Bring on the tears. With the 2025 CMA Awards just a few hours from staring, nominee Luke Combs is teasing new music. He’s up for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma,” and he’ll also be performing. But this unreleased new song is what I’m going to be focused on going forward… I need the studio cut, like, yesterday. I imagine the song he just shared on Instagram called “Giving Her Away,” which is an absolute tear jerker of a song told from the perspective of a groom about to marry the love of his life. The song is written like a letter or conversation to her father, as the groom explains he knows that his future wife’s father is her first love, and they have a special bond. Combs confirmed not long ago that a new album is coming next year, and he previously told Katie that he had cut “over 30 songs” for the record, and if the rest of them are anything like this, I think we’re in for something very special. The first verse opens like so: “You’ll always be her first love And mine’s walking down the aisle That song’s about to play We’re going to say ‘I Do’ And for the rest of my days I’ll do my best to fill your shoes Only she could’ve got us both in suits Only she could’ve got us out our boots” He goes onto acknowledge that everyone’s life is about to change after the wedding, singing poignantly that he “brought a ring and I’m giving her my name,” while her dad is “giving her away.” Instant tears: “Fighting back every tear that we both knew We were gonna cry today Neither one of us knows what to do Standing up in front of a crowded room On a Spring time Saturday afternoon With both our lives about to change Man, you brought your baby I brought a ring and I’m giving her my name And you’re giving her away” He knows how to pull on the heart strings, there’s never been a doubt about that… Of course, there are plenty of songs in country music from the perspective of a father giving away his daughter, and many more about a man who is marrying the love of his life, but I’ve never heard one from this perspective from a man to his future father-in-law about their shared love for a woman in their life, and I think it’s absolutely beautiful and something so many people will relate to. If you’re a girl dad, or a girl about to get married, or just a daddy’s girl in general, please grab a few tissues before you listen to this… seriously. He just does not miss: View this post on Instagram Luke’s My Kinda Saturday Night world tour will kick off in March of 2026, and you can check out the full list of dates below. My Kinda Saturday Night Tour Dates March 21 Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV April 4 Scott Stadium – Charlottesville, VA April 11 Jack Trice Stadium – Ames, IA April 18 Notre Dame Stadium – South Bend, IN April 25 Ohio Stadium – Columbus, OH May 2 Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN May 9 Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium – Norman, OK May 15 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 16 Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI May 30 Parc Jean-Drapeau – Montreal, QC June 5 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON June 6 Rogers Stadium – Toronto, ON July 4 Ullevi – Gothenburg, Sweden July 7 Accor Arena – Paris, France July 11 Johan Cruijff ArenA – Amsterdam, Netherlands July 18 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 19 Slane Castle – Slane, Ireland July 25 Scottish Gas Murrayfield – Edinburgh, UK July 31 Wembley Stadium – London, UK August 1 Wembley Stadium – London, UKThe post Luke Combs Teases Absolute Tear Jerker About A Groom & The Bride’s Father On His Daughter’s Wedding Day, “Giving Her Away” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

Governor Abbott was on with Dana Loesch today and revealed that there are Islamic Sharia law courts operating in Dallas, Texas, and he’s asked that they be investigated. Here’s what he told . . .

House Democrat Minority Whip Katherine Clark totally began stuttering on CNN when she was asked an actual good question about Stacey Plaskett colluding with Jeffrey Epstein back in 2019. Watch below: Man, . . .

