What's her name?
10 inmates escaped from New Orleans jail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOoa6yT208o
Legendary actor shockingly comes out in support of Donald Trump with space plea
Legendary actor William Shatner has come out in support of Donald Trump, specifically urging him to restore Pluto’s status as a planet. Shatner expressed frustration with scientists who demoted Pluto, calling them "corrupt nerds on a power trip," and argued that the decision was politically motivated rather than based on sound science.
He suggested Trump should issue an executive order to reinstate Pluto as the ninth planet, pointing to the president’s past actions in renaming geographical locations. Shatner’s remarks have sparked debate online, with some praising his stance as humorous and others questioning the seriousness of the request.
The discussion has reignited interest in the longstanding controversy over Pluto’s planetary status, which has been debated since 2006, when the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as a dwarf planet.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14717495/Legendary-actor-shockingly-comes-support-Donald-Trump.html
McIver set to be charged over Delaney Hall incident
Rep. LaMonica McIver is set to face charges following a scuffle with federal immigration agents at Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center. The incident occurred during an oversight visit with other New Jersey Democrats, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested for trespassing.
McIver allegedly physically intervened as Baraka was led away, prompting accusations of assaulting ICE officers. While video footage shows a chaotic scene, claims that she body-slammed or punched agents remain disputed.
The Justice Department may announce charges soon, and House Republicans are considering censure or stripping her committee assignments. McIver and her colleagues deny any wrongdoing, arguing they were exercising their oversight authority.
https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/mciver-set-to-be-charged-over-delaney-hall-incident/
Judged for yourself
Tricia McLaughlin
@TriciaOhio
We will not tolerate assault against our ICE law enforcement agents. By members of Congress or anyone else.
https://x.com/TriciaOhio/status/1921264096885833980
Dick’s Sporting Goods is buying Foot Locker for $2.4 billion
Dick’s Sporting Goods is buying rival Foot Locker in a $2.4 billion deal, marking another major deal that tariff-prone apparel companies are making to future-proof themselves.
In an announcement Thursday, Dick’s said the transaction will help the Pittsburgh-based sporting goods store internationally for the first time. It will maintain the Foot Locker name and run the shoe stores as a standalone business, and it expects to operate its 2,400 stores that span 22 countries.
But the deal comes with some significant risk for Dick’s. President Donald Trump’s tariffs threaten the footwear industry as a whole, but Foot Locker, in particular, has been under pressure from the steady decline in America’s shopping malls. In 2023, the company operated about 3,000 stores, but began closing hundreds of locations.
Foot Locker over the past two years relaunched its retail brand to attract younger, more diverse consumers — but the reboot hasn’t proven successful. In March, the company said its total fourth-quarter sales were down 5.8% year-over-year amid a downturn in Nike shoe sales (Foot Locker is Nike’s largest retail partner).
Dick’s investors weren’t pleased with the deal Thursday. Shares of Dick’s (DKS) dropped 13% in premarket trading. But the company said it believes in the brand.
“We believe there is meaningful opportunity for growth ahead,” said Ed Stack, executive chairman for Dick’s. “By applying our operational expertise to this iconic business, we see a clear path to further unlocking growth and enhancing Foot Locker’s position in the industry”
Foot Locker’s (FL) stock soared 80% in premarket trading following the news. Thursday’s transaction marks a 66% premium of Foot Locker’s stock, which has slumped more than 40% over the past year.
Looming in the backdrop of the deal are Trump’s tumultuous tariff policies. Roughly 99% of shoes and sneakers sold in the US are imported, mostly from China and Vietnam, according to the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America. As such, those tariffs threaten to disrupt global supply chains and drive up the price of footwear.
Dick’s is one of the largest sporting goods retailers by market share in the US, with more than 700 stores nationwide. A tie-up with Foot Locker could help the chain expand its retail footprint, Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said.
“While there is some overlap between the locations, the nature of the stores is different, and Foot Locker would give Dick’s access to a wider selection of malls and customers,” Saunders said.
However, given Dick’s dominance in the sporting goods market, the takeover could draw regulatory scrutiny, he added.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/15/business/dicks-foot-locker-acquisition
Florida becomes second state in US to ban fluoride in public drinking water
Florida has become the second state in the nation to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water.
On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Florida Farm Bill, which includes language banning the use of any additive in a public water system that does not meet the new definition of a “water quality additive”: a chemical or substance used in public water to specifically address drinking water standards, contaminants or quality.
“Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that’s fine. But forcing it into the water supply is basically forced medication on people,” DeSantis said. “They don’t have a choice. You’re taking that away from them.”
