The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals‚ in a ruling Friday that a Jan. 6‚ 2021‚ defendant's sentence must be recalculated because of the improper use of a federal statute allowing more time to be added to the penalty. The decision could force district court judges to recalculate or even reduce punishments of more than 100 defendants convicted of felony obstruction.

The U.S. military is set to begin airdropping humanitarian supplies into Gaza in the coming days‚ President Joe Biden announced Friday‚ according to reports. Biden said the current flow of aid into Gaza is insufficient to remediate the worsening crisis as Palestinians struggle to access food‚ water and medical supplies while Israel fights against the Hamas terrorist organization embedded in Gaza‚ according to Axios. However‚ administration officials acknowledge that...

The Biden administration announced the U.S. will begin air-dropping aid to Gaza in the coming days to improve the conditions for Palestinians amid Hamas’ ongoing conflict with Israel—news that comes as a cease-fire agreement becomes seemingly less likely to occur soon. In addition to air-dropping food and supplies‚ Biden said his administration is going to “insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people (in Gaza) the help they need.” Biden...

President Joe Biden said Friday the U.S. would air drop humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip to help alleviate hunger and starving triggered by the Israel-Hamas war. Biden‚ speaking to reporters in the Oval Office‚ said “innocent people” have died in Gaza. He said the aid drops would start "in the coming days." This humanitarian aid will be delivered by a U.S. military aircraft‚ according to a U.S official who was not authorized to speak publicly. "Innocent people got...

