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The former Victoria's Secret Angel is engaged to jewelry designer Buck Palmer.

Russia To Intensify Attacks On Sources Of Western Support In Ukraine: Lavrov

At the end of June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an unusual move declared the start of a 40-day intensified pressure campaign against Russia, designed to force Moscow to the negotiating table and agree on terms favorable to Ukraine to end the war.

This was an effort seize on the momentum of repeat drone hits on Russian refinery and energy infrastructure - a reality Russia has suffered over many months, leading to an ongoing fuel crisis spanning dozens of cities and regions, and especially Crimea, which earlier in the summer had to temporarily halt fuel sales to common citizens for a time.

In mid-June, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov proclaimed  "Hell is beginning," for Russia and its military. "Logistics are being cut off. Crimea is being isolated," he said at the time. From there, drone attacks across the Moscow region greatly intensified.

But Russia in turn responded with its own major campaign. In response to major nightly long-range Ukrainian drone attacks deep into its territory, Russia sent more and more ballistic missiles on Kiev - and even the far West areas of Ukraine.

On Friday Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has essentially declared Zelensky's 40-day campaign to be defeated and moot. He described in a fresh media interview that not only will Russian forces implement a tougher response against Ukraine, but will go after the sources of Western support. He specifically raised the issue of the United States and its role.

via Associated Press

"We have submitted a series of questions to the State Department requesting comment, including on the matter of intelligence data and the fact that the US is far more deeply involved in organizing and executing strikes deep within Russian territory against civilian targets. We await a response," Lavrov told state television, as quoted in Reuters.

"Russia will intensify its military campaign in Ukraine and seek to destroy every element used by the West to sustain Kiev’s war effort," the top diplomat said.

The Foreign Ministry has of late accused Ukraine of "brazen acts of ​terrorism" against shipping in the Black Sea, amid tit-for-tat ongoing attacks which have disrupted energy and grain shipping.

"We will not sink to their level. Instead, we will adopt much harsher methods to destroy everything that enables the West to fuel Kiev’s war machine. We are already doing this, and they are already moaning," Lavrov asserted.

On the question of initiatives toward peace which Washington once prioritized (but now no longer seems to), Lavrov quoted Putin as saying while alluding back to the Alaska summit:

"Donald, you sent ​us proposals, and I’ve given them some thought. There are matters that require compromise. But I ‌accept ⁠your proposals in the form you sent them to me."

As for Lavrov's questions on Washington's covert targeting support to Ukraine, the Trump administration is unlikely to give a direct response or acknowledgement to the query. 

President Trump at this start of his term vowed repeatedly to find a swift end to the war and a lasting peace, but this has remained elusive, and instead it appears he has kept up US intelligence and weapons support to Kiev - something that many MAGA supporters wanted to see a halt to.

Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 12:00

The OGs are fighting!

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HBO's “Lanterns” dares to ask: “What if we took that terrible Ryan Reynolds movie and made it pretty good?” 

The less you know going into Lanterns, the better. It's a twisty, turn-y delight.

The internet hashed up the summer scandal that rocked the NFL during Thursday's Patriots-Colts preseason opener.

Pelosi's lawyers entered a plea on his behalf.

The aftermath of Cosby's 23-year-old son's death will be shown on "RHOSLC" Season 7.

The aftermath of Cosby's 23-year-old son's death will be shown on "RHOSLC" Season 7.

The Dolphins are going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL – just ask one of their team consultants, Troy Aikman.

This one is for all the hot sleepers.

Accused healthcare executive killer Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges in a deal that will spare the 28-year-old the death penalty in the 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

'I Shot Brian Thompson': Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges In UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing

Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on Friday to the federal charges against him - admitting that he went to New York with the intent to kill Thompson.

Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on August 11, 2026 in New York City. David Dee Delgado/Pool/Getty Images

The plea came during an 11 a.m. hearing before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, added to the calendar at the last minute this week at the joint request of prosecutors and Mangione's defense team.

"I shot Brian Thompson," he told Garnett.

Members of Brian Thompson's family were present in the courtroom. Outside, a crowd of Mangione supporters gathered - a fixture of his court appearances since his arrest.

Abril Rios, a self-proclaimed "Mangionistas" waits for the hearing, set to start at 11 a.m. Lone Pine Press The charges

Mangione was charged with two federal counts: interstate stalking resulting in death, and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death. Each carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Judge Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge in January 2026 that would have carried a potential death penalty, removing capital exposure from the federal case.

A senior Justice Department official told Fox News on Thursday that "there is no deal" - meaning Mangione would be pleading guilty without a negotiated sentencing guarantee.

