1+ hour, 19+ min ago (397+ words) Ten and a half long months ago, America began spiraling in a terrifying direction. We knew Trump was bad; his first term had been a calamity. But few of us were prepared for the catastrophe that awaited us in the second. Part of it came because Republicans gained control of both chambers of Congress, and Trump was able to intimidate and browbeat them into submitting to whatever he wanted to do. Now, finally, the ground is shifting. Some congressional Republicans are turning hawkish on the budget and reject Trump's zany notion of $2,000 "tariff dividend" checks, as well as his stated desire to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years. Russian hawks dislike Trump's love fest with Putin on Ukraine. Nor did they appreciate his happy meeting with Zohran Mamdani. Or his refusal to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. Some…...

1+ hour, 46+ min ago (1273+ words) For a while, it seemed Elizabeth Holmes was everywhere. Peering wide-eyed and black-turtlenecked from a shelf load of magazine covers. Honored as a "Woman of the Year" by Glamour. Touted as one of Time's "100 Most Influential People." At age 30, Holmes was regarded as a preternatural business talent " and, more impressively, described as the youngest self-made female billionaire in history " owing to her founding and stewardship of Theranos, a Silicon Valley start-up that promised to revolutionize healthcare by diagnosing a host of maladies with just a pinprick's worth of blood. It was all a big con job. Her medical claims were a sham. Theranos' technology was bogus. Even the husky TED-talking voice Holmes used to invest herself with greater seriousness and authority was a put-on. (The turtlenecks were an austere affectation she cribbed from Steve Jobs.) In January 2022, a San Jose…...

1+ hour, 58+ min ago (419+ words) Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's departure from the Royal Lodge may lead to revelations over how little the royals pay to live in sprawling mansions. "The Crown Estate contains a huge number of properties but most of us haven't been aware of what exactly is out there, and until now, few of us have cared to ask," says Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. "Now, that has changed, which means Andrew has opened the door to a lot of problems for his family and the way they live," reports The Times. Any profits from the Crown Estate, which manages the hereditary assets owned by the Monarch, are given to the Treasury, in exchange for money that funds public work by the Royal Family, otherwise known as the Sovereign Grant. According to the Daily Mail, the House of Commons Public…...

2+ hour, 4+ min ago (978+ words) A source claimed discussions and 'diplomacy' with King Charles were necessary ANDREW and ex-wife Fergie will step out of exile to celebrate their granddaughter's christening. The disgraced ex-prince, 65, and former Duchess of York, 66, are set to attend the palace event on Friday, it has been reported. According to The Mail on Sunday, it will be the first time the pair have been inside a royal palace since being stripped of their titles. It comes as their daughter, Princess Beatrice, 37, and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, will christen their baby Athena at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. A source said: "It's going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there." Another insider claimed: "Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them. Defence chiefs told to "get…...

2+ hour, 4+ min ago (992+ words) A source claimed discussions and 'diplomacy' with King Charles were necessary ANDREW and ex-wife Fergie will step out of exile to celebrate their granddaughter's christening. The disgraced ex-prince, 65, and former Duchess of York, 66, are set to attend the palace event on Friday, it has been reported. According to The Mail on Sunday, it will be the first time the pair have been inside a royal palace since being stripped of their titles. It comes as their daughter, Princess Beatrice, 37, and her husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, will christen their baby Athena at the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. A source said: "It's going to be a royal occasion, but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there." Another insider claimed: "Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them. Defence chiefs told to "get…...

2+ hour, 35+ min ago (388+ words) Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to make his first public appearance since being stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his lavish 31-bedroom residence. The former prince will reportedly attend his granddaughter Athena's baptism on Friday at St James's Palace in Westminster alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. The ceremony will take place in the Chapel Royal, where Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, have arranged an intimate gathering for their second daughter's christening. According to the Mail on Sunday, the prospect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's presence has caused unease among some attendees. One insider admitted that "everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there. Another source revealed that Beatrice's relationship with her father has become strained. "Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them. However, she's worried about him. He's going through…...

2+ hour, 35+ min ago (405+ words) Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is expected to make his first public appearance since being stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his lavish 31-bedroom residence. The former prince will reportedly attend his granddaughter Athena's baptism on Friday at St James's Palace in Westminster alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. The ceremony will take place in the Chapel Royal, where Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, have arranged an intimate gathering for their second daughter's christening. According to the Mail on Sunday, the prospect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's presence has caused unease among some attendees. One insider admitted that "everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there. Another source revealed that Beatrice's relationship with her father has become strained. "Beatrice has, of course, invited her father. But things are not warm between them. However, she's worried about him. He's going through…...

4+ hour, 26+ min ago (432+ words) Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson will make a dramatic royal return when they attend their granddaughter's christening on Friday. Princess Beatrice, 37, and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 42, will bring close family and friends to the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace for the christening of their daughter, Athena. A source said: "It's going to be a royal occasion but everyone is dreading the thought of seeing Andrew there." According to the Daily Mail, the source revealed relations between Beatrice and her father are strained but it would be "cruel" for her not to invite Andrew to the event. They revealed: "Beatrice has, of course invited her father. But things are not warm between them. However, she's worried about him. He's going through a low ebb with his mental health and she recognises that he dotes on his grandchildren and it would…...

6+ hour, 31+ min ago (546+ words) Rosie O'Donnell's therapist urged her to "detach" from posting about President Trump for two days " but the comedian caved within hours and was back to bashing her longtime nemesis on social media. The former talk show host's deranged "fixation" on the president was put on blast in a Washington Post piece profiling her new life in Ireland " a move she made just five days before Trump's inauguration. In the article, O'Donnell " who regularly fires off anti-Trump postson social media " recalled promising her shrink the day before Thanksgiving that she would stop talking and posting about the Republican president for two days, a vow that crumbled almost immediately. The 63-year-old said her self-imposed detox lasted only a "few hours," ending when she learned Trump told Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey to be "quiet, piggy" aboard Air Force One as she pressed him…...

6+ hour, 46+ min ago (486+ words) Trump's approval ratings are in freefall, and Maga tribes are turning on each other The day before, Trump held a rally in her district. "Somebody that gets a little more publicity than I do, Marjorie Taylor Greene right here from Northwest Georgia," he told a crowd of 20,000 as he endorsed her. "Oh boy. I don't want to mess with her. No, she's great." For four years, Greene was one of Trump's staunchest supporters in Congress. But in just a few months following his return to the White House, their relationship disintegrated. "Marjorie "Traitor' Greene is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY," the president posted in November. Days later, Greene announced her resignation. Less a conspiracy theory than a sprawling conspiracy ecosystem, QAnon began with a series of cryptic posts on an anonymous message board in 2017 claiming to be from…...