California Democratic Party leader resigns amid sexual misconduct claims

Eric Bauman, the first gay person to lead the state’s party, stepped down after party staffers and activists came forward.

Eric Bauman, the leader of the California Democratic Party, has resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct — the latest politician forced to step down in the #MeToo era.

Allegations that he had made sexually explicit comments and inappropriately touched or physically intimidated party staffers and political activists were first reported by Melanie Mason at the Los Angeles Times Wednesday. After being confronted with the complaints, Bauman said he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse and health issues, but did not respond directly to the allegations.

But on Thursday, incoming Gov. Gavin Newsom and other California lawmakers called on him to step down, and Bauman released a statement saying he was resigning.

“I have made the realization that in order for those to whom I may have caused pain and who need to heal, for my own health, and in the best interest of the Party that I love and to which I have dedicated myself for more than 25 years, it is in everyone’s best interest for me to resign my position as chair of the California Democratic Party,” he wrote.

Bauman was a former nurse who rose within the state’s Democratic Party and took the helm in May 2017, becoming the first openly gay person to lead the party. That earned him deference among progressives in California, according to the LA Times, but it’s now clear that he may have crossed the line.

The allegations establish “a clear and escalating pattern of Chairman Bauman’s horrific and dehumanizing behavior,” state Democratic Party Vice Chairman Daraka Larimore-Hall told the Times.

Bauman joins more than 250 powerful men who have been accused of sexual misconduct since last year.

While the #MeToo movement gained momentum last year when allegations came out against Harvey Weinstein, the term was first coined by Tarana Burke, an activist from New York City. People need to be reminded that “for every Harvey Weinstein, there’s a hundred more men in the neighborhood who are doing the exact same thing,” Burke said.

Many of these powerful figures in politics, media and entertainment have either been fired or stepped down from their jobs as a result of sexual harassment or assault allegations as the #MeToo movement has taken off. But as Vox’s Anna North points out, allegations haven’t hurt everyone. President Donald Trump and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, both of whom have been accused of sexual assault, have remained in power (or gained it).

According to the LA Times, Bauman said last year — as the movement gained steam — that the party had a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment.

But the allegations against him echo a common theme in the #MeToo era: Victims are scared and ashamed to come forward when it’s their word against a person with much more power and recognition. That, at least, has started to change in the last year and a half.

According to a statement, a full investigation will be launched into Bauman’s behavior.

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18118920/eric-bauman-california-democratic-chair-resigns
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Vox Sentences: Michael Cohen makes 33

Suicides are at the highest rate in decades, CDC report shows

Suicide is rare, but it’s increasing in America.

The suicide rate is the highest it’s been in decades, the latest warning sign of a worsening public health issue in America that needs far more attention.

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47,000 Americans died by suicide in 2017. Put another way, the suicide rate was 14 people in every 100,000 — up 33 percent from 10.5 people per 100,000 in 1999.

The suicide rate is at a 50-year peak, according to the AP. The new data shows that there were 2,000 more deaths from suicide last year than in 2016, the year when suicide became the second-leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 10 and 34 and the fourth-leading cause for middle-aged Americans.

The increase is in part responsible for another drop in life expectancy this year. Americans are now living an average of just over 78 years and six months on average, according to the report. The average life expectancy has dropped each year since 2016.

Suicide is on the rise, but that doesn’t mean it’s a common occurrence. Because we are very sensitive to information about what’s normal, it’s important to note: While suicide is the 10th leading cause of death, it’s still rare, and it ought to be rarer.

There’s much not yet understood about the rise in suicides, but one finding of the CDC’s previous research was that it’s not necessarily linked to mental health: More than half of the people who died by suicide in 2016 had no known mental health problems.

Instead, as Vox’s Julia Belluz reported this summer following the death of beloved chef and author Anthony Bourdain, researchers have found that the majority of suicides are related to problems with relationships, substance use, health, jobs or finances.

That goes hand-in-hand with the other reason life expectancy is dropping: a rise in drug overdoses. There were more than 70,000 drug overdose deaths in 2017 — the highest number of drug overdose deaths for any single year in US history. Together, suicide and substance abuse overdoses have caused an uptick in mortality — particularly for poor- and middle-class Americans — that can’t be ignored, as Belluz notes:

Researchers have explained the decline, in part, by an increase in “deaths of despair”: suicides, alcoholism, and drug overdoses, particularly from opioid painkillers, are a rising problem for midlife white people.

