Gen X Files
Tears for Fears Turned Therapy Language Into Giant Pop Songs Before Everyone Had a Podcast
Tears for Fears transformed childhood pain, psychology and synthesizers into some of the biggest and smartest pop records of the 1980s.
The internet forgot. We kept the receipt.
The Daily Junk Food Archive
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Gen X Files
Pat Benatar Did Not Need MTV to Make Her Tough—MTV Just Made Sure Everyone Saw It
Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo built a rock catalogue that gave Gen X sharp guitars, huge vocals and a heroine who never asked to be rescued.
Gen X Files
INXS Made Kick So Cool Even the Record Company Nearly Missed It
INXS blended rock, funk and new wave into a nearly perfect 1987 album after its label reportedly doubted the finished record.
Gen X Files
Def Leppard Survived Everything and Still Makes an Arena Feel Like 1987
Def Leppard turned precision production, giant choruses and staggering resilience into one of Gen X rock’s most durable careers.
Gen X Files
The Smiths Released Four Albums and Gave Gen X Enough Feelings for Forty Years
The Smiths lasted only five years, but Johnny Marr’s guitars and Morrissey’s melancholy built an alternative-rock language that never left.
Gen X Files
Culture Club Made Pop Music Colorful, Complicated and Impossible to Ignore
Culture Club mixed soul, reggae, new wave and fearless style into songs that helped define the first MTV generation.
Politics & Power
Matt Bevin’s 911 Call From a Christmas Movie Set Adds Another Scene to His Legal Drama
Newly released 911 audio adds detail to former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s arrest on a holiday movie set before he began serving a 60-day contempt sentence.
Strange News
Five Baby Orangutans Found in India Expose a Suspected Wildlife-Trafficking Route
Five infant orangutans discovered in India are now in quarantine as authorities investigate how the endangered animals entered the country.
Current News
Tate Brothers Stay Detained in Miami as Britain Seeks Extradition
A Miami judge ordered Andrew and Tristan Tate to remain detained during a British extradition case, citing flight risk as they deny the allegations against them.
Religion & Faith
American Jews Enter the High Holy Days With Security Plans Beside the Prayer Books
Jewish communities are preparing for the High Holy Days amid heightened antisemitism, tighter security and difficult internal debates over Israel and identity.
Strange News
Mercury Is Shrinking Faster Than Scientists Thought, Which Feels Weirdly Relatable
New research suggests Mercury may have contracted about 30% more than previous estimates as its interior cooled over billions of years.
Politics & Power
Trump Promises a $5,000 Check if Republicans Win, With Congress Cast as the Fine Print
President Trump says adults could receive $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms, but the plan would require Congress and carries a trillion-dollar-plus price tag.
Current News
Ella Langley Leads the CMA Nominations, and Country Music Has a New Overachiever
Ella Langley leads the 2026 CMA Awards field with nine nominations, while Miranda Lambert follows with six and several stars collect five each.
Current News
Operation Meridian Found 79 Missing Ohio Children in the State’s Largest Recovery Effort
Federal, state and local teams located 79 missing and endangered children ages 6 to 17 during a monthlong statewide operation.
Current News
TSA Is Letting Some Non-Travelers Through Security, So the Airport Goodbye Has Returned
A new TSA program allows approved PreCheck members without tickets to enter secure areas at 13 participating airports for one day.
Current News
Seven Vermont Clergy Were Arrested Blocking an ICE Targeting Center
Seven faith leaders face unlawful-trespass charges after blocking entrances to a Vermont facility tied to federal immigration enforcement targeting.
Strange News
Thieves Stole Four Renoirs in Under Three Minutes, Then Dropped Half the Haul in the Garden
Two suspects cut into a French Riviera museum, grabbed four Renoirs and abandoned two during an escape that took less than three minutes.
Current News
Nicolas Cage’s Malibu Driveway Collapsed Into a Giant Sinkhole, Because Reality Loves Casting
A sinkhole swallowed the driveway of a Malibu mansion reportedly owned by Nicolas Cage, triggered a gas leak and prompted emergency restrictions nearby.
Current News
Americans Trust Government Information Less, and Apparently the National Group Project Is Going Great
A new AP-NORC and USAFacts poll finds confidence falling across elections, foreign policy, immigration, abortion and environmental information.
Politics & Power
Trump-a-Palooza Lands in Dallas, With a $25,000 Door Charge for Some Republicans
The GOP’s first midterm convention is part rally, part fundraiser and extremely Trump-centered—even as some candidates in close races stay away.
Strange News
Tick-Triggered Meat Allergy Creates a Kentucky Ostrich-Burger Boom, Because Nature Is Weird
A Kentucky farm is raising hundreds of ostriches as people with alpha-gal syndrome search for a red-meat-style meal their tick-triggered allergy may allow.
Religion & Faith
Eiffel Tower Workers Strike After Women Were Reportedly Sidelined for a Religious Delegation
The Eiffel Tower closed for a day after workers protested instructions that reportedly limited female staff members’ contact with a visiting Hindu delegation.
Internet & Tech
Election Betting Is Exploding, Because Democracy Apparently Needed a Sportsbook
Prediction-market betting on elections is surging while state officials debate whether the platforms are financial exchanges, unlicensed casinos or a fresh threat to public trust.
Gen X Files
Salma Hayek Turns 60 With a Topless Ocean Swim and Absolutely No Interest in Aging Quietly
Salma Hayek celebrated her 60th birthday with a joyful topless ocean swim—and a reminder that Gen X women are not fading into anyone’s background.
Politics & Power
Republicans Make Muslims a Midterm Target, Dusting Off the Old Fear-Mongering Playbook
Muslim candidates and communities are becoming a central Republican campaign target as the 2026 midterms approach.
Politics & Power
Canada Slaps Back With $20 Billion in Tariffs, Because Apparently We’re Fighting the Neighbors Now
Canada has answered the latest U.S. tariffs with duties on roughly $20 billion in American goods, escalating a trade fight between longtime allies.
Current News
EU Pledges More Money for Greenland as the World Suddenly Discovers Its Address
The European Union is promising new investment in Greenland as geopolitical pressure grows around the Arctic territory and its future.
Religion & Faith
Pope Leo Appeals for Peace in Ukraine as the Human Cost Keeps Growing
Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with Ukrainians and urged an end to violence as he called for dialogue and renewed peace efforts.
Crime & Courts
$240 Million Bitcoin Heist Funded a Luxury Spree Until One Tiny Digital Mistake
Prosecutors say a social-engineering crew stole 4,100 bitcoin, then spent lavishly on clubs, cars, jets and mansions before an online mistake helped expose them.
Gen X Files
Carmen Electra Returns to Playboy 30 Years Later, and Gen X Just Sat Up Straighter
Carmen Electra is back in Playboy three decades after her first appearance, with new projects and no interest in disappearing quietly.