After his Russian counterpart offered to “resume negotiations” on ending the Ukraine war in Turkey last week, the Ukrainian president agreed – as long as there was a “full and lasting ceasefire”.
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Writing on X, Zelenskyy said: “We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will be waiting or Putin in Turkey on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look excuses.”
The Kremlin has not directly responded to the Ukrainian president’s remarks but a Russian senator dismissed them altogether on Monday.
Speaking to Rossiya-24 TV broadcast, the federation council’s deputy speaker, Konstantin Kosachev, said: “It’s pure theatrics, a total farce.
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“That’s not how high high-level meetings are arranged, especially given the seriousness of the situation.”
The senator claimed this would be an “impromptu” meeting and that is not the way to conduct such important negotiations.
He said: “Zelenskyy should known this from his own bitter experience, when he came unprepared to his meeting with President Trump in the White House in February, ending in a complete fiasco for him.”
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The Ukrainian president was actually very prepared for his meeting in the White House in February, but he had to cut the visit short after Trump and his vice-president JD Vanceberated him in front of the press.
At the time Trump was much more aligned with the Kremlin but he has since improved his relationship with Kyiv, and has even questioned if Putin really does want to stop the war.
Even though it was the Russian president who suggested further peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, Kosachev claimed Zelensky is trying to “turn the tables” on Russia so he can call Putin uncooperative.
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The senior Russian politician continued: “Zelensky does not need a meeting with the Russian president now. He should be afraid of meeting with him. And I am sure that he is afraid, because, as Mr Trump rightly says, he holds no cards. It is true, and Zelensky is in a terrible situation.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov just told reporters that Putin is serious about peace talks.
“This approach, aimed precisely at finding a real diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis, eliminating the root causes of the conflict and establishing lasting peace, has met with understanding and support from the leaders of many countries.”
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He cut off any further questions by saying: “That’s all. I’ve said everything I could about this story.”
Cheating isn’t just limited to romantic partners, experts say – “financial infidelity,” or lying about or concealing money-related issues, can sting just as much.
It seems Redditor u/Hexylpuff is going through the latter struggle.
Writing to r/AITAH (Am I The Asshole Here), the 31-year-old asked: “AITAH for finding out I’ve been unknowingly paying rent to my husband and his mom for TWO YEARS?”
So, we spoke to William “Bill” London, a divorce attorney and partner at Kimura London & White LLP, about how to talk money with your spouse.
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The couple have been married for two years
The original poster (OP) says she married her husband “Brian” two years ago.
The pair moved into a flat supposedly rented at a discount from a “family friend” after their wedding, and have always split bills evenly. This includes both rent and utilities.
For the poster, this costs about £530 a month (admittedly an amazing deal for a rental).
But OP says that at a barbecue recently, she overheard her mother-in-law say, “It’s nice getting rent from Brian’s place” and “how smart they were to keep it in the family.”
On confronting her husband, OP says she found out her mother-in-law owned the flat and that Brian’s name is also on the papers.
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“He never told me. Just let me keep paying rent for two years like a clueless roommate,” she shares.
Apparently, he never told her because “she never asked.” Her husband said she was “overreacting” because the “rent” was so reasonable.
But the poster feels blindsided, saying, “It’s not just the money, it’s the secrecy.”
She ends: “I told him I won’t keep paying until we talk about a fair setup. Now he’s acting like I’m the problem.”
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“It crosses the line from privacy to deception”
London tells HuffPost UK that financial strain ends more marriages than most of us realise.
“While every couple sets their own financial boundaries, I believe that in a marriage – especially one involving shared expenses – full financial transparency is not just healthy, it’s essential,” he adds.
In this case, the lawyer thinks that, “When a partner consciously misrepresents important fiscal information to the other, as by pretending to have non-existent housing costs, it crosses the line from privacy to deception.”
This can destroy the trust needed for a healthy marriage, he continues.
“Married couples are expected to be transparent about important financial information,” he advises.
“This doesn’t mean total merging of their finances or the disclosure of all trivial expenses, but hiding ownership of a mortgage-free property and asking a spouse to share in imaginary financial burdens is manipulative behaviour needing a direct confrontation.”
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In other words, OP hit the nail on the head when she said the money isn’t the main issue – it’s about respect, trust, and honesty.