The plea is the latest milestone in a case that has gripped the country since December 4, 2024.

Onlookers obsessed with the case hope to get a peek of accused murderer Luigi Mangione inside the courtroom. AFP via Getty Images

Thompson, 50, a father of two, was gunned down on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk outside the Hilton, hours before UnitedHealth Group was set to host its annual investor conference at the hotel. After a five-day, multistate manhunt, authorities apprehended Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Investigators recovered a manifesto criticizing the American health insurance industry - a discovery that split public reaction sharply. While many condemned the killing as a cold-blooded assassination, others treated Mangione as a dark symbol of mounting public frustration with the U.S. healthcare system.

A looming state battle

Friday's federal plea does not close the book. Mangione still faces a parallel state prosecution in New York for second-degree murder and weapons offenses, with trial scheduled to begin next month. Earlier terrorism-related counts in the state case have been dismissed.

The federal plea is expected to trigger an immediate clash over the state trial. Mangione's defense team is expected to argue the state case should be dismissed on double jeopardy grounds, contending he cannot be prosecuted twice for the same conduct.

"One-plus-one is two. Double jeopardy, by any common-sense definition," he shouted during a February court appearance.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has signaled strong opposition, arguing the federal and state charges address distinct legal harms. Legal experts have called the question genuinely open. "It is incredibly complicated," defense attorney Paul Shechtman told the New York Times earlier this month about New York's double jeopardy statute.

Retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro suggested a plea without a deal could still serve Mangione: "He gets to serve his time in federal prison, where conditions are better, and he is hoping that the New York state double jeopardy law will knock out the state case."

Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 11:43

"A Big Win Today": Trump Cheers As Trade Court Upholds Shutdown Of $800 De Minimis Duty Exemption

Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times,

The U.S. Court of International Trade on Aug. 13 upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end the de minimis exemption that allowed Americans to avoid paying duty on packages worth $800 or less.

The court held in a new order that President Donald Trump had legal authority to close the exemption, which he previously said was a legal loophole that benefited foreign vendors and criminals. A company had sued over the administration’s policy, claiming the president didn’t have the power to end the exemption.

The policy change, which took effect on Aug. 29, 2025, meant that all global parcel imports going forward would be subject to standard U.S. customs duties regardless of value or origin. Gifts worth less than $100 sent by individuals remained exempt.

Congress eliminated the de minimis exemption in an omnibus tax-and-spending bill in 2025, but that measure preserved the carveout until July 2027.

Trump signed Executive Order 14324 on July 30, 2025, ending the exemption, expanding a May 2025 policy that had already removed duty-free status for packages from China and Hong Kong.

The exemption had been in place in some form since 1938 and was last raised to $800 in 2015. Officials said it had become a loophole for traffickers and foreign e-commerce companies.

On Aug. 13, a three-judge panel of the New York-based court ruled against a Michigan-based auto parts importer that had challenged the rescission of the exemption. Detroit Axle argued that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) did not bestow independent authority on the president to revoke the exemption before July 2027.

The panel found that Trump had authority under IEEPA to end the exemption for low value imports from Canada, China, and Mexico, which he did in a series of executive orders in February 2025.

The IEEPA permits the president to rescind a trade-related “privilege,” even if that law did not allow him to levy entirely new tariffs, the trade court held.

In February, the Supreme Court ruled in Learning Resources v. Trump that the IEEPA does not confer statutory authority on the president to impose sweeping tariffs. The case did not deal with the de minimis carveout.

The trade court said in its new ruling that the president’s authority to “nullify [or] void … exercising any … privilege” does not violate separation of powers principles because the presidential rescission “is not an exercise of the power of the purse, as was the case in Learning Resources, and is not an exercise of the power to legislate” as cited in a 1998 precedent.

Trump celebrated the court victory in a Truth Social post.

The exemption is “one of the most DESPICABLE loopholes in American trade policy” that has been exploited by “Fentanyl Traffickers, Counterfeiters, and other Criminals shipping dangerous and illegal products into America,” he said.

The decision means low value packages from overseas will continue to face ordinary customs duties instead of entering the country duty-free.

Tyler Durden Fri, 08/14/2026 - 11:40

Fewer hot flashes and night sweats may not be the only upside.

Beverly Hills diners hoping to chow down on expensive filet mignon experienced a different kind of beef.

In 2023, the “Single White Female” star said she would not return to acting because it was “too nice being a civilian.”

In 2023, the “Single White Female” star said she would not return to acting because it was “too nice being a civilian.”