House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed on Tuesday that Democrats are demanding billions in wasteful and ideological spending, including $3.9 million for LGBTQI+ democracy grants in the Western Balkans, as part of their conditions to reopen the government.
Speaking on the 14th day of what he called the Democrat government shutdown, Johnson said the American people are suffering because Democrats have chosen politics over responsibility.
“Welcome to day 14 of the Democrat government shutdown,” Johnson said during his press briefing. “It’s two weeks of Democrats in Congress inflicting untold pain on the American people for nothing other than pure politics.”
Johnson explained that House Republicans had already offered a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded, but Democrats repeatedly rejected it.
Instead, he said, Democrats are tying unrelated left-wing priorities to essential government operations in an attempt to strong-arm Republicans into approving radical spending measures.
He accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of catering to what he described as the party’s “Marxist base.”
The Speaker laid out details from the Democrats’ counterproposal, calling it a $1.5 trillion wish list of reckless spending that would send taxpayer money to liberal causes and foreign projects that have nothing to do with running the U.S. government.
Among the examples he cited were $24.6 million for climate resilience programs in Honduras.
Another $13.4 million would go to civic engagement programs in Zimbabwe.
An additional $2.9 million is earmarked for desert locust risk reduction in the Horn of Africa.
The Democrats’ plan also calls for $2 million to fund “organizing for feminist democratic principles” in Africa, according to Johnson.
Johnson highlighted the $3.9 million in LGBTQI+ democracy grants for the Western Balkans as an example of Democrats’ misplaced priorities.
“They want to spend 3.9 million of your hard-earned dollars for LGBTQI+ democracy grants in the Western Balkans,” Johnson said. “We are not doing that.”
He argued that Democrats are also trying to undo common-sense reforms enacted by Republicans that prevent illegal immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded healthcare.
“This is a fact,” he said. “They would add illegal aliens and non-citizens back to taxpayer-funded benefits. It would cost taxpayers nearly $200 billion.”
Johnson further warned that Democrats want to roll back modest work requirements placed on able-bodied young men without dependents.
At the same time, Democrats are pushing to make COVID-era Obamacare subsidies permanent, with no income limits or meaningful reforms.
Johnson said this approach would not only punish working Americans but also reward dependency and mismanagement.
The Speaker accused Democrats of prioritizing ideological projects over the immediate needs of the American people.
He said their proposal exposes how out of touch the party has become, highlighting spending for causes abroad while Americans face uncertainty at home.
“This is not about keeping the lights on,” Johnson said. “This is about Democrats trying to use the shutdown as leverage to fund their far-left agenda.”
Johnson reminded reporters that Republicans have already passed legislation to reopen the government responsibly, without any of the unrelated political riders Democrats insist on including.
The Republican plan, he said, would maintain government operations, protect taxpayers, and prevent wasteful spending abroad.
Johnson also pointed out that the Democrats’ proposal would restore funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, sending a half-billion dollars to what he described as liberal media outlets that have long benefited from taxpayer subsidies.
He described it as another example of Democrats using government funding to reward their political allies rather than serving the public good.
“These are not the priorities of the American people,” Johnson said firmly. “They are the priorities of a radical political class that has forgotten who they work for.”
The Speaker ended his remarks by calling on Democrats to stop the political games and join Republicans in reopening the government immediately.
“We have a clean bill ready to go,” he said. “It keeps the government open, pays our troops, secures the border, and protects hardworking taxpayers. Democrats need to stop holding America hostage.”
Johnson’s comments reflect growing frustration among House Republicans who say Democrats are using the shutdown to push through spending on social experiments, foreign projects, and activist groups under the guise of government funding.
He warned that such spending will only deepen America’s fiscal crisis and fuel public anger toward Washington’s political class.
“This is a moment for leadership,” Johnson concluded. “It’s time to put the American people first and end this shutdown—not by giving in to woke demands, but by standing firm for fiscal sanity and common sense.”
It wasn’t the usual red-carpet spectacle or carefully staged paparazzi shot — something about Jennifer Lopez’s latest public appearance had people talking.
