Definitely recall

Hey MAGA!

Trying to be happy makes us unhappier by zapping our self-control

It's called the "Happiness Paradox" 

University of Toronto

Study author Sam Maglio seems like a happy guy

Researchers have a new explanation for why we experience the "happiness paradox" -- a phenomenon wherein trying to make ourselves happier actually makes us less happy.

Studies have documented the paradox for more than a decade, yet few have dug into what causes it. It turns out, according to new U of T Scarborough research published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, trying to be happier is mentally exhausting in a way that drains our ability to use self-control and willpower. 

As a result, we're more susceptible to temptation, and to making the kind of self-destructive decisions that make us less happy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr says vitamin A protects you from deadly measles. Here’s what the study he cites actually says

Vitamin A does NOT prevent Measles. Period.

Vitamin A is NOT a substitute for vaccination.

Evangeline Mantzioris, University of South Australia

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who oversees the health of more than 340 million Americans, says vitamin A can prevent the worst effects of measles rather than urging more people to get vaccinated.

In an opinion piece for Fox News, the US health secretary said he was “deeply concerned” about the current measles outbreak in Texas. However, he said the decision to vaccinate was a “personal one” and something for parents to discuss with their health-care provider.

Kennedy mentioned updated advice from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to treat measles with vitamin A. He also cited a study he said shows vitamin A can reduce the risk of dying from measles.

Here’s what the vitamin A study actually says and why public health officials are so concerned about Kennedy’s latest statement.

Why is a measles outbreak so worrying?

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily including when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.

Measles initially infects the respiratory tract and then the virus spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, red eyes, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Measles can also be severe, can cause complications including blindness and swelling of the brain, and can be fatal. Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.

The psychology behind anti-trans legislation

Why is there so much hatred of transexuals?

Julia Standefer, Iowa State University and L. Alison Phillips, Iowa State University

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in the film classic
"Some Like It Hot"

A state law signed Feb. 28, 2025, removes gender identity as a protected status from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, leaving transgender people vulnerable to discrimination. The rights of transgender people – those who present gender characteristics that differ from what has historically been expected of someone based on their biological sex traits – are under political attack across the United States. There are now hundreds of anti-trans bills at various points in the legislative process.

But why?

Reasons given usually center on protecting children, protecting cisgender women’s rights in bathrooms and sports competitions, and on removing funding for gender-affirming care. Some efforts appear to stem from fear-driven motives that are not supported by evidence.

Bias against trans people may not always feel like bias. For someone who believes it to be true, saying there can only be biological men who identify as men and biological women who identify as women may feel like a statement of fact. But research shows that gender is a spectrum, separate from biological sex, which is also more complex than the common male-female binary.

We are social psychologists who study and teach about the basic social, cognitive and emotion-based processes people use to make sense of themselves and the world. Research reveals psychological processes that bias people in ways they usually aren’t aware of. These common human tendencies can influence what we think about a particular group, influence how we act toward them, and prompt legislators to pass biased laws.

Trump administration sets out to create an America its people have never experienced − one without a meaningful government

Are you ready for anarcho-capitalism?

Sidney Shapiro, Wake Forest University and Joseph P. Tomain, University of Cincinnati

The U.S. government is attempting to dismantle itself.

Donald Trump has directed the executive branch to “significantly reduce the size of government.” That includes deep cuts in federal funding of scientific and medical research and freezing federal grants and loans for businesses. 

He has ordered the reversal or removal of regulations on medical insurance companies and other businesses and sought to fire thousands of federal employees. Those are just a few of dozens of executive orders that seek to deconstruct the government.

More than 70 lawsuits have challenged those orders as illegal or unconstitutional. In the meantime, the resulting chaos is preventing the government from carrying out its everyday functions.

The administration accidentally fired civil servants who were responsible for safeguarding the country’s nuclear weapons, preventing a bird flu epidemic and overseeing the nation’s electricity supply. 

A Veterans Administration official told NBC, “It’s leading to paralysis, and nothing is getting done.” A spokesperson at a nationwide program that provides meals to seniors, Meals on Wheels, which the government helps fund, said, “The uncertainty right now is creating chaos for local Meals on Wheels providers not knowing whether they should be serving meals today.”

Our recent book, “How Government Built America,” shows why the administration’s aim to eliminate government could result in an America that the country’s people have never experienced – one in which free-market economic forces operate without any accountability to the public.

Nothing to see here

Congratulations, Donald

American bird population declines continue

A world without birds?

Marc Devokaitis, associate editor for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

More than five years after a landmark study in the journal Science showed that North American bird populations declined by nearly 30% since 1970, a new report finds that the concerning trend is continuing apace.

The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report – an assessment of the health of the nation’s bird populations, published by scientists from U.S. conservation groups, including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology – shows that bird populations across the United States are still in decline, with the losses touching the majority of bird groups and habitats from coast to coast. And some of the bright spots from recent reports, such as a long-term increase in waterfowl numbers, are beginning to dim.

The report was presented March 13 at the 90th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference, which included wildlife and resource managers from around the country.

