For decades, boycotting elections in Indian-controlled Kashmir was a sign of protest against Indian rule. That may change on Wednesday, when many residents of the Muslim-majority region say they’re willing to use their vote in a local election to deny Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party the power to form an administration in the disputed region. The vote is the first in a decade, and the first since Modi’s Hindu nationalist government in 2019 scrapped the region’s...

NASSAU, N.Y. – Amid reports circulating of a potential explosive threat to former President Donald Trump’s rally in New York Wednesday morning, Florida’s Voice confirmed directly with local authorities that no such devices were found or removed. The development comes as worries spiral over Trump’s safety after a second assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida – which came just two months after an attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Newsweek also reported a statement from a local public...

Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect charged with gun offenses following a second assassination attempt on Donald Trump, has had numerous run-ins with the law, with a criminal record going back to the late 1990s. The 58-year-old was arrested on Sunday in connection with the attempt to shoot the former president, 78, at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The claim: Ryan Routh, suspect in apparent assassination attempt, is a Republican A Sept. 15 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows two photos of Ryan Routh, the suspect in what appears to be another assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.  “TRUMP SHOOTER: Ryan Wesley Routh, who tried to assassinate Trump, is a Republican, gun enthusiast, and Covid conspiracy theorist, who supported Haley and was a ‘Never Trumper’ despite voting for Trump...

n an interview with J.D. Vance, Dana Bash claims that there is no reason to believe the reports coming out of Springfield, Ohio.

Even with all the fancy apps and preference based algorithms, dating isn’t always easy. It’s a challenge to find true and lasting compatibility, and to know whether a person truly has your best interests at heart, or is simply on their best behavior. But, people find their ways to navigate romance, nonetheless. Be it through a series of simple questions or hard-and-fast red flags, there are some modern-day strategies that can be used to filter out true potential partners. The “Bird Test” is one of those strategies.Though TikTokker Alyssa Caribardi doesn’t claim to have created the bird test, it’s something she “lives and dies by,” and she’s happy to give folks the rundown on what it is.According to Caribardi, the bird test goes a little something like this: if you're out and about with someone, and notice a bird, then point it out with enthusiasm, notice how the other person responds. If they mirror your “genuine curiosity” for this seemingly insignificant thing, “that’s a really good sign” the relationship will last a long time.'"It never fails," Caribardi claims, adding that while this is primarily used for screening romantic relationships, it can be used for platonic ones as well, sharing that a woman who matched her excitement for a woodpecker outside a Starbucks became a close friend. Watch below. Note that this video contains some curse words. @alyssacardib Bird test ♬ original sound - Lyss Lyss As many viewers were quick to note, the bird test echoes what psychologist and renowned relationship expert John Gottman calls “bids for connection.”Gottman says that bids for connections can be verbal or non verbal, and take on myriad tones, but all share the common goal of expressing “connect with me please!” to a partner. Everything from a playful wink to asking how a work meeting went would fall under this category.Gottman also explains that repeated rejection of bids for connection spell disaster for relationships. “When our partner denies our bids, we internalize the experience. Our brains subconsciously keep track of how many bids are accepted or rejected by our partners. When our partner constantly turns away or against our bids, we begin to feel frustrated. We are more inclined to criticize our partners, which pushes them to be defensive and may result in an argument,” he says, even going so far as to say that couples more often break up because of denied bids for connections than big fights or infidelity.So, call it a bird test or a bid, the messaging remains the same, regardless of semantics. Relationships thrive when partners pay attention to each other’s interests, and turn towards those interests with the intention to create an emotional bond. Perhaps this is even more important than naturally shared passions.In other words: if someone isn’t able to light up at seeing a woodpecker outside a Starbucks in the same way you do, maybe they’re not meant for you. This article originally appeared on 10.31.23

