Assata Shakur, the famed black rights activist who fled to Cuba after escaping from jail, has died aged 78. Shakur, a member of the Black Panthers and Black Liberation Army, spent decades on the run after being accused of murdering a New Jersey State trooper following a gun fight in 1973, earning her a permanent spot on the state’s Most Wanted List. New Jersey Police spent decades trying to extradite her to the United States to face trial for the murder, without success. “At approximately 1:15 PM on September 25th, my mother, Assata Shakur, took her last earthly breath,” her daughter Kakuya Shakur wrote on Facebook. “Words cannot describe the depth of loss that I am feeling at this time. I want to thank you for your loving prayers that continue to anchor me in the strength that I need in this moment. My spirit is overflowing in unison with all of you who are grieving with me at this time.” In 2013, Shakur made history as the first woman to be added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List, and was revered among activists for her prominent pro-feminist and anti-racism activism prior to the conviction. Shakur was the godmother to rapper Tupac Shakur, and was often described as his “step-aunt.”
One of Universal Orlando Resort’s newest attractions is at the center of several grizzly allegations. A woman who visited the Epic Universe theme park in April is now suing the resort, alleging a ride on its Stardust Racers rollercoaster left her with “permanent injuries.” Sandi Streets, who rode Stardust Racers as a “business invitee” before its official opening, alleges she “shook violently and slammed into her seat’s headrest throughout the duration of the ride.” She claims the resulting injury exacerbated a preexisting health condition and left her disabled. Her lawsuit comes less than two weeks after Florida man Kevin Rodriguez Zavala died after riding Stardust Racers. Zavala, who had spinal atrophy and used a wheelchair, was riding in the last section of the rollercoaster when he was found unresponsive on September 17. The official Stardust Racers safety guidelines say guests with back injuries are not allowed to ride. However, the attraction does have accommodations for wheelchair users. An internal memo sent to park employees and later obtained by Good Morning America said the ride “functioned as intended,” and that “park employees followed procedures.” The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services concluded the same after an investigation. However, Zavala’s family cast doubt over this claim after a medical examiner determined his cause of death was “multiple blunt impact injuries.” The family’s attorney said Wednesday that his firm is conducting an independent investigation into the incident. State records show at least two other guests have reported medical issues after riding the high-speed rollercoaster since it opened on May 22, though both had pre-existing medical conditions. Stardust Racers has remained closed since Zavala’s death.
Merrell shoes are known for being supportive, comfortable, and incredibly high quality. Right now, Merrell is offering up to 20% off its collection of high-quality, durable, and versatile footwear with code EXTRA20 at checkout.
Comfortable, stylish, and ready to carry you from weekend errands to weekday hangouts, the Alpine 83 delivers on all fronts. The suede leather (available in a few eye-catching colors) adds a pop of flair to any outfit, while the foam footbed keeps your feet cushioned all day long.
Alpine 83 Sneaker Sport
Buy At Merrell$ 80
Free Returns | Free Shipping
When you’re running on pavement or trails, the last thing you want is a bulky shoe slowing you down. The Trail Glove 7 is lightweight, delivers optimal traction, and features a zero-drop design–no height difference between the heel and ball of the foot, encouraging natural movement and balance.
Trail Glove 7
Buy At Merrell$ 130
Free Returns | Free Shipping
As adaptable as the reptile it’s inspired by, the Chameleon 8 excels on hiking trails. The elastic cord-and-lock lacing system and external rear sling ensure a secure fit. The bellows tongue keeps out dirt and debris—no one wants a pebble stuck in their shoe during a hike—while the breathable mesh lining vents excess heat, keeping your feet cool and dry.
Chameleon 8 Stretch
Buy At Merrell$ 120
Free Returns | Free Shipping
If you buy something from this post, we may earn a small commission.
Pro golfer Jake Knapp’s girlfriend, Makena White, has died at the age of 28. No details have been made public on the cause of her death. A close friend announced her passing in a Friday post on White’s Instagram page. Her friend wrote that it’s “with the heaviest heart to share that Makena passed away earlier this week.” She continued, “She is already so deeply missed by her Dad, her family, her friends, and of course by Nelly and Fergie.” The latter two names refer to her two “Red Fox” labradors. White had dated the U.S. golfer, who secured his first PGA Tour win in February 2024, for two years. CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis paid tribute in a comment under the post. “Getting to know Makena was one of my favorite parts of this last year,” she wrote. “I will miss her light… it touched so many.” Near the end of the caption, her friend gave two places to donate to “honor Makena’s memory.” She directed fans to an Ontario-based dementia and Alzheimer’s treatment center, Bruyère Brain Health & Memory Clinic, and a fund for a child who died of childhood cancer, Griffin Bell Endowment Fund.
