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(VIDEO) Miss Virginia Justus Kelley Wins Miss USA 2026 in Miami, Becoming the Pageant’s First-Ever Mom to Win

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Justus Kelley

MIAMI — Justus Kelley, representing Virginia, was crowned Miss USA 2026 on Thursday night at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, becoming the first mother in the pageant’s history to win the national title.

Kelley, 31, was named the winner of the 75th Miss USA competition after advancing through a field of 51 contestants representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. She was crowned by outgoing titleholder Audrey Eckert, Miss USA 2025, whose farewell moment on stage included two accidental tumbles moments before the winner was announced, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd.

Kelley’s win carries multiple firsts for the organization. She is the first married woman to hold the Miss USA title, the first woman in her 30s to win, and the first mother, as she and her husband have served as licensed foster parents in Virginia for nearly two years. She is also Virginia’s first Miss USA winner since 1970.

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The Miss USA organization only began allowing married women and mothers to compete in 2023, with 2024 marking the first year the competition was open to all eligible women 18 and older regardless of marital or parental status. Kelley’s victory is the first tangible result of that rule change at the national level.

“I look at this like a responsibility to know that I was trusted to be the first,” Kelley said of becoming the pageant’s first mother and married titleholder, adding that she “won’t be the last.”

In a video posted to the pageant’s official Instagram account shortly after her win, Kelley reflected on the significance of the moment. “I’m Justus Kelley and I just won Miss USA 2026. This opportunity means the world to me, and not only are we celebrating the 75th anniversary but we made history tonight,” she said. “I’m the first married woman, first mom, and first woman in her 30s. It’s a great night.”

Kelley, a foster mother of two, is also a nonprofit founder and children’s book author. Her hometown has previously honored her community work by declaring March 11 “Justus Kelley Day,” according to her official Miss USA biography. She has described meeting her husband in college and discovering early in their relationship that he shared her dream of fostering children. “I married my college sweetheart, who shared with me on one of our very first dates that he, too, dreamed of fostering someday,” she has said. “Thirteen years later, we have welcomed children ranging from 7 months to 10 years old into our home.”

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Kelley also spoke about her approach to the pageant’s wardrobe requirements, saying she wore secondhand clothing throughout the competition weekend to make a point about affordability in pageantry. “I had gone into the competition weekend wearing an all-thrifted wardrobe for each phase,” she said. She recalled one moment from an earlier state-level pageant when judges complimented a suit she had found at Goodwill. “I loved one of my first USA state pageants, walking in with a really special suit that I found in Goodwill, and as soon as I walked in, the judges said, ‘Oh, you look stunning,’ and I said, ‘Thank you, $9.99 at Goodwill.’” She said the experience reinforced her belief that contestants “don’t have to spend a million dollars” to compete at a high level.

Miss Florida Aileen Cerchiara finished as first runner-up and will step in to represent the United States at Miss Universe if Kelley is unable to fulfill that role. Pennsylvania’s Elizabeth Voight placed second runner-up, followed by Iowa’s Madeline Erickson as third runner-up and Utah’s Alayzia Christopher as fourth runner-up.

As Miss USA, Kelley will represent the United States at the Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November. Her prize package is valued at more than $685,000 and includes a $150,000 salary, a Range Rover, a one-year lease in a luxury Miami apartment, a Westgate Vacation Home Club membership and a $30,000 wardrobe for the Miss Universe competition.

This year’s Miss USA marked the pageant’s 75th anniversary, presented under a “75 Years of Icons” theme, and was streamed on the Queen Beauty Network after The CW dropped both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA from its programming days before the events were set to air. The pageant also followed a leadership change within the organization, after pageant coach and judge Thom Brodeur announced last September that he would acquire the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA brands.

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The competition came a year after 2024 winner Alma Cooper announced she would not attend the 2025 pageant in Reno, Nevada, citing personal values and integrity in explaining her decision to skip the crowning of her successor.