An important message is being spread by a 30-year-old stage 3 testicular cancer patient. On TikTok, a man named Nick shared something he wished he knew about much earlier. He demonstrated an updated proper testicular self-check to screen for malignant lumps.In the video, using a plastic baggie with two hardboiled eggs, Nick went over the steps for a proper check for testicular cancer. Nick mentioned that had he known how to properly self-check at least every two weeks, he likely would have been able to avoid a stage 3 testicular cancer diagnosis as the “pinch and roll” method that he learned back in middle school health class made him “too late on a lot of that stuff.” He ended the video encouraging people to share it with their loved ones who happened to have a pair on them. @ntc.awareness CHIGGITY CHECK YO SELF. This video outlines how to give yourself a testicular examination which you should be doing once a month AT THE LEAST. #testicularcancerawareness #testicularcancercheck #testicularcancer #cancersucks #fyp People in the comments thanked Nick for this updated information on how to properly check along with and his frank, to-the-point messaging:“Everyone says to check regularly but nobody says what to check for. Thank you, king”“General rule of thumb for all bodies: check your lumps and bumps for unusual lumps and bumps!”“My cousin had testicular cancer at 16! CHECK YOUR NUGGETS GUYS.”“I volunteered at a testicular cancer tent at warped tour and the amount of teenage boys that were too embarrassed to feel the lump versus non-lump models was very discouraging. Thank you for posting this.”“I've got spina bifida so I can't feel it normally, but this video actually helps what to look for.”“I’m 33, no one has ever taught me this or showed concern. I’ve had a mass for months now and just thought it was normal, getting it checked because of your video.”“Brother, I think you might’ve just saved me. I have a weird feeling whenever I feel on my bottom right one. Gonna get it checked out. Wish me luck.” @doctorsood Share to increase awareness @Movember #menshealth #testicularcancer #testicularcancerawareness The American Cancer Society reports that one out of 250 males or those assigned male at birth will develop testicular cancer at some point in their lives. While the risk of dying from testicular cancer is significantly low (one out of 5,000 cases), the risk of death is higher the longer it goes undiagnosed and the likelihood of a surgical procedure for removal of the affected testicle increases as well. @doctorsooj FIVE signs and symptoms of testicular cancer #health #menshealth #cancer #testicularcancer #doctor As Nick and the Testicular Cancer Foundation have said, it’s important to check testicles for lumps at least once per month and it could be done easily while showering. As Nick says in the video, a thorough check involves touching and gently squeezing each testicle to check for any changes in firmness, lumps, pain, or change in size rather than just pinching a loose bit of skin on the scrotum and rolling it between your fingers. For further details on a proper testicular cancer check, consult Nick’s video and the Testicular Cancer Foundation.This International Men’s Day, help the people in your life that this could impact by spreading the word and sharing this article. It could possibly save their testicles, if not their lives.

There can be a lot of pressure to do what our communities and peers expect of us. Some people find absolute bliss by letting go of peer pressure. Imagine the joy in doing less of what is "required" and more of what's right for you.A question was posed in a recent r/AskReddit thread: "What's something you didn't realize was optional in life until you saw someone simply not doing it?" Comments ranged from common-sense opinions to valuable life lessons. It's a curious thought about what things we might be engaging in that aren't actually serving us. Perhaps you will remove a few of these from your behavioral patterns. People at a demonstration rally.Photo credit: CanvaMy opinion is necessary on thisA few quick keystrokes, and our thoughts and opinions are easily shared on a seemingly endless stream of topics. Often with little repercussions, someone might even find themselves telling a professional how to apply their field of expertise properly. "That you don’t actually have to have an opinion on everything. Watching someone say “I don’t know enough about that to comment” made me realize silence is an option too."Here were some clever responses to that way of thinking:"I find such peace in not forming opinions about a lot of things." "it's cheeky but liberating for me when people ask, 'what do you think about [...]