Experts say suicide is largely preventable. Research has shown, for instance, that states with higher rates of gun ownership also have higher rates of suicide, suggesting that tighter gun laws could lower the rate of suicide. The CDC also suggested that an emphasis on housing and financial policies and “promoting social connectedness” could prevent suicide.

“We need to ensure that suicide prevention is ... tackled on the same scale and with the same vigor that we address other public health issues in this country,” Bob Turner of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention told USA Today. If not, “the number of people dying by suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts will continue to rise.”

Suicide is a frustrating, stubborn tragedy, and one that’s growing more common. But it’s a trend that can be changed. It’s increasingly important to recognize the warning signs, and be aware of common risk factors, like a family history of suicide, a history of mental health issues and recent losses or personal difficulties. Here’s how to help.

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/11/29/18118601/suicide-rate-highest-decades-life-expectancy
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Republican Sen. Tim Scott sinks Trump judicial nominee tied to voter suppression efforts

Democrats had slammed Thomas Farr for systematically stripping African Americans of their voting rights.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is officially opposing Trump judicial nominee Thomas Farr, a controversial pick who Democrats argue has systematically stripped African Americans of their voting rights — meaning his nomination will likely fail.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has said he’ll be blocking all Trump judicial nominees until a bill protecting special counsel Robert Mueller gets a floor vote. Scott’s vote was crucial for Republicans to hit the 50-vote threshold they needed to confirm Farr to a North Carolina district court seat.

Farr is the second judicial nominee that Scott, the lone black Republican in the Senate, has opposed, making it impossible for the two to get confirmed. In both cases, the nominees were involved in controversies over race in the past: Scott previously said he’d vote against Ninth Circuit nominee Ryan Bounds, over his past racist writings.

Scott said that his stance against Farr was driven, in part, by a Justice Department memo that broke down the agency’s complaint against the 1990 campaign of former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms.

The Helms campaign had sent more than 120,000 postcards targeted at mostly African-American voters aiming at intimidating and preventing them from going to the polls. Farr had served as legal counsel for the Helms campaign at the time, though he has denied any involvement in the mailing.

“I am ready and willing to support strong candidates for our judicial vacancies that do not have lingering concerns about issues that could affect their decision-making process as a federal judge,” Scott said in a statement on the nomination. “This week, a Department of Justice memo written under President George H.W. Bush was released that shed new light on Mr. Farr’s activities. This, in turn, created more concerns. Weighing these important factors, this afternoon I concluded that I could not support Mr. Farr’s nomination.”

The failure of Farr’s nomination is a major victory for Democrats, who have sought to build a case against him all week.

Who is Thomas Farr?

Trump’s judicial nominees have been younger, whiter, and more likely to be male, on average, than those offered up by President Barack Obama, according to a Washington Post analysis. They also have the potential to dramatically reshape public policy on issues as varied as voting rights and environmental protections.

While Democrats have broadly bristled at a number of these nominees for their conservative leanings, Farr is among a smaller subset that they’ve specifically called out for positions they say are discriminatory and explicitly targeted at disenfranchising African Americans.

Democrats emphasized Tuesday that they would be open to supporting another nominee in lieu of Farr. The NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) object to Farr over, among other things, his 2016 defense of a North Carolina voter ID law that the Fourth Circuit Court concluded “targeted African Americans with almost surgical precision.”

Farr also helped North Carolina Republicans make the case for partisan gerrymandered congressional districts, and the Supreme Court has since ruled some of these maps unconstitutional. And he backed the state when it argued that workers shouldn’t be able to bring employment discrimination claims based on race or sex.

“It is no exaggeration to say that had the White House deliberately sought to identify an attorney in North Carolina with a more hostile record on African-American voting rights and workers’ rights than Thomas Farr, it could hardly have done so,” the CBC wrote in a letter to Senate Judiciary leaders last month.

