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On August 18th, Former Saved by the Bell star Tiffani Thiessen reminded everyone that legends never die, they’re reborn. On a hot Instagram post, the woman who was pretty much the face of a generation raised on 90s television busted out her “naked carrot cake” recipe. In character, she was bare-chested, fork at the ready, recreating the kind of smolder once printed on bedroom walls and locker rooms across America.

This was not a recipe at all. It was a crisp, high-gloss feature that balanced precariously on the edge between culinary journalism and style direction. Using headings such as “It feels like summer” and “How do you eat it?”, Thiessen elevated a slice of carrot cake to ready-for-a-Helmut-Newton-spread-proxy status.

The Enduring Glow of Kelly Kapowski

Years had passed since pop culture was dominated by Kelly Kapowski, but by the gauge of comment section, Thiessen’s charm never aged a day. Fans gushed with all the devotion of those who were thinking about their high school heartthrobs:

• “Kelly Kapowski ????”
• “She still looks great. Whoa!”
• “She looks wonderful!”

The piece was not nostalgic so much as proof of continuity. From her adorable-but-intelligent days on Saved by the Bell to her later stints on 90210 and White Collar, Thiessen had never fully been able to balance girl-next-door adorability with secret, inner glamour just dying to break out. Now having fun and going topless, she possesses that look again with the confidence of a woman well in control of her legacy.

Applause, Shade, and the Social Media Runway

All runways have their critics. While others applauded her bravery, others grasped for cynicism. One comment sighed, “I would have cared 35 years ago.” Another attempted to feign concern in the disguise of cruelty: “She’s gotten fat to the point that I’m legitimately concerned for her health.”

And that is where she excels. Thiessen seized on this thread. What is so brilliant about this video is its brazenness. Standing next to a bareplate and bare chest meant she was making something other than cake; she was making a point. She is not Kelly Kapowski. She is Tiffani Thiessen, a woman who can combine nostalgia, sex and humor all together into one viral moment.

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to resign after a member of his administration accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud, the latest example of the Trump administration’s efforts to gain control over the central bank.

Bill Pulte, director of the agency that oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, urged the Justice Department to investigate Cook, who was appointed to the Fed’s governing board by former president Joe Biden in 2022. She was reappointed the following year to a term that lasts until 2038.

Pulte, in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleged that Cook has claimed two homes as her principal residences — one in Michigan, the other in Georgia — to fraudulently obtain better mortgage lending terms.

Pulte also charged in his letter that Cook has listed her condo in Atlanta, Georgia, for rent. Mortgages for homes used as principal residences typically carry lower interest rates than properties that are purchased to rent, Pulte’s letter said.

The allegation represents another front in the Trump administration’s attack on the Fed, which has yet to cut its key interest rate as Trump has demanded. If Cook were to step down, then the White House could nominate a replacement. And Trump has said he would only appoint people who would support lower rates.

The more members of the Fed’s governing board that Trump can appoint, the more control he will be able to assert over the Fed, which has long been considered independent from day-to-day politics.

Trump will be able to replace Chair Jerome Powell in May 2026, when Powell’s term expires. Yet 12 members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee have a vote on whether to raise or lower interest rates, so even replacing the Chair doesn’t guarantee that Fed policy will shift the way Trump wants.

All seven members of the Fed’s governing board, however, are able to vote on rate decisions. The other five voters include the president of the Fed’s New York branch and a rotating group of four of the presidents of the Fed’s other 11 regional branches.

Trump appointed two members of the Fed’s board in his first term, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. Both dissented July 30 from the central bank’s decision to keep its rate unchanged in favor of a rate cut.

Another Fed governor, Adriana Kugler, stepped down unexpectedly Aug. 1, and Trump has appointed one of his economic advisers, Stephen Miran, to fill out the remainder of her term until January.

If Trump is able to replace Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s board, as well as Kugler and Powell, that would give him a clear majority on the board of governors. Powell, however, could stay on the board after finishing his term as chair next May.

The Federal Reserve declined to comment on the accusation.

Trump has for months demanded that the Federal Reserve reduce the short-term interest rate it controls, which currently stands at about 4.3%. He has also repeatedly insulted Powell, who has said that the Fed would like to see more evidence of how the economy evolves in response to Trump’s sweeping tariffs before making any moves. Powell has also said the duties threaten to raise inflation and slow growth.

Trump says that a lower rate would reduce the government’s borrowing costs on $37 trillion in debt and boost the housing market by reducing mortgage rates. Yet mortgage borrowing costs do not always follow the Fed’s rate decisions.

