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 plan, which the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) okayed this week through federal regulations, allows the Navy to conduct testing and training exercises off the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and off Southern California and Hawaii. These tests and military exercises could injure or kill tens of millions whales, dolphins and other sea creatures over a five-year period (2014-2019), according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).   read more

The biggest killer among food-poisoning incidents was poultry. Between 1998 and 2008, 277 people died from eating tainted poultry, compared to 236 vegetable-related deaths. Most of the poultry deaths were attributed to Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella, with the numbers increased by outbreaks related to turkey deli meats.   read more

“I Give God 10% Why do you Get 18?” read the note on the receipt from Alois Bell, who was charged an automatic 18% tip because she was with a large group at the restaurant, five adults and five children following services at the Word Deliverance Ministries church. Thinking the note was both funny and insulting, waitress Chelsea Welch took a photo of the receipt and posted it on Reddit.   read more

This week, BP agreed to 11 counts of manslaughter for the workers killed during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, when the Deepwater Horizon oilrig blew up. But no one from the oil giant will serve time for the convictions. Instead, BP will pay a $4 billion fine, which is equivalent to what the company made in revenue every four days last year. Also, BP will have five years to pay the fine. This news left some family members of those killed on the rig feeling bitter.   read more

Cowan, who is African-American, becomes the second black member currently in the Senate, joining Republican Tim Scott of South Carolina. This marks the first time in the upper chamber’s 223-year history that two African-Americans have served simultaneously. If African-Americans were represented in the Senate relative to their proportion of the national population, there would be at least 13 Black senators.   read more

The 21-hospital chain, citing a controversial court decision invalidating three recess appointments to the board by President Barack Obama, said it wouldn’t abide by two of the board’s recent decisions. One decision said that unions could collect dues even after a contract had expired and the other directed employers to provide unions with certain materials during an investigation.   read more

The database contains 190 million employment records, salary records and health insurance details involving more than 30% of all U.S. adults. And much of this data, including how much people have been paid, is sold to third parties, including bill collectors and banks. Equifax obtains its information from thousands of businesses and the federal government. Because the information is considered a credit report, federal law allows Americans to obtain their own records for free once a year.   read more

The killer is probably a loner who did not serve in the military and likely will use a semiautomatic handgun. This conclusion was formed after reviewing details of 29 mass shootings since 1999 in which five or more people were killed, beginning with Columbine High School in Colorado (which was the only one studied involving more than one killer). The shooters were almost always male, acting alone, between the ages of 17 and 49.   read more

The judge, Army Colonel James Pohl, did not authorize the blackout and said it never should have happened, particularly during what had been an unclassified discussion. As the feed resumed, he remarked that it seemed as “if some external body is turning the commission off.” One of the defense attorneys then asked, “Who is controlling these proceedings?” Pohl would only say that the subject was forbidden for discussion in open court.   read more

The NCLC found that many states, like Arizona, make it difficult for residents to sign up for direct deposit with the state government. And in at least five states—California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland and Nevada—direct deposit is not an option at all. The consumer group contends that this situation is illegal under federal law prohibiting states from requiring benefits recipients to open an account with a specific bank.   read more

“Between 2005 and 2012, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and its members spent over $333 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies on, among other things, a protracted campaign to prevent government agencies from designating formaldehyde, styrene, and chromium as carcinogens,” the Center wrote in its report (pdf). The actions by the Office of Advocacy ran counter to the wishes of most small business owners.   read more

Biotechnology companies are lobbying lawmakers across the country to prevent generic versions of biological drugs (or biosimilars) from reaching consumers in an effort to maintain high profit margins. Name-brand biological drugs, made from living cells, constitute about 25% of the $320 billion spent on medications in the United States each year. Just as generic alternatives arose to non-biotech drugs, companies making biosimilars want to offer consumers a cheaper version of biological drugs   read more

Scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimated that cats take down 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 to 20.7 billion mammals annually, including shrews, chipmunks and voles. The numbers mean that cats kill off more birds and mammals than cars, pesticides, and collisions with buildings, making the felines one of the biggest threats to wildlife in the nation.   read more

The new cyber warriors will go to work under one of three types of missions: “national mission forces” will work to protect computer systems that support electrical grids, power plants and other key infrastructure for the nation’s economic and political security; “combat mission forces” will help military field commanders plan and execute attacks or other offensive operations overseas; and “cyber protection forces” will protect the Defense Department’s computer networks.   read more

An extra $6.2 million was awarded to just 18 employees at General Motors (GM), Ally Financial and American International Group (AIG), which received a total of more than $250 billion in bailout funds. In 2012, the Office of the Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation approved pay packages of $3 million or more for 54% of the 69 top executives of AIG, GM and Ally.   read more

The U.S. military is in the process of setting up a drone base, most likely in Niger, which would permit aerial surveillance of Islamic rebels in neighboring Mali. It has been estimated that such a base would have upwards of 300 military and contractor personnel. Officials in the Obama administration say the base would only launch reconnaissance missions for now. But carrying out missile attacks from the unmanned aerial vehicles could happen as well, they acknowledged to The New York Times.   read more