Republicans may regret this tax bill

Josh Barro has an interesting piece laying out in words a thesis that so far I've only heard in whispers and tweets: In some ways, Democrats might be better off if the GOP tax bill passes.

The logic is this: After the Affordable Care Act's passage, one path forward (emblematized by Barack Obama's "pivot to deficits" and the search for a grand bargain) was to declare the American welfare state substantially complete. But the pivot failed, the grand bargain failed, and the energy in the party shifted strongly to the left. Now Democrats have a vision of continued welfare state expansion that's basically not going to work if polling-friendly tax hikes on the superrich are the only thing on the table. In the new Demutopia, rich people will pay more — but the middle class will need to pay more too.

This scam tricks you into buying fake tech support software

Scammers are tricking victims into paying $25 for fake security software, ZDNet reports.

The tech-support scammers use fake blue screen of death (BSOD) messages and a phony "Troubleshooter for Windows" application to try to sell a supposed Microsoft security product called "Windows Defender Essentials." The name sounds like two real Windows anti-malware applications: Windows Defender and Security Essentials.

Malwarebytes researcher Pieter Arntz said the Troubleshooter app is being distributed through a cracked software installer.

11-year-old girl wins $25,000 science prize for creating a cheap device to test drinking water for poison

Gitanjali Rao, a seventh grader from Colorado, has been awarded the title of "America's top young scientist" for designing a compact device to detect lead in drinking water, which she believes can be faster and cheaper than other current methods.

The 11-year-old's invention was inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, where cost-cutting measures led to tainted drinking water that contained lead and other toxins. It also won her a $25,000 prize, for which Rao already has plans: "I plan to use most of it in developing my device further so that it can be commercially available soon," she said

“It’s been complete hell”: how police used a traffic stop to take $91,800 from an innocent man

ust hours after this story was published, a judge, with the backing of state legislators who read Vox’s reporting, ruled in favor of Phil Parhamovich — and he will get his $91,800 back.

“My gut has been clenched for a long time. I feel like it is still going to take some time to unwind and unclench,” Parhamovich said. “But I feel incredible. It hasn’t even sunk in yet.” He thanked the Institute for Justice, an advocacy group, for taking his case and Vox for reporting on it.

What follows is the original story.

Phil Parhamovich had been waiting for this moment for a long time. The 50-year-old had spent years restoring and selling houses, cars, and musical instruments, often clocking 12-hour workdays, to save up more than $91,000. And now it was all going to pay off: He would buy a music studio in Madison, Wisconsin, where Nirvana and the Smashing Pumpkins recorded songs — not just fulfilling a dream of owning a monument to grunge rock, but also giving him a space to work on his own career as a musician.

Then came the police stop this past March. By the time it was over, police in Wyoming would take all of Parhamovich’s money — the full $91,800. Parhamovich, who has no criminal record, was not accused of or charged with a serious crime; he only got a $25 ticket for improperly wearing his seat belt and a warning for “lane use.”

But Wyoming law enforcement officers found and eventually seized the $91,800 in cash, as it was hidden in a speaker cabinet — by getting Parhamovich, under what he claims was duress, to sign away his interest in the money through a waiver.

Driver slams truck into toll booth on San Francisco's Bay Bridge, killing attendant

OAKLAND -- A toll collector on California's Bay Bridge was killed and the driver of a box truck was arrested after his truck slammed into a line of vehicles and crashed into the toll plaza, CBS San Francisco reports.

Shortly after 5 a.m., a line of vehicles was waiting at the toll booth and the box truck hit the last vehicle in line, causing a chain reaction, Williams said.

The truck continued westbound and hit the toll booth, demolishing it. The attendant inside the booth was killed, and the truck driver and a passenger were ejected from the vehicle.

The toll booth attendant was later identified as Si Si Han, age 46.

Gov. Jerry Brown expressed his condolences in a statement released Saturday.

Balanced groups drawn for Russia 2018

Following a long road of qualifying joy and heartache, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ has finally snapped into focus after the Final Draw on 1 December in Moscow’s Kremlin State Palace.

Hosts Russia will open the event against Saudi Arabia at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium on 14 June in Group A, while defending champions Germany were drawn into a tough Group F along with Mexico, Sweden and Korea Republic. According to the November FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, the toughest group is Group D which has France, Australia, Peru and Denmark.

The Final Draw ceremony took place inside the walls of the Kremlin with Gary Lineker hosting and an array of high-profile names on hand to assist with the draw. Legends representing the eight previous World Cup-winning nations and the hosts – France’s Laurent Blanc, England’s Gordon Banks, Brazil’s Cafu, Italy’s Fabio Cannavaro, Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, Germany’s Miroslav Klose, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, Spain’s Carles Puyol and Russia’s Nikita Simonyan – joined Lineker on stage.

