2 Michigan fake electors ask judge to drop charges, citing state AG’s claim they’re ‘brainwashed’ (www.cnn.com)
Two fake GOP electors in Michigan asked a judge this week to dismiss their charges, arguing that state Attorney General Dana Nessel conceded that they didn’t have criminal intent when she said they were “brainwashed” after the 2020 election....
Peruvian man charged with making hoax bomb threats to schools, synagogues in Pennsylvania (www.wtae.com)
The small pro-labor news site that has the Biden White House’s ear (www.washingtonpost.com)
Philips Kept Complaints About Dangerous Breathing Machines Secret While Company Profits Soared (www.propublica.org)
Tainted CPAP machines and ventilators went to children, the elderly and at least 700,000 veterans despite internal warnings. Company insiders said the devices posed an “unacceptable” risk.
New Orleans officials seek to build a freshwater pipeline as saltwater wedge inches closer (www.cnn.com)
Water barges and salt-filtering reverse osmosis units will not be enough to prevent saltwater from contaminating New Orleans’ largest water facility, officials said at city council meeting on Wednesday. Instead, a pipeline will be needed to deliver freshwater from upstream — not just for New Orleans, but likely for...
X makes cuts to disinformation and election integrity team (www.nbcnews.com)
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has slashed the number of people on its disinformation and election integrity team just weeks after it said it was hiring for new positions to help it guard against foreign interference....
Justice Dept. Accuses Trump Lawyers of Dragging Their Feet in Documents Case (www.nytimes.com)
Federal prosecutors on Thursday accused former President Donald J. Trump’s lawyers of trying to employ an arcane law governing the use of classified material to “intentionally derail” the timing of his trial on charges of mishandling national security documents and obstructing efforts to retrieve them....
Nearly 3,200 stores are closing across the US in 2023. Here's the full list. (www.businessinsider.com)
Charges dropped against Philadelphia officer who fatally shot Eddie Irizarry at traffic stop (thehill.com)
A judge dismissed all charges Tuesday against a Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot a driver last month....
Nebraska US mother sentenced to two years in prison for giving daughter abortion pills (www.theguardian.com)
California governor signs law barring schoolbook bans based on racial, gender teachings (apnews.com)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday to ban school boards from rejecting textbooks based on their teachings about the contributions of people from different racial backgrounds, sexual orientations and gender identities....
New study definitively confirms gulf stream weakening (phys.org)
Evergrande halts share trading as woes mount for China’ property giant (www.theguardian.com)
Embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande has suspended share trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange only a month after it resumed trading after a 17-month suspension....
Gen. Milley says he has "appropriate" safety measures after Trump social media threat (www.cbsnews.com)
Outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has “appropriate measures” to ensure his safety, he said this week in his first public response to shocking comments made by former President Donald Trump suggesting that the Army general is a traitor who deserves execution....
Houston approves $5M to relocate residents living near polluted Union Pacific rail yard (apnews.com)
Residents and local officials have long blamed the high number of cancer cases on contamination from a rail yard originally owned by Southern Pacific and later bought by Union Pacific near two historically Black neighborhoods, Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. The wood preservative creosote, which has been associated with an...
Germany bans far-right group that tried to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology (apnews.com)
A group of giant mounds built by Native Americans thousands of years ago just became the US' newest World Heritage Site (www.insider.com)
UNESCO just added 42 new places to its World Heritage Sites....
Chinese hackers stole emails from US State Dept in Microsoft breach, Senate staffer says (www.reuters.com)
Chinese hackers who breached Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) email platform this year managed to steal tens of thousands of emails from U.S. State Department accounts, a Senate staffer told Reuters on Wednesday....
A Deep Dive Into The NY Court's Ruling That Trump Is a Fraudster (www.dailykos.com)
The Writers Strike Is Over: WGA Votes to Lift Strike Order After 148 Days (variety.com)
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike will end at 12:01 a.m. PT on Wednesday.
The Biden administration is expected to keep cap on refugees admitted to the US at 125,000 (apnews.com)
The Biden administration is expected to keep the cap on refugees admitted to the country at 125,000 for the next fiscal year, which begins Sunday....
Bob Menendez bleeds support from fellow Senate Dems (www.axios.com)
More than half of Senate Democrats are calling on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign after he was indicted on explosive federal bribery charges last week.
Costco now offering virtual medical care for $29 (www.cbsnews.com)
California governor signs law requiring gender-neutral bathrooms in schools by 2026 (www.cnn.com)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring K-12 schools to provide gender-neutral bathrooms by July 2026....