Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had a phone call with Paul Whelan‚ a former American marine who is wrongly detained in Russia‚ according to the U.S. government.  Blinked said he spoke to Whelan on Monday.  “Yesterday‚ as it happens‚ I spoke on the phone with Paul Whelan‚” Blinken said during his remarks at the “Hostage Diplomacy as an International Security Threat” event at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in D.C on Tuesday.  The secretary...

Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West within the next decade and could be deterred by a counter build-up of armed forces‚ Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said on Tuesday. A growing number of Western officials have warned of a military threat from Russia to countries along the eastern flank of NATO‚ calling for Europe to get prepared by rearming. The chief of the intelligence service said the assessment was based on Russian plans to double the number of...

President Joe Biden has blasted criticism of Nato by his likely 2024 election challenger‚ Donald Trump‚ as "dumb"‚ "shameful" and "un-American". The Democrat assailed Mr Trump for saying he would "encourage" Russia to attack any Nato member that did not meet its defence spending quota. Mr Biden said the remarks underscored the urgency of passing a $95bn (£75bn) foreign aid package for US allies. The bill just passed the Senate‚ but it faces political headwinds in the House. At the...

President Joe Biden’s son‚ Hunter Biden‚ allegedly took photographs with his phone of “apparent” cocaine‚ crack cocaine‚ and other drug paraphernalia‚ according to court documents filed by Biden’s Department of Justice. “During November and December 2018‚ the defendant took multiple photographs of videos apparent cocaine‚ crack cocaine‚ and drug paraphernalia‚” the DOJ said in a Tuesday court filing. Hunter Biden faces several felony gun charges stemming from allegations that he lied on a...

At what should have been the close of Joe Biden’s impromptu press conference last week‚ in which the president oddly sought to allay concerns about his advanced age by displaying all the traits classically associated with dotage‚ the president shuffled back to the lectern to allow himself one last dig at Israel. The Jewish state’s defensive war against Hamas in Gaza was “over the top‚” Biden said. “I’m pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage ceasefire‚” he continued‚ adding that he...