The energy was different. Cameras caught her arriving with a man who wasn’t just another face in Hollywood, and within hours, the internet lit up with speculation. Was this simply two old acquaintances crossing paths again, or the start of a story that could dominate headlines?
More Than Just a Reunion?
At first glance, it looked innocent enough — Jennifer sharing easy smiles, leaning in with the kind of comfort that comes from familiarity. But those who watched closely noticed the details: how their conversations seemed unhurried in a world that never stops rushing, how laughter lingered just a little too long, how their body language suggested something beyond casual friendship.
A Face From the Spotlight
The real surprise came when fans recognized him: a onetime Hollywood leading man whose name once dominated movie posters and glossy magazine covers. His career, marked by hit films in the late ’90s and early 2000s, had intersected with Lopez’s own meteoric rise more than once. Their paths had crossed before — premieres, afterparties, industry circles — but never with the quiet intensity that now had people wondering if history was being rewritten.
A Story Still Unfolding
For Lopez, who continues to balance her powerhouse career with her life in the public eye, this connection feels different. It isn’t about publicity stunts or tabloid fodder — at least, not yet. Instead, it’s about two people who understand the pressures of fame, who have lived through its shine and shadows, and who might just be finding comfort in one another.
Conclusion
The world may never know exactly what was exchanged in those shared glances and easy laughs — at least not right away. But one thing is clear: Jennifer Lopez has once again managed to capture attention without trying.
Whether this is a fleeting reunion or the quiet spark of something bigger, fans are watching closely. After all, Hollywood loves a comeback — and maybe, just maybe, this time it’s a comeback for two.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck wed in July 2022 and finalized their divorce in January 2025
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s love story has come to an end — again.
On Aug. 20, 2024, the Marry Me actress filed for divorce from Affleck. The news came after months of marital strife, which resulted in the couple living apart and focusing on their “separate lives.” The former couple’s divorce was finalized 20 weeks later in January 2025.
Affleck and Lopez initially met in 2002. After ending their engagement in 2004, they both pursued other relationships and started families of their own.
The “On the Floor” singer was married to Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014, and they are parents to twins Max and Emme. Meanwhile, the
Deep Water actor was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018, and they have three kids together, daughters Violet and Seraphina and son Samuel.
In April 2021, the pair were spotted together for the first time in over a decade, sparking relationship rumors. Lopez and Affleck eventually went public with their rekindled romance and wed in July 2022.
From the beginning of “Bennifer” to their second engagement, here’s a complete breakdown of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s relationship.
Lopez and Affleck first met in 2002 on the set of their movie Gigli, which came out the following year. At the time, Lopez was married to her second husband, Cris Judd, though they eventually divorced.
Lopez told PEOPLE in 2016, “I really felt like when I met Ben, ‘Okay, this is it.’ “
The duo quickly became one of the biggest couples in Hollywood and one of the first to receive a hybrid couple name: “Bennifer.”
In a November 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, Lopez revealed her engagement to Affleck, describing it as “traditional, but also in a very spectacular way, as of course Ben would do it … it was very, very beautiful.”
PEOPLE reported at the time that Affleck proposed with a custom-made Harry Winston pink-diamond solitaire ring he chose himself.
In her interview with Sawyer, Lopez described her then-fiancé as “brilliantly smart … Loving. Charming. Affectionate,” adding that her mother approved.
“And I just admire him in every way,” she said.
She also acknowledged that some people viewed their relationship as unlikely, but pointed out that she and the actor had bonded over similar upbringings.
“We’ve talked about this so many times, and we talked about how people kind of see him with … one type of person and me with another type of person, and the two of us together is like, ‘How did that happen?'” she said.
Lopez added, “And how we’re probably more alike and from the same kind of background … same kind of upbringing and same kind of family and same kind of house.”
Heading into 2003, Lopez and Affleck were one of the most popular Hollywood couples to appear in the tabloids and were infamously hounded by the paparazzi.
Lopez even acknowledged their notoriety in the music video for her song “Jenny from the Block,” which featured paparazzi shots of herself and Affleck doing everything from pumping gas to lounging on a yacht together.
“We didn’t try to have a public relationship,” Lopez told PEOPLE in 2016. “We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like ‘Oh my God.’ It was just a lot of pressure.”
