Today's News: March 29, 2018

World News

Russia expels 60 US diplomats, closes American consulate
Al Jazeera – Russia gave official notice to 60 US diplomats to leave the country by April 5 in response to Washington’s expulsion of 60 Russian officials earlier this week.
According to a statement by the Russian foreign ministry released on Thursday, 58 of those expelled served at the US embassy in Moscow and two at the US consulate in Yekaterinburg.

Syrian town expects US to fend off Turkey’s threat of attack
Brownsville Herald – In Manbij, north Syria. Manbij, a mixed Arab and Kurdish town of nearly 400,000, was liberated from Islamic State militants in 2016 by the YPG fighters with backing from U.S-led coalition airstrikes. With Turkey’s threats, the town has become the axle for U.S. policy in Syria, threatening its prestige and military deployment in eastern Syria. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)U.S. News, Politics & Government

Dutch vote to reject ‘Big Brother’ legislation expanding surveillance powers of security agencies
RT – The Dutch population does not want security agencies to receive more surveillance powers, official results of the referendum showed. Although only advisory, the vote sends a strong signal to the government pushing for the law.
The Electoral Council said 49.4 percent of the voters spoke out against the Intelligence and Security Law during the March 21 referendum. The legislation was supported by 46.5 percent, with four percent of those participating casting blank ballots, it added.
The addition of the law on the ballot boosted voter turnout to almost 52 percent, far exceeding the minimum turnout of 30 percent required for a plebiscite to be declared valid.
The new legislation, which the opponents dubbed the ‘Big Data Law,’ or data mining law, provides additional powers to the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD).

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump proposal to penalize immigrants who use tax credits, benefits
Mercury News – Immigrants who accept almost any form of welfare or public benefit, even popular tax deductions, could be denied legal U.S. residency under a proposal awaiting approval by the Trump administration, which is seeking to reduce the number of foreigners living in the United States.
According to a draft of the proposal obtained by The Washington Post, immigration caseworkers would be required to consider a much broader range of factors when determining whether immigrants or their U.S.-citizen children are using public benefits or may be likely to do so.

Democrats demand Jared Kushner be investigated
Al Jazeera – A group of House Democrats has called on the FBI to investigate President Donald Trump‘s senior adviser Jared Kushner for allegedly leaking classified information to a foreign power.
In a letter addressed to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, the six lawmakers demanded the president’s son-in-law be questioned over allegations in recent media reports that he gave Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman – also known as MBS – secret information.

Laura Ingraham Apologizes as Advertisers Flee, David Hogg Says ‘Not Enough’
Breitbart – Fox News Host Laura Ingraham shared a public apology Thursday to Parkland school student David Hogg after multiple companies announced they were pulling their ads from her show, the Ingraham Angle.
>> Related: Parkland Student-Activist David Hogg Targets Laura Ingraham’s Advertisers for Boycott

U.S. Special Counsel probing Russia contacts at Republican convention: sources
Reuters – Investigators probing whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign colluded with Russia have been questioning witnesses about events at the 2016 Republican National Convention, according to two sources familiar with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiries.

Uber Settles With Family of Woman Killed by Self-Driving Car in Arizona
Sputnik – The family of Elaine Herzberg, a 49-year-old woman who was struck and killed by a self-driving car on March 18 in Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, has reached a settlement with Uber just ten days after the fatal accident.

Health

Being Dehydrated Can Make You Tired, Grumpy and Sick
Mercola – Why Your Body Needs Water
Your body consists of about 42 liters (44.4 quarts) of water, which accounts for between 50 percent and 70 percent of your body weight. Your blood is 85 percent water, your muscles 80 percent water, your brain 75 percent water and even your bones are 25 percent water,5 which signals the importance this fluid plays in your health. So what happens if you don’t drink enough?
The No. 1 risk factor for kidney stones is not drinking enough water, for starters. There is also some research showing that high fluid intake is linked to a lower risk of certain types of cancer, such as bladder and colorectal.6 Even the risk of fatal coronary heart disease has been linked to water intake, with a study showing women who drank five or more glasses of water per day reduced their risk by 41 percent compared to women who drank less. Men, meanwhile, reduced their risk by 54 percent.7
Your body also needs water for blood circulation, metabolism, regulation of body temperature and waste removal. If you’re dehydrated, even mildly, your mood and cognitive function may also suffer. In a study of 25 women, those who suffered from 1.36 percent dehydration experienced a worsened mood, irritability, headaches and lower concentration, and perceived tasks to be more difficult.8
When you don’t drink enough water, you may also pose a danger on the road, according to a study published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, which found dehydrated drivers made twice the amount of errors during a two-hour drive compared to hydrated drivers.9

Depressed adults often put their heart health at risk through poor diet
Natural News – Depression can be a difficult illness to manage. Most people think of it largely as a mental illness, but the effects it can have on a person’s physical health are significant. For example, those suffering from depression are more likely than others to eat a poor diet that jeopardizes their heart health. The relationship between diet and mental health is a two-way street, and understanding it can lead to improved treatments.
When it comes to depression and poor diet, it’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg question. It can be hard to say in some cases whether a person’s poor diet caused their depression or their depression led them to eat an unhealthy diet. However, there is an undeniably higher risk of heart problems and poor eating habits in depressed people. This can make overcoming depression even more difficult as the resultant medical problems can seriously impact mood.
A study in the Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism concluded that depressed adults could improve their eating habits by paying better attention to the nutritional values of their food. This is easier said than done, however, as depressed people tend to lack the motivation needed to make healthy eating choices. Indeed, depression is considered a risk factor for heart problems, with one study revealing that a heart attack survivor with depression’s risk of death was three times that of survivors who aren’t depressed.

Painkiller Abuse Spikes During Cold, Flu Season
Newsmax – A growing number of people are taking high doses of the painkiller acetaminophen, and many take so much during cold and flu season that they run the risk of liver and kidney damage, two studies suggest.
Throughout the year, 6.3 percent of acetaminophen users take more than the maximum recommended daily dose at least one day during weeks when they use the drug, one study of 14,481 U.S. adults found.
During cold and flu season, however, people were 24 percent more likely to exceed the maximum recommended dose of 4,000 milligrams at least once a week.