaper alternatives. Even before the GOP bill passed, manufacturers of the smaller systems known as plug-in or balcony solar were seeing increased demand and other positive signs such as a new Utah law streamlining regulations for homeowners to buy and install them. The systems about the size of a door havent been as widely adopted in the U.S. as in Europe because of lack of awareness, patchwork utility rules and limited availability. Bhavin Misra, left, and his son, Rumi, 10, assemble a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at their home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Bhavin Misra, left, and his son, Rumi, 10, assemble a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at their home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The $2,000 plug-in solar system installed on Dwyers backyard deck in March consists of two 400 watt panels, an inverter, a smart meter and a circuit breaker. It saves him around $35 per month on his power bill because he is consuming less energy from the grid, but he said reducing his carbon footprint was his primary motivation. We like the environmental benefits of solar and wanted to engage with solar in some fashion, Dwyer said. Had Dwyer opted for rooftop solar, he would have paid $20,000 for the system and $30,000 to upgrade his roof to support the panels.Installing a plug-in solar system requires some homework. What power companies let customers do with energy-generating equipment varies, which is why prospective purchasers should check their utilitys policies first. Building permits might be required depending on the municipality. Some systems can be self-installed, while others may require an electrician. For example, some kits have meters that must be wired into a homes circuit breaker. Removing hurdles for plug-in solarDwyer bought his system from Bright Saver, a nonprofit company in California that advocates for plug-in solar. In addition to the type Dwyer bought, the company also offers a smaller model costing $399 that recently sold out in six days.The interest and demand have been overwhelming, said Cora Stryker, a founder of Bright Saver. It is clear that we are hitting a nerve many Americans have wanted solar for a long time but have not had an option that is feasible and affordable for them until now. Bhavin Misra plugs his Craftstrom Solar unit into an outlet at his home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Bhavin Misra plugs his Craftstrom Solar unit into an outlet at his home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More The app controller for a newly installed Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit is shown at the home of Bhavin Misra Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) The app controller for a newly installed Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit is shown at the home of Bhavin Misra Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Kevin Chou, another founder of Bright Saver, said wider adoption of the systems in the U.S. has been hindered by utility policies that create uncertainty about whether theyre allowed and a lack of state and local policies to make clear what rules apply.Some utilities contacted by The Associated Press say plug-in solar systems require the same interconnection applications as rooftop panels that send electricity back to the wider network. But Steven Hegedus, an electrical engineering professor at University of Delaware, said he doesnt understand why a utility would need to require an interconnection agreement for plug-in solar because, unlike rooftop systems, they are designed to prevent energy from flowing to the grid. Still, if in doubt, a customer should follow their utilitys policy. During the early days of plug-in solars growth, some opposition from utilities is likely since customers are buying less energy, said Robert Cudd, a research analyst at the California Center for Sustainable Communities at the University of California, Los Angeles. Utilities really prefer everyone being a predictable and generous consumer of the electricity they sell, Cudd said. Bhavin Misra, right, and his son, Rumi, 10, assemble a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at their home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Bhavin Misra, right, and his son, Rumi, 10, assemble a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at their home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More This year, Utah enacted a novel law supporting plug-in solar by exempting certain small-scale systems from interconnection agreements and establishing safety requirements such as being certified by a nationally recognized testing organization such as Underwriters Laboratories. It appears to be the only state thats passed legislation supporting plug-in solar, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.Republican state Rep. Raymond Ward, who sponsored the legislation, said the smaller systems allow people to better manage where their energy comes from and what they pay.Europe has these things. You can go buy them and they work and people want them. There is no reason why we shouldnt have them here in the United States, Ward said. Bright Saver says they are lobbying other states for similar legislation. Alexis Abramson, dean of the University of Columbia Climate School, also applauded Utahs move. We actually need more localities, more states putting in allowances for this type of equipment, she said. Plug-in solar availability and savings potential Some questions remain about how much customers could save. Severin Borenstein, a professor at the University of California, Berkeleys Haas School of Business, said the cost of some portable solar systems in the U.S. would make it hard for customers to come out ahead on their utility bills over the time they own them. He estimates the price of a $2,000 system in the U.S. works out to paying about $0.20 a kilowatt-hour over a 25-year period, which only saves people money if they have high