Potential Source of ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ Parasite ID’d: Report

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Taco Bell lettuce supplied by a popular produce company has been identified as a potential source of contamination behind the parasitic illness saddling thousands of Americans with explosive diarrhea, according to a new report.

Shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to the fast food chain by Taylor Farms has been linked to this summer’s outbreak of cyclosporiasis, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation, The Washington Post reported.

“The signal we have gotten is that there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked what their menu items were in common, lettuce came up frequently,” said one of the individuals who spoke to the outlet on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.

When the Food and Drugs Administration asked the Mexican fast food giant where they get their lettuce from, Taylor Farms was identified as supplying to stores in Michigan and three other states, where the outbreak has been the largest, according to the source.

Authorities in Michigan previously said that the leafy greens are suspected as the source causing hundreds of cases of the stomach illness based on interviews with over 1,000 patients. (Read more from “Potential Source of ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ Parasite ID’d: Report” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

UN Chief Warns of Imminent ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ as US Launches New Strikes: Report

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Shortly after the United States launched a fresh round of strikes at Iran on Sunday, the United Nations secretary-general pleaded with all parties to practice restraint, or risk sparking global and imminent “catastrophic consequences.”

On Saturday, the United States launched strikes at Iran in response to an attack on a container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, and in a manner that Iran claimed to be in violation of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement. Iran responded early Sunday morning with strikes targeting major U.S. allies in the region.

On Sunday, the United States retaliated again with a new wave of strikes, only this time, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres pleaded with all parties involved to stop hostilities, The New York Times reported.

“A return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences [for the region and for the global economy],” Guterres said, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Guterres went on to say he was “deeply concerned by the serious escalation” and urged both the United States and Iran “to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalatory action and take immediate steps to de-escalate.” (Read more from “UN Chief Warns of Imminent ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ as US Launches New Strikes: Report” HERE)

Mystery Link Between Four Missing US Scientists as Fresh Clue Emerges

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A new pattern has been identified in a case involving a series of deaths and disappearances of around a dozen scientists in connection with U.S. research facilities.

Anthony Chavez, a former Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employee, was just one of the victims who disappeared without a trace last May. He had worked at the nuclear research facilities right up until he retired in 2017.

According to a new report from the Daily Mail, just before his disappearance, Chavez bought a 9mm pistol for self-defense, police records show. Despite being “in good spirits” at the time, he disappeared before he could pick up his purchase from a Santa Fe sporting goods store. It comes after the White House broke its silence on the 10 missing scientists who were privy to the nation’s biggest secrets.

The records also showed that Chavez was allegedly being mentored by an “unknown scientist” while working at the lab. The mentoring was allegedly on AI and quantum physics projects that were researching the idea of being in “two places at once.”

Chavez’s case is the fourth of its kind that is connected to the top-secret U.S. facility, which involved a handgun in the last year, either because the person went missing after buying one, left home carrying one, or was found dead with one next to them. (Read more from “Mystery Link Between Four Missing US Scientists as Fresh Clue Emerges” HERE)

Trump Slashes Two Utah Protected Areas by More than 90%

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President Donald Trump on Monday signed executive orders slashing two national monuments in Utah to roughly a tenth of their current size, throwing open millions of acres of protected land to fossil fuel extraction and mining.

Trump signed the proclamations at a White House gathering flanked by Republican officials including Utah’s governor and two senators, who framed the move as an overdue correction of federal overreach.

“We’re doing something very dramatic and very important for the people of Utah and the people of our country,” said Trump.

“These monument designations are supposed to be the ‘smallest area’ possible to protect the antiquities, and these multi-million acre monuments that are bigger than the state of Delaware certainly do not fit that designation,” added Utah Governor Spencer Cox.

“We definitely care about protecting these antiquities and will continue to do so,” he added. (Read more from “Trump Slashes Two Utah Protected Areas by More than 90%” HERE)

Same-Sex Couple Sues Surrogate who Refused to Abort Their 2-year-old Son Over a Minor Birth Defect

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A same-sex male couple in Canada has sued a surrogate mother who believes she is being punished because she refused a request to abort the baby after doctors detected a cleft lip and a possible heart defect.

In a suit filed in Ontario Superior Court in May, the parents allege the surrogate mother failed to keep them informed about the baby’s health, put the baby at risk, caused them emotional distress and violated their confidentiality, The National Post reported.

The outlet, which reviewed the claim but withheld the identities of the mother and the couple, reported that the lawsuit came two years after the couple asked her to terminate the pregnancy at 22 weeks — a request she refused.

The lawsuit does not cite her refusal as a reason for the suit, but the mother and the surrogacy agency both say the relationship with the couple deteriorated after she decided to continue the pregnancy.

“That’s when everything changed … they wanted a termination,” Sally Rhoads-Heinrich, owner of Surrogacy in Canada Online, told the outlet. “What I find most difficult in this is they are suing the woman who brought their son to them. How is their son going to feel someday if he learns that?” (Read more from “Same-Sex Couple Sues Surrogate who Refused to Abort Their 2-year-old Son Over a Minor Birth Defect” HERE)

U.S. Treasury Unveils Coin with Trump’s Face, $100 Bill Featuring Presidential Signature

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The U.S. Treasury Department has unveiled a new $100 bill featuring President Donald Trump’s signature and a dollar coin featuring his portrait.

Trump’s signature will be included on all denominations of paper currency alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, making him the first president to put his name on cash.

“As Treasury secretary, I only have two mandates — the currency has to say ‘In God we trust’ somewhere on it, and we cannot have an image of a living person,” Bessent explained to Fox News host Jesse Watters while taking him on a tour of the department this week:

“But we have the president’s signature,” the secretary continued. “Which, again, I think is appropriate for the 250th.”