?' and I reply, 'I don't'""Social media has been the biggest driver of people thinking they have to have an opinion on everything & it has destroyed the fabric of society.""Some things are really, really complicated and I'm not being paid to figure them out" People at a party.Photo credit: CanvaIt's important to attend the events to which I'm invitedMaybe it seems like a form of rocket science to uncover the best way to excuse ourselves from something. But, perhaps it's actually simpler to say "no thank you" than come up with an elaborate excuse."Saying 'thank you for the invitation, but I/we won’t be able to make it!' to a social invite without providing a detailed explanation about WHY you can’t attend.These responses sum up the idea nicely:"Usually the person you're talking to doesn't even care that you don't have a reason. They were just wanting to hear yes or no" "BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE YOU, KAREN!""when I was young my mom taught me that "No." is a complete sentence.""Yes and this also applies to work if you're using to or vacation. You earned that time, you don't have to explain why you want to use it. Same with canceling appointments." A man worried on a bench.Photo credit: CanvaWorrying about everythingIt's easy to get wrapped up in fear and worries. But how many things do we actually have the ability to change? On top of that, how many things are actually interfering with our lives and overall happiness?"The world doesn't end if you burn a pizza, or if the water spills over when boiling pasta. That guy who cut you off isn't the worst part of your day, the staff member at the store checking your ID isn't a bad person. You can just "not" react to those things, and life gets a whole lot easier."Redditors seemed to settle into this concept rather easily:"I was irritated that an accident on the freeway made me late for my first day of a new job. I took a step back and realized the people involved in that accident likely wished that my issue was their problem that day.""I try and teach my little niece this - 'whoopsie daisies!' and 'no big deal, we’ll clean it up! are common phrases my sis and I use.""Growing up my dad always said 'don't sweat the small stuff.' Used to piss me off because he usually said it when I was arguing with my sister LOL. But now I think it's actually such an important view to have.""I stress myself out about trying to do the best I can, trying to fight executive disfunction, being fast and efficient and right the first time. I really need to let that go and relax more." Sipping coffee and not answering the door. Photo credit: CanvaWhen you're home, make yourself availableTo some, this may be a novel concept that we are not at the beck and call of people. Perhaps it's reasonable and fair to get back to others when it's most convenient for us."Was casually speaking to my neighbor and she mentioned the neighborhood was getting hit hard by solicitors lately. I told her a few were selling internet plans, no name wireless, and pest control services, she looked at me like I had a horn between my eyes and asked me why I was opening my door to strangers. Made me really think about how programmed we are to answer the door, to anyone and everyone who may or may not be nefarious. So, I just stopped, because it IS weird I would open my door to someone I'm not expecting."People responded with their own thoughts about not answering the door:"The doorbell and phone ringing are requests for your attention/time. You get to decide if you grant those requests""And you don't have to hide from them either! Look out your front window, realize it's a salesperson, wave, and then ignore them til they leave.""Years ago I realized that my door, much like my phone, is for MY convenience, not the world’s.""My intercom is on private. I disabled my doorbell, and less than five people know my full address. I also only speak to one neighbour. Makes for a peaceful life." Closing the book.Photo credit: CanvaWhen you start something, you must see it through to the endSometimes it's hard to put things down. Just because we "started" doesn't necessarily mean "stopping" makes us a quitter."This was a revelation to me, when a friend casually mentioned that he'd started reading a particular book, but it didn't grab him, so he stopped. I pushed back because I'd somehow got the idea that if a book didn't interest me, that was a fault in me for not getting it/trying hard enough/being smart enough, but he was like 'it's the authors job to make me want to keep reading'."Commenters agreed that it's worth stopping before finishing:"The same goes for TV series, movies, videogames, etc. If you're not enjoying it or you've had enough you can just stop.""And a book can be great but still not for me. Sometimes I just can’t get into it at that point in time or ever.""Just because you invested money into it doesn’t mean you need to see it through to the end. Do something else.""Yes! For a long time I felt this need to finish any book I picked up and I forced myself through some that truly just did not mesh with me." Care instructions.Photo credit: CanvaThings have more value if they're complicatedThere's something to be said for having the time and patience to work through a challenge. However, filling up our lives with complicated tasks isn't necessarily the best plan for a more enjoyable life."I call myself a Darwinist about my belongings. If you can make it through the washer/dryer, or the dishwasher, then you get to survive. Saves a whole lotta hassle, and reduces expectations."These were some of the opinions people had around making life less complicated:"I've got this great ironing hack called 'Don't buy clothes that need ironing.'""For me, it's 'if I can't throw it in the dishwasher, I don't want it in my kitchen'. Gasp in horror that I don't follow your 5-step knife care routine, but I really dgaf.""Yup, I still remember the exact Sunday night years ago when I was ironing my dress shirts for work thinking to myself 'Why am I wasting time outside