The man who authorities say sat with a rifle in the trees where Donald Trump was golfing earlier this month in West Palm Beach, Florida, previously wrote a letter stating “this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump,” according to a new filing by federal prosecutors. A witness told investigators that Ryan Wesley Routh had dropped off a box at his home months before, which “contained ammunition, a metal pipe, miscellaneous building materials, tools, four phones, and various...

Donald Trump is showing strength among Sun Belt voters, who say the former president and Republican presidential nominee improved their lives during his four years in the White House. They're worried that Vice President Kamala Harris would not have the same effect if she were to win the presidential contest in November. According to new polls of three key states from The New York Times and Siena College, Trump pulled ahead in Arizona and maintained his lead in Georgia – states...

The cryptocurrency landscape has been a whirlwind of activity in recent years, marked by swift price movements, regulatory shifts and the launch of groundbreaking initiatives. Amid this backdrop of constant change, the market’s inherent volatility remains a source of fascination for crypto aficionados. As we step into 2024, Bitcoin stands as the undisputed leader of the digital currency world, experiencing dramatic peaks and valleys. By March 2024, Bitcoin’s valuation soared to an impressive $...

Companies aren't as quick to the layoff trigger these days. Why it matters: It's good news for workers. Layoffs are traumatic life events that can take years to recover from financially. And it's one reason the labor market has held up better than economists expected after the Federal Reserve started hiking interest rates. Flashback: When the pandemic hit, employers were quick to fire — laying off many people — more than 13 million in March 2020 alone...

Israel hit 300 targets in Lebanon after announcing Monday that it is ramping up its attacks against Hezbollah's stockpile of Russian-made missiles in Lebanon. The IDF has warned civilians to evacuate areas where the terror group stores and fires its weapons. The escalation follows a weekend rocket barrage of Hezbollah rockets hitting Israeli cities as far south as Haifa and Nazareth. and reprisal strikes by the Israel Air Force. Early Monday, Israel Defense Forces ...

In Latino exile communities across the country, a question is being asked: is Kamala Harris really a communist? The vice-president has been the subject of numerous misleading claims that she is a socialist or communist since becoming the Democratic candidate for president, according to the US’s largest Spanish-language fact-checker Factchequeado. Experts say these claims capitalise on genuine fears held by some voters who fled repression in countries like Cuba and Venezuela. In one...

A Secret Service Uniformed Division officer suffered a self-inflicted, non-life-threatening injury on duty Saturday in the “negligent discharge” of a service weapon, the division told HuffPost on Monday. Some media reports initially said it was a Secret Service special agent involved in the incident but a spokesperson for the uniformed division clarified the matter. “There are no reported injuries to any other individuals and the officer was evaluated at an area...