“Why this person? Why in a state in the Eastern District that is diverse, in a state that has a sad history, like so many of our states, with a history of voter suppression?” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) asked during a press briefing on Tuesday. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) also argued that a Farr confirmation would upset the judicial check on state legislatures, which are often sued if they try to implement discriminatory voting rights practices. Harris noted that Farr could very well oversee an upcoming court case in his district on this exact topic.

On top of his own negative track record on race, Farr has been nominated for a judicial seat that has a long and tenuous history. The seat has been empty for roughly 12 years, and Democrats say it’s due to Republican efforts to block two African-American women whom President Barack Obama had nominated to fill it.

Given Scott’s decision, it looks like their efforts to highlight Farr’s shortcomings might just have worked.

Read the DOJ memo, obtained by the Washington Post, below:

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18118623/tim-scott-thomas-farr-judge-trump-voting-rights
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Trump Tower Moscow, and Michael Cohen’s lies about it, explained

“Inhumane”: a laid-off GM worker in Ohio responds to massive job cuts

GM says that more than 14,000 auto workers will lose their jobs in the coming months.

General Motors caused an uproar this week when it announced plans to close up to five factories in the US and Canada and cut more than 14,000 jobs over the next two years.

The automaker said that consumers weren’t buying enough cars like the Chevy Cruze, and that the overhaul would save the company $6 billion. GM also blamed President Donald Trump, whose tariffs on imported steel have cost the company $1 billion.

GM’s decision sparked a backlash from lawmakers in Canada and the United States. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called it “corporate greed at its worst,” pointing out that GM received millions in corporate tax cuts but failed to use the money to invest in its workers. Instead, the company recently announced plans to build its new Chevy Blazer in Mexico — a decision that frustrated US labor unions that want those jobs to go to American workers.

Trump was also reportedly furious about the decision. GM produces electric cars, and buyers in the US can get a federal tax break for purchasing one. So Trump threatened to cut those subsidies for GM vehicles (which he can’t do without Congress).

As lawmakers and company executives continue to point fingers and try to deflect the blame, I reached out to Nanette Senters, a 55-year-old woman who has spent the past two decades working at GM’s Lordstown plant in Warren, Ohio, where the Chevy Cruze is made.

Senters sobbed quietly on the phone as she told me how distressing the news has been for her and thousands of her co-workers who will lose their jobs. She is single but helps support her 84-year-old mother. She was also angry, she told me — at GM, at Trump, and at all the American companies outsourcing jobs abroad.

A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows. (As of press time, GM had not responded to Vox’s request for comment.)

Alexia Fernández Campbell

How long have you been at the Lordstown factory, and what’s your job there?

Nanette Senters

I’ve been here 20 years. I’ve watched [the factory] shrink tremendously; I was here when the government saved us from failing [during the Great Recession].

I work in the body shop; it’s basically the metal assembly division. I assemble pieces and parts in the car doors. I work like a human robot every day, but none of us mind working hard. We have good benefits and pay.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Did you have any idea that layoffs were coming? How did you find out?

Nanette Senters

No. I was shocked. At 9:30 in the morning on Monday, we were all called into the break room, and they put on a video saying that the plant would be shuttered in March 2019.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Who was the person in the video?

Nanette Senters

I don’t know, some bigwig from GM.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Then what happened?

Nanette Senters

There was a loud gasp. People started crying. All day long, people were crying. Then we just started getting angrier and angrier. We’ve done so much for this company. This is such an inhumane way to treat people.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Who do you think is responsible for this? GM says there’s just not enough demand for the Chevy Cruze.

Nanette Senters

There’s a lot of blame to go around. I blame a lot of it on our president. I think it all started when Trump repealed the [Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard].

The CAFE standard meant that you could produce small cars that are energy-efficient and that would kind of balance out the building of big trucks and gas guzzlers. Building the Cruze meant that GM could also build many big trucks and still meet fuel efficiency standards.

When Trump repealed the CAFE standard, that gave GM more of an incentive to get rid of the Chevy Cruze and do this restructuring.

Then there’s his trade wars and his unfinished trade deals, which are hurting the entire country. Ford, Chrysler, Honeywell — they are all outsourcing good union jobs. The jobs being created are not good-paying jobs. They are $12-an-hour jobs.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

How much do you earn?