The Miss Teen USA title was also decided this week, with Miss Georgia Teen USA Kiran Reddy, 18, crowned the 44th Miss Teen USA on Wednesday, one night before Kelley’s win.

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TTWO Stock: Take-Two Previews ‘GTA 6’ Game

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TTWO Stock: Take-Two Previews ‘GTA 6’ Game

Rockstar Games, a unit of Take-Two Interactive Software (TTWO), whet the appetite of gamers for its highly anticipated video game “Grand Theft Auto 6” late Thursday with a 26-minute video preview. TTWO stock rose on Friday. “GTA 6,” the latest game in the gritty crime-themed franchise, goes on sale on Nov. 19 and will be playable only on the newest…

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Joyburst formulates creatine-infused soda | Food Business News

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Joyburst formulates creatine-infused soda | Food Business News

ONTARIO, CANADA — Joyburst is introducing a soda formulated with creatine.

The beverage is formulated with 2 grams of creatine, 340 mg of electrolytes and zero grams of sugar.

The soda is available in cotton candy, icy pop and orange cream crush flavors.

The soda may be purchased in a 15-can variety pack at Costco, Sam’s Club and Aldi stores or online through the company’s website. 

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(VIDEO) Nepal Police Arrest Two Men Accused of Stealing Gold Earrings From a Flood Victims Body in Viral Clip

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Nepal Police Arrest Two Men Accused of Stealing Gold Earrings

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal Police have arrested two men after a viral video appeared to show them stealing gold earrings from the body of a woman swept away in this week’s catastrophic flash floods, an incident that has drawn widespread outrage as the country grapples with a mounting death toll from one of its deadliest disasters in years.

Authorities identified the suspects as Madan Gurung, 25, originally from Nawalparasi district, and Umesh Chaudhary, 38, originally from Sunsari district. Both men were living in Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan district and were arrested near the Pokhara Bus Park after police received a video showing the alleged theft, according to a press release from the District Police Office in Bharatpur.

The roughly 41-second clip, which spread rapidly across social media, showed the woman’s body being carried downstream by the Narayani River before the two men used wooden planks and, according to multiple accounts, her own hair to pull it toward the riverbank. Bystanders can be seen recording the scene as the men removed earrings from both of the victim’s ears and set them aside, making no apparent effort to retrieve the body from the water.

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Nepal Police shared footage of the arrests on social media platform X on Thursday, confirming that the two men had been taken into custody. In a statement, police said any act of looting or inhumane behavior directed at disaster victims would not be tolerated during the ongoing crisis.

The theft has become one of the most widely shared and condemned moments to emerge from this week’s flooding, which was triggered by the collapse of a glacier and a rocky ledge along the Nepal-Tibet border. The disaster sent a wall of ice, rock and water crashing down the Bhotekoshi River on Wednesday, obliterating villages and infrastructure across the border region before continuing downstream into the Trishuli and Narayani rivers.

The death toll in Nepal has continued to climb sharply in the days since. Nepal Police said Friday that at least 579 people have been confirmed dead, with more than 2,400 people still listed as missing across the country. Authorities in China, where the flooding also struck the Tibet Autonomous Region, have confirmed five deaths on their side of the border, though communication challenges and government restrictions on information have made it difficult to assess the full scope of the damage there.

Among those unaccounted for are large numbers of foreign nationals. The U.S. State Department has said roughly 90 Americans remain missing, while Australian officials have said at least 38 of their citizens are unaccounted for, many of whom were part of separate pilgrimage and tour groups traveling through the region at the time of the disaster. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has said hundreds of Indian nationals also remain uncontactable.

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Rescue operations have continued around the clock, with helicopters ferrying thousands of survivors to safety in Kathmandu and other locations. The Nepal Red Cross Society estimated Friday that roughly 90,000 people have likely been affected by the flooding in some way. Nepali Army units have also been working to free people trapped inside a hydropower tunnel in Rasuwa district, part of the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Project, according to rescue officials.