In the audience watching were dignitaries such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Lothar Matthaeus, Pele, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldo and many more.

Thirty one days after the opening contest, the new champion will lift the Trophy after the Final in Moscow, again at the famed Luzhniki.

Police arrest leader of a gang of women who marry and kill their husbands for insurance

A woman who leads a gang that recruits women to marry and murder men to claim their life insurance has been arrested.

Esmeralda Aravel Flores Acosta, 39, has been dubbed the Black Widow. She was arrested in El Salvador, Central America following the deaths of several victims. Police said the gang led by Esmeralda recruited attractive girls in shopping centres and universities with the promise of taking them to the US.

The young female recruits were made to marry men who are well off and then encouraged to get their husbands to get life insurance. Two or three weeks after, gang members were sent to murder the husbands. After the deaths of their new husbands, the young women were instead taken to Mexico where they were forced into prostitution.

Surviving cold and flu season: How to stay safe

The National Institutes of Health predict this year's flu season could be a rough one.

Last year, Americans reportedly spent nearly $6 billion on remedies for runny noses and sore throats, but some over-the-counter medications carry their own risks. High doses of acetaminophen send nearly 60,000 people to the emergency room each year.

In its January issue, Consumer Reports looks at how to survive this cold and flu season more easily.

Lisa Gill, deputy content editor for the magazine, joined "CBS This Morning" to discuss some of the treatment options you'll find at the pharmacy, common home remedies, and which ones you need to be careful when using.

JAY-Z TALKS HIS REACTION TO BEYONCÉ’S ‘LEMONADE’ ALBUM, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THEIR JOINT ALBUM & WHY HE & KANYE WEST ARE IN A BROTHERLY BEEF

A couple of years ago, there were rumblings of a joint album featuring #Beyoncé and her husband #JayZ. We got #Lemonade instead, which nobody is complaining about, but what happened to it?

Well, in a new interview with @NYTimes, Jay reveals that during a drought in their marriage, they began making music together and says it became therapeutic for them. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” he said. “And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on.”

Soul Singer, Wayne Cochran dies at 78 after brief battle with cancer

Famous soul singer, Wayne Cochran best known for his towering white pompadour haircut, wild outfits and signature song "Last Kiss," died in Florida at the age 78.

Cochran's son confirmed to the Miami Herald that the "White Knight of Soul," who made a name for himself with his outrageous stage antics before giving it all up to become an ordained minister in Miami, passed after a battle with cancer.

Floyd Mayweather sues ex-fiancee Shantel Jackson for stealing from him

we all know breakups can be a messy affair but this might be one for the books. Though it’s been years since #FloydMayweather and #ShantelJackson have called it quits, according to @TMZ_TV, Floyd still has a bone to pick with his ex-girlfriend Miss Jackson as he’s suing her for allegedly using his credit cards and helping herself to his money without him knowing.

In the lawsuit, Floyd is alleging Shantel was using his credit cards, taking cash from areas of his home and putting it in secret accounts without his knowledge. He also claims Miss Jackson gained his confidence to “use him.” In a statement his lawyer said: “As a result of that confidence, Mayweather, who’s education ended at eighth grade, did not audit or otherwise inspect either his cash or his credit card statements for theft by Jackson.”

Thieves steal toys, clothes, tools from Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- A Salvation Army warehouse in Baltimore has lost "tens of thousands of dollars in construction tools, as well as Christmas toys and clothes for underprivileged children" after three burglaries in a week, CBS Baltimore reports.

The warehouse also houses the organization's upcoming 7,000 square foot nonprofit grocery store, DMG Foods, which will be the first of its kind in Salvation Army history. It is set to open its doors on January 15.

"With both the grocery store grand opening and Christmas distribution rapidly approaching, the burglary of the warehouse is a devastating loss for The Salvation Army of Central Maryland," the organization said in a statement.

FORMER NSA EMPLOYEE PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS

A former National Security Agency employee who worked in its elite hacking unit pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally taking classified information outside the spy agency, the US Justice Department said.

Nghia Hoang Pho, 67, retained US government documents containing top-secret national defense information between 2010 and March 2015, according to a plea agreement.

Pho faces up to 10 years in prison and is not being held by authorities as he awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for April 6, 2018, in US District Court in Baltimore.