Lopez told InStyle that the media circus surrounding her relationship with Affleck was “just crazy.”
“Now at least I can show you who I am a little bit,” she said. “Back then you just believed anything you read on the cover of a tabloid. Many times it wasn’t true, or it was like a third of the truth.”
In a January 2021 podcast interview, Affleck reflected on how rude media coverage of Lopez was when they were together.
“People were so f—- mean about her — sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s— was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said,” he said. “Now it’s like, she’s lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f—– should be! I would say you have a better shot, coming from the Bronx, of ending up as like [Justice Sonia] Sotomayor on the Supreme Court than you do of having Jennifer Lopez’s career and being who she is at 50 years old today.”
Lopez and Affleck met on the set of the 2003 rom-com Gigli. Despite their chemistry on-screen, the film bombed at the box office and was panned by critics. PEOPLE called it “the Stinker of Summer.”
Less than two weeks after the film’s release, Affleck admitted on The Tonight Show that the movie “wasn’t good,” and they “got buried.” He even poked fun at the film by reading the negative reviews on the late-night show.
Just days before Lopez and Affleck were set to be married in Santa Barbara on Sept. 14, 2003, the couple announced in a statement that they would be postponing their marriage. Lopez and Affleck cited the intense media spotlight as the reason for the postponement.
“Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” Affleck and Lopez said in the statement. “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”
“We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends,” they added.
PEOPLE previously reported that after briefly splitting up in the wake of the canceled wedding, the duo rekindled their relationship, but officially called it quits in January 2004. The intense media attention is largely said to have been a major factor in their breakup.
“Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy,” Lopez’s rep said at the time, while Affleck’s rep added, “I am not going to confirm anything about his personal life. We don’t want to get dragged into quicksand. Everybody wants a war. It’s not happening from our side.”
In her interview with PEOPLE in 2016, Lopez said that despite their split, there was “genuine love” between herself and Affleck.
“I think different time different thing, who knows what could’ve happened, but there was a genuine love there,” she said.
Jersey Girl, the second film starring Lopez and Affleck, was released in March 2004 — two months after the couple split. Filmmaker Kevin Smith, who wrote and directed the movie, would claim years later that he came up with the “Bennifer” nickname during the film’s production.
Lopez and Affleck remained supportive of one another in the years following their split.
In 2020, Affleck showed his support for Lopez’s acting career, saying that she should have been nominated for an Oscar for her role in Hustlers.
“She should have been nominated. She’s the real thing,” Affleck told New York Times reporter Brooks Barnes. “I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her. How awesome is it that she had her biggest hit movie at 50? That’s f—— baller.”
Following Lopez’s split from Alex Rodriguez in April 2021, the singer began spending time with Affleck in L.A.
“They are friends. They have always been friends and they have seen each other through the years,” a source told PEOPLE.
Another source told PEOPLE, “They have a great time hanging out. … It’s been years since they caught up properly. They have lots to talk about. They plan on hanging out again.”
Less than a week later, the two were spotted in Montana together. Sources told PEOPLE they were pictured riding in a car together near a resort in Big Sky, where Affleck has a home.
“[Jennifer] spent several days with Ben out of town. They have a strong connection. It’s all been quick and intense, but Jennifer is happy,” a source told PEOPLE.
In July 2021, Lopez posted a carousel of photos on Instagram in honor of her 52nd birthday. Grouped in the mix of bikini and boat pictures, the final photo in the roundup showed Lopez and Affleck kissing.
This marked the first time the couple personally posted about each other on social media.
At the Venice Film Festival in September 2021, the duo made returned to the red carpet for the first time since reuniting. It was a big night for the two, but especially for Affleck as it was the premiere of his film, The Last Duel.
Affleck and Lopez channeled Old Hollywood vibes as they strutted the carpet alongside each other in glamorous looks. Affleck donned a classic black tux, while Lopez wore a white mermaid-style gown, accentuated with a string of Swarovski crystal embellishments and accompanied by Cariter diamonds.
The couple marked another major milestone later that month when they attended their first Met Gala together on Sept. 13 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala. Not only did Affleck and Lopez stun in Ralph Lauren, but they shared a passionate kiss through their masks.
