Senate Democrats break ranks to join Republicans in backing a deal to reopen the government after 41 days, a move that could finally end the longest shutdown in U.S. history. SNAP benefits remain tangled in court battles, as a late ruling orders the Trump administration to fully restore payments while states face threats of federal penalties. And world leaders gather in Brazil for a major climate conference, but the Trump administration says the U.S. won’t be at the table. Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.
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p class=”readrate”>Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Anna Yukhananov, Kevin Drew, Neela Banerjee, Mohamad ElBardicy and Martha Ann Overland.
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p class=”readrate”>It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Lindsay Totty
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p class=”readrate”>We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott. And our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Katy Perry is turning to music after upheaval in her personal life.
The pop star, 41, dropped her powerful new song, “Bandaids,” and its self-deprecating music video on Thursday, November 6, marking her first release since her split from ex-fiancé Orlando Bloom.
In the video, a down-on-her-luck Perry finds herself in a series of near-death situations. It begins with the singer washing dishes (a nod to her viral “Call Her Daddy” comment last year about Bloom getting his “d*** sucked” whenever he did chores) when her ring suddenly falls down the drain. As Perry sticks her hand in the sink to retrieve the gold band, she accidentally turns on the garbage disposal, leaving her bloodied and screaming.
As the visual progresses, Perry’s misfortune only gets worse: Her shoelace gets caught in the escalator at a shopping mall, causing her to face-plant; the lid comes off her coffee cup while she’s driving, spilling all over her lap and burning her; and she sinks into quicksand after narrowly avoiding an oncoming train.
The video is filled with Easter eggs, from a daisy growing in the middle of the train tracks (Perry and Bloom’s 5-year-old daughter is named Daisy) to the Grammy nominee’s 2024 single “Woman’s World” playing before a gas station explosion in the final scene, signaling the end of her 143 era and the beginning of another.
“Bandaids” features candid lyrics about Perry’s “broken heart” that offer a glimpse into her mindset after her breakup. She sings in the first verse, “Hand to God, I promise I tried / There’s no stone left unturned / It’s not what you did / It’s what you didn’t / You were there, but you weren’t.”
Later, Perry references Daisy as one of the positive things that came out of the relationship, singing, “If I had to do it all over again / I would still do it all over again / The love that we made was worth it in the end.”
The release comes after several major changes in Perry’s personal life. Us Weekly confirmed her separation from Bloom, 48, in June after nearly 10 years together. A source revealed at the time that it was “a long time coming,” as things between the now-exes had “been tense for months.”
Nonetheless, Perry and Bloom remain cordial as they moved forward with their focus on their daughter.
“They are still very much in touch and coparenting Daisy together,” an insider told Us in June. “It’s not messy between them.”
Katy PerryCynthia Parkhurst
The source noted that Perry and Bloom were “prioritizing stability and consistency for Daisy” as the family adapted to their new normal.
In the aftermath of the split, the Pirates of the Caribbean star emphasized his healthy coparenting dynamic with his ex.
“I’m so grateful. We have the most beautiful daughter,” he said on the Today show in September. “You know, when you leave everything on the field, like I did in [the movie The Cut], I feel grateful for all of it.”
He added, “We’re great. We’re going to be great. It’s nothing but love.”
After her breakup from Bloom, Perry moved on with former Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, to whom she has been linked since July. At the time, the pair — who “have a few mutuals in the music industry” — were spotted on a “casual” dinner date in Canada after being “in touch for the last month,” according to a source.
Although Perry does not “have a lot of extra time” at the moment due to her ongoing Lifetimes Tour, the insider told Us, “This is all new to her, as she hasn’t dated in so many years, and it’s been exciting to put herself out there again. … Katy is excited to move on but isn’t looking for anything serious.”
In October, a source revealed that Perry and Trudeau, 53, are staying under the radar while pursuing their connection.
“Katy is really into it. She’s very happy,” the insider told Us. “She’s trying to keep it low-key, and they’ve spent a lot of private time together. She’s not looking to publicize this relationship.”
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Across the globe, there is a shift in the size of families as birthrates decline. Communities, schools, and workforces are all shrinking at an alarming rate. Even in the wealthiest countries populations are aging and straining key social systems. How are smaller families changing the world and what does it mean for our future? Explore the full series at npr.org/populationshift.
Sarah Juree was looking for an extra way to rake in cash for her household when she launched her OnlyFans account — while also serving as a teacher at a local school.
“I was just a struggling single mom on a teacher salary, so it wasn’t this deviant thing,” Juree, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting her new book, Diary of an OnlyFans Model.
“There was a woman in town, and she had started a page, and she had made, like, $10,000 in a month,” Juree continued. “So in my mind, I was like, ‘Well, what if I try this on summer break and see how it goes?’ I had never been on the platform. Really didn’t know much, anything about it. I was like, ‘Well, if I could have two good months like that, I could pay my credit card debt off.’”
