A lot has been said about social media toxicity in the wake of some high-profile users deactivating their accounts in recent months. In June, Star Wars: The Last Jedi star Kelly Marie Tran, 29, deleted all of the photos on her Instagram after months of racially charged harassment; a few weeks later, Stranger Things breakout Millie Bobby Brown, 14, logged off Twitter after becoming the face of homophobic memes.

For women, especially women of color, navigating social media can be a mentally taxing and sometimes unhealthy experience. Now, Tran is speaking out about her decision to leave social media altogether.

“Their words seemed to confirm what growing up as a woman and a person of color already taught me: that I belonged in margins and spaces, valid only as a minor character in their lives and stories,” she wrote in an essay for The New York Times. “Their words reinforced a narrative I had heard my whole life: that I was ‘other,’ that I didn’t belong, that I wasn’t good enough, simply because I wasn’t like them.”

The Vietnamese-American actress starred as Resistance heroine Rose Tico in Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a role that has the distinction of being the beloved franchise’s first woman of color in a lead role. Her groundbreaking performance was celebrated, but her effervescent personality is what really endeared her to a legion of fans. No one has ever been happier to be promoting a Star Wars film than Tran, a lifelong fan of the Skywalker saga.

But Johnson’s boldly feminist take on Star Wars also prompted backlash. Johnson and Tran received the brunt of the vitriol, harassed by nameless and faceless trolls who didn’t like the film and Rose’s history-making role in it.

“For months, I went down a spiral of self-hate, into the darkest recesses of my mind, places where I tore myself apart, where I put their words above my own self-worth,” Tran wrote.

That is, until she realized that she does deserve to be the center of her own story, the hero on the cover of Vanity Fair. “I want to live in a world where children of color don’t spend their entire adolescence wishing to be white. I want to live in a world where women are not subjected to scrutiny for their appearance, or their actions, or their general existence,” she added. “I want to live in a world where people of all races, religions, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities are seen as what they have always been: human beings.”

Change doesn’t happen overnight; Star Wars taught us that. Rebellions start slow, then swell into something fierce and undeniable. And it’s clear that Loan Kelly Marie Tran is leading a revolution of her very own — and she’s just getting started.

Below, watch Cole Sprouse, Amandla Stenberg, Hailee Steinfeld, and more celebs talk about staying sane on social media with MTV News.

England are on the verge of a huge defeat by India in the third Test despite the defiance of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes on day four at Trent Bridge.

Buttler made his maiden Test century and Stokes 62 in a fifth-wicket partnership of 169 that hauled England from 62-4.

But when Buttler was lbw for 106, playing no shot to Jasprit Bumrah, it began a slide that saw England lose four wickets for 10 runs to the second new ball.

The swiping of Adil Rashid and Stuart Broad took play into an extra half hour and, even though Broad became paceman Bumrah’s fifth victim, last man James Anderson helped Rashid survive for another 5.4 overs.

England eventually closed on 311-9, leaving India needing one wicket on the final day to complete victory and cut their series deficit to 2-1.

England shown the way

That England are staring at defeat is thanks mainly to an awful collapse on the second day, when they lost all 10 wickets between lunch and tea to be dismissed for 161 in their first innings.

Another capitulation looked on the cards on Tuesday when their top order again succumbed to poor technique and reckless shots.

Keaton Jennings and Alastair Cook both edged Ishant Sharma in familiar fashion inside the first three overs of the day, while Joe Root and Ollie Pope inexplicably flashed at Bumrah and Mohammed Shami respectively.

Once again, England found themselves four wickets down with less than 100 on the board, the 31st occasion in 62 innings since the beginning of 2016.

Still, the straight-batted, dogged and patient resistance shown by Buttler and Stokes proved that at least two of England’s batsmen have the ability to rein in their attacking instincts and play proper Test innings.

Even when England do go down to defeat, the rest of their batsmen would do well to follow their example for the rest of this series and beyond.

