But be careful. If you tap your equity for everyday things like lattes, you may find that the big ATM you call home is all tapped out. That could put you at risk of losing your home if you run into financial trouble.

Despite this, politicians have reacted predictably: let me at the loot. George W. Bush has made a huge tax cut a centerpiece of his campaign. It would cost an estimated $1.3 trillion over 10 years. Last week Congress started debate over a new Medicare drug benefit. The White House’s own drug proposal carries a 10-year estimated price tag of $253 billion. The Republican alternative might be two thirds of that but is hugely complex and (as Democrats complain) possibly unworkable....

When Cheney stepped down from Halliburton to run for vice president, he sold his company stock and gave profits from his stock options to charity. But he still had more compensation coming. Rather than taking it in a lump-sum payment of about $800,000, Cheney opted for “deferred compensation,” Wendy Hall of Halliburton tells NEWSWEEK. Cheney chose annual payments of “less than $180,000” from 2001 to 2005, says Hall, which offers a tax benefit....

Causes Both the flu and mono are caused by viruses, but the viruses differ and are transmitted in different ways. Flu Causes Of the four types of viruses that can cause the flu (influenza A, B, C, and D), influenza A and B are the most commonly spread from person to person. They are also the viruses responsible for the seasonal flu each year. Influenza A viruses are categorized by subtypes based on proteins found on the surface of the virus, while influenza B viruses are categorized by their lineage....

The South Korean rapper, also known as Lee Joo-heon posted a note in Monsta X’s official fan forum saying that he was “mentally very weak right now” and “digging for a hole” he can break through. “To be honest, I deliberated a lot over whether or not I should write something. I am mentally very weak right now and in a difficult situation,” he told Monsta X fans, who are collectively known as Monbebe (meaning “my baby” in French)....

Winds blowing at more than 60 miles per hour drove the dust storm that led to 21 vehicles crashing on Interstate 90, while the number of people injured is not yet clear. “It appears as though there was heavy winds, causing a dust storm with zero visibility,” said Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson. Extra ambulances were brought from Billings, Montana to help cope with the situation, which occurred three miles west of Hardin in the state’s Big Horn County....

ESPN.com sources say the 75-year-old Kiffin would like to continue coaching in some capacity. He was the Cowboys assistant coach/defense in 2014, a year after being the defensive coordinator for the worst-ranked defense in franchise history. MORE: Ranking new NFL coaches | LeBeau joins Titans staff | NFL has control over LA move Kiffin’s career was highlighted by his time with the Buccaneers. He was a part of the 2002 Super Bowl-winning team, and coached a top 10 defense 11 out of his 13 years with the team....

Montella, who took over at the Liga club in December, is under increasing pressure, with his side winless in eight games in all competitions. The Italian saw his team thrashed 5-0 by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday as part of their form slump. But after a five-hour board meeting on Tuesday, Sevilla confirmed Montella would be retained until the end of the campaign. “When we arrived on Sunday, we met him and for three hours he told us that he feels strong, enthusiastic, capable and confident that he can get us to the Europa League,” club chairman Jose Castro said....

Milan grab point against Lazio Montella was without a number of first-team regulars at the Stadio Olimpico, with the likes of Alessio Romagnoli, Mattia De Sciglio and Giacomo Bonaventura all out injured while Gabriel Paletta and Juraj Kucka were suspended following their dismissals in the 1-0 win at Bologna last week. It looked as though Milan were set for a fifth defeat in six matches as Lazio led through Lucas Biglia’s first-half penalty, but with five minutes to go Suso found space between three defenders in the box and curled home a delightful equaliser....

The Twins no longer believe they will be part of the three-team deal that would’ve sent Red Sox stars Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday. The blockbuster was reported to be in place Tuesday night, but it got caught up when 21-year-old Minnesota pitcher Brusdar Graterol’s physical wasn’t up to snuff for the Red Sox, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic....

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) are sending a strong message to the rest of the teams in the Super League that they have no intention of slowing down despite having won the last four league titles. On Tuesday night, they handed PKNP FC a 3-0 beating that keeps them on top of the pile after match day two. Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Fahdli Shas and Ignacio ‘Natxo’ Insa all got on the score sheet and the win was their second in as many matches after the earlier narrow win over Kedah last weekend....

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) couldn’t maintain their winning start to the 2017 Malaysia Cup campaign after they could only draw 0-0 against Terengganu in a match played on Friday night. However, that came with the pretext that Ulisses Morais made 11 changes to the team and despite not picking up full points, would still keep the Southern Tigers top of Group D after the completion of the second round of matches....

Ramos salvaged a draw for Madrid against Barcelona last week with a header in the dying minutes of the game, and he repeated his heroics at the Santiago Bernabeu versus Depor. Ramos: Real will fight to the death It capped a remarkable ending to a match in which Madrid were 2-1 down with six minutes to play. “I could not believe Ramos’ goal. Let’s hope he continues to do it forever, it is like something out of a fairytale,” Morata told the Madrid website....

The Spain international striker got his first taste of the showpiece event in 2014, when he stepped off the bench in Madrid’s thrilling 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Atletico. Morata 3/1 first scorer v Arsenal He did likewise with the Blancos last season as they swept past Juve, having previously been beaten by Barcelona while with the Turin giants in 2015. Morata is now setting his sights on a fourth appearance with Chelsea, having joined the Blues in a £70 million deal over the summer....

Morata 11/1 to be PL top scorer The Spain international has represented some of the biggest sides in world football, having also spent two years with Italian champions Juventus. He won Serie A and graced the Champions League final while in Turin, while conquering Europe and La Liga with Real. Morata netted 20 times for the Blancos last season, but made just 14 league starts and believes it has only been since moving to England that he has finally been recognised as a leading man....

The Chelsea striker left Zinedine Zidane’s side in the summer, joining the Premier League champions having failed to secure a regular place in the starting XI at the Bernabeu. Morata 9/1 to be PL top scorer Morata, who has scored eight goals in 15 appearances for the Blues, has previously denied that he is unhappy at Chelsea but it appears that he would be open to returning to the Spanish capital one day....

Singh didn’t ask for this hopeless task. The mild-mannered former Finance minister, an adviser to practically every Indian government for the past three decades, was delegated to the post by the woman who led the Congress Party in its surprise comeback. The latest head of the Gandhi political dynasty, Sonia Gandhi, ran a brilliant campaign, and she commands fierce loyalty among her followers as the widow of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi....