Every day‚ police rely on common tactics that‚ unlike guns‚ are meant to stop people without killing them. These include physical holds‚ Tasers and body blows. As with George Floyd‚ however‚ when misused‚ these tactics can still end in death. An agitated man trespasses in a parking lot. A grandfather off his schizophrenia medication loiters outside a store.

Four people were killed and seven others were injured Wednesday in and near Rockford‚ Illinois‚ in what the city’s mayor called a “random and senseless act of violence.” Some of the victims‚ including a woman who fled a home invasion in Winnebago County and a man who tried to help her‚ were stabbed‚ officials said. Police took a 22-year-old man into custody and were not looking for anyone else involved in the violence‚ which occurred at "multiple scenes" in Rockford and an area of the...

When conservative icon Matt Schlapp announced Tuesday that the sexual battery and defamation lawsuit against him had been dropped‚ he and his allies were quick to note that the ordeal ended without him or the American Conservative Union—the right-wing organization he runs—paying his accuser a single dollar. But what Schlapp didn’t disclose was that the Republican operative who sued him was‚ in fact‚ paid to drop the lawsuit‚ according to two people with knowledge of the payout. It was just...

The U.S. economy grew faster than previously estimated in the fourth quarter‚ boosted by strong consumer spending and business investment in nonresidential structures like factories and healthcare facilities. The report from the Commerce Department on Thursday also showed profits rising at a solid clip last quarter‚ driven by nonfinancial corporations. Increasing profits‚ together with rising worker productivity‚ could encourage companies to retain their employees‚ and extend the economic...

Over three decades in public life‚ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become known as the “magician” for his ability to wriggle free of political dilemmas. The war in Gaza and hostage-release talks with Hamas are testing those skills like never before. Hopes for a deal are fading after Netanyahu pulled the Israeli negotiating team from talks in Qatar earlier this week and Hamas rejected a new proposal for a compromise. The talks are expected to move to Cairo next week. Netanyahu...

Home Depot on Thursday said it is acquiring SRS Distribution in an $18.25 billion deal‚ the latest and largest sign of its ambitions to drive sales by winning more business from contractors‚ roofers and other home professionals. The home improvement retailer expects the acquisition to close this fiscal year‚ which ends in late January. It said it will finance the deal through cash on hand and debt. Home Depot already draws half of its business from pros‚ while the other half comes from do...

President Joe Biden is planning to visit New York City on Thursday for an expected record-shattering fundraiser the same day former President Donald Trump is set to honor a fallen cop in the city. Biden will be meeting up with former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton for a campaign event that is set to raise $25 million dollars‚ the campaign told The Associated Press. The event‚ hosted at Radio City Music Hall in the city‚ will also feature a star-studded lineup‚...

If‚ like me‚ you have a college-bound high-school senior in your family‚ you’ve likely been on the receiving end of yet another colossal screw-up by our federal government: the overhaul of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid‚ commonly known as the FAFSA. Every year‚ students (or more commonly their parents) need to fill out the FAFSA with information about their income‚ assets‚ and expenses in order to qualify for federal student aid. Many colleges require the FAFSA before awarding...

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday appeared to walk back comments from President Biden that U.S. taxpayers would foot the bill for the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. Appearing on MSNBC‚ Yellen said money from the bipartisan infrastructure law could "potentially be helpful."  "My expectation would be that ultimately there will be insurance payments‚ in part‚ to cover this. But we don’t want to allow worrying about where the financing will come from to...

Katrin BolovtsovaA husband and father shared a fascinating story that caused a passionate debate over whether there is a correct way to pronounce someone’s name and how cultural heritage means different things to different people. The post was written by a man with the username VividTavern‚ who we’ll call VT for brevity’s sake. “My wife and I are Mexican-American‚” VT began his story. “I’m third-generation and she came here when she was eight. As a result‚ she’s quite a bit more ‘Hispanic’ than me‚ and we’ve clashed at times because I’m apparently insufficiently enthusiastic about my heritage. After we got married‚ we agreed that we’d have two kids and take turns naming them.”The wife chose first and named their daughter Rosa Maria‚ a traditional Mexican name. It was VT's turn for their second child‚ and he named the boy Daniel. The problem is that VT prefers the Anglicized version of the name (DAN-yÉ™l)‚ whereas his wife uses the Spanish pronunciation (da-NYEHL).“She introduces him as Daahn-ni-yell to everyone else and now everyone’s just following her pronunciation‚ which is frustrating because it was my turn to name the baby‚ and I feel like she didn’t respect my choice‚” VT continued.“When I confronted her‚ she said she doesn’t want our kids to have Anglicized names because they’re Mexican. I mean‚ it’s not that I have a problem with them having Spanish names. I don’t call Rosa María Rose or Rosemary. But it was (as agreed) my turn to name Daniel‚ and she should respect the fact that I didn’t factor in our heritage while naming him.”VT added that his wife has no difficulty pronouncing Daniel in an Anglicized way; she has a very clear American accent. “We’ve been married five years and together for eight. She would tell me if it was about pronunciation instead of identity‚” he said.So‚ is VT being too controlling about how his wife pronounces their son’s name‚ or has she violated their agreement by choosing to say it her way? The comments section was divided.There were a lot of people who thought that VT was wrong."You named him Daniel‚ she calls him Daniel. Why do you want her accent to somehow disappear when speaking her son's name?" SonorousBlack asked."I’m Puerto Rican. My parents gave me an American name that can also be pronounced differently with a Spanish accent. My parents used the American version‚ but my extended family pronounces it with a Spanish accent. I use either version depending on the context. It’s never caused me a moment of stress or confusion‚" ElleMuffin wrote.Many people also supported VT because his wife agreed to let him choose the name and is able to pronounce it the way VT prefers; she just chooses not to.“It is not an issue of accent. Her pronunciation has an entirely new syllable‚ and it seems very deliberate on her part‚” LionMctastic wrote. “She could just as easily say dan-yell with an accent but chooses not to. She should honor [VT’s] intentions for the name.”“He named his son what he intended to be the English pronunciation of the name; she should pronounce it in English‚ just as mispronouncing a Spanish name is being an a**hole‚” Longtimefed wrote. “Accent has nothing to do with it; I can say Jorge‚ Guillermo‚ Jean-Claude correctly with no American accent‚ it ain’t that hard.”Daniel's mother has a decent reason for preferring the Spanish pronunciation of his name. His father also has a good reason to feel like the deal he made with his wife wasn’t honored. One way to fix the situation is to ask Daniel how he would like his name pronounced when he gets older. After all‚ it’s his name; he should have the final say over how it is pronounced.