Buttler and Stokes defy India

Buttler and Stokes were not only battling for their team, but also for their own individual causes – Buttler to show that his two half-centuries against Pakistan were not merely on the wave of stellar white-ball form, Stokes to justify his recall after being cleared of affray.

They were magnificent in a compelling afternoon and early evening, leaving with good judgement, defending stoutly and scoring with sweet timing when the opportunity arose.

Buttler needed some fortune. He was dropped by diving wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant when on only one and edged through the slips on a number of occasions.

However, he also played glorious cover drives and raced through the 90s with three leg-side boundaries in one Shami over, the third of which took the Lancashire man to three figures and earned him a huge hug from Stokes.

Stokes was more solid, but also more circumspect. His 147-ball half-century is his slowest in Test cricket and only occasionally featured sweeps or clips off the pads.

As stoic as they were, the second new ball was always likely to present a huge challenge and when Buttler shouldered arms to Bumrah’s inswinger a review could not save him.

India made to wait

What made the efforts of Buttler and Stokes all the more impressive was the incisiveness shown by India’s four-man pace attack throughout the day.

The hosts were also helped by an injury to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin that restricted his effectiveness.

Just as the tourists were beginning to tire, they were able to take the second new ball and Bumrah launched their surge for victory.

The delivery after Buttler’s misjudgement, Jonny Bairstow, batting with a broken finger, had his off stump removed with a beauty that held its line.

Then, in Bumrah’s following over, Chris Woakes could only glove a vicious bouncer.

When Stokes edged Pandya to second slip the game seemed certain to end on Tuesday evening, but the hitting of Rashid and Broad added 50 for the ninth wicket, even if Rashid was caught off a Bumrah no-ball and dropped at third slip by Virat Kohli.

When eight extra overs were added to the end of the day, Broad finally edged Bumrah to second slip, yet Anderson bravely stood firm in the evening sunshine to massive cheers from the home fans.

In all, England’s last two wickets have eaten up an hour and 17 minutes.

‘Buttler’s innings was incredible’ – what they said

Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan: “Buttler and Stokes played the Test match way with great patience and skill when the ball was doing plenty.

“As they batted more and more time I thought it was a partnership which I hope the team was studying.

“I hope Pope, in particular, was watching Buttler. The England team all like to play their strokes but when they play at their best they give themselves a chance.

“It’s not being negative, you just don’t have to go to high-risk shots in Test cricket.

“I’m pleased they have got into tomorrow.”

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar: “It was an incredible innings from Buttler. He curbed his natural instincts and then played some brilliant shots.”

Wall Street got fresh proof that stock market bull markets don’t die of old age.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, a broad gauge of the U.S. stock market, hit a fresh all-time high Tuesday, topping its prior January 26 peak of 2872.87. Stocks have been in recovery mode ever since the early-year price run-up gave way to a major bout of market turbulence that pushed the market down more than 10% from a high for the first time in two years.

The latest record extends a period of rising stock prices that began more than nine years ago and which puts the large-company stock index on track Wednesday to eclipse the 1990’s bull market as the longest in history at 3,453 days.

It’s not uncommon for investors to fear a market top the longer a stock market advance extends. But, more often than not, bull markets end when a recession hits or some kind of financial shock strikes.

But right now stock investors are in a buying mood as they focus on positives, such as a strong U.S. economy and corporate America’s robust profitability, and shrug off worries related to rising interest rates, trade disputes and recent economic turbulence in places like Turkey.

“As along as the U.S. economy is strong and growing, the job market is stable and growing, and corporate earnings are strong and growing, the market should be and will continue to be strong,” says Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial in Richmond, Virginia. 

401(k) investors that have investments in index funds that track the S&P 500 have been rewarded handsomely both in 2018 and during the bull market. A person that invested $100,000 in the broad market index at the market low on March 9, 2009, would now be sitting on a paper profit of more than $320,000. A $100,000 investment in the S&P 500 at the start of this year would now be worth $107,500.