Donald Trump is already freaking out over his inability to rig his upcoming lawsuit against former FBI chief James Comey after a Biden-era judge was appointed to oversee the case. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, first appointed in 2021, was randomly assigned to the Comey case. The lawsuit, which has been referred to as “among the worst abuses in DOJ history,” is already seen as a severe test of the American justice system and the president’s ability to weaponize the legal system to exact revenge on his adversaries. But in a telling slip, Trump referred to the appointment of Nachmanoff as a “good start” for Comey during an early-morning rant on Truth Social. “There is no way he can explain his way out of it,” Trump wrote of the charges against Comey. “He is a Dirty Cop, and always has been, but he was just assigned a Crooked Joe Biden-appointed Judge, so he’s off to a very good start.” In addition to revealing his true thoughts about the case, Trump’s inability to stop himself from providing live commentary may ultimately sink it. Trump’s complaints about the “unfairness” of the selection process could help defense lawyers argue the case is not about Comey lying to Congress, but about Trump using the legal system to settle old scores.
Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.
Turn your holiday countdown this year into something a little naughtier (and more fun) with Lovehoney’s Advent calendars. A spicy spin on the class tradition, these calendars are an erotic journey of passion, play, and connection. Choose from five tantalizing options, each loaded with toys and treats to keep things steamy all winter long. The ultimate pick? The Couples Calendar. With 24 luxe goodies—think card games, blindfolds, and whips—it’s full of ways to turn everyday into a new adventure with your partner.
Lovehoney Couple’s Advent Calendar (24 Day)
The standouts are definitely the Womanizer Classic 2 and the We-Vibe Sync Lite—worth $260 alone. The Womanizer Classic 2 is a clitoral stimulator that uses air to deliver a sucking sensation. The We-Vibe Sync excels at couples play. Hands-free, wearable, and flexible, it delivers pleasure to both partners all at once. Plus, with the app, you (or your partner) can get even naughtier, whether you’re in the same room or across the house. As always, Lovehoney ships its items in discreet packaging to keep your purchase confidential.
New York City’s rats have landed a decisive blow in Mayor Eric Adams’ war on rats, after the Mayor’s “Rat Czar,” Kathleen Corradi, resigned. “When I appointed Kathy Corradi to this historic, unique job, I knew she’d have the drive and knowledge to send the rats packing from our city,” said Adams in a statement. “It’s a daunting, complex task, but she’s handled it with confidence and creativity.” In 2023, Corradi was given $3.5 million to address the city’s rat problem, and she used part of it to give rats birth control. She appeared to have some success, as the mayor claims “rat sightings” are down 15 percent. It is unknown why she resigned, and she will be moved to an undisclosed new city position. Though Adams vowed that the fight against Big Apple rodents would continue “at full steam,” he’s quickly running out of time to declare victory on rat-kind. There are less than six weeks until the city’s mayoral election, and Adams is polling in fourth behind progressive upstart Zohran Mamdani, former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
The husband of Russia’s top propagandist has become the fourth high-ranking Putin crony to die in the space of just three days.
Tigran Keosayan, a well-known figure in Russian media circles, died on Friday after spending eight months in a coma, his wife said. Margarita Simoyan, editor-in-chief of RT, Russia’s leading state broadcaster, said on social media, “Tonight, Tigran went to the Creator.” She added, “Thank you to everyone who prayed. Please do not call me or the family now. Thank you all, thank you.” Keyosan is the latest in a series of Russian officials who mysteriously met their end over the past 48 hours. On Wednesday, construction boss and MP Vitaly Kapustin was found hanging from a tree branch with his hands tied behind his back, with witnesses strongly doubting he took his own life. Transport boss Alexander Fedotov, 49, was found dead at a hotel in Moscow on the same day, with no apparent cause of death and no suicide note. And ex-customs chief and oligarch Boris Avakyan was found dead with his wrists slit in a toilet in the Armenian consulate in St. Petersburg on Thursday, shortly after sneaking out of a Russian courtroom and seeking extradition to Armenia, where he held dual citizenship.