More than 70% of Floridians who use community water systems receive fluoridated water, according to Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who issued guidance in November recommending against community water fluoridation, citing its potential health effects.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that’s found in soil, rocks and water to varying degrees. It is also a byproduct of fertilizer production. On the recommendation of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, many cities have added fluoride to their treated drinking water for decades to help protect teeth from cavities.
The CDC reiterated its faith in the health benefits of fluoride in 2015, naming water fluoridation one of the “10 Greatest Public Health Achievements of the 21st Century.” The ADA has also emphasized that “eighty years of community water fluoridation at optimal levels has proven to be safe and effective at reducing tooth decay to improve oral health.”
However, research has showed that exposure to fluoridated water during pregnancy is associated with increased neurobehavioral problems in children, and a federal review concluded that higher levels are linked with lower IQ in kids.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to roll back CDC recommendations that fluoride be added to municipal drinking water and has promised that a panel of experts will review the guidelines and make new recommendations.
Kennedy can’t formally prevent communities from adding fluoride to their drinking water, but some states and cities have followed his lead. In March, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
The US Food and Drug Administration also said this week it is starting the process to remove prescription fluoride tablets and drops from the market. They’re typically prescribed for babies and children who are at high risk of tooth decay because they drink water that doesn’t contain added fluoride.
https://lite.cnn.com/2025/05/15/health/florida-fluoride-ban
So by 2028 we can really see some stats on the change in cancer and autism rates and health in general.
President Trump polling higher in New Jersey than Democrat governor
InteractivePolls
@IAPolls2022
NJ Poll by Emerson
President Trump
Approve: 47%
Disapprove: 47%
Governor Murphy
Approve: 40%
Disapprove: 45%
——
53% prefer the next Governor of NJ to work with the Trump administration, while 47% prefer the next Governor to stand up to the Trump administration.
https://x.com/IAPolls2022/status/1923125977061658674
A mom is accused of buying ammunition and tactical gear for her son, despite repeated warnings about violent plans at school
A Texas mother, Ashley Pardo, was arrested for allegedly buying ammunition and tactical gear for her 13-year-old son, who authorities say was planning a mass attack at his San Antonio middle school.
Officials became concerned in January when school staff discovered a map labeled "suicide route" and a rifle sketch drawn by the boy. He reportedly had an intense fascination with past mass shooters and their manifestos.
Despite warnings, Pardo allegedly dismissed concerns and later purchased military gear for her son, including a tactical vest, helmet, and ammunition. The situation escalated when the boy’s grandmother found live bullets and an improvised explosive device in his room, prompting police intervention.
Authorities arrested both Pardo and her son, charging her with aiding in the commission of terrorism.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/14/us/texas-mom-arrest-son-planned-shooting
Charter and Cox to merge in blockbuster $34.5 billion cable deal
Charter Communications has agreed to merge with Cox Communications in a $34.5 billion deal that will combine two of the top three cable companies in the U.S.
Cox is the third-largest cable television company in the country, with more than 6.5 million digital cable, internet, telephone, and home security customers. It has a strong foothold in states spanning from California to Virginia. Charter Communications, known more widely as Spectrum, has more than 32 million customers in 41 states.
The cable industry has been under assault for years from streaming services like Disney, Netflix, Amazon and HBO Max, as well as internet plans offered by mobile phone companies. Comcast, which is of nearly equal size to Charter, spun off many of its cable television networks in November as as consumers increasingly swap out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms.
So-called "cord cutting" has cost the industry millions of customers and left them searching for ways to successfully compete.
Charter said Friday that it will acquire Cox Communications' commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud businesses. Cox Enterprises will contribute Cox Communications' residential cable business to Charter Holdings, an existing subsidiary partnership of Charter.
Cox Enterprises will own about 23% of the combined company's outstanding shares.
The transaction, which needs approval from Charter shareholders as well as regulators, includes $12.6 billion in debt.
The proposed deal is one of the largest in over a year. Mars' announced a $30 billion deal with Kellanova last summer and Exxon Mobil's approximately $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural happened in late 2023.
The combined company will change its name to Cox Communications within a year after closing. It will keep Charter's headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, and have a significant presence on Cox's Atlanta, Georgia campus following the closing.
After the deal is complete, Charter CEO Chris Winfrey will become president and CEO of the combined company. Cox CEO and Chairman Alex Taylor will serve as chairman.
Cox will be able to keep two directors on the 13-member board. Advance/Newhouse, which is part of Charter, will retain its two board members.
The transaction is expected to close at the same time as Charter's merger with Liberty Broadband, which was approved by Charter and Liberty Broadband stockholders in February.
