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

More than $507 million was paid to just four political consulting firms, mostly for buying attack ads on behalf of super PACs and nonprofits. The top recipient among consultants was Mentzer Media Services, which earned nearly $204 million from conservative super PACs and other outside groups. Second was Crossroads Media, which was paid about $163 million by conservative super PACs and nonprofits.   read more

The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) conducted an audit of a $350 million contract awarded to the Dubai-based firm Automotive Management Services (A-M-S). SIGAR uncovered $6.8 million was reportedly spent performing maintenance on 7,324 Afghan police vehicles that were not in service.   read more

Davies started his business, Medizen, three years ago and quickly made it into an $8 million enterprise. He says he carefully followed all state laws in setting up his dispensary. But Benjamin Wagner, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California, claims Davies has trafficked a controlled substances outlawed by federal statute.   read more

Wall Street’s sighs of relief were nearly audible when Obama announced his intent to nominate Jacob “Jack” J. Lew, the current Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to succeed current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Lew, who worked for Citigroup from 2006 through 2008, is arguably more of a Wall Street insider than was Geithner.   read more

Three polls show greater support for gun control since the shootings in Colorado and Connecticut. Gallup found support for tougher gun laws jumped to 38% from 25%. Pew Research revealed 85% support background checks for private gun sales and at gun shows. Washington Post-ABC News showed 52% are more supportive of gun control.   read more

Scientists at the University of Leeds School of Earth and Environment have discovered that black carbon, or soot, has been contributing to global warming on a much larger scale than previously calculated. It now has been determined that soot is the second leading contributor to climate change, behind only carbon dioxide. Methane ranks third.   read more

After avoiding payment for decades, U.S. defense contractor Cubic Defense Systems has been ordered by a federal appellate judge to pay Iran nearly $3 million it owes, plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest.   read more

Three years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency was convinced natural gas drilling company Range Resources had contaminated underground wells in Texas. But EPA officials dropped the investigation after the company threatened to not participate in a larger study of fracking.   read more

A new study published by the journal Pediatrics found heavy metal, gothic, punk music, rhythm and blues, hip-hop, and electronic dance music, such as trance and techno, were more likely to cause delinquency among minors than pop, classical and jazz.   read more

According to a secret State Department cable from U.S. consul general Scott Frederic Kilner, the government of Syria used chemical weapons on its own people on December 23 in Homs. That act could have provoked a tough response from the United States, but to date the White House has not become more involved in the crisis.   read more

Media sources and foreign policy analysts have questioned news reports that Iran has an intelligence ministry of 30,000 that is committed to terrorism and assassinations. The figure seemed surprisingly large, prompting ProPublica to investigate its validity, and finding that a terrorism researcher inflated the number.   read more

Coming just a month after the Newtown school shooting, owners of the iPhone and iPad can now download a target range game, thanks to the National Rifle Association (NRA). The phone app, called Practice Range, simulates shooting practice. Children as young as four can play the game.   read more

Fast-rising corporations from developing countries may become the most important players in the global economy, says Boston Consulting Group. These global challengers are outpacing corporations in developed countries in terms of growth, job creation, and productivity, growing at an annual rate four times that of competitors in developed countries.   read more

In 2011, the number of low-income working families increased to 10.4 million, up from 10.2 million a year earlier, according to the Working Poor Families Project. One-third of all working families may not be able to meet basic needs. There are 47.5 million people living in working poor families and the number could reach 50 million within a few years.   read more

The suicide total among military personnel was the highest ever recorded since the Department of Defense began keeping track in 2001. More soldiers committed suicide (349) than were killed in the war (295). The new mark shattered the previous high of 301, set in 2011.   read more

The Department of Defense faces tough decisions about its retirement system and health benefits in order for the U.S. to afford operating an all-voluntary military into the future. A study conducted by the Pentagon’s Reserve Forces Policy Board warns that the current system of pay, allowances, retirement, and medical care is too costly to sustain.   read more