Who is Margarita Simonyan, Putin's propagandist-in-chief sanctioned by US?

RT editor-in-chief has presided for 20 years over what the US now calls Russia's principal propaganda outlet.

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Niagara Falls is a must-see destination in Canada, but be advised the rest of the country is, too

A trip to Canada is sure to be filled with unforgettable views and experiences unlike any other. 

Every year, millions of people head to Canada to see Niagara Falls. In fact, over eight million visitors trek to the spot each year to take in its beauty, according to the Niagara Falls website. 

Canada is a very large country, the second largest in the world behind Russia. Seeing several of Canada's popular tourist destinations all in one trip will be a long vacation, with travel days worked in. Instead, it's more practical to choose just a couple of destinations close to each other to focus your trip on. 

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Below are a few places throughout the country that many tourists head to for a vacation.

Starting with Niagara Falls, which is made up of three different waterfalls: Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. 

There are several different ways you can explore Niagara Falls, including by boat or with a walking tour filled with incredible viewing points. You can even take a helicopter tour of the destination. 

While you're visiting, there are plenty of great restaurants where you can also get great views of Niagara Falls while you enjoy a scrumptious meal, such as Table Rock House. 

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You can also book one of the many hotels near Niagara Falls that offer stunning views throughout your vacation.

Banff National Park is located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains.  

While in Banff National Park, be prepared for lots of hiking and tons of picturesque views throughout the route. 

If you enjoy skiing or snowboarding, there are three luxurious resorts located in Banff: Mt. Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Area. 

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, you'll be able to find hills that suit your level of experience at Banff. 

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While at Banff National Park, you can take an eight-minute ride on the gondola to soar high above the trees. 

Old Montreal is full of attractions for visitors. 

While visiting, you can get great views from the observation wheel in Old Port and do plenty of shopping at the stores that line the streets. You can also take a ride on a zip line for an exciting adventure. 

Many visitors stand in awe in the Notre-Dame Basilica. If you visit at night, you can purchase tickets to see the church illuminated in breathtaking lights. There's also a 25-minute light show put on. 

In Old Montreal, you can also visit the history and archaeology museum Pointe-à-Callière and the Centaur Theatre to catch a show. 

Toronto is a city often visited by tourists, especially since it's home to the CN Tower. 

At the CN Tower, you can get incredible views of Niagara Falls and even into New York State from the top of the building, according to its website. 

There are many different activities to partake of at CN Tower, so you can really cater your experience to the liking of you and your travel party. 

There are plenty of lookout spots at different levels throughout the tower. 

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The lower observation level features a glass floor design. The main observation deck features glass walls throughout, so you can take incredible pictures from different spots along the level. 

If you're feeling extra-adventurous, you can participate in the Edgewalk. While 116 stories up, with a harness keeping you secure, you can walk along the edge of the main pod of the tower. If heights make you uneasy, staying inside the tower may be the better option for you. 

The top of the tower is where you can get the best views, where you'll be able to see about 100 miles out, according to the CN Tower website.

There's also dining in the tower at 360 Restaurant. Of course, the restaurant offers spectacular views, and different ones throughout your meal, as it completes a rotation every 72 minutes. 

If you love the city, visit downtown Vancouver on your trip. 

You can simply walk through the city or take a bike if you prefer. There are plenty of places to stop for a quick snack or a sit-down meal throughout the city. 

Downtown Vancouver is full of places to shop, as well as art galleries and museums to explore. 

If you want some serenity away from the city, check out Stanley Park, which is full of beautiful greenery, mountainous views and lots of wildlife. 

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Trump praises Brittany Mahomes for 'strongly defending' him on social media

Former President Donald Trump thanked Brittany Mahomes for her apparent support of his campaign to be elected as president again.

Trump thanked Mahomes in a post on his Truth Social account and praised her and her husband, Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, as a "great couple."

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"I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country," Trump wrote. 

"With Crime and Illegal Immigration totally out of control, INFLATION Ravaging all Americans, and a World that is laughing at the stupidity of our hapless "leaders," it is nice to see someone who loves our Country, and wants to save it from DOOM. What a great couple - See you both at the Super Bowl!"

