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 Prince George’s County Board of Education plan reportedly states that “any works” created by students or employees should be considered “properties” of the board regardless of when or where they were established. Board Chair Verjeana M. Jacobs said the policy was intended to apply only to any software, including iPad apps, crafted by teachers.   read more

Regardless of the motivation for developing the park, many Pakistanis reportedly don’t believe the story of how bin Laden died in Zero Dark Thirty, which has not appeared in theaters, but which is available on pirated DVDs. They insist that American commandos could never swoop into their country and kill someone so notorious, having labeled the film utter propaganda by the U.S.   read more

Three Federal Home Loan Banks and Triaxx, an investment vehicle that bought mortgage securities, have filed court documents claiming the deal, among other things, has shortchanged thousands of investors. The bank also failed to purchase bad mortgages in full once it had lowered the payments and principal on the loan—which is reportedly a violation of its agreements with investors who bought the securities that held the mortgages.   read more

ATF agents last year ran a phony storefront selling clothing and drug paraphernalia, intended to nab criminals through drug and gun purchases. The agents allowed a military-style machine gun to wind up on the streets of Milwaukee. They also lost $35,000 in merchandise when burglars broke into the store and cleared out the stock. And when ATF agents closed down the store, they left behind a document that exposed the names and other identifying information of undercover agents.   read more

Instead of manning its own terrorist plots aimed at U.S. soil, al-Qaeda has used “affiliates” to stage “an unlikely but limited recovery over the past year,” according to The Washington Post. The terrorist organization has made connections with armed groups in North Africa and the Middle East, where weapons are aplenty and the U.S. is limited in its military options.   read more

Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) provides any American with complete access to docket text, opinions, and all documents filed regarding court cases. PACER has been described as “a tremendously useful tool” by its supporters. But there is a big drawback to PACER. Users must pay for downloading, viewing, and even searching for case materials.   read more

A petition was filed with the White House’s “We the People” website requesting the rule changing, while citing the story of Mina, a dog who served nine tours in Afghanistan. Mina was promoted to sergeant and received an honorable discharge from the military, before dying at the age of 13 back in the United States.   read more

Four years have made quite a difference for John Brennan. In late 2008, the 25-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was forced to withdraw his name from consideration to be Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) because of his public support of the Bush administration’s program of illegally sending kidnapped terrorism suspects to foreign prisons to be tortured. Shortly after his second inauguration, however, Obama again nominated Brennan to be the next DCI.   read more

Under heavy pressure from the National Rifle Association (NRA) in 2005, Congress passed the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which makes licensed manufacturers, distributors, and dealers of firearms immune in state and federal court from civil liability in most negligence and product liability actions. The NRA then launched a “corporate partnership” drive targeting weapons makers that has raked in between $14.7 million and $38.9 million.   read more

This year’s budget for CARSI is $26.2 million, with another $47.5 million going to Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). Most of the drug war money is spent on equipment made by U.S. companies, including aircraft, patrol boats, night-vision goggles, body armor, radios, weapons, and X-ray equipment for scanning cargo containers. CARSI also funds counter-drug units comprised of FBI and DEA agents working with local police.   read more

The Minnesota Fair Campaign Practices Act made it a gross misdemeanor for someone to intentionally prepare, disseminate, or broadcast political advertising or campaign material “that is designed or tends to elect, injure, promote, or defeat a candidate for nomination or election to a public office or to promote or defeat a ballot question, that is false, and that the person knows is false.”   read more

The San Jose Mercury News reported similar cases of BASM overbilling, including $5,760 for a colonoscopy, instead of the going rate of $2,555, and $13,662 for a circumcision instead of the average of $3,619 for an in-network job. Hashemieh and Sarnevesht see themselves as Robin Hoods, taking from the rich insurance companies and giving to the doctors (with BASM taking fees of 15-25%).   read more

Halfway through his presidency, the U.S. is more than halfway toward achieving Barack Obama’s goal, announced at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009, of cutting carbon emissions that cause global warming by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, according to a report released last week. America’s greenhouse gas emissions have already fallen 10.7% from the 2005 baseline.   read more

Whistleblower Protections: The Whistleblower Protection Act in 1989 protects executive branch workers from retaliation for reporting waste, mismanagement or law-breaking, but Congressional employees have no such protections. Keeping Workplace Records: Although a number of workplace-rights laws require private-sector employers to retain personnel records, including injury records, for a set period of time, Congress has exempted itself from all of these requirements.   read more

Hutchenson also concluded that ex-prisoners who gain employment pick up more illegal income than those ex-prisoners who are unemployed. “The same human capital variables that lead to success in the conventional labor market,” wrote Hutchenson, “also lead to success in the illegal economy.” Being white also increases the acquisition of illegal incomes, as does belonging to a gang.   read more

The percentage of those viewing the government as a threat represents a six-point increase from nearly three years ago, when 47% said they felt that way, and a 23% jump from November 2001, when Americans rallied around their government following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Conservative Republicans are the largest group who distrust Washington, with 76% expressing fear for their personal freedoms. A majority (54%) described the government as a “major” threat.   read more