MedNews

  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson have not provided a springboard for ambitious senators the way Brett Kavanaugh’s 2018 hearings did. Four years ago, when then-President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, Democrats eyeing the White House used the circus-like hearings, featuring accusations of sexual abuse at the height of the #MeToo movement, to elevate their national star. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota launched onto the national stage with her pointed interrogation of Kavanaugh. Trump called California Sen. Kamala Harris’s grilling of the nominee  “nasty.”  And Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey logged a  “Spartacus”  moment, releasing highly confidential documents in violation of Senate rules. All three ended up on Democratic presidential debate stages the following year, and Harris made it onto the ticket of eventual nominee Joe Biden. But the political realities of Biden nominating the first Black woman for the

  Bella Thorne   is fighting back against slut shamers. The  Assassination Nation  star, 24, who first rose to fame as a pre-teen on Disney Channel, spoke to  The Daily Beast  about being called a "controversial" figure, despite never having gotten in trouble with the law. "I haven't been arrested. I'm not doing bad things," she explained. "Of course, I am a woman, and that definitely plays a part in it. If I post in a bikini, it's 'she's a slut,' but if a man posts shirtless on a beach, it's 'F*** yeah, bro.' If a man posts with a different girl every other day, it's 'F*** yeah, bro, keep getting that p****,' but if I'm in a three-year relationship, and then break up, and then get into another three-year relationship, it's 'Wow, Bella Thorne, she’s a ho. Look at her.' I'm like, what? I've been in long-term relationships my whole life!" The actress and singer, who recently  received aw

  At first it was a trickle, perhaps your co-worker’s partner had been struck by   Covid   or maybe it was your mum. But then came the influx: nearly all of your friends have the virus or have   symptoms , your parents are self-isolating and your kid’s school has a spike in cases. Covid feels like it’s everywhere right now, which is not too surprising as most restrictions have been lifted, yet the highly contagious Omicron strain remains prevalent. On Monday 21 March, there were 226,524 confirmed cases in  England  — this figure includes Saturday and Sunday’s numbers as these days are no longer reported separately. This rise in case numbers has been linked to the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron, and an extra booster jab is now being offered to vulnerable people starting this week. However, with  lateral flow tests no longer available to order for free  from the government from 1 April, we may no longer be able to have realistic case numbers from next month.

  We are deep in the grip of a children's mental health crisis. That's one belief that everyone in our deeply divided country seems to share. The headlines have been terrible: "8-Year-Olds in Despair." "Their Tank is Empty." "No Way to Grow Up." Parents are frustrated, terrified - and increasingly angry. And they don't have to look far to find politicians and pundits who will channel their pain. Those with the loudest voices and the biggest platforms all appear to agree: The children's mental health crisis is a consequence of covid-era political decisions - the child-sacrificing outcome of too-rigid social distancing, too-lengthy school closures and too much mask-wearing. "The pandemic's disruptions have led to lost learning, social isolation and widespread mental-health problems for children," the New York Times' David Leonhardt summed up back in January in a much-quoted newsletter. "Many American children are in cri