Days before the New York City Council was set to vote on a measure requiring more documentation on police stops‚ the NYPD pulled over a member of the body — and he said he was given no reason for the stop. Yusef Salaam‚ the newly elected councilmember representing Harlem’s Ninth District‚ said in a statement Saturday that he had been stopped by police the previous night while driving with his family. Salaam was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned and later exonerated as a member of the Central...

The CEOs of X‚ TikTok‚ Meta and other major social media sites will be on the hot seat on Capitol Hill this week when a Senate panel convenes a hearing on their “failure” to protect children from online sexual exploitation. The tech industry is under intense scrutiny as pictures and videos depicting child pornography proliferate online. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received 31.9 million reports of suspected possession‚ manufacture...

“It’s a hell of a thing‚ killin’ a man‚” Clint Eastwood’s character said in the 1992 Western Unforgiven. “You take away everything he’s got and everything he’s ever gonna have.” The statement‚ made with cold indifference by a hardened killer‚ underscores the stakes in putting someone to death. Those stakes are not only born by individuals who take another’s life‚ either in murder or in self-defense. We as a community face its enormity whenever our government‚ state or national‚ executes a...

Alabama on Thursday became the first state to execute a death row inmate using nitrogen gas. Kenneth Smith was put to death by nitrogen hypoxia at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore‚ Ala.‚ making his execution the first in the U.S. to be carried out using the previously untested method. Smith was executed for his role in the murder-for-hire plot of Elizabeth Sennett in 1988. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm addressed reporters during a press...

The outrage over Alabama using the previously untested method of nitrogen gas to execute 58-year-old Kenneth Eugene Smith on Thursday night isn’t misplaced. The use of any human being as a “guinea pig” for a method of execution‚ in the words of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor‚ makes the blood boil.  But there’s a chance that the focus on Smith‚ whom Alabama tried and failed to kill in 2022‚ will distract attention from the much larger outrage: that our country is still pulling human...

When it comes to babysitting‚ you can hit the jackpot with someone who not only enjoys hanging out with your kiddos but also cleans out of boredom. The only babysitter I've had that experience with is my mom‚ but I do hear they do exist. While walking into a spotless house after a much-needed night out would be amazing‚ it's not really part of a standard babysitting package.Typically‚ whoever babysits for you is solely there to focus on the well-being of your children. They feed them snacks‚ play games with them‚ and follow their bedtime routine to the letter. Then they hang out on your couch reminding Netflix that they're still watching and wait for you to return. Sure‚ they clean up dishes from dinner and whatever toys were pulled out during their time with your kids‚ but they don't typically clean your house.But in a private parenting group I belong to‚ a long debate was started when a mom asked a group of 260k of her closest friends if it would be appropriate for a parent to ask a babysitter to clean their home.The anonymous mom explained that her college-aged daughter had recently started babysitting for a family‚ but on the second day‚ her duties suddenly changed. There was a list of chores waiting for the babysitter that included cleaning the family's dishes and cleaning up messes that were there before the sitter arrived. This revelation set off a firestorm of comments with many agreeing that anything outside of cleaning up after the children while they're in your care is a separate job. But not everyone was on the same page and it was clear that this was a topic that was going to cause some intense debate. Since summer months are here‚ there's no wonder this topic is coming up and views are split. Scary Mommy recently published an article posing a similar question‚ only this was coming from a parent who wanted her babysitter to clean while her children slept. Elizabeth Narins explains that she and her husband are stretched thin and have an active toddler she jokingly calls a "toy tornado." "Given the amount of housework that clearly needs to be done‚ paying someone to sit on our toy-covered couch during naps or after bedtime just seems... inefficient‚" Narins wrote before posing the question. "Is it completely out of line for me to ask her to declutter when my kids are in bed?"Whether it's the expert interviewed for the Scary Mommy article or the parents in the private group‚ there does seem to be one common theme among the discourse: Any additional chores should be clarified in the original job description‚ and if it wasn't‚ then it should be directly brought up in a conversation with the babysitter. Many parents in the comments believed that a housekeeper should be hired in addition to the babysitter‚ while others thought the babysitter should be offered more money for the additional work. But there were several people who thought it was just common courtesy for a babysitter to clean the house while the kids were asleep.It may seem that you're paying a babysitter to do nothing while your children sleep‚ but you're paying them to be there in the event of an emergency. No matter which side of the debate you're on‚ it seems proper communication about expectations will save everyone a headache in the future. Do you think cleaning should be expected from a babysitter?This article originally appeared on 6.8.23

