(AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — A top U.S. health official on Thursday pledged to try to ban menthol from regular cigarettes, outlaw flavors in all cigars, and tighten rules regarding the sale of most flavored versions of electronic cigarettes.

The move represents a major step to further push down U.S. smoking rates, which have been falling for decades.

The restrictions are mainly aimed at reducing smoking in kids: About half of teens who smoke cigarettes choose menthols and flavored e-cigarettes have been blamed for a recent increase in teen vaping rates. [Read more]

Jordin Sparks has teamed up with an inspiring new project called Generation S to bring attention to and tell real stories of sickle cell disease.

Sparks lost her 16-year-old step sister Bryanna to sickle cell earlier this year. She remembers her as being a “vibrant,” happy teen. So seeing her struggle with this disease was hard, but it also inspired Sparks to help others.

Sparks says if a project like Generation S was around before Bryanna’s death, “she would have felt less alone,” and knew that there were people who understood her pain. [Read more]

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What was previously a very private, and in some cases unspoken, way to conceive has become one of the most talked about ways to become a mother. Surrogacy has been life-changing for many women whose path to become a mother was not as simple as getting pregnant on their own. This includes several high-profile celebrities like Kim Kardashian West and Gabrielle Union, who have been open and honest about their journey to motherhood through the surrogacy process, however many still don’t seem to know exactly what having a surrogate actually means. [Read more]

With so many negative things going on in the world broadcast in real-time on traditional and social media, how do you talk to your kids about them? That’s where Dr. Dawn Brown comes in. She’s the double-board certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist.

Brown is the CEO and sole practitioner at ADHD wellness center and has two private practice locations in Texas. She is also the psychiatrist for 3 clinics in Texas and Illinois. Brown is a proud graduate of the Xavier University of Louisiana, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine. [Read more]

BOSTON (AP) — A Black Panther “slash claw” and a plastic Power Rangers sword are among the toys topping a consumer safety group’s annual list of worst toys for the holiday season.

Massachusetts-based World Against Toys Causing Harm, or W.A.T.C.H., unveiled its list Tuesday at a Boston children’s hospital.

A Nerf gun, a Cabbage Patch Kids doll and a xylophone for infants also made the list.

The nonprofit organization’s president, Joan Siff, says many of the toys represent choking, eye and other safety hazards that surface year after year. [Read more]

Donna Brazile’s recent makeover had the internet abuzz. The 58-year-old political strategist turned pundit always was always on point with her analysis but her look was matronly and outdated. At some point, Brazile must have decided that she wanted a change.

Here is how we most remember seeing her.

Certainly attractive, but we’re going to guess that most people figured Brazile for a woman older than she actually is. We ALL know that person. Or maybe we ARE that person. But just because you’re older or divorced or a grandmother or even a great-grandmother doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself or your wardrobe to drab old-lady clothes. [Read more]

What do the mid-term results mean for the economy and for everyday Americans?

We are unlikely to see significant changes to economic policy, at least in the short term. As a result, while the results will certainly have ripple effects, they are unlikely to affect the core foundations of the economy. As Warren Buffett says, markets are stronger than governments. That said, the policy of deregulation pushed by the Republicans will now slow, and there could be an infrastructure bill which could boost some industries. [Read more]