President Joe Biden leads former President Donald Trump in a contest between the two candidates‚ according to eight recent polls. The surveys give Biden a slight lead on a national basis ranging from one to three points‚ though it isn't clear if it would give him an overall victory due to the Electoral College. On March 12‚ Biden and Trump each won a series of primary elections to become their party's presumptive presidential nominees. This focused attention on how a likely presidential...

At least 40 people were killed and over 100 hurt when gunmen in camouflage clothing opened fire with automatic weapons on people at a concert in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow on Friday‚ Russia's FSB security service said. In one of the worst such attacks in Russia in years‚ at least five gunmen were shown in unverified videos firing repeatedly at screaming civilians cowering in the concert hall as Soviet-era rock group "Picnic" was about to perform. The 6‚200-seat concert hall in a...

U.S. air safety regulators are stepping up scrutiny of United Airlines following a spate of safety issues in recent weeks‚ the airline told employees Friday.  The Federal Aviation Administration will review some of United’s processes‚ manuals and facilities in the coming weeks‚ Sasha Johnson‚ United’s vice president of corporate safety‚ wrote in a memo viewed by The Wall Street Journal.  United has been in the spotlight after a number of incidents on flights. Chief Executive...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) set up a path to vote on a bill to fund the government’s remaining agencies Friday‚ putting in place an alternative plan in case a time agreement is not met ahead of a looming partial government shutdown at midnight. The action in the Senate comes after the House passed the remainder of its annual appropriations bills on Friday‚ marking the first step toward avoiding a shutdown‚ just hours before federal funding is set to lapse. However‚ there’s...

Drug overdoses topped records again in 2022‚ new government data show. Nearly 108‚000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2022‚ according to data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A total of 107‚941 people died from drug overdoses that year‚ about 1‚200 more or 1% higher than those who died in 2021. The number of overdose deaths has been rising for two decades‚ hitting new records nearly every year.

Stellantis announced Friday that it will soon lay off around 400 employees amid its challenging transition to producing electric vehicles (EVs). The layoffs for one of America’s biggest automakers become effective on March 31 and are white-collar jobs largely at the company’s headquarters and a chemical center in Auburn Hills‚ Michigan‚ covering engineering‚ technology and software roles‚ Stellantis told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Stellantis has so far waited to bring its electric...