Over the weekend, the Anti-Hero singer’s team issued a frustrated statement, lamenting that the Grammy winner had somehow become embroiled in the very public legal drama surrounding her friend, Blake Lively, and the Gossip Girl alum’s former director and It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
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But what exactly is going on between the two Hollywood stars – and how is Taylor involved? Get yourself a cup of tea and allow us to bring you up to speed…
Before we even get to Taylor Swift – what is the beef between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively all about?
Frankly, we could be here all day with this one, so we’ll try and keep this short.
Last year, both actors starred in the big-screen adaptation of the novel It Ends With Us, which Justin also directed.
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Blake Lively arriving at a screening of It Ends With Us in August 2024
via Associated Press
Around the film’s summer release, people began to suspect there had been some behind-the-scenes drama after it was spotted that none of the cast followed Justin back on Instagram, with the film’s leads also not posing for any pictures together or doing joint interviews while promoting the movie.
The matter is expected to go to trial in March 2026, though a judge claimed earlier this year that this court date could be moved earlier were the legal teams on both sides able to follow court rules about public statements, which are in place to ensure as fair a trial as possible.
OK, so what has that between Justin Baldoni and Taylor Swift got to do with Taylor Swift?
On Friday, Deadline broke the story that a week earlier, Taylor – a long-time friend of both Blake and her famous husband Ryan – had been hit with a subpoena from Justin’s legal team earlier this week.
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Justin Baldoni at the premiere of It Ends With Us
via Associated Press
It Ends With Us features a scene soundtracked by Taylor’s Folklore cut My Tears Ricochet, but aside from that, she was in no way linked with the movie.
Blake’s team later issued a statement to Deadline, accusing Justin and his team of trying to “turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids”.
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“This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,” Blake’s team said. “The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down ‘for all’, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it ‘unconstitutional.’
“The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as ‘female allies’ and their team continue to show their true colours.”
Back in January, Justin had also filed a legal complaint claiming that Taylor was one of the public figures (alongside Blake’s husband Ryan Reynolds) who had pressured him into accepting rewrites suggested by Blake on the It Ends With Us script.
What has Taylor Swift said after getting pulled into Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s legal drama?
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been friends and collaborators for years, and watched the Super Bowl together in February 2024
via Associated Press
A spokesperson for Taylor told Hello! magazine on Friday evening: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.
“The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, My Tears Ricochet. Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
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How do things now stand between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively?
Neither party has spoken out directly, but it’s worth pointing out that reports have been circulating suggesting that their friendship has cooled long before this latest development.
In February, the Daily Mail noted that Taylor had not invited Blake to join her to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce play at the 2025 Super Bowl, citing an anonymous “source” who claimed the singer “wants nothing to do with this trial and court case”.
A day later, the same outlet claimed that Blake was happy laying low until the drama involving Justin Baldoni blew over, quoting another “source” who said the A Simple Favour actor was happy to not be included so as not to “overshadow” Taylor and Travis’ big night.
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Just three weeks ago, People magazine published a story suggesting the two women’s friendship was “weathering the storm” when Taylor was first named in a complaint filed by Justin Baldoni’s January complaint.
People’s own “source” said Taylor was initially “really hurt by this situation” but that they had been able to “recover from this and put it all behind them”.
Since the latest update, the Daily Mail published a new piece suggesting that Taylor felt “exploited” by her friend – though it’s important to note that she has said nothing publicly to indicate that this is the case.
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HuffPost UK has contacted Taylor Swift’s team for comment.
Pope Leo XIV wasted no time making his position clear on global conflict, using his first Sunday blessing as pontiff to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps and call for an end to all wars currently ravaging the world.
“The immense tragedy of the Second World War ended 80 years ago, after so many millions of victims. And now we’re facing the tragedy of a Third World War in pieces, as Pope Francis often said,” the new pope told the massive crowd from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.
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“I too would like to address the powerful people of the world by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war.’”
Last week’s conclave swiftly resulted in the unprecedented election of the first North American pope ― a 69-year-old missionary who hails from Chicago and spent much of his life in Peru. His first appearance as pontiff came Thursday, where he delivered a message of peace and unity. On Sunday, he called out specific conflicts and war that have divided much of the world.
