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Everyone’s favorite teen delinquents on HBO’s Euphoria finally returned to TV screens earlier this month, breaking ratings records for the network. But one of the show’s central figures was noticeably missing from the hotly anticipated second season: Chris McKay. Played by actor Algee Smith, McKay is the lone elder friend of the group, having graduated from their dysfunctional high school and leaving its troubled, revenge-prone, pill-popping, and bejeweled teens behind for what he believed to be the greener pastures of college. Fans had rooted for McKay, who seemed to be the only male character to view Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) as a human being, unlike his friends who would routinely demean Cassie and exploit her, passing around her nudes and their homemade sex tapes after breakups. In spite of McKay’s best intentions, their relationship was strained by his discomfort with how men objectify Cassie, unfairly lashing out at her for how she dresses. He even sometimes ran … [Read more...] about Why ‘Euphoria’ Star Algee Smith Is Missing This Season

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers Today’s sweep through the internet’s sale bins upturned lots of exceptionally good deals — several of which would make thoughtful Valentine’s Day gifts. There’s a rarely on-sale bra for boobs big and small, an adjustable kettlebell for better at-home workouts, and a makeup-melting cleansing balm for 50 percent off. (And if you’re looking for even more gift ideas, check out our Valentine’s Day gift guides .) Cuup the Plunge Bra $50 $68 now 26% off $50 Now through January 28, select bras from Cuup — one of our go-to brands for boobs big and small — are just $50. If you aren’t sure where to start, the mesh Plunge Bra is a favorite of Strategist writer Chloe Anello , who wears a size 32DD. “The cups mold to your boobs and feel like you’ve barely got anything on,” she says, adding that it offers “lots of support despite how thin it feels.” $50 at Cuup Buy … [Read more...] about 11 Things on Sale You’ll Actually Want to Buy: From Cuup to Kule

In early April, Edna McCloud woke up to find her hands tied to her hospital bed. She had spent the past four days on a ventilator in a hospital in St. Louis County, Mo., thrashing and kicking under sedation as she battled a severe case of Covid-19. “They told me, ‘You were a real fighter down there,’” recalled Ms. McCloud, a 68-year-old African-American retiree with a history of diabetes and heart problems. She weighed close to 300 pounds when she caught the coronavirus , which ravaged her lungs and kidneys. Nearly six months later, she feels proud to have pulled through the worst. “They said people with the conditions I have, normally, this goes the other way,” she said. As rates of obesity continue to climb in the United States, its role in Covid-19 is a thorny scientific question. A flurry of recent studies has shown that people with extra weight are more susceptible than others to severe bouts of disease. And experiments in animals and human cells have … [Read more...] about Studies Begin to Untangle Obesity’s Role in Covid-19