An overarching Baby Boomer stereotype is that they have a problem with the younger generations, especially Millennials because they were coddled growing up and lack the determination to do hard things.Many believe that when helicopter parents shelter kids from discomfort, they never develop the emotional resilience that it takes to succeed on their own.Some may even attribute this to the increase in mental illness.A writer on X, who goes by Katie, recently admitted that Boomers who believe facing discomfort has a significant benefit may be right. Her post has been seen over 4 million times. — (@) “My boomer-est opinion is that you have to force yourself to do things that are difficult and uncomfortable and you have to do it often, while you’re young and your brain is still flexible." Yes, even if you are (functionally) mentally ill,” Katie wrote. “Buying groceries can be uncomfortable. going to school/work can be uncomfortable. Socializing can be uncomfortable. The more you do it, the less uncomfortable it will be. If you can do these things (I know that there is a % of the population that isn’t), you have to do them often.”“I’ve never come back to a piece of life advice more than this one,” she continued before quoting Virgil Thompson. “Try a thing you haven't done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”Many people agreed with Katie’s Boomer-adjacent thoughts on building emotional resilience.literally how i forced myself to heal from my social anxiety— Sunny (@Akpochimara1) March 20, 2024 This is actual science. You literally build pathways in the brain by doing hard things, pathways that make it easier to repeat doing hard things. By quitting, fleeing, avoiding hard stuff you make it less likely you’ll succeed next time. This is actual brain science.— Tom (@mulltf) March 20, 2024 This is what’s been saving my life from depression, it’s very sound advice even if it doesn’t feel that way in the moment!— Viktoria Katanov ☭ ?? (@viktoriakatanov) March 21, 2024 my life only started improving when i forced myself to do the shit i had no desire to do. you either rot in that dark hole or claw your way out of it. having support and encouragement is wonderful, but at the end of the day you’re the only one who can change the outcome— demon twink from hell (@medi4wh0re) March 20, 2024 Some folks are on the fence. It is true in a sense, but this ability to "force" oneself may itself be governed by processes you don't have control over.— Loads of Daffodils (@LODProduces) March 20, 2024 I agree, but the boomer take extends this to include everything: "it's normal to hate your job, your partner, and life itself, and you just have to push through it." Doing initially uncomfortable things to live a better life is good; ignoring your own needs and happiness isn't.— Matty "Nails" Sheephard (@DeprivedSheep) March 20, 2024 Others disagreed with Katie’s point, saying that the idea that we can all “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” is ableist and erases the struggles that people with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have.I get what you’re saying, but that last part is pretty ableist tbh. Some of us with somatic anxiety disorders are physically unable to do certain things. Like I have issues with driving, and one of my anxiety symptoms is vertigo. Bad combo there. I’m otherwise fully functional.— Lemur ?️‍?????????? (@floatinglemur) March 20, 2024 Clearly you don't understand that people can have executive dysfunction where this is literally impossible, or PTSD where doing "uncomfortable" things is actually very triggering and can cause full blown panic attacks. You have to be comfortable and safe first.— B (they/them) (@normalishvegan) March 20, 2024 I can’t exactly force myself to stop being autistic ?— Ayden Zabelle (@AydenZabelle) March 21, 2024 So, what does the research say?Dr. Simon Sherry, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, says that coddling has caused real problems for the younger generations. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep kids safe, but we must recognize there are unintended consequences in our current approach of excessive caution and vigilance. Instead, we must teach our youth to face anxiety, take risks, and overcome fears,” Dr. Sherry told CTV News. "We need to get control of this societal problem before it causes further damage for future generations.”When it comes to confronting uncomfortable situations, Dr. Launa Marques, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Former President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, says avoiding discomfort can make anxiety even worse.“Psychological avoidance isn’t about the actions we take or don’t take, but the intentions behind them,” she told The Washington Post. “If our actions aim to squash discomfort hastily, then we’re probably avoiding. For each of my clients, avoidance became a crutch, initially tempering their anxiety but progressively amplifying it. Psychological avoidance, rather than alleviating anxiety disorders, can exacerbate them.Obviously, everyone’s situation is different and people who are experiencing mental health issues should consult their therapists to determine the best course of action to overcome their challenges.This article originally appeared on 4.5.24

If you’re not following Jonathan Lower and his golden retriever Teddy on their @aguyandagolden TikTok channel, you’re missing out on some grade A wholesome entertainment. According to an interview with Fox, Lower noticed that audiences were more interested in videos of Teddy than his regular videos home improvement projects. So Lower gave the people what they wanted—extremely well edited skits, all with Teddy as the star. And now, they are both full-time content creators.To give you a taste of what they do, Lower recently posted a video of Teddy revealing some pretty impressive piano playing skills.In the clip, Lower drops Teddy off at grandma’s for the day, where Teddy is so moved by grandma’s piano rendition of “Beauty and The Beast” that he sheds a single tear. As soon as grandma leaves, Teddy begins tinkering at the keys, and even pulls up a Youtube tutorial for piano playing. Teddy’s hard work pays off too, because by the time Lower gets back, he’s able to play “Colors of the Wind” like it’s nothing! Watch: @aguyandagolden My dog learned how to play the piano! #dog #goldenretriever #dogsoftiktok ♬ original sound - AGuyandAGolden That wide shot at the end is particularly cool. It really does look like Teddy has turned into Beethoven. The composer, not the movie dog. Needless to say, people were blown away by Teddy’s talent. “Johan Sebastian Bark,” one person commented. Another wrote, “Wow Teddy is a fast learner. When is he going on tour?” Another just commended Teddy’s acting chops, saying he “should have his own movie.” We are past due for another movie series starring a gifted dog. Of course, Teddy might be too busy to film, as he’s already taken on other jobs, including electrician, caped crime fighter and “dogtor.” On the bright side, Lower told Fox that they still have plenty of skit ideas to bring to life. “I have a notebook at home with about 500 to 600 video ideas,” he said. "A lot of them are ambitious and they might take a little bit of time to come to fruition but we think of a lot of short hitting ones and easy ones that we can do now and we knock those out.”To not miss any of those videos, be sure to follow Lower and Teddy on TikTok.This article originally appeared on 5.14.24