A crowd attends the first Sunday blessing by Pope Leo XIV at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, on May 11. Leo (formerly Robert Francis Prevost) was elected to the papacy on May 8 following the death of Pope Francis on April 21.
Laura Lezza via Getty Images
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“I carry in my heart the suffering of the beloved Ukrainian people,” Leo said, referring to Russia’s yearslong war against its neighbour. “May whatever is possible be done to reach an authentic, true and lasting peace as quickly as possible. May all the prisoners be freed. May children return to their families.”
The pope also said that he is “deeply hurt” by the humanitarian crisis facing Gaza due to Israel’s invasion. Leo called for a ceasefire to “immediately come into effect,” for desperately needed aid to reach Palestinian families and for all hostages to be freed.
Leo added that he was “happy to hear” of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, expressing his hope that the two nuclear powers can negotiate a “lasting accord.” Just hours after the ceasefire, however, both countries allegedly restarted their bombing campaigns.
Pope Leo XIV speaks from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, where he delivered his first Sunday blessing to the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, on May 11.
Domenico Stinellis via Associated Press
“My hope would be that he has, now, a new platform to reintroduce what the church has always called for in terms of its social justice agenda, and it will give people another opportunity to take a second look at what Francis was saying – but now in the words and the voice of an American who speaks like an American. I think that’s going to be very powerful going forward,” Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, told ABC’s This Week on Sunday.
“I think he’s going to help complete and complement our political agenda. He’ll talk a lot about the immigrants as well because he knows about the sufferings of people and the real needs that they have for a better life,” Cupich said.
“And he knows too that people in Oceania, for instance, where the rising sea levels are just overwhelming those islands, where people are trying to escape; he sees the drug trade that’s happening in Central and South America, where there are weapons from the United States going there,” he continued. “He knows that those people need an option. And he’ll for, I think, as the bishops have in the United States, fixing this broken immigration system.”
The data is in! The Social Security Administration has released its official list of the most popular baby names of 2024.
For the sixth straight year, the No. 1 name for girls is Olivia, which overtook Emma in 2019. Meanwhile, Liam is still the most popular name for boys for the eight year in a row. Noah and Emma also held steady as the No. 2 names.
The SSA compiles the annual list based on the names parents in the US gave their babies born in the previous year. Although the top name rankings usually don’t super dramatically from year to year, there were a few interesting small changes from 2023 to 2024.
Amelia surpassed Charlotte for the No. 3 spot, Mia jumped up to No. 5 in place of Sophia, and Evelyn knocked Ava down a ranking. Meanwhile, Sofia (with an f) joined the top 10 for the first time ever last year as the 10th most popular name for girls, ousting Luna from the list.
As for the boys, Theodore jumped up three places from No. 7 to No. 4. Henry is now the sixth most popular name for boys, having risen two spots, and Mateo moved down to seventh.
Without further ado, here are the top 10 girls’ and boys’ names of 2024.
Vladimir Putin has offered to start peace talks with Ukraine after renewed pressure from Kyiv’s western allies.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed his words but made it clear he would only negotiate if a ceasefire were implemented first – the Russian president has refused to agree to any lengthy truce so far.
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So could this be the beginning of the end of the Putin’s bloody war in Ukraine, or is this – as some fear – just another manipulation tactic from the Kremlin?
Here’s what we know.
What has Putin said?
Putin has proposed direct talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Turkey.
“We are proposing that Kyiv resume direct negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said overnight on Sunday. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations already on Thursday, in Istanbul.”
Even though he started the conflict by invading Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian president said the talks should focus on the “root causes” of the war.
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The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed Russia was “provoked” into the conflict, pointing to Nato’s expansion since the fall of the Berlin Wall, although to Ukraine and its allies, it was an imperialistic land grab.
Putin then made a dig at the West, saying: “The decision is now up to the Ukrainian authorities and their curators, who are guided, it seems, by their personal political ambitions, and not by the interests of their peoples.”
While Putin insisted Russia no longer needs preconditions for any such talks, the Kremlin has already said Western arms going to Ukraine would need to stop during any ceasefire, otherwise “it will be an advantage” for Kyiv.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed: “Ukraine will use this period to train new military personnel and to give a rest to their existing ones. So why should we grant such an advantage to Ukraine?”
What’s changed?
