The Supreme Court conducts its work largely out of public view, letting its opinions stand as one of the most visible markers of the justices’ rigorous debates on all aspects of American life. The justices typically take the bench to announce their decisions after presiding over arguments that have touched on some of the thorniest topics in the country: guns, abortion and the scope of presidential power. No cameras are allowed. The New York Times received rare...

For the first time in more than two decades, giant pandas are en route from China to a San Diego zoo in the U.S. — a sign that Beijing is resuming its so-called “panda diplomacy” efforts as relations with the West thaw. Four-year-old Yun Chuan, a male panda, and Xin Bao, a female panda who’s turning four in July, departed from Bifengxia Giant Panda Base, in China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday. The pair will reside at the San Diego Zoo for the next 10 years, according to a press...

A judge ruled that a Montana law which defined "sex" in state law, when referring to a person as only male or female, was unconstitutional, saying that the law's description did not explicitly state its purpose. District Court Judge Shane Vannatta struck down the 2023 law on Tuesday after a group of plaintiffs who identify as transgender, nonbinary, intersex and other identities sued, arguing the law denies legal recognition and protection to people who identify as gender-nonconforming,...

Ahead of Thursday’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Trump’s campaign has launched a new website to “fact check” Biden along the way.  Thursday morning, Trump’s team launched factcheckbiden.com to give real time updates and fact checks if Biden is caught lying. The presidential debate will take place Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET, on CNN.

The “sandwich technique,” also known as a “compliment sandwich” or “feedback sandwich,” has been a tool for delivering criticism since the 1940s. But it really became something of a workplace staple after 1984, thanks to Mary Kay Ash’s book “People Management.” The idea seems sound enough. The deliverer of the criticism would first offer a compliment to the recipient, followed by the actual feedback, then another bit of praise. This should theoretically allow the criticism to be received without bruising any ego or hurting any feelings. Everybody wins.But according to organizational psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant, the compliment sandwich “doesn’t taste as good as it looks.”In various interviews, podcasts, social media posts and even a Substack article, Grant has chalked up the compliment sandwich ineffectiveness to two major shortcomings.One being that people are simply too familiar with it. So whatever compliment is given, no matter how genuine it may be, people know what’s coming next and they begin “waiting for the other shoe drop.” Knowing the compliments are obligatory can actually make someone take the criticism ever more personally.Two: the opposite can happen. Because people tend to remember the first and last parts of a conversation, the criticism might be downplayed or outright buried underneath the positive feedback. This goes especially for narcissists, Grant notes.Luckily there is a kind, yet efficient way to give some tough love. And it all boils down to one simple sentence:“I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.” See on Instagram The phrase comes from a 2013 study conducted by researchers at Stanford,who were able to increase a student’s openness to criticism by at least 40% just by using those 19 words.As Grant explains, this strategy works because it conveys an intention to help a person become the best version of themselves. “It’s surprisingly easy to hear a hard truth when it comes from someone who believes in your potential and cares about your success.”Of course, using the exact words isn’t mandatory. The point is focusing on helping someone improve, rather than attacking or patronizing them.To that point, Grant also has a few other helpful pointers, like not assuming a position of superiority, asking if the person is open to feedback first (Grant attests they usually welcome it) and lastly, keeping the language transparent, not manipulative.At the end of the day, most people want to grow, become better people, and live up to their potential. Remembering that one little truism can go a long way.This article originally appeared on 4.11.24

Playing a sport can be tough no matter what age you are. You learn what it feels like to work hard and lose anyway, but you also get to experience seeing all your hard work pay off when you win. But no matter what sport is played, enjoying the process can make the experience worthwhile even when the outcome doesn't go in your favor. Dominic Barry is teaching his daughter how to appreciate all aspects of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), recently uploading a video of the young girl learning to refocus after losing several grappling matches. Barry explains that his daughter, who appears to be around 5-years-old was placed with all boys, in a weight class and experience level higher for a recent competition. The tougher competition against more experienced fighters gave her confidence a bit of a bruising, causing the little girl to leave the mat in tears. Enter Queen Tay-Tay, also known as Taylor Swift.Barry was trying all he could to get the girl to calm down, refocus and finish the rest of the competition. But it seems even the best pep talk wasn't doing anything to get her back into the competitive spirit. That's when Barry whips out his phone, puts the earbuds in his daughter's ears and hits play on Swift's "Cruel Summer." Maybe there's some sort of underlying Rocky track hidden beneath the catchy summer beat. Whatever it is, It's exactly what the tiny MMA fighter needed. "Now I don't know what's in Taylor Swift's 'Cruel Summer' but it activated my baby girl, cause her very next match she went to work," Barry explains before sharing he thought the little boy was getting the best of her. But the little girl quickly turned the fight around causing her dad to burst out in song singing a pitchy version of his daughter's fight anthem. Watch the inspiring video below:Commenters appreciated the encouragement he gave the little girl and praised her fighting skills."I love her determination. She's going to be a super star. No more crying!!! She's that girl! Girl power," one person says."Bro you speaking to her like this is astounding, breaking it down so she understands fully. You’re an amazing dad keep it up. She’s gonna be a problem when she gets older," another writes."Love you and your daughter’s relationship.Teaching her so many life lessons thru mma at such a young age is awesome she’s gonna be a great," a commenter shares.it may not be a sport for everyone but from the looks of Barry's page, she thoroughly enjoys it. There's no doubt that she will keep getting better with the help of her dad and of course, Ms. Taylor Swift.

