In one of his first acts as Donald Trump’s CIA director, John Ratcliffe had the agency publish an assessment backing the once relatively fringe theory that the COVID-19 pandemic began with an accidental leak at a research lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Ratcliffe’s involvement in the release was confirmed by an official to The New York Times, despite others emphasizing that drafting of the new assessment had been commissioned under the Biden administration. The agency says it only has “low confidence” in this theory, per the Times, and believes the alternative—that the virus emerged naturally in a Wuhan wet market—is still plausible, albeit perhaps less so. No new evidence was cited in the report; no concrete proof tying the lab to the pandemic has not been found, though Ratcliffe has said he supports this origin story. Regardless, it seems clear the development could be useful for Trump in his dealings with China, who he’s long threatened with major tariffs and other reprisals as a way of getting them to the negotiating table.

A litany of “weird typos,” formatting errors and clunky text can be found among the slew of executive orders that President Donald Trump has been feverishly signing since taking office. Is that because of their sheer volume, or is something else at play? “This is poor, slipshod work,” wrote Slate’s legal correspondent Mark Joseph Stern in a Bluesky post calling out the potential use of A.I., as noted by Futurism. Among the evidence: In one order that would open up previously-protected Alaskan land to oil drilling, several bullet points were all numbered one; while innocuous-sounding at first, Futurism previously documented similar numbering errors in a series of A.I.-generated articles (and fake authors) published by Sports Illustrated in 2023. Then there’s the order where Trump renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. Texas-based lawyer Raffi Melkonian asked ChatGPT to “write a description of the Gulf of Mexico for idiots,” and the results were a nearly-identical paragraph. The White House did not respond to Futurism’s request for comment on the matter, but if the turnover in Trump’s first administration is any indication, it’s only a matter of time until international diplomacy is being led by Secretary of State Siri.

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If you’re looking for a natural way to get in the mood for Valentine’s Day, a luxe massage oil may be just the thing missing from your lineup. Massage may help improve blood flow and reduce muscle tension, which can help boost arousal for more satisfying sex. Foria’s newly launched Passion Play Kit contains everything you need to harness the intimacy-enhancing powers of massage.

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Please stop tagging actor Dave Franco in posts about Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—he’s aware of the discourse, and of their resemblance. At least that’s what the actor said while being interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday. “Anyone? Do you mean everyone?” Franco’s wife, actress Alison Brie, chimed in when the outlet asked if he had heard about the comparisons. “I have never received more texts in my life about anything,” Franco confirmed. “Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.” Franco, who is at the festival to promote two new films, is just one of the names being bandied about for a possible Mangione biopic, though Brie joked there have been “no official offers”—or indeed, no confirmation that a big screen treatment is in the works. That hasn’t stopped social media users from throwing Franco, Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story actor Cooper Koch into the casting mix, among others. “I think I have to take a departure from the crime scenes and do something else,” Koch told Entertainment Tonight in response to the buzz.

French special forces have arrested 10 people connected to the abduction of millionaire crypto boss David Balland, who was kidnapped with his wife on Tuesday from their home in central France, reported The Telegraph. Balland, 36, and his wife Amandine were driven to different locations as their kidnappers demanded a $10 million ransom from Balland’s former company, according to reports. (Part of this money was paid, but has since reportedly been traced and recovered.) Police later found Balland bruised, bloody and missing part of one of his fingers—which was sent to one of Balland’s business associates along with the ransom note, according to the report. His wife was also found, unharmed. “There was real stress,” an investigative source told French news outlet Le Parisien. “We knew we had to move very quickly, and we had the feeling we had a team capable of going AWOL.” Though Reuters reports he had not worked at the company since 2021, Balland was the co-founder of Ledger, a French crypto company and leader in digital wallets and vaults to safeguard crypto assets. The company is valued at over $1.3 billion.

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Ready to ditch the pressure-packed New Year resolutions? RXBAR is making waves this year with a bold message: forget the toxic January guilt trips. The protein bar brand, famous for its straightforward “No B.S.” approach, is flipping the script on the tired “New Year, New You” trend and giving away free RXBARs to empower you to start 2025 on your own terms. RXBAR recently announced its “B.S. Blocker” campaign to turn the tables on unrealistic expectations and celebrate self-acceptance and affirmation instead.

Frankly, in a post-New Year’s Day season flooded with ads urging you to “fix” yourself, capitalizing on body image issues, RXBAR’s unapologetic stance is a breath of fresh air. The brand’s billboards across New York City echo this message loud and clear: you don’t need to transform to be worthy. Here’s how to get your free RXBAR protein bars: Follow RXBAR on Instagram(@RXBAR), comment on their post by sharing the toxic trend or belief you’re leaving behind in 2025, and share the post to your story to spread the message even further. Once you’ve completed these steps, RXBAR will send you a promo code for free protein bars—because you’re already enough, no crash diets required.

Donald Trump had some harsh words for Rachel Maddow in a Truth Social post early Saturday morning. “Wow! Rachel Maddow has horrible ratings. She’ll be off the air very soon,” the newly-elected president wrote on social media. Maddow’s ratings have taken a tumble, with the New York Post reporting they fell 43% in the wake of Trump’s re-election. She is, however, currently back in primetime five days a week. “MSNBC IS CLOSE TO DEATH. CNN HAS REACHED THE BOTTOM,” Trump continued. “This is a good thing. They are the Enemy of the people!” It’s unclear what exactly spurred the tirade, as Trump’s previous post, shared few hours earlier, took a more positive tone in congratulating former Fox News host Pete Hegseth on his confirmation as the new Secretary of Defense. On Friday, Maddow used her show to express her dismay at Trump’s pardoning of convicted Jan. 6 rioters and spoke with Ashley Akers, a prosecutor who worked on their cases. “It was appalling really. I think that the pardons that happened were disturbing,” Akers told Maddow, arguing they representing the condoning of violence against law enforcement and a broader erosion of the rule of law.