It comes after European leaders – including Keir Starmer – met in Ukraine over the weekend and threatened to impose “massive” new sanctions on Russia if Putin did not agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire this Monday.
From left, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz make a call to U.S. President Donald Trump from Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, May 10, 2025.
via Associated Press
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Although Putin dismissed these “boorish” demands as “ultimatums”, he may have felt forced to show he was willing for the conflict to end – especially as his relations with Donald Trump are starting to strain.
Putin has been dragging his heels, offering very few concessions, despite Trump’s push for a quick resolution to the war.
Russia’s previous attempts at ceasefires have been short-lived.
A promise to stop attacking energy infrastructure, a brief Easter ceasefire in April and a three-day pause this week during the 80th anniversary of World War 2 have all failed.
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Ukraine called the latest attempted truce a “farce” and manipulation from Moscow.
Despite these failures, the White House appeared to be willing for the conflict to end on Putin’s terms and considered handed over occupied Ukrainian land to Russia in the name of peace.
Yet Putin still played for time – and Trump has in recent weeks expressed more frustration with the Russian president, having been incredibly sympathetic.
“President Putin is doing whatever is possible to solve the problem, to achieve a settlement through peaceful and diplomatic means. But having no peaceful and diplomatic means at hand, we have to continue the military operation,” he said.
But does he actually want peace?
What does Russia want?
It’s likely Putin will want to retain as much Ukraine as possible – he currently holds a fifth of the country – and will try to neutralise it by removing its military.
Last June, the president said Ukraine should drop its Nato ambitions and called for it to pull all of its troops out of occupied areas to end the war.
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Russian officials have also suggested the US recognise Russia’s control over parts of Ukraine and called for Ukraine to stay neutral, although that does not mean it could not join EU.
Putin has mentioned the 2022 draft deal which was negotiated after Putin’s initial invasion.
It sees Ukraine agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the UK, China, France, Russia and the US (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council).
Putin claims it was not Russia who broke off those negotiations but Ukraine “at the insistence of the West”.
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Does anyone think Moscow is being serious?
Trump welcomed the change in tune from the Kremlin.
He wrote on Truth Social: “A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully coms to an end.”
Zelenskyy also appeared to welcome the news – but he reminded Putin he only wanted to commit to talks if a ceasefire were in place.
He said on X: “It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war. The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time.”
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But he added: “And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire. There is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day.
“We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow, May 12th, and Ukraine is ready to meet.”
Ukraine’s allies also seemed more wary than Trump.
Starmer said on Saturday, “if he [Putin] is serious about peace, then he has a chance to show it”.
UK home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky News: “We need a serious response from Russia, they started this illegal invasion of Ukraine and everyone wants to see peace in Ukraine, and now we’ve had the huge international pressure calling for ceasefire, we do need to see a serious response from the Russia regime.
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“That so far has been lacking, I hope that they will now take that seriously.”
“It’s a first step but it’s not enough. An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations,” French president Emmanuel Macron told reporters.
However, as author of Putin’s War on Ukraine Samuel Ramani told Times Radio: “That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelenskyy. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelenskyy rejects it.”
“That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelensky. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelensky rejects it.”
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“That’s exactly the trap that the Russians are trying to set for Zelensky. By not going ahead with the ceasefire, but then making an offer of talks, [they are] setting up a situation where Zelensky rejects it.”
It was fine. Just fine. I love pistachios, I love chocolate and the combination was delicious but was it worth the £10 my friend and I spent on it? Absolutely not. I wasn’t thinking about it for days afterwards, I wasn’t in awe.
Its not like I’m hard to please, either. My favourite snack is carrot sticks dipped in hummous – we keep it real simple around here!
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This kind of disappointment is common. So common, in fact, that when Reddit user Fly-Astronaut asked the /r/Cooking community what the most overrated dishes they’d tried were, over 3,000 people raced to respond.
Marry Me Chicken
Zyx-Darkshine says: “I want a divorce. I’ve moved on. I’ve been having an affair with Chicken Cacciatore anyway, but you already know that.”
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CONTROVERSIAL. Marry Me Chicken, a tuscan-inspired chicken dish has been a social media sensation since as early as 2016.