Compounding the crisis, Nepal’s Disaster Management Authority has said it is monitoring two lakes that formed upstream of the flood zone after Wednesday’s glacial collapse, warning that further flooding remains a risk until the water is fully drained. Satellite imagery has shown both lakes growing in size, and Nepal Police issued a fresh alert Friday after receiving reports that a separate dam-like formation on the Tibetan side of the border was beginning to overflow. Rescue and security personnel were told to remain on high alert and to move to safer ground if conditions worsened.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported Friday that flood risks from the overflowing lake in Tibet were considered manageable, according to Reuters, though authorities on both sides of the border have continued to urge residents to avoid the banks of the Bhotekoshi, Trishuli and Narayani rivers as water levels remain unpredictable.

The disturbing footage of the earring theft has intensified public anger already directed at reports of looting and exploitation following the disaster. Nepali officials have repeatedly stressed that such behavior will be prosecuted, even as the country’s police and military remain stretched thin by the scale of the search-and-rescue effort. Local authorities in Chitwan said the investigation into the earring theft remains ongoing, and it was not immediately clear what charges the two men would face.

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As recovery efforts continue, identifying victims has become increasingly difficult. Bodies and debris have been carried far downstream by the floodwaters, and officials have said the identification process could take weeks in some cases. Nepal’s government has activated emergency hotlines, including a toll-free number for families seeking information about missing relatives, as the search for survivors and the dead continues across the affected districts.

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Mondelez debuts Clif high-protein bar

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Mondelez debuts Clif high-protein bar

EAST HANOVER, NJ. — Mondelez International is launching a high-protein bar under its Clif brand. Each bar features 20 grams of protein and five grams of fiber.

The bar is formulated with rolled oats, nut butters, almonds, soy and whey protein. The product is available in peanut butter chocolate chip and cinnamon French toast flavors.

“Consumers are looking for protein-rich snacks to help fuel their busy lifestyles, and the Clif brand saw the opportunity to build on our energy bar portfolio with an innovation that offers a unique duality: 20 grams of protein with everyday energy,” said Joe Pellingra, senior director, Clif and Luna brands at Mondelēz International.

The bars may be purchased at retailers nationwide in a 4-count box for $7.49. 

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Stock Market New Issues Are Thriving. Here’s How To Find Them.

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Stock Market New Issues Are Thriving. Here's How To Find Them.

It might’ve been a rocky start for recent IPO SpaceX (SPCX) when it debuted on the stock market at 135 earlier this year. SpaceX did spike to 225.64 on its third day of trading, but the stock nose-dived after that, falling below 105 in less than two months. SpaceX notwithstanding, the IPO market has delivered plenty of recent stock market…

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Fed Chair Warsh Leans Hawkish In Jackson Hole Speech (Live Coverage)

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Fed Chair Warsh Leans Hawkish In Jackson Hole Speech (Live Coverage)

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh said he’s focused on inflation and the 2% target amid strong economic signals. The S&P 500 rose slightly changed and the 10-year Treasury yield edged higher after release of the transcript at 10 a.m. ET. Recent developments since the July 29 Fed meeting raised the stakes for Warsh’s talk. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced at…

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Rubrik Stock Is Falling After Earnings. Why the Reaction Doesn’t Make Sense.

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Rubrik Stock Is Falling After Earnings. Why the Reaction Doesn’t Make Sense.

Rubrik Stock Is Falling After Earnings. Why the Reaction Doesn’t Make Sense.

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U.S. Treasury yields rise amid Fed chief Warsh’s Jackson Hole opening remarks

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U.S. Treasury yields rise amid Fed chief Warsh’s Jackson Hole opening remarks

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Go-ahead for major housing scheme at former Revlon factory site

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The scheme in Maesteg will be delivered by the commercial arim of housing association Valleys to Coast and Tai Derw Developments

The former Revlon site in Maesteg.

Plans for a £41.8m housing scheme at the site of the former cosmetics Revlon factory in Maesteg have been approved.

