WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returns to Australia a free man after US legal battle ends ( apnews.com )
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet on Wednesday, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga....
New York's top court declines to hear Trump's appeal of gag order in hush money case ( apnews.com )
New York’s top court on Tuesday declined to hear Donald Trump’s gag order appeal in his hush money case, leaving the restrictions in place following his felony conviction last month. The Court of Appeals found that the order does not raise “substantial” constitutional issues that would warrant an immediate intervention....
Chemicals from East Palestine derailment spread to 16 US states, data shows ( www.theguardian.com )
Engine maker Cummins to repair 600,000 Ram trucks in $2 billion emissions cheating scandal ( apnews.com )
Engine maker Cummins Inc. will recall 600,000 Ram trucks as part of a settlement with federal and California authorities that also requires the company to remedy environmental damage caused by illegal software that let it skirt diesel emissions tests....
Tesla recalls every Cybertruck again. ( mashable.com )
Trump Hits “I Have Black Friends” Stage of Total Racism ( newrepublic.com )
“I have so many Black friends that if I were a racist, they wouldn’t be friends, they would know better than anybody, and fast,” Trump said. “They would not be with me for two minutes if they thought I was racist—and I’m not racist!”
Florida prosecutors knew Epstein raped teenage girls 2 years before cutting deal, transcript shows ( apnews.com )
Black farmers' association calls for Tractor Supply CEO's resignation after company cuts DEI efforts ( apnews.com )
The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO Tuesday to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts....
California to make financial literacy classes a requirement to graduate high school ( abc7.com )
Americans can no longer afford their cars ( www.newsweek.com )
US verges on vaccination tipping point, faces thousands of needless deaths: FDA ( arstechnica.com )
Supreme Court wipes out anti-corruption law that bars officials from taking gifts for past favors ( www.latimes.com )
Paywall removed: https://archive.is/wI5Gu
Namibian court declares laws banning gay sex unconstitutional | Africanews ( www.africanews.com )
Rights activists have noted that, although prosecutions under the "sodomy" and "unnatural sexual offences" laws were infrequent, these laws have fostered ongoing discrimination against the LGBTQ community and instilled fear of arrest among gay men....
Family of taekwondo instructors saves Texas woman from sexual assault ( www.nbcnews.com )
The piercing scream, like a sound from a horror film, triggered taekwondo instructor Simon An to draw on his years of martial arts training. ...
Trump ordered to pay New York Times nearly $400k in legal fees for 'frivolous' lawsuit ( lawandcrime.com )
Microplastics found in 90% of burgers, steaks and chicken ( www.independent.co.uk )
Land-based protein sources like chicken, beef, pork and tofu contain as many microplastics as fishes, study finds...
In his closing pitch to Iowa Republicans, Trump says their votes can help him punish his enemies ( apnews.com )
The former president has set sky-high expectations for his own performance in the first contest of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. He spent the day before the caucuses trying to ensure he meets them. His main GOP rivals all spent Sunday in Iowa as well, making last-minute appeals to Iowans open to hearing...
The United States will need 7 million migrants to cover old age support programs for baby boomers ( english.elpais.com )
The country’s aging population and low fertility rate jeopardizes the solvency of Social Security and the Medicare program, according to a new study by Brookings...
Two-year-old becomes sixth child to die in a hot car so far this year ( www.independent.co.uk )
Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free ( www.nbcnews.com )
UAE to legalise abortion in cases of rape and incest in landmark reform ( tribune.com.pk )
Women have more rights now in UAE than US?
Bill Gates thinks the super-wealthy should pay more tax – and plenty of rich people agree ( www.businessinsider.com )
Bill Gates wants ultra-wealthy individuals to pay more tax — and now a growing chorus of billionaires agree....
Revealed: far-right figures try to create white nationalist ‘haven’ in Kentucky ( www.theguardian.com )
University of Minnesota pauses hiring of professor who called Israel's war against Hamas 'a textbook case of genocide' ( jewishinsider.com )
The University of Minnesota paused the hiring of a professor who wrote that Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza after Oct. 7 was “a textbook case of genocide” to head the school’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS), Jewish Insider has learned....
