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

Administration officials said the changes would improve public involvement and government transparency by adding additional steps to land-use planning. The changes were backed by conservation and sporting groups. TRCP's Joel Webster said the rule would ensure decisions affecting wildlife such as mule deer weren't hobbled by artificial boundaries that separate bureau field offices. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso pledged to work to reverse the action once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.   read more

The normally secretive federal agency, in a bizarre series of oddly informal postings on its Twitter account, revealed that officials apparently concluded, erroneously, that Trump had committed on his own Twitter account to divesting his assets. “As we discussed with your counsel, divestiture is the way to resolve these conflicts,” they wrote on Twitter, later adding: “Bravo! Only way to resolve these conflicts of interest is to divest. Good call!” In fact, Trump had made no such commitment.   read more

Legally, Trump's foreign licensing deals could violate the U.S. Constitution. If the deals occur during his presidency and fetch anything above what’s considered fair market value, it would almost certainly violate the Constitution's Emoluments Clause. But how will we know if Trump is violating the clause? Because of limited financial-disclosure requirements, we might not. And Trump has refused to release his tax returns, a significant break from past presidential administrations.   read more

A new scientific study says the state is on its way back to calmer times. The state ordered what is essentially a 40% reduction in injection of the saltwater that scientists generally blame for the massive increase in earthquakes. Before the new rules went into effect in May, Oklahoma averaged 2.3 quakes a day. Since then the average dropped to 1.3 a day. “We’re not out of the woods yet. There is still a possibility for potentially damaging earthquakes,” Zoback said.   read more

Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp" in the nation's capital. Instead, he's diving right in. So far, he is tapping people with deep ties to Washington and Wall Street as he fills out his Cabinet, turning to two power centers he vilified as greedy, corrupt and out of touch with Americans during his campaign. His choices have won praise from Republicans relieved by his more conventional choices, but could risk angering voters who rallied behind his calls for upending the political system.   read more

A soda tax may be coming to a city near you. Advocates say the recent sweep represents a watershed moment in the fight for soft-drink taxes. Once viewed as measures likely to find support only in largely health-conscious cities, soda taxes have emerged as a bountiful revenue source for cash-strapped local governments. “There’s a momentum with these taxes that will be hard for the industry to stop,” said Sanford dean Kelly Brownell.   read more

Women “are less likely than men to attend the schools that send a high percentage of graduates into the profession,” said professor Deborah J. Merritt. This means women “start at a disadvantage” that may well continue throughout their professional lives, Merritt said. Despite the high numbers with law degrees, women hold fewer than 20% of partnerships at law firms and are underrepresented in the higher echelons of law, including the ranks of judges.   read more

The effort is planned as a nonviolent intervention to defend demonstrators from what the group calls “assault and intimidation at the hands of the militarized police force.” “OK, are you going to treat us veterans who have served our country in the same way as you have those [protesters]?” asked one of the vets. Authorities have used rubber bullets, pepper spray and water cannons against demonstrators, hundreds of whom have been injured, according to protest organizers.   read more

In the 10 days following the November election, SPLC has collected 867 hate-related incidents from almost every state. Anti-immigrant hate incidents targeting Latinos, Asians and Africans made up the largest number of claims, followed by anti-black and anti-Semitic incidents. More than 10,000 teachers reported more than 2,500 fights and threats related to election rhetoric, and an increase in slurs and derogatory language, swastikas, Confederate flags and Nazi salutes.   read more

If the former detainees are successful, it would be the first time a U.S. civilian court has held individuals accountable for their role in counterterrorism policies after the 9/11 attacks. Legal experts say the Trump administration could force the case’s dismissal on national security grounds. Deciding whether to invoke the state secrets privilege could represent Trump’s first chance to weigh in on the issue. He has endorsed the use of torture and said he would bring back waterboarding.   read more

Environmental and consumer safety advocacy groups praised the move, but expressed concern about the new administration. Trump, a frequent critic of EPA regulations, put in charge of EPA transition Myron Ebell, whose corporate-funded think tank promotes the "life-enhancing value of chemicals" while sowing doubt about "fear-mongering" scientific studies that show risks to human health and the environment from pesticides and other products. It recently questioned the need for an asbestos ban.   read more

"If Trump is not qualified and my role, both morally and historically, as an elected official is to vote my conscience, then I cannot and will not vote for Donald Trump for President," said Sisneros. He added that his signing a party pledge to support Trump was tantamount to sin. "I was wrong in signing this pledge and not communicating to the body when I ran that my conscience would not be bound by it... I humbly confess that it was wrong for me to do so."   read more

According to testimony, Sessions called a black attorney, Thomas Figures, who worked for him “boy,” and told him to “be careful what you say to white folks.” He also said the ACLU and NAACP were “un-American” and “Communist-inspired” because they “forced civil rights down the throats of people,” but joked that the Ku Klux Klan was “OK...” He opposes civil rights protections for gays, voted to ban same-sex marriage, and is one of only 22 opposed to the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization.   read more

Trump could cripple faith in the electoral system by tweeting that ``millions of people'' voted illegally despite a lack of evidence. The concern, said attorney Clarke, is that state lawmakers will respond by crafting laws making it even tougher for all eligible voters to cast ballots. "It's a call to arms...to raise efforts to make voting more difficult,'' she said. Those laws are more likely to affect African Americans and Latinos, who bear a disproportionate burden of restrictive voter laws.   read more

"Republicans will control this government, but they cannot hand that control over to big corporations unless Democrats roll over and allow them to do so," said Warren. "They didn't send us here to whimper, whine or grovel. They sent us here to say no to efforts to sell Congress to the highest bidder." She said the research bill would "legalize fraud" by reducing the scientific evidence the government needs to approve existing drugs for new uses.   read more

Concern about Trump's possible conflicts comes amid protests that unfold daily along the pipeline route. The Standing Rock Sioux believe the project could harm the tribe's drinking water and Native American cultural sites. A final decision may be made by Trump, a pipeline supporter who has vowed to "unleash" unfettered production of oil and gas. Rep. Raul Grijalva called Trump's investment in the pipeline company "disturbing" and said it fits a pattern evident in Trump's transition team.   read more