Nothing can ever fully prepare you for being an adult. Once you leave childhood behind‚ the responsibilities‚ let-downs and setbacks come at you fast. It’s tiring and expensive‚ and there's no easy-to-follow roadmap for happiness and success.A Reddit user named u/Frequent-Pilot5243 asked the online forum‚ “What’s an adult problem nobody prepared you for?” and there were a lot of profound answers that get to the heart of the disappointing side of being an adult.One theme that ran through many responses is the feeling of being set adrift. When you’re a kid‚ the world is laid out as a series of accomplishments. You learn to walk‚ you figure out how to use the bathroom‚ you start school‚ you finish school‚ maybe you go to college‚ and so on.However‚ once we’re out of the school system and out from under our parents’ roofs‚ there is a vast‚ complicated world out there and it takes a long time to learn how it works. The tough thing is that if you don’t get a good head start‚ you can spend the rest of your life playing catch-up.Then‚ you hit middle age and realize that life is short and time is only moving faster.Adulthood also blindsides a lot of people because we realize that many adults are simply children who grew older. The adult world is a lot more like high school than a teenager could ever imagine.The Reddit thread may seem a bit depressing at first‚ but there are a lot of great lessons that younger people can take to heart. The posts will also make older people feel a lot better because they can totally relate.Being an adult is hard‚ exhausting and expensive. But we’re all in this together and by sharing the lessons we’ve learned we can help lighten each other's load just a bit.Here are 21 of the most powerful responses to the question: “What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for?”1. Lack of purpose"Lack of purpose. All your young life you are given purpose of passing exams and learning‚ then all of a sudden you are thrown into the world and told to find your own meaning‚" — Captain_Snow.2. No bed time"You can stay up as late as you want. But you shouldn't‚" — geek-fit3. Friendships"Where did all my friends go?" — I_Love_Small_Breasts Most of them are at the same place as you are ... Probably wondering the same thing‚" — Blackdraon0034. Bodily changes"I'm closer to fifty than forty‚ would have been nice to be better prepared for some of the ways your body starts to change at this point that don't normally get talked about. For instance your teeth will start to shift from general aging of your gums‚" — dayburner.5. People don't change"Didnt know that other adults have the emotional intelligence of teenagers and its almost impossible to deal with logically‚" — Super-Progress-63866. Money"$5K is a lot to owe‚ but not a lot to have‚" — Upper-Job51307. Our parents age‚ too"Handling the decline and death of your parents‚" - Agave6668. Free time"Not having a lot of free-time or time by myself‚" — detective_kiara9. No goals"Not having a pre-defined goal once I was out of college. Growing up my goals were set for me: get through elementary school! then middle school! Then high school‚ and get into college and get a degree‚ then get a job‚ and then...? Vague "advance in your career‚ buy a house‚ find a spouse‚ have a kid or multiple‚ then retire." At 22 I had no idea how to break that down more granularly‚" — FreehandBirdlime10. Constant upkeep"Life is all about maintenance. Your body‚ your house‚ your relationships‚ everything requires constant never ending maintenance‚" — IHateEditedBGMusic11. Exhaustion"Being able to do so many things because I'm an adult but too tired to do any of them‚" — London8212. Loneliness"Being an adult feels extremely lonely‚" — Bluebloop013. Dinner"Having to make dinner every. Fucking. Day‚" — EndlesslyUnfinished14. Time changes"The more life you’ve lived‚ the faster time seems to go‚" — FadedQuill15. You're responsibile‚ even if you didn't mean it"You are held to account for bad behaviour for which you are negligent even if you had no intention to cause harm. As a lawyer‚ I see this all the time. People don't think they're responsible for mistakes. You are‚" — grishamlaw16. Work is like high school"The intricacies of workplace politics‚" — Steve_Lobsen writes. ""When you're in school‚ you think that you won't have to deal with gossiping and bullying once you leave school. Unfortunately‚ that is not true‚" — lady_laughs_too_much17. Nowhere to turn"How easy it is to feel stuck in a bad situation (job‚ relationship‚ etc) just because the cost and effort of getting out can seem daunting. And sometimes you just have to accept a figurative bowl full of shit because you can't afford to blow up your life‚" — movieguy9545318. The happiness question"Figuring out what makes you happy. Everyone keeps trying to get you to do things you're good at‚ or that makes you money‚ but never to pursue what you enjoy‚" — eternalwanderer519. Constant cleaning"The kitchen is always dirty. You’ll clean it at least three times every day‚" — cewnc20. Life costs money"One adult problem nobody prepared me for is how expensive everything is. I always thought that as an adult I would be able to afford the things I wanted‚ but it turns out that's not always the case! I've had to learn how to budget and save up for the things I want‚ and it's been a difficult process‚" — Dull_Dog_812621. Keeping above water"All of it together. I was relatively warned about how high rent is‚ car bills and repairs‚ how buying healthy food is expensive as hell but important for your health‚ how to exercise and save what you can‚ my parents did their best to fill in my knowledge about taxes and healthcare and insurance that my schooling missed‚ about driving and cleaning a household‚ about setting boundaries at work but working hard and getting ahead if you can‚ about charity and what it means to take care of a pet and others‚ about being a good partner if you were lucky enough to have one‚ about how dark and messed up the world is when you just read the news and what all that means to me and my community… I was reasonably warned about all of it."No one could have ever prepared me for how hard doing all of it at the same time and keeping your head above that water would actually be‚" — ThatNoNameWriterThis article originally appeared on 01.28.22

