Around the country last week, editorial pages began asking the real Bush to stand up. The New York Times labeled him “President Noodle” for his “appalling lack of conviction.” In the White House press corps, reporters began to joke mordantly that it was a good thing Buchanan didn’t call for nuclear war, or the president might have reached for that hot button, too. Hard as Bush tried to court conservatives, however, his own staffers worried that his message was not stirring voters....

Smart exited the game with a right shoulder stinger and a right quadriceps contusion but returned to action after receiving attention in the locker room. MORE: Giaannis Antetokounmpo’s Game 1 impact bodes trouble for Celtics In between Games 1 and 2, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka described Smart’s quad contusion as “pretty bad,” placing his status in question for the second game of the series. After dropping Game 1, the Celtics look to bounce back to even things up against the defending champs....

Europe has struggled historically with these concepts and to this day, they show a propensity to reject the culture that has led to America eclipsing our European forebears. Most European countries have expressly included broad and amorphous exceptions into their ‘free speech’ clauses, while the U.S. Bill of Rights codifies an expansive right to free speech: “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech.” For example, Jourová is from the Czech Republic, where freedom of expression and the right to seek and disseminate information is limited by law....

The more interesting story is not told by mere statistics (though one hopes that 27 percent of male flirters will be smart enough to limit their winking and nudging to the 7 percent of women who apparently don’t mind it). It’s what the survey reflects about the changing landscape of interpersonal relationships, and the rapid evolution of sexual mores, which have culminated in a new set of norms that redefines entire categories of human interaction as hopelessly outré....

After an early-season doubleheader in Spain and Portugal, drivers are getting a much-needed rest ahead of one of the marquee events of the Formula 1 season: the Monaco Grand Prix. Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is off to the best start in his F1 career, with three victories through four races so far this year. They haven’t come entirely easy, though: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is giving Hamilton a run for his money, finishing first or second in all four races so far this young season....

Gatorade is a popular product, but just how healthy is it? Here’s a look at the best-selling sports drink in America, its nutritional value, benefits, and risks. What Is Gatorade? Gatorade is known as the original sports drink. It was developed by researchers at the University of Florida in 1965 for the “Gators” football team as a way for athletes to replenish and rehydrate after physical activity. So what’s in it?...

Must-Know Facts About GMO Wheat To be considered genetically modified, a plant such as wheat needs to have its genome altered through gene splicing in the laboratory. Scientists who genetically engineer crops are looking to introduce a desirable trait into that crop, and they do so by inserting a new gene sequence from another species into the target crop’s genome. For example, biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. created its GMO soybeans by introducing a gene sequence from a specific bacterium, Agrobacterium sp....

One problem: a murky conscience of his own. In an interview last week to mark the upcoming publication of his autobiography, the 78-year-old revealed that as a teenage conscript he’d served with the Waffen SS, the combat arm of the notorious Nazi paramilitaries. Granted, as a conscript he may have had little choice—but for many of his fellow Germans, the disclosure was quite enough to destroy his authority. His critics (and some admirers) detect a hypocrisy that’s impossible to square with his lofty standing....

I know. I must be a horrible baseball fan and, possibly, a Communist. Who doesn’t want to watch strong guys swing for the fences and mash dingers into the stratosphere, right? Well, this guy. This hasn’t always been the case. It’s been a slow but steady slide into apathy. Maybe this year will be different. No pressure, Messrs. Judge and Stanton. MORE: Predicting the Home Run Derby winners, round by round...

So far this year, the 43 percent of Americans who participate in retirement savings plans at work have already been to hell, back and halfway there again, it seems, as the pandemic took stock prices on a wild roller coaster ride. By the end of the first quarter of 2020, the average 401(k) balance was down 19 percent, according to Fidelity Investments, only to rebound 14 percent over the following three months....