Silent Strike in the Skies: America’s B-2 Bombers Over Iran
In hushed conversations within military and intelligence networks, one story dominates: a covert U.S. operation that pierced the skies above Iran. At the center of speculation is the B-2 Spirit — America’s most elusive warplane —
reportedly tasked with a mission so bold it has analysts questioning whether the world is edging closer to confrontation. Was this an intimidating flex of power, or a carefully calculated strike aimed at crippling Iran’s most secretive defenses?
A Journey Across the Globe
Launching from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, the B-2 bombers embarked on a 13,000-kilometer odyssey, sustained by mid-air refueling to extend their reach. Their suspected objective: deeply buried installations that conventional munitions cannot touch.
Onboard were the GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrators” — mammoth 13.6-ton bombs built to tunnel through up to 60 meters of fortified rock and concrete before detonating their 2.4-ton warheads. These bunker-busters exist for one purpose: to neutralize facilities like Fordow, Iran’s heavily shielded nuclear site.
The Edge of Invisibility
The B-2’s razor-sharp advantage lies in its invisibility. Its stealth profile allows it to evade radar coverage, slipping through even the most sophisticated defense networks. But there are trade-offs: each aircraft carries only two MOPs at a time. What it lacks in payload, however, it compensates for in reach — delivering a precision strike anywhere on the globe within hours.
This capability sets the U.S. apart. No other nation has demonstrated the ability to launch a strike of such range, accuracy, and penetrative power in a single mission.
A Clash of Strategy and Technology
For Iran, the operation is more than a threat — it’s a sobering reminder that underground fortresses may not provide the safety once believed. For the U.S., it represents the marriage of engineering and military doctrine: silent approach, surgical precision, overwhelming effect.
The message is unmistakable — modern warfare no longer hinges on sheer numbers but on advanced technology that erases the boundaries of geography and defense.
Conclusion
The B-2 Spirit’s appearance over Iran is not merely about bombs and bunkers — it’s a statement. It signals a shift in the balance between concealment and detection, defense and penetration.
Whether this was a rehearsal, a warning, or the beginning of something more, it has intensified the shadow struggle over nuclear ambitions. The unanswered question now lingers: are we witnessing the sharpening of deterrence, or the prelude to a wider clash?
Lyn May, a Chinese-Mexican showgirl and actress, rose to fame in the 1970s and ‘80s, becoming a legend in Mexico with nearly 100 films and a reputation for captivating both audiences and powerful men. Known as “The Goddess of Love,” her journey is full of drama, fame, and personal challenges.
Born in Acapulco in 1952 as Lilia Guadalupe Mendiola Mayares, Lyn began working young to support her family. She met her first husband, a much older American sailor, while working as a waitress. They had two daughters but divorced after Lyn accused him of abuse.
After the divorce, Lyn began dancing in Acapulco, eventually becoming a burlesque star and TV personality. She gained national fame after appearing on the popular show Siempre en Domingo
and became a major figure in Mexican cinema’s “Ficheras” genre.
Lyn later married Chinese businessman Antonio Chi Su, and they ran a restaurant together until his death from cancer in 2008. In a shocking confession, Lyn admitted to exhuming his body and sleeping beside his remains out of grief, a decision that led to family conflict until her mother convinced her to let go.
Throughout her life, Lyn has been surrounded by controversy. She once claimed to have had an affair with a former Mexican president—rumored to be José López Portillo. She also married film producer Guillermo Calderón Stell in 2008, who passed away in 2018.
In 2021, Lyn made headlines again by announcing she was pregnant at 68 with her 29-year-old fiancé Markos D1. However, it was later revealed the pregnancy was a publicity stunt to promote her farewell tour, with Markos denying a real relationship.
Lyn’s appearance changed drastically after a botched cosmetic procedure in the 1990s. Hoping for collagen injections, she was instead injected with baby oil or cooking oil by a scam artist. The damage left permanent lumps on her face, and later surgeries could only do so much to repair it.
Despite personal tragedies, failed relationships, and a disfiguring beauty treatment, Lyn May remains a resilient and iconic figure in Mexican pop culture. Her story reflects both the glamour and the dark side of fame, beauty, and survival.