utility costs. By comparison, Borenstein said the cost of systems sold in Europe, typically around $600, is equivalent to paying about $0.05 or $0.06 per kilowatt-hour over 25 years. Craig Keenan runs a wire to an outlet after installing a solar panel from Bright Saver on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) Craig Keenan runs a wire to an outlet after installing a solar panel from Bright Saver on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Craig Keenan prepares to install a microinverter with his solar panel from Bright Saver on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) Craig Keenan prepares to install a microinverter with his solar panel from Bright Saver on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Baltimore resident Craig Keenan said saving money was only part of why he installed one of the smaller Bright Saver models on his balcony in July.Im interested in renewable energy because the amount of carbon emissions that we produce as a species is very, very unsustainable for our world, he said.He said he expects the system will save him about $40 per year on utility bills, so it would take him about 10 years to recoup the cost of the kit.Keenan, a mechanical engineer, said installation took him 10 to 15 minutes.I think anyone can install this, he said. Its not complicated. It doesnt require a technical degree. A solar panel fromBright Saver sits at Craig Keenans home Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) A solar panel fromBright Saver sits at Craig Keenans home Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/KT Kanazawich) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Other companies selling plug-in solar kits include Texas-based Craftstrom. It has sold about 2,000 systems in the U.S. since 2021, mostly in California, Texas and Florida. The companys basic kits contain a solar panel that can fit in a backyard or other sunny space, along with equipment to maintain and regulate the flow of energy including an inverter and smart meter. Kenneth Hutchings, Craftstroms chief revenue officer, said their U.S. sales rose this year even before the passage of the GOP tax bill, and he expects demand for plug-in solar to increase further as federal rooftop solar credits expire. The company advises customers to notify their power company before installation, but it has never had any pushback from any utility, said Michael Scherer, one of the founders of Craftstrom.China-based EcoFlow plans to begin selling plug-in solar systems in Utah and expand to other states if supportive legislation is passed, said Ryan Oliver, a company spokesperson. This is an example of where technology is sort of ahead of the regulators, Oliver said, adding: As this rolls out to more of a nationwide product, we expect it will become more mainstream as people understand it better. Bhavin Misra assembles a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at his home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Bhavin Misra assembles a Craftstrom Solar plug-in kit at his home Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More ___Associated Press video journalist Mingson Lau in Baltimore contributed to this report. ___The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week. For more than a million years, early humans crafted stone tools as part of the Oldowan tradition, which is the oldest sustained tool-making industry in the archaeological record. Now, scientists have discovered that Oldowan tool-makers who lived in Kenya at least 2.6 million years ago transported high-quality raw materials for tools across more than seven miles to processing sites.The find pushes the recorded timeline of this unique behavior back half-a-million years, at minimum, and reveals that hominins possessed complex cognitive capacities, like forward planning and delayed rewards, earlier than previously known, according to a study published on Friday in Science.Hominins at this site, called Nyayanga, used their tools to pound and cut foraged plants and scavenged animals, including hippos, to prepare them for consumption. Intriguingly, the identity of the tool-makers remains unknown, and while they may have been early humans, its also possible that they could have been close cousins of our own Homo lineage.I've always thought that early tool-makers must have had more capabilities than we sometimes give them credit for, said Emma Finestone, associate curator and the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Human Origins at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, who led the study, in a call with 404 Media.I was excited to see that at 2.6 million years ago, hominins were making use of many different resources and moving stones over large distances, she added.While many animals craft and transport tools, hominins are unique in their ability to identify and move special materials across long distances, which the team defines as more than three kilometers (or 1.86 miles). This innovation reveals a capacity for forward planning, complex mental maps, and delayed payoff of food consumption.What's unique is the amount of effort put into moving resources around a landscape, said Finestone. There's several steps involved, and there's also time in between these efforts and the reward. Although you see that to some extent in other animals, humans really separate themselves, especially as we get further and further in evolutionary time, in terms of the complexities of our foraging system."Nyayanga amphitheater in July 2025. Image: T.W. Plummer, Homa Peninsula Paleoanthropology ProjectPreviously, the earliest record of this behavior in hominins came from a site called Kanjera South, which is about two million years old. Both sites are on the Homa peninsula, a region dominated by soft rocks that are not durable as tools; this may have prompted early hominins to search elsewhere for high-quality resources, such as quartz, chert, and granite.Given that long-distance material transport was present at