Entire point of the First Amendment (and Bill of Rights) is to curb government overreach.

Israel launched another raid on Gaza’s largest hospital Monday‚ claiming Hamas had regrouped there and killing a senior terror official during a shoot-out. Faiq Mabhouh‚ the head of operations for Hamas’ internal security force‚ had allegedly been hiding inside the al Shifa hospital complex in Gaza City and “was working to advance terror activity” when he was taken out‚ the Israel Defense Forces said.  Some of the tens...

The largest medical facility in Gaza‚ Al-Shifa Hospital‚ was the site of a raid by the Israeli military early Monday morning‚ with reports of gunshots‚ a fire breaking out on the complex and‚ according to the military‚ at least 20 people killed. The Israeli military said it was "operating to thwart terrorist activity in the Shifa hospital‚" and carrying out "precise operational activity" in order to track senior Hamas terrorists allegedly inside the building‚ where displaced civilians have...

The Israeli military says it has taken control of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in what it called an operation to "thwart terrorist activity". It said troops killed 20 "terrorists"‚ including a senior commander of Hamas's internal security force‚ and detained dozens of suspects during the raid. Witnesses described heavy exchanges of fire around the site‚ where thousands of displaced people are sheltering. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said Israel was committing a war crime. The...

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday appeared skeptical of a challenge on free speech grounds to how President Joe Biden's administration encouraged social media platforms to remove posts that federal officials deemed misinformation‚ including about elections and COVID-19. The justices heard oral arguments in the administration's appeal of a lower court's preliminary injunction constraining how White House and certain other federal officials communicate with social media...

The Supreme Court weighed a historic First Amendment dispute on Monday between Republican-led states and the Biden administration over how far the federal government can go to combat social media posts on subjects including COVID-19 information‚ election security‚ or possible threats. Oral arguments before the high court on Monday centered on a high-profile lawsuit filed by Louisiana‚ Missouri‚ and other parties accusing officials in the Biden...

A majority of the Supreme Court seemed wary on Monday of a bid by two Republican-led states to limit the Biden administration’s interactions with social media companies‚ with several justices questioning the states’ legal theories and factual assertions. Most of the justices appeared convinced that government officials should be able to try to persuade private companies‚ whether news organizations or tech platforms‚ not to publish information so long as the requests are not backed...

We all know that proper hygiene is important‚ but when it comes to which hygiene habits take priority‚ we can’t always agree. Heck‚ we can’t even agree on some of the basic things when it comes to cleanliness‚ like how often to shower. A lot of this we can chalk up to no one rule being able to apply to all humans. But some helpful habits might go undone simply because we aren’t aware of how much they can benefit our wellbeing. Or we’ve gotten so busy that we’ve forgotten them. Luckily‚ the internet is a mecca of crowdsourced hacks. Reddit user u/Away_Needleworker655 recently asked “What are some underrated hygiene tips?” and answers ranged from items (and body parts) that often go ignored to helpful products and everywhere in between. Check out what folks are saying below. You never know what ideas you might be able to glean to make life just a little more squeaky clean. ”Baking soda works better than any other gimmicky product for stinky shoes.” ”I work for a sock design company. Sooooo many people think they have bad foot odor‚ and some do‚ but most people are just wearing really low quality all polyester socks. Switch to a cotton blend or wool blend!!!! You will see a huge difference.”“I honestly thought 'don't forget to wash behind your ears' was just a folksy way of my parents telling me to be thorough with washing. Then at some point I ran my finger behind my ear and smelled it‚ and got religion about washing behind my ears.”“Washing your reusable water bottle daily to prevent bacterial growth.Changing your pillowcase frequently to prevent oil and bacteria buildup. Regularly cleaning and disinfecting your kitchen sink‚ as it can harbor harmful bacteria.”“Hot water and dish soap will get rid of just as much bacteria as disinfectants so don't worry too much about a special product. A good scrub down with dish soap and rinse with the hottest water will work just fine!”“When cleansing your face‚ spend 60 seconds rubbing the cleanser in.”“Maybe not so much hygiene per se but in order to keep your house tidy it really helps to never walk empty handed. If you’re sitting at the dinner table for example and getting up for a drink/toilet visit/whatever‚ put your plate and cutlery on the counter. Goes for everything that needs to be moved anyway‚ snack wrappers‚ glasses‚ cups etc. Takes almost no extra effort and it is a habit that’s very easy to gain. This way you’ll prevent a buildup of a seemingly manageable amount of clutter/trash. House is easier to clean and it is better for your peace of mind. So incredibly simple but turned out to be a life changer for me and some of my ADHD friends. Try it for a couple of days/weeks and it becomes so habitual that it doesn’t take any discipline to keep it up. Because I know that lack of discipline can become a (very) serious problem if you have nothing to fall back on.”“If you are disabled‚ chronically ill‚ dealing with mental illness‚ etc‚ and struggle to shower‚ use baby wipes or a wet rag to wash yourself. It will help you feel refreshed‚ and something is better than nothing!”“Use body cream straight after you shower and then apply your cologne or perfume whatever. It absorbs everything and you smell good for hours.”“Floss guys. It's not that hard and makes a huge difference.”“Cleaning/ disinfecting your phone.”“Your computer keyboard‚ too! Especially if you eat or smoke while using the computer.On a high-quality keyboard you can remove the keycaps and wash them‚ then take a swab and some rubbing alcohol to the spaces between the keyswitches. Laptops and cheap desktop keyboards are difficult‚ though. You can at least wipe off the key surfaces.”“Take your shoes off at the door.”“Your steering wheel is probably filthy. I use baby wipes to clean it when I’m sitting in traffic.”“Getting a pedicure. It's amazing! You don't even need the color. It feels tremendous and your feet feel great!”“Replace your toothbrush regularly! the bristles become worn and ineffective after a 3/4 months.”…and last‚ but possibly most important…“Work to figure out what makes keeping up with your hygiene difficult and keep an open mind while looking for solutions‚ no matter how atypical.”