Juree went on to create her account, sharing an NSFW photo — and her life was turned upside down within weeks. She claimed that a user “dispersed” her image “all over” social media and to her employer, resulting in her firing from her job as a teacher.
“It just happened really, really fast,” she recalled. “That was such a whirlwind. There was a lot of grief for me because I loved being a teacher. That was my identity, that was my career that I had put my life into. I was a teacher for 20 years. It was a whirlwind, and I think that was why I needed to kind of take a step back from OnlyFans. I took the last two years off to really just go and heal and process and sort, like, ‘What the heck happened?’”
Juree explained that she had a “lot of complex PTSD” — known as post-traumatic stress disorder — and struggled with suicidal ideation following the incident.
Courtesy of Sarah Juree/Instagram
“Where I am in Indiana, it’s like, I’m the scarlet letter of the town,” she said. “But I take it very personally, because I feel like I also get to be the permission slip for women in town. The women who want to explore their sexuality, who see me and I’m not backing down from this and I’m not just running away in shame.”
Juree eventually turned to alternative ways of healing, including ketamine therapy — and words began “pouring out” of her.
“I think it shows people your story is not over,” she said of her journey to becoming an author. “You get to be the author of your story, literally. You get to show the world who you are, and at any given point in time, you can give this world a plot twist. So now it’s, like, ‘Teacher turned OnlyFans model turned author.’”
Through it all, Juree has had her loved ones by her side — including her 13-year-old twins.
“My family has been very supportive, thank goodness. The trickier part is my kids because they’re twins and they’re teens now. They’re 13. It is something that I have always kept separate — what I do if I was making content and stuff, then Mom mode,” Juree explained of balancing both. “But I want my book to make my kids proud. Where I can turn something that was so wild and crazy into something good for us.”
Diary of an OnlyFans Model is out now.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
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Stephen A. Smith is not afraid to go up against anyone, and that apparently includes FBI Director Kash Patel.
On the Thursday, October 23, episode of ESPN’s First Take, Smith talked about the recent NBA gambling scandal that saw Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat star Terry Rozier arrested as part of a federal investigation into sports gambling.
During the segment, Smith insinuated that U.S. President Donald Trump is involved in the investigation.
“Trump is coming. He’s coming,” Smith, 58, said on the show. “Anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what’s going on today…this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
He continued: “I’m watching a press conference with the Director of the FBI. Tell me when we’ve seen that. We’ve seen accusations before, we’ve seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don’t see the Director of the FBI having a press conference. It’s not coincidental, it’s not an accident. It’s a statement and it’s a warning that more is coming.”
Patel seemingly didn’t take too kindly to Smith’s comments, going on Fox News to talk with Laura Ingraham on The Ingraham Angle later in the day, responding to the fiery accusations.
Stephen A. Smith and Kash PatelGetty Images
Patel chuckled when Ingraham asked him about Smith’s comments, saying it was “the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history.”
“I’m the FBI director, I decide which arrests to conduct and which not to conduct,” Patel said. “We arrest people for crimes.”
Ingraham laughed as the segment wrapped.
Smith took a slight step back on his original statement in a social media post on Thursday night, responding to Patel’s comments on Fox News.
“Nothing to get ahead of here, people! I never denied or failed to mention that this FBI Investigation has been going on for years,” Smith said via X. “I said Trump wasn’t inclined to stop it. He’s sparing no one because the man isn’t playing. He’s coming!! In no way am I attempting to even have an opinion on the legitimacy of this matter. I don’t know the facts of the case. I’m just saying don’t expect POTUS to spare anyone on this matter. And I stand by that. That’s all!”
On his radio show on Friday, October 24, he commented again on the situation, clarifying his stance while also making clear that he still feels the same way about Trump’s involvement with the investigation.
“I would say he’s the director of the FBI, let’s just say I’m not trying to get on his bad side,” Smith said. “But having said that, I still stand by what I said. And I’m not changing my mind.
He continued: “This investigation has been going on since when Biden was in office. They talked about how this stuff has been going on since 2019, which is when Trump was in office. I’m not implying that Kash Patel doesn’t have any legitimacy to the case that he’s pursuing against these individuals … and I’m not about to argue with an FBI director. I’m simply making the point that in the end, you have a president in place that has a lengthy connection to the sports world, rife with friends and enemies. And those who are his enemies, he doesn’t mind inconveniencing one bit. And when it comes to the NBA brand, it doesn’t bother him.”
Smith, known for his strong opinions in sports, has become more involved with politics in recent months. In September, he debuted a new podcast, Straight Shooter, where Smith discusses politics and social issues, a shift from his normal sports content.
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