Former President Trump is narrowly leading Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, in several battleground states, and the two are tied in Wisconsin, according to a new set of polls.  The survey released by Emerson College Polling and The Hill on Thursday found Trump leading Harris by 5 points in Arizona, 49 percent to 44 percent; by 2 points in Georgia, 48 percent to 46 percent; by 1 point in Michigan, 46 percent to 45 percent; by 2 points in...

Former President Donald Trump celebrated a significant legal victory Wednesday, July 24, when a Florida judge refused to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos. The lawsuit originated from an interview with GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, during which Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed Trump was liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. In May 2023, however, a court found that Trump was not liable for rape but he was liable for sexual assault and...

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, many Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech and held an alternative event on Capitol Hill to promote peace. The panel discussion featured Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah, Israeli and Palestinian peacemakers who have both lost family members to violence. Inon’s parents, Bilha and Yakovi Inon, were killed in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. When Abu Sarah was a child, his teenage...

Now that my time in college has come to an end, I’ve been thinking about how much my generation has changed dating culture — and how challenging it is for us to commit to a long-term partner. My friends and I have gone to great lengths to couple up — been on dates that have amounted to nothing, gone to the same bars every week hoping someone new might buy us a drink, filled out lists that pair us with our crushes and gotten no matches, paid for dating apps that are designed to...

Republicans were quick to call out what they saw as a lack of action on the U.S.-Mexico border by Vice President Kamala Harris, following her endorsement by President Biden to be the Democrat nominee, but at least one immigration group is confident she can take on the GOP's top issue. The Immigration Hub (TIH), a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, told Newsweek that Harris' work as attorney general and then senator from California — in which her office tackled...

Kamala Harris told migrants “do not come” to the US, but at least 8 million came anyway. In perhaps her most famous speech as vice president, which she made in June 2021 after she was given responsibility for securing the US border, Harris tried to convince migrants to stop flooding into the US in the wake of President Biden’s 2020 election victory. “I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border,...

On her first foreign trip as Vice President in June 2021, Kamala Harris was tasked with delivering a blunt message in Guatemala City. "I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come," she said at a press conference, pausing for effect. "Do not come." Three years later, that sound bite may come to haunt Harris' nascent presidential campaign. Despite her warning, border crossings reached historic...

Speech-language pathologist Christina Hunger and her dog Stella were the first to experiment with talking buttons in 2019. Since then there has been a surge of online content showing other pet parents using similar kits to communicate with their own pups. The most fascinating aspect of this phenomenon is the question of whether or not canines are able to understand full-blown complicated sentences beyond “treat” and “outside.” While the overall jury is still out on that, scientifically speaking, dogs like Ripley seem to make an incredibly compelling case for believing the hype. The Australian Shepherd has an entire TikTok account documenting his impressive talk button journey, but a video posted on March 28, 2024, feels next-level.In the clip, Ripley presses the “smell” button as his parents eat lunch. When that doesn’t get their attention, he begins to bark. “What do you smell?” a voice finally asks. To which Ripley replies “outside,” followed by “gardens.”Confused, someone asks, “It smells like the gardens outside?” Ripley’s parents had apparently just started a load of laundry before making lunch, and the detergent had been spilling all over the floor from the washing machine. Ripley had been smelling the detergent, which was reminiscent of the gardens outside.Unfortunately, they didn’t put two and two together until after they went back to the laundry room. Hence the moral of the story: “You should always listen to your dog.” @letsgoripley He’s so freakin’ smart! #Talkingdog #letsgoripley #ripleytalks #fluentpet #australianshepherd #dogs ♬ original sound - Ripley the Australian Shepherd Ripley’s amazing feat prompted lots of praise from viewers.“All of the treats,” one person wrote. Another added, “I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, he is brilliant.” Others were quick to compliment the breed. And rightfully so, as Australian Shepherds are known for their remarkable intelligence, as well as their strong drive and exuberance, according to the American Kennel Club. They thrive when they have a job, and the way Ripley jumped into action is a pretty great example of this characteristic. So, while we might not have definite evidence for the efficiency of talk buttons, one thing remains abundantly clear—our dogs are trying to communicate with us in whatever way they can. All we need to do is listen.Check out even more of Ripley's talk button shenanigans on TikTok. This article originally appeared on 5.7.24

