How your favourites turned up for the #AMVCA11 Cultural Night

Which of your faves slayed their look the most?

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When the world’s most powerful MILITARY landed in Somalia in 1993, they thought it would be a quick job — in and out, one hour tops. But the streets of MOGADISHU turned into a deadly trap that even the best-trained soldiers could barely survive. Black Hawk helicopters fell from the sky. Soldiers were outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded by locals fighting for their land.

This is the true story behind OPERATION BLACK HAWK DOWN — a mission that changed how AMERICA fights its wars abroad. Many young soldiers paid with their lives, while Somali families lost even more. What lesson did the world learn? And did anyone truly win?

SOURCE: Mark Bowden, Black Hawk Down (1999)

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Did this story surprise you? Should the US have stayed out of Somalia?

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Senate Republicans narrowly advanced President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a 50-50 tie after hours of debate. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which includes permanent tax cuts and major reductions to government programs, now returns to the House for final approval.⁠
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Three Senate Republicans—Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, and Rand Paul—joined Democrats in opposing the bill. Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski voted yes after negotiations. The legislation proposes cuts to Medicaid and food subsidies while preserving Trump-era tax breaks. Critics, including the House Freedom Caucus, warned the bill could add $650 billion annually to the deficit. “That’s not fiscal responsibility,” the caucus posted on Monday.⁠
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President Trump had hoped to sign the bill by July 4, but said meeting that date would be “very hard.” Tech executive Elon Musk, who helped Trump win the presidency, has turned against the bill, citing its impact on renewable energy. “Every member of Congress who… voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame,” Musk posted on X.⁠
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Abortions in the United States increased in 2024 to an estimated 1.1 million, up from around 1.06 million in 2023 and 960,000 in 2022, according to new data from the Society of Family Planning’s WeCount project. The rise comes despite expanding restrictions in many states following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and ended nearly five decades of nationwide legal abortion access.⁠
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A growing share of abortions are now being carried out through telehealth, a form of remote medical care where patients consult with clinicians online and receive prescribed pills by mail. By the final quarter of 2024, telehealth abortions accounted for 25% of all abortions, up from just 5% before the Dobbs ruling. Many of these were made possible by shield laws in Democratic-led states that protect providers who prescribe abortion medication to patients in states where abortion is banned.⁠
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Three states have filed lawsuits to limit telehealth prescriptions of mifepristone, a drug commonly used in medication abortions. The Trump administration has argued those states lack legal standing.⁠
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