Here are three trends driving the greying bull:

Companies are making a lot of money

Corporate profits in the first two quarters of 2018 are growing at the fastest pace in nearly eight years. Second-quarter profits are on pace for 24.6 percent growth with eight of 10 companies topping analyst forecasts, following nearly 27 percent earnings growth in the first three months of the year, according to earnings-tracker Thomson Reuters.

“The principal driver of the stock market now is strong profit growth and the perception it will continue as the economy expands at a 3 percent clip in 2018,” says Nick Sargen, senior investment advisor for Fort Washington Investment Advisors in Cincinnati.

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Trade war has yet to dent economy

Despite the tit-for-tat tariff fight between the U.S. and China and other trading partners, the levies placed on imports of steel, aluminum and other products, has yet to cause widespread harm to the U.S. economy, which grew at a 4.1 percent pace in the second quarter, its fastest growth since the third quarter of 2014.

“For the time being, this has caused investors to shrug off the threat of trade wars,” says Sargen.

Lindsey Bell, investment strategist at CFRA Research in New York, says many investors still view the Trump administration’s approach to tariffs as a “negotiating tactic.”

For now, the main impact of protectionism is being felt abroad, in places like Europe, China and emerging markets. Still, it’s premature to declare the U.S. won’t feel the effect, as the bull run last year was fueled by strong global growth, Sargen warns. The market is vulnerable, he says, if the U.S. and China conflict worsens, but a rally could ensue if the conflict lessens.

Stock buybacks provide lift

U.S. companies continue to buy back their own stock at a rapid clip, which boosts their earnings-per-share growth figures because it takes shares out of circulation. Corporate buyback activity also represents a major source of fresh demand for stocks. After a record $189 billion spent on share repurchases in the first quarter, S&P 500 companies are buying at a brisk pace just slightly below the record level in the second quarter, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

“Stock buybacks have really juiced returns of those companies with the biggest buyback programs,” says Paul Schatz, president of Heritage Capital in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

So what’s an investor to do?

For now, hold tight, Sargen says, until there is more evidence that overseas economies are at risk due to tariffs.

It’s not uncommon for investors to move into the market when major stock indexes like the S&P 500 hit a new record, says Alec Young, managing director of global markets research at FTSE Russell. “New highs,” he says, “often beget more new highs.” He recommends investors with a long time horizon “stay the course with diversified portfolios.”

Cox recommends investors wean themselves off high fliers, such as tech stocks and small-company shares, and move into parts of the market that have not gone up as much, such as companies that sell everyday staples to consumers. 

Schatz says going all in now doesn’t make financial sense.

“Now certainly is not the time to throw caution to the wind and invest aggressively,” he says.

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The classic Thunder Road race scene from Grease shows us that racing for pinks is risky business. But rerecording the sound effects with shitty mouth noises shows us not only how sound is an important aspect in visual storytelling, but also how easily it can ruin everything.

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of US President Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from a federal investigation of his buisness dealings and possible campaign finance violations, the Associated Press has reported. 

There was no initial confirmation of the plea deal reported by several other media outlets, including NBC News and the New York Times, or of the specific charges involved, but Cohen is set to appear in a criminal court in New York at 4pm local time (20:00GMT). 

CNN reported that the deal includes prison time for the president’s long-time fixer, who played a behind-the-scenes role in making hush payments to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

Cohen was seen earlier on Tuesday leaving his apartment and travelling to the midtown Manhattan offices of one of his attorneys, former federal prosecutor Guy Patrillo. At the courthouse, security officers had set up barricades outside the main entrance.

Cohen’s lawyers and the US Attorney’s office declined comment on Tuesday.

Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, reporting from New York, said it is still unknown was Cohen will plead guilty to, or what he is offering to prosecutors in return.