Brittany Mahomes’ apparent social media like kickstarted a social media firestorm over the last few weeks. She first indicated her support for Trump on Aug. 13, when she liked Trump's Instagram post that outlined the "2024 GOP platform."

The swimsuit model then appeared to respond to the criticism on her Instagram Stories.

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"I mean honestly, To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood," she wrote. "There's no reason your brain is fully developed and you hate to see others doing well."

She posted another cryptic message on her social media. 

"Contrary to the tone of the world today….you can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind," she wrote Aug. 26. "Read that again!"

Mahomes was then caught liking supportive comments of her stance.

Overall, Mahomes said she is unconcerned about what anyone has to say about her. She expressed it as much in an interview on the "WHOOP" podcast and revealed what her husband has said about dealing with outside noise.

"I think the main thing he always told me is like, ‘Stop caring about what people think, especially the people that don’t even know you,’" she said. "And so I think social media used to get me a lot, and now it’s just like honestly I don’t give a f--- about what people have to say about me anymore, and I think he has helped me get to that point where I’m strong in who I am, I’m confident in who I am, and I’m confident in mine and his relationship — and I’m confident in our life. So, why does what other people say have to matter at all?"

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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'Extreme' stalker followed woman to Cyprus

Kyle Weilding strangled his victim, threatened to stab her and her dog, and smashed all the windows at her home.

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Warning from wildlife officials about venomous snake in New Jersey: 'Never touch it'

Wildlife officials issued a warning in Somerset County, New Jersey, to be on guard for northern copperhead snakes after one of the species was seen last week in Watchung, a Garden State borough that's less than an hour from New York City.

The northern copperhead snake is described as having two shades of copper or a reddish-brown color.

It "inhabits rocky fields, berry thickets, woodlands and farmlands and may even be discovered among old mulch piles," said the N.J. Division of Fish and Wildlife in a "Snakes of New Jersey" publication.

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This species is one of two venomous snakes found in New Jersey, according to the same source.

"There have always been copperheads in the northern half of New Jersey and most people who live in copperhead areas coexist with them without conflict, often without even realizing they are there," said Tyler Christensen, a PhD candidate studying copperheads at Rutgers University’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

"The best thing a resident can do is learn how to tell copperheads apart from more common nonvenomous snake species — such as water snakes, milk snakes and garter snakes — and understand how to respond if they see a copperhead."

Although the warning was issued for New Jersey, the snakes are prevalent in other parts of the nation. 

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Here's a deeper dive.

Copperheads are much less dangerous than their reputation suggests, Christensen told Fox News Digital. 

"They are surprisingly calm and docile, relying on their camouflage rather than their venom to defend themselves from predators and humans," he noted. 

"A bite is usually delivered as a last-resort defensive effort, and their venom is mild relative to most vipers."

These snakes often blend into their surroundings. 

"Copperheads are extremely cryptic (i.e. camouflaged) so they can be very difficult to spot against a background of leaves, brush and twigs," Scott L. Parker, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biology at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital.

Parker warned people to avoid touching or approaching copperhead snakes if these animals are seen or encountered.

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"Copperheads don’t want anything to do with humans," he said. They will not attack, and if left alone they will quickly try to escape."

"To avoid accidentally getting bit, don’t put your hands and feet anywhere where you can’t see them, and always wear shoes and use a flashlight when walking outside at dusk or after dark in the summer."

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Parker also said, "Millions of people in the eastern U.S., especially in the Southeast, live in close proximity to copperheads and don’t even realize that they are close by."

To prevent possible encounters with copperheads, the University of Virginia provides these tips on its website:

If you encounter a copperhead in a natural setting, in most cases you should simply leave it alone, Christensen at Rutgers University recommended. 

"Most bites occur when people try to handle or move the snake by themselves," he added.

"If you are bitten by a copperhead, don’t attempt to capture or kill the snake," he also said.

"Just get yourself to a hospital for treatment."

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Texas state representative flips to GOP, says Democrats have plunged into 'progressive abyss'

A Democratic state politician in Texas is flipping to the Republican Party for her final four months in office.

State Rep. Shawn Thierry published a statement to social media on Friday decrying the Democratic Party's march into the "progressive abyss" after she lost her primary for supporting a GOP-led bill protecting minors from gender transition procedures.

