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

With all ballots finally counted and certified, the tally from the November election revealed that Obama won 51.1% and Mitt Romney 47.2%. Four years ago, Obama received 52.9% of the vote. Although George W. Bush was elected twice, he earned only 47.9% of the vote in 2000 and 50.7% in 2004. In fact, in 2000 he actually lost the popular vote to Al Gore by 543,895 votes. Before Bush, Bill Clinton won 43.0% in 1992 and 49.2% in 1996.   read more

On behalf of the panel, Judge Jon Newman wrote that “This ancient gesture of insult is not the basis for a reasonable suspicion of a traffic violation or impending criminal activity. Surely no passenger planning some wrongful conduct toward another occupant of an automobile would call attention to himself by giving the finger to a police officer.”   read more

Scientists say spending years at a time in space could make astronauts more vulnerable to developing Alzheimer’s disease. This would happen because of the long-term exposure to cosmic radiation, which spacecraft can’t entirely block out. To do so, said the study’s senior co-author Dr. M. Kerry O'Banion, “one would have to essentially wrap a spacecraft in a six-foot block of lead or concrete.”   read more

The two men were part of an archeology expedition searching for remains of Noah’s Ark in Turkey when, in August 1991, members of the PKK captured and held them for three weeks. The plaintiffs sued the Damascus government claiming it had allowed the PKK to operate from Syrian territory, and provided financial support and training to the terrorist group. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that Syria was “vicariously liable” for the kidnapping.   read more

Ten years ago, the profits of these five companies were $2.4 billion (adjusted for inflation) collectively. By 2011, their profits had soared to $13.4 billion. During the period in which the profits of weapons makers were going up 450%, the U.S. defense budget rose 55%. During the same time frame, the median annual income for American families actually went down almost 6%.   read more

The problem with the loan-a-drone program, according to critics, is that it is being operated on an ad-hoc basis with no established regulations for how and when to use them, or how to protect Americans’ privacy, or how to make sure taxpayers are reimbursed for the loaners. After all, CPB’s drones can cost between $15 million and $34 million each to purchase, not to mention their hourly operational costs.   read more

Blake DeVolld, a civilian Air Force intelligence officer, lost top-secret security clearance in 2006 after his ex-wife told federal agents that he had classified documents in his home. After half a dozen years, the Air Force exonerated him and restored his security clearance. He collected his $93,000 salary for four years, but was suspended without pay for another two.   read more

According to the plaintiff, the products include GMO corn and corn derivatives, making any “all natural” claim out to be “false, misleading and likely to deceive reasonable consumers.” The lawsuit notes that “Genetically modified corn products contain genes and/or DNA that would not normally be in them, and are thus not natural, thereby causing the Product to fail to be ‘All Natural.’”   read more

After compiling studies that covered 2.88 million people, researchers found that those considered overweight based on their body mass index (BMI) had less risk of dying than people of normal weight. Also, people on the lower end of obesity (BMI of 30 to 34.9) were not more likely to die than normal-weight people.   read more

As much as she wanted to do something for those suing the Obama administration, federal Judge Colleen McMahon concluded on Wednesday that she just couldn’t force the government to reveal the memo that describes its legal justification for President Barack Obama’s assassinations of U.S. citizens accused of terrorism. Included in McMahon’s opinion was a classified appendix that was kept secret and was not even made available to the lawyers of the plaintiffs in the case.   read more

• $43 million over two years for owners of motorsports entertainment complex properties (read: NASCAR racetracks) engaged in construction. • $150 million in deductions for Hollywood studios that film in low-income communities of just in the United States. • The bill allows the banks and multinationals to defer paying taxes on foreign income, thus encouraging the creation of jobs outside the United States.   read more

The New York Police Department (NYPD) had stored more than 10,000 barrels of evidence containing sensitive DNA material in two Brooklyn warehouses. The evidence included rape kits and other materials collected for the courts to use in upcoming trials. In the case of a sexual assault trial, a rape kit may no longer be admissible if water contaminated the contents. The flooding may also have compromised about 5,000 “narcotics items” stored in one of the buildings.   read more

From 2001 to 2010, the murder total dropped in the U.S., including a 16.7% decline in the largest cities. Unfortunately, homicides increased by almost the same percentage, 16.9%, in suburban communities during the same period. Public officials theorize that criminals have found a lower law enforcement presence in the suburbs than in the big cities, and have therefore re-targeted their efforts to the areas of least resistance.   read more

According to election officials, the reasons for the long lines—some of which stretched for blocks—included lengthy ballots, heavy voter turnout, and reduced early voting days. Theodore Allen, a professor from Ohio State University, estimated that as many as 49,000 Floridians were discouraged from voting because of the long waits.   read more

Perdue decided to issue a full “pardon of innocence’ after the state chapter of the NAACP and other advocates presented her with new information that revealed the prosecutor, Assistant New Hanover County District Attorney James “Jay” Stroud Jr., wrote glowingly of white jurors believed to be Ku Klux Klan members while labeling one black juror as an “Uncle Tom type.” For some members of the Wilmington Ten, the pardons came far too late. Four have died, and several others are in poor health.   read more

The law permits the NSA to pry into Americans’ international emails and phone calls without obtaining a court order. The spying program, which would have ended on December 31 without the extension, has been heavily criticized by civil libertarians. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in a prepared statement that the law’s “main purpose” is to “give the government nearly unfettered access to Americans' international communications.”   read more