Kanjera South, the discovery of similar behavior at Nyayanga was not completely unexpectedthough Finestone and her colleagues were still surprised by the scope and variety of materials these hominins gathered.Often, when you're dealing with these really old archeological assemblages, it's dominated by one type of raw material that's coming from a single source, or a few sources that are really nearby, said Finestone. Nyayanga has a lot of different raw materials, and they're using a variety of different sources, so that was surprising and exciting to us.Finestone and her colleagues have made many discoveries during their decade-long excavation at Nyayanga. The team previously reported that the tool-makers butchered hippopotamus carcasses which were probably scavenged rather than hunted, providing the earliest evidence of hominin consumption of large animals, according to a 2023 study led by Thomas Plummer, a professor of anthropology at Queens College, City University of New York.That study also reported fossils from Paranthropus, a close hominin cousin of our own Homo genus, which went extinct more than a million years ago. So far, these are the only hominin remains recovered from Nyayanga, raising the possibility that the Oldowan tool-making industry was not limited to our own human lineage.It is interesting because Paranthropus is not traditionally thought to be a tool-user, Finestone said. There's debate over whether Paranthropus made tools or whether it was only genus Homo that was making Oldowan tools. I don't think that evidence at Nyayanga is definitive that Paranthropus was the tool maker. It's still an open question. But because we found Paranthropus remains at Nyayanga, and we haven't found anything from genus Homoat least yetthere's definitely reason to consider that Paranthropus might have been manufacturing these tools.With luck, the team may uncover more fossils from these ancient hominins that could shed light on their place in the family. Finestone and her colleagues are also working on constraining the age of the Nyayanga artifacts, which could be anywhere from 2.6 million to three million years old.But for now, the study marks a new milestone in the evolution of Oldowan tools and their makers, which eventually dispersed across Africa and into Europe and Asia before they were succeeded by new traditions (like the one from our story last week about yet another group of ancient tool-makers with an unknown identity).The stones once used to butcher hippos and pound tubers offer a window into the minds of bygone hominins that pioneered technologies that ultimately made humans who we are today.What's really interesting about humans and their ancestors is we're a technologically dependent species, Finestone said. We rely on tools. We're obligate tool users. We don't do it opportunistically or occasionally the way that a lot of other animals use tools. It's really become ingrained in our way of life, in our survival, and our foraging strategies across all people and all cultures.What was exciting about this study is that you see this investment in tool technology, and you see tools becoming ingrained in the landscape-scale behaviors of hominins 2.6 million years ago, she concluded. We might be seeing the roots of this importance that technology plays in our foraging behaviors and also just the daily rhythms of our life.Subscribe to 404 Media to get The Abstract, our newsletter about the most exciting and mind-boggling science news and studies of the week.

A former Drag Race competitor has found a new place to shine the world of artistic swimming. And she just won a silver medal in a major international competition in the process.Fans of Canada's Drag Race may know Giorgio Triberio better as Gia Metric, one of the queens who made it to the top four in season two of the RPDR spin-off. But off-stage, Triberio has spent the last year training to attend the 2025 World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore. Speaking to OutSports, the Drag Race alum admitted that he became interested in artistic swimming after attending a show in 2021 with a friend, Jordan Wuest, who works as a coach. "I remember being sat in the crowd at this show, jaw on the floor, being like, 'Oh my gosh, they're dancing in the water!'" he said. "I was mesmerized as I'd never seen synchro in person before. That's where my fascination with the sport began."Triberio wound up asking Wuest to train him, setting a goal to join her club at the Worlds this summer. With hard work, he qualified at provincials in April with a gold medal and set off for Singapore, where he performed to an original song he wrote and recorded himself.See on InstagramAnd when all was said and done, he not only came in second for his age group (30-39) in the men's solo free competition, but walked away empowered to keep competing."It's an incredible feeling," he told OutSports. "Coming into Singapore, there was so much potential in this being a 'one and done' for me. Now I'm looking at the Gay Games in Valencia next year, and there's potential to achieve a lot of things. It's definitely something I'll be sticking to."

We love a gym selfie, and this one is times four!Red, White & Royal Blue hottie Taylor Zakhar Perez, Love, Victor star Michael Cimino, The OAs Brandon Perea, and celebrity photographer Carlos Eric Lopez posed together in their gym clothes, and its hot enough to make you melt. The photo of the four men showing off their gym gains in tank tops and little shorts is currently going viral on X, and the gays in the comments are going wild. (@) The hot young celebs are flexing their bulging biceps in the pic, which has inspired countless thirsty comments on social media, ranging from offers to use their holes to invitations to run a train on them. Perez, Cimino, Perea, and Lopez are so sexy that the internet quickly went feral for the gym selfie, so check out the funniest (and dirtiest) reactions below! (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@) (@)