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 cap applied to medicines that the Defense Department purchased directly and distributed to service members at military treatment facilities or through Tricare’s mail-order program. But it didn’t apply to prescriptions that service members bought at retail pharmacies within the Tricare network, such as a CVS or Walgreens.   read more

The document stated that the worker, whose identity was redacted, was continuously “passing gas and releasing an unpleasant odor” that created a “hostile work environment.” The 38-year-old man reportedly farted 63 times in his office over a three-month period, and as many as nine times in one day (September 19, 2012). The exact times of each unpleasant gaseous discharge are listed in the reprimand document.   read more

An advocate of privacy rights, Leahy has supported information privacy and open government. In 2006, Leahy was one of only 10 senators who voted against the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, a bill to extend the USA PATRIOT Act. He is also the chief sponsor of the Innocence Protection Act, which addresses flaws in the administration of capital punishment.   read more

For the first time since the Abu Ghraib scandal broke nearly 10 years ago, a U.S. contractor has agreed to pay restitution to the Iraqis who were tortured at the infamous prison and other locations run by the American military. L-3 Services, Inc., which provided translators used during interrogations of Iraqis, wound up costing its parent company, Engility Holdings, more than $5 million to settle claims from 71 defendants who sued in a U.S. court.   read more

In the end, federal regulators decided on an $8.5 billion settlement that banks must pay. But of this total, only $3.3 billion is actual cash, while another $5.2 billion represents “credits” that financial institutions will receive for avoiding future foreclosures. The $3.3 billion in funds will be distributed to about 3.8 million borrowers who were eligible to have their foreclosures reviewed. That amounts to approximately $870 per homeowner.   read more

In California, Aetna wants to boost rates by 22%, Despite the passage of the federal healthcare reforms, insurers in many states can hike rates by double digits without the federal government doing anything about it. Anthem Blue Cross by 26% and Blue Shield of California by 20% for some policyholders, mostly those from small businesses and self-employed individuals. In Florida and Ohio, insurers have been able to increase rates by at least 20%   read more

The signal from the judge in Sandusky’s case, however, was clear. This was a federal trial, not state, and his written jury instructions reportedly reflected the trial’s narrow scope. The defense was discouraged from arguing that Sandusky was obeying California law, using public statements made by Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, or citing FBI agents who, they said, had assured Sandusky his actions were legal.   read more

Lawmakers were less popular than root canals (32% to 56%), lice (19% to 67%), colonoscopies (31% to 58%), cockroaches (43% to 45%), traffic jams (34% to 56%) and used-car salesmen (32% to 57%). But they did score higher than illegal drug labs and a venereal disease, as well as telemarketers, the Kardashians, lobbyists, North Korea, the ebola virus, Lindsay Lohan and communism.   read more

The U.N. Department of Peacekeeping has announced that it would deploy unmanned drones to help with peacekeeping operations in the eastern region of Congo, where U.N. peacekeepers support Congolese troops fighting M23 rebels, who are allegedly backed by both Rwanda and Uganda.   read more

The World Economic Forum (WEF) asked about a thousand industry and government experts what issues concerned them the most. The response was similar to a previous report: the divide between rich and poor, governments carrying too much debt, and greenhouse gases producing too much extreme weather.   read more

The Tea Party enjoyed the support of nearly a quarter of American voters at the peak of its popularity two years ago. But now the party’s popularity has plummeted—only 8% of voters claim to be Tea Party members. In April 2010, its support was at 24% among voters.   read more

Things really heated up in 2012 in the United States—last year was the hottest one on record in the contiguous U.S., with the average temperature measuring 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit, a full degree higher than the previous record set in 1998, a significant jump.   read more

The New York Police Department (NYPD) must stop randomly frisking people on sidewalks, according to a federal judge who ruled as unconstitutional the NYPD’s policy of targeting pedestrians in areas of the Bronx that suffer from high crime rates.   read more

John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s CIA nominee, endorsed the Bush administration’s use of torture on detainees, favored granting immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in warrantless wiretapping, and was a principal architect of the U.S. drone “kill list.”   read more

It is no longer illegal for Illinois residents to record police officers on duty, now that a law that has been in effect since 1961, has been nullified by the courts.   read more

Disney World will offer MyMagic+, a special rubber bracelet encoded with customers’ credit card information, enabling visitors to enter the park and purchase food or souvenirs without using credit cards or cash, while their actions, behaviors, and whereabouts are tracked within the park.   read more