Austrian security officials say a 19-year-old arrested on Wednesday was planning to kill "a large crowd of people" in a suicide attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna. Officials say the teen - who had previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) - confessed that he "intended to carry out an attack using explosives and knives".

CNN — Organizers have canceled three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria after authorities said they foiled a terror attack planned for the Vienna leg of her blockbuster Eras tour. The extraordinary decision – which could come at significant cost to Vienna’s businesses – has devastated fans and renewed focus on the vulnerability of huge concerts as soft targets for terror networks and spree killers.

The prime suspect in bomb plot to kill Taylor Swift fans at a concert in Vienna “today or tomorrow” has been revealed, and has made a full confession to police, the Austrian state says. Two migrant-heritage teenagers are in custody in Austria after a series of Taylor Swift concerts at a Vienna city stadium were cancelled at the last moment, having been meant to have gone ahead tonight and the next two nights. Some 60,000 ticket holders and up to 200,000 fans in total were expected to attend...

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Thursday that former President Trump’s “self-announced” press conference shows the GOP presidential nominee is “panicking.” In a post on the social platform X, the ex-Trump aide said she suspects the former president is frustrated by the positive press attention Vice President Harris has gotten recently and wants to take back the spotlight.

Parenting is often sold to child-free people as the most satisfying experience one could have in life. It’s supposed to provide them with a greater sense of meaning because after becoming a parent, every day is filled with little miracles. Many parenting influencers, with their picture-perfect lives, obedient children and immaculate houses, will have you believe the same thing. However, reality is a lot different. The problem is that it’s taboo for parents to admit that raising children can be boring, repetitive, stressful, agonizing, and unfulfilling. So many parents who feel this way think that they’re the problem and in the minority, when many of them feel exactly the same way. These parents are applauding Celeste Yvonne’s recent TikTok video, in which she admits that parenting can be “deeply unsatisfying.” Yvonne is an award-winning writer, sobriety coach and bestselling author of “It’s Not About the Wine: The Loaded Truth Behind Mommy Wine Culture.” @theultimatemomchallenge Don’t mistake my words for being ungrateful. There is a huge difference between gratitude and satisfaction. #motherhood #momlife “Okay, here's my hot take, so don't come at me. But for the most part, motherhood is deeply unsatisfying. And we don't talk about it enough,” she opens the video. “I love being a mom and I love my kids dearly, but 90% of my role as mother is not satisfying.” Yvonne admits that being a mother is often thankless and repetitive. “It is the nitty gritty. It is getting kids to clean up after messes. It is reminding kids to wash their hands. It is convincing kids to eat the meals I make. I mean, it is a lot of work. So much work. And in and of itself, that part is not satisfying,” she said in a video with over 200,000 views. “I do not go to bed most nights feeling satisfied in my role as mother. If anything, I go to be with intrusive thoughts, worrying about their future, feeling like I didn’t do a good enough job,” she continues. She finishes her video by asking more moms to follow her lead by discussing the sensitive topic. “I'm saying this out loud because I don't think we talked about it enough,” she explained. “For a long time, I felt like I was doing it wrong because I saw other people, other moms on social media, beaming and glowing about the milestones, talking about how satisfying this role is, and wondering if I was doing it wrong. The truth is we just don't talk about the unsatisfying parts. And I think we should.” The video made many moms feel seen. “I wish more women (mothers) were honest about this like you are,” one commenter wrote. “Moms need to talk about this more—I love my kids more than anything—but I do not enjoy being a mom,” another added. @theultimatemomchallenge Replying to @nokechic07 to be clear, this is not a Ballerina Farm problem. This is a me problem. But it’s also an us problem. And until we have better support systems in place for mothers in the US and everywhere else that needs it, I’m going to keep talking about it. #ballerinafarm #momlife #fedup #fairplay Upworthy asked Yvonne why she thinks her video resonates with so many parents. “Motherhood is a complicated, nuanced topic, but for the most part, we only hear and see the highlight reel,” she told Upworthy. “The majority of my days in motherhood do not look or feel anything like what I see on social media, and by openly admitting to that, I hope I help other mothers feel seen and validated.” The writer has no problem sharing her thoughts on such a touchy subject because there are people who need to hear them. “I used to be afraid of sharing the full truth on social media because people can be so mean, but I feel confident in my role as mother and trolls or angry comments don't affect me like they used to. I keep sharing because of the moms who reach out and say I help them feel less alone,” she told Upworthy. In the end, it’s all about being there for others. “In recovery, we talk a lot about the importance of sharing our stories so others feel seen, and if I can be that beacon for anyone struggling with motherhood, addiction, or mental health matters, I will try!” Yvonne said.