“There’s a lot of speculations about what Michael Cohen knows and what he could say about President Trump, as someone who has been with him for so long,” Saloomey said.

The development came a day after prosecutors signaled that Cohen could be charged before the end of the month in a case that has been a distraction for the White House with the midterm elections approaching.

Without a resolution, it is believed that prosecutors would put off a decision on how to go forward with the case until after the election in compliance with an informal Justice Department policy of avoiding bringing prosecutions that could be seen as political and influence voters.

Investigating for months

Prosecutors had been investigating Cohen for possible fraud related to his businesses for months.

The FBI raided his hotel room, home and office on April 9, seizing more than 4 million items.

The search of Cohen’s files sought bank records, communications with the Trump campaign and information on money payments made in 2016 to two women: former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who received $150,000, and the adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who received $130,000.

The New York Times reported earlier this week, based on anonymous sources, that prosecutors have been focusing on more than $20m in loans obtained by taxi businesses that Cohen and his family own.

Cohen had gained notoriety as Trump’s loyal “fixer” before the FBI raid. And Trump branded it “a witch hunt,” an assault on attorney-client privilege and a politically motivated attack by enemies within the FBI.

But the president’s initial support for Cohen has since degenerated into a public feud.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

It’s an exciting time to be Noah Cyrus and Lil Xan. Just hours after dropping their first collaborative track, the couple made their red pink carpet debut at the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday night (August 20).

While speaking to MTV News before the show, Xan and Noah talked up “Live or Die,” a mellow love song that finds them promising, “When you lay by my side / I see the whole world through your eyes / Ride or die, you and I.”

“We dropped it at midnight. It’s doing terrific. It’s a romantic, love kind of song. You know, I just fell in love with this girl really fast,” Lil Xan said, while Cyrus gushed beside him.

She added, “We wrote it really quick. We wrote, like, three songs in a week, and this was the one that we decided to put out. And we love it.”

As for those other two songs, the 18-year-old pop star and 21-year-old rapper — who confirmed their relationship with some Instagram PDA at the end of July — are still deciding how they’ll be released. They insist fans will hear the tracks eventually, and, in fact, an entire joint project (credited to both “Diego and Noah,” she said) may already be in the works.

“Some will go on her album, some will go on my album,” Xan explained. “And then we’re just going to continue making great music and keep on vibing. … A three-song EP, five-song EP — we’re so down for that.”

Check out “Live or Die” below, and keep those eyes peeled for more new music from Xan and Noah (#Xanoah?) — it sounds like these lovebirds are having quite the creative streak.

EFL live: Four Championship games and 22 matches in Leagues One and Two – Live – BBC Sport

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Where in the world is Joe Murphy?

Northwestern Ontario, apparently. And he’s homeless. 

Murphy, the former Michigan State star who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 1986, is the subject of a TSN documentary that will air Wednesday. The Canadian sports network published a trailer of its feature on Twitter on Monday. 

According to the video, Murphy has been living in Kenora, Ontario, located north of the Minnesota border. A man identified as Murphy is shown walking the streets of the small city in the video. 

The scene is a stark contrast to the life Murphy once lived as a hockey forward, including helping Michigan State win the 1986 national title and helping the Edmonton Oilers win the 1990 Stanley Cup.

Murphy moved around quite a bit during his NHL career, playing for the Red Wings (1986-89), Oilers (1989-1993), Chicago Blackhawks (1993-96), St. Louis Blues (1996-1998), San Jose Sharks (1998-99), Boston Bruins (1999-2000) and Washington Capitals (2000-01). 

He scored 233 goals in his career (528 points) and twice led his teams in scoring. 

He was among the former players who were part of a failed class-action concussion lawsuit against the NHL this year. However, Murphy can still pursue his own claim against the NHL, his lawyer, Michael Cashman, told TSN in July. 