Key findings in the new report include:

• About a third of American birds (229 species) are of high or moderate concern due to low populations, declining trends or other threats to their survival;
• Both Eastern and Western forest birds are continuing to decline overall, and the rates of decline are increasing in the West;
• Grassland and arid-land birds in the U.S. are among the fastest declining groups (43% and 41% declines, respectively, since 1970); and
• Waterfowl populations, which have increased overall since 1970, have declined by 20% since 2014.

Tariffs won’t just hit your wallet. They could also increase food waste.

Wednesday, on April 2, Trump plans to announce major new tariffs

Frida Garza, Staff Writer

Spring has sprung, and you can tell by looking at Dig’s online menu. The fast-casual chain known for its bountiful salads and bowls is promoting a new sandwich for the spring — the “avo smash,” wherein a hearty piece of chicken or tofu is embraced by a brioche bun, pesto aioli, and plenty of bright-green avocado. 

The lunch spot’s seasonal menus are planned at least three months in advance, said Andrew Torrens, Dig’s director of supply, meaning the avo smash has been in the works for a while. However, if the United States decides to escalate a global trade war next month, Dig will have to come up with a backup plan fast.

“If avocado prices explode, what’s our backup? How do we pivot?” said Torrens on a recent phone call. 

Since his inauguration in January, Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada — creating confusion for restaurant owners, food distributors, grocers, and consumers who rely on the United States’ neighbor to the south for fruits and vegetables year-round. 

On February 1, Trump signed an executive order levying a 25 percent tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico. However, he has twice pushed back the start date; earlier this month, he paused tariffs on most goods coming in from Mexico and Canada until April 2. What will actually happen on that date — which Trump has dubbed “Liberation Day” — is still largely unclear.

A tariff on goods from Mexico, the single largest supplier of horticultural imports to the U.S., would almost certainly mean higher prices at the grocery store. It could also, according to experts, increase food waste along the supply chain.

Dig sources most of its avocados from Mexico, where the warm climate is ideal for growing these fruits. This is common — in fact, about 90 percent of avocados consumed in the U.S. come from Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Trumps Billionaire Commerce Secretary: Only 'Fraudsters' Will Complain If Social Security Checks Don't Arrive

Yeah, MAGA. Yeah Jim Mageau. You won't miss your Social Security checks, right?

Jessica Corbett for Common Dreams

Maybe HE won't miss his checks

As U.S. President Donald Trump's temporary leader of the Social Security Administration threatened to shut down the agency over an unfavorable court ruling on Friday, the billionaire commerce secretary came under fire for suggesting that only "fraudsters" will complain if they don't get their earned benefits.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on All-In—a podcast hosted by "four billionaire besties"—on Thursday. A brief clip of his interview, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, made the rounds on social media Friday.

Lutnick told two of the hosts that if the SSA didn't send out checks this month, his 94-year-old mother-in-law "wouldn't call and complain," but "a fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling, and complaining."

Critics were quick to point out Lutnick's wealth. As More Perfect Union posted, "His net worth is estimated at $2 billion."

Richard Phillips, pensions and tax policy director for U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called the commerce secretary's comments "shameful."

"Nearly 40% of seniors rely on Social Security for a majority of their income and nearly 1 in 7 rely on it for more than 90% of their income," according to Phillips. "These people would call due to missing checks because their very survival depends on it."

King Donald declares that media that criticize him are criminal

Trump's march to fascism takes another step

Jessica Corbett for Common Dreams

U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign-like speech at the Department of Justice sparked a fresh wave of alarm over the Republican's attacks on his critics, disrespect for the rule of law, and plans for his second term.

Trump—who was convicted of 34 felonies in New York before returning to the White House—slammed his perceived opponents as "scum" and "thugs," called efforts to hold him accountable for alleged criminal activity "bullshit," and declared: "We will expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government. We will expose... their egregious crimes and severe misconduct."

Trump's appearance with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and props promoting drug enforcement displayed his intent to remake the federal judiciary and fueled speculation that he will appoint Florida-based District Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed the classified documents case against him, to the nation's Supreme Court.

King Donald in love

Victoria Gu's new bill helps protect beach access

You’ve Been Misreading Your Dog’s Emotions This Whole Time

You are probably projecting your own feelings onto your pooch

By Arizona State University

Life with a dog is a constant exchange—especially when it comes to communication. Since humans and dogs don’t share a common language, understanding each other depends on interpreting behavior and emotional cues. That process often feels effortless. You hand your dog a treat, she looks into your eyes as if to say, “I’m thrilled to have this!” With a wag of her tail, she takes the treat and trots off happily. In that moment, you feel a deep connection with your pet.

Or at least, that’s what you believe.

New research from Arizona State University suggests that people often misinterpret their dog’s emotions. One key reason? Humans tend to project their own feelings onto their pets rather than accurately reading canine expressions.

How Context Clouds Canine Emotions

In their study, “Barking up the wrong tree: Human perceptions of dog emotions is influenced by extraneous factors,” ASU researchers Holly Molinaro and Clive Wynne conducted experiments to examine how people perceive dog emotions. Their findings indicate that most humans don’t assess a dog’s emotional state based on the dog’s behavior alone. Instead, they rely on the context of the situation to make assumptions.