Cheat Sheet
Top 10 Right Now
1
Jewish Man Charged With Shooting Israeli Tourists He Thought Were Palestinian
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Published 02.18.25 11:30AM EST 
Caution tape
Carlos Barria/Reuters

A Florida man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at a father and son he thought were Palestinian. Mordechai Brafman, 27, who is reportedly Jewish, “spontaneously stated that while he was driving his truck, he saw two Palestinians and shot and killed both,” according to a police report. However, the men were not Palestinian, or dead. Both survived the Miami Beach attack on Sunday, with local media reporting that the victims were a Jewish father and son visiting from Israel. They sustained wounds to their arms. Police said Brafman exited his vehicle and fired 17 times at their passing vehicle. One of the victims, identified as Ari Revay, told WPLG Local 10 that the attack was random. “‘Boom, boom, boom’ and he randomly started shooting,” he said in an interview, translated from Hebrew. “He put the window down, driver’s seat and just blasted.” He said on Facebook that his father was wearing a kippah at the time. Brafman’s attorney told the Miami Herald on Monday that his client “was experiencing a severe mental health emergency” when he opened fire. City of Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez urged Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to pursue hate crime charges.

Read it at Miami Herald

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

2
Dramatic Video Shows Delta Flight Explosion Moments Before Flipping Upside Down
MOMENT OF IMPACT
Published 02.18.25 5:16AM EST 
Delta flight crash on Toronto airport runway
Delta flight 4819 seen overturned on Toronto Pearson International runway. Anadolu/Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu/Getty Images

A dramatic video shows the moments before a regional Delta flight crashed, sparking a fireball at Toronto airport and flipping upside down. The video obtained by TMZ, shows Delta Flight 4819 approaching Toronto Pearson Airport. Things appear normal as it approaches the runway, but when the wheels touch the ground, it hits the ground heavily, and the plane rapidly pivots to the right. Two small explosions can be seen near the engines and the left wing raises into the air as the right wing appears to hit the ground. A large black cloud then shoots upwards as the aircraft moves to the left of the screen. The 80 passengers and crew in the CRJ900 aircraft were left “hanging like bats” after the incident, which is being investigated by Canada’s transportation safety board. All people on board survived the crash, and 18 people were taken to hospital.

Read it at TMZ

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Shop with Scouted

J.Crew’s Semi-Hidden Factory Sale Is Not To Be Missed
SALE ON SALE
Published 02.14.25 7:43PM EST 
J.Crew Outlet Black Friday Sale
J.Crew Factory.

Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

As an avid J.Crew fan, I can honestly say that the brand’s discount-laden factory store (the brand’s online outlet) is a great way to get high-quality wardrobe staples without the big price tag. J.Crew Factory always offers discounts up to 40 percent off J.Crew, but for a limited time, you can unlock even more savings from already discounted items. Right now, J.Crew Factory is offering 50 percent off everything sitewide (including clearance items!).

J. Crew Factory Store Weekend Style Event

Now’s the time to invest in evergreen staples like jeans and office-friendly blazers while they’re half off, or grab a few outwear essentials to round out your pre-spring lineup. The sale also includes tons of denim for just $50, pure cotton crewneck T-shirts for $20, and even new arrivals like versatile frocks and cashmere items. And the sale is not just for women; the gents’ and kids’ sections are equally full of additional savings.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

3
Director Says He Made ‘Zero’ Money on Oscar-Nominated Film
BRUTAL
Updated 02.18.25 10:47AM EST 
Published 02.18.25 10:46AM EST 
director Brady Corbet
Brady Corbet. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brady Corbet’s 10-time-Oscar-nominated Holocaust survival film The Brutalist hasn’t made its director “any real money,” he revealed in a sit down on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. Corbet said, “Both my partner and I made $0 on the last two films that we made… So we had to just sort of live off of a paycheck from three years ago,” on the podcast’s Monday episode. The film follows a Hungarian-Jewish architect and Holocaust survivor (played by Adrien Brody) who escapes postwar Europe to Pennsylvania. The three-hour-long film took Corbet seven years to make, during which he’s had to make ends meet in other ways, like directing ads abroad. Those few jobs were “the first time that I had made any money really in years,” he said. Corbet’s not the only Oscar-nominee who’s having to get creative about their financial survival, telling Maron he knows others who “have films that are nominated this year that can’t pay their rent.” Even the months-long process of promoting their films for awards contention is a financial setback, he explained. “Our film premiered in September, so I’ve been doing this for six months and had zero income because I don’t have any time to work.” Corbet is currently the frontrunner to take home the Best Director prize at next month’s Oscars after winning that award from the Golden Globes, Director’s Guild, and BAFTAs so far this season.