Jkfromjh adds: “I made it once, it was good, but I don’t feel tempted to make it again anytime soon. TBH, the only reason I made it was because I had some heavy cream in the fridge and wanted to use it up before it went bad.
“I don’t think its revolutionary or anything, and its hard for a recipe with heavy cream, tomato, and spices to really taste bad.”
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Honestly, this has just made me want it more.
Beef wellington
Listen, I love beef wellington but would I ever cook it at home? Nope. Boring.
MrEvil1979 agrees: “I mean it was nice, but not ’slaving around in the kitchen for 6 hours” nice.
“Much rather smoke meat, aka drink beer for 4 hours in the sunshine.”
Amen to that.
Baked feta and tomato pasta
Remember this pasta? It was HUGE on TikTok during lockdown. You simply filled an oven dish with tomatoes, added a block of feta and some herbs and then baked for around 20 minutes.
Once ready, the tomatoes and feta make a delicious pasta sauce. I LOVED it.
SunGlobal2744, however, did not. They say: “It was sooo tangy. I absolutely couldn’t eat it.”
8edibles adds: “Tastes like stomach bile and feet. I absolutely love all the ingredients…but prepared like that? No thanks💀”
If you feel similarly, I really recommend using Boursin in place of the feta. Delicious.
Macarons
101bees says: “They’re just okay. No right being as overpriced as they are usually.”
MissSassiFras1977 adds: “As a baker I have to agree 100%.
“I think it is more about achieving a cute, little, pain in the ass to execute cookie than anything…..”
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I agree. Plus, the texture is not the one.
Chicken parmesan
Flowerfoxcanyounot says: “Chicken parmesan. It’s just dry, breaded chicken made soggy with marinara with mozzarella on top. Even if the chicken is made well and stays juicy, it’s still ruined by marinara soggy breading and cooling melted mozzarella.”
Hard. Agree.
Basic_Ask replies: “I like chicken parm, and can’t disagree with you.”
Steak
Already, I agree. I like a good steak but if one food can be called overrated, it’s this.
Previous_Bed_6586 says: “Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious. It’s also extremely easy to make an equally delicious steak at home for a fraction of the price. I just can’t justify going to a restaurant for it.”
HuffPost turns 20 this year. To celebrate, we’re looking back at some of our most iconic work — the pieces that shocked us, surprised us and truly made us see the world in a different way. Take a look below. And if you have an all-time favourite story we’ve published over the years, share it in the comments!
I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People
By Kayla Chadwick
@SpeakerRyan
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Like many Americans, I’m having politics fatigue. Or, to be more specific, arguing-about-politics fatigue.
I haven’t run out of salient points or evidence for my political perspective, but there is a particular stumbling block I keep running into when trying to reach across the proverbial aisle and have those “difficult conversations” so smugly suggested by think piece after think piece:
I don’t know how to explain to someone why they should care about other people.
FML: Why Millennials Are Facing The Scariest Financial Future Of Any Generation Since The Great Depression
By Michael Hobbes
We’ve all heard the statistics. More millennials live with their parents than with roommates. We are delaying partner-marrying and house-buying and kid-having for longer than any previous generation. And, according to The Olds, our problems are all our fault: We got the wrong degree. We spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. We still haven’t learned to code. We killed cereal and department stores and golf and napkins and lunch. Mention “millennial” to anyone over 40 and the word “entitlement” will come back at you within seconds, our own intergenerational game of Marco Polo.
This is what it feels like to be young now. Not only are we screwed, but we have to listen to lectures about our laziness and our participation trophies from the people who screwed us.
Dying To Be Free: There’s A Treatment For Heroin Addiction That Actually Works. Why Aren’t We Using It?
By Jason Cherkis
The last image we have of Patrick Cagey is of his first moments as a free man. He has just walked out of a 30-day drug treatment center in Georgetown, Kentucky, dressed in gym clothes and carrying a Nike duffel bag. The moment reminds his father of Patrick’s graduation from college, and he takes a picture of his son with his cell phone. Patrick is 25. His face bright, he sticks his tongue out in embarrassment. Four days later, he will be dead from a heroin overdose.
‘For The Record, I Am Not Pregnant. What I Am Is Fed Up’
By Jennifer Aniston
Michael Buckner via Getty Images
Let me start by saying that addressing gossip is something I have never done. I don’t like to give energy to the business of lies, but I wanted to participate in a larger conversation that has already begun and needs to continue. Since I’m not on social media, I decided to put my thoughts here in writing.
