Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first sitting House Democrat to go public with a call for President Biden to step aside as party standard bearer in the aftermath of last week’s debate. Doggett, 77, lauded Biden’s track record as commander-in-chief, but stressed that “many Americans have indicated dissatisfaction with their choices in this election” and implied that keeping him on the ticket threatens the possibility of Donald Trump winning. “I represent the heart of a...

Nearly 100 people have been crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, with many others injured, says a government official. A large crowd had gathered on Tuesday in a village in Uttar Pradesh state’s Hathras district, about 200km (125 miles) southeast of national capital New Delhi, for a sermon by a preacher but a fierce dust storm sparked panic as people were leaving.

As we ramp up to the November 2024 U.S. presidential election, many Americans are feeling less-than-enthused about it. In our de facto two-party system, we will realistically have a Republican and Democrat candidate to choose from, and this year both of the top candidates are struggling to inspire a great deal of confidence or support. While Joe Biden and Donald Trump will most likely be duking it out come November, people are imagining who they'd really like to see on the ballot. A Reddit thread asked, "Who do you WISH would run for President of America?" and the answers span from ideal descriptions to hilarious hypotheticals to actual people who have the knowledge, skills, experience and character to be a good presidential candidate.Here's how people responded:A good, smart middle-aged personBy far, the most popular answers for who they wish would run for president revolved around being a good, responsible, humble person who is somewhere in the middle-age range. "I am in my 60’s. I would like a 40-60 year old who is honest, intelligent, moral, and has a sense of balance. Not a perfect person who never made a mistake, but someone who made mistakes and learned from them. Someone who has overcome hardship. This will allow them to have empathy for others. Someone that will make sure the tax burden is shared evenly, based on one’s income. Someone who can work with other countries and promote partnerships and be strong against corruption, violence, and war. Someone who understands they won’t ever fix all of societies problems, but strives to make our society better. Should I go on. Young people out there who want to make the world a better place, we need you to step up." – No-Grapefruit-83"Some random 40-56 year old guy, who no one knows, has worked quietly in government for years, understands how it works and how to navigate it, with a smart wit and who just wants to help people.And he has no desire to be POTUS because he'd rather do some nerdy hobby with his wife. But if elected he would feel he had to do the duty." – kirbyfox312"This is so pie in the sky, but someone who loves this country but also understands we are a small part of a big world. Someone who is intelligent. Someone who is like in their 50's? (maybe) Someone who is not an asshat, but also not weak. Someone who reads. Someone who is willing to listen to all sides.Is this too much'? Probably." – Catalyst886Some fun suggestionsMore than a few responses were pure comedy."With absolutely nothing to do with his politics, but senator Sheldon Whitehouse. I just want news anchors to have to say “president Whitehouse” with a straight face for 4-8 years as though it didn’t sound like something out of a cartoon." – nothomelandersacct"The mayor of Idyllwild, CA, is a golden retriever named Max. I think it’s time for him to make the step up to the national stage." – piray003"The guy who owns Arizona Ice Tea." – MumpsMooseAlthough, that one may not be a joke, considering:"I just saw an interview with him where the reporter asked him why not raise the prices, and his response was fantastic. Basically said they're doing well and have all their bases covered so why make it harder for struggling people to enjoy their products when there's no need? That alone gives me mad respect for him." – MindOverMediaPersonal recommendationsSome people offered up people they know personally who would make a great president. "My stepdad. He has done truly impressive things for the university where he is president. He grew up dirt poor in eastern Kentucky. Worked his ass off to put himself and several siblings through college. He came from nothing to get a PhD. He is fair and kind and wise. He is extremely generous. As an example of one of the many reasons I find him qualified: He once sued the state of kentucky on the grounds of unconstitutional funding of public education (as a board of education member representing the poorest school in the state - with only a bachelor’s in accounting) and WON! He is an incredible human being and he is one of the only people I would trust to run this country." – Ok-Parfait-"My 7th grade social studies teacher, he's tite." – luxury_yacht"My mom. She’s awesome." – Miss_MedussaA few fictional possibilitiesIf we're going to play an imaginary game, we might as well bring in some imaginary players, right?"Aragorn, son of Arathorn." – Lord_Battlepants"Pedro... I think he would get votes." – Pinorckle"Josiah Bartlet." – VoteForLubo"Leslie Knope. I feel like we would all be better off it she was in charge." – Odd_Mix_8675"If I could Thanos snap my fingers and make Jean Luc Picard an American politician in the present day, I would have done it by now." – RiflemanLaxReal people who will likely never runLots of names were thrown out, but a few of the most popular ones were:Jon Stewart"He has expressed specific disinterest in being president.Which makes him the ideal candidate." – DigNittyDolly Parton"I especially love Dolly Parton's stance on early childhood literacy. She has worked to improve it." – leannmandersonJonny Kim"Jonny Kim:- Harvard doctor- NASA astronaut- Navy SEAL (Bronze Star and Silver Star: rescued wounded Iraqi soldiers in the face of enemy fire)- Navy flight surgeon and naval aviator- Grew up poor in south Los Angeles- Dad ran a liquor store- Mom was a substitute teacher- He went to public school. He went to University of San Diego as an undergrad (summa cum laude in mathematics)- He was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of his father- The police killed his father in their attic- Married with 3 kids- is 40 years oldHe understands poverty, being a victim, intimately familiar with police engagement in domestic situations, being a POC, going through the public school system, understands numbers, military, healthcare, and bleeding edge science. and invested in the future of our country with 3 young children."Hank Green"Hank Green, absolutely. We need a scientifically literate president." – WildLudicoloAnd yes, some politicians, tooMany people did name some people in politics that they'd like to see run, with the most popular names being Secretary of Transportation Mayor Pete [Buttigieg], Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, Congresswoman Katie Porter, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, California governor Gavin Newsom and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth. Each of those established politicians received multiple shout outs with people praising the qualities they felt they had that they felt would make them a solid candidate among the current crop of lawmakers.Will any of these folks actually run for president in the future? It's entirely possible. As we've learned, when it comes to modern American politics, literally anything is possible.