In Murphy’s part of the lawsuit, filed in  October 2014, the NHL was accused of, “Until very recently … actively (seeking) to suppress and obscure the truth about the long-term effect of concussions suffered while practicing and playing hockey in the NHL.”

“Mr. Murphy suffered multiple head traumas during his NHL career that were improperly diagnosed and treated by the NHL,” the lawsuit argued. “Mr. Murphy never was warned by the NHL of the negative health effects of head trauma.”

It’s unclear exactly how many concussions Murphy suffered during his career. Or whether the injuries led to him being homeless.

The discussion on concussions and brain injuries in sports has reached a fever pitch in recent years after hundreds of lawsuits were filed by former NFL players and their families, who alleged the league didn’t properly disclose the link between football and brain trauma, including the degenerative brain disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be diagnosed postmortem. 

In 2009, Reg Fleming became the first retired NHL player diagnosed with CTE, per Murphy’s lawsuit.

In 2011, ex-Red Wings star Bob Probert was diagnosed with the disease, and  Johan Franzen’s wife said in May her husband continues to struggle with post-concussion symptoms from his playing days in Detroit. 

Franzen, on long-term injured reserve, is still being paid by the Wings. He last played for the franchise during the 2015-16 season. 

If there’s anything keeping us going in the hellhole that is 2018, it’s astrology. 

Analyzing birth charts to bonding over rising signs has become something of a conversation starter. For some, it’s just a guilty pleasure. For others, astrology is their guide to life. 

But this meme wants to ignore the superficial zodiac sign and get people to bond over deeper qualities — like what character they start with in Mario Kart.

The “fuck your zodiac sign” meme started earlier this month. One of the first tweets about it tested compatibility based on quiz results. 

Since then, it’s taken off. Who needs zodiac signs when you can cry over Mitski together? 

Some got nostalgic for childhood favorites.

These are the real questions — can you trust anyone who willingly watches dubbed anime?

And one Twitter user, @yeetztweetz, brought back a few old memes to create the ultimate Twitter content. 

On your next date, skip the birth chart swap and get straight to unpacking childhood traumas!

Saudi-owned satellite television is part of a sophisticated piracy operation involving the illegal broadcast of football matches across the Middle East and North Africa, the English Premier League said.

There was “compelling” evidence showing that Riyadh-based Arabsat satellite operator allowed pirate channel beoutQ to use its services while broadcasting all Premier League matches played since the season began on August 10, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Premier League strongly condemns the illegal broadcast piracy of its matches currently taking place in Saudi Arabia and available in multiple territories throughout the Middle East by an illegal pirate channel called ‘beoutQ’,” the league said.

Qatar-based beIN Sports is the holds the legal rights for the broadcast of all Premier League fixtures across the Middle East and North Africa, having recently extended its exclusive agreement until 2021-2022.

The league has taken a number of measures to address the “very serious issue”, including the appointment of legal counsel in Saudi Arabia and issuing a complaint to the European Commission.

“Like all content creators and rights owners, our business model is predicated on the ability to market and sell protected rights, and we will take all available action to support the investment made in the league by our legitimate broadcast partners.”

‘Plague of piracy’

BeIN said Saudi-based pirate channel beautQ had “orchestrated a plague of piracy on world sport over the past year”, and accused it of illegally broadcasting every game during the recent FIFA World Cup in Russia.

“Since August 2017, beoutQ has been stealing the broadcast feed of some of the most internationally renowned sports brands and rights holders in the world, pirating everything from the Olympic Games, Formula 1 and Wimbledon tennis, to the UEFA Champions League, the English Premier League and LaLiga,” beIN said in a statement on Thursday.

In May, beIN called on FIFA to launch legal action against Arabsat and Saudi-based pirate broadcasters.

Saudi Arabia is one of a group of countries – including the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt – that severed ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing Doha of supporting “terrorism” and being too close to regional rival Iran.

Qatar denies the allegations.