Jenna Bush Hager had the privilege of interviewing her own father, former president George W. Bush, ahead of USA’s 250th birthday, and he had a lot to say about healing the country. This year marks 250 years since the United States declared its independence from British rule. And while our founding fathers would have hoped we’d be a nation of peace and love, we’re not. Political tensions are high, and the economy is low. But our 43rd president believes we can turn ourselves around. During an interview on April 20th, Jenna and George discussed how the political divide is tearing friendships, families, and society apart. While Jenna is worried about the future, her father believes the country is making a turn for the better. View this post on Instagram A post shared by TODAY (@todayshow) “One of the things about the 250th is it gives us the chance to focus on the common good and the wonders of this country,” he said. “The history of this country. I am not concerned about the long-term health of our country. Because I’ve studied enough history to know that we’ve been through periods of intense anger and intense rivalry of ideas. But the beauty of democracy, Jen, is that it’s self-correcting.” George W. Bush Believes America Can ‘Heal Itself’ George W. Bush, 79, was born just after WWII ended. He lived through the Korean War, Vietnam, the Civil Rights Era, the Gulf War, Watergate, 9/11, and more. He’s watched the country fall apart and reunite dozens of times, so he doesn’t think our current issues will break us. “I’m going to encourage citizens to participate in the process, and if you don’t like what’s going on, vote,” he added. “And that’s how America heals itself.”  Watch Jenna Bush Hager and George W. Bush’s full interview and Jenna’s interview of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden here. This story’s featured image is by Perry Knotts/Getty Images.

The important one-sentence rule, “no means no” remains one of the most steadfast lessons for human beings. It has been a key learning tool, frankly, for all people, whether kids or adults, men or women, young or old, etc. But over time, those words, while still true and necessary, have become cliché to some. Some seem to think they can push a boundary until the “no” became a “yes.” An Instagram Reel has recently begun circulating showing a man in front of a group of young, male students. He is role-playing with a woman and asking her for a hug. She says, “No,” but he keeps pushing and then attempts to gaslight her into thinking it’s “crazy” she doesn’t want said hug. He then turns to the students and asks, “What just happened?” View this post on Instagram A post shared by King Randall, I. (@newemergingking) Learning boundaries The students begin answering. One young boy says, matter-of-factly, “After she said ‘no,’ you kept asking and asking.” This was indeed the point, and they got it quickly. “What is that called? Boundaries. Everybody say boundaries,” the instructor says. The young men comply. “’No’ is a complete sentence. That goes for anybody. You, your friends, your homegirl, your mama, whatever. If somebody tells you no, what does no mean?” They answer in unison, “No.” And it’s here that he really drives the point home. He asks, “Does that mean (you should) try to convince somebody? Does that mean do it anyway? Does that mean catch an attitude because they told us no?” The classroom erupts with a resounding, “No sir” to each question. “The most respectful thing you can do as a young man is, when somebody tells you no, is to say…okay.” He gives another example through role-play by asking the woman if he can borrow her phone. She says no, and he pushes, “Why not?” He continues to elevate the mock conversation before turning back to the class. “Talk to me. What did I do wrong?” One answers, “You had an attitude.” Not here for ‘convincing’ He then shifts back to the main takeaway he wishes for the kids. “The word is ‘convincing.’ Say with me…’convincing.’ We are not here for that, understand that? We are not doing any convincing. If somebody tells us no, that is IT. We leave it there, especially when it has something to do with their body or their things. You understand that?” He ends by showing the correct way to have an interaction. Again, he asks, “Can I have a hug?” She says no, and he replies, “Alright, cool.” He adds, “What will gain me more respect is if I respect her saying no. Being respectful is simply the right thing to do.” Solve for ‘X’ The class in the clip is from a nonprofit group called The X for Boys. Their purpose, according to their website, is to instill honor, education, and accountability in boys who enter their prep-school program. It was founded by 24-year-old King Randall, I, aka @Newemergingking online. His bio shares he saw issues in the community and wanted to help solve them: “Seeing a need to help enhance and advance the lives of the young men in his community, he set out to take action to combat the high poverty and crime rates in the southwest Georgia city.” On the clip, Randall writes:“She told me no… and I kept trying to convince her anyway.That’s the problem.So we showed the boys what not to do.We’re not here to convince anybody.No means no. It’s a complete sentence.Respect isn’t something you do to get something back — it’s something you do because it’s right.” View this post on Instagram The commenters are incredibly supportive about this vital lesson. One writes, “This is so powerful. Small, simple steps early with young boys can move mountains with protecting everyone. Thank you for putting in the work.” The post ‘No convincing’: Teacher praised for getting to the heart of ‘no means no’ lesson appeared first on Upworthy.