Hollywood isn’t a place where people typically talk about their faith. In a world run by free-thinking creatives and people with secular, progressive values, those who hew to more traditional, conservative Christian beliefs tend to be less visible. But Mark Wahlberg has no problem being vocal about his Catholic faith, which must be refreshing to the approximately 61 million Catholics in America.Wahlberg spoke about the balance he has to strike between his private and professional life on the Today show on February 22, also known as Ash Wednesday to Christians. The “Boogie Nights” actor wore an ash cross on his forehead to commemorate the holy day.“It’s a balance,” the 51-year-old actor said. “I don’t want to jam it down anybody’s throat, but I do not deny my faith. That’s an even bigger sin. You know, it’s not popular in my industry, but I cannot deny my faith. It’s important for me to share that with people. But, I have friends from all walks of life and all different types of faiths and religions, so it’s important to respect and honor them as well.” \u201cMark Wahlberg is joining us to talk about the Catholic prayer app \u2018Hallow,\u2019 discusses fasting, opens up about why it\u2019s important for him to not deny his faith, shares why he doesn\u2019t force Catholicism onto his children, and more.\u201d — TODAY (@TODAY) 1677073808 He also believes in leading through his example instead of pressuring his four children to follow his faith.“I don’t force it on them,” he said. “But they know that Dad can’t start the day without being in prayer, can’t start the day without reading my Scripture or going to Mass. And hopefully, instead of forcing that on them, they’ll say, ‘Well, if it works for Dad, maybe it’ll work for us,’ and they’ll kind of gravitate towards it on their own.”Wahlberg can keep his faith strong while dealing with the pressures of Hollywood thanks to his relationship with Father Flavin, a parish priest who helped him make drastic changes in his life. As a young man, Wahlberg was a high school dropout who had multiple run-ins with the law. But Flavin has helped him turn his life around.“He’s been in my life since I was 13,” Wahlberg said of Flavin. “He married me and my wife and baptized all my children.” It's also believed that Flavin helps Whalberg choose his movie roles that “honor his religious roots.”The “Father Stu” star says that his faith has helped him develop the discipline to be a successful actor."Discipline has always been important for me in life," he told Today. "Once I started getting into movies and transitioned from music, I realized I needed a lot of discipline in my life, and that discipline has afforded me so many other things. I’ve been rewarded for it so much, and I want to share that with people, whether that’s with fasting, working out more, detaching from other things and just spending more time with God, in prayer or in thoughtful reflection. Those things are important."Wahlberg’s ability to live a life in alignment with his faith is noble in an industry that can easily challenge one’s moral compass. It’s also noteworthy that has chosen to live by example instead of being preachy and is accepting of those who may believe differently.This article originally appeared on 2.24.23

Most states in the U.S. have oddly shaped boundaries, largely formed by meandering waterways and coastal irregularities. But two states stand out for their seemingly defiant rectangularness—Wyoming and Colorado.These almost-twin states share a border, are almost exactly the same size (Colorado is just 1.06 times larger than Wyoming), boast basically the same shape and have the Rocky Mountains eating into a sizeable chunk of them. (Wyoming's share of mountains is a bit larger than Colorado's, but its topography isn't nearly different enough than Colorado's to account for how many fewer people it has.)Wyoming's population as of 2022 was estimated to be just over 580,000, while Colorado's was estimated to be just over 5.8 million. Almost exactly a 10-fold difference between the two very similar states. So…why?Water resources? A logical guess, but nope. Both states contain the headwaters of multiple major rivers, and according to RealLifeLore, Wyoming actually has a slight edge over Colorado due to the way its freshwater is legally allocated. What makes Wyoming the least populous U.S. state despite being the country's 10th largest state by area has to do with the Gold Rush, agriculture, World War II, federal lands, the rise of the telecom industry, educational institutions, airplanes and more. It's a historical Tale of Two States that illustrates how twins with different upbringings can share many similarities but also end up with two very different life stories. Watch the folks at RealLifeLore explain the population discrepancy between Wyoming and Colorado: The one correction some people in the comments of the video offered up was that referring to the "mild" climate in Wyoming seems a bit misleading. Several people mentioned that the winter weather in Wyoming is harsher than in Colorado, which may account for fewer people wanting to live there. (However, considering the fact that there are more densely populated places in the world with exceptionally punishing winters, weather doesn't fully explain it, either.) It'll be interesting to see in another hundred years or so if these states' population trends change, but for now, Wyoming remains the least populous and most naturally undisturbed state. So if you're big on the outdoors and not so big on people, the Equality State (Side fun fact: Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote.) might just be the place for you. If you love the mountains but also people, Colorado may be more your speed. This article originally appeared on 5.10.23

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