Recently‚ blogger Jen Hatmaker had a funny conversation with a friend about parenting:"My girlfriend told me the greatest story. Apparently her 11-year-old also wanted to be a grown up this week and‚ in fact‚ not only did he treat his siblings like despised underlings‚ but when asked what he wanted‚ he said: 'I want the authority to be in charge of them and tell them what to do‚ because they deserve it!'Well. My girlfriend and her husband are NOT AT ALL MESSING AROUND with parenting. Calmly‚ evenly‚ they granted his request to be a grown-up for a week by pulling him out of camp (the underlings still got to go‚ because they are 'such children') and sending him to work ALL DAY EVERY DAY with his dad. He has to get up early and shower and make breakfast for everyone. He has to kiss the underlings before he goes to work and tell them to have a great day and that he loves them. He has to work on a typing project during his office hours. He only gets to eat what his dad eats‚ because eating like a grown-up is not nearly as fun as eating like a kid.Want to be an adult? Fine."Photo via iStock.Hatmaker's post went viral‚ with thousands of parents chiming in with their own stories of tough love‚ both giving and receiving.The responses were hilarious‚ poignant‚ and a sign that the next generation is being parented by extremely capable‚ if not a little bit diabolical‚ hands.Here are five of my favorite stories from the comments about parenting-gone-absolutely-right:1. Jill Duff's mom used an embarrassing outfit to teach her sister an important lesson:"My sister was snotty to my Mom. She called her and pretty much demanded‚ 'Bring my band uniform to the high school!' She's the one who forgot her uniform in the first place. Then she told my Mom 'Do not come in the school‚ that would be so EMBARRASSING. Just wait for me by my car.'So my Mom did just that. She stood by my sister's car‚ in the Texas heat‚ WEARING my sister's band uniform. All the kids walking out for the day saw it.Parenting GOLD."And Mom was like...2. Jessica Klick got her sons new shoes ... but not the ones they wanted."Our 11 and 12 year olds at the time were complaining and whining and being ungrateful‚ saying how 'hard their life was.' For boys‚ the big thing is wearing those cool Steph Curry shoes and our boys LOVE their Currys!So after hearing the last complaint my husband went to Walmart to buy white maypop leather shoes (the kind you see in geriatric centers) and high white socks. He brought those bad boys home‚ set them on the boys' dresser‚ and made them wear those things everywhere we went. Those devastated boys told us we were 'ruining their lives.'I may or may not have laughed like a little girl when I dropped them off at school and watched them do the walk of shame."3. Marisa Rodriguez Byers says she wished her mother was dead. And boy‚ did she regret it."I was a wretched‚ hormonal teenager. At the age of 13 I told my mom‚ 'I wish you were dead!' And at that moment‚ she 'died‚' but to me only. (I had younger sisters).She completely ignored me‚ didn't speak at me‚ didn't look at me‚ wouldn't cook for me‚ set my place at the table‚ wash my clothes‚ take me to school‚ NOTHING. After 8 days‚ I broke down in the middle of the night‚ went to her room‚ clutched her tightly while sobbing how sorry I was and how much I loved her and that I would NEVER say those words again. I'm 41 years old now‚ I have NEVER uttered those words or anything remotely like them after that incident."After tough love‚ you gotta hug it out.4. Jessica Hill gave her daughter a good scare — and‚ in turn‚ a new appreciation."I was grocery shopping with my three year old when she decided to start screaming for ice cream. There was no reasoning with her in this hulk-type rage. I swear she had super human strength as I struggled to get her out of the cart full of groceries.I was completely unaware of the two police officers who were witnessing this wrestling match. She was still hitting‚ kicking‚ and screaming when I was stopped by the police officers in the parking lot. They thought I had abducted her. This happened long before we had smart phones full of our children's photos. They tried questioning her but she was still too busy throwing a fit‚ so I handed her over. I told them she could ride with them because I really needed a break and they could follow me home to see her birth certificate‚ baby book‚ etc. They started chuckling as one officer said‚ 'Spoken like a true mom!' I think they were more relieved than I was when she finally cried out‚ 'Mommy?'The officer handed her back to me while the other went back inside the store to ensure there wasn't a distraught mother looking for her missing toddler. That evening my daughter told her dad she almost went to jail because she threw a fit‚ and I let her believe it. She didn't throw a fit in public again.""Uhh‚ ma'am?""I didn't mean to scare her‚ so after this experience‚ I wanted to ensure my daughter had a healthy respect and appreciation for first responders. Today‚ I'm happy to say she is highly aware and appreciative of the police‚ firemen‚ paramedics‚ and military personnel who serve to protect her."5. Erica Goodnight taught her son an incredible lesson that he carries to this day."My kid was whining over not having anything to play with. So‚ without a word‚ I went to the garage and got a black 50 gallon trash bag and started putting in all the toys that he obviously didn't even realize were in our home to play with.I loaded them AND him into the car and we drove to our local homeless shelter and gave every. single. toy. in the bag away. To a child who TRULY had nothing. And you know what? He didn't even cry. His eyes were opened to the ones who have nothing. He actually enlarged his heart that day. And‚ we still do it. We still take toys to kids with nothing at least once a year."Parent win. Life lesson score.There's a fine line between teaching your kids a tough lesson in a funny way and engaging in "humiliation parenting."Making children wear a sign that says‚ "I sneak boys in at 3 a.m. and disrespect my parents and grandparents" or otherwise berating them publicly is a good way to erode trust between the two of you and seriously damage your relationship.But calling their bluff on a ridiculous demand? Or having a little fun with how you choose to correct their bad attitude? That's just plain survival.And that's what parenting is really all about.You can read the whole hilarious exchange over on Facebook.In the meantime‚ what's your favorite tough-love story?This article originally appeared on 07.13.16