Almost 100 years ago‚ nine newspapers joined forces to create a national spelling bee to help promote literacy. Now the Scripps National Spelling Bee has become so popular that was televised for 27 years on ESPN before moving to its own network in 2022.The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a serious competition with students who have studied arduously to memorize root words‚ phonetic rules and unusual spellings in the hopes of being crowned the nation's spelling champion. The honor also comes with a $50‚000 cash prize‚ so the competition is fierce.But that didn't stop one competitor from bursting into giggles at being asked to spell the word "sardoodledom." During the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee‚ 11-year-old Kennyi Aouad approached the microphone with serious concentration when it was his turn to spell. But when the judges told him the word he was to spell and he repeated it‚ he burst out laughing. "Sardoodledom" isn't a word most of us have ever even heard‚ much less recognize. (It means "mechanically contrived plot structure and stereotyped or unrealistic characterization in drama"—basically "melodrama"—according to Merriam-Webster.) It does sound a bit funny saying it out loud‚ and even one of the judges started giggling at the young contestant's reaction to it.Watch Kennyi lose it repeatedly as he tries to make it through his turn:Despite how serious the competition is‚ these kids are still just kids and people loved seeing his joyful reaction to a silly-sounding word. "His laugh!! I love that in the seriousness of spelling bees‚ he was able to be himself. This made me smile!" wrote one person."So cute. Smart with a touch of sense of humour‚" wrote another."Talk about breaking the tension!!" shared another. "I love it and he got it right!"If you're curious‚ Kennyi placed 34th in that year's spelling bee. He would go on to compete again‚ however‚ and tied for 5th place in the 2009 bee. This article originally appeared on 9.28.23

Many people dream of somehow being able to pay their parents back for the sacrifices made for them during childhood. Whether that’s something physical‚ like paying off their mortgage‚ or simply being the best version of ourselves to make them absolutely proud. For Lindsay Moore‚ it was finding a “prized possession” her dad once gave up to help the family‚ and returning it to him once again.Moore still vividly remembers being only seven years old when she saw her father walk into a comic book store to sell a Dan Marino rookie football card from his first season with the Miami Dolphins.In a now-viral TikTok‚ Moore’s father is seen reliving this memory as he holds onto a Christmas bag and a family member reads a card out loud."Money was tight‚ so you were selling your most prized possession – at least I viewed it as that‚" Moore wrote. "I felt your sacrifice and it taught me that I would do whatever necessary to ensure my future family never needed anything. It was a lesson that has stuck with me since that moment." It was also the moment she became “determined” to pay her father back. Cut to thirty years later‚ and her father is her Secret Santa. It was the perfect opportunity to fulfill that promise."I will never be able to fully repay that debt‚" her note continued. "Seven-year-old me would be so elated to see that I finally fulfilled that promise I made to myself. Thank you for everything." As he listened‚ Moore’s dad began tearing up. Sure enough‚ he opened his gift to see it was the cherished card he sold all those years ago. The video concludes as Moore and her father enjoy a warm embrace. @lindseyswagmom Im not crying‚ you’re crying ♬ original sound - Lindsey Moore The sweet exchange certainly struck a chord online. “When he started crying I LOST IT‚” one person wrote. Another added‚ “Something about bringing a grown man to tears always gets me.” A few parents shared their own stories of sacrificing prized possessions. “As someone who has sold his prized Gretzky rookie to provide for his kids‚ I appreciate and respect this a lot‚” commented one person. “Just had to sell my signature MacKinnon jersey to pay bills. Sucked so much but kid comes first‚” echoed another.On the flip side‚ some shared their one experience of getting to repay their parents. One wrote:“I got to do this for my mom last year. She won a [Dolce &; Gabbana] purse one year at work and sold it to buy my prom dress and never thought twice. She never [got] name brand anything. So this year I took her to get her very first name brand fancy hand bag or her picking‚ my treat.” But perhaps the best comment belonged to this person‚ who astutely pointed out: “The card wasn't the real gift to him. It was hearing his impact on you. Priceless.” We might not all get to reclaim what our parents sacrificed. And that’s okay. There are so many other ways to share just how much of a positive impact they made on our lives. Even saying how much we appreciate them can be an invaluable reward. Yes. Really. This article originally appeared on 12.23.23