Some kids can wow us with their abilities, from being precocious philosophers to musical prodigies. Whether a child's extraordinary talents are due to "nature" or "nurture" is always a big question mark, but there's no question that some kids stand out among their peers for the things they can do. Sometimes they even stand out from grownups. Take young Aldie, for example, whose ability to articulate his feelings exceeds many adults. When you find out he's barely 4 years old, hearing him calmly talk about his emotions and good choices is all the more remarkable.Aldie's mom, Jonisa Padernos, tells Upworthy that she's felt he was "really special" since he started talking in full sentences at 20 months. "Believe it or not, he had no major tantrums in his toddler years because he was always able to express [himself] with his words," she says. Padernos started young, asking Aldie questions and giving him time to answer without interrupting. "I’d always ask his opinion or feelings towards something and I don’t rush him to answer," she says. "I give him time and just listen. I make sure I also tell him how I feel and explain to him because I think kids copy us, and if we do that, they would think that it’s normal to feel all those emotions as long as you can express it with words and [are] able to process it."Check out the conversation between Aldie and Padernos at bedtime as he goes through a recap of his emotions that day, which has racked up more than 17 million views on TikTok. @mom_aldie Bedtime conversation. The last part made me ❤️? #fyp #momlife The way Aldie shared what he was feeling about his mom not letting him go outside, how he helped his papa make a better choice with his emotions, and how he described the different emotions he feels is more than most adults can muster when they've had "a hard time doing emotions" during the day. And the way Padernos listens and reflects and reassures him is so, so beautiful. People in the comments agreed."Emotionally intelligent, articulate and able to string super sophisticated sentences together," wrote one commenter on Instagram. "I taught 7-year-olds that weren’t this advanced - heck, most adults aren’t this emotionally intelligent. I have confidence in his future and the consequences are working beautifully Mama. We have to raise kids other people will like too. ??""Wowwwww….. I’m so amazed by this baby’s EVERYTHING … the emotional intelligence, the vocabulary, empathy, the processing skills…all of it! ❤️❤️❤️❤️" wrote another. "The most mature conversation I’ve heard about emotions - tbh I don’t think I’ve ever been as honest about my feelings as this little one was ?? feeling so inspired by both of them. ♥️??✨" shared another. There's a lot that parents can do to help their children develop this kind of emotional intelligence, and this interaction between Aldie and his mom is a prime example. "My advice is just be present, encourage kids to tell you how their day was or anything, listen and give them time to express without rushing," says Padernos. "Be patient, consistent and honest when communicating with them. Always remember that kids mirror us and so we have to show and express our emotions so they will be encouraged to also express their feelings to us. And when we get mad or frustrated, also let them know and explain why and apologize if you feel that you’ve let your emotions get in the way."While not every child will be able to understand and articulate as clearly as Aldie did at such a young age, most kids are far more capable of understanding and processing emotion than we give them credit for. Proactively teaching them how to communicate what they're feeling and explaining how emotions work can go a long way toward helping them develop the self-regulation tools they'll use throughout their life. This article originally appeared on 4.4.23

A couple in Gatesville, Texas, have started an interesting debate on TikTok over whether it's right for them to charge their 19-year-old daughter rent to live with them after graduating high school. Ranchers Erika and Cody Archie, who go by Bay7Ranch on TikTok, have a million followers on the platform where people watch their videos documenting life on a ranch.Kylee Archie graduated high school in May of 2022, and on June 1, she started paying her parents $200 a month in rent. “Our thought together is that since [Kylee] has graduated, I told her... I been telling her, ‘June the first, our rent's due if you continue to live here,"' said Cody, who is a bit more strict than his wife, said in the viral video.“I thought that was a little harsh, I mean, maybe a little leeway,” Erika added. “200 bucks a month is plenty cheap to live like a grub in your parents' house,” Cody continued. “That's cheaper than she eats in food," the mother added. “We think it teaches them a good lesson in paying bills.”How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home?  @bar7ranch How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home? This is a REPOST from last year but since its on Fox Business News right now we thought we’d chat about it again! #Parenting #ParentsChargingRent #AdultChildren #DryHumor #Sarcasm #MarriageHumor #Marriage #CoupleTok #RanchTok #AgTok #KeepRanchin #KingOfTikTok #RanchLife #Ranch Understanding that the issue might stir controversy, the couple asked its followers if they agreed. “How do you feel about making your adult children pay rent to live at home?” they captioned the video.The responses were a mixed bag of pros and cons. Some thought it was a good idea because it teaches responsibility and prevents kids from doing nothing because they’re being enabled. "Responsibility is always a great lesson!" James Jackson wrote. "Collect rent, then give it back when they move out," John Deere added.Others think that the world is hard enough and that it's the parents' job to support their kids, no matter what. "Nope, my son is 23, and we don't charge him. He works and helps around the house...but life is hard enough and not gonna charge my kid," Shelly wrote. "No, because I wanted them to save money to get out faster. If they are paying me, they aren't saving to get out," Tammy Lynn Ballard wrote."A definite no for me… I know it’s rare, but I will forever help my kids… no matter the age," Chief's Wife 101 wrote. "No one ever said we wouldn’t be here to help our kids forever," the Archies responded.The Archies' situation isn’t unique. As of July 2022, 50% of adults in America aged 18 to 29 were living with their parents. But should they be required to pay rent? A majority of Americans say they should. A recent poll of 15000 Americans found that 57% say adult children living with their parents should have to pay rent.One of the biggest balancing acts of parenting is deciding whether you give your kids too much or too little. An old saying may help people in a similar situation: You should give your kids enough so they can do something but not so much that they do nothing. That goes both ways, giving your kids too much help will make them dependent, so they don’t have the fire in their bellies to become successful. However, a kid who gets too little may not have the resources to pursue their goals in the first place.This story originally appeared on 11.16.23