Social media has made it very easy to alter your appearance using filters. They may come in handy when you need to record a video but look a bit under the weather—just turn on a soft glow or a makeup filter‚ and boom‚ you're camera-ready in less than two seconds. But there has been a lot of talk around the use of filters and teen girls' self-esteem and unrealistic expectations seemingly placed on women.One woman has taken it upon herself to strip away the filters to prove that‚ while she is beautiful‚ her face doesn't actually look the way it does with the filter on. The most interesting thing about these filters is that they're so good‚ you can't tell they're filters. Gone are the days of filters that made everyone look like a Glamour Shot from the 90s. These filters move with you and even have pores so no one can tell it isn't actually your face. Well‚ it is your face—kinda.Mimi Webb starts off the 20-second clip using the infamous Bold Glamour filter. It's the filter that has people questioning their perception of their own faces because the contrast is so jarring. But Webb doesn't stop with one filter. She puts on another and makes sure she emphasizes her use of a ring light. After turning the ring light off and taking all the filters off as the video is ending‚ the woman removes her makeup‚ revealing an inflamed‚ irritated and blemished face. People flocked to the comments to thank her for exposing the truth behind filters."You're beautiful &; this message is SO important thanks for the reminder‚" one person wrote."You are beautiful. In real life‚ we all have imperfections. As a mature woman‚ I appreciate your honesty. Thank you‚" another said. "Thank you so much. You did not know how much this was needed‚" a woman commented. Social media can really do a number on people's self esteem‚ especially when they're comparing themselves to something that's not real. Messages like the one Webb shared can help pull back the curtain on the reality of social media. Watch her video below. @missmimiwebb #greenscreenvideo This article originally appeared on 6.9.23

Is your picture of an ideal weekend staying at home‚ noshing on snacks and television rather than actual peopling? If the answer is yes‚ you’re not alone. Well‚ you might be physically‚ but not in your preference to be antisocial Friday through Sunday. Recently‚ a woman named Christina Kwong admitted in a TikTok clip that weekends felt “different” now‚ that she was perfectly content with “a slice of cake and a maybe can of sparkling water” in lieu of going out. She wondered if others felt the same‚ and whether this was just a result of getting older or some bigger phenomenon. Kwong’s video got a huge response online which began a discussion about how habits built during the pandemic plus financial constraints were largely to blame. "If I leave my house I spend at least 100 dollars‚" one viewer said. "Everything is so expensive it's not fun anymore." Another wrote‚ “2020 made a lot of us really value the peace of being home‚ to which Kwong replied‚ “I think this is the core of it 💯.” @christinakdub Anyone else just love to do nothing on weekends? Is it age? Or is everyone feeling this way? 😆 #weekendvibes #weekend #tired #fyp #gettingold #collective #friday #saturday #sunday ♬ original sound - Christina ✨ daily vlogs ✨ And perhaps this latter point isn’t all bad. In a discussion with Business Insider licensed clinical psychologist Yasmine Saad noted that while continued social isolation might be a coping mechanism to modern day anxieties‚ another factor is that people simply no longer feel social obligation the same way‚ and are more comfortable embracing “their preferred style of recharging.” Which‚ in many people’s cases‚ is of a more introverted nature. While this might be true‚ Danielle Bayard Jackson‚ aka “The Friendship Expert” and author of "Fighting for Our Friendships‚" urges that the concept of “learned loneliness” shouldn’t be overlooked either.Using data from a 2023 article in The Atlantic‚ Jackson listed off a slew of research findings showing that nearly 60% of people have not returned to pre-pandemic activities‚ remote work has tripled from 2019 to 2021 and that 35% of people say that socializing is less important to them.She then cited a report from the American Psychological Association saying that finances were the #1 source of stress for 2023. @thefriendshipexpert #stitch with @Christina ✨ daily vlogs ✨ ♬ original sound - Danielle Bayard Jackson Jackson acknowledged that all these factors causing folks to want to stay home were valid‚ but argued that just because this behavior is more common‚ “it doesn't make it good for you‚” reiterating how countless studies show the direct impact social connectedness has on our well-being. In essence‚ getting back into a healthy social habit is similar to re-adopting any healthy habit. There’s a period of resistance and discomfort before the benefits return.Jackson then clarified that making meaningful social interactions doesn’t have to be getting drunk with friends on weekends‚ but rather getting involved in things that interest you‚ with people who energize you. Sometimes with close friends‚ sure. But other times‚ just community. While there is a lot of nuance involved with this topic‚ and certainly no one-size-fits all solution‚ discernment and balance seems to be helpful tools. Knowing exactly why we might be saying no to weekend plans‚ plus making sure to round out our schedules with interactions that matter to us. In other words‚ there’s nothing wrong with a Friday night filled with cake slices enjoyed in solitude now and then…but maybe not every night.