This post was written by Tim Urban and originally published on Wait But Why.I woke up this morning to a text. It was a link:"optimistic-people-have-one-thing-common-always-late.”Intriguing. Nothing's better than the headline: "The reason people are [bad quality that describes you] is actually because they're [good quality]."I got to reading. And as it turns out‚ according to the article‚ late people are actually the best people ever. They're optimistic and hopeful:"People who are continuously late are actually just more optimistic. They believe they can fit more tasks into a limited amount of time more than other people and thrive when they're multitasking. Simply put‚ they're fundamentally hopeful."They're big-thinking:"People who are habitually late don't sweat over the small stuff‚ they concentrate on the big picture and see the future as full of infinite possibilities."Late people just get it:"People with a tendency for tardiness like to stop and smell the roses…life was never meant to be planned down to the last detail. Remaining excessively attached to timetables signifies an inability to enjoy the moment."By the end of the article‚ I had never felt prouder to be a chronically late person.But also‚ what the hell is going on? Late people are the worst. It's the quality I like least in myself. And I'm not late because I like to smell the roses or because I can see the big picture or because the future is full of infinite possibilities. I'm late because I'm insane.So I thought about this for a minute‚ and I think I figured out what's going on. The issue is that there are two kinds of lateness:1. OK lateness. This is when the late person being late does not negatively impact anyone else — like being late to a group hangout or a party. Things can start on time and proceed as normal with or without the late person being there yet.2. Not-OK lateness. This is when the late person being late does negatively impact others — like being late to a two-person dinner or meeting or anything else that simply can't start until the late party arrives.John Haltiwanger's Elite Daily article is (I hope) talking mostly about OK lateness. In which case‚ sure‚ maybe those people are the best‚ who knows.But if you read the comment section under Haltiwanger's article‚ people are furious with him for portraying lateness in a positive light. And that's because they're thinking about the far less excusable not-OK lateness.1. OK lateness. This is when the late person being late does not negatively impact anyone else — like being late to a group hangout or a party. Things can start on time and proceed as normal with or without the late person being there yet.2. Not-OK lateness. This is when the late person being late does negatively impact others — like being late to a two-person dinner or meeting or anything else that simply can't start until the late party arrives.John Haltiwanger's Elite Daily article is (I hope) talking mostly about OK lateness. In which case‚ sure‚ maybe those people are the best‚ who knows.But if you read the comment section under Haltiwanger's article‚ people are furious with him for portraying lateness in a positive light. And that's because they're thinking about the far less excusable not-OK lateness.All of this has kind of left me with no choice but to take a quick nine-hour break from working on a gargantuan SpaceX post to discuss not-OK late people.When it comes to people who are chronically not-OK late‚ I think there are two subgroups:Group 1: Those who don't feel bad or wrong about it. These people are assholes.Group 2: Those who feel terrible and self-loathing about it. These people have problems.Group 1 is simple. They think they're a little more special than everyone else‚ like the zero-remorse narcissist at the top of Haltiwanger's article. They're unappealing. Not much else to discuss here.Punctual people think all not-OK late people are in Group 1 (as the comments on this post will show) — because they're assuming all late people are sane people.When a sane person thinks a certain kind of behavior is fine‚ they do it. When they think it's wrong‚ they don't do it. So to a punctual person — one who shows up on time because they believe showing up late is the wrong thing to do — someone who's chronically late must be an asshole who thinks being late is OK.But that's misunderstanding the entire second group‚ who‚ despite being consistently late‚ usually detest the concept of making other people wait. Let call them CLIPs (Chronically Late Insane Persons).While both groups of not-OK late people end up regularly frustrating others‚ a reliable way to identify a Group 2 CLIP is a bizarre compulsion to defeat themselves — some deep inner drive to inexplicably miss the beginning of movies‚ endure psychotic stress running to catch the train‚ crush their own reputation at work‚ etc.‚ etc. As much as they may hurt others‚ they usually hurt themselves even more.I spent around 15% of my youth standing on some sidewalk alone‚ angrily kicking rocks‚ because yet again‚ all the other kids had gotten picked up and I was still waiting for my mom. When she finally arrived‚ instead of being able to have a pleasant conversation with her‚ I'd get into the car seething. She always felt terrible. She has problems.My sister once missed an early morning flight‚ so they rescheduled her for the following morning. She managed to miss that one too‚ so they put her on a flight five hours later. Killing time during the long layover‚ she got distracted on a long phone call and missed that flight too. She has problems.I've been a CLIP my whole life. I've made a bunch of friends mad at me‚ I've embarrassed myself again and again in professional situations‚ and I've run a cumulative marathon through airport terminals.When I'm late‚ it's often the same story‚ something like this:I'll be meeting someone‚ maybe a professional contact‚ at‚ say‚ a coffee place at 3:00. When I lay out my schedule for the day‚ I'll have the perfect plan. I'll leave early‚ arrive early‚ and get there around 2:45. That takes all the stress out of the situation‚ and that's ideal because non-stressful commutes are one of my favorite things. It'll be great — I'll stroll out‚ put on a podcast‚ and head to the subway. Once I'm off the subway‚ with time to spare‚ I'll take a few minutes to peruse storefronts‚ grab a lemonade from a street vendor‚ and enjoy New York. It'll be such a joy to look up at the architecture‚ listen to the sounds‚ and feel the swell of people rushing by — oh magnificent city!All I have to do is be off the subway by 2:45. To do that‚ I need to be on the subway by 2:25‚ so I decide to be safe and get to the subway by 2:15. So I have to leave my apartment by 2:07 or earlier‚ and I'm set. What a plan.Here's how it'll play out (if you're new to WBW‚ you're advised to check this out before proceeding):CLIPs are strange people. I'm sure each CLIP is insane in their own special way‚ and to understand how they work‚ you'll usually have to get to some dark inner psychology.For me‚ it's some mix of these three odd traits:1. I'm late because I'm in denial about how time works.The propensity of CLIPs to underestimate how long things take comes out of some habitual delusional optimism. Usually what happens is‚ of all the times the CLIP has done a certain activity or commute‚ what they remember is that one time things went the quickest. And that amount of time is what sticks in their head as how long that thing takes. I don't think there's anything that will get me to internalize that packing for a weeklong trip takes 20 minutes. In my head‚ it's eternally a five-minute task. You just take out the bag‚ throw some clothes in it‚ throw your toiletries in‚ zip it up‚ and done. Five minutes. The empirical data that shows that there are actually a lot of little things to think about when you pack and that it takes 20 minutes every time is irrelevant. Packing is clearly a five-minute task. As I type this‚ that's what I believe.2. I'm late because I have a weird aversion to changing circumstances.Not sure what the deal is with this‚ but something in me is strangely appalled by the idea of transitioning from what I'm currently doing to doing something else. When I'm at home working‚ I hate when there's something on my schedule that I have to stop everything for to go outside and do. It's not that I hate the activity — once I'm there I'm often pleased to be there — it's an irrational resistance to the transition. The positive side of this is it usually means I'm highly present when I finally do haul my ass somewhere‚ and I'm often among the last to leave.3. Finally‚ I'm late because I'm mad at myself.There's a pretty strong correlation here — the worse I feel about my productivity so far that day‚ the more likely I am to be late. When I'm pleased with how I've lived the day so far‚ the Rational Decision-Maker has a much easier time taking control of the wheel. I feel like an adult‚ so it's easy to act like an adult. But times when the monkey had his way with me all day‚ when the time rolls around that I need to stop working and head out somewhere‚ I can't believe that this is all I've gotten done. So my brain throws a little tantrum‚ refusing to accept the regrettable circumstances‚ and stages a self-flagellating protest‚ saying‚ "NO. This cannot be the situation. Nope. You didn't do what you were supposed to do‚ and now you'll sit here and get more done‚ even if it makes you late.”So yeah‚ that's why I'm late. Because I have problems.Don't excuse the CLIPs in your life — it's not OK‚ and they need to fix it. But remember: It's not about you. They have problems.This article originally appeared on 04.07.16

