National Guard Trucks Can Drive Underwater?

Maureen O'Connor · 08/29/11 01:29PM

Wha—? Maybe—? No, I have no idea, I'm not going to bother trying to evaluate. This surreal video apparently shows a pair of National Guard trucks driving down the street in Manville, NJ, fully submerged in water. At the end of the video, camo-uniformed guardsmen climb out the windows and onto the vehicles' roofs. As the increasingly annoying cameraman wonders, "How is that possible?"

The 25 Most Unranked Colleges in America

Hamilton Nolan · 08/29/11 01:17PM

It's a day of the year, which means it's time for an online media outlet to produce a listicle of colleges, ranked upon some wacky basis! The Daily Beast tries to cover every conceivable college listicle angle today—but they stop after ranking only the categories of Best International Schools, Best Party Schools, Most Beautiful, Happiest, Brainiacs, Activists, Best Food, Future CEOs, Artistic, Least Rigorous, Cheapest, Return on Investment, Most Rigorous, Free-Spirited, Horniest, Gay-Friendly, Best Weather, Computer Geeks, Accessible Professors, Future Politicians, Greenest, and Foreign Students.

Romney: My House Is Only Being Doubled, Not Quadrupled

Jim Newell · 08/29/11 01:08PM

Last week our nation's crack political investigators broke some big news: Mitt Romney was quadrupling the size of his La Jolla, California beach house. Quadrupling means "times four," did you know? Oh, campaign news is so cute. Without this story, we never would have known, or been able to determine from his mannerisms, that Mitt Romney was a rich person.

Happy Birthday, Child Bride Courtney Stodden!

Maureen O'Connor · 08/29/11 12:52PM

Hollywood child bride Courtney Stodden turns 17 today, reducing the age gap with her creepy actor husband Doug Hutchison to a mere 34 years. Doug gave Courtney a shopping spree at Victoria's Secret and a trip to Disneyland for her birthday.

Julian Assange Accidentally Uploaded His Secret Files to the Internet

Adrian Chen · 08/29/11 12:46PM

People inadvertently put things on the internet they don't want revealed all the time. But you'd think Julian Assange would avoid such an amateur mistake. Not so: He accidentally uploaded all of his precious State Department cables, unredacted, to the internet.

Real Housewives of New Jersey: Flipping Out

Richard Lawson · 08/29/11 12:33PM

Last night's episode of The Sisters Pose 'n' Swag was basically about the same old fights as always. Well, the issues were the same, but the circumstances were different. Also, Juicy Joe fell down.

Watch Justin Bieber Taunt Girls With His Snake: 'It's Gonna Get Big'

Maureen O'Connor · 08/29/11 11:29AM

At last night's MTV VMAs, Justin Bieber debuted his new pet, a flesh-colored snake named Johnson. Is this standard-issue horny boy juvenilia, or has Bieber taken a turn for the Jacko? "I have a snake," the adolescent male says, extending his Johnson to his girlfriend. "Stop!" the nubile female cries, pushing the fleshy mound away. "I know." [Video via MTV]

Rick Santorum Complains of Gay 'Jihad' Against Him

Jim Newell · 08/29/11 11:21AM

So a full eight years ago, then-Sen. Rick Santorum made an offensive slippery-slope argument with regards to legalizing gay marriage and how it would lead to constant bestiality everywhere. Some folks on the Internet responded by pulling a Google prank that forever links his name to frothy anal discharge. But this doesn't still bother Santorum, does it? Railing against it isn't, say, a part of his stump presence nowadays?

How to Remain Productive While Unemployed

Hamilton Nolan · 08/29/11 10:45AM

What's the main problem with the American economy? You, okay? You, and people like you. As an average drone, your job is very simple: you go to work, you make money, and then you spend all of that money on consumer products. Repeat until dead. But you can't even get that right.

Matthew Fox Got Beat Up By a Female Bus Driver

Brian Moylan · 08/29/11 10:31AM

Some lady broke her hand on Matthew Fox's face trying to keep him from getting on a bus. Jay-Z was not happy that Chris Brown was performing at the VMAs, Gwyneth Paltrow refused to wear makeup to her book event, and Larry David could be a home wrecker. Monday's gossip is not on the list.

Which Famous Actor Is Suffering from Alzheimer's?

Brian Moylan · 08/29/11 10:16AM

This Oscar winner had a public meltdown because he couldn't remember where his phone was. This A-list actress put a social fatwa out on her rival's head. And this actress had a secret baby in her past. Yes, she does remember where she left it.

Nothing Can Stop The Help

Richard Lawson · 08/29/11 09:49AM

The summer's feel-good hit just keeps chugging along, like it or not. Meanwhile three new films failed to drum up much business, possibly because of the storm, possibly because no one cared.

Maureen O'Connor on the Today Show

Leah Beckmann · 08/29/11 09:05AM

Gawker staff writer Maureen O'Connor appeared on NBC's Today show on August 29, 2011. Check out the clip above. For media requests, please contact Kevin Prince at kevin@gawker.com.

Stetson Kennedy, The Man Who Unmasked the Klan

Hamilton Nolan · 08/29/11 08:16AM

Civil rights crusader Stetson Kennedy died this weekend at his home in Florida at the age of 94. Kennedy, a lifelong Floridian, author, and investigative journalist, infiltrated and exposed the Ku Klux Klan back when that really meant something.

Mass Murderer Nonchalantly Confesses to Chainsaw Beheadings

Jeff Neumann · 08/29/11 06:18AM

Just over two weeks ago, Mexican authorities arrested a notorious mass murderer, Oscar Osvaldo Garcia, who is nicknamed after a popular TV hand puppet, "El Compayito." He admitted to personally killing, or ordering the murders of around 600 people. Today, the Washington Post reports on Mexican law enforcement's penchant for videotaping and airing dramatic confessions on TV. Here's a sample of Garcia's confession, made shortly after his arrest:

Just When You Thought the Qaddafis Couldn't Get Any Worse

Jeff Neumann · 08/29/11 03:22AM

Coverage of the war in Libya has exposed an incredible amount of atrocities — by both Qaddafi loyalists and rebels. And the video report below, by CNN's Dan Rivers, is yet another awful addition to the formers' crimes. Rivers visited a vacation home that belonged to Muammar's youngest son, Hannibal, and his wife Aline Skaff, a Lebanese former model. There he found a woman who was essentially a slave to Hannibal and Aline, and was repeatedly tortured. Hannibal — whose party crew recently included Beyoncé and Usher — has a long history of beating servants and general scumbaggery. So while it's not surprising that he and his wife would abuse this woman, what Aline did to her is horrifying.