It's cold and flu seasons‚ folks. During this time of year‚ we're all on a mission to avoid the demon viruses that threaten to invade our bodies and wage Armageddon on our immune systems.But no matter how much vitamin C we consume or how diligently we wash our hands‚ we still have to rely on others to be smart about exposing people to their sick germs.And that goes doubly for kids‚ who inexplicably do things like lick their own palms and rub communal crayons under their noses.That's why a mom's recent Facebook post about keeping kids home when they have a fever has been shared more than 170‚000 times. Samantha Moriá Reynolds shared a photo of a thermometer with a temperature of 101.4 with the following message:This morning‚ Sam woke up and noticed her son wasn't feeling well.Sam took her son's temperature‚ and wow! A fever.Sam gave her son Tylenol and then...Sam did NOT send her son to school.Even after the fever went down a couple hours later‚ Sam did NOT send her son to school.Sam missed work knowing that the well-being of her son and the kids who attend his school is more important than work missed.Sam's son was invited to THREE birthday parties over the weekend. Sam's son has been so excited to go‚ but he will unfortunately also have to miss them because Sam's son is SICK. Sam knows passing along a sickness would not be a great birthday gift regardless of how bummed her son may be.Sam knows her son is still contagious until he is fever-free‚ WITHOUT medication‚ for 24 hours. If Sam's son is running a fever at 7am on Sunday‚ Sam's son will also not be attending school on Monday.Be. Like. Sam.Some parents will give their kids fever-reducing medication‚ the fever will go down‚ the kid will feel a bit better‚ and off they go to school. But fever meds like Tylenol don't do anything to kill the virus that's infecting the kid's body. They just mask the symptoms of the illness and provide some relief to a miserable kiddo. If a fever goes down with medication‚ the child is still sick and still contagious.The same goes for adults who try to tough it out by popping a Dayquil before heading off to work. If you want to infect your coworkers and make them hate you‚ keep doing that.Granted‚ some parents may have a hard time finding childcare or taking time off work‚ and there's a lot to be said for employers being understanding and granting leave to care for sick children. Our whole society needs to work together on this front to make sure people don't feel like they have no choice but to send a sick kid to school. But that starts with parents insisting that their feverish kids stay home from school until they are no longer a threat to other people's health and well-being.The coronavirus outbreak keeps making headlines and the mounting death numbers from it are making people nervous‚ but the truth is that the plain old flu already kills thousands of Americans every single year. This season‚ more than 8‚000 people have already died from flu and flu complications‚ and we're still in the thick of the season.The best way to keep illness from spreading is to stay away from other people when you are sick and to keep sick kids home until they are fever-free for 24 hours.Be like Sam. Keep sick kids home. It takes a village to keep us all healthy.This article originally appeared on 01.30.20

Oh‚ society! We have such a complicated relationship with relationships. It starts early‚ with the movies we are plopped in front of as toddlers. GIF from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."And continues through adolescence‚ still through entertainment."I'd rather die than stay away from you." GIF from "Twilight."And then guess what happens? We're peddled some more of what we're supposedly meant to be aiming for when we're adults."I was the one girl he chose from 20 other girls to be with. Now I know I'm special!" — me‚ mocking probably very sweet people. GIF from "The Bachelor."There are so many examples of this‚ it's difficult to narrow them down. Not to mention all the social cues coming in all stealth-bomber-like to beat one's psyche into submission. Like when single people go to weddings‚ their family members casually ask them‚ "When will YOU settle down?" And when a friend goes through a breakup‚ it's almost instinctive to reassure them that there's someone out there for them.But what if not everyone is supposed to pair off? What if some people are — wait for it — happier when they're single?It's kind of a radical notion in this culture‚ where pairing off is treated more as a foregone conclusion and universal life goal.A study in 2014 from the National Bureau of Economic Research said that married people rated higher in happiness measurements than single people did.You might have taken that study at face value.But hold the phone! There's another recent study from University of Auckland's School of Psychology that tells a more complete story by comparing happiness levels among a very specific group of singles and marrieds.How? Well they looked at something called "avoidance goals" and "approach goals."What are avoidance and approach goals?Well‚ what motivates each person is different. Some people are motivated by going after what their desired outcome is. Some people are more concerned with avoiding undesirable outcomes. People are often mixed bags‚ displaying some traits of avoidance and some traits of approach‚ and where they're at with it can change with other factors in life. But on the entire spectrum‚ some people fall on one distinct end or the other.In the new study‚ it held up that low-avoidance singles were a little bit less happy than low-avoidance married people. In other words‚ people who were more approach-goal motivated and married DO experience a bit more happiness.But‚ interestingly‚ researchers found that singles who fall more on the high-avoidance side of the spectrum showed the same level of happiness as high-avoidance marrieds.And theoretically‚ for those happy high-avoidance singles‚ they could very well find themselves miserable in a relationship for whatever reasons they avoid them in the first place. In individual circumstances‚ singlehood may be the best choice for some.What does it all mean?Some people love love and want to find their happily ever after. There's nothing wrong with that‚ and society supports that model. More power to them!But for those of you wondering if you're weird or broken because you seem to prefer single life‚ there's nothing wrong with you. Don't let society pressure you into doing things their way‚ you magnificently beautiful lone wolf!This article was written by Angie Aker and originally appeared on August 27‚ 2015

