Former President Donald Trump is forging ahead with another press conference as his 2024 rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, continues to duck substantive engagements with reporters. According to his campaign, Trump will hold a press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, at 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday. Trump’s last press conference was last week, when he spent more than an hour talking with journalists at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and he spoke with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on X Spaces for roughly two hours on Monday. Trump’s willingness to take on questions, whether they be from reporters or tech billionaires, makes for a stark contrast with Harris, who has for the most part avoided taking questions during the more than three weeks of her presidential campaign that began after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race following a fumbling debate performance. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI “DAY 24: Kamala hasn’t done a single interview nor press conference since she forced Biden off the ticket,” said a post to X from Trump’s campaign on Wednesday. “Just the same teleprompter speech — over and over again,” it added, referring to how Harris has largely stuck to campaign rally appearances. DAY 24: Kamala hasn't done a single interview nor press conference since she forced Biden off the ticket. Just the same teleprompter speech — over and over again. pic.twitter.com/FfYMjFZ2tX — Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 14, 2024 Harris did speak with reporters last week on August 8, the day of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago press conference, but stood for less than two minutes of questions. There, Harris said she was “looking forward” to her first debate against Trump and indicated that she wanted to sit down for an interview — sometime in the next few weeks. “I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month,” she said. Minimizing press exposure appears to be working for Harris as polls generally show her performing better against Trump than Biden was doing before he stepped aside. However, as pollster Brent Buchanan recently explained to The Daily Wire, the overall picture is likely to look different by mid-September — after the so-called “honeymoon” period — as voters get to see more of Harris talking without the help of a teleprompter during the upcoming ABC News debate. RELATED: Harris Accepts Only One Debate, Refuses To Commit To More Against Trump CNN’s Jim Acosta pressed Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Harris-Walz campaign, on Wednesday to explain why Harris has not held a press conference as a presidential candidate. “Would it kill you guys to have a press conference?” he asked at one point. In response, Tyler noted that Harris did say she wanted a sit-down interview before the end of the month, but the spokesman would not commit his boss to any press conferences. CNN's Jim Acosta repeatedly pressed a Harris campaign spox on why VP Kamala Harris won't commit to holding a press conference pic.twitter.com/yMgeZCJ0tq — Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 14, 2024 Further underscoring the divide, Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), appeared on multiple talk shows on Sunday while the Democrats’ VP pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has also made himself scarce on the media circuit. “I enjoyed sitting down with three of the major networks today to answer the tough questions any leader should answer. Kamala Harris has done as many tough interviews as Tim Walz has battlefield deployments,” Vance quipped on X, alluding to a controversy over Walz’s military record.

While singers typically perform well on AGT, there is something even more captivating when they sing an original song. The country group Ashes & Arrows stole the judges’ hearts during the America’s Got Talent auditions. Now, they are on a mission to steal the hearts and the votes of fans. Watch as they perform an inspiring original they wrote called “Wild Horses.” Ashes & Arrows Steal The Show During “AGT” Quarterfinals The scene is set on a dark stage, with a light mountainous landscape behind the band. The song starts with the lyrics: “Wide open plains, storms, and the rain behind me. Thunder at my feet, I’m rolling. I ride the lightning. “ Instagram. The other two singers join in on the next line, harmonizing beautifully as they sing: “Alone with the breeze, all I need are the stars. Eyes on the sky, the blazes reflected in my heart.” From there, the song picks up the tempo and enters the chorus verse. As the three men sing, the scene behind them shifts into various country landscapes. The chorus is: “Cause in our blood, we are, we are wild horses chasing dreams.” The chorus continues with, “No one, no one could ever stop us. Try and stop us. You can’t tame a wild horse.” The three performers of Ashes & Arrows performed extremely well, harmonizing vocals and playing their instruments with such skill. The Crowd Goes Wild When the band concluded their incredible performance, they received huge cheers from the crowd and a standing ovation from the four AGT judges. Howie Mandell started off the positive comments for the group by stating, “That song was great. You rose to the occasion.” Howie then continued on to make a prediction. He claimed, “I bet everybody tomorrow, that song is going to be on the chart.” Hedi Klum continued the positive feedback. She told the stars from Ashes and Arrows, “You sounded great individually, you sounded great when you were singing together. “ The great feedback doesn’t end there. As Terry moved down the judges’ table, Sofia Vergara also chimed in. She stated, “I loved it. I mean, I thought that you guys were great at the auditions, but this was another level.” She also praised the group for making a song that felt and sounded very American. Finally, the group met the long-awaited AGT judge, Simon Cowell. He also praised Ashes & Arrows, saying, “I thought the song was amazing.” A Powerful Performance From Ashes & Arrows Both the judges and America loved this harmony-driven rock/country trio. With their incredible vocals, impressive musical talents, and relatable lyrics, this song will surely break the charts. According to Viberate, the musical group is doing quite well. Ashes & Arrows is ranked 81st in Americana Country on Spotify and 59th in Americana Country on Instagram. Additionally, their song, Wild Horses, is getting some love, just like Howie Mandell predicted. In the last week, they have had over 13,000 streams on Spotify. With their talent and their drive, we all have high hopes for this incredible AGT act. The source of the featured image can be found here. The post “AGT”: Country Group Ashes & Arrows Gets Crowd Amped With Gritty Original “Wild Horses” appeared first on InspireMore.

