DEADLY ATTACK ON JAKARTA
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Never before has a prominent candidate for president -- indeed several prominent candidates, all the same party -- made xenophobia, racial and religious antagonism, and fear the organizing principles of their entire effort. Will the Republican Party pledge allegiance to this message and to one of these messengers, Donald Trump? If they do so, bringing their nominee within striking distance of winning the White House, what signal will other countries with more tribal histories -– a Germany, a France, a Turkey, a Sweden -- take from America’s failure to live up to its ideals? That is the big question framing the 2016 election, not only for the U.S. but for the world. We know that the world is watching: social media statistics for 2015 show that the U.S. election was the most followed news story on the planet -- and it wasn’t even officially the election year yet.
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Much of the president's speech was about the forces of abject bigotry on the current political stage and how we can't underestimate them. Kim Davis's presence in the chamber served to underscore his warning.
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Everyone experiences loneliness sometimes, but most people don't know that it can trigger evolutionarily determined response patterns that actually undermine our ability to connect with others, creating a vicious cycle of pain and isolation.
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ISIS, is of course gone and dealt with in the Cruz's fantasy. "In the past year, we haven't simply weakened, we haven't simply degraded, we have utterly and completely destroyed ISIS," he said.
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As a nation, we hold strong families among our highest values. Yet for millions of Americans, being a good parent to their children or good children to their parents too often leads to financial disaster. A family and medical leave insurance program will go a long way toward changing that.
Detroit Federation of Teachers
Mr. Earley, you accuse us of drowning out the voices of our students. You stated we are "using students as pawns to advance a political position." You have it backwards. The recent action of teachers is not an attempt to drown out the voices of the students. It is an attempt to finally make their voices heard.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Once Bernie wins the Democratic nomination -- the presidency is obviously and undoubtedly his on a platter.
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On Thursday, Liberia will be declared "Ebola-free" by the World Health Organization, joining Sierra Leone and Guinea -- signaling an end to the Ebola epidemic. What did we learn?
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There are rules for issuing and securitizing mortgages. These rules were completely ignored in the peak years of the housing bubble. At every step, there were people who knew they were not following the law, but thought it would not matter.
I came away with so many things from Bowie. Queer is beautiful: You're never too old to reinvent yourself. Reinvent yourself constantly, and you'll always be ahead of the curve. Be fearless. Be different. What you do today can inspire queer people 40 years from now.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
After allegations that recent migrants assaulted young women at a Swedish music festival -- and that Swedish police covered it up -- Swedish asylum seekers are sharing fears of a backlash.
Star Max/IPx
Our reluctance to have an honest and open conversation about the flaws of celebrities we love stems from a simple fact: we see ourselves in them.
Courtesy of Miles Mogulescu
What six months ago seemed impossible and two months ago seemed improbable would then become not only possible but probable: Voters' rejection of the governing elite and the donor class in both political parties.
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With a higher cost of living, reduced social programs, and the distinct possibility of initiating taxes, the Saudi people will start demanding more from their government. By driving down the global price of oil, the Kingdom is risking the future of its regime.
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In total, this was by far the most climate hawkish State of the Union ever, and that's important progress. But I have two wishes for future addresses.
Alamy
I believe if we can integrate these messages into our cultural narratives, we can reshape our society's sexual focus from that of negation to that of consent and mutual respect. Boys will grow up actively soliciting consensual language, and girls will feel comfortable actively providing it.
LEE-OR ATSMON FRUIN
Sitting to clear your mind is an excellent barometer of physical and mental health. It was sad to realize I could not even sit still for 10 minutes. I recommend meditation to anyone who needs a reminder that to be more effective at work, they need to slow down.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A really funny thing has happened over the course of President Obama's two-term tenure. In many ways, he has in effect out-Jesused many of his Conservative Christian critics.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
I'm about as liberal as they come, vote in every election (even the tiny local ones), and almost always cast a straight-ticket Democratic ballot. I'm registered as an independent, however.
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I want to be engaged this year. As of yesterday, I've been on this earth for more than 23 years, and I think it's about time for me to be engaged. But I don't mean I'm looking for a fiancé. I'm as single as a slice of American cheese right now.
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In his State of the Union, President Obama called for "reducing the influence of money in our politics." Fantastic. He has heard the growing cry of the 85 percent of us who want big changes (with almost half of us wanting a complete rebuild!) in how America funds elections.
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Dear Senator Sanders, Your popularity depends on the support of young voters. On Monday night during a Fusion forum, you stated a position on campus sexual violence that reveals your disconnect with your youngest constituents, college-age voters.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. His dad was/is a pastor and he's a Christian. Surely, Ted has read a least some of it at some point in his life, right? Maybe... and maybe not.
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In December a Utah couple created a dating website called "Where White People Meet." The founder stated that they created the site because there are dating websites for every other race and creed out there, so why not one specifically catering to white people?
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What if your most pressing need was simply to bring your female body back to life? I need to be kissed, embraced, held the way a man holds a woman... I need to remember what it feels like.
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The Republicans have a religion problem of a kind neither major party has ever had before. The GOP has become the preferred choice of the intensely religious, and that is seriously affecting how Republicans choose their 2016 presidential nominee.
Now I'm obviously not advising you to do any of this if you do happen to win. But it puts the money into a bit of a different perspective, doesn't it?
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The question can come in many forms: "Who is Donald Trump? Why is he so popular? What is on his head? Is it alive? For real dad, what is that?" You should answer honestly and directly: "That is Donald Trump's hair. It's weird and gross, but it is actually the least gross thing about him."
Karina Ortiz
You may not know the impact you've had on my life. I have endless memories of our childhood together and I could probably write about them forever. But there are specific moments looking back that I realize just in how many ways, I am who I am because of you.
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We took the global teacher salary data and compared it to the number of teaching hours worked annually for the same countries to find out which teachers were working the most for their pay. Even the education industry has a 1 percent.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The candidate with the least amount of media coverage, and the candidate thought of as unable to win a general election by some pundits (even though he beats Trump in a "landslide of epic proportions"), is the only candidate in 2016 with positive favorability numbers.