A Helpful Chart to Explain the Difference Between Support and 'Toxic Positivity" was originally published on The Mighty.There's no denying that positivity can be powerful. I know when I'm struggling with anxiety and negative thoughts‚ if I can hold onto an ounce of hope — that I'll make it through‚ that I'm not defined by my thoughts‚ that I'm not as bad as my brain is making me out to be — I can cope a little better. The positivity we hold within ourselves‚ when we can manage it‚ makes it a little easier to get by.That being said‚ perhaps counterintuitively‚ positivity isn't always the best way to help others. You can't make someone be positive. You can't sprinkle positivity dust on them and make their problems go away. And honestly‚ when people are seeking help and support‚ they're usually not looking for straight-up‚ inspirational poster positivity. More often‚ they're looking for validation that their negative feelings are OK.I've always kind of known this but didn't think about it in a tangible way until I saw a graphic made by Whitney Hawkins Goodman‚ LMFT‚ owner of The Collaborative Counseling Center. She runs the Instagram account @sitwithwhit‚ and after she posted an image explaining "Toxic Positivity‚" I started seeing it all over social media.The graphic shows the difference between supporting someone with validation and hope‚ and trying to support them with "toxic positivity." According to Whitney‚ it's the difference between‚ "This is hard… I believe in you‚" and‚ "Just be happy!" If you could never pinpoint why simple "inspiring" quotes didn't sit well with you‚ this could be the explanation.It reminds me of a popular animated video about empathy‚ which uses the words of Brené Brown. If sympathy is shouting down at someone while they're stuck in a hole‚ empathy is getting into the hole with them. If "toxic positivity" is telling someone to just "look at the bright side‚" support is putting yourself in someone's shoes‚ and accepting their feelings for what they are.Of course‚ when we throw around phrases like‚ "Think positive‚" or‚ "Stop being so negative‚" we're probably coming from a good place. You're spreading these messages because you want people to be happier‚ damn it! So what's wrong with reminding people to be positive?The hard-to-face truth is‚ supporting people isn't about being "positive." In fact‚ when you force positivity down someone's throat‚ it can actually have the opposite effect. "Toxic positivity" can make people feel unsafe expressing their negativity‚ and negativity thrives in isolation. It can make people think there's something wrong with them for not simply "choosing" happiness‚ and shame is negativity's enabling best friend.When we're supporting someone who's hurting‚ we need to leave room for positivity to grow. And you don't yell at a flower to "just" grow — you water it. In this case‚ you water it with listening‚ with validation‚ and with unconditional support. It's OK to experience negative emotions‚ and with support‚ we can help people who are stuck in negativity find their own way out. Simply telling them to "be positive" doesn't cut it.Thanks to Whitney for making this informative graphic! You can follow her on Instagram here.This article originally appeared on 2.12.19

"Lamb Chop's Play Along" taught a whole generation so many meaning for things. The little sock puppet taught kids things like manners‚ kindness and a really annoying song that doesn't have an ending. It'll probably be difficult to find a Millennial that doesn't know "The Song that Doesn't End" by Shari Lewis who voiced Lamb Chop. The kids show aired from 1992 to 1997 on PBS‚ with Shari passing away just a year later. But turns out everyone's favorite squeaky voiced lamb wasn't done bringing people joy. Shari's daughter Mallory Lewis has taken up her mom's throne as Lamb Chops handler and the internet couldn't be more thrilled to see the duo. Mallory has the same fiery red curly hair that her mom did and has brought Lamb Chop‚ Charley Horse and Hush Puppy back out to play. To the delight of Millennials‚ the sassy lamb is still just six years old and gets Mallory into some tricky situations when trying to explain things to the puppet. Mallory‚ bearing a striking resemblance to her late mother seems to have figured out the art of ventriloquism and brought the puppets back to life. Mallory tells Today.com her mom never "taught me how to do ventriloquism. I never had to learn Lamb Chop's voice. That was just easy. I mean‚ you could probably imitate your uncle's voice or your aunt's voice because you grow up with it ... I had to learn some stage craft issues‚ but I never had to learn Lamb Chop."No one seems to be safe from the feelings of nostalgia that come with hearing that familiar voice combing from the little lamb. "Anyone else almost 40 and crying over this‚" one person writes."This is what I needed today. Thank you for giving us all this gift. I know I wasn’t the only one who gasped and smiled!‚" another says."Seeing an OG Lambchop come to life again brings my heart so much joy. She is one of my earliest childhood character memories‚" someone else reveals. "Oh my God. I had almost forgotten how much Sherry Lewis and Lambchop were such a huge part of my childhood and how much they meant to me until I found this account and this post. Oh no. Oh no. I’ve also simultaneously remembered the song that never ends. Oh no. Oh no and I have to drive several hours with my kids today. Damn. This is gonna be interesting. Nevertheless… Zero regrets‚" a commenter remembers. See on Instagram Mallory has been on the road with Lamb Chop for around 25 years touring the country doing two different shows. "A Lamb Chop Celebration" is a family show while "Lamb Chop Legacy Show" is a more political show for adults‚ according to Today.com. Recently the legacy puppeteer discovered TikTok and Instagram is also a place she could perform with the puppets and has amassed a large following. People just can't help but to smile when Mallory comes across their feed with that familiar little puppet. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mallory Lewis (@mallorylewisandlambchop) Oh‚ the memories hearing Lamb Chop brings back for people. The comments on each of her videos are filled with people reliving their childhood with Lamb Chop and Shari. So if you were one of those folks that used to sit crosslegged in front of a TV watching "Lamb Chop's Play Along‚" you'll probably get a touch of joy following Mallory's account.

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