The news that 52-year-old Seattle grunge rock icon Chris Cornell had killed himself after a concert in Detroit shocked and saddened fans of the Soundgarden frontman.
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But perhaps even more shocking is the fact that Cornell was one of scores of middle-aged American men who took their own lives on Wednesday: 121 Americans die by suicide each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control — and 93 of them are men. (The Wayne County medical examiner’s office declared Cornell’s death a suicide by hanging; Cornell’s wife has disputed that ruling and suggested her late husband’s anti-anxiety medication may have played a role.)
In fact, American men make up the bulk of suicides nationwide. Victims of death by suicide are overwhelmingly white (7 out of 10), male and — just like Cornell — between the ages of 45 and 65.
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Chris Cornell of Soundgarden performs during the band’s concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, 2013. Chris Pizzello / Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
President Donald Trump bragged to two top Russian officials last week that firing “nut job” FBI Director James Comey eased “great pressure” on him, The New York Times reported Friday.
“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said, according to the Times. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”
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Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak came one day after Comey was fired.
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White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not refute the Times story but said it was Comey’s “grandstanding and politicizing” of the Russia investigation that put pressure on the administration’s ability to engage Moscow.
“The President has always emphasized the importance of making deals with Russia as it relates to Syria, Ukraine, defeating ISIS and other key issues for the benefit and safety of the American people,” Spicer said in a statement to CNN. “By grandstanding and politicizing the investigation into Russia’s actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia.”
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He added, “The investigation would have always continued, and obviously, the termination of Comey would not have ended it. Once again, the real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations.”
Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died suddenly late Wednesday, his spokesman told NBC News. He was 52.
The grunge pioneer died in Detroit after performing there earlier in the evening, according to representative Brian Bumbery. The exact circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately clear.
“His wife, Vicky, and family were shocked to learn of his sudden and unexpected passing, and they will be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause,” Bumbery said in an email. “They would like to thank his fans for their continuous love and loyalty.”
. Chris Cornell in October 1999. Peter Pakvis / Redferns via Getty Images file
According to a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, fewer women are relying on stable, high-earning male partners to have children.
Researchers from the University of Maryland discovered this trend when they examined the fracking boom, a “positive economic shock” which they said caused wage spikes for non-college educated men. In the past, these kinds of income increases have been associated with accompanying spikes in heterosexual marriage rates, as with the coal booms of the 1970s and ’80s.
Roger Ailes, the man who transformed television news and American politics in his role as founder of Fox News before being brought down by a sexual harassment scandal, died Thursday morning, the network announced. He had celebrated his 77th birthday three days earlier.
Ailes’ wife, Elizabeth, said in a statement that the family is “profoundly sad and heartbroken” following his death.
“Roger was my best friend, the most wonderful loving husband and father to our son Zachary,” Elizabeth Ailes said. “He was a loyal friend to so many. Roger was a patriot, grateful to live in a country that gave him so much opportunity to work hard, to rise — and to give back.”
. Roger Ailes, left, speaks at a news conference as Rupert Murdoch looks on after it was announced that Ailes will be chairman and CEO of Fox News on Jan. 30, 1996. Richard Drew / AP file
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear North Carolina’s appeal of a court ruling that found its legislature intended to discriminate against minorities in enacting one of the toughest voter ID laws in the nation.
The action leaves in place a federal appellate court ruling which previously struck down portions of the law and blocked enforcement.
As is the court’s usual custom, no explanation was given for turning down the appeal, and no vote was noted. Chief Justice John Roberts said the state had produced a “blizzard of filings” over who was authorized to appeal. He noted that although the court declined to hear the case, the refusal expresses no opinion about the merits of the issue.
. A pile of government pamphlets explaining North Carolina’s controversial “Voter ID” law sits on table at a polling station as the law goes into effect for the state’s presidential primary in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. on March 15. Chris Keane / Reuters
Most of us go to work and count the minutes until we can dash out of the office.
In fact, a Gallup poll found that a mere 13 percent of us actually enjoy the time we spend on the job. And there’s a real cost to that, not just to our emotional state, but also to our health, experts say.
But we can turn all that around just by adopting some simple practices to make our work lives happier and, as an added bonus, our bodies healthier, experts say.
“There’s now overwhelming evidence to indicate that happier people are actually healthier,” Dr. Richard J. Davidson, a “positive psychologist,” professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as founder and chair of the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, told TODAY. “I would say that anyone can learn to be happier at work.”
When it comes to killing people in Chicago, bullets have some competition from a deadly designer drug called Acryl fentanyl.
