For the third time since October 2023, Gaza has faced a near-total telecommunications blackout—plunging over 2 million residents into digital darkness and isolating them from the outside world. According to Palestinian digital rights organization 7amleh, the latest outage began on June 11, 2025, and lasted three days before partial service was restored on June 14. As of today, reports from inside Gaza suggest that access has been cut off again in central and southern Gaza.  Blackouts like these affect internet and phone communications across Gaza, leaving journalists, emergency responders, and civilians unable to communicate, document, or call for help. Cutting off telecommunications during an active military campaign is not only a violation of basic human rights—it is a direct attack on the ability of civilians to survive, seek safety, and report abuses. Access to information and the ability to communicate are core to the exercise of freedom of expression, press freedom, and the right to life itself. The threat of recurring outages looms large. Palestinian digital rights groups warn of a complete collapse of Gaza’s telecommunications infrastructure, which has already been weakened by years of blockade, lack of spare parts, and now sustained bombardment. These blackouts systematically silence the people of Gaza amidst a humanitarian crisis. They prevent the documentation of war crimes, hide the extent of humanitarian crises, and obstruct the global community’s ability to witness and respond. EFF has long maintained that governments and occupying powers must not disrupt internet or telecom access, especially during times of conflict. The blackout in Gaza is not just a local or regional issue—it’s a global human rights emergency. As part of the campaign led by 7amleh to #ReconnectGaza, we call on all actors, including governments, telecommunications regulators, and civil society, to demand an end to telecommunications blackouts in Gaza and everywhere. Connectivity is a lifeline, not a luxury. 

Philip Bowen brought the heat with this one. If you’re a country music fan, there’s a solid chance you’ve come across Bowen before, whether you knew it or not. The multi-instrumentalist hailing from West Virginia has garnered a massive following on social media for his fiddle chops over the years, often adding fiddle to popular songs and adding his own spin to covers. You’ve also probably heard his fiddle in other artists’ recordings, as he’s worked on some high profile releases from artists like Noah Kahan, Sam Barber, and 49 Winchester, to name a few. In addition to his talents on the fiddle, though, Bowen is an impressive songwriter and vocalist as well, and he has a growing catalog of originals that provides plenty of proof. In fact, he’s been on a role thus far in 2025, dropping four brand new singles over the course of the past few months that deserve to be heard. And the latest release may just be the best of them all. Written alongside Josiah Fleming of Josiah and the Bonnevilles, who also features on the track, “Sure Could Use the Rain” is a thoughtfully and cleverly penned ode to desperation that puts Bowen’s underrated lyrical prowess on full display. In an effort to provide some context behind his relationship with Josiah and how this song came to be, Bowen took to Instagram following the single’s release to share some thoughts. “Josiah was one of the first people who really believed in me as a songwriter for more than just my fiddle playing. He took the time to mentor me as an artist, introduced me to his team, brought me out to shows, put me on the bill, and took em on the road. I’m so inspired by his tenacity, drive, and his gift for lyric and melody. We share a love for Appalachia, good storytelling, and finding elite subway locations. We wrote this song over a couple days in Nashville at JATB Studios. I’m proud to have him on this record and even prouder to count him as a friend. ‘Sure Could Use the Rain’ is out today. Run it up. Thank y’all for the support. I’ll never forget it.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philip Bowen (@philipbowenmusic) Without further ado, check out Philip Bowen’s latest single “Sure Could Use the Rain” featuring Josiah & the Bonnevilles. As I mentioned, Bowen has been on an absolute heater this year with the singles he has been releasing. While I don’t believe he has divulged any details regarding a forthcoming album yet, it’s pretty clear Bowen is working on a project here, and it’s shaping up to be a special one. Go ahead and give the other singles he’s released over the past few months a listen as well. “Carolina Wren” “Five Drugs” “The Wheel” And lastly, there’s no better way to support an artist than to get a ticket and go see them play their music live. There are a handful of opportunities later this summer and fall to get out and see Bowen do his thing, and trust me, you won’t want to miss it if he’s coming to a city near you. Appalachia Forever Tour Dates: 7/24 – Topaz Farm – Portland, OR* 8/9 – North Star Lounge – Ann Arbor, MI! 8/14 – Open Chord – Knoxville, TN 8/15 – Basement East – Nashville, TN+ 8/16 – Zanzabar – Louisville, KY+ 8/18 – Motorco Music Hall – Durham, NC+ 8/19 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC+ 8/21 – DC9 – Washington D.C.+ 8/22 – Tucker C0unty Fair – Parson, WV 8/23 – The Orgininal Pittsburgh Winery – Pittsburgh, PA+ *supporting Josiah & the Bonnevilles !Early and Late Show +w/ Julia DiGraziaThe post Philip Bowen Teams Up With Josiah & The Bonnevilles On New Single “Sure Could Use The Rain” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

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The dreamy and creamy cloud coffee has taken the internet by storm. Learn what‘s in the drink and how to make it.