It might have been pretty universally accepted during our childhood for daughters to be expected to reciprocate affection from adults, whether they liked it or not. A non consensual kiss to grandparents here, a forced “thank you” there. But times have changed. However, this change in parenting style can sometimes make for some, well, awkward or even downright uncomfortable situations as moms and dads try to advocate for this kid’s autonomy. Recently, a mom named Liz Kindred detailed just such an incident with her six year old daughter, which has a whole lotta other parents discussing how to navigate these unideal interactions. As she recalls in a video posted to TikTok, Kindred was waiting in line with her daughter when a grown man turned around and said “My goodness, you sure are pretty” to the child. “My six-year-old is gorgeous, yes, but she is also very in tune and perceptive, and she's an introvert so she grabbed my leg really tight,” Kindred said. Doubling down, the man repeated himself, saying “You sure are pretty. Look at those blue eyes,” which only made her shy daughter grab her leg harder. Noting that being in a 12 step program has taught her to be less “knee jerk reactionary,” the mom bit her tongue and offered a polite smile to the man, hoping that would be the end of it. It wasn’t. @yourejustliz I need to get my brows done ♬ Succession (Theme Song) - The Theme System “He's a boomer and, God love him, he said, ‘I guess your mom didn't teach you manners.’ And I let out an uncomfortable little [chuckle], and the pause was long. It was long. And under his breath he said, ‘Guess not,’” she said. In what she called the most ”Jesus loving way” she could muster, while still bluntly making her point, Kindred told the man "If you assume that I didn't teach my six-year-old daughter to say ‘thank you’ to a grown, consenting man when he compliments her appearance, then you would be correct." What followed was the “longest silence” of Kindred’s life. The video, which has been viewed over 6 million times now, prompted a ton of parents to share how their own kids have established boundaries in similar situations—with their support, of course. “An old man called my 4 yr old daughter a sweetheart at the store…she boldly responded ‘I am NOT YOUR sweetheart!’ I was so proud,” on person recalled. Another added, “My 3 year old says ‘NO THANK YOU MY BODY DOESN’T LIKE TAHT.’” Still another said “My 2 yo knows the boundaries song and just starts singing that anytime someone talks to her.” While the response to Kindred’s video was overwhelmingly positive, there were a few comments defending the man as simply being “kind.” This prompted Kindred to do a follow-up video doubling down on her decision. In the clip, she shared how she herself has dealt with seemingly innocent compliments in her life from men, which later turned into something else. Feeling like she “didn’t have a voice” to say something, “because I’m a nice Christian, Southern girl,” Kindred ended up being in unsavory situations (she didn't explicitly say what those situations were, but it's easy enough to piece together). She doesn’t want her daughter to have the same issues. @yourejustliz #stitch with @Liz Kindred ♬ Succession (Theme Song) - The Theme System “Nice is different than kind. The kind thing to do is to teach our daughters and our children in this next generation that when you are uncomfortable with something you listen to your body and you set a firm boundary with that and you provide language around that. And you start that really really young.” Yep. Well said.

