The Meaning Behind 5 of Popular Rosh Hashanah Traditions
Rosh Hashanah ushers in the beginning of the Jewish year and is a holiday that celebrates the creation of the world, something that's reflected in its name, which means "head of the year" in Hebrew. Rosh Hashanah 2018 will begin at sundown on Sunday, Sept. 9, and will continue through nightfall on Tuesday, Sept. 11, marking the start of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of reflection and repent...
5m Sep 09, 2018
5m
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka Offer Lessons Amid Ugly U.S. Open
The boos rained down on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court on late Saturday afternoon, the New York City fans behaving as if the Jets made another crappy draft pick, or the hapless Mets lost yet another miserable game. Not as if the new U.S. Open champion, who's all of 20 years old, was about to receive her trophy for beating the best women's player of all-time. That champion, Naomi Osaka, should h...
8m Sep 09, 2018
8m
The Tiniest Sunglasses at New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week is officially in full swing, with fashion's biggest names coming out in full force to see this season's latest trends at designer shows and presentations. Not all the trends are on the runways, however; street style can be the ultimate way to see a high fashion trend play out in real life.
2m Sep 09, 2018
2m
Inside a History-Making Protest With the Women Who Took on the Miss America Competition
When the 2018 Miss America competition concludes on Sunday night, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that it has taken place without a swimsuit round. While those in today's pageant world may disagree on the merits of the change, it's been a long time coming. It was 50 years ago when, on Sept. 7, 1968, a group of women bused down from New York City to Atlantic City, N.J., to prote...
11m Sep 09, 2018
11m
Libya’s Recent Violence Is a Reminder the Country Is Still Badly Broken
Families are "living in fear" after a week of fighting and indiscriminate shelling in Tripoli, the U.N.'s humanitarian coordinator in Libya said Sept. 2. At least 61 died, 159 were wounded, and some 400 inmates escaped a prison as rival militias battled for territory in Libya's capital city. The violence was a reminder that the chaos unleashed by the removal of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 ...
2m Sep 08, 2018
2m
What to Know About Sweden’s 2018 Elections
Rich, happy, stable, perhaps a little dull. Our utopian image of Sweden, with the world's third highest standard of living and a famous welfare state, seems impervious to the kinds of dramatic political cleavages and populist insurgents that have swept the U.S. and much of Europe in recent years. But at parliamentary elections on Sunday, the far-right is likely to be a major player. Here’s what...
8m Sep 08, 2018
8m
GoFundMe for Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island Raises $100,000 From Fans
One of the castaways from Gilligan's Island is finally being saved — by the Internet. Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann Summers on the iconic 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, reportedly lost her life savings a decade ago during the financial crisis. According to a new GoFundMe page started by her friend, Dugg Kirkpatrick, Wells now can't cover her bills stemming from an accident that required her...
2m Sep 08, 2018
2m
Here Are All the Upcoming Joker Movies
Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight is the stuff of legend. Jack Nicholson originally played the comic book character in Tim Burton's playful Batman (1989), but Ledger's take on the anarchic villain added a new level of depth. For years, no actor wanted to play the role for fear they would never measure up to Ledger's take on the deranged comedian. Enter Jared Leto.
5m Sep 08, 2018
5m
A Presidential Historian Looks to the Past for Lessons for Turbulent Times
Doris Kearns Goodwin lives surrounded by American history. Her home in Concord, Mass., is minutes from the site of one of the first battles of the American Revolution. The house itself, cool on a day that broke heat records in nearby Boston, is full of history too. What was once a three-car garage is now a library. Abraham Lincoln books are in there, and Franklin Roosevelt is nearby. The sectio...
8m Sep 08, 2018
8m
These Are the Best Memoirs of 2018 So Far
Memoirs carry a certain power because they are real stories about real life — it’s no wonder why everyone is so anxiously awaiting the arrival of Michelle Obama’s Becoming. But until its release this November, catch up on the rest of the year’s most notable memoirs. From stories of living with chronic illness to founding the Black Lives Matter movement, here are the best memoirs of 2018 to date.