Comedian Nate Bargatze has defended his Emmy Awards stunt, in which he threatened to reduce a $100,000 charitable donation for every second a winner’s acceptance speech ran over time. Speaking on his Nateland podcast, the host of the ceremony said the idea to deduct $1,000 for every second beyond 45 seconds “came from a real place of heart” and was meant to make the show “fun,” according to CNN. He added that he thought some stars might use the gimmick to purposely go long and pledge even more to the Boys & Girls Club of America, while others might cut their speeches short to boost his own promised contributions. “In my head, I pictured it as they could then go long, but then be a hero. So it was like a win-win,” Bargatze said. The host added that he was never “not gonna not” give money to the kids’ charity, even if the $100,000 was reduced to zero. Ultimately, CBS, which broadcast the Emmys, provided an additional $100,000 on top of Bargatze’s increased donation of $250,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Quinta Brunson and Kevin Jay Anik have reached a divorce settlement six months after the Abbott Elementary star/creator filed for the split, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Documents obtained by People note that the pair agreed to an uncontested divorce, so further legal action will not be taken. The documents also revealed that spousal support is included in the arrangement, and the couple’s official date of separation was Dec. 1, 2024. More specific settlement details have not been released. Now, a judge just needs to sign a request to finalize the petition, which will officially dissolve Brunson’s marriage to Anik, who works in the legal cannabis industry in California. The pair tied the knot in October 2021, two months before Abbott Elementary premiered. Despite being thrown into the spotlight herself with her hit show, Brunson kept the details of her marriage out of the public eye until June, when she publicly addressed the split to Bustle, noting that she was focusing on herself while in “a transitional time.”
Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.
Sleep can be hard to come by these days. From city noise and snoring partners to late-night scrolling and spiraling thoughts, there’s a lot that can get in the way of a good night’s rest. In fact, research suggests that one in three adults doesn’t get enough sleep. (Hello, fellow insomniacs!) Luckily, you don’t have to accept exhaustion as your default—Ozlo Sleepbuds can help improve sleep hygiene sans habit-forming treatments or sleeping in separate rooms (aka ‘sleep divorce’).
Developed by former Bose engineers, Ozlo Sleepbuds are a science-backed wearable engineered to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer every night. Unlike earplugs or other sleep aid gadgets, Ozlo doesn’t just block sound. Instead, these earbuds are specifically designed to support a restful sleeping experience.
Ozlo Sleepbuds
Comes with a free one-year subscription to Calm Sleep Premium.
In addition to premium noise-masking capabilities, the buds feature biometric sleep detection that senses when you fall asleep and transitions from whatever audio you were listening to—yes, you can stream from all your favorite apps—into built-in soundscapes engineered for rest. Plus, the side sleeper-friendly Sleepbuds are designed for all-night comfort, so you can drift off without distraction until the gentle in-ear alarm wakes you (not your partner) up in the morning.
From now through the end of Sept., you can elevate your sleeping experience for less with a perk. Save $50 on your pair of Ozlo Sleepbuds and unlock a year of free access to Calm Sleep Premium, a mindfulness-focused app featuring more than 300 hours of sleep content from leading experts. Dreams really do come true.
The Rock is getting personal about his strained relationship with his late father, Rocky Johnson. In a new interview with The New York Times Magazine, Dwayne Johnson, 53, revealed that an argument over Rocky’s 2019 memoir, Soulman: The Rocky Johnson Story, dealt the final blow to their relationship, leading the pair to stop speaking for months before his father’s 2020 death. According to Johnson, the book contained a series of quotes, written by his father but falsely attributed to him, that implied he credited Rocky with all of his career success. The Jungle Cruise star was even credited as the author of the book’s foreword, even though he hadn’t written a word. “It just completely crossed the line,” Johnson told the Times. He called the incident an example of his father’s “narcissism.” When Johnson confronted his father about the false quotes, he said Rocky denied any wrongdoing and refused to correct the mistake. The pair never spoke again, and Johnson learned of his father’s death while filming Red Notice in Georgia the following year. However, the Smashing Machine star says he’s since made peace with Rocky’s actions. “I think my dad’s capacity to love was very limited,” he told the Times. “He was kicked out when he was 13. Imagine that pain. And that’s the man who raised me. That was my dad.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ranted about Hamas to an empty hall in the United Nations as scores of diplomats staged a mass walkout in protest of alleged genocide in Gaza. Nearly all representatives from Arab countries left the room as Netanyahu began speaking, followed by delegations from several African and European nations. Several delegates remained behind to heckle the Israeli leader as he spoke about “finishing the job” in the Palestinian territories. His office claimed the address was being broadcast live in Gaza after the Israeli military “took control” of every mobile device in the area. The few world powers in attendance, including the United States and the United Kingdom, did not send senior officials or even their official U.N. ambassadors to the address. Instead, they packed their delegations primarily with junior staffers and other low-level diplomats. Netanyahu’s speech comes just days after a U.N. committee ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide against Palestinians. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly via video link on Thursday, following the Trump administration’s denial of a visa to enter the United States.