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

Coloradans convicted of “child abuse resulting in death” were sentenced to an average of 29.9 years in prison, 25% less than those who were sentenced to an average of 37.4 years for the equivalent charge of second-degree murder of an adult. Those convicted of the less serious charge of “child abuse negligently causing death” got 13.6 years, 42% less time than those sent down for 19.4 years on comparable charges of negligent homicide of an adult.   read more

The report found that the electric grid lacks resilience and is susceptible to disruption, either from natural disasters or terrorism, according to Steven Aftergood at Secrecy News. It deemed transmission lines and transformers to be the most vulnerable parts of the system, and it was more concerned about physical attacks than cyber attacks.   read more

Members of religious minorities began serving in Congress in 1845, when Lewis Charles Levin, the first Jewish member of Congress, arrived to represent Pennsylvania in the House. Only six years later, the first Mormon in Congress, John Milton Bernhisel, began representing the Utah Territory. California Democrat Dalip Singh Saund was the first and only Sikh to serve in Congress, starting in 1957. The first Muslim, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), was elected in 2006.   read more

Another rising indicator from 2005 is the percentage of these borrowers who are at least 90 days delinquent, up from 6% to now nearly 10%. Many of these seniors—119,000, nearly double the total five years ago—are losing part of their Social Security benefits to the government in order to pay off their loans. The consequences facing them are moving in with their children, less money for retirement and filing for bankruptcy.   read more

Uhlmann told the Corporate Crime Reporter. “It also is curious that the Justice Department agreed that BP could have five years to pay the penalties, since criminal fines are supposed to be paid immediately unless there are ability to pay issues.” In addition, the fine represents only a small portion of BP’s 2011 profits of $27.5 billion.   read more

CRS analyst Thomas L. Hungerford looked at 65 years of data and couldn’t determine how changes in the top marginal tax rate and the top capital gains tax correlated with economic growth. He did find, however, a connection between reductions in tax rates for wealthy Americans and growing concentrations of income for top earners.   read more

A report from the National Research Council of the National Academies in 2010 concluded that the new lab would have a 70% chance of accidentally releasing a pathogen during its projected 50-year life. However, a subsequent report reduced the risk percentage to less than 1%. Opponents still point to the fact that Manhattan is prone to tornadoes, just like the rest of Kansas, which was struck by 187 twisters in just one year (2008).   read more

Under the Immigration Act of 1990, employment visas can be given to those possessing “extraordinary ability” in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics. Noroozi sought the visa claiming to be a top international player. He finished tied for 65th and last place at the 2008 Olympics, having lost his only match. He was ranked 284th in the world.   read more

Before the mid-1990s, jail populations historically were evenly split between pretrial and sentenced prisoners. Since 1996, however, pretrial inmates have grown in numbers and at a faster rate than sentenced inmates, even though crime rates have been falling. Today, 61% of inmates have not been convicted, while 39% are serving sentences. Arrestees who are able to post bond are less likely to be convicted than those who cannot.   read more

According to the 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miranda v. Arizona, suspects who are arrested must be informed that they have the right to remain silent and that anything they say may be used against them. The question is whether Miranda rights extend to students at school. The issue stems from a case involving a high school student who was caught with a prescription painkiller on campus and giving some of it to two students.   read more

The bank essentially submitted preliminary low bids for energy (perhaps even at a negative amount), thus qualifying for “a bid cost recovery” payment even if they weren’t accepted. Those bids would be money losers for JPMorgan if accepted, but the next day it allegedly submitted real bids too high to be accepted and pocketed the windfall.   read more

Officially, the department says it does not follow individuals who tweet. Instead, officials probe for certain keywords, presumably those that might provide tips about potential threats. Nevertheless, it says it is following 333 Twitter accounts, and privacy advocates are wary of what DHS is up to on Twitter.   read more

Greenwald add that "the FBI traced all of Broadwell's physical locations, learned of all the accounts she uses, ended up reading all of her emails, investigated the identity of her anonymous lover (who turned out to be Petraeus), and then possibly read his emails as well. They dug around in all of this without any evidence of any real crime…and, in large part, without the need for any warrant from a court.”   read more

Some lawmakers want more changes imposed on the flood insurance program, such as requiring property owners in flood plains to pay the true market cost of being in harm’s way. Currently, the program insures 5.7 million homes nationwide near coastlines or rivers. Due to its existing debt obligations, it must pay anywhere from $90 million to $750 million annually to the U.S. Treasury just on the interest it owes.   read more

The VA didn’t formally accept PTSD as a legitimate disability until 1980. Even after this decision, Dolphin was unable to receive benefits to assist him with his war-related problems. Last year, a psychiatrist diagnosed Dolphin with PTSD. He applied again to the VA for help, but The Army Board for Correction of Military Records denied his request on grounds that it fell outside the time period for reconsideration.   read more

Janitors in Cincinnati are currently negotiating a new labor contract with cleaning service companies. The annual salary for a full-time janitor is only $17,836—which is below the poverty line of $18,106 for a family of three. The wage is also just over half the estimated annual cost of living in the city—$33,347 for a one-parent, one-child family, according to The Nation. Because of these wages, many full-time janitors are on food stamps, and receive both Medicaid and housing assistance.   read more