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For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of “journalism,” the “First Amendment” and “celebrity news.”
“I used to get so excited when the meth was all gone.”
This is my friend Jeremy.
“When you have it,” he says, “you have to keep using it. When it’s gone, it’s like, ‘Oh good, I can go back to my life now.’ I would stay up all weekend and go to these sex parties and then feel like shit until Wednesday. About two years ago I switched to cocaine because I could work the next day.”
Last weekend, my family traveled to attend my oldest niece’s Sweet Sixteen party. My brother and sister-in-law planned this party for many months and intended it to be a big surprise, and it included a photo booth for the guests.
I showed up to the party a bit late and, as usual, slightly askew from trying to dress myself and all my little people for such a special night out. I’m still carrying a fair amount of baby weight and wearing a nursing bra, and I don’t fit into my cute clothes. I felt awkward and tired and rumpled.
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Beyond The Battlefield: HuffPost’s Pulitzer Prize-Winning Series On Soldiers Severely Wounded In Iraq And Afghanistan
By David Wood
David Wood
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Starting today, The Huffington Post begins a ten-part series, Beyond the Battlefield ― an exploration of the physical and emotional challenges, victories and setbacks that catastrophically wounded soldiers encounter after returning home from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Beyond the Battlefield is the result of several months of reporting and scores of interviews by the HuffPost’s veteran military correspondent, David Wood. It is a deeply-felt, hard-won and wide-ranging exploration of what it means for a soldier to suffer extraordinary, disabling wounds ― and how friends, families, and hometowns, as well as the military and medical communities, adjust and respond to the physical and emotional struggles these wounded warriors endure.
Which brings us to one of the largest gaps between science and practice in our own time. Years from now, we will look back in horror at the counterproductive ways we addressed the obesity epidemic and the barbaric ways we treated fat people — long after we knew there was a better path.
The 21st Century Gold Rush: How The Refugee Crisis Is Changing The World Economy
By Malia Politzer and Emily Kassie
Emily Kassie
The biggest refugee crisis in recorded history has engulfed continents, swung elections and fueled the rise of nativism. It has also made a lot of people very, very rich. These are the stories of the CEOs, criminal masterminds, pencil-pushers and low-flying vultures who have figured out how to profit from global instability, also known as human suffering.
The first thing Dr. Amy Goldberg told me is that this article would be pointless. She said this on a phone call last summer, well before the election, before a tangible sensation that facts were futile became a broader American phenomenon. I was interested in Goldberg because she has spent 30 years as a trauma surgeon, almost all of that at the same hospital, Temple University Hospital in North Philadelphia, which treats more gunshot victims than any other in the state and is located in what was, according to one analysis, the deadliest of the 10 largest cities in the country until last year, with a homicide rate of 17.8 murders per 100,000 residents in 2015.
Over my years of reporting here, I had heard stories about Temple’s trauma team. A city prosecutor who handled shooting investigations once told me that the surgeons were able to piece people back together after the most horrific acts of violence. People went into the hospital damaged beyond belief and came walking out.
Existing While Black: What Does It Feel Like When Every Move You Make Is Policed?
Edited by Taryn Finley
Jo Etta M. Harris was nursing her child in her car before a family outing. Gil Perkins was talking on the phone outside of his home. Kelly Shepard’s boys were shopping for video games. And in each instance, someone saw them as suspicious or a threat and called the police.
This isn’t new. It happens every day. The experiences of Harris, Perkins, Shepard – and so many others – are reminders that black people don’t have the privilege to simply exist in peace.
Every week, American employers hire labor consultants to prevent their workers from organizing. Known legally as “persuaders,” these consultants play a crucial role in keeping U.S. union membership near a historic low — and they are well rewarded for their efforts. Many now earn more than $2,000 per day.
HuffPost has produced a series of stories revealing who these consultants are, where they come from and what they do. The reporting is based primarily on documents obtained through dozens of public record requests. We hope these stories shed light on a trade that’s plied primarily in the shadows but impacts workplaces around the country.