4m Sep 08, 2018
4m
Donald Trump Won by Breaking Norms. Democrats Are Starting to Consider It Too
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley had barely gotten through the first sentence of his opening remarks the other day before he was interrupted by Sen. Kamala Harris. It was a surprising break with decorum on the committee, but one that Harris and her Democratic colleagues said was necessary to fight back against what they considered an unprecedented lack of transparency on Supr...
6m Sep 08, 2018
6m
Two Airplane Health Scares This Week Were Linked to People Returning From the Hajj in Mecca
A pair of airline health scares this week were related to the hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, officials say. Eleven people were treated at a New York City hospital after reports of sick passengers and crew on an Emirates flight from Dubai on Wednesday. The next day, a total of 12 passengers on two flights into Philadelphia International Airport showed flu-like symptoms.
3m Sep 07, 2018
3m
The 40 TV Shows You Have to Watch This Fall
This fall TV season promises to be the best in years. The medium continues to draw A-List stars: Julia Roberts appears in an [f500link]Amazon[/f500link] drama called Homecoming, and Superbad co-stars Emma Stone and Jonah Hill team up for the mind-bending Netflix drama, Maniac. On the comedy side, Jim Carrey plays a Mr. Rogers type dealing with a mental break in Kidding, and Jennifer Garner is t...
18m Sep 07, 2018
18m
Preventable Heart Problems Kill Hundreds of Thousands Year. Here's How to Keep Your Heart Healthy
Heart problems that were "largely preventable" killed around 415,000 Americans in 2016, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, highlighting the importance of proactive interventions. Under its new Million Hearts campaign, which aims to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes by 2022, the CDC looked at 2016 data and identified approximately 2.
5m Sep 07, 2018
5m
Tropical Storm Florence Is Expected to Become a Hurricane Again as It Hurls Toward the U.S. Here’s Where Its Path Is Headed
Hurricane Florence has downgraded to a tropical storm but is expected to regain hurricane status as its path hurls towards the U.S. East Coast in the next week. Florence's wind speed have decreased and as of Friday the tropical storm has had a maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, down from 140 mph, but is expected to strengthen in the next coming days. Florence is currently 1,600 miles from the...
2m Sep 07, 2018
2m
Leading Brazilian Presidential Candidate Jair Bolsonaro Stabbed
(RIO DE JANEIRO) — Jair Bolsonaro, a leading presidential candidate whose heated rhetoric has electrified some voters and angered others in a deeply polarized Brazil, was stabbed at a campaign event Thursday and suffered serious abdominal injuries. Police said the suspected attacker was in custody. Dr.
7m Sep 07, 2018
7m
Serena Williams Is One Step Closer to More Sporting Immortality
A year ago, Serena Williams fought for her life. Now, she's fighting for another piece of sports history. Williams wrote the latest chapter of her remarkable comeback story on Thursday night in New York City, as she made quick work of No. 19-seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, 6-3, 6-0, in the U.S. Open semifinals. Williams had stumbled in the last two semifinals she reached at the U.S.
6m Sep 07, 2018
6m
Brett Kavanaugh Referred to Contraception as ‘Abortion-Inducing Drugs’ During Confirmation Hearing
During the third day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Judge Brett Kavanaugh referred to the use of contraception as "abortion-inducing drugs." On Thursday, Kavanaugh was asked by Sen. Ted Cruz about his dissent in the Priests for Life v. the U.S. Department of Human and Health Services case. In 2015, while serving on the U.S.
3m Sep 07, 2018
3m
J. K. Rowling Answered a Magical Question With a Trump Burn
Need J. K. Rowling to appear? Now we know how to summon the famous Harry Potter author at will — all it takes is the right Donald Trump comment and a combination of cute animals, snacks and writing supplies. In a response to a magic-related question posed by a Twitter user, Rowling's well-documented distaste for the U.S. president once again came out to play.
1m Sep 07, 2018
1m
Sarah Sanders Told Americans to Call the New York Times Over Anonymous Op-Ed
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders encouraged Americans to flood the New York Times switchboard in protest over an anonymous op-ed from a member of the Trump Administration. Calling the author an "anonymous coward" and a "gutless loser," Sanders tweeted the opinion desk's phone number, urging Trump supporters to ask about the identity of the writer, who criticized Trump's "amoralit...