When we are grieving, there are moments of tears, and moments of laughter. Each is healing in their own special way, and are all part of the process. This might not at first seem to apply to something as devastating as pregnancy loss, but one couple’s comedy video, and the overwhelming positive response that followed, suggest otherwise. Husband and wife and content creator duo Alexandra Madison and Jon Bouffard are no strangers to creating funny skits about the regular goings on of their lives—one of their most popular being inspired by becoming pregnant. In the clip, the couple arrives at “DINKS” (“Dual Income No Kids”) Headquarters, where they proudly hand off their resignation letter to a curmudgeonly office worker. Cut to a few months later, and Madison and Bouffard lost the baby. Madison told Today that while she and Jon had certainly experienced something “traumatic, heavy and sad,” there was a point in their healing journey where moments of joy were beginning to return, and they wanted to honor that without feeling guilty. They decided that making a lighthearted follow-up video showing them both might do the trick. In the video, titled “When your resignation from being DINKS is denied,” Madison and Bouffard once again barge into the DINKS office and snatch up the application handed over in the previous video, since clearly that application was rejected. And as MAdison put it, “we don’t handle rejection very well.” “We never thought we would be here making this follow-up to our first video resigning as DINKS, but here we are, “ Madison wrote in the video’s caption. @alexandramadison_ We don’t handle rejection very well here ? Jon and I have always posted skits inspired by what's going on in our lives, and that includes this one. We never thought we would be here making this 'follow-up' to our first video resigning as DINKs (Dual Income No Kids), but here we are. And that's life. Real life. There are ups and downs, and along the way, I've discovered that a little (sometimes dark) humor brings moments of relief. This post is a small part of that journey, a reminder that it's okay to give ourselves and each other permission to laugh again. We can’t thank you all enough for your continued outpouring of support. And to all the couples who had their DINK memberships renewed, did you turn your nursery into a wine cellar? We haven’t…just asking. ♬ original sound - Alex and Jon “And that’s life. Real life. There are ups and downs, and along the way, I’ve discovered that a little (Sometimes dark) humor brings moments of relief. This post is a small part of that journey, a reminder that it’s okay to give ourselves and each other permission to laugh again.” The video picked up speed very quickly, racking up nearly 8 million views. But more importantly, it seemed to be extremely cathartic for other partners who found themselves in similar situations. “We were denied twice before our application finally went through,” one peronse wrote. Another added, “We were denied three times (3rd application denied late stage) before our application was accepted/ The granted application is currently sleeping in his bassinet.”Still another commented, “dark humor is the only thing getting us by these days.”Others were moved by Madison and Bouffard’s willingness to be so open about their experience. “I laughed…and then I cried. Thank you for sharing your journey…all of it. This is a vulnerable place to be and you guys always show up amazingly.”Another echoed, “God bless you both for not being silent about this matter but sharing these hard times with us. We love you very much.”Madison and Bouffard might have been concerned that they were being “insensitive” by making their video, but the support they’ve received has subsided that fear. After all, many therapists consider humor as a perfectly viable coping mechanism for trauma. It helps make tough things easier to digest and discuss, and it can help painful experiences feel a little less lonely. Which is what this couple accomplished. Hopefully it continues to help them heal a little more each day.

Even though it’s 2023 and schools are much more concerned with protecting children from bullying than in the past, parents still have to be aware that kids will be kids, and having a child with a funny name is bound to cause them trouble.A mother on Reddit is concerned that her future children will have the unfortunate last name of “Butt,” so she asked people on the namenerds forum to help her convince her husband to name their child something different.(Note: We’re assuming that the person who wrote the post is a woman because their husband is interested in perpetuating the family name, and if it were a same-sex relationship, a husband probably wouldn’t automatically make that assumption.)"My husband’s last name is Butt. Can someone please help me illuminate to him why this last name is less than ideal,” she asked the forum. “I totally get we can’t shield kids from everything and I understand the whole family ties thing, but c'mon. Am I being unreasonable by suggesting our future kid either take my name, a hybrid, or a new one altogether?"The posters on the forum overwhelmingly supported her."I can see hubby being a bit of a stickler because he wants to keep the family name, but I find it a bit baffling that he doesn’t get why it would be a concern,” Babelight wrote. “If you have to club him over the head with it, indicate that for children/young persons hearing the name, they would equate it to someone’s last name being ‘Pooh,’ ‘Vaginah’ or ‘Peenis/Peniss.’”Other posters noted that her opinion is just as valid as her husband’s when naming their child."You are absolutely not being unreasonable. Your husband's last name is objectively pretty awful, and of course, you don't want your child to have it. Also, even if it wasn't that bad, you would be still entitled to at least suggest that your child takes your last name since you are also going to be their parent,” SwordfishBrilliant 40 wrote. “Also, he needs to think about his child, let's be honest, their life is going to be a lot easier with a ‘normal’/not bad’ last name."Having a last name like Butt opens a child up to being bullied, which can lead to feelings of rejection, exclusion, isolation, diminished self-esteem and long-term mental health struggles, including depression and anxiety."I knew a kid named Zack Butt. Teased relentlessly. At every age," Kwam26 confirmed.There is also the practical problem of living in a digital world where algorithms often filter out names deemed offensive. This issue is known as the “Scunthorpe problem.” Back in the late ‘90s, people from the town of Scunthorpe in the UK couldn’t sign up on AOL because a filter blocked out the name due to the offensive term that sits in the middle of it.The husband is proud of his family heritage and, possibly, of having learned to live with a name that would make most people chuckle. But it’s also understandable that his wife has a real problem bringing a child up in this world with a name that will make them the butt of jokes throughout their lives.One wonders why this wasn’t discussed before the couple got married.This article originally appeared on 9.5.23