Trump ordered that the term Homo sapiens be changed to Hetero sapiens. In history books and on websites, the airplane from which the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima will no longer be identified as the Enola Gay, but rather the Enola Straight. Trump also ordered billionaire Mark Cuban, who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, to change his name to Mark American. If he does not do so, he will be charged with terrorism.   read more

The inspector general (IG) for the Department of Energy found the handling of security canines at the Y-12 National Security Complex must be improved in order to assure the protection of the facility and the bomb-grade uranium stored there. “We found that half of the canine teams we observed failed explosive detection tests, many canines failed to respond to at least one of the handler’s commands, and that canines did not receive all required training,” the report (pdf) states.   read more

The study revealed that at least 30 hazardous chemicals were detected in the air following the 500,000 gallons of oil that spilled from a ruptured ExxonMobil pipeline. The chemicals included include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, n-hexane and xylenes. Exposure to ethylbenzene and benzene can cause cancer and birth defects, while the inhalation of n-hexane can damage the nervous system and produce numbness, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headaches and fatigue.   read more

“Is this risky? Well, since the satellite was openly contracted, they [the Chinese] know who is using which transponders. And I suspect they’re making a copy of all of it,” Cheng told Wired. He noted that even the encryption technology used to protect the data may reveal U.S. security methods to the Chinese. Another point of concern: What if the Chinese decide to suddenly cutoff the U.S. military from using Apstar-7, such during a critical time or political crisis?   read more

The FBI has cited increasing use of the Internet, rather than phones, for public communication as the reason for its need to monitor online traffic. The agency’s general counsel, Andrew Weissmann, has said that wiretapping the Internet is currently the FBI’s “top priority.”   read more

Fox News Latino got it right and also pointed out that, “Roughly 8,000 immigrants who have so-called green cards join the armed forces each year, according to Pentagon data. Nearly 30,000 non-citizen immigrants now serve in the armed forces.” Non-citizens can also be attorneys and judges, just not jurors.   read more

Elite Sterling Security, based in Denver, has sold more than 300 backpacks in the last two months at $295.95 each. At least 2,000 families have inquired about them so far. The company also provides ballistic safety vests for $1,040.95. The company’s website gushes: “It's an insulated vest! It's the latest in ballistic protection for kids!”   read more

The last time CO2 levels were so high was likely between 3.2 million and 5 million years ago, during the Pliocene epoch, when the planet was much warmer than now. During the past 800,000 years, CO2 levels had never exceeded 300ppm. The tracking of these measurements was begun in March 1958—when the CO2 level was 316ppm.   read more

Those close to Karzai said the cash went to pay off warlords, lawmakers and others whom the president courted for support. Karzai shrugged off the controversy, noting that his Office of National Security still receives monthly cash payments from the CIA. Later, his office issued a statement that some of the money was used to treat wounded soldiers, but others suggested that it wasn’t wounded soldiers who were receiving “treats.”   read more

More than 3,000 people, mostly young women, worked in the Rana Plaza building that contained five garment factories producing items for JCPenney, Cato Fashions, Benetton, Primark, Canada’s Joe Fresh, Walmart’s Canadian operation and others. Immediately following the tragedy, Benetton officials insisted they had not purchased clothes made in the factories. However, photos and other evidence surfaced indicating Benetton products were indeed produced in the shops.   read more

In terms of dollars, the average white family had about $632,000 in wealth. Their black counterparts had only $98,000 and Hispanics $110,000. Between 2007 and 2010, Hispanic families lost 44% of their total wealth and African-American families lost 31%. Meanwhile, the total wealth of white families dropped by only 9%. The retirement funds of African-American families lost 35% of value between 2007 and 2010, while the funds held by white families gained in value by 9%.   read more

The process often involves hospitals putting patients on chartered international flights and shipping them out of the country, all without going through the government’s deportation system. Advocates for immigrants say the number of medical repatriation cases may increase once the federal healthcare reform law goes into effect. This is because the new law will reduce government payments to hospitals that receive uninsured patients.   read more

When one conspires to violate federal law, it helps to have a government agency or two as one's co-conspirators when law enforcement comes poking around, as telecom giant AT&T and others learned recently when the Defense Department (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) successfully pressured the Justice Department (DOJ) to agree secretly not to prosecute blatantly illegal wiretaps conducted by AT&T and other Internet service providers at the request of the agencies.   read more

In the rush to do something about mounting gun violence by strengthening the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to weed out gun buyers with a history of mental illness, the health privacy rights of patients could be compromised or outright ignored, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which last week solicited public comments on improving the background check system for mentally ill people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.   read more

Originally passed in 1925 as a temporary answer to an alleged “helium gap” between the U.S. and European powers like Germany—at a time when military leaders believed that zeppelins or blimps filled with helium would have a decisive military role in the future—the Federal Helium Program, which has only 52 employees, pays for itself with proceeds from sales, so the budget deficit is not an issue.   read more

About 30% of the nation’s electricity is now generated from natural gas, compared to 16% in 2000. Meanwhile, coal-based electricity is down to 38% from 52% in 2000. There has also been a 3% rise in the production of energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. David Crane, CEO of NRG Energy, told the Wall Street Journal’s ECO:nomics conference: “Natural gas is in the process of wiping out the coal industry, and it’s wiping out the nuclear industry quicker than we thought.”   read more

Prime Minister David Cameron, apparently with a design assist from his wife Samantha, gave Obama a 48” x 70” hanging rug of the Union Jack, decorated with a superimposed eagle, American flags, flowers and a few odd butterflies, made by The Rug Company and enclosed in a canvas bag with teal and orange designs. The Camerons also presented the Obamas with silver Links Sweetie Bracelets and, ever thoughtful, a 13-inch bone-shaped chew toy with the U.K. flag for Bo, the Obama family dog.   read more