2m Sep 07, 2018
2m
These Are the 10 Richest American Sports Team Owners — and How They Made Their Billions
While mansions, yachts, and shiny cars have all become common symbols of wealth, some of America's wealthiest billionaires prefer to indulge in a different kind of luxury: buying their very own sports teams. America's richest sports team owners live in a world upon themselves. In fact, the ten richest are global elites, hailing from the ranks of the world's 350 richest people.
12m Sep 07, 2018
12m
Why Were the Floods in India’s Kerala State So Deadly?
Inside a modest, concrete house elevated on a hillside in India's southwestern Kerala state, Roseanna Abrachan thought her family would be safe when the rains began. But then it just kept pouring. About a week later, with water levels already knee-high, she was told it was time to flee. With her 28-day-old baby in her arms, Abrachan climbed into a rescue canoe and floated off to safety.
6m Sep 06, 2018
6m
Are Audiobooks As Good For You As Reading? Here’s What Experts Say
Even for people who love books, finding the opportunity to read can be a challenge. Many, then, rely on audiobooks, a convenient alternative to old-fashioned reading. You can listen to the latest bestseller while commuting or cleaning up the house. But is listening to a book really the same as reading one? “I was a fan of audiobooks, but I always viewed them as cheating,” says Beth Rogowsky, ...
8m Sep 06, 2018
8m
Paul McCartney’s Boundless Curiosity Is on Display on New Album Egypt Station
Paul McCartney's accumulated discography is among the most impressive in pop. But as he's demonstrated in recent years—his collaborations with Dave Grohl as well as Kanye West and Rihanna, his marathon live shows—the former Beatle and forever member of rock's highest echelons has little interest in being content with his amassed achievements.
3m Sep 06, 2018
3m
An Anonymous Official Claims Insiders Are 'Thwarting' Trump. That May Have Happened to Nixon Too
After the New York Times on Wednesday published an op-ed from an anonymous official who claimed that a "resistance inside the Trump Administration" was "thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses," it didn't take long for some historians to see in it yet another reason to compare troubles in the Trump White House to the Watergate-era Nixon Administration.
5m Sep 06, 2018
5m
The Family Separation Policy Ended. Now the Trump Administration Is Pursuing a Family Detention Policy
Hoping to deter undocumented immigrants from crossing the Mexican border, the Trump Administration separated more than 2,000 parents and children over the summer. When a June 20 executive order ended the practice, the Administration sought to detain immigrant families together. Those efforts have so far been thwarted because of a longstanding court agreement that requires the government to rel...
4m Sep 06, 2018
4m
Why You Can Look Forward to Being Happier in Old Age
If life wanted to mess with you, it couldn’t have come up with a better way than death. Especially the lead-up. Your strength flags; your world narrows; much of what once gave you pleasure and satisfaction is now gone. But as it turns out, happiness is still very much with you—often even more so than before. In some ways, our youth and middle years are really a sort of training period for the u...
6m Sep 06, 2018
6m
How the ‘Red Terror’ Exposed the True Turmoil of Soviet Russia 100 Years Ago
On Aug. 30, 1918, Fanny Kaplan, a 28-year-old member of Russia’s Socialist Revolutionary Party, brandished a pistol at that day’s guest to the Mikhelson factory in Moscow. As its workforce gathered to wave off their esteemed visitor, Vladimir Lenin, Kaplan catcalled at him. When the Soviet leader turned to face the culprit, three shots rang out. Seconds later, amid the chaos, a wounded Lenin wa...
9m Sep 06, 2018
9m
China Is Ready to Retaliate if Trump Imposes New Tariffs
(BEIJING ) — China is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with a tariff hike on Chinese goods and is confident it can maintain "steady and healthy" economic growth, a government spokesman said Thursday. The Trump administration is poised to impose 25% penalties this week on $200 billion of Chinese goods in an escalation of their fight over U.S. complaints that Beijing ...