Look, you’re busy. You’ve got stuff that needs to be done today. Do you really have time to watch tiny baby goats jump in slow motion? Will that really add anything of value to your life? Actually, the answer is yes. Because watching tiny baby goats jump in slow motion is not only exceedingly entertaining, it’s actually a simple life lesson in disguise.These little guys hail from Sunflower Farm Creamery in Maine, where 60 (yes, 60) goats are born each year. Sunflower Farm promises that even if you didn’t love goats before, you will after watching videos from its Youtube channel showing the wee babes run, play, hop and snuggle. I mean, there’s another video showing the goats in pajamas…what’s not to love?But back to this one. In the video’s description, Sunflower Farm writes, “The amount of effort a baby goat puts into each hop is astounding, and only fully observed by slowing down their motion so you can see every twist and turn clearly. They leap so bravely forward. Even the youngest six, who are one week old, are full of twists and turns and side kicks.”Yep, in the clip you can definitely see boundless energy and fearlessness in their leaps. Which, let's be honest, might not always result in the most graceful move. And yet when you slow that action down and put on a little Tchaikovsky, it suddenly becomes a riveting ballet nonetheless. Check it out: The farm added that the goats aren’t merely hopping around to learn how to avoid predators. They are also simply doing it for the “joy of it.” Play in the animal kingdom is as nuanced as it is for humans, with many experts noting that some species actually don’t engage in play to develop any sort of motor or cognitive skills. They do it, seemingly, just cause.In other words, these goats “leap because they can.” And that’s that. Folks who watched the video seemed to agree that their spontaneous, unbridled joy was contagious. “OMG, the sheer joy! I had no real understanding of how random their movement was! That is probably the best thing I've seen in months!” one person comments. Another added, “These kids are simply experiencing the sheer joy of life bursting out of them. Absolutely wondrous to watch.”Sure, it’s a silly little goat ballet, but Sunflower Farms argues that humans could learn a thing or two from it.“Humans could benefit so much by practicing being more nimble, fluid, and joyful. It is so easy to get stuck in our ways, to feel heavy, and weighed down by the world. The goat kids show us that there is another way,” the video description read.Indeed, life might feel heavy at times. But take it from a group of baby goats…jumping around for no reason at all can be the best pick-me-up. No kidding.This article originally appeared on 5.7.23

