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President Joe Biden demanded over the weekend that an audience at the White House clap during remarks that he made while speaking on St. Patrick’s Day.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., struggled to drum up support amid her remarks about the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) on Wednesday, insisting the audience should clap throughout certain parts of her speech. Joined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at the White House to boast about the measure on its one-year anniversary, Pelosi touted what she believes to be benefits of the IRA, which she described as a "remarkable accomplishment." Pelosi said there is "no more urgent task than saving our planet," claiming the issue of climate change is a "health issue," an "economic issue," and a "moral...

First lady Jill Biden suffered a Jeb Bush “please clap” moment on Thursday, when her applause line fell utterly flat during an event in Washington. “I’ve visited red states and blue states and I’ve found that the common values that unite us are deeper than our divisions,” Jill told an audience at the Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, DC. After saying the line, the first lady paused for a moment before reacting with surprise at spectators’ non-reaction. “And, um, I thought you might clap for that,” said Biden, drawing laughs and applause.

The UK government announced that the country will observe a moment of silence to honour the Ukrainians and demonstrate Britain’s “solidarity” with the war effort against Russia. In a move reminiscent of the “clap for carers” initiative during the Chinese coronavirus crisis to celebrate healthcare workers and even the annual Armistice Day commemoration remembering the huge sacrifice of the British and Empire in two worlds wars, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has announced that there will be a “national moment” of silence on February 24th. The silence late this month marks the one-year anniversary since Russia launched its invasion of...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Beto O’Rourke said Sunday that he had cleared his campaign schedule after receiving treatment at a San Antonio hospital for an unspecified bacterial infection. In a statement tweeted Sunday by his campaign, O’Rourke said he sought treatment at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio after feeling ill Friday. Intravenous antibiotic infusions improved his symptoms, O'Rourke said. “While my symptoms have improved, I will be resting at home in El Paso in accordance with the doctors' recommendations,” he said. “I am sorry to have had to postpone events because of this, but (I) promise...

Gone are the days when intimate relationships were shared between two people. And an Australian woman, who identifies herself as polyamorous, has opened up about how she embraces sexual relationships with multiple people. Penny has been in polyamorous relationships for five years - a lifestyle where she enjoys spending time with more than one person on an emotional level. Like any monogamous relationship, the woman goes out with the man or woman she 'loves' on romantic dates, cuddles up with them on the couch and has sex with them.

Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis Infections from these three sexually spread diseases have hit another record high in the U.S. Chlamydia was the most common. More than 1.5 million cases were reported in the U.S. last year, up 6 per cent from the year before. Nearly 400,000 gonorrhea cases were reported, up 13 per cent. And there were about 24,000 cases of the most contagious forms of syphilis, up 19 per cent. [snip] An estimated 20 million cases of sexually transmitted infections occur each year in the U.S. The worrying new figures come amid fears sexually-transmitted diseases could soon become untreatable...

Antibiotic-resistant cases of the sexually transmitted illness gonorrhea have more than quadrupled in the United States. This new data, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, should serve as a warning that "the future of current treatment options may be in jeopardy," the agency said in a news release issued Thursday. "The confluence of emerging drug resistance and very limited alternative options for treatment creates a perfect storm for future gonorrhea treatment failure in the U.S.," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, who directs the CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention.

Gonorrhea was relatively benign in years gone by, going by the name “the clap” and was easily treated with penicillin. Now it’s a monster. A super-resistant form is cutting a swath through straight and gay communities. When it emerged in Leeds last year, the new superbug prompted a national alert when one of the main treatments became useless against it. The Neisseria ­gonorrhoeae infection is spread through unprotected vaginal, oral and anal sex. Left untreated, gonorrhoea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease. Inflammation of the ­fallopian tubes can cause a blockage which can result in infertility. Gonorrhoea can also be...

Dame Sally Davies has written to all GPs and pharmacies to ensure they are prescribing the correct drugs after the rise of "super-gonorrhoea" in Leeds. Her warning comes after concerns were raised that some patients were not getting both of the antibiotics needed to clear the infection. Sexual health doctors said gonorrhoea was "rapidly" developing resistance. A highly drug-resistant strain of gonorrhoea was detected in the north of England in March.

The social justice warriors of American campuses would like you to hold your applause. When a Yale student's angry meltdown at a professor went viral, viewers may have noticed the crowd gathered and some students snapping their fingers. It's the currently preferred method of showing approval in some circles, given complaints that traditional clapping can be "triggering," or even painful to hands unaccustomed to work. Although the curious digital trend is catching fire with the college crowd, it is not new or confined to the U.S.

A potentially dangerous sexually transmitted disease that infects millions of people each year is growing resistant to drugs and could soon become untreatable, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. The United Nations' health agency is urging governments and doctors to step up surveillance of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation, infertility, pregnancy complications and, in extreme cases, lead to maternal death. Babies born to mothers with gonorrhea have a 50 percent chance of developing eye infections that can result in blindness. "This organism has basically been developing resistance against every medication we've thrown at it," said Dr....

Occupy Wall Street protesters are flocking to nearby health clinics for testing for sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV, after getting their freak on in 1960s-style hookups with crusty strangers, sources said. "Last week was free love," a medical professional at a nearby clinic said, referring to the number of people who organizers referred for STD testing. A volunteer at Zuccotti Park admitted concern among protesters about STDs. "We give directions to clinics if people ask for information regarding STDs," the volunteer, who identified himself only as "Captain," said, adding that pregnancy tests are also a hot item.

SACRAMENTO — While Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic lawmakers praised legislative victories, they didn't talk about damage to the governor's Democratic challenger and critics' assertions that sweeping new legislation may backfire. Schwarzenegger, Senate leader Don Perata, D-Oakland, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, forged deals on reducing global warming, hiking the minimum wage, lowering prescription drug costs for the poor — and other issues in what they are calling one of the most productive sessions in decades. But some say the lauded measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California — for instance — was political theater that...

Anti-American media (hero) Cindy Sheehan is taking her fixation with President Bush to new depths with her announcement that she will hold a President's Day protest in Houston outside the private residence of the parents of President Bush, targeting his mother, former First Lady Barbara Bush.Sheehan gave this description of her upcoming media (stunt):For the love of God, can't you make him stop? Recently, it was revealed that George only interacts with four people: Laura, Condi, Karen Hughes and his mom. His mom, the Ice Queen who didn't want her "pretty mind" burdened with the images of flag draped coffins...

OTTAWA - Group sex among consenting adults is neither prostitution nor a threat to society, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Wednesday as it lifted a ban on so-called “swingers” clubs. In a ruling that radically changes the way courts determine what poses a threat to the population, the top court threw out the conviction of a Montreal man who ran a club where members could have group sex in a private room behind locked doors.

In a sworn statement to be made public Tuesday, University of Colorado President Elizabeth Hoffman said a four-letter word used toward women can sometimes be used as a "term of endearment." The comment comes from Hoffman's latest sworn testimony in connection with a federal lawsuit against the university. The suit was filed by women who say they were sexually assaulted by CU football players and recruits. A lawyer for one of the women asked Hoffman about former CU kicker Katie Hnida being called the "c- word" by a teammate. That player was later disciplined by coach Gary Barnett for making...