Table of contents for August 5, 2024 in Globe

■ Twisted motive revealed! ■ Conspiracy exposed! ■ Chilling secret life! THE deranged gunman who came within a hair’s breadth of blowing out former President Donald Trump’s brains was on a desperate suicide mission aimed at triggering a horrifying second American Civil War, security and political experts tell GLOBE. According to sources, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pa., came only millimeters from achieving his bloody goal when he hit the upper portion of Trump’s right ear as the Republican presidential candidate gave an address at the Butler Farm Show Grounds 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. “Crooks had to know what would have happened had he been successful,” says political author Leon Wagener. “It could very well have been the match that set the flame to a larger fire.…

THE war between lifestyle queens MARTHA STEWART and younger rival GWYNETH PALTROW has heated up, with the aging ex-con getting the last laugh as the actress has been caught in a Poopgate scandal! Sources claim during a bash at Gwyneth’s upscale Hamptons home, a fashion maven was stricken with the runs and a loud and messy explosion in his britches. No word on what — if any — of Gwynnie’s hors d’oeuvres the poor guy munched, but “Martha, like everybody in the Hamptons, has been talking about this and getting a kick out of it,” tattles a spy. While Martha is a more traditional homemaker hawking recipes, furniture, pots, pans, etc., Gwyneth is selling garter belts, candles that smell like orgasms and jade eggs for shaping up vaginas on her Goop…

SPACE case William Shatner will NOT boldly go where he has gone before — the 93-year-old, who portrayed Capt. James T. Kirk, says he does not watch reruns of his 1960s Star Trek television series and insists he’s seen “as few as possible!” Shatner also grouses he has “never seen” any of the spinoff series! “I don’t like to look at myself,” he explains. “I just don’t, you know, I don’t watch television!”…

SHELL-SHOCKED Shelley Duvall has become the latest victim of the curse of The Shining! The big-eyed actress — who played the tormented wife of axe-wielding Jack Nicholson in director Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of the Stephen King chiller — died July 11 of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas, at age 75. Duvall’s portrayal of Wendy Torrance made her a horror legend — but the performance came at the expense of her mental and physical well-being! “Making The Shining was hell for Shelley,” says a source who worked with the actress. “Kubrick tortured her by keeping her apart from the rest of the cast and crew and constantly berating her. “He forced her to do the infamous ‘give me the bat’ scene 127 times!” In that scene,…

TAKING a daily multivitamin doesn’t help people live longer — and, even worse, supplements may raise the risk-of early death, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Institute scientists followed nearly 400,000 adults for 27 years, examining their habits, vitamin use and health developments. During the analyzed period, 164,762 people died — with 49,836 fatalities attributed to cancer, 35,060 to heart diseases and 9,275 to cerebrovascular conditions. The NCI team reveals regular vitamin users were more likely to maintain a healthy weight and quality diet — but their lifespan wasn’t any longer than their surviving peers! The study’s report concludes, “The analysis showed people who took daily multivitamins did not have a lower risk of death from any cause than people who took no multivitamins,” and, in fact, they had…

KARDASHIAN momager Kris Jenner has turned into a Bridezilla as she forges ahead with long-awaited plans to wed Corey Gamble, according to insiders who say she wants her toyboy lover to sign the mother of all prenups. Sources tattle the 68-year-old mastermind behind the Kardashian reality shows and business empires won’t say “I do” unless the 43-year-old inks an iron-clad list of demands that has the groomto-be a jabbering wreck! “Corey already has plenty of rules about what he can and can’t do and say, but once they tie the knot things are going to get even more restrictive,” warns a snitch. “It has him questioning if it’s worth his while since he ultimately won’t walk away with much if they do divorce. “At the end of the day, he’ll…

RADIANT Reese Witherspoon has been one of Hollywood’s least surgery-obsessed stars, but sources squeal Jennifer Aniston’s influence has her indulging in cosmetic procedures like never before! “They likely use fillers and Botox,” snipes a spy. “Neither of them sees a stigma around doing it, but Reese was slower to come around.” The Legally Blonde star, 48, and the Friends alum, 55, showed off suspiciously wrinkle-free faces when The Morning Show co-stars posed for a pic together on the set — and now onlookers are whispering about Botox binges. According to our mole, Reese is “on board” and following Jen’s lead — all the way to the surgeon’s office! “Jen normalizes plastic surgery in middle age, as long as sanity and aesthetics prevail. She doesn’t want to go overboard and neither…

MOMENTS after narrowly cheating death from an assassin’s bullet that came so close to killing him — it clipped his ear — bloody former President Donald Trump stood up from the podium where he’d ducked down to save his life and, surrounded by a human shield of Secret Service agents, raised his fist in defiance. Here, GLOBE gives the shocking blow-by-blow timeline of the July 13 assassination attempt on the Republican Party’s 78-year-old presidential nominee at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. 1 p.m. – Trump supporters begin camping out at the rally area on Butler fairgrounds. 5 p.m. – GOP Senate candidate Sean Parnell warms up crowd. 6:03 p.m. – Trump takes the stage as God Bless the U.S.A. blares on loudspeakers. 6:11 p.m. – Pointing to a graphic detailing the…