“The states will determine by vote or legislation” what abortion rights they want, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump said in April 2024. “It is up to the states to decide,” he claimed in October. And in late November, after he’d been elected president, his campaign reiterated how he “has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion.” But after less than one week in office, President Trump has already thrust the federal government back into the middle of the abortion rights debate—and this time on the global stage: As part of a flurry of executive actions rolling out as his second term gets up and running, Trump on Friday signed two orders to limit women’s access to contraception and abortion. The first action repealed Biden-era policies that encouraged federal agencies to support and expand the availability of such services; the second restored restrictions on foreign organizations that receive any US government financing or grants from promoting abortion care. At least one nonprofit told Politico that losing such funds would keep it from providing contraception to millions of women.

Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg declared Second Lady Usha Vance the “most beautiful woman in the world” in an unhinged social media tribute. The video, posted to TikTok on Thursday, shows Schlossberg roaming the streets of New York City while singing along to the romantic 2001 pop hit “Drops of Jupiter.” He declared, “This one goes out to Usha Vance, the most beautiful woman in the world. Whenever you’re ready, I’m here for you.” Schlossberg, 32, then launched into the song. Between verses, Schlossberg interjected, “We’ll all forgive you. We’ll all understand. Just be with me—Valentine’s Day.” Vance, 39, is the wife of Vice President, JD Vance. The Yale-educated lawyer set aside her career to be a mother and support her husband’s political ambitions, and it’s not the first time that Schlossberg has hinted at his appreciation for Vance’s looks. “True or false: Usha Vance is way hotter than Jackie O,” he wrote in an X post on Inauguration Day, referring to former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who is his maternal grandmother. Schlossberg is a Vogue political columnist. Over the past few years he has become a social media star for his deadpan humor.

Atlanta rapper DJ Unk, best known for his hit hip-hop songs “Walk It Out” and “2 Step” of the early aughts, has died. He was 43, according to statements posted by his family and collaborators confirming his death. A cause of death for Unk, real name Anthony Leonard Platt, was not disclosed. However, a source told the New York Post, that the rapper suffered from various “health complications” following a 2009 hospitalization for a heart attack. At the time, Unk told XXL in a 2010 interview that he believes his health suffered as a result of a grueling touring schedule, poor eating, and his smoking and drinking habits. “I got to get healthy not just for my sake, but also for my kids and for my wife,” he declared. In a statement posted to Facebook, the rapper’s wife, Sherkita Long-Platt, asked for privacy as her family grieves. “Please respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father,” she wrote. “Our life will never be the same. I LOVE YOU ANTHONY FOREVER.”

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Few items exude elegance like a luxury watch; the right timepiece can elevate your style and transform a simple outfit into a statement of sophistication. The process of acquiring such a watch, however, is often catered exclusively to connoisseurs with deep knowledge—and even deeper pockets. Fortunately, Bezel is revolutionizing the world of watch-buying by making it easier for everyday buyers to shop for sought-after watches without needing to worry about fakes or unreasonable prices.

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U.S. Secret Service agents—and not members of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement—visited an elementary school in Chicago on Friday to investigate a threat, the agency said, after the visit sparked concerns of an immigration raid on the majority Latino school. Chicago Public School officials said the agents only identified themselves as belonging to the Department of Homeland Security, which encompasses both the Secret Service and ICE. “It had nothing to do with Chicago or the community, other than they were investigating the … person who made the threat,” a Secret Service spokesman said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The spokesman added that the threat was linked to the looming ban of TikTok, while Troy LaRaviere, president of the Chicago Principals & Administrators Association, said the threat was made against President Donald Trump, the Sun-Times reported. School officials didn’t allow the agents—who they believed were part of ICE—into Hamline Elementary School because they didn’t have a signed warrant. Trump has focused on Chicago has a target for immigration raids; his administration’s new Department of Homeland Security policies rescinded Biden-era rules by allowing ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents to enter schools, churches and health-care facilities.

Actor Jon Voight redirected his usual fawning over President Donald Trump to heap some praise on “First Buddy” billionaire Elon Musk. Seemingly reading from a cue card in a video address, Voight showered Musk, “a man of dignity, a man of truth, a man of honor,” with compliments. A man, “Who has done a lot for this country,” he said. Voight, actress Angelina Jolie’s father, has been one of MAGA’s most vocal mouthpieces out of Hollywood—so much so that Trump appointed him as one of his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood. Voight’s Musk PSA was one of several complimentary videos shared among right-wing social circles on X amid backlash over Musk’s evocative hand gesture. “He’s a kind soul, a gentle giant,” said Voight. “And I want to tell you the media is a disgrace. Their disgusting; they turn things around.” He added, “And this my friends is dangerous compared to say Elon Musk is Hitler.” Voight urged “This false propaganda will stop now.” Musk’s mother Maye retweeted the video to her thousands of followers with a direct message for the actor: ”Thank you,” she wrote with an American flag emoji.