Shares of Charter rose more than 4% before the market open. Cox is a private company.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charter-cox-merger-cable/
Republicans investigate Pfizer for delaying Covid vaccine to damage Trump
The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee is requesting records from Pfizer’s CEO and an interview with a former company executive to investigate an allegation that clinical testing related to the development of the company’s Covid-19 vaccine was purposefully delayed until after the 2020 presidential election.
Pfizer’s CEO has previously said that the vaccine timing had nothing to do with politics.
The committee probe comes after a Wall Street Journal report that British drugmaker GSK approached federal prosecutors with a disputed allegation that a former Pfizer executive who came to work for them, Dr. Philip Dormitzer, told his new colleagues at GSK that Pfizer delayed announcing that its Covid vaccine was a success until after the election. Dormitzer disputed that account, telling the newspaper, “My Pfizer colleagues and I did everything we could to get the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization at the very first possible moment,” and that “any other interpretation of my comments about the pace of the vaccine’s development would be incorrect.”
CNN has attempted to reach out to Dormitzer for comment.
Pfizer’s news about the effectiveness of its Covid-19 vaccine came nearly a week after Election Day, but Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has said the timing had nothing to do with politics. In an interview with CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta in 2020, Bourla threw cold water on the idea that there was any political motivation behind releasing the news after voters in the United States chose their candidate for president. GSK is a rival drugmaker.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan sent a letter Thursday to Dormitzer seeking documents and information as well as his testimony in a transcribed interview. The letter cites excerpts from information the committee says it received from GSK about Dormitzer’s interactions with a GSK human resources representative in November 2024. The committee highlighted information GSK provided, but CNN has not reviewed the full GSK letter. CNN has reached out to the committee to request the letter.
Jordan is also seeking information from Pfizer’s chief executive.
“As the human resources representative recalls, in their meeting, Dr. Dormitzer was visibly upset; he requested that he be relocated to Canada due to concerns that he could be investigated by the incoming Trump Administration over his role in developing Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine,” GSK said, according to Jordan’s letter.
“According to the human resources representative, when asked what prompted his request, Dr. Dormitzer made a comment to the effect of: ‘Let’s just say it wasn’t a coincidence, the timing of the vaccine’,” the letter adds.
Jordan also quoted GSK claiming that Dormitzer told his former colleagues at the company “in late 2020, the three most senior people in Pfizer R&D were involved in a decision to deliberately slow down clinical testing so that it would not be complete prior to the results of the presidential election that year.”
CNN has reached out to GSK to request comment.
A Pfizer spokesperson told CNN, “Pfizer is in receipt of the letter asking about allegations made in a Wall Street Journal story, and we will respond directly to the Committee.”
“The COVID-19 vaccine development process was driven by science and guided by the U.S. FDA back in 2020. We have consistently and transparently reiterated the facts and the timeline of the tireless work of scientists, regulators, and thousands of clinical trial volunteers who made the vaccine possible. Theories to the contrary are simply untrue and being manufactured,” the spokesperson said.
https://lite.cnn.com/2025/05/15/politics/pfizer-covid-vaccine-house-republicans
New Allegations About Timing of Pfizer Covid Vaccine Passed to House Panel, May 15, 2025
Lawmakers are investigating whether Pfizer waited to share results of the Covid vaccine in 2020 until after that year’s presidential election, based on new allegations that a former Pfizer scientist has said he was part of an effort to “deliberately slow down” the testing, according to a new letter from the House Judiciary Committee.
The House panel is seeking information from Pfizer and from the scientist, Philip Dormitzer, after learning he allegedly told colleagues in 2024 at a subsequent job he was worried he would face an investigation of his role in the vaccine’s release and asked to be relocated to Canada.
Dormitzer has since denied that he or anyone at Pfizer tried to delay the vaccine, and has said that his comments to colleagues at drugmaker GSK, where he took a job in 2021, have been misinterpreted. GSK first reported Dormitzer’s alleged comments to federal prosecutors in New York late last year, leading them to launch a probe into Pfizer’s vaccine timing.
According to GSK’s account to the House panel, Dormitzer told colleagues at the British drugmaker last year that three of the most senior people at Pfizer R&D were “involved in a decision to deliberately slow down clinical testing so that it would not be complete prior to the results of the presidential election that year.”
The GSK employees also recounted that Dormitzer “was clear that this was not a situation of delaying disclosure of completed results but was a situation of slowing down results before disclosure became necessary,” according to the letter.
GSK’s report to the house panel alleges that in asking for the move to Canada, a “visibly upset” Dormitzer told a GSK human resources official that the timing of the release “wasn’t a coincidence.”
A lawyer for Dormitzer, who has since left GSK, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Amy Rose, a Pfizer spokeswoman, said the company had received the letter and “would respond directly to the committee.” Rose said the covid vaccine development process was “driven by science and guided by the U.S. FDA back in 2020.” She added that “theories to the contrary are simply untrue and being manufactured.”