This Is Why Poor People’s Bad Decisions Make Perfect Sense
By Linda Tirado
Linda Tirado
There’s no way to structure this coherently. They are random observations that might help explain the mental processes. But often, I think that we look at the academic problems of poverty and have no idea of the why. We know the what and the how, and we can see systemic problems, but it’s rare to have a poor person actually explain it on their own behalf. So this is me doing that, sort of.
DOHA, Qatar ― Six months into a war Hamas started ― with more than 33,000 Palestinians dead, more succumbing to famine daily and Israel determined to continue its aggressive campaign against the organization with robust American military support ― the militant group says it is confident it will wield significant influence in the future, come what may in Gaza.
Sandra Bland Died One Year Ago: And Since Then, At Least 810 People Have Lost Their Lives In Jail
By Dana Liebelson & Ryan J. Reilly
Sandra Bland/Facebook
What made Bland’s death so shocking — the reason that millions of people watched the dash-cam footage of her arrest or closely examined her mugshot—was the mystery at its heart. What had really happened inside the Waller County jail? If Bland had taken her own life, how could she have reached a state of irreversible despair so suddenly?
That image of Kinkel has remained frozen in time: the dangerous child people point to as the reason some kids need to be locked up for life. For decades, Kinkel never tried to correct it. He refused every interview request and even avoided being photographed in group activities inside the prison. He worried that reemerging publicly would only further traumatize his victims. But last year he agreed to speak to HuffPost.
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The Super Predators: When The Man Who Abuses You Is Also A Cop
By Melissa Jeltsen and Dana Liebelson
All Sarah Loiselle wanted was a carefree summer. There was no particular reason she was feeling restless, but she’d been single for about a year and her job working with cardiac patients in upstate New York could be intense. So when she learned that a Delaware hospital needed temporary nurses, she leapt at the chance to spend a summer by the beach. In June 2011, the tall, bubbly 32-year-old drove her Jeep into the sleepy coastal town of Lewes. She and her poodle, Aries, moved into a rustic apartment above a curiosity shop that once housed the town jail. The place was so close to the bay that she could go sunbathing on her days off. It didn’t bother Loiselle that she’d be away from her friends and family for a while: She felt like she’d put her real life on hold, that she was blissfully free of all her responsibilities.
On a recent trip to Target, Lorena Bobbitt struggled to use the computer at the digital photo center. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to put her 11-year-old daughter’s picture on a Christmas card. A young male employee came over to help. When they were done and she was typing in her first name for payment, he audibly gasped.
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“I thought the machine must be broken,” she recalled. “But he said, ‘I know who you are!’”
Jerry And Marge Go Large
By Jason Fagone
Gerald Selbee broke the code of the American breakfast cereal industry because he was bored at work one day, because it was a fun mental challenge, because most things at his job were not fun and because he could—because he happened to be the kind of person who saw puzzles all around him, puzzles that other people don’t realise are puzzles: the little ciphers and patterns that float through the world and stick to the surfaces of everyday things.
During a press appearance on Friday, Trump senior adviser Stephen Miller detailed another possible prong of the White House’s attempts to target unauthorised immigrants: suspending habeas corpus.
“The Constitution is clear — and that of course is the supreme law of the land — that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller said. “So it’s an option that we’re actively looking at.”
Habeas corpus – as enshrined in the Constitution – helps shield people from unlawful detention, and ensures that they’re able to contest their incarceration in court. It translates to “you should have the body” in Latin and guarantees that individuals are able to physically appear in front of a judge if they are detained.
Any suspension of habeas corpus would further undercut due process protections for individuals who are detained by the Trump administration as the White House seeks to ramp up immigrant deportations.
The administration has already tried to invoke the Alien Enemies Act – a law that allows the White House to remove immigrants from the US without a hearing – in order to justify the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.
Miller’s comments on Friday signalled an openness to expanding upon these actions if the courts – which have thus far blocked a number of Trump’s immigration policies – continue to stymie the White House’s goals.
And it looks increasingly likely that the right-wing party’s leader – who was only elected to be the Clacton MP last July – just might be in with a chance of entering No.10 at the next general election, expected in 2029.
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Even his rivals, such as Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden, have agreed he might be on course for a major electoral win unless they take drastic action.
Reform UK’s sudden popularity has shaken up Britain’s traditional two-party political system by comprehensively defeating both Labour and the Conservatives at last week’s local elections.