2m Sep 06, 2018
2m
India Decriminalizes Gay Sex in Historic Supreme Court Ruling
A landmark judgment by India’s highest court has overturned a colonial-era law that criminalizes consensual gay sex, in a long-fought for victory for the LGBTQ community. The five-judge bench reached a unanimous decision Thursday in the capital New Delhi. Delivering his decision, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, "The LGBTQ community has the same fundamental rights as citizens.
8m Sep 06, 2018
8m
Trump Tells the New York Times to Identify Anonymous Op-Ed Writer
President Donald Trump asked the New York Times to reveal the anonymous senior administration official who penned a critical op-ed Wednesday, claiming the author's identity must be shared for "National Security purposes." In a tweet Wednesday evening, just hours after the Times published the unprecedented opinion piece, Trump doubled down on his criticism of the piece and called its author "gu...
3m Sep 06, 2018
3m
Democrats Held Brett Kavanaugh's Feet to the Fire. But Will It Matter?
Sparks still flew at the second day of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hearings. But unlike the first day, most of the heat came from Democratic lawmakers, rather than raucous protesters. Protesters continued regularly interrupting the proceedings, as they had since the hearings began on Tuesday. As soon as Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassely began his opening statemen...
6m Sep 06, 2018
6m
This 87-Year-Old Retiree Is Now Looking for a Job in Order to Cover His Wife’s Medical Bills
To help pay for his wife’s mounting medical bills, Robert Blocksom is looking to come out of retirement. But instead of helping others with their financial planning as he had done for so many years, the 87-year-old is aiming to hit the road as a truck driver. “I got a little bit of everything, but mostly I can’t walk very well, and I’ve had some breast cancer,” Robert’s wife, Jelaine Blocksom,...
4m Sep 06, 2018
4m
Study: 45% of People Think They Can Do Their Job in Less Than 5 Hours a Day
Here’s a thought experiment for your fuzzy little post-Labor day brain: What if, like, every weekend was a three-day weekend? Game changer, right? Thing is, according to a growing body of research, a shorter worker week actually makes way more sense than a "traditional" one.
4m Sep 06, 2018
4m
A Member of Congress Shut Down a Protester by Auctioneering at Them
It wasn't quite a scene straight out of an improv comedy show, but it was close. As Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey testified during Wednesday's House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing before Congress, alt-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer stood up to disrupt the proceedings with a plea. "I'm asking you President Donald Trump. Please help us Mr. President, before it's ...
2m Sep 06, 2018
2m
Watch the Colin Kaepernick Nike Ad That Will Run During the NFL Season Opener
Former NFL star Colin Kaepernick has posted the first television commercial made as part of his new deal with [f500link]Nike[/f500link]. "If people say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do, good," says Kaepernick in a voiceover while footage of other Nike athletes, including Serena Williams and skateboarder Nyjah Huston, plays. "Stay that way. Because what non-beli...
2m Sep 06, 2018
2m
Tammy Duckworth: Brett Kavanaugh Would Put Businesses Ahead of Americans With Disabilities
When I first woke up at Walter Reed in November 2004, I had no idea that I was disabled. I had no idea that, in the blink of an eye, I had lost both my legs when a grenade tore through the helicopter I was piloting just north of Baghdad. It took me days to recognize the reality of my disability, months to learn how to walk again and years to get used to the constant, hammering pain that’s sti...
5m Sep 06, 2018
5m
Lawmakers Hint at Regulating Social Media During Hearing With Facebook and Twitter Execs
As Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey began to address lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, he made a brief aside. Holding his smartphone, from which he would read his opening statement to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, he first let the committee members know that he was tweeting it out.
5m Sep 06, 2018
5m
Anonymous Trump Administration Official Claims Staffers Are Working to ‘Thwart’ the President
An anonymous "senior official in the Trump administration" is claiming to be part of a network of appointees and others who are working to thwart President Donald Trump from inside his own White House. In a New York Times op-ed headlined "I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration," the unnamed author wrote that "many of the senior officials in his own administration are worki...
5m Sep 06, 2018
5m
A Quarter of the World’s Adults Don’t Get Enough Exercise, Study Says
One in four adults worldwide doesn't get enough exercise, putting "more than 1.4 billion adults at risk of developing or exacerbating diseases linked to inactivity," a new study says. The study, which was conducted by researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in The Lancet Global Health, found that 27.5% of people across the globe do not meet the WHO's physical activit...