"The Democratic Party has veered so far left, so deep into the progressive abyss, that it now champions policies that I cannot, in good conscience, support — policies like promoting sex changes for children during a vulnerable stage of their lives, and dismantling Title IX protections for women in sports," Thierry wrote.

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Thierry said because of her break with the values of her party, she will serve her final few months in office as a member of the GOP.

"I now stand with the party of Lincoln, the party that fought to preserve our Union and fought to end the atrocities of slavery," she added.

Thierry lost to primary challenger Lauren Ashley Simmons during a runoff election in May. 

TEXAS ANNOUNCES OVER 1M INELIGIBLE VOTERS REMOVED FROM VOTING ROLLS SINCE LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

A major factor in her failure within the Democratic Party is believed to have been her support for a 2023 Republican bill that barred gender transition for minors.

"Mothers around our country from all backgrounds, races, and communities understand that it’s our sacred duty to preserve the innocence of our children, protect them from being sexualized, and sterilized," Thierry wrote. "To respect universal truths, and to uphold the rights of biological women as defined by science, nature, and common sense." 

"I will not be alone; I will be with millions of courageous women and men of good conscience, who are willing to place people over political ideology," she concluded.

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Drew Barrymore regrets posing for 'Playboy' in 'chaste' 1995 shoot, thought it was 'unlikely to resurface'

After more than 40 years of working in Hollywood, Drew Barrymore is bound to have some regrets. 

In a "very vulnerable" message posted to Instagram on Friday, the actress and talk show host reflected on her years in the spotlight, how her tumultuous childhood has inspired her parenting today, and the remorse she still feels over her 1995 "Playboy" photo shoot.  

"I was around plenty of hedonistic scenarios at parties and even in my own home where the viewing was of highly sensitive natures and caused me tremendous shame," Barrymore wrote in the post titled, PHONE HOME. "We, as kids, are not meant to see these images. And, yes, I was even a big exhibitionist when I was young due to these environments I was in. I thought of it as art, and I still do not judge it."

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"But when I did a chaste artistic moment in ‘Playboy’ in my early 20s, I thought it would be a magazine that was unlikely to resurface because it was paper," Barrymore added. "I never knew there would be an internet. I didn't know so many things."

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As a mom to two pre-teen daughters (Olive, 12, and Frankie, 10), Barrymore said she's focused on protecting her children "the way I wanted to be protected." 

Especially when it comes to the new world of social media. 

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"I wished many times when I was a kid that someone would tell me ‘no,’ I wanted so badly to rebel all the time, and it was because I had no guardrails. I had too much acces and excess, and eventually ‘no’ actually became a challenge."

"I never thought in my wildest dreams that kids would be in my boat of too much excess and access," she added.

Barrymore went on to explain that she was emancipated at 14 years old, at which point she moved into her first apartment.

"I started my life over on my terms. But in a consistent message to myself, I found that there was no one to take care of me," she wrote. "My own mother was lambasted for allowing me to get so out of control. I have so much empathy for her now, because I am a mother. And none of us is perfect."

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"Now that I am a mother, I cannot believe I am in a world that I know correlates to my own personal pitfalls and many of my peers who got into too much, too soon. Kids are not supposed to be exposed to this much. Kids are supposed to be protected. Kids are supposed to hear NO."

Barrymore further discussed the toxicity that can come from group texts. 

"We must protect our children from being put in scenarios where they cannot always control the rhetoric of the multiple-party dynamics that get put on record on a cloud only to potentially haunt them one day," she wrote. 

"I messed up in public when I was 13, and people were shocked," she added. "I was on the cover of the ‘National Enquirer’ and every other magazine as a washed-up tragedy. And I thought that would be my narrative forever. I wanted to disappear from the planet and never show my face again."

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"But I put one foot in front of the other and put my life back on track, only to make more mistakes along the way, but that is life," she continued. "We make mistakes. And people have been so kind to me. Forgiven me. And cheered me on as I grew up."

"So yeah, it is also my karma and life's work to cheer people on right back!" Barrymore concluded. "We all fall and rise. Over and over. Life's roller coaster. And what a beautiful ride it is."

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