A childhood game can go very wrong in the blink of an eye."You'll never get me!"“Freeze! Put your hands up."If you've ever played cops and robbers‚ you know how the game goes.John Arthur Greene was 8 and he was playing that game with his older brother Kevin. Only the two brothers played with real guns. Living on a farm‚ they were both old hands at handling firearms by their ages.The blast from the gun must have startled them both.“We were always extremely safe. They were never loaded‚" John said.Except this time it was. And John's brother died in his arms while he watched.It happens more often than you would ever want to imagine.In federal data from 2007 to 2011‚ which is likely under-reported‚ an average of 62 children were accidentally killed by firearms per year.Here's a chilling example from Everytown for Gun Safety:"In Asheboro‚ North Carolina‚ a 26-year-old mother was cleaning her home when she heard a gunshot. Rushing into the living room‚ she discovered that her three-year-old son had accidentally shot her boyfriend's three-year-old daughter with a .22-caliber rifle the parents had left in the room‚ loaded and unlocked."And the numbers may actually be getting worse.With an increase in unfettered access to guns and philosophical opposition to gun regulations‚ the numbers seem to be on the rise. Here's how many accidental shootings happened at the hands of children in 2015 alone‚ by age:From January 19-26 of 2016 — just one week — at least seven kids were accidentally shot by another kid.If the pace holds up for the rest of the year‚ America would be looking at over 300 accidental shootings of children‚ in many cases by children‚ for the year. That's far too many cases of children either carrying the guilt and pain of having shot a loved one or hurting or killing themselves by accident.John Arthur Greene has been able to manage his feelings of guilt and sorrow through music and by sharing his story for others to hear.He told his story during an audition for the final season of "American Idol." He says music has helped him keep his brother's memory alive:"Right now I lift him up every day and he holds me up. Music is how I coped with everything."It's a powerful reminder. No matter how we each feel about gun safety laws‚ guns should always be locked away unloaded and kept separately from ammunition.Our babies are too precious to leave it to chance.Watch John Arthur Greene's audition for "American Idol" here:This article originally appeared on 03.07.16

