DrunkEngineer

In June, Rep. Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican serving on the House Oversight Committee, appeared on BlazeTV’s Prime Time with Alex Stein, where he discussed his belief that giants once existed. Burlison told Stein he was scheduled to be at “NephCon 2025,” a conference focused on fringe topics including the biblical Nephilim —figures in Genesis that some interpret as the giant offspring of angels and human women.

He credited Timothy Alberino’s podcast with sending him “far down the rabbit hole,” eventually reaching claims that the Smithsonian Institution is hiding evidence, the bones of past giants that lived on the Earth. Burlison suggested that, as