McKinnon, a lifelong Democrat but also a Bush adviser, shares McCain’s support for keeping troops in Iraq. McKinnon wrote that while he opposed Obama’s policies, especially on Iraq, he felt the Illinois senator, as an African-American, could play a unique role and didn’t want to work against him. Obama’s campaign said he’d never met McKinnon; McCain’s camp had no comment.

Rory McIlroy’s second major championship in 2014, a one-shot victory at Valhalla over presumably the second-most visible golfer of the last two decades, Phil Mickelson, might have been enough to push the sport over the edge toward an era of a less Tiger-dominated golf media scene. According to a new General Sentiment report, McIlroy’s victory was enough to push the 25-year-old past Woods in 2014 earned media value, a metric that measures media mentions by volume, how positive or negative the mention is and where the media mention is located (Twitter, national newspaper, local newspaper, etc....

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship president David Feldman revealed the organization is in talks to bring the 53-year-old back into combat sports after offering him a $20-million deal earlier this month. A revised offer, which would include charitable donations, may be on the table soon. “I think I know what we need to do to make these things happen”, Feldman was quoted as saying by MMA Fighting over the weekend....

MORE: Watch NBA games live with Sling TV (3-day free trial; U.S. only) Simmons has been dealing with a back ailment that has prevented him from even participating in basketball activity with the rest of his teammates. Will Ben Simmons play on Wednesday, March 23 vs. the Grizzlies? Is Ben Simmons playing tonight? No. What we do know is that there has been another setback with Simmons. On Monday, head coach Steve Nash admitted that Simmons received an epidural in his back to deal with pain from a herniated disc....

Last week, as Buchanan announced his candidacy for president, Buckley didn’t exactly return the favor. In a 40,000-word National Review essay on anti-Semitism among intellectuals, Buckley suggests that Buchanan’s columns on the gulf war were anti-Semitic. While apparently free of prejudice against individual Jews, Buchanan has a real problem. His 1992 campaign slogan-“America First”-echoes more than just pre-World War II isolationism. The America First Committee, headed by Charles Lindbergh, was also discernibly pro-German and anti-Semitic, as Buchanan (whose father was a supporter) well knows....

Scientists are still trying to learn exactly why people need sleep, but animal studies show it is necessary for our nervous systems to work properly. Without it, neurological functioning actually starts to decline, making us feel moody or unable to concentrate, and as if our memory was impaired as well. Sleep Cycles Our sleep cycle is organized in five stages. The first four are classified as non-REM (rapid eye movement), and the last is REM sleep....

Cullen Hoback’s Q: Into the Storm attempted to shed light on the identity of “Q,” whose cryptic posts on message boards sites 4chan, 8chan, and 8kun formed the basis of the QAnon conspiracy, centered on wild claims of a satanic cabal of child-eating pedophiles. Even before the show first aired, there was heavy speculation that Ron Watkins, whose father Jim founded 8kun, was linked to Q, or was even Q himself....

Minnesota lawmakers backed the amended bill in a 72-61 vote. The legislation would limit the use of cannabis to those aged 21 and older, while also wiping the criminal records of people who previously committed minor cannabis-related drug offenses. Regulatory boards and advisory councils would be created, product standards would be introduced and restrictions would be placed on cannabis advertising. Taxation on marijuana product sales would also be put in place....

Based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling book series, the historical and romantic drama, which is set between 1813 and 1827, follows the young Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) as she enters her town’s social season and competitive marriage market. Daphne aspires to meet and match with her one true love during a season of lavish parties, dances and high society outings. However, the musings of a mysterious column by a woman known only as Lady Whistledown—narrated by Julie Andrews—may lead to her entanglement with the city’s hottest bachelor, the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page....

And coach Tom Herman — even after beating rival Oklahoma 48-45 on a late field goal Saturday at the Cotton Bowl — couldn’t care less. MORE: What Texas’ win means for Big 12 “It’s irrelevant to us, I think. That’s probably the best way to put it,” Herman said after the Longhorns overcame a fourth-quarter collapse with Sam Ehlinger’s clutch drive and Cameron Dicker’s clutch 40-yard kick with nine seconds to play....