It’s funny how once something sort of abstract experience gets a name attached to it, it suddenly becomes much easier to relate to and talk about. The internet—and primarily TikTok—has been great for that. Sure, things get out of hand quite easily (like the overuse of “therapy speak”) but there has also been quite a lot of validation and meaningful conversations that have spawned from these overnight buzzwords. Case and point, “gramnesia.” “Gramneisa,” which combines the words “grandparent” and “amnesia,” has been popping up on Reddit discussions for a while now, though the coiner of the term seems unknown. But only recently has it been really gaining traction. Back in June, Maryland-based therapist and mom Allie McQuaid, really brought “gramnesia” to the forefront of the conversation when she made an Instagram video all about it. “I just heard this term called ‘gramnesia’ when grandparents forget what it’s really like having young kids and I can’t stop thinking about how accurate it is,” she said in the clip. And then in her caption, McQuaid shared how so many of her clients would get “slammed” by their parents about how different (i.e. “easier”) raising kids was for them whenever they brought their own children around. See on Instagram These hyperbolic memories are, as McQuaid put it, so “ridiculous” that they're clearly “forgot[ten] what it was really like in those early years of parenthood.” Some example of “gramnesia” statements could be: “You never had tantrums when you were a kid” “I potty trained you before you were one”“You were always happy to eat whatever we fed you.”“You were spanked and turned out fine!” Clearly, Mcquaid’s video struck a chord, because it wasn’t long before people begin chiming in with their own stories of gramneis. “My MIL, over the years, loved to act like her children were perfect growing up. I love to tell the stories of her son (my hubby) getting into all kinds of trouble as a kid - oh the shock.” “*Baby makes any kind of noise* Grandma: "Oh they must be teething!" Me : "Umm she's 4 months old, She isn't teething yet - just has feelings and is you know - A BABY" grandma: ‘well my kids had all their teeth by 4 months’ ??” “5 months old and not sleeping through the night? Did you try rice cereal? Baby not walking ? Rice cereal. Baby not in college yet? Have you tried rice cereal?” “Ugh my dad literally just said this to me last week… ‘I don’t remember you guys having this many tantrums’… ? right after my boys were upset.” Mcquaid posited some theories as to why gramnesia exists in the first place. One could simply be the natural tendency to have a cognitive bias which puts past experiences in a more positive light than they actually were, aka having “euphoric recall.”. As she told Huffpost, we tend to have a “foggier memory of how things truly were” as we get older, “especially if the experience we had was particularly difficult or even traumatic.” Plus, the first few years of parenthood are often such a blur anyway. Mcquaid herself admitted that I” I even have a hard time remembering the first year of motherhood, and that was only four years ago.” In addition, Mcquaid theorized that a gramnesia exists because previous generations “were not given space to express emotions or indicate that they were struggling to adjust to motherhood.” Honestly, a sound hypothesis. And for the frustrated folks itching to confront their boomer parents about this, Mcquaid suggests picking your battles. “Check your capacity if you have the space or energy to even consider bringing up your frustration with your parents,” she told Huffpost. “You are likely in the throes of parenting right now, and maybe all you can do is smile and nod after hearing for the 100th time how ‘you were never like this.’” However, if you are determined to bring it up, Mcquaid suggests to keep it centered around you the situation makes you feel, rather than combating their memories. So instead of “that’s NOT how it happened!” try something like “When you said that I never did X when I was Y’s age, it makes me question how well I’m doing as a parent.” Probably easier said than done, to be sure. And while this sore spot might never come to a full resolution for a lot of millennial parents, at least take some solace in knowing that you’re not crazy, nor are you alone. Clearly.