A true hero was crowned prom king in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. Kirk Moore, principal of Pauls Valley High School, was recognized by his students for his heroism in stopping a suspected school shooter just a few weeks prior. On April 7, 20-year-old Victor Hawkins, a former student, entered the school with a gun and intended to carry out a mass shooting inspired by the Columbine school shooting, according to court documents reviewed by KOCO-TV. However, he was stopped by Moore, who courageously tackled Hawkins and held him down in a feat of strength while wrestling the weapon from his hands. In the process, shots were fired, and Moore was hit in the leg. He was treated at a local hospital and released two days later. In a statement released shortly after the shooting, Moore expressed gratitude to his community and supporters. “Words alone cannot begin to express my gratitude for the outpouring of love and support I have received from the Pauls Valley community,” he said. “I am forever grateful for the support I am receiving from those close to me, as well as new friends who have wished me well in their prayers. This support is the reason I am healthy and recovering today.” He added, “Like so many educators around the country, we prepare for these events through training and careful assessment of the threats. I am grateful that my instincts and training, as well as God’s hand, were available to me.” Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May also acknowledged Moore’s courage. “It doesn’t surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took,” May said, according to NBC News. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives.” To help cover his medical expenses and rehabilitation, a GoFundMe campaign was started for Moore. Principal Moore crowned prom king In a video shared on TikTok, Moore receives a hero’s welcome after being announced as prom king. The DJ tells the crowd, “Ladies and gentlemen, our king…Kirk Moore!” @cbsnews Principal Kirk Moore, the high school principal who tackled a gunman in an Oklahoma school’s lobby and stopped a potential mass shooting was crowned prom king by the students, who voted to honor him for his heroic actions. #Oklahoma #schoolshooting #highschool #principal #prom ♬ original sound – cbsnews The DJ plays “Hero,” Nickelback’s fitting hit, as Moore enters the frame, and his students go wild with cheers and applause. He high-fives them as he walks by, and a crown is placed on his head. His students are ecstatic, jumping up and down and screaming for him. Moore appears emotional and hugs the prom queen as they pose for photos together. @oz11201 #principalhero #PaulsValley #hero #promking #KirkMoore ♬ original sound – Oz Viewers react The emotional video also had a deep impact on viewers, who sang Moore’s praises: “Because of him… ALLLLLLLLLLLL the kids were able to attend!!!!” “That’s awesome his kids obviously love him! Outfitting, considering the circumstances!” “The Pauls Valley High Student Body has spoken! Prom King Legend…Kirk Moore.” “And THIS is how legends are made! ” “This is hopecore ” “Yes sir!!! So deserving. Absolute HERO.” “What a beautiful way to honor a beautiful man! I’m sitting here crying, can’t imagine what his students and their parents are feeling!!” The post Hero principal crowned prom king after he was shot tackling school shooting suspect appeared first on Upworthy.

Not a week goes by where we aren’t treated to a story of a fare-paying airline passenger being asked to change seats with a parent who’s trying to sit next to their kids. People take sides. Outrage builds. The parents are labeled entitled and thoughtless, while the people who refuse to yield the seats they paid for sometimes get harassed for their perceived unkindness. Meanwhile, it’s the kids who are stuck in the middle, seated away from their parents and surrounded by strangers for hours at a time. One recent story with this familiar start took a surprisingly heartwarming, if frustrating, turn. Man pays extra for aisle seat before mom asks him to switch A social media user took to a Delta discussion subreddit to share his story, aptly titled “What would you have done?” The 30-year-old man describes how he had paid extra for an aisle seat due to his size. When he sat down, however, he was surprised to find a small boy seated next to him in the middle seat. A man on a Delta flight was surprised to find a young boy sitting next to him without a parent. Photo Credit: Canva Photos At first, he was excited. Kids don’t take up much room and he wouldn’t have to share the armrest. In air travel terms, that’s a win. Then, a tap on the shoulder. “His mom was a few rows back also in a middle seat,” the man wrote. “She asked me to swap seats with her so she could sit next to her son.” The poster says he politely declined, and no one could blame him. However, that left everyone involved in a pretty uncomfortable position. The cost of the man keeping the aisle seat he paid for was having an unaccompanied boy (around 5-8 years old, he says) sitting next to him for the duration of the four hour flight. Kind stranger steps up—even if he wasn’t happy about it The man says he didn’t raise a stink when the mom then asked if he could show the