Nanette Senters

I make $30 an hour.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Did you hear anything about GM moving more jobs out of the country, or to the Cruze factory in Mexico?

Nanette Senters

We weren’t told anything. It’s all so sketchy. Then we were told that we might be able to transfer to another job, that there will be 3,000 new GM jobs. But that means 11,000 of us will be left out in the cold.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Trump has threatened to punish GM for closing the factory. Are workers hopeful something will change?

Nanette Senters

All of the president’s rhetoric has divided the workforce horribly. I was here when Trump had a rally here last summer. He said, don’t sell your house, do not worry about that. I am going to bring jobs back.

I didn’t believe him. From day one, I could see what he was — the way he managed to give people false hope. A lot of people are still hoping he will save them now. It’s disturbing.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

What do you think of GM’s position: that the company needs to do this to remain financially viable?

Nanette Senters

I’m sure GM is probably just preparing itself for a potential recession. But they can do it more humanely.

To just say, “You’re done,” is wrong. Yes, a company is supposed to make money. But they did get all kinds of money from those tax cuts, and they are still doing this. I am so disappointed. They always take things out on workers.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Are you getting severance pay?

Nanette Senters

Yes, thank god for our union. We have a union guarantee of nine months of pay after March, and we can keep our health care. But it will be about 90 percent of our pay, and it cuts a lot of benefits. We won’t be getting bonuses or any profit sharing.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

What are you going to do after that?

Nanette Senters

I am going to try to transfer to another plant. If that doesn’t work out, I will go back to school. I am a single woman, and if I have to move to Indiana or something, it will be hard to take care of my 84-year-old mother.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

Can you find another job around Warren that pays $30 an hour?

Nanette Senters

No, not in this area. There are not good jobs here. It’s a very depressed area; this factory has the best jobs here. People talk about the steel mills in the area, but those only pay $12 an hour.

Alexia Fernández Campbell

I’ve heard that some GM workers are asking Trump to cancel government contracts with GM and other companies that outsource jobs. What do you think of that?

Nanette Senters

It’s a good idea, and we’ve sent him letters. But Trump is not willing to put his money where his mouth is. And so many of my co-workers, around half of them, are still pinning all their hopes on Trump. I hope I’m wrong. I hope he does do something about the thousands of jobs companies are still sending abroad. But he hasn’t done anything about Carrier, Honeywell, or Harley-Davidson.

Basically, since he’s been in office, it has been an assault on good-paying jobs. What he’s doing is not translating into anything good for middle-class America.

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18117931/gm-worker-layoffs-reaction
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Federal agents mysteriously raided a former Trump attorney’s office: what we know

Ed Burke represented Trump on property tax issues between 2006 and 2018.

On Thursday morning, FBI agents raided the City Hall office of Chicago Alderman Ed Burke, a powerful figure in Illinois state politics and a former property tax attorney for Donald Trump.

It’s not yet clear whether the search has anything to do with Trump. Details are scant and the FBI has not said who the target of the investigation is, or what the federal agents thought they might find in Burke’s office. As of Thursday afternoon, FBI Chicago spokeswoman Janine Wheeler simply confirmed that agents were “executing search warrants at multiple locations.”

But because Burke had worked for Trump on his Chicago real estate project, speculation immediately started flying about whether the FBI raid might be part of the bigger probe into the president.

Then again, it’s also quite possible that the raid has nothing to do with Trump at all: Burke, Chicago’s longest-serving alderman, has been the focus of federal investigations in the past.

“There have previously been several other investigations such as this, Burke said in a Thursday statement. “In every instance we cooperated fully. And in every instance nothing has been found. So once again we will be cooperating fully and I am completely confident that at the end of the day nothing will be found amiss in this instance either.”

Here’s what we know and don’t know about the raid.