When most people have children, they hope that their own parents will be around to watch them grow up. They're not often thinking about their own mortality at that stage of life. But sadly, sometimes parents are the ones that don't get to watch their children grow up, and it's the grandparents tasked with raising their grandchildren. Patricia Pouncey is one of those grandparents left caring for her grandchildren after her daughter, Nikita Washington, gave birth to her 12th child on December 22. Washington went into Harper University Hospital in Detroit due to high blood pressure before requiring a cesarean section, according to ABC12. The 35-year-old was at the hospital alone as her mother was caring for her other children and her husband is currently incarcerated.But after learning of the cesarean, her family did not hear from her again, which prompted her sister to go to the hospital to check on Washington. This is when the family discovered that the mother of 12 had passed away after complications from the surgery.With Washington's husband in jail, Pouncey is left as the sole caregiver of the children, now aged 3 months to 19 years old. Taking on a child without warning is a lot to handle, but taking in 12 grieving children while you are also grieving has to feel nearly impossible. But Pouncey has been doing whatever she can to make sure the children continue to stay together in her home, and others have been pitching in to help.Washington's sister Daveia Knox started a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses and to assist Pouncey with money to raise the children. So far, the account has raised more than $104K and helped the grandmother purchase a more reliable vehicle and a larger home to house all of the children. The comments on the GoFundMe have been extremely supportive of the grieving family. "May God strengthen you & bless you with much prosperity to raise your grandchildren without lacking anything! I’m extremely sorry for your loss & pray you got the answers you need. Blessings," wrote one donor. "This was such an unexpected tragedy, the generosity & sacrifice of grandma, and to care for the children. May God bless the family and all those who donate in any way they can: money, food, childcare, etc.," another donor wrote.There have been donors giving donations of all sizes, from $5 to $3,000, hoping to help the grandma care for her dozen grandchildren. Surely each donation is appreciated and will be used for things like groceries, baby formula, clothing, shoes and other things required to raise children. Pouncey hasn't received information on what happened to her daughter while at the hospital that led to her death. "I haven't talked to anyone from the hospital. I have not received anything from them. All I have is the death certificate," the grandmother told CNN. "If she died naturally, I want to know. If one of them doctors did something, I wanna know that too," Pouncey told Fox 2 Detroit. "I'm hurt, I'm confused."Currently, Black maternal mortality is 2.6 times higher than that of white women, and Black infants are more than twice as likely to die after birth than white infants. Unfortunately, Washington became one of the Black women who make up the statistic, and Pouncey is hoping no other mother has to go through what she is going through."I'm worried about every mother," Pouncey told CNN. "Don't ever, ever make the mistake that I made, letting your child go (to the hospital) alone. We need to give more attention to what's going on."April 11 to 17, 2023 was Black Maternal Health Week, during which events and campaigns were held to raise awareness around Black maternal mortality rates. The annual week also focuses on programs and initiatives to support Black mothers. If you'd like to donate to support the family, you can find their GoFundMe here. This article originally appeared on 4.18.23

The marital bed is a symbol of the intimacy shared between people who’ve decided to be together 'til death they do part. When couples sleep together it’s an expression of their closeness and how they care for one another when they are most vulnerable.However, for some couples, the marital bed can be a warzone. Throughout the night couples can endure snoring, sleep apnea, the ongoing battle for sheets or circadian rhythms that never seem to sync. If one person likes to fall asleep with the TV on while the other reads a book, it can be impossible to come to an agreement on a good-night routine.On TODAY, Carson Daly reminded viewers that he and his wife Siri, a TODAY Food contributor, had a sleep divorce while she was pregnant with their fourth child. “I was served my sleep-divorce papers a few years ago,” he explained on TODAY. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to us. We both, admittedly, slept better apart.”“We're both pretty good-sized humans and it just wasn't really working when she was in her third trimester, and I also have sleep apnea, which is very sexy for the ladies out there, I'm sure,” Carson told People at the time. “She couldn't get comfortable, so we were like a commercial you would see, kicking each other and just not sleeping.“We woke up and we just shook hands like, ‘I love you, but it's time to sleep divorce. It'll be the best thing for all of us,’” he added.The Dalys’ admission was brave, being that a lot of people associate a couple’s intimacy with their ability to share a bed together. It was probably also a relief to countless couples who feel like they’re the only ones struggling to sleep together.Upworthy’s Heather Wake described the stress that co-sleeping put on her relationship in a revealing article earlier this year. \u201cCould a "sleep divorce" save your relationship?\n\n@DrOz joins us to share how the growing trend can actually help keep the love alive.\u201d — TODAY (@TODAY) 1573133783 A sleep divorce may be working for the Dalys, but is it right for everyone?Wendy M. Troxel Ph.D., a behavioral and social scientist known for her work on sleep and health, believes that couples like the Dalys do right by putting their relationship first.“Here’s what the science actually tells us about the costs and benefits of sleeping together or apart. When sleep is measured objectively, people actually sleep worse with a partner. In fact, if you sleep with someone who snores, you can blame them for up to 50 percent of your sleep disruptions,” she wrote for TED Ideas.Troxel points out that even when people suffer from sleep deprivation due to their partner, they still say they prefer sleeping with them versus spending the night alone. She ascribed this opinion to people taking on societal expectations instead of looking at their relationship objectively. “This suggests that our social brain is prioritizing our need for closeness and security at night—even when it comes at a cost to our sleep,” she wrote for TED Ideas.The Dalys’ admission and Troxel’s research suggest that, in the end, the most important thing is for both partners to get a good night’s sleep, whether that means sleeping in separate beds or in separate rooms. “Just as sleeping together doesn’t guarantee a successful relationship—if only it were that easy!—sleeping apart doesn’t doom you to an unsuccessful one,” Troxel writes.This article originally appeared on 6.29.22.

The embodiment of music virtuosity. The post The rock legend Geddy Lee considered a “complete musician” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

The proto-punk juggernaut. The post The song Iggy Pop called his masterpiece: “My immortalisation was secure” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.