A stunning photo of an African-American woman confronting police at a Black Lives Matter rally blazed across social media this weekend‚ with some calling it a touchstone image that will stand as a powerful symbol for many years to come.The photo‚ captured by Jonathan Bachman of Reuters‚ comes from a Black Lives Matter rally outside Baton Rouge police HQ this weekend. Police in full riot armor are shown descending on a poised‚ well-dressed woman‚ apparently about to be cuffed.Her name is Leshia Evans‚ according to the Daily Mail‚ a 28-year-old nurse from New York who had not been to a protest rally before this one. The AP says Evans was arrested for blocking a public roadway shortly after the image was taken.DeRay McKesson‚ one of the most prominent voices of the Black Lives Matter movement‚ was also arrested at Saturday's rally. McKesson was released after 16 hours in a cell; he told the New York Times that he felt Saturday's mass arrests were unlawful‚ as the protesters were peacefully assembled on the side of the highway."What we saw in Baton Rouge was a police department that chose to provoke protesters to create‚ like‚ a context of conflict they could exploit‚" said McKesson. Over 100 other protesters were also arrested Saturday.The protests were a direct response to the killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge last week‚ after two officers shot him repeatedly outside a Baton Rouge convenience store. Shortly after Sterling's death‚ a school cafeteria worker was shot and killed by police in Falcon Heights‚ Minnesota. And at a protest rally in Dallas following Falcon Heights‚ five police officers were killed by snipers.Last week's violence is already proving to be an intensely raw and revealing piece of American history. Bachman's photo will surely be one of the images that lasts. Jonathan Bachman's #BatonRouge protest photo will become as iconic as "woman in red" during 2013 protests in Turkey.pic.twitter.com/igMnWOdL4g — Matt Sandiford (@Matt Sandiford) 1468221527 When you see this image you think thank God America won the Cold War and defeated tyranny\n(JONATHAN BACHMAN/REUTERS)pic.twitter.com/ryVd3lGqIw — Karl Sharro (@Karl Sharro) 1468227689 This article originally appeared on 10.23.17

We all have a friend who seems to live in their own time zone and is never punctual for anything. This can become a headache after a while because you always have to wait to get your table at a restaurant‚ or you may miss the first few minutes of a movie.After a while it becomes harder to let them off the hook for being late because it's just so darn inconsiderate.A 32-year-old female Reddit user named Danceofthefireys had it up to her neck with her friend‚ a male who’s also 32‚ for constantly being late. So‚ after he was late for a lunch date‚ she took drastic measures to prove her point. But did she go too far?“This friend is always late to everything. Being late is fine; however‚ in this day and age of mobile phones‚ I have strong feelings that one should try to notify a person if they are running significantly late to a date/meeting‚” she wrote in a post on the AITA forum.But after being 30 minutes late to lunch‚ he didn’t text or call to let her know what was happening. Of course‚ she could have texted him but she didn’t feel it was her responsibility. “I got to the café at 12 pm‚ which was the arranged time‚” she continued. “I sat at a table by myself‚ surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the busy café. At 12.30 pm‚ my friend had not arrived. I'd received no text‚ so I simply left and went home. At no point did I try to text or ring him to see where he was/how far away he was.”After she left the café‚ he texted her at 12:38 pm‚ saying‚ “I’m here‚ where are you.” But the woman refused to turn around and return to the café. “I assumed you weren't coming‚ so I went home‚” she replied. After she got home‚ her husband said she should have at least “rang him” before leaving‚ but she didn’t.“Is she wrong for leaving her friend for being over 30 minutes late? Most of the commenters said she did the right thing. “Your friend is rude and clearly values their time more than your own. You shouldn’t have to chase them up and accommodate them as if they were a child. You’ve laid down a boundary now‚” Sleepy_Felines wrote.But some believe she lost the moral high when she didn’t text him before leaving.“You were fine until you didn't tell him you were leaving. You clearly wanted to punish him for always being late. Two wrongs don't make a right folks‚” Narrauko wrote.One commenter‚ KatzKat‚ supported the woman with a clear and simple point: “You shouldn't have to manage someone else's time.”According to popular opinion on Reddit‚ it seems that she wasn’t wrong to leave‚ but should have communicated with him via text before making her exit. If she faces a similar situation in the future‚ she can follow the advice given by Leah Campbell and Bethany Juby‚ PsyD‚ in an article on Psych Central‚ where they explain how to deal with people who are chronically late.“If you’re dealing with someone who is perpetually late‚ communicate this to them ahead of time — let them know you will be leaving after a certain amount of time has passed‚” Campbell wrote. “Still‚ try not to sound accusatory. Consider acknowledging that you two have different personalities. You’re not trying to change them‚ but you need to set time boundaries for yourself because you can’t afford or don’t want to wait any longer.”