What we know

• Roughly 15 federal agents showed up at Burke’s office in Chicago’s City Hall around 7:30 am Central time and took over the office by kicking out staffers and papering over the windows, according to reports from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune.
• The agents left in the early afternoon with “one cardboard file box, a computer and two computer monitors,” according to the Sun-Times.
• The windows were also papered over at Burke’s office in Chicago’s 14th Ward, according to the Tribune.
• Burke is not a stranger to being investigated: In his 50 years in public office, he’s survived numerous scandals, including one related to payroll in 2014.
• Burke’s law firm, Klafter & Burke, began representing Donald Trump in 2006, while the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago was under construction. Burke had previously voted to approve the project as an alderman.
• Burke’s law firm saved Trump $14.1 million in property taxes between 2006 and 2018, according to the Sun-Times.
• Burke stopped representing Trump in May 2018, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to the Sun-Times. At the time, the newspaper suggested that Burke might be worried that his work with the president could alienate the Hispanic voters who make up the majority of his constituents.

What we don’t know

• What the FBI is investigating
• What role Burke is playing in that investigation
• What charges, if any, might result from the investigation
• Whether the raid has anything to do with Burke’s ties to President Trump

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18118393/ed-burke-fbi-raid-trump-lawyer
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Michael Cohen’s plea agreement is bad news for Donald Trump Jr.

He said he had nothing to do with a Russia project. Michael Cohen’s plea deal suggests otherwise.

During his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017, Donald Trump Jr. claimed he “wasn’t involved” in the Trump Organization’s efforts to build a tower in Moscow, “was not” aware that Michael Cohen directly reached out to the Kremlin about it, and suggested Cohen’s efforts to work with Russian-born developer Felix Sater on the project ended prior to 2016.

But Trump Jr.’s sworn testimony is difficult to square with details contained in court filings pertaining to Cohen’s new plea agreement, which assert that the effort to get Trump Tower Moscow off the ground continued well into 2016 and happened with the Trump family’s knowledge.

According to Mueller’s filing, Cohen “briefed family members of Individual 1 [Donald Trump] within the Company about the project” in Moscow.

COHEN discussed the status and progress of the Moscow Project with Individual 1 [Trump] on more than the three occasions COHEN claimed to the Committee, and he briefed family members of Individual 1 within the Company about the project.

While it’s unclear which “family members” the filings refer to, given Trump Jr.’s role as one of the top Trump Organization officials, it’s hard to imagine he wasn’t among them. Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump are all family members of Trump’s who were working at the time for the Trump Organization.

Also unclear is whether Cohen briefed any Trump “family members” about emails he sent to Kremlin officials “asking for assistance in connection with the Russia project.” In his testimony, Trump said he “was not” aware of Cohen’s overtures to the Kremlin, and was only “peripherally aware” of the project.

What Donald Trump Jr told Congress about Moscow Tower deal

Note Michael Cohen plea: "briefed family members...within the Company about the project"

Don Jr to Senate:

Sater worked on deal "in 2015"
"I wasn't involved"
Were you aware Cohen reached out to Kremlin? "No, I was not" pic.twitter.com/ITyt6cc7dd

— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) November 29, 2018

The plea deal indicates that Cohen’s efforts to get a Trump Moscow project off the ground continued as late as June 2016, when in the days following the infamous Trump Tower meeting between top campaign surrogates (including Trump Jr.) and a Russian lawyer, Cohen canceled a trip to Russia that had been arranged by Sater for reasons that remain unclear.

Trump Jr., however, testified to Congress that “I believe in 2015 [Sater] worked on something to that effect with Mike Cohen.”

Trump Jr.’s testimony hasn’t aged well in more ways than one

The new plea agreement isn’t the first time Cohen has drawn aspects of Trump Jr.’s congressional testimony into question.

Cohen, through his lawyer, indicated his willingness in July to testify under oath that Donald Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top Trump campaign officials and Kremlin-connected Russians who promised political dirt on Hillary Clinton. Cohen said Trump Jr. told his father about the meeting in advance.

“Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians’ offer by Trump Jr.,” CNN reported. “By Cohen’s account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources.”

But during his testimony, Trump Jr. unequivocally denied informing his father — who teased a major speech in which he’d divulge dirt about Hillary Clinton just two days before the Trump Tower meeting.

Q. Did you inform your father about the meeting or the underlying offer prior to the meeting?

A. No, I did not.

After the New York Times broke news about the Trump Tower meeting in the summer of 2017, Donald Trump dictated a misleading statement for his son that claimed “a program about the adoption of Russian children” was the reason his campaign met with Russians.