of work doing work related stuff?' That was the last time I wore clothes that needed ironing to work.""I know of people who iron their sheets. It doesn’t have to be like this. We can break the cycle." An awkward hug.Photo credit: CanvaStay true to your friends and family, no matter whatThis one might be a bit more complicated than most. However, everyone has the right to determine if a friend is bringing value to the relationship."My closest pals through me a little party and they asked who I wanted to come and I left someone off the list that we’d normally invite. They asked and I just said: unless you guys really want her here, or if it will cause an issue, I don’t want her to come. We all know how she’ll act and I just want to have a nice time. Everyone agreed though: we’re all tired of her behaviour. So we didn’t invite her and had a wonderful time."These were some thoughts by other Redditors:"Yep my mil has a huge problem with me not wanting to see or speak to their bigoted racist family. I want nothing to do with them.""I just hope your not dropping family because of their views / ideologies / politics, but because of how they treat you.""Dropping toxic friends and, most especially family, out of your life. “What do you mean you’re not inviting A**hole Uncle Frank to Thanksgiving?” “Yup!” It is soooooooo good!""But who's going to complain about the Obamacare royalties if Uncle Frank doesn't show up????" Calvin flies with the birds. media1.giphy.com Experts agree that letting go of these issues can make for a happier lifeLearning how to adapt to what actually works in our lives is a valuable tool supported by science. A 2025 study in BioMed Central found that hanging out with peers who engage in problematic behaviors increases depression. Learning how to protect ourselves against adopting behaviors that don't actually serve us strongly supports emotional growth and self-esteem. A 2025 study in the Wiley Online Library found that positive self-view protected individuals from engaging in harmful behaviors. Learning how to curb unproductive habits can lead to more happiness. A 2022 study in MDPI showed that treating yourself kindly and being mindful of your emotional state and personal needs contribute to overall well-being.

Most know Fortnite for wild skins, victory royales, and maybe their kid who won’t stop doing emotes in public. But today the multiplayer game is trending for something very different: its billionaire owner Tim Sweeney has quietly become one of America's biggest private conservationists.For nearly two decades, Sweeney—the founder and CEO of Epic Games, which owns Fortnite—has been buying massive tracts of North Carolina wilderness simply to keep them protected from development. According to multiple reports, he owns more than 50,000 acres across 15 counties. His goal is simple: save large areas of land with high conservation value before developers can destroy them. He then waits for conservation groups or state agencies to take over. Some properties are sold at a discount to ensure they stay wild.bro made Fortnite money and decided to save the actual map— Dexrk (@dexrk) November 10, 2025 Over the years, he has donated 7,000 acres to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 7,500 acres to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. In August, he worked with The Conservation Fund to help expand Mount Mitchell State Park by selling 238 acres of high-elevation forest to the state.How Sweeney became one of North Carolina’s biggest land stewardsMost of these purchases happened when land was cheaper. As he told The News & Observer, “Most of my big conservation land purchasing breakthroughs came when the economy was in poor shape and land was prudently priced.” He added, “Since 2021, the economy has been stronger, land has become more expensive, and my focus has moved to getting large blocks of contiguous conservation lands I’ve acquired since 2009 into permanent conservation.”He even works directly with local families who want land near their property. “In some places, long-time local families wanted land adjoining theirs for expansion, and I’ve accommodated that wherever it was compatible with conserving key natural habitat,” he said. “And in a few places, conservation plans didn’t work out and I sold stranded tracts of land to local folks.”Fan reactionsThis is certainly not the typical billionaire story we see making headlines. And people online are fully here for it.“That kind of large-scale preservation is a powerful statement, showing that not every piece of valuable land needs to be monetized or built upon,” an X user wrote. Another joked, “Damn dude even he prefers no build”—referencing a specific Fortnite game mode. — (@) Someone else quipped, “Bro made Fortnite money and decided to save the actual map.”Of course, the gesture was appreciated by more than just Fortnite fans. One person wrote, “I don’t like Fortnite, but that’s cool.” A Threads user wrote, “how billionaires should act.”Shagarita Shalymar Stickerfrom Shagarita Stickers Sweeney even posts updates about the forests he helps restoreSweeney occasionally posts updates about restoration work, including one note about a forest project that “was a mess for 10 years, but has turned the corner.” — (@) Turns out, behind one of the world’s biggest games is someone trying to protect the real world, too.