Read it at CNN

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

4
‘Snowy’ Tourist Town Apologizes for Tricking Visitors With Cotton and Soap
FLAKE NEWS
Published 02.18.25 10:32AM EST 
Fake Cotton Snow
Cotton snow in Qionglai "snow town" in China. Jimu News

A town in China that posted pretty pictures of snow-covered buildings to attract tourists for Lunar New Year celebrations has apologized after the picturesque scene turned out to cotton and soapy water. A spokesperson for the “snow town” project in Qionglai, which is in the southwest Sichuan province, said the town decided to buy cotton after unexpectedly warm weather in January. Unfortunately, “it did not achieve the expected effect,” the project said in a statement posted on its WeChat account. Promotional photos posted on social media showed scenic areas with snow-laden trees, small wooden cabins and snowflakes on the ground. Tourists lured to the town complained on WeChat that the cute cabins were in fact covered with large sheets of cotton, and that some of the images were stolen from other scenic spots in the north of China. One photo, shared widely on WeChat, shows a tourist grabbing a clump of cotton from the ground. “Scenic spots must avoid deception or false advertising, otherwise they will only shoot themselves in the foot,” wrote one visitor.

Read it at Global Times

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Shop with Scouted

Bethenny Frankel Swears by No7’s Under $50 Anti-Aging Serum
WALLET-FRIENDLY
Published 01.17.25 5:01PM EST 
No7 Future Renew Serum
No7.

Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

If you’re looking for effective anti-aging skincare formulas that don’t cost the sum of a monthly mortgage payment, take a cue from reality TV star Bethenny Frankel. Frankel, who has amassed quite the following on TikTok over the years, uses the platform to showcase her favorite products, including both luxury and drugstore formulas.

One of her favorite brands for skincare and cosmetics is No7—specifically, its Future Renew collection. Each formula in the line is affordably priced under $50 but, according to Frankel, looks, feels, and performs like higher-end counterparts.

No7 Future Renew Damage Reversal Serum

One of her favorites is the Future Renew Damage Reversal Eye Serum. The lightweight anti-aging serum is formulated with Pepticology, the brand’s new and patent-pending peptide technology. This technology is formulated to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while aiding in the skin’s natural repair process for a firmer, brighter, and smoother complexion. Frankel also notes that the wallet-friendly serum layers well with other skincare products (she uses it under her moisturizer), and it “plays well with makeup.”

While skincare is always a worthy splurge (after all, our skin is our biggest organ), you don’t have to shell out $100+ for effective formulas that target the visible signs of aging.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

5
Alt Rock Star Charged With Calling Italian PM Meloni ‘Piece of S***, Fascist, Racist’
STICKS AND STONES
Published 02.18.25 9:41AM EST 
Brian Molko of Placebo performs at Mediolanum Forum of Assago on October 27, 2022 in Milan, Italy.
Brian Molko of Placebo performs at Mediolanum Forum of Assago on October 27, 2022 in Milan, Italy. Sergione Infuso - Corbis/Sergione Infuso/Corbis

Placebo guitarist and vocalist Brian Molki did not mince words when he told the crowd at a 2023 concert outside Turin what he thought of Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Pezzo di merda, fascista, razzista," the British alternative rock star called out, earning a round of cheers from the locals. Meloni, none too pleased with being characterized as a “piece of s---, fascist, racist,” sued under rules that target anyone who “publicly defames the republic.” On Monday, Italy’s justice ministry told prosecutors in Turin they can proceed with a “contempt of the institutions” charge against Molki for defaming Italian authorities. Known for a string of 90s hits including “Pure Morning”, the frontman could be fined up to €5,000. A spokesperson for the justice ministry told The Guardian it is unlikely Molki will receive a prison sentence, which Italian courts can hand down for up to three years in defamation cases. Because of its unique defamation law, Italy has one of the highest rates of libel lawsuits against media. Last year, the author Roberto Savioni was found guilty for defaming Meloni when he called her “a bastard” for her hardline anti-immigration views.