Rider Rear Ended at High Speed by Another Rider @Totomoto220 #motorcycle #crash

J.R. Minton, a 33-year-old UPS driver from the Dallas, Texas, area, recently ruffled some feathers with a viral TikTok video titled “SAHMs Listen up!” that begins with him asking, “I mean, how entitled could you be?” At first, Minton appears to fail to appreciate the enormous amount of emotional, mental, and physical labor that stay-at-home moms provide.“I truly cannot imagine the amount of arrogance you must have to sit there and complain when you are so privileged to have a person who is willing to provide such a carefree life for you,” Minton continues. “Let’s get real! What do you do all day? Your spouse is taking care of everything so you can take care of one thing. How complicated could it be: all you do is go to work?”At this point, legions of stay-at-home mothers and those who love them considered trucking themselves to Dallas to find this unappreciative UPS driver. However, it was soon apparent that Minton was referring to himself. @minton__jr Grow tf up—You should be doing more. #sahm #sahmlife #momlife #mom #momsoftiktok #sahmsoftiktok #sahmtok #momtok “For 10 hours a day, you get to live the life of a single, childless, carefree man because your wife was willing to take the financial risk of allowing you to be successful in your career while she takes care of everything else,” he continues. “She provides childcare services, home cleaning services, medical services, food services, scheduling services, and a list that goes on and on. And you provide... a paycheck? And you have the nerve to call yourself the provider! What is it going to take for you to realize that, bro, everything you have in your life is because of a stay-at-home mom.”The commenters on the video breathed sighs of relief and then praised Minton, a father of 4, for publicly appreciating his wife’s work. A woman breathing a sigh of relief. via Canva/Photos"My sleeves were rolled up, earrings were off, hair tied up.... I was so ready...." one commenter joked. "I thought I landed in enemy territory for a min..." another added. "You have just made me realize after all these years that *I* am the freaking provider and that feels amazing,” a stay-at-home mother wrote.People appreciate Minton’s post because he praised stay-at-home mothers and placed his wife’s work above his, which he characterized as merely bringing home a paycheck. Minton has one job, delivering packages, but as he noted, his wife is an expert in over five different professions. In a world where stay-at-home moms are fighting to be seen as equals to their working spouses, Minton places them on a pedestal and owes his “carefree life” to them."Married life, with children, is bound to be chaotic," Minton told Upworthy. "It’s bound to have its ups and downs; It’s made me question myself a thousand times. However, the marriage my wife and I share has given me the space to find peace." via Canva/PhotosMinton may be sharing an opinion we don't hear often enough, but he doesn't think he's the only one who thinks that way. "The last thing I am is rare or unique. There’s nothing special about the way that I feel or the things that I say. I have the same thoughts, feelings, frustrations and problems that any other husband or father might be struggling with," he told Upworthy. "The only difference that might be apparent is how I choose to react to the same situations any other man might encounter."This post isn’t the first time Minton has pulled the bait and switch on his followers. Last year, he made a video where he appeared to take pride in the fact that he never “helps” his wife with chores. @minton__jr The twist in this video was that he doesn’t “help” his wife with chores because they are also his responsibility. "Because I do what I am supposed to do as a father and a husband. I cook. I clean. I do the laundry. I take care of the kids. I can't help my wife do those things because they are my job, too,” he reveals.He then urged men to change their perspectives on how they view stay-at-home moms. “Change the way you speak, change the way you think, and grow the f*** up and be a man," he added.Minton is an equal partner to his wife because he wants to treat his wife and family differently from how he was raised. “Pretty much everything about my parenting style is in spite of what I saw when I was growing up,” he told Today.com. It's wonderful to see someone like Minton breaking the generational cycles. What makes it even better is that he wants to teach others to do the same. This article originally appeared in January 2025.

Battle of the bros.

One of the guitar greats...