They even managed to overturn a 14,700 majority to win the Runcorn and Helsby by-election from Labour.
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Voters are increasingly drawn to the insurgent party because they believe it will bring change the country after 14 years of disappointing Tory rule and 10 lacklustre months from Labour.
A further 11% said they valued Reform’s new approach to politics and welcomed the change they brought, while 8% said they were honest or trustworthy.
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But HuffPost UK has found at least five examples where the populist group has apparently misled the public…
‘Remove DEI from Lincolnshire council’
Andrea Jenkyns promised to remove Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) workers from the Lincolnshire county council when she was elected as Reform UK’s first mayor last week.
Reform claims these employees are known as “outreach officers” in North Lincolnshire Council, and hidden under different titles in Lincolnshire County Council.
‘No more work from home’
Farage has repeatedly promised to introduce “no more work from home” which he claims would lead to “increased productivity.”
Reform claim it is unreasonable for staff paid from the public purse to be working from home.
It was then revealed that Reform UK has several paid jobs on offer right now, including “regional director” which include “home working with occasional travel”.
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Labour MP Stella Creasy wrote on X that the hypocrisy was “glorious”, although Reform party chair Zia Yusuf replied that, “Reform has no plans to legislate against private companies letting their employees work from home”.
He also claimed Reform can only afford one office right now.
The party alleges that it is “unreasonable” to expect regional directors to be in London five days a week, but all employees based in the capital do work from the office every day.
Britain’s Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage is interviewed by Associated Press at their headquarters in Clacton-On-Sea, Essex, England, Friday, June 21, 2024.
via Associated Press
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‘We need a British DOGE for councils’
Reform UK is keen to introduce a British version of Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (DOGE) and “send in the auditors” to all of the 10 councils the party now controls.
“The whole thing has to change. We need a British DOGE for every count and every local authority in this country,” Farage said.
But the National Audit Office has previously warned many councils are already so overstretched, they are facing bankruptcy after years of cuts.
Head of the spending watchdog Gareth Davies said in February: “There have been repeated delays to local government finance reform and government can no longer resort to short-term solutions to support local authorities.
“Action to address this must resolve the systemic weaknesses in local government financial sustainability through a comprehensive, cross-government approach.”
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Reform will ‘resist’ all asylum seekers
Farage has promised to “resist” asylum seekers being housed in all of the new councils that Reform controls.
He said these people were being “dumped into the north of England, getting everything for free”.
Reform councils have promised to use every legal opportunity, including judicial reviews, injunctions and planning laws, to stop this.
But the asylum system is managed by the Home Office, so it’s not clear if Reform UK could make good on its promise.
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‘Net stupid zero’ is ‘destroying’ jobs
Farage’s party has promised to use “every lever” to block “net stupid zero” projects.
Claiming these policies destroy jobs and hinder economic growth, Reform UK says it wants to drill more in oil and gas in the North Sea.
The party argues this would make Britain self-sufficient with its energy supply, as the UK currently has some of the highest industrial energy prices in the world.
But the government is legally committed to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and the already depleted supplies in the North Sea are exported out of the country anyway – meaning more drilling there will not help reduce British energy costs.
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Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit also found that, in Greater Lincolnshire alone, net zero industries add 12,209 jobs and around £980m to the local economy.
Paul Nowak, head of the Trade Union Congress, described Farage as a “political fraud and a hypocrite” who “makes Liz Truss look like a politician with integrity” last month.
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HuffPost UK’s compiled list has drawn backlash from Reform’s opponents, too.
Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “So far Reform UK have been too busy cosying up to Donald Trump and fighting amongst themselves to actually get anything done for local people.
“Instead of undermining our national energy security and being an apologist for Putin’s regime, Nigel Farage should be focusing on what really matters to communities from sorting out the SEND crisis to better community policing.
“The local elections showed that Liberal Democrats are the only party holding up against Reform, because we’re local champions who get the job done.”
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A Reform UK spokesman said: “Reform UK made history in these local elections, being the first party other than the Conservatives or Labour in modern British history to win this set of elections.
“The British public have elected Reform councillors with a clear mandate to cut waste, improve services and bring about serious change. That’s exactly what we’re here to do.”
Only time will tell whether Reform’s inconsistencies will hamper their skyrocketing popularity.