The Trump administration has made similar claims of mortgage fraud against Democrats that Trump has attacked, including California Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

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Sophie Rain has broken her silence for the first time regarding her exit from the Bop House, the Florida creator mansion dubbed the “Gen Z Playboy Mansion.” In an exclusive interview with Where Is The Buzz, she explained why she left, gave her opinion on her replacement, Lexi Marvel, and responded to rumors of drama with fellow creators Camilla Araujo and Ari Kytsya.

Why Sophie Left the Bop House on Her Own Terms

Following weeks of rumors, Rain announced that her choice to leave the Bop House at the tail end of July was completely hers.

“Leaving Bop House was my choice, and I have zero regrets,” she says.

She even had something nice to say about her replacement, Lexi Marvel: “I think Lexi’s talented, and she’s going to bring her own energy to the house. It’s not about replacing me, it’s about keeping the brand fresh.”

Lexi Marvel Enters the Scene: From 12,000 Hopefuls to the Mansion’s Newest Star

On August 10, the Bop House formally welcomed 25-year-old Lexi Marvel as the latest addition to its fold after conducting an open competition that attracted over 12,000 aspirants.

Marvel, a Puerto Rican influencer with over 2.5 million Instagram followers, ultimately secured the job. Her introduction received mixed reactions from the fans: some embraced her as the perfect addition, while others openly stated their allegiance to Rain.

Since its formation in 2024, the Bop House has garnered over five million followers on TikTok, and its members have earned millions on OnlyFans, with each addition and subtraction from the lineup making headlines.

The Truth About Camilla, Ari, and the Supposed Feud 

Rain also touched on the persistent rumors of drama between herself, Camilla Araujo, and Ari Kytsya. The two artists began working together after Araujo’s departure, sparking fan speculation about a potential feud.

“As for Camilla and Ari, people love to stir drama. The truth is, we all have different visions and sometimes that pulls people in different directions. I don’t have bad blood,” Rain explained. “Camilla and Ari doing their thing doesn’t take away from mine, and I honestly wish them both well.”

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Texas State Rep. Nicole Collier is fighting back in court after not being allowed to leave the state Capitol because she refused to sign a “permission slip” that would have required her to be under 24-hour supervision by a law enforcement officer.

Collier on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the state House of Representatives after House Speaker Dustin Burrows required Democrats to sign a waiver that would compel them to be under the supervision of the state Department of Public Safety until they return to the Capitol for the official legislative session on Wednesday.

Collier, an attorney who represents Fort Worth, refused to sign the agreement and instead chose to sleep overnight inside the House chamber in protest. “I won’t just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination,” she previously said.

According to Collier’s writ of habeas corpus filing, she was told that if she did not sign the permission slip and attempted to leave the House chamber, she would be arrested.

“The government is without any legal authority to detain members when a quorum is not needed to conduct business,” reads the lawsuit, which demands that Collier be “immediately released” by the Sergeant-at-Arms.

“She files this action on behalf of herself, mindful that all Citizens have the right to object to illegal restraint by the government,” the lawsuit says.

Collier on Tuesday morning shared that she slept inside the Capitol building following the threat to have her arrested. A photograph she shared on social media showed the Texas lawmaker wearing a bonnet and sleeping mask as she was compelled to remain in the House chamber alone.

Earlier this month, Collier and dozens of other House Democrats fled the state of Texas to Illinois, New York and Massachusetts in a political strategy to break quorum and prevent Republicans from passing a newly redrawn congressional map that they say is racially discriminatory against the state’s Black and Hispanic voters.

After Republicans issued civil arrest warrants and financial penalties for each day they remained out of state, Democrats returned to the state on Monday. However, they were met with the permission slips in an effort by Republicans to ensure they did not again flee and delay legislative business.

In her lawsuit, Collier argues that her confinement is a violation of the Texas State Constitution. While it does permit the Sergeant-at-Arms to compel her attendance, she argues, “The legal question before this Court concerns only whether the Texas Constitution gives the House of Representatives the authority to physically compel the attendance of absent members.”

However, Collier’s suit presents a legal question of whether she can be detained or arrested because she was previously absent but is now present.

The lawsuit explains, “If the legislature is in session on Wednesday and Representative Collier is not physically present in session, the Sergeant-at-Arms is permitted to compel her attendance pursuant to article III, section 10, of the Texas Constitution…However, unless she is physically absent, the Legislature is without authority to detain her or compel her attendance.”

Collier’s writ habeas corpus adds, “no such power is conferred on the Legislature to arrest or otherwise compel a member who is currently present (and not absent) to stay.”

“There is no calendar for the House today. There is no calendar for tomorrow, or any upcoming date. There is no pending vote. There is no action on which a quorum is needed,” the lawsuit argues. “[Collier] is not absent, and – thus – her appearance need not, and cannot, be compelled.”