Bessent used “currency” in the “paper money” sense of the word. The department can, however, include living people’s images on special coins. (Read more from “U.S. Treasury Unveils Coin with Trump’s Face, $100 Bill Featuring Presidential Signature” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

GOP Senator Casts Doubt on Mitch McConnell’s Health: ‘I Just Heard From a Source…’

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Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said a source has told him that a photo of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released by his office to assuage concerns about the senator’s health is “an older photo.”

McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized since June 14. It was reported that paramedics were called to McConnell’s home that day to tend to someone unconscious due to cardiac arrest. The senator’s office refused to give any updates on McConnell until Sunday. In a statement, McConnell said he is hospitalized due to a fall. He added that he did not break any bones and did not endure a heart attack or stroke, though he did say he had a mild case of pneumonia.

The statement was accompanied by a photo of a smiling McConnell sitting up in a hospital bed with his wife Elaine Chao beside him. Some users on social media and members of the press questioned the authenticity of the photo.

Johnson joined Monday’s episode of The Balance on Real America’s Voice, where host Eric Bolling asked about the photo.

“I saw a picture that I’m not sure I believe is actually Mitch McConnell from the hospital after what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen,” Bolling said. “Do you believe Mitch McConnell is the one who said, ‘I’m ok. Here’s the picture of my wife, Elaine Chao and I’ in that hospital bed?” (Read more from “GOP Senator Casts Doubt on Mitch McConnell’s Health: ‘I Just Heard From a Source…’” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

‘I like men too’: When Laura Loomer Claimed ‘Lindsey Graham is gay’

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Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer and Donald Trump associate, claimed under oath during a deposition that Lindsey Graham was gay.

“Several of President Trump’s staff have told me in confidence that Lindsey Graham is gay,” a claim she made during her deposition, but later defended on social media, asserting that she wished to avoid committing perjury.

Laura Loomer’s bombshell claims against Lindsey Graham

At that time, Loomer brought a lawsuit against the HBO host Bill Maher, who has a documented history of anti-transgender statements, after he remarked on the Real Time with Bill Maher show during the campaign that the influencer could be “f—ing” Trump. In her court deposition, which her legal representatives made public in a filing, she stated that the joke ruined her chances of joining the White House staff following Trump’s election in November.

However, Maher’s lawyer, Katherine Bolger, brought up several contentious statements made by Loomer, which included implications regarding Graham’s sexual orientation. In September, Loomer posted on the X platform: “When is Lindsey coming out of the closet? We all know you’re gay, Lindsey… and that’s ok.”

“There’s no reason why Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, needs to hide the fact that he’s a gay man. Come on, Lindsey. I like men too. No need to hide. I want you to relieve yourself of your toxic closeted anger. It’s 2024. Nobody needs to hide that they’re gay anymore.” (Read more from “‘I like men too’: When Laura Loomer Claimed ‘Lindsey Graham is gay’” HERE)

Extremely Rare Cancer Striking Kids in Rich Calif. City Takes Worrying Turn — as Possible Cause Emerges

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Families in a rich California enclave have claimed an extremely rare cancer has struck more people than first feared and that its root cause could be due to the rampant use of pesticides.

Locals in Ladera Ranch, Orange County, have spent months raising concerns after at least six local children were diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a bone and soft tissue cancer that affects only about 200 to 240 children nationwide each year.

Now, residents say their own investigation has uncovered what they believe is an unusually heavy use of pesticides and herbicides throughout the community and that more than 60 people could be impacted.

Researchers have previously explored possible associations between pesticide exposure and certain childhood cancers, including Ewing sarcoma, but no direct causal relationship has been confirmed. Still, residents say the volume of chemicals being sprayed throughout the community has become impossible to ignore.

“This issue has been looked into by several different groups of residents in Ladera Ranch going back to 2016,” attorney and resident Jackie French told The California Post. “They have all been pretty much stonewalled … and many of them ended up moving away, so the movement kind of dies out each time.” . . .

“In this one Facebook group — and we only have about 25,000 people in our city and only a couple thousand in that group — she got 62 responses,” French said. “Some people were saying there are three people with brain cancer just on their street.” (Read more from “Extremely Rare Cancer Striking Kids in Rich Calif. City Takes Worrying Turn — as Possible Cause Emerges” HERE)

Hunter Biden Awarded $1.7 Million in Defamation Lawsuit Against Former CEO Who Accused Him of Taking Bribe

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A California federal judge has awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million in punitive damages in his defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO and Trump supporter Patrick Byrne.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson had said at a hearing in January that Byrne would face punitive damages after “failing to defend himself” against the claims by the controversial son of former President Joe Biden, Courthouse News Service reported.

The defamation stems from a claim by Byrne that the younger Biden had sought an $800 million bribe from Iran sometime in 2021. Biden sued the former CEO for publicly making that allegation.

Specifically, Byrne’s repeatedly claimed the son that had sought the bribe from Iran in exchange for persuading his father, who was president at the time, to release $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets and ease pressure during nuclear negotiations.

Judge Wilson, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, stated in his award:

Here, the evidence is clear and convincing that defendant has engaged in intentional misrepresentation with conscious disregard towards plaintiff’s rights. Defendant’s defamation went far beyond mere negligence. In fact, defendant has admitted that after the offending article was published, defendant repeatedly reposted the article across social media platforms and encouraged his followers on those platforms to promote it further.

(Read more from “Hunter Biden Awarded $1.7 Million in Defamation Lawsuit Against Former CEO Who Accused Him of Taking Bribe” HERE)