The development will see more than 192 homes built at the brownfield that has been vacant for more than 12 years. It will be delivered by Sylfaen, the commercially driven development subsidiary of Bridgend-based housing association Valleys to Coast, in partnership with housebuilders Tai Derw Developments, an Edenstone Group company.

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The site has become construction ready following £3.5m remediation funding from Bridgend County Borough Council and the Cardiff Capital Region.

Located adjacent to the Oakwood Estate and a short walk from Ewenny Road railway station, the project represents Sylfaen’s first scheme.

It will consist of 35 homes for social rent, 19 affordable rent homes, 54 shared ownership properties and 84 homes for open-market sale.

Work on-site is scheduled to commence in October, with the first homes expected to be ready by April 2027. Phased construction will continue through to target completion in 2031.

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James Griffiths, managing director of Sylfaen, said:“For more than a decade, this site has stood empty, but soon it will be a vibrant, thriving neighborhood. By offering a true mix of social rent, affordable ownership, and open market sale properties, we are creating opportunity and meeting a range of local housing needs.

“Our goal is to build communities where people can grow, work and belong and we look forward to working closely with key partners and local residents as we turn this long-awaited vision into reality.”

The scheme will provide a contribution of more than £100,000 to support local initiatives. Revenue generated from the open-market sales will be reinvested to help strengthen Valleys to Coast’s ongoing investment in delivering and maintaining social homes across South Wales.

Sylfaen is also inviting local residents and customers to help shape the identity of the site by submitting naming suggestions for the development, its six new streets, and its eight house types, honoring the rich industrial heritage of the former Revlon factory.

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Asda says sales set to return to growth for first time in two years

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The private equity-backed retailer said it is still in the “foothills of recovery” as it continues to push ahead with a major turnaround plan, with like-for-like sales now rising for the first time in two years

Waterlooville, UK - May 2, 2018: Asda Stores Ltd. trading as Asda, is a British supermarket retailer. The logo is prominent above the glass fronted store-front. 
Advertising, products and Sshoppers are all visible.

An Asda store(Image: MMassel via Getty Images)

Supermarket giant Asda has acknowledged that the challenging economic climate has put pressure on household budgets, but has revealed sales are poised to return to growth for the first time in two years.

The Leeds-based retailer stressed it remains in the “foothills of recovery” as it presses on with an ambitious turnaround strategy. Chief executive Allan Leighton suggested the business is approximately a third of the way through its transformation programme.

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Speaking to reporters, he said the group is broadly where he anticipated it would be following his return to Asda’s top role in late 2024, having previously steered the retailer 25 years ago.

“We have been very consistent with the fact the turnaround will take between three and five years,” Mr Leighton said. “Whenever someone says that they think it is taking a long time, I make it clear that for something of this scale, this is just how long it takes.”

His remarks came as Asda disclosed that sales have moved back into positive territory for the current quarter for the first time in two years.

Like-for-like sales for the opening seven weeks of the current quarter, stripping out fuel, have increased by 0.2%. The retailer said it is consequently closing the gap on its biggest supermarket competitors, having watched its slice of the UK market shrink in recent years.

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On Friday, the Leeds-headquartered chain posted revenues of £5.1bn for the second quarter of 2026. It said like-for-like sales fell 2.3% for the quarter, with food sales declining 1.9% over the period.

Mr Leighton added: “We saw momentum build in Q2 with stable market share, and we’re now seeing that translate into more customers choosing Asda. While this progress is encouraging, we are still in the foothills of recovery.

“There’s still more work to do as we focus on building a stronger business for the long term.”

Michael Gleeson, Asda’s chief financial officer, said: “A challenging geopolitical and economic backdrop continued to weigh on consumer confidence and household budgets during Q2. Despite these pressures, our continued investment in price and the overall customer proposition means we continue to make steady progress in our turnaround journey.”

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In May, Asda unveiled plans to join forces with retail technology giant Ocado in an effort to enhance its online grocery offering for customers.

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