When we hear that someone performed at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, we generally understand that to mean the person has talent. Carnegie Hall has long been seen as the epitome of "making it" in the New York music world, but one woman's story of selling out Carnegie Hall turns that entire idea on its head. Florence Foster Jenkins was a terrible singer. She sang off key, her voice was shrill, and she was considered the "world's worst singer." And yet, she sold out concerts repeatedly in the early 1940s. A self-professed coloratura soprano, Jenkins sang famous opera pieces and even made recordings of some of them (which you can find on Spotify), and her singing is objectively terrible. So how did she get to where she was if she sang so poorly? According to the story told by music teacher David Hartley, it was essentially a combination of being a New York musical socialite and simply embracing the fact that people were entertained by her bad singing. - YouTube www.youtube.com Jenkins grew up in a wealthy family and was a piano prodigy as a child, even performing at the White House for President Rutherford B. Hayes. She wanted to study in Europe, but here parents wouldn't let her. So, she ran away at 14 and married 30-year-old Francis Thornton Jenkins. Her father cut her off, she contracted syphilis, her marriage didn't last, and she ended up living in Philadelphia an all but destitute single woman. She taught piano to make ends meet, but an arm injury in her late 20s ended any dreams she had of becoming a concert pianist. So she turned to singing instead—except she couldn't sing.She moved to New York with her mother, who supported her musical ambitions, and began taking singing lessons. When her father died, she and her mother inherited a significant amount of wealth, giving her financial security. She joined women's clubs and music clubs and soon became a respected member of the musical elite in Manhattan, organizing concerts and other musical events. She founded a musical club herself that nurtured other musical artists and became a much respected musical director. Florence Foster Jenkins performed to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall on October 25, 1944.Public domainPeople in her circle who knew she was taking singing lessons began asking her to perform at her club. She obliged, which led to a combination of loyal members praising her and pretty much everyone quietly laughing at her. The more she performed, the more members would bring guests just to hear the "worst singer in the world." Word spread, and so did Jenkins' popularity. The recordings she made in the early 1940s began circulating around the city, confirming that the rumors about her terrible voice were true. So what did she do? She put together a concert at Carnegie Hall, the most prestigious venue in New York. Tickets sold out in just two hours. A thousand people who couldn't get tickets were turned away at the door. Carnegie Hall's main auditorium seats nearly 3,000 people.Diplocult/Wikimedia Commons She put on a dramatic performance with spectacular costumes, dancing, and of course her tone-deaf singing. The review in the New York Sun wrote, "Much of her singing was hopelessly lacking in any semblance of pitch. But the further a note was from its proper elevation, the more the audience laughed and applauded." The question is, did she know she was that bad? "There's no way she could not have known," acclaimed voice teacher Bill Schuman told NPR. "No one is that unaware, especially a person who has developed so much of her time and resources to helping young, really good singers." Schuman himself had been trained by a singer Jenkins had supported, and that teacher had told him that Jenkins was in on the joke. "She loved the audience reaction and she loved singing," he said. "But she knew."Others aren't so sure about that, but does it really matter? Clearly, Jenkins was happy about singing for an audience, whatever the reason they came to hear her. In fact, the quote attributed to her sums up her motto we can all take to heart: “People may say that I can’t sing, but no one can ever say that I didn’t sing.” - YouTube www.youtube.com Jenkins had a heart attack just five days after the Carnegie Hall performance and died the following month. But at least she fulfilled her lifelong dream of musical renown in perhaps the strangest way possible. She also became the subject of a 2016 film starring Meryl Streep, so clearly her voice struck a chord throughout history—even if it was an off-key one.