It’ll be a marriage made in political heaven. HILLARY CLINTON’s former top adviser HUMA ABEDIN, 48, is flashing a monster diamond ring from fiancé ALEX SOROS, 38, billionaire son of even richer dad GEORGE, famed for his liberal politics. Huma was previously wed to disgraced politico ANTHONY WEINER, who was ruined by his notorious sexting scandal. TV’s Summer House beauty LINDSAY HUBBARD, 37, is preggers and the daddy is a doozy — he’s DR. TURNER KUFE, a bigwig medico and exec at Royal Pharma. Nice catch, Lindsay. Talent runs in the family. Bart Simpson’s voice-maker, 66-year-old NANCY CARTWRIGHT, confirms the rumor that she’s the aunt of singer-actress SABRINA CARPENTER, 25, former star of Disney’s Girl Meets World. Worried fans of the legendary EAGLES can Take It Easy. The iconic band…

Words in the lists appear in alphabetical order and are sorted by length. They need to be put into their correct positions in the grid. You’ll have to think a few steps ahead, as sometimes several words will fit in the same space! WORD BOX 3 LETTERS BED LAP 4 LETTERS CURB DESK PUFF SAND SOFA 5 LETTERS BENCH BOARD CHAIR COUCH CRATE FLOOR HORSE STOOP SWING TABLE 6 LETTERS GROUND STAIRS TOILET 7 LETTERS BALCONY BEANBAG BICYCLE CAR SEAT TERRACE 8 LETTERS ARMCHAIR BAR STOOL DOORSTEP RECLINER 9 LETTERS COMMITTEE TREE STUMP 10 LETTERS LARGE STONE TREE BRANCH 11 LETTERS BARBER CHAIR 12 LETTERS ROCKING CHAIR Puzzle answers: page 46…

TWO sticky-fingered postal workers could get delivered straight to the slammer for swiping at least $4 million in U.S. Treasury checks from a mail facility at New York City’s JFK Airport, prosecutors say. According to the feds, Kevaughn Wellington, 31, and Ky-Mani Straker, 24 — now former U.S. Postal Service employees — stole more than 125 checks over two years, including Social Security benefits, COVID-19 stimulus payments and tax refunds! Investigators charge Straker deposited some of the booty into a bank account — and later withdrew the dough for his own gain. But officials allege the money-grubbing men also sold some of the fat checks for as little as $500 to fellow scammers! Angel Ortiz, 27, Mark Dawson, 28, and Fuquan Bradley, 34, were also arrested and are each accused of…

THE tragic life of ALF star Benji Gregory came to a heartbreaking end when the mentally troubled actor baked to death — along with his beloved service dog Hans — in the front seat of his car at a parking lot under the broiling Arizona sun. Gregory, 46, was the child actor who played Brian Tanner in the 1980s sitcom. He died of suspected heat stroke with his pooch after nodding out in his vehicle in the Chase Bank lot in Peoria on June 13. His devastated sister, Rebecca Hertzberg-Pfaffinger, writes on Facebook: “We believe he went there the evening of the 12th to deposit some residuals … fell asleep and died from vehicular heatstroke.” The ALF actor also appeared in ’80s TV shows The A-Team, Punky Brewster, Murphy Brown…

Unscramble the letters highlighted in the finished puzzle to spell island greenery. ACROSS 1 Fat unit 5 Country’s McEntire 9 Overflow 13 Cries of discovery 17 — Strauss & Co. 18 Oral or final 19 Neighborhood 20 Barbie, e.g. 21 Knowing (2 wds.) 22 18-wheeler 23 Little dent 24 Blue Bonnet, e.g. 25 Paycheck extras 27 Noted vampire, for short 29 Collision 31 Sesame Street watcher 32 —: Miami 33 Fancy tie 35 Short 38 Light bulb units 40 Crier’s needs 44 Bran source 45 Tel —, Israel 47 Black-and-white striped animals 49 Michele of Glee 50 Neighbor of Mo. 52 Any thing 54 Jon Cryer on Two and a Half Men 55 “If I — Had a Brain” 56 Me first 58 The Boy Who Cried Wolf writer 60…

SCREEN siren Demi Moore bravely shed her duds and shows all at age 61 in her shocking new flick The Substance, but only did it after hanging out totally nude with naked costar Margaret Qualley. “There is no question that Demi has worked hard on her figure and her looks and she’s done a great job,” says a source. “But as any aging actress will tell you, as time goes by, you become more and more critical of your wrinkles and body flaws, and Demi felt uncomfortable appearing in front of the camera nude.” In the upcoming sci-fi flick, Moore plays an aging Hollywood beauty who gets axed from her job as a TV exercise guru because of her age, and in desperation, turns to an illegal black market drug…