Christopher Landis, a choir director at Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts, didn’t tell his students he was engaged to Joe Michienzie three years ago. According to Inside Edition, whenever they asked who Michienzie was, Christopher would say, "That's Joe. He's my friend."Landis kept his relationship a secret in front of his students because he wasn’t sure how their parents would react. Sadly, even today, LGBTQ people still have to be discreet about their personal lives in some professions.This is sad for the teachers who have to stay closeted and also for the LGBTQ students who miss out on having a positive role model.However, somehow the secret got out and two mothers of Landis’ students, Margit Foley and Joy Foraste, approached Michienzie to see how they could get the students involved in their wedding.“At the end of the summer, Margit and I heard he was getting married. He’s the best teacher, and he’s got this great energy, and he makes every school function fun. We thought, wouldn’t it be awesome to do something for his wedding?” Foraste said according to The New York Times.The women emailed the other choir parents to see if their children could perform at their teacher’s wedding rehearsal dinner.“We hoped we’d get at least 15 kids to do it,” Foraste said. But 50 of the 70 kids in the chorus said they’d be there to support their teacher’s wedding. They secretly rehearsed for four Sundays in a row at a local library so Landis wouldn’t catch a whiff of the plan they hatched.The kids and their parents kept the secret for four months before the big day and had to get off school and travel 30 miles to the event. Landis had no idea what was about to happen but he felt something was up when people at the dinner started picking up their phones.Out of nowhere, 50 kids filed into the room, songbooks in hand. After Dona Maher, a colleague of Landis’, banged out the first few notes of the French National Anthem on her keyboard, the kids began to sing the word, “Love.” It was the perfect song for the occasion, “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles.Video taken by the bartender at the event shows Landis unable to hold back the tears as his kids sang their hearts out. It was a beautiful moment of acceptance for a teacher who wasn’t sure if his kids and their parents would understand his love for his husband-to-be. After the performance, Landis turned to the crowd with a huge smile and said, “These are my kids.""It was so wonderful for the kids to see him with his family and his close friends, and they saw him as a person, not just their teacher," Foraste told The Patriot Ledger. "They saw how much it meant to him. He immediately started crying and the kids started crying. It's something they’ll never forget."This article originally appeared on 11.10.22

Pam has a little brother, who recently learned that he is actually her half-brother.Of course, half-siblings are still very much siblings, but Pam's brother doesn't quite grasp the concept yet and seems upset about having to part with 50% of his sister.So when she came home recently, she found this letter he'd written. It will make you cry, so have off-brand tissues on hand:OMG.As if this letter isn't enough to turn your heart into a soft pile of oatmeal, he also left her some of her (presumably) favorite snacks, like Chips Ahoy and Takis (excellent choices!).Pam, being a human with a soul, was deeply moved and tweeted out a photo of her little brother's letter: My little brother found out I\u2019m not his fully sister and I came home to this.. I\u2019m crying..pic.twitter.com/DAC0yUUBt4 — \ua9c1Pam\ua9c2 (@\ua9c1Pam\ua9c2) 1532413776 It quickly went viral. And now the whole internet is now welling up with tears. pic.twitter.com/8EP4hcS2oq— LUNA (@lilialunav) July 25, 2018 And others are sharing their own sibling stories:These are so, so sweet.I was introducing my kids to my new wife and stepson. When I explained that she was their new Stepmom, My Stepson (5) said to my kids Mom "Well if my Mom is going to be their Stepmom, you're going to be my new Stepmom!"— Disco Stu (@wharrrgarrbl) August 28, 2021 When I found out my oldest brother wasn’t my full brother I said and I quote “I thought he was different. But I like him more anyway”— Liy (@Its_Montana_) July 25, 2018 Don't say we didn't warn you about the tissues.Remember this next time you get into a fight with your sibling. Half or whole, doesn't matter. Love/hate is love/hate!This article originally appeared on 11.04.22

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He's famous for his role on 'M*A*S*H,' but where else have we seen him?