Listen: adulting is hard, especially when you were born into a world that already had smartphones and Google while relics of the past still hang around like analog boobytraps. It is not your fault if you don't know who Dewey is or why he has a decimal system; you simply reserve the book ahead of time online or listen to the audiobook like a person born in the 2st Century. But those analog traps left by those of us who lived through the late 1900s are around every corner, waiting for an unsuspecting Gen Zer to encounter them. Antonia Lopez, a 25-year-old Army soldier, found herself staring down one of these old school relics while getting gas recently. The soldier should've suspected she was about to be transported to the 1900s when the pump didn't have Apple Pay.Instead of using a card at the pump, she had to walk into the gas station and interact with other humans to prepay. Many of us, no matter the generation, would risk running out of gas trying to get to the nearest gas station that allowed pay at the pump just to avoid talking to the cashier. Clearly, Lopez was already doing hard things, so a vintage gas pump should've been easy. Empty gas station under a clear sky.Photo credit: CanvaIt wasn't. She was struggling to figure out how to get the gas to come out of the nozzle, so she did what any Gen Zer would do and whipped out her phone to document it. Lopez uploaded the video to her socials, where it has started going viral. When the video starts, Lopez is dressed in her Army uniform, staring at the gas pump in a puzzled way."Please tell me I'm not stupid. I'm trying to pump gas, but the gas..." she trails off as she turns the phone around to show the gas pump. "Like this is not a button. Do you know what I mean? Like, I'm trying to...hello?" She says as she's aggressively pushing the yellow sticker on the gas pump that identifies the unleaded gas with a percentage of ethanol added. Fueling up for the day's journey ahead.Photo credit: CanvaObviously, she was not having luck trying to use the sticker like a touch screen. Lopez then moves on to attempt to press where the pump indicates up is for on and down is for off. After having no luck pushing everything that could be a button, she reads the directions out loud several times while looking over the gas pump. Eventually, she gives up and goes to ask the attendant, who also sounds young. The attendant confirms that she has already prepaid for $25 before adding, "These things were built like when Reagan was in office." He then demonstrates flipping the lever that the gas nozzle rests on up and down. According to the gas attendant, he sees people struggle with the pump all the time. @retiredhotcheetogirly I was thoroughly confused ?#oldgaspump #genz ♬ original sound - retiredhotcheetogirly The amusing generational fight with the Reagan Era gas pump had people laughing and yelling at their phones, trying to send the soldier instructions. One person laughs, "I was SCREAMING, flip the handle up!!!!! Too funny."Another writes, "I honestly felt for her; nobody likes being in a situation like that. But this did really make me smile. Him saying it was made when Reagan was in office made me snort. What really makes me feel old is that I remember when those were new, back when the numbers physically flipped over as you pumped; all analog, nothing digital." Hiding a smile behind her hand.Photo credit: CanvaSomeone else admits that these pumps are no longer common: "I was literally yelling to flip the holder. I haven’t seen pumps like that in a long time."Overall, most people were very compassionate, even though they found it amusing. One person reminded her that people learn new things all the time, writing, "You learned something new, that’s always a good thing. Congrats. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. There are people who think they were born knowing everything, forgetting they all had to learn it the first time."Everyone has to learn something new at some point. The older generations poking fun have likely had to ask someone younger to teach them a technology they don't understand. Learning something new on your own or from others is something to be celebrated, and thanks to Lopez sharing her experience online, she just taught others how to work the same kind of gas pump. The more you know!