That statement was almost immediately contradicted by emails Trump Jr. voluntarily released. The correspondence doesn’t contain the word “adoptions” a single time, and it makes clear the meeting was really about the Trump campaign’s desire to obtain dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Fibbing to the public is one thing; doing it during congressional testimony is another. It is against the law to lie to Congress, even if you’re not under oath.

from Vox - All https://www.vox.com/2018/11/29/18118275/michael-cohen-plea-deal-donald-trump-jr-testimony
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Democrats in 2020 don’t have the Republican safety margin

Get a full year of Hulu for just 99 cents per month

It may be getting cold, but Hulu is coming in HOT this weekend with their best offer ever— a full year of streaming for just $0.99 per month. 

I never thought I needed a nod for my sedentary winter lifestyle, but this definitely feels like one and I'm not hating it. 

For literal pocket change, you'll be able to watch thousands of TV shows and movies, including full seasons of exclusive series like Hulu originals The Handmaid's Tale and Difficult People, plus full seasons of classic shows like Seinfeld or South Park—all with minimal commercials. You'll also have access to tons of hit movies, kids shows, and more. Read more...

More about Hulu, Streaming, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Mashable Shopping

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-hulu-99-cents-deal/
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Watch this gymnast nail a massive backflip to set the world record

If you want to see a stunning physical feat, cast your eyes on the above video of gymnast Ashley Watson nailing a nearly 20 foot (5.87 meter) horizontal bar backflip to set a new Guinness World Record.

SEE ALSO: Simone Biles makes gymnastics history, dresses in solidarity with sexual assault survivors

As Huffington Post notes, Watson is a member of the Great Britain gymnastics team and likes to share amusing training videos on his Instagram account. It's there you can also find a photo of Watson with his certificate verifying that his breathtaking backflip did indeed set the world record.  Read more...

More about Gymnastics, World Records, Culture, and Sports

from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/gymnast-backflip-world-record-ashley-watson/
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Save over $100 on a smart electric toothbrush from Oral B as part of Walmart's pre-Cyber Monday sale

The quest for whiter teeth feels never-ending. "Nah, I don't want whiter teeth," said no one ever. 

You could get one of those laser whitening machines that Instagram bloggers shove in your face or you could keep whitening your teeth in pictures with FaceTune  — or you could just get a toothbrush that actually works.

The smart Oral-B Pro 6000 toothbrush is basically the pinnacle of electric toothbrushes — and it's over $100 off as part of Walmart's Cyber Monday weekend sale. That's $89.94 for confidence and the dentist not yelling at you about your brushing habits, and that's more than good enough for us. Read more...

More about Hygiene, Teeth, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Mashable Shopping

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-2018-oral-b-deal-walmart/
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Start Cyber Monday early and save $60 on Beats Solo3 Headphones on Amazon

We continue to find deals to be thankful for this weekend, and right now our eyes are on the Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones which are now $60 off on Amazon. Nothing like a good post-Black Friday deal to get our feet wet for Cyber Monday.

The Beats Solo3 headphones bring you the top-notch sound quality we've all come to know from Beats, combined with the convenience of a wire-free, long-living set of cans that are basically ideal for everyday use.

They boast a seriously impressive battery life of up to 40 hours thanks to the introduction of Apple W1 Technology—which means, yes, you can literally listen to music for almost two straight days on a single charge if you really want to. Read more...

More about Beats, Mashable Shopping, Shopping Skimlinks, Shopping Solo, and Cyber Monday 2018

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-beats-wireless-headphones-amazon/
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Stunning video shows what a rocket launch looks like from space

You've probably seen plenty of impressive rocket launches but you've never seen one quite like this, which shows what a rocket launch looks like from space. 

The launch of the Russian Progress MS-10 cargo spacecraft (a Russian Soyuz rocket) took place on November 16. The timelapse was captured by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, who is onboard the International Space Station (ISS), from nearly 250 miles up.

SEE ALSO: See SpaceX blast a satellite into orbit, nail rocket landing on a drone ship

The entire video is astounding but the most extraordinary moments are just seconds into the launch and then the burning of the rocket's core stage upon re-entry around 35 seconds.  Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/video/rocket-launch-from-space-iss/
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Bose QuietComfort II, SoundSport Free, and more Bose headphones are up to $80 off at Walmart to prep for Cyber Monday

This is not a drill: Bose headphones are somehow still on sale (and somehow still in stock) at Walmart and we are confused (in a good way).

