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Senator Mitch McConnell has kept his full salary for more than two months while recovering from a June fall, according to Newsweek. That's more paid time off than most women who give birth in his home state of Kentucky can count on. McConnell was hospitalized in mid-June, moved to rehab, and was discharged in early August to keep recovering at home. He has stayed on the federal payroll the entire time. Congress has no official paid sick leave policy, so members can draw their salary indefinitely while on medical leave. Meanwhile, millions of American women who give birth each year have no guaranteed paid maternity leave, Newsweek reports. Beth Wanner, founder of Mother Cover, said the comparison extends beyond pay. Margaret Quinlan, a professor and director of the Health and Medical Humanities program at UNC Charlotte, told Newsweek McConnell's leave shows what a humane response to a health event looks like: time, pay, and job security -- calling it an exhausting irony that Americans recovering from childbirth cannot count on those same protections. McConnell's office says he continues to need recovery time; he has lived with lasting effects of childhood polio. Supporters say he deserves whatever time is necessary. Critics say it shows how unequally recovery is treated depending on who you are. There is still no federal law guaranteeing paid sick leave or paid parental leave for American workers. Congress can take fully paid medical leave without limit, but has never extended that guarantee to the people it represents.

At 4 in the morning in Fatehpur, India, 19-year-old Tanu Kesarwani was in the middle of her wedding ceremony when her dog began to bark. The animal was tied near the altar, but his noise became a target. A guest from the groom’s family, 25-year-old Sumit Kesarwani, struck the dog to force him into silence. That sparked an immediate confrontation. The wedding transformed into a chaotic brawl as both families began fighting. By the time police intervened to restore order, five people were injured. Tanu and Sumit had been together for two years and had already held a previous marriage at an Arya Samaj temple in Kanpur. Yet, the actions of the groom’s family changed everything in an instant. Tanu did not hesitate. She refused to move forward with the formal ceremony, returned her jewellery, and ended the relationship on the spot. It is a striking decision that forces us to look past the venue and the dress. As Tanu noted, anyone who does not respect an animal does not respect anyone.

President Donald Trump voted by mail in Florida's Republican primary, voting records from Palm Beach County show, even as he continues to publicly rail against mail-in voting and push for sweeping restrictions on who can use it. Records show Trump requested his ballot in late July and it was returned on August 13. It is not the first time. He also voted by mail in a Palm Beach County special election earlier this year. Trump has repeatedly called mail-in ballots "inherently corrupt,” including in July this year. He is pushing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would mandate photo ID and proof of citizenship for federal elections and severely restrict mail-in voting to military personnel, travelers, and those with a disability or illness. His administration is simultaneously asking the Supreme Court to allow a presidential executive order on mail-in voting to take effect before the midterms, after a federal appeals court blocked it earlier this year. The White House called the story a "non-story," with spokesperson Olivia Wales saying Trump participates in Florida elections as a Palm Beach resident but "primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.". Florida's Republican-controlled legislature has not acted on Trump's demands to restrict mail-in voting, maintaining a longstanding state law that allows any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot, though restrictions on ballot collection and additional ID requirements have been added in recent years.

This 40-year-old parrot waited by herself in an empty house, weak and struggling to eat or drink, with no idea her person wasn't coming back. Her owner had passed away, leaving her behind with no one checking in. Rescuers didn't even know she existed until someone finally reached out on her behalf. When they broke through and lifted her out of that cage, she could barely stand. Two weeks of holding on by herself had drained nearly everything she had left. Now she's in the hands of a team determined to help her heal, with a padded enclosure, gentle warmth, and someone checking on her every single day. Her recovery is slow, but she's not alone anymore, and this time, someone's staying.

"Yeah, he has," President Trump said when asked Monday if North Korea's Kim Jong Un responded to his decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.
Trump said the move came as South Korea recently declined to join the U.S. effort to denuclearize Iran.
"We can't go around and protect all of these countries, especially when they're not there to help us," the president said.

A mysterious bulge visible on President Donald Trump's backside during a Long Island rally on Friday has sparked a fresh wave of online speculation about what was tucked beneath his suit. The odd, box-like shape was spotted in a video posted to X by outgoing press secretary Karoline Leavitt, showing Trump descending from the stage and walking toward the crowd with a rigid-looking protrusion visible through the back of his jacket. The shape appeared to hold its position as he moved. Independent journalist Aaron Rupar was among the first to flag it. "Seriously, what is going on with Trump's rear end here? It looks like he has some sort of contraption back there," he wrote on X. Former conservative lawyer George Conway responded with a single word: "It depends," an apparent reference to the adult diaper brand, while Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova wrote, "That's a big diaper, I think.” Others suggested a colostomy bag or joked about a Brazilian butt lift. The speculation comes as scrutiny of Trump's health has intensified throughout his second term. The 80-year-old has appeared in public with a bruised hand, bulging ankles, and a mysterious neck rash, and has fallen asleep during multiple public events. At the same Long Island rally, Trump appeared to forget the name of the woman he had just endorsed for New York attorney general, calling out from the podium, "Where the he!l are you… Ma'am? Where are you?" 

Multiple sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have tried to go overboard during the ship's extended deployment, families told MS NOW, as the carrier's roughly 5,000 crew members remain at sea more than eight months into a deployment that was supposed to end in May with no return date announced. Annabelle Loma said her husband attempted to jump overboard after being repeatedly pushed beyond his limits. He is now on medical hold. "He's scared. He thinks he’ll get a dishonorable discharge, and just because he was burnt out, his 13-year career is ruined, just like that. That’s not fair, that’s not right. That’s not what he should be worrying about right now," Loma said. In a separate incident, sailor Maria Rodriguez's husband pulled a crewmate back from going overboard while on watch, grabbing their arms before they went over the side. "He said he hadn’t felt adrenaline like that in his life, and he was just so thankful he was able to get to [the sailor] in time, to stop them from going overboard," Rodriguez said. The Navy has not said how many sailors have attempted to go overboard or self-harmed during the deployment. More than 200 family members gathered in San Diego last week for a meeting with acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, raising concerns about sailors' mental health, exhaustion, and living conditions. During a separate virtual meeting held the same evening, Vice Admiral Joseph Cahill, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said, "We hear you loud and clear.” A relief carrier strike group is being prepared, but no timeline has been given.