MONACO’S Prince Albert and wife Princess Charlene have turned their troubled marriage around and brought it back from rock bottom by striking a deal that puts the South African beauty in charge of her life and calling the shots, say sources. Photos show Monaco’s royal couple looking happier than ever as they celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary standing on the palace balcony and gazing at each other along with their nine-year-old twins, Jacques and Gabriella, as a crowd of well-wishers cheered in the street below. An insider says their seemingly stronger relationship is due to a change in their marriage dynamic that puts Charlene more in control of her life. “Charlene has emerged more confident and less anxious in public and private settings as a result,” spills the insider. “If…

REALITY queen Kim Kardashian is claiming a gruesome injury — losing the tip of her finger — hurt more than childbirth. The 43-year-old star of Hulu’s The Kardashians showed her wounded digit to her doctor, who gushed, “Oh, it looks great!” But Kim was gobsmacked because her left middle finger’s tip looked gruesome and completely ripped off with dried blood caked around the injury. So Kim responded, “You think that looks great? The, like, tip broke off. It was, like, more painful than childbirth.” And that must have been real agony for the reality show siren. Kim has four kids with ex-hubby Kanye West, but only delivered North, 11, and Saint, 8, herself. She delegated the pain of having Chicago, 6, and Psalm, 5, to surrogates. The bountiful bootied babe…

SWEETHEART Cailee Spaeny is returning to her sci-fi roots with a star turn in Alien: Romulus. Six years after her first major film role in the space monster flick Pacific Rim Uprising, Cailee is following in the footsteps of Sigourney Weaver, who battled ETs on the big screen in four Alien films. The Knoxville native, 26, has also left fans all shook up with her critically acclaimed portrayal of Elvis Presley’s one and only wife in 2023’s biopic Priscilla. Here are ten things you don’t know about the petite performer, who stands just 5-foot-1. 1 The seventh of nine siblings, she spent most of her childhood in Springfield, Mo. — and much of her clothes were hand-medowns or thrift store finds. 2 At age 11, she began taking guitar and…

FAMED exercise icon Richard Simmons went to his grave holding a furious grudge against comic Pauly Shore, who he felt hounded him in his final days about shooting a movie about his life, say sources. Simmons, who was 76 when he died July 13 following a fall in a bathroom at his home, refused to OK the 56-year-old comic’s idea to play him in a biopic and was livid when Shore released a ten-minute short film, The Court Jester, earlier this year featuring him playing the Sweatin’ to the Oldies fitness fanatic, a source says. “Richard had made it clear to Pauly and his people that he wasn’t interested,” says the source. “But Pauly wouldn’t take no for an answer. He went to his grave furious with Shore!” Simmons even…

A PLUCKY teen is lucky to be able to give two shaky thumbs-ups from his hospital bed after surviving a terrifying ordeal in July — a shark ripped out a piece of his calf while the kid was in the middle of lifeguard training! High schooler Dempsey Manhart was practicing water entry rescue techniques at a training camp in Ponce Inlet on the northeastern coast of Florida when he mistakenly pounced atop the back of the peeved predator! The shark responded by sinking its jagged teeth right into 14-year-old Dempsey’s leg. “I dove onto it, and I hit the shark,” says Dempsey. “I hit it with my hands, and then I stood up and it spun around and was like underneath my legs. And I think it bit me then, when…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 Venus inspires you to clean and declutter your home but with Mercury retrograde, be careful not to accidentally toss an important paper — or worse, someone else’s important paper! The weekend brings contest luck — enter by Wednesday! Romance is exciting under Saturday’s Libra moon! GEMINI May 22 - June 21 Turn the other cheek and ignore the neighborhood gossip you overhear, Twin. Not a word is true — and it will come back to bite you if you pass it on! An interesting offer Friday could lead to the love of a lifetime if you accept it! A ringing phone Sunday brings travel news from a faraway friend. LEO July 23 - Aug. 23 Stand firm when someone pressures you to make a…

JILTED Jennifer Lopez constantly butted heads with Ben Affleck over who cared for their eight pooches during their rocky marriage, and insiders say they’re ferociously battling over custody of the canines now that they’ve split. The once red-hot A-list couple, who tied the knot in 2022, are not living together and tongues are wagging that they’re gearing up for a whopper of a divorce. Now, according to a snitch, they’re having an arf-ful time working out details of their split, including how to break up their pack of beloved pets. “Ben has a real bond with the dogs and he’s not going to just sit back and let J.Lo take them, he wants them to share custody and thinks it’s only fair,” snitches a source. When the 55-year-old This Is…