Many people enjoy thrift store shopping, even though they rarely find items like this purse. The small handbag has a crocheted base sewn onto molded plastic handles. When she saw it, Britt knew it was old, but she was unaware of its fascinating history. When she began researching the origins of the evening bag, she discovered the rich history of her five-dollar purchase. Image from TikTok. The purse is unique, and Britt discovers a treasure hidden in the inside pocket. While checking the purse, Britt discovered a pristine ticket dated June 13, 1939! The ticket was for the commencement ceremony for Baltimore City College held at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Auditorium that year. WOW! Image from TikTok. Britt noticed the purse’s beautiful hand-stitching. The handle was attached to the bag portion with embroidered stitching. Additional research led her to an original sales advertisement for the purse. The retail price at the time was just 79 cents. The handbag was sold as a kit with yarn (gimp) and the molded plastic handles. The handles were available in a variety of color choices. Britt’s bag has a cream-colored handle. Image from TikTok. Joining a vintage group on social media, Britt learned a lot about this hand-made evening bag. For a few minutes, she perused the thrift store to find this purse and uncovered a treasure trove of Americana. Brock’s, which began as a “general mercantile” store in Canada in the 1880s, marketed the original bag design. One person even supplied Britt with a vintage photograph of a woman carrying the evening bag. Image from TikTok. Imagine going into a thrift store and finding a treasure like this purse. If this thrifting adventure made you smile, please share it with your friends. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Woman Finds Unique Treasure Inside $5 Thrift Store Purse appeared first on InspireMore.

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Books book review Small Town Horror: The Dark We Know by Wen-Yi Lee A review of Wen-Yi Lee’s new young adult horror novel. By Alex Brown | Published on August 14, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share Isadora Chang left home two years ago. She’d grown up in an oppressive, small mining town in the middle of nowhere, but after two of her friends died by suicide, she fled. Fled the deaths that haunted the town going back decades. Fled the mother that wouldn’t talk to her and the father that abused her. She thought she escaped, that art school got her out for good. But even that has turned sour. She’s so broke she’s crashing on the couch at her part time job, and she’s at risk of failing out of her art program if she can’t complete her portfolio. Thing is, she did actually finish it, she just doesn’t remember doing it. Her pieces are horror shows, all twisted figures in grotesque positions, people from back home dying in terrible ways. And then her own father dies. And then Isa has to return to Slater. And then things get worse. Back home, her mother has spiraled out of control and sealed all the windows shut, and her older sister, Trish, is sleepwalking more than ever. Slater is ruled by the Vandersteen family, who helped found the town and now run the local clinic, fund pretty much everything, and always get their way. Two years ago, Isa was friends with Mason, Wren, and Zach. When Mason was blamed for Wren’s death, Isa wasn’t there to help him. Now here he is, begging her to listen to him when he says a monstrous spirit is killing kids and only the two of them can do something about it. Because he’s not wrong. Their shared trauma connects them not just to each other but to the darkness at the heart of Slater as well. And that darkness has its eyes on Isa. We’re in a veritable golden age of YA horror right now, and it takes a lot to stand out from the crowd. You’ve got to have an interesting premise, compelling characters, and a strong grasp on the craft. Wen-yi Lee handles all three well. We don’t get much small town horror in YA, real small town, not just a suburb or a small city. Lee set The Dark We Know in a dried up mining town in the middle of winter, when everything is cold and dreary and dead. Slater is the kind of place where everyone is all up in everyone else’s business and the only places to hang out are the local diner and the woods. The plot unfolds slowly (perhaps a little too slowly), before ratcheting up in intensity and fervor until it’s got you hooked. While I remain unconvinced by the handwaving that goes on to explain what’s actually happening in the town, the confrontations with the monstrous being are entertaining and chilling.  Buy the Book The Dark We Know Wen-Yi Lee Buy Book The Dark We Know Wen-Yi Lee Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget As for characters, some work better than others. Isa is a rich tapestry of nuance and frustration. She’s trying so hard to not be the person she was when she left Slater that she doesn’t know who she is when she finally returns. She denies her friends and family thinking it’s what they (and she) deserves only to realize just how wrong she’s been. I appreciated how Lee allowed her to grapple with her abusive childhood and all her father took from her while also trying to figure out how to build something new out of all that rubble. There are a lot of teens who need to see someone else go through that journey to help them as they navigate their own journey. Mason, too, has a troubled past he’s trying to sort out. He’s learning where the line is between rebellion and troublemaker and what he thinks about the new identities he’s discovering in himself. Trish, Otto Vandersteen, and Isa’s mother get less development, to their detriment. Others are vital to the plot but wholly forgettable as characters. Because they’re so underdeveloped, they feel more like plot devices than people.  One thing that pleasantly surprised me was the lack of romance. While relationships happen in the background—Isa had a failed date back at art school, Mason dated Wren and kissed someone else—romance isn’t a subplot. In young adult fiction nowadays, romance is everywhere. Romance is so predominant that platonic relationships can feel like a rarity. I spent much of the novel waiting for that inevitable moment when Isa caught feelings for one of the secondary characters, but it never came. This really is a book about the two main characters having a platonic relationship! The power of friendship will save us all. It’s not that I don’t like romance in my fiction, it’s more that it’s nice to have some variety. Teens need to know that they have the option to date outside the compulsory heterosexual social norms, but they also need to know that they don’t have to date at all and that you can in fact just be friends with someone you might otherwise find attractive. Wen-yi Lee’s The Dark We Know is a visceral, atmospheric young adult horror novel. Like the monster haunting the town, this novel will get its claws into you. Readers who like social horror, small town horror, and stories about queer teens confronting their traumas should pick up this engrossing novel. [end-mark] The Dark We Know is published by Zando/Gillian Flynn Books. The post Small Town Horror: <i>The Dark We Know</i> by Wen-Yi Lee appeared first on Reactor.