A GSK spokeswoman declined to comment.
House judiciary panel chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), citing a March Wall Street Journal report of the federal prosecutors’ probe, asked GSK last month for information about the allegations.
The material from GSK provides Republicans on the House panel with fresh leverage to pursue a potentially explosive investigation into whether officials at one of the country’s top pharmaceutical companies wielded its testing process to influence the 2020 election. Biden narrowly won the contest and made Trump’s handling of the pandemic a focus of his campaign.
The panel on Thursday asked Pfizer for documents about its testing, and sent Dormitzer a letter requesting similar documents and an interview by May 29, but not compelling him to appear before the lawmakers or committee staff. Should he decline to appear, the panel does have the authority to compel him to do so.
After the onset of the global Covid-19 pandemic, major pharmaceutical companies were racing to protect people from the virus, and the development of the covid shots is widely viewed as a medical miracle, coming faster than any other vaccine in history.
The review of the Pfizer vaccine’s effectiveness and safety was performed by an outside panel of independent experts, and Pfizer filmed and broadcast on Nov. 8 the moment executives learned the results from Pfizer’s senior scientists. Polls closed on Nov. 3 and Joe Biden had been declared the winner of the contest on Nov. 7.
The vaccine development process itself was unusually public, with Pfizer and others releasing the blueprints of their clinical trials. Pfizer and eight other drug companies, including GSK, showed an unusual level of cooperation, signing a pledge not to seek government approval until the Covid shots in development were proved to be safe and effective.
https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/new-allegations-about-timing-pfizer-covid-vaccine-passed-house-panel
Pope Leo XIV says family is ‘between a man and a woman’ and asserts the dignity of the unborn
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV affirmed Friday that the family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” and that the unborn and elderly enjoy dignity as God’s creatures, articulating clear Catholic teaching on marriage and abortion at the start of his pontificate.
Leo, the first American pope, also called for reviving multilateral diplomacy and promoting dialogue between religions in the search for peace, in his first meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps. The audience was private, but the Vatican released Leo’s prepared text and that of the dean of the diplomatic corps.
The encounter is one of the protocol requirements after a conclave, allowing a new pope to greet representatives of world governments ahead of his formal installation Mass this Sunday. The Holy See is a sovereign state under international law, has diplomatic relations with over 180 countries and enjoys observer status at the United Nations.
Leo, a member of the Augustinian religious order, has emphasized peace as a priority of his pontificate, from the first words he uttered on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after his May 8 election, “Peace be with you all.”
In his remarks, he said the search for peace was one of the pillars of the papacy. He insisted that peace isn’t just the absence of conflict but a “gift” that requires work, from an end to the production of weapons to choosing words carefully.
“For words too, not only weapons, can wound and even kill.”
He said it was up to governments to build peaceful societies “above all by investing in the family, founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman.“
“In addition, no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike,” he said.
Pope Francis strongly reaffirmed core Catholic teaching opposing abortion and euthanasia, saying they were evidence of today’s “throwaway culture.” But he also made reaching out to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark, insisting they are welcome in the church. He never changed church doctrine defining marriage as a union between man and woman and homosexual acts as “intrinsically disordered.”
As the then-head of the Augustinian order, the Rev. Robert Prevost in 2012 criticized the “homosexual lifestyle” and the role of mass media in promoting acceptance of same-sex relationships that conflicted with Catholic doctrine. A decade later, during Francis’ pontificate, he acknowledged Francis’ call for a more inclusive church, and said he didn’t want people excluded just on the basis of their lifestyle.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/pope-leo-xiv-says-family-is-between-a-man-and-a-woman-and-asserts-the-dignity-of-the-unborn
Colorado governor signs Transgender bill into law
Gov. Jared Polis has signed legislation that, as originally introduced, would have mandated that courts consider claims of "misgendering" and "deadnaming" in custody battles but whose final form had been heavily modified.
House Bill 1312 drew national attention when Colorado legislators introduced it, as it sought to penalize "deadnaming" and "misgendering" as discriminatory actions and compelled "publishers" to use a person's "chosen name" when asked. As initially drafted, refusing to comply would have served as evidence of the intent to discriminate.
In its original form, the bill would also have mandated the courts to consider "misgendering" and "deadnaming" as forms of "coercive control" in child custody cases.
Lawmakers struck the provisions dealing with custody battles from the bill's final form before sending it to the governor. They also modified the language surrounding "deadnaming" and "misgendering." The final version no longer mentioned those two terms.
https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/colorado-governor-polis-signs-transgender-bill/73-f4cccd81-347c-4f90-9c65-1035a816dc73
Such as?