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

A cyber-espionage operation in effect for five years has gone after targets across Europe, the United States, and other countries. The sophisticated malware, created by Russian-speaking computer experts and dubbed Rocra, which may be controlled by cyber spies bent on selling stolen secrets on the international black market.   read more

Airport screeners with the Transportation Security Administration checked more than 600 million people last year and confiscated both the dangerous and the bizarre from passengers. Among the oddities taken away were a chastity belt, eels, dead venomous snakes, and more than one samurai sword. More than 1,500 guns were discovered in carry-on bags.   read more

Economists at the Wharton School have refuted the idea that money can’t buy happiness, claiming in a research paper, “The New Stylized Facts about Income and Subjective Well-Being,” that money can purchase a happier state of being. They found a direct correlation between richer countries and people who are happier.   read more

Noting that the number of contingent workers has doubled in twenty years to more than 2.5 million, the report underscores Bureau of Labor Statistics data that they suffer higher rates of injury and death than other employees. Because contingent employees rarely have health insurance or even workers’ compensation coverage, employers are able to shift the financial burden of workplace injuries onto the public, and often skimp on safety training of temps.   read more

In a letter to Congress, Obama said American fighter planes “provided limited technical support” to French forces, but did not open fire while briefly entering Somali airspace. The planes flew out of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which has grown into a key installation for secret counterterrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen.   read more

A new report from the nonprofit organization Smart Growth America says federal financing and spending on real estate totals about $450 billion annually. A majority of the expense is a result of direct loans and loan guarantees. By far the largest program—at about $220 billion a year—is the Federal Housing Administration’s single-family loan program. Mortgage interest tax deductions come in at about $66 billion a year.   read more

Most lawmakers (56%) belong to a Protestant denomination, which has long been the case in Congress, although they make up only 48% of the population. Catholics account for more than 30% of the members of Congress, but only 22% of the population and 6% of Congress members are Jews, even though they make up just 2% of the U.S. population.   read more

The study from Sweden found that drivers tend to lock in on electronic billboards, causing them to lose focus on the road ahead and raising the risk of accidents. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America has tried to undercut the Swedish findings by pointing to an unpublished Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) report that concluded drivers are not at greater risk because of digital road signs.   read more

This portable device, also called an “IMSI catcher” or a “stingray,” sends out a signal that fools nearby wireless phones into connecting with a fake network. It can then capture all sorts of personal data from all of those phones, including location data that can then be used to track a person’s movements in real time. A stingray can be handheld or mounted on a motor vehicle or an unmanned surveillance drone. The FBI argues that wireless phone users have no reasonable expectation to privacy.   read more

Contrary to federal law requiring government agencies to issue government contracts only after competitive bidding, the Pentagon since 2000 has awarded $1.6 trillion worth of defense contracts to sole bidders who had no competition at all. Despite all the talk in Washington about reining in federal spending, this trend shows no signs of abating, as 20 of the most recent 35 Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, worth $257 million, were awarded after receipt of just a single bid.   read more

Congress barred federal funding “to advocate or promote gun control,” which has been interpreted to ban funding of any research into gun violence, regardless of the expected outcome. By way of comparison, motor vehicle accidents kill about as many people in the U.S. each year as firearms do, but an entire federal agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, has an annual budget of more than $60 million to fund its mission.   read more

Congress hasn’t always been so obsessed with naming post offices. But after September 11, senators and representatives began memorializing some victims of the attacks by attaching their names to U.S. Post Service (USPS) operations. Then, the practice continued by naming branches after fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. During all of this time focused on memorials, Congress did little to shore up the USPS’ financial future, making it uncertain just how long the dedications will last.   read more

Federal officials are hoping the revised system will reduce the number of food-poisoning cases in the United States. Currently, about 48 million Americans consume contaminated foods annually, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Among other requirements included in the 1,200 pages of regulations, farmers must provide adequate restroom and hand-washing facilities for farm workers. Food processing companies will have to do the same.   read more

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been ordered by a three-judge panel to explain why it exempted one of the oldest nuclear power plants in the United States from fire-safety regulations. Indian Point nuclear reactor, located about 25 miles from New York City, was given a pass in 2007 by the NRC to avoid upgrading its systems to prevent fires. The NRC stands accused of closing off public debate before granting the exemption.   read more

Among the 376 reports are the following: • A Corporation for National and Community Service “Report on Reports Provided by Other Federal Agencies,” which is literally a report about other reports; • A DHS report on the illegal importation of products containing dog and cat fur, which has found only one violation in the last five years.   read more

The report attributed two-thirds of the discrepancy of life expectancy for men to American males dying before the age of 50. These early deaths were due, to a great extent, to car accidents, gun violence, drug overdoses and alcohol abuse. The U.S. also had the highest rate of poverty of the 17 countries studied and a large population of people who are uninsured.   read more