President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is already the subject of campaign attack ads launched by both parties. One Republican group is targeting vulnerable House Democrats like Rep. Jared Golden of Maine with the charge of “voting against tax cuts.”
DEAR HARRIETTE: I started my current job during the COVID-19 pandemic, and at that time, everyone was working from home. This year, my employer has asked that we all begin working in the office again full-time. I live over an hour away from the office, and the commute is excessive. The cost of gas continues to rise, but my salary has not changed. My supervisor is usually accommodating, but the company as a whole has suffered a bit in terms of sales revenue this year. I want to ask for a raise, or at least to be compensated for my gas now that a commute is required, but am I being insensitive to the company’s current state? – Need a Raise DEAR NEED A RAISE: This may not be the best time to make your pitch, but you, too, are suffering. You can always ask. Request a private meeting with your supervisor, ask if it is possible for you to have a gas allowance. Make sure you go in with facts: Calculate how much you’ll be spending weekly on gas, and ask for a stipend to cover that amount. That type of request will likely be more welcome than asking for a raise at this time, but if other team members are also commuting long distances, your pitch may not work. Another option might be to ask for a hybrid arrangement where you work from home a couple of days each week. To help your case, remind your boss of the ways in which you support the team and go beyond expectations whenever asked.
Dear Doctors: Whenever you talk about neti pots, you include a warning about always using distilled water. It seemed to me like an overreaction, but now there’s news that someone died from not doing that. Why would that be, when drinking water is treated and goes through testing?
We know many Democrats were stunned when Donald Trump won a second term as president. We know many are still angry about it. But we’re just now learning how angry some of them are.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister and I have always been close, but lately our relationship has been feeling strained, and I think it has a lot to do with how she constantly compares our kids. Every time we’re together, she makes comments about how much more advanced her daughter is or how her son is better behaved. She’ll say things like, “Well, mine was already reading at that age,” or “Maybe you should try what we do, it seems to work.” Sometimes it’s subtle, but other times it feels downright competitive.
Dear Doctors: Type 1 diabetes runs in our family. Because of that, our pediatrician asked to do blood tests with our son to check if Type 1 is beginning. She also said that if it shows up, there’s a medicine that can slow things down. I’ve never heard of any of this and would like to know more.
PETOSKEY, Mich. – The sun is out, the lake is glistening, the strawberries are bright red and summer-sweet. Golfers and anglers are busy, cyclists are on the move, brats are on the barbecue. This is Michigan at its best.
DEAR HARRIETTE: There’s this guy I’ve been seeing, and now that we’re official, I’ve been spending a lot more time at his house. I recently learned about a strange habit of his that I don’t appreciate. He works in sanitation and often has early morning shifts. When he leaves for work, he walks outside shirtless. The first time this happened, I was shocked. I asked him where he was going without his clothing, and he said his shirt was in the car. He was parked right in front of his house, but I found it inappropriate.
I am finally moving my clothes back into my closet.
After Sen. Thom Tillis announced his opposition to Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, the president excoriated the North Carolina Republican and vowed to support a primary candidate against him next year. Tillis promptly declared that he was not running again, depriving Trump of leverage and reclaiming the “pure freedom” to speak his mind.