Read it at The Guardian

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

6
Trump Wants Kennedy Center to Lavish MAGA-Loyal Artists With Honors
MAGA MAKEOVER
Published 02.18.25 9:32AM EST 
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 01:  (AFP OUT) US President Donald Trump speaks during the Celebrate Freedom Rally at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on July 1, 2017  in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool via Getty Images)
Pool/Getty Images

President Donald Trump wants to lavish his personal friends with Kennedy Center Honors, after parachuting himself into the hot seat at the cultural mecca. Earlier this month, Trump, who reportedly also privately railed against the center’s perceived focus on liberal artists, elected himself as chairman of the cultural hub and fired left-leaning members of the board. The Wall Street Journal reported that he also displayed confusion as to why his friends were never bestowed with coveted Kennedy Center awards. The title cited people connected to the saga who said that the president offered names like Rocky actor and Trump-ally Sylvester Stallone and “God Bless the U.S.A.” singer Lee Greenwood. During a gala at Mar-a-Lago in November, Stallone compared Trump to George Washington. Days later, alongside Mel Gibson and Jon Voight, the president-elect named him as an ambassador to Hollywood. Greenwood, who performed at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally, was last week added to the Kennedy Center board by the president. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said after Trump parachuted himself into the main seat last week: “The Kennedy Center learned the hard way that if you go woke, you will go broke.”

Read it at The Wall Street Journal

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

7
Pope’s Events Canceled as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection
DAY OF REST
Published 02.18.25 7:02AM EST 
The Vatican has canceled Pope Francis' weekend engagements while he battles an infection.
Alessandra Benedetti - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Pope Francis will be absent from this weekend’s engagements as he continues to battle a respiratory infection, the Vatican said Tuesday. The 88-year-old pontiff has suffered from the “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract” for over a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday, where he has remained to deal with the “complex clinical picture.” “Due to the health conditions of the Holy Father, the Jubilee audience of Saturday February 22 is cancelled,” said Tuesday’s statement from the Holy See, which added that Francis has delegated a senior clergyman to lead mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning. The statement did not mention the Sunday afternoon Angelus prayer, which the Pope did not deliver last weekend. The Argentine Jesuit has led the Roman Catholic Church since 2013 and, in recent years, has struggled with health issues—he has undergone hernia and colon surgeries since 2021 and frequently uses a wheelchair to offset chronic knee pain. The Vatican said Monday that Francis is not suffering from a fever, adding that “his condition is stable. This morning, he received the Eucharist and then undertook some work and some reading.”

Read it at AFP

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

8
Kate Middleton Refused to Let Her Kids Have ‘Blooding’ Initiation: New Book
PUT HER FOOT DOWN
Updated 02.18.25 3:18AM EST 
Published 02.17.25 10:45PM EST 
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participates in a round table on early education during a visit to Connor Downs Academy, in Hayle, Cornwall, Britain, June 11, 2021. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS
REUTERS

Kate Middleton put her foot down to spare her children from a bloody tradition, according to a forthcoming book. Tom Quinn’s Yes, Ma’am – The Secret Life of Royal Servants reveals that the Princess of Wales insisted on excusing her three children with Prince William from the “blooding” practice, reported The Daily Mail. The ritual involves smearing the faces of young royals with the blood of their first shooting kill, which is usually either a stag or a fox. Middleton was adamant that Prince George, 11, Prince Louis, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 6, all avoid the tradition. “Charles’s daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has put her foot down and insisted there will be no blooding for her children,” an excerpt of the book reads. King Charles III and his sons William and Harry all went through the rite as children. In his 2023 book Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family, Quinn wrote that William struggled with the royal family’s pastimes as they became more unpopular with the public. “William loves shooting—a love he shares with his father—but he is also conscious that the tide is now moving against what many people now refer to as blood sports,” Quinn said.

Read it at The Daily Mail

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Shop with Scouted

Give Your Backside a Boost With These Wrinkle-Proof Men’s Trousers
🍑👀
Updated 02.03.25 1:07PM EST 
Published 01.31.25 7:01PM EST 
Man wearing slim-fit beige pants and a black belt, leaning casually against a vintage cream-colored car with a retro design, palm trees in the background
Jack Archer

Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission.

