Author: nick

The military approach has backfired, with Iran’s position only strengthened. But the door is still open to a deal Source link

Headlines for the past few weeks have capitalized on the cruel connotations surrounding conversion therapy, proclaiming that the United States Supreme Court struck down “a conversion therapy ban.” The problem is that the Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision that included Justices Kagan and Sotomayor, told Colorado something that needed to be said: Your law was never actually about that. Chiles v. Salazar is being reported as a “conversion therapy” ruling. That framing is a political bait-and-switch. What the court struck down was a government mandate on what therapists may say to a consenting minor, forbidden words depending entirely on…

Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) police are performing dozens of license plate lookups on Flock cameras for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to public records that show details of the searches. The practice highlights how ICE, which does not have a contract with Flock, continues to get access to Flock’s AI-powered license plate scanning cameras through local and state police, and often in ways that are unusual, unexpected, and difficult for the public to track or hold the agency accountable for. In this case, ICE has gained access to Flock data through a law enforcement agency that is nominally…

To celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, President Donald Trump appears to have decided that blasphemy might be the best option. Source link

Democrats already had a lot to worry about in the 2026 California governor’s race, an election they would typically expect to win easily: Too many candidates. Low name recognition. Voter apathy. Source link

Officials from BAE Systems, Leonardo and Thales sit on advisory committees that oversee the “strategic direction” of academic departments in the U.K., reports Martin Williams. Avenue Campus, University of Southampton. (FlickScully/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0) By Martin WilliamsDeclassified UK Arms industry executives have been given direct influence over British university courses, Declassified can reveal. BAE Systems, Leonardo, Thales and Rolls-Royce are among the firms who have been invited to sit on at least 53 university advisory committees across the country. They are usually asked to provide “strategic direction” for academic departments — and sometimes also review the progress of research projects. Using…

A two-week ceasefire to the Iran War entered its seventh day on Tuesday as the U.S. imposed its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz MarineTraffic said in a post on X that two tankers approaching the strait Monday turned around shortly after the U.S. blockade began. One of those tankers, the Chinese-owned vessel Rich Starry, was able to make a successful crossing on Tuesday. At least four Iran-linked ships were reported to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday: Rich Starry, the Murlikishan, the Christianna, and Elpis, while three other non-Iranian ships were also permitted to cross since…

Photograph Source: Fassifarooq – CC BY-SA 4.0 The recent announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran has been met with a predictable mix of relief and skepticism. President Trump has framed the pause as a definitive military victory, stating earlier today that “we are witnessing the triumph of American strength over chaos, and the world is finally coming to its senses.” Tehran, meanwhile, has presented its 10-point peace plan as a set of non-negotiable conditions for a sovereign power. Yet the most striking development of the last 12 hours is not found in the rhetoric from…

Vice President JD Vance’s humiliations in Budapest and Islamabad raise the question: Why did Trump set him up to fail? Source link

Microplastics can be so small that they’re invisible to the naked eye, but these tiny fragments loom large in today’s public health landscape.  They are virtually everywhere: Microplastics can be inhaled in the air or consumed as you eat or drink. Early research has reported alarming health trends associated with microplastics, but the health effects are still largely unknown. Federal environment and health officials say they want to know more, including which kinds of particles are most toxic and how to measure their effects in people. “We do not yet understand how these particles interact with the immune system, the…