These bad boys were the one thing that didn't go on sale early for Black Friday — because Bose knows people want them bad enough to pay full price — so the fact that they're still discounted is kind of blowing our minds. We're not complaining, though. (We're also not sure if they'll still be on sale for Cyber Monday, so you might want to act fast in case this is just a weekend thing.)

And it isn't just one pair that's on sale: The Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones, the SoundSport Free Truly Wireless headphones, and a few other pairs have all had their prices slashed — so whether you're an earbud person, over-ear person, or are still clinging to the headphone jack for dear life, there's something on sale for you. A few Bluetooth speakers from Bose are also on sale. Read more...

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‏trolls Fox News in Spanish and it is glorious

Conservative media is obsessed with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and she's getting increasingly more creative in shutting them down.

In her, they have found a Democrat whose wardrobe they love to obsess over the likes of which they haven't had since Barack Obama's tan suit. Ocasio-Cortez, of course, is taking it all in stride. 

After their latest attempt at fashion-shaming Ocasio-Cortez blew up, you'd think people would steer clear and wait for the new congresswoman to, you know, actually get sworn in and start legislating before they criticized her again. But Fox News couldn't leave well enough alone.  Read more...

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from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-fox-news-shoes/
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Best gifts for hobbits, elves, and orcs still obsessed with Lord of the Rings

What will you give your loved ones, precious?

Everyone knows at least one Lord of the Rings fan, nay, fiend. They've smashed through J. R. R. Tolkien's books and appendices. They've sat through the extended editions of Peter Jackson's original trilogy, turned up for The Hobbit trilogy, and are sitting on the edge of their Shadowfaxes for the upcoming Amazon TV series.

SEE ALSO: 10 magical gifts for the Harry Potter fan who owns too many T-shirts

So, you want to get them a gift they'll truly love. But what part of Middle Earth would they shop in? Ask them slyly first, then meet us back here for the perfect gift. And for brevity, these are just locations from the Lord of the Rings series.  Read more...

More about Lord Of The Rings, Gift Guide 2018, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/best-gifts-lord-of-the-rings-fan/
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Announcer sings 'Mr. Plow' song from 'The Simpsons' during Apple Cup blizzard

There's a Simpson's reference for any occasion.

Friday night's annual Apple Cup was no exception. The matchup between number 16 Washington and their rival Washington State (number 8), wasn't just a big deal because of its impact on the Pac-12 conference championship game. There was also heavy snow throughout and it looked really awesome.

In fact, there was so much snow that Fox announcer Robert Smith broke out into song and not just any song. Smith busted out the classic "Mr. Plow" song from a famous episode of The Simpsons (via Uproxx).

Beautiful. The rest of Twitter thought so, too, including Simpsons writer Al Jean who, alongside Mike Reiss, was show-runner of The Simpsons when this episode was written and aired. Read more...

More about The Simpsons, Apple Cup, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars, and Culture

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/apple-cup-snow-mr-plow-simpsons-announcer/
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Get up to $200 in Apple Store gift cards with purchase of iPad, MacBook, and more

As we reported earlier this week, Apple is running a special four-day sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The tech giant is offering free gift cards to the Apple Store when you buy select Apple products, such as iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, MacBook, Beats headphones, and more.

If you're looking for a great gift for the holiday season, now is your chance to get something extra from Apple. It's rare that Apple has any discounts or promotions, so this is a good time to take advantage of the holiday spirit. 

SEE ALSO: Best pre-Cyber Monday deals on Bose headphones, Instant Pot, Echo Plus

You can buy an iPhone as a gift and keep the gift card for yourself, or buy an iPad for yourself and gift the Apple Store gift card. If you're really feeling generous, you can gift both the Apple product and the Apple Store gift card to your friends and family. Read more...

More about Ipad, Apple Store, Macbook, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-2018-apple-store-gift-card-deal/
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Best pre-Cyber Monday TV deals: Shop sales on OLED and 4K at Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart

Now that Black Friday is over and done with for the year, we still have Cyber Monday to look forward to, with amazing deals on 4K smart TVs from the best manufacturers like Sony, LG Electronics, Samsung, VIZIO, and more already here. We've gathered the best deals for Cyber Monday from retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target on the 4K TVs you want for the holiday season.