Cats have a reputation for being fickle little weirdos‚ and for good reason. Perhaps your Persian wakes you up every morning by affectionately chewing on your hair. Maybe your tabby has a pet almond that he carries around like a security blanket. Maybe your Maine Coon likes to sleep with his face buried in your shoe. Since finickiness is an innate feline trait‚ it shouldn't surprise us to hear about a kitty's particular peculiarity‚ but it often does. because just when we think we've heard all of the strange things that cats do‚ someone shares a new one that makes us laugh‚ scratch our heads and say‚ "Huh?!"For instance‚ meet Shaggy‚ the cat who won't eat his wet food unless it's accompanied by a side salad. "Side salad" is not some cute nickname for a kitty treat‚ by the way—we're talking about a literal salad on an actual salad plate‚ human being-style. Witness: @the_shags2021 #blackcat #housepanthers #funnycat #spoiledcat #pickycat #catseating #healthyeating #becausecats #salads #catsareweird Shaggy's owner‚ Dina Moeller‚ tells Upworthy that he started off life as a feral cat. Now here he is living the bougie life‚ full-on expecting a fancy‚ multi-course meal. The good people of the internet‚ of course‚ have had a heyday in the comments‚ "warning" Moeller about this behavior."Actually cats shouldn’t eat sides of salad‚" wrote one person. "They should not because‚ long term the cat will end up expecting a candle lit table with a glass of wine and live smooth jazz. You need to be more careful.""You shouldn’t feed your cats salads‚" wrote another. "If you do‚ they may end up becoming baddies and making gym girl/bro thirst trap videos on IG before moving on to becoming health gurus who are only licensed by YTube 😂.""Don’t do this!! The cat will ingest iron from the leafy greens‚ become too strong‚ and take over your entire family (and then the world) 😔‚" cautioned another. "Next thing you know he’ll be demanding oat milk in his latte‚" added another.Many people joked about Shaggy requesting a wine list and cleansing his palette‚ while other cat owners chimed in to commiserate with their own kittys' quirks:"My black cat prefers to drink hot water (not warm)‚ which I have to leave for him on the side of the bathtub every morning. I have no idea how we got there either 😂‚" shared one person."My cat won't eat the dry food if she's not there to see it poured‚" shared another. "This is fun at 4:30am.""I have to sit with Tiki while he is eating his wet food and the entire house must be silent. I sneezed during his dinner the other night and ruined his whole meal 😂‚" shared another.Many people suggested that Shaggy might have "whisker fatigue" from using the bowl for his wet food and suggested putting it on a flat plate like the salad. But as Moeller's showed in another video‚ the whiskers do not appear to be the issue‚ as Shaggy will go to the fridge and shove his entire face‚ whiskers and all‚ into the bag of salad. @the_shags2021 #catsareweird #blackcats #funnycat #spoiledcat #healthyeating #becausecats #housepanthers ##catsarelife #whiskerfatigue #saladcat #catseating But it's not just salad that Shaggy craves. "He steals all my food‚" Moeller tells Upworthy. "Bagels out of the toaster‚ fights me for muffins or scones‚ tries to get cookies out of containers or wrappings! Nothing is safe from his appetite!"While it's not great for cats to eat too much human food‚ Moeller has discussed Shaggy's habit with her vet and is cautious about what kind and how much people food he gets. There's only so much you can do with a cat's unique quirks‚ though—and Shaggy's got plenty of them. "He’s kind of a cat’s cat and a bit of a punk‚" says Moeller. "Doesn’t listen. Nothing scares him when he’s determined to do something good‚ bad or unsafe. Eats the plants when he wants to annoy me or get my attention. He gives me a hard time when I work at my desk past 6:30pm."Shaggy is quite the talker‚ too‚ having "conversations" with Moeller. "He likes to hide behind behind the shower curtain in the bathroom when I’m in there‚" Moeller adds. "When I call his name and wonder out loud where he is‚ he will burst out from under it as if to say‚ 'Here I am!'"Here's to our cats and all their quirky quirks. You can follow Shaggy on Instagram and TikTok.