Laced with heroin or cocaine, it has already killed 44 people in the nation’s third largest city and its suburbs through April 8 — a huge jump from the seven fatal overdoses last year, the Cook County Medical Examiner reported Monday.
And the number of Acryl fentanyl deaths this year could actually be higher because toxicology results in some fatal overdose deaths have not been completed, the ME’s office said.
What makes this fentanyl derivative even more dangerous is that it is more resistant to the overdose antidote naloxone, better known by the trade name Narcan.
. Bags of the powdered form of Acryl fentanyl. DEA
Is Wall Street finally getting ready to throw in the towel on President Trump? Perhaps.
Stocks fell sharply Wednesday following reports of a memo from former FBI Director James Comey that says Trump asked him to stop the investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The Dow ended 373 points lower Wednesday — about a 1.8% decline. It’s the biggest drop since September.
A key measure of market volatility also spiked. The common “I word” in the market lexicon — inflation — is now being replaced by whispers of impeachment.
“With a growing chorus of Democrats accusing Trump of obstructing justice and even calling for his impeachment, the Trump administration could come to an early season finale,” wrote Lukman Otunuga, a research analyst with currency broker FXTM.
Gold prices have popped over the past week too. The yellow metal often does well when investors are nervous. It’s a classic flight to safety bet. The US dollar has also sunk recently against the euro and other currencies. And virtual currency Bitcoin has soared.
The Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign associates and Russian officials.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to the position in a letter obtained by CNN. Attorney General Jeff Sessions previously recused himself from any involvement in the Russia investigation due to his role as a prominent campaign adviser and surrogate.
As special counsel, Mueller is “authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters,” according to the Justice Department order Rosenstein signed.
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Robert Mueller – He’s now in charge of Russian investigation
In the world, human beings are facing various problems. People who are full of greed, anger, and ignorance are seen to be fighting with each other in words and deeds. As the fighting continues, various problems such as civil wars, wars of aggression, and wars of aggression are occurring. As world peace is being destroyed, humans are facing unbearable problems. Innocent children and women are not getting the rights they deserve and deserve. I can't think of one thing every time. What is it? The United Nations. If we look at the responsibilities and duties of the United Nations, I think it is not suitable for solving the problems that are happening in the world today. In fact, the United Nations and the World Security Council, such an organization must rule the world, must be able to give orders, and must have various ways to obey orders. There must be no organization that can influence more than that organization. There should be experts from each country. They can even dominate the superpowers like the US, China, and Britain. Only then will global peace be achieved quickly. Now, if a country with power develops more militarily, economically, or socially than its own country, then powerful countries will jealously seek out enemies and wage war. Or they will attack with fighter jets. In this, innocent people are losing their lives. No one understands the value of a life. You should think about how to achieve global peace by controlling these. If the US continues to be the permanent president of the UN, world peace will never be achieved. If you think carefully, no one sees that they are working for the common good, but for their own benefit, for the benefit of their own country. The permanent president of the UN and the Security Council has rejected this, As a young Rohingya, I have come to realize that only by electing the president and secretary from among the countries in the world through a secret ballot system and governing the world fairly can we achieve global peace. The United Nations and the Security Council are organizations in which any country must govern, give orders, and make them obey their orders. For example, only when a defendant is tried in court can we hold the leaders of the countries in check and control them, can we achieve global peace smoothly. Otherwise, it will not be easy for powerful countries to use various excuses to end this war every year, every year, for the benefit of themselves and their countries. No country's leaders pay any attention to the words of the United Nations and the Security Council. If we look at it in practice, look at the Rohingya issue. Myanmar is a small country. Even that country has been under siege for 8 years. What action can be taken? Why is the UN and the Security Council Powerless? Without such Power, how can the organization bring about global peace? Everyone should think about it. Whether there is a veto or a strong one, all countries in the world can only achieve global peace if they are subject to the UN and the Security Council. Seek peace in the quiet embrace of nature. Peace is an indispensable need of the human race. It is not as if one person can kill another person, and it is as if one country can attack another country, but instead of trying to build peace, we must try to destroy the peace now, and the world is getting hotter and is on the verge of collapse. I especially appeal to all the world experts to urgently try to bring about peace in all parts of the world. Mr, Noor Muhamed Arkhan Rohingya Youth Myanmar
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
Chris Cornell of Soundgarden performs during the band’s concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles on Feb. 15, 2013. Chris Pizzello / Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
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Robert Mueller – He’s now in charge of Russian investigation