boy how to use the seatback display with movies and games. And help him order snacks. “I basically ended up having to babysit the kid for 4 straight hours, endlessly begging me to play games with him on the screen and constantly begging for more snacks , food etc. and then he just slept on my shoulder the last 60-90 minutes ish.” “I tried to be the nice guy so I never said anything, just made my flight experience horrible honestly … We got that boy 4 rounds of snacks and played every single game on the screen.” He adds that the mom thanked him for his kindness at the end of the flight. Commenters give kudos for kindness Though the OP was frustrated with having to grin-and-bear the experience, plenty of commenters chimed into applaud him for doing exactly that: “thank you for being kind to the boy” “You were truly a good sport!” “You are a good man. As a parent I appreciate how you handled it. It’s easy to judge the mom but you never know the circumstances that lead to them being on that flight and separated.” It no doubt meant the world to the boy to have a friendly face next to him, with his mom seated several rows away. It’s unfortunate that the man’s own flight wasn’t as relaxing as he had planned, but he earned himself major good karma points by stepping up and making the young boy comfortable throughout the duration of the flight. Why is this still happening in 2026? While some commenters opined that the mom was at fault for the mix-up and even may have somehow “arranged it” to get a free babysitter, the idea is laughable. No parent wants their 5-year-old sitting next to a random man they’ve never met. And, like any human, parents sometimes have to book last minute or find themselves with surprise seating arrangements courtesy of an airline blunder. The more important question is why minor children continue to be seated away from their parents on many flights. The U.S Department of Transportation has recommended and encouraged all airlines to adopt better policies in this area. The DOT urges airlines “to guarantee that young children are seated adjacent to an accompanying adult without charging any additional fee.” However, according to the agency’s own dashboard, only about half of the major U.S. carriers offer such a guarantee. Delta is one notable name that still allows young children to be placed in seats away from their guardians. That’s why the DOT has proposed to make the “strong suggestion” into a formal law that would carry penalties for airlines that don’t comply. It’s important to remember that people, kids or otherwise, don’t necessarily end up getting stuck in middle seats by themselves because of laziness. Airlines do a lot of sleight-of-hand in how they categorize seats. “Basic Economy,” the most affordable option, sometimes means middle-seat only. The new proposal, if enacted, would put an end to the confusion. The proposal, though, is still just that: a proposal. It will need Congressional approval to be enacted into law. In the meantime, we can only count on two things: families planning ahead as best they can, and a little kindness and empathy from passengers like the man who shared this story. As frustrated and annoyed as he was by the whole ordeal, he did the right thing, and deserves a little kudos for so admirably stepping up to the plate. The post Man on Delta flight ‘forced’ to babysit stranger’s kid for four hours. He earned major karma. appeared first on Upworthy.

Jada Jones hadn’t planned anything special. She was at a restaurant in Los Angeles with her friend Shikha, having a casual meal and a casual conversation with their waiter, Phae’l, who had recently moved from Jamaica. She mentioned she was an actor. She mentioned her birthday was in two days. That was enough. Phae’l brought out a birthday dessert with candles. Jada smiled, made a wish, and blew them out. Then he relit the candles and paused. View this post on Instagram “Red is for who you lost yesterday,” he said. “Yellow is to celebrate your birthday as bright as the sun today. And green is what you are about to prosper in the world.” Then: “You are about to be the best actor in the world.” Jada started crying. She shared the video on Instagram on March 30, 2026 under her handle @jadajonesss, and the caption explained something Phae’l hadn’t known when he chose those colors. Red was the color associated with her partner Chris’s mother, who had recently passed away. Red was even in her username. The family wore red to her funeral, which took place on Jada’s birthday. A woman blows out her birthday candles. Photo credit: Canva He hadn’t known any of that. He was a stranger who had listened to a few minutes of conversation and offered something back that happened to land exactly where she needed it. Past, present, and future, bound up in three candles at a restaurant table. “What I thought was just a free birthday dessert,” the on-screen text in her video reads, “turned out to be a moment I will never forget.” Jada said she couldn’t stop crying, kept thanking him, and hugged him before she left. For more delightful content, follow @jadajonesss on Instagram. The post She thought the waiter was just bringing a birthday dessert. What he said when he relit the candles made her sob. appeared first on Upworthy.