SEE ALSO: Best pre-Cyber Monday deals on Bose headphones, Instant Pot, Echo Plus

Save 20% or more on Sony 4K Ultra HD TV 2018 models and save 25% or more on LG Electronics Ultra HD TVs from this year. In addition, you can save 15% or more on 2018 4K Ultra HD TVs from Samsung, as well as save 15% or more on Samsung QLED TVs.  Read more...

More about Samsung, Sony, Lg, 4k Tv, and Vizio

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-2018-best-early-tv-deals/
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Pre-Cyber Monday tech deals: Apple iPads, MacBooks, Amazon Fire tablets, MSI gaming laptops on sale

If you're worried that the Black Friday deals have passed you by, you can relax, because there are still plenty of goodies to save on this weekend. In fact, some of the pre-Cyber Monday deals are already popping up, which should make you a very happy shopper indeed.

But maybe the best news of all: thanks to Black Friday wrap-up and Cyber Monday hype, Apple iPads and MacBooks are on sale.

The only thing we might love more than Apple products are deals on Apple products, so you know we're going to fill you in on those sales at any chance we get. 

SEE ALSO: Best pre-Cyber Monday deals on Bose headphones, Instant Pot, Echo Plus Read more...

More about Ipad, Tablets, Laptops, Macbook, and Black Friday

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-2018-laptops-tablets-apple-ipad-macbook-deal/
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Gritty crashed a wedding and it was as gloriously weird as you'd hope

Nobody likes a wedding crasher — unless that crasher is Philadelphia Flyers mascot and hero of the Weird Internet, Gritty. 

On Friday, photos and videos surfaced from a wedding in Philadelphia where the Great Orange One appears to have dropped in unannounced to the utter delight to everyone involved. 

GRITTY JUST SHOWED UP AT THIS VERY PHILLY WEDDING I AM AT AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE STARSTRUCK IN MY LIFE pic.twitter.com/BYCZSC0J2C

— Mary Wagner (@marybwagner) November 24, 2018

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME pic.twitter.com/9NriplJgoP

— Mary Wagner (@marybwagner) November 24, 2018 Read more...

More about Weddings, Mascots, Gritty, Philadelphia Flyers, and Culture

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/gritty-crashed-wedding-philadelphia/
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Get a Ninja 2-in-1 blender on sale at Walmart for $49 (and save $40) ahead of Cyber Monday

Sometimes you need your blender to be more than a blender. 

The Nutri Ninja 2-in-1 Blender is not only a single-serve blender perfect for smoothies and milkshakes, but it's also a 40-ounce processor. The Nutri Ninja system is currently on sale for $49 at Walmart ahead of Cyber Monday, which is $40 off the original price of $89.

SEE ALSO: Keurig, KitchenAid, Instant Pot, and other small appliances on sale

It can be used like normal Ninja blender, which is perfect for anyone who likes a fresh smoothie in the morning. Just fill the 16-ounce Ninja cup with you favorite fruit, veggies, wheat grass, and more to get that fresh, healthy jolt of energy to start the day right. And given the small blade motor and cup, it's super easy to clean. Read more...

More about Ninja, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Blender, and Mashable Shopping

from Mashable https://mashable.com/shopping/cyber-monday-2018-walmart-ninja-blender-deal/
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India's first elephant hospital has opened and people are rejoicing

This is One Good Thing, a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.

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The first hospital for elephants opened in the holy Hindu town of Mathura in India last week— and it's kind of a big deal.

Designed for geriatric, sick, and injured elephants, the hospital — which spans over 12,000 square feet — is equipped with wireless digital X-Ray, thermal imaging, ultrasonography, tranquilization devices, and quarantine facilities, according to a Reuters report.

India's first elephant hospital cheers animal activists, draws tourists https://t.co/DGg2bjUb2W pic.twitter.com/BzqAADMqoU

— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) November 19, 2018 Read more...

More about India, Elephants, Elephant Hospital, Culture, and Animals

from Mashable https://mashable.com/article/first-elephant-hospital-india/
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