Texas will become the 15th state to raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21. On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott signed the legislation, which takes effect Sept. 1. Those in the military will still be able to buy the products if they are 18-20. Anyone caught breaking this new law will face a Class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500. Illinois' governor signed similar legislation in May. The New York Senate passed legislation on April 1 … [Read more...]
Democrats choose Milwaukee to host 2020 national convention
Milwaukee will host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, the party said Monday. Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez said the event is scheduled to take place July 13-16, 2020, in the largest city in Wisconsin. "I'm grateful for every finalist city for being a part of this process with us -- now let's get ready for 2020," he tweeted. Milwaukee beat out Houston and Miami for the convention. It will be the first time Milwaukee has hosted either party convention. The … [Read more...]
Mexico’s president wants abortion referendum
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he wants a referendum on abortion, sparking immediate opposition from abortion rights advocates in this overwhelmingly Catholic country. Mexico's 32 states consider abortions criminal unless the pregnancy results from rape or if it endangers the woman's health and life or because of fetal abnormalities. Mexico City is the country's only jurisdiction that permits a woman to abort up to 12 weeks of gestation. The president's ruling party, … [Read more...]
Nicki Minaj cancels shows due to technical difficulties
Nicki Minaj spoke out in an Instagram video Saturday after pulling out of her Nicki WRLD tour stop with Juice WRLD in Bordeaux, France, at the last minute. "You guys, it's not in my best interest not to perform and lose money and aggravate my fans," Minaj told her 100 million Instagram followers. "I love performing for my fans. I'm more excited than you are before the show." This was her second show canceled in three weeks. The rapper canceled her show Feb. 22 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and … [Read more...]
DeSean Jackson wants to return to Philadelphia Eagles
Speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson is eyeing a return to the Philadelphia Eagles. Sources told ESPN and NFL Network that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are trying to trade Jackson, who has Philadelphia as his preferred landing spot. The Buccaneers have spoken to other teams, including the Washington Redskins. Jackson was a second round pick by the Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft. He spent six seasons with the franchise, making the Pro Bowl three times. Sources told ESPN that the Eagles and … [Read more...]
Olive oil could help keep stroke at bay for obese Americans
Olive oil, which is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, may be associated with a reduction of stroke risk among severely obese people. If you're obese and you want to do your heart a favor, try adding some olive oil to your diet. So suggests new research, which found that healthy but severely obese patients who consumed olive oil at least once a week had lower platelet activation. That means their blood showed less propensity toward forming clots -- which might help lower their risk of … [Read more...]
Women diagnosed with diseases later than men, study says
Women receive later diagnoses than men for most conditions and diseases, a study found. For example, women receive cancer diagnoses 2.5 years later than men, according to new findings published in the Nature Communications. With metabolic diseases like diabetes, women were diagnosed about 4.5 years later than men. "When we look across all diseases, we see a tendency that women on average are diagnosed later than men. We have looked not just at diseases, but also at the course of the … [Read more...]
Hawks’ Trae Young gets ejected for taunting Bulls’ Kris Dunn
Atlanta Hawks rookie star Trae Young was ejected for taunting Kris Dunn during a win against the Chicago Bulls. The ejection came with 9:20 remaining in the third quarter of the Hawks' 123-118 win Sunday at the United Center in Chicago. Young tossed up a 3-pointer from very deep and swished it, giving the Hawks a 78-62 lead. But Young stuck around a little too long after making the shot, staring in Dunn's direction with his hands on his hips. Officials ruled that Young was taunting on the … [Read more...]
Oil prices fall after Trump’s twitter plea to OPEC
Oil prices started Monday higher on optimism about trade talks, and were on their way to extending gains after a recent rally, until U.S. President Donald Trump's tweet to OPEC sent the market clearly south. West Texas Intermediate prices fell 2.5 percent to $55.85 per barrel while Brent future prices fell 2.2 percent to $65.77 per barrel as of 8:30 a.m. EST. At 06:46 a.m. EST, WTI had traded at $57.43 per barrel, up from $57.26 per barrel on Friday. Trump tweeted early Monday that oil … [Read more...]
U.S. opioid overdose deaths quadruple, centered in 8 states
U.S. opioid overdose deaths have quadrupled in the last two decades, and the highest rates are now seen in eight Eastern states, a new study shows. Those states are Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio. The researchers also found that the death rate from opioids has increased the fastest in the District of Columbia, more than tripling every year since 2013, and that opioid death rates in Florida and Pennsylvania were doubling every two … [Read more...]