German Christmas market evacuated after explosives found nearby

Police have evacuated a busy Christmas market in Germany after a suspicious object containing explosives was found nearby. The surrounding area in the city of Potsdam, near Berlin has also been evacuated, police said.
Special forces were on site to examine the object, which was described as a package measuring 40 cm by 50 cm that had been delivered to a pharmacy near the market. Police said on Twitter: ‘The suspicion of an improvised explosive device has been confirmed.’ No additional details were immediately available.
Germany is on high alert for potential terrorist attacks nearly a year after a Tunisian Islamic extremist hijacked a truck, killed its driver and then rammed the vehicle into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 11 more people there. Police were alerted around 2.30pm local time after an employee opened the package at the pharmacy and saw suspicious wires and electronics inside.

World AIDs Day 2017: Symptoms, diagnosis, treatments and what the day is all about

But despite the vast improvements in treatment, having a HIV diagnosis still means an increased likelihood of living in poverty, poor mental health and limits to opportunities preventing people living full, happy lives. A lot of this is due to continued ignorance and discrimination against those with HIV infections and a lack of understanding.
That’s part of what World AIDS Day is all about – raising awareness to reverse that trend. Here is everything you need to know about the date and the disease. When is World AIDS Day 2017? World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year. This year, that is on a Friday. What is World AIDS Day all about? This year there are three main targets to the day – to end isolation, stigma and HIV transmission. Work to significantly reduce the number of those contracting HIV is finally starting to see some results with the number of HIV diagnoses for gay men in London finally reducing in the UK. This is thought to be due to awareness for frequent testing, rapid treatment and PrEP. Now the aim is to go even further to include a reduction in HIV in everyone and not just in the UK. What is the difference between HIV and AIDs?
HIV is the name of the virus.

Teenager ‘goes too far’ in quest to look like Angelina Jolie

    
A teenager has undergone more than 50 plastic surgery procedures in an effort to look like her idol Angelina Jolie. Iranian 19-year-old Sahar Tabar says she has been a massive fan of the Hollywood actress her entire life – but friends and family say she’s hone too far in her efforts to look like the star.
Sahar said she ‘would do anything’ to look like Jolie and her reported 50 operations have left her with fuller lips and defined cheek bones – but trolls say it has made her look like a zombie. Others told the young woman she looked more like a character from Tim Burton movie The Corpse Bride. Sahar reportedly lost a shocking 5st 7lbs, in order to be as slim as Angelina.

Marriage May Help Lower Dementia Risk: Study

Being married can help a person ward off dementia, a new study suggests. People who are single or widowed have a higher chance of developing the mental affliction.

A new review by researchers from University College London, published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, looked at evidence from 15 previously published studies that involved over 800,000 people from Asia, North and South America, and Europe.

The study has found that people who had never married had a 42 percent increased chance of developing dementia as compared to married people. The research team also discovered that widows and widowers had a 20 percent more chance of getting dementia than those who were married.

6 Unexpected Changes That Will Make You Look and Feel Younger

Diet trends and exercise crazes come and go, and many of us know all too well that most are not easy to stick with in the long run anyway. We recently sat down with one medical professional who says making a solid lifestyle change to help balance your hormones is the best way to increase energy, benefit your overall health and age more gracefully. Yes, you read that right. All of the wrinkle cream in the world can’t do for you what healthier habits can for your looks and longevity. These seven simple changes will make a huge impact on how you feel on a daily basis and your overall lifespan, according to Tami Meraglia, M.D., author of the new book “The Hormone Secret.” Some of them may even shock you! Hint: You need to eat more. Read on for Dr. Tami's morning-to-night suggestions for feeling your best now -- at any age.

Keep Your Brain Sharp With the New MIND Diet

As we age, “losing our marbles” has become an anticipated part of aging.

Forgetting where we parked the car or a conversation we had with a friend. Not being able to finish the crossword puzzle as we once could. But does cognitive decline have to be an inevitable part of aging? New research says maybe not.

A recent study found that a specific way of eating – nuts, fish and wine anyone -- may help slow aging in our brain. Fittingly called the MIND Diet, short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, is modeled after the uber heart-healthy Mediterranean and DASH diets, and tweaked to boost specific nutrients important for our noggin.

The MIND Diet Takes Years Off the Brain
In the study of 960 older adults followed for nine years, the difference in cognitive ability was so stark that the brains of MIND diet followers seemed 7.5 years younger than those of people who didn’t follow the diet. Who wouldn’t love to shave years off of their life? The findings held even when researchers took into account how often participants worked out and their level of education -- both are related to cognitive decline.

The Best Natural Cough Remedies

What’s in a cough?
Generally speaking, coughing is perfectly normal. A cough can help to keep your throat clear from phlegm and other irritants. However, sustained coughing can also be symptomatic of a number of conditions, such as an allergy, a viral infection, or a bacterial infection.

Sometimes a cough isn’t due to anything related to your lungs. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can also cause a cough.