4m Sep 06, 2018
4m
Why Some People Hate Being Hugged, According to Science
If you hate being hugged, the world can be a challenging place. You never know when someone you’re meeting for a quick coffee will approach you, arms open wide, coming in for an embrace. Your options are limited: you can awkwardly dodge the gesture, stick out your hand for a handshake, or submit to the unwanted bear hug.
6m Sep 06, 2018
6m
Trump's Defense Against the Bob Woodward Book Echoes His Defense Against Mueller
Social networks like [f500link]Facebook[/f500link] and Twitter have long seen themselves as a new way to connect humanity. But the tech industry has faced turmoil in recent years as companies have grappled with problems ranging from Russian propaganda to complaints of bias against conservatives. On Tuesday, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will take a turn in the hot se...
9m Sep 05, 2018
9m
Colin Kaepernick Hasn’t Played an NFL Game in 2 Seasons, but He Just Keeps Winning
By this point, each side has clearly staked its claim. Colin Kaepernick is a pariah. Colin Kaepernick is a patriot. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has forever enraged millions of Americans by starting a protest movement against social injustice during the National [f500link]Anthem[/f500link]. He's inspired millions of others by challenging the country to live up to the ideals that t...
6m Sep 05, 2018
6m
Tropical Storm Gordon Knocks Out Power as It Slams Into Gulf Coast
One person was reportedly killed and thousands are without power as Tropical Storm Gordon smashed into the central Gulf Coast, making landfall between Alabama and the Florida panhandle Tuesday night with high-force winds and a heavy downpour. Gordon careened into the coastline around 10 p.m., clocking maximum sustained winds of 70 miles-per-hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
3m Sep 05, 2018
3m
Trump's Defense Against Woodward's Book Echoes His Defense Against Mueller
For President Donald Trump, Bob Woodward presents a similar challenge as Robert Mueller. The two men are veterans of the Washington Establishment, respected by members of both parties for their skill at sussing out hard-won facts. Their personal backgrounds are even similar: Woodward, a Yale grad and Navy vet who has spent his career at the Washington Post; Mueller, a Princeton grad and former...
9m Sep 05, 2018
9m
Anger and Partisanship Dominated Day 1 of Brett Kavanaugh's Hearings
When Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh finally delivered his opening statement late Tuesday afternoon, he pledged to be a "team player." "If confirmed to the Court, I would be part of a Team of Nine, committed to deciding cases according to the Constitution and laws of the United States," he said. "I would always strive to be a team player on the Team of Nine.
8m Sep 05, 2018
8m
Father of Parkland Victim Says Brett Kavanaugh 'Turned His Back' to Him
The father of Parkland shooting victim Jamie Guttenberg says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "turned his back" when he approached to shake hands during a break in his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Fred Guttenberg, who attended the first day of Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings as a guest of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, approached the Supreme Court nominee as the room broke for lunch.
3m Sep 05, 2018
3m
China’s New Threat Against Trump Has Some U.S. Farmers Nervous
In recent years, the annual meeting of the U.S. soybean export group has been a celebratory affair complete with a grand signing ceremony during which attendees committed to exporting billions of dollars of U.S. soybeans to China. But following months of escalating trade tensions Chinese attendees at this year’s confab in Kansas City last week carried a different message: China doesn’t need U....
6m Sep 05, 2018
6m
Why This GOP Candidate Might Wind Up in the Senate Even If She Loses
Martha McSally is probably going to be a Senator, whether she wins in November or not. Those are the signals coming out of Phoenix, where Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday announced former Sen. Jon Kyl will hold the Senate seat left vacant when John McCain died on Aug. 25 at age 81 after a brutal fight with brain cancer.
5m Sep 05, 2018
5m
Historian: How 20 Years of Google Has Changed How We Think
It might sound obvious to say that [f500link]Google[/f500link] has changed the world in the 20 years since it was founded on Sept. 4, 1998. Google, and its parent company Alphabet, is involved in everything from the development of driverless cars to disputes with President Donald Trump. But, to James W.
7m Sep 05, 2018
7m