Summer is just around the corner‚ that means it's time to break out those razors and put on some shorts. That means retailers are starting to advertise their their summer collections to prime people for the newest trends. But there are some trends that may need to be retired before they catch on if you take the reviews of women online.Free People‚ a specialty lifestyle brand for bohemian styled fashion‚ have released a new style of shorts. The internet seems to be slightly confused on if the material they received from the retail brand is supposed to be shorts or something else entirely. They're supposedly shorts‚ but they're "micro shorts‚" which are similar to shorts you'd see in the wild. They have two leg holes‚ a hole for your body and less material than pants. Checks off all the requirements for a pair of shorts...except‚ they appear to be about the length of underwear. That's not an exaggeration and to prove that point a couple of women bought some to try on so you don't have to. The videos are not only honest but hilarious. In one video Nicole Walters‚ a New York Times best selling author and mom to three girls decided to order the shorts to see how they looked on someone with‚ "thigh meat." She wears a size 12 and often jokes about being a curvier on the bottom. When she pulled the shorts out‚ it looked as if she was going to have to perform a magic trick to get them on. They looked to be the size a small child would wear‚ but they seemed to have gone on easily even though they looked extremely uncomfortable. She looked uncomfortable. The viewers likely looked uncomfortable. "Oh wow. They're in there and by in there I mean everywhere. There's a lot of thigh meat happening right now in the‚ this region‚" Walters says as she gestures at her upper thighs. "There's some thigh meat‚ um...uh...I feel like they're definitely in some places that I didn't know I had." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicole Walters (@nicolewalters) Walter's review of the shorts has people in stitches as she jokes about her Christianity falling out of the shorts. "It’s the Barbie walk for me lol!!! Thank you for your service‚" one person says."The way you warn us that you’re going to turn around almost made me scream with laughter‚" someone writes."I'm just going to go ahead and dial 911 for help bc looks like you may need the jaws of life to come out them shorts...lol!! Your commentary had me dying laughing..lol‚" another commenter jokes.In another Free People "micro shorts" try on video‚ Nicole Story Dent braved the itty bitty shorts to show her audience the summer trend they can look forward to seeing. The first pair of shorts has multiple flaps that appear to be large pockets which inspires Dent to pretend to fly in them before the discomfort sinks in."It's kinda giving waitress...if they ever want to make a Waffle House-Hooters hybrid‚ we have their uniform‚ she says. "We have been asking for more pockets so they delivered. Speaking of delivered‚ you could deliver a baby without having to take these shorts off." Dent guesses that the shorts would be more like "jundies" or "janties" than jorts‚ the shorthand term for jean shorts. Commenters couldn't stop laughing at her description of the shorts while others provided her with words of wisdom. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nicole Story Dent • Relatable Millennial + Momhood Content (@nicolestorydent) "Do NOT drop it low in these jundies‚ that kind of contact with the club floor is NOT hygienic‚" someone writes."'There is nothing vegan about these. There is absolutely a cat being harmed!' I’m cackling! You really should win something from Free People for this! @freepeople we found your next model‚" another person jokes."This is the kind of content the internet was made for‚ it’s just so good. However my thighs started getting chafed just watching this‚" someone laughs.Surely these shorts were made for someone and they will look fabulous on whoever that person may be. But right now‚ there are a lot of confused‚ thoroughly tickled ladies on the internet who know they are not the target audience. If you're brave enough to give these micro shorts a try‚ go ahead and stock up on some baby powder for all the chaffing.