You can treat coughs due to colds, allergies, and sinus infections with a number of over-the-counter medicines. Bacterial infections will require antibiotics. However, for those who prefer to avoid chemicals, we’ve listed a few home remedies that can help.

Ed Sheeran teams up with Beyoncé for 'Perfect' single release

Two of the biggest names in pop are teaming-up, so you'd better get excited. Fresh off her collaboration with Eminem on 'Walk on Water', Beyoncé is lending vocals to a remix of Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect'. Not only that, but the track is released tonight (November 30) at midnight GMT, when we imagine there will be a lot of fans glued to their computers.
Ed announced the news on Instagram, writing: "Got Beyoncé to duet with me on Perfect, comes out today at 7pm ET / 4pm PT / midnight GMT x." The two stars have collaborated before, performing an acoustic version of Bey's hit single 'Drunk in Love' together back in 2015.

Japan's Emperor Akihito to abdicate in April 2019

Japan's ageing Emperor Akihito will step down in April 2019, marking the end of an imperial era for Japan.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the abdication date shortly after a government and royal panel met to discuss the timing.
The 83-year-old emperor had said last year that his age and health would make it difficult to fulfil his duties.
The timing of his abdication, the first in more than two centuries, has been the subject of debate in Japan.
How abdication could usher in a calendar change
In pictures: Japan's Emperor Akihito
Japanese Emperor Akihito's 2016 address in full
The Imperial Household Council, made up of Mr Abe, lawmakers, and members of Japan's royal family, convened on Friday to set the date of the abdication.
Mr Abe later met reporters briefly to announce that they had decided the emperor would step down on 30 April 2019.
His abdication will mark the end of the Heisei era, and he would be immediately succeeded by his son Crown Prince Naruhito on 1 May, which would start a new imperial era.

How in 150 years, Meghan Markle's family went from cotton slaves to royalty via freedom in the U.S. Civil War... while her dad's ancestors included a maid at Windsor Castle

While Queen Victoria sat on the throne, Empress to a quarter of the world’s population, a woman named Mattie Turnipseed gave birth to a ‘mulatto’ — the ugly, official term to describe those of mixed race — baby girl in a corner of America’s Deep South.
In that moment, a remarkable chain of events was triggered.
Half the population of Georgia state, named after Victoria’s ancestor George II, were black.
Almost all of them had been slaves or were descendants of slaves, bought, sold, and passed on to lives of servitude and brutality.
It’s almost impossible to picture the colossal gulf separating the most powerful woman in the world from a young, uneducated ‘coloured’ woman without a vote — without much more, in fact, than the clothes on her back.
Yet this week, with the engagement of Prince Harry to actress Meghan Markle, a descendant of each of these women pledged themselves to the other.
Building on the work of U.S. experts Elizabeth Banas and Doug Nicol, genealogist Angela Aldam has worked with the Mail to create a comprehensive family tree to illustrate Meghan’s fascinating family history, from her African-American slave ancestry, to those on her father’s side who emigrated from England and Ireland.
Mattie Turnipseed, Meghan’s great-great-great-grandmother, grew up in or around Jonesboro, Georgia, after the American Civil War of 1861-65, which had laid waste to the area.

What Every Woman Should Know About Self Defense — From an Expert Who's Been There

If you're a woman, you've probably experienced a nervous, sinking feeling when walking alone at night, fearing what's lurking around a dark corner. There's also a good chance you've felt your heart rate speed uncontrollably when you thought you were being followed—or worse, perhaps you were followed and possibly even attacked.

Kelly Campbell, a third-degree black belt and director of instructor development for Krav Maga Worldwide, says these fears are common. "At some point, most women ask themselves the question, 'Would I be able to fight back if I were attacked?'" says Campbell. Here's the good news: Learning just a few simple self-defense moves can give you the skills and confidence you need to answer that question with a resounding "yes."

"When you have a sense of what you could do in the event that you were attacked and believe you could do something to help yourself, the likelihood that you'll actually do something increases," says Campbell. "I think more important than any specific technique is your mentality. Being willing to fight back is the most important thing."

Mariah Carey to get 'millions' in settlement with billionaire ex-fiance James Packer AND gets to keep ring

Mariah Carey will reportedly receive millions in her settlement with Australian billionaire ex James Packer.

The Honey diva and the wealthy businessman - who proposed just 10 months after meeting the superstar -split in October 2016 following a short engagement.

After their bitter break up, the pair reportedly battled for a year over a settlement.

According to The Blast, a number of months ago the former couple struck a deal, which saw Mariah walk away with a 'few million dollars' and also her enormous engagement ring, which was rumoured to be worth $8million.
The website reports that the cash, coupled with the ring, works out to between $5-$10million.