If you’re tired of a closet full of pants that fit but don’t fit your lifestyle—or even your body, Jack Archer is about to become your new favorite brand. The men’s apparel brand designs clothing for men who want to look stylish and feel comfortable as well. Say hello to the Jetsetter Tech Pant, the most versatile, sleek, and comfortable pants we’ve ever tried.

Jack Archer sources premium fabric from Japan that gives these pants a soft, stretchy feel without creasing or losing their shape throughout the day. Plus, the fabric naturally repels water, coffee, wine, and dirt, making them great for the office, dinner dates, or travel. My favorite part? Jack Archer tech pants are designed with extra room in the crotch, giving you the freedom to move without the squeeze and discomfort. The Jetsetters don’t just keep you comfy—they’re tailored to flatter your shape, too.

Jetsetter Tech Pant
40% off original price

With a special curved design that wraps your mid-section, these pants give your butt a lifted, sculpted look without being overly tight. The Jetsetters are available in seven dynamic colors and two fits—slim and straight. Whether you’re heading out for a casual day, dressing for the office, or even hitting the golf course, these pants are up for the task.

For a limited time, score the Jetsetter Tech pants for 40 percent off, along with other bestsellers like Jack Archer’s t-shirts, socks, and jackets. If you’re ready for a closet refresh with items you’ll actually be excited to wear, now’s the time to invest.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

9
MAGA Bill Introduced to Make Trump’s Birthday a Federal Holiday
BIRTHDAY TWINS
Updated 02.18.25 3:41AM EST 
Published 02.17.25 4:22PM EST 
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the PPG Paints Arena on November 04, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 04: Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at the PPG Paints Arena on November 04, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A Republican congresswoman has called for President Donald Trump’s birthday to become a federal holiday. New York Rep. Claudia Tenney announced the bill to turn Trump’s birthday on June 14th, which falls on Flag Day, into an official holiday in a news release on Friday. “This legislation would permanently codify a new federal holiday called ‘Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day’ on June 14 to honor this historic day,” she said. Although not a federal holiday, Flag Day was established in 1777 when the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag. Tenney made the pitch for Trump to get a day of his own, saying, “No modern president has been more pivotal for our country than Donald J. Trump. As both our 45th and 47th President, he is the most consequential President in modern American history.” The congresswoman added that recognizing Trump’s birthday in this way would “recognize him as the founder of America’s Golden Age.” This bill joins a growing number of legislative efforts that flatter Trump. Such bills include the proposal to carve the president’s face into Mount Rushmore, a move to allow him to seek a third term, and a plan to put his face on $500 bills, according to the HuffPost.

Read it at MSNBC

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

10
Washington Post Columnists Back Trump’s Plan to Scrap the Penny
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
Published 02.17.25 2:05PM EST 
DES PLAINES, IL - JULY 06:  Pennies lay in a pile July 6, 2006 in Des Plaines, Illinois. According to the U.S. Mint says a penny costs more to make than it's worth, 1.2 cents, prompting some to call for its demise.
DES PLAINES, IL - JULY 06: Pennies lay in a pile July 6, 2006 in Des Plaines, Illinois. According to the U.S. Mint says a penny costs more to make than it's worth, 1.2 cents, prompting some to call for its demise. Tim Boyle/Getty Images

A group of Washington Post columnists have thrown their support behind Donald Trump’s latest crusade: killing off the penny. Post columnists Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Megan McArdle shared their two cents on Monday’s episode of the podcast Impromptu, where they sided with Trump after he ordered the Treasury Department to stop minting pennies. McArdle said that if she sees a penny on the street, “I don’t bother to lean down and pick it up.” Goins agreed, saying, “It’s not worth my time. I walk right past it. I try to step on it like a crunchy leaf.” Roberts also sided with the group, noting that the value of pennies is lower than what it costs to make them. “Stopping the production of pennies could actually make some sense. No pun intended, I promise. It does cost more to mint one than it’s worth,” Roberts said. Trump first took aim at the penny in a TruthSocial post on Feb. 9, calling the coin “so wasteful!” He added: “Let’s rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.” Trump’s announcement stopped short of calling for the pennies to be pulled out of circulation. According to the Coinage Act of 1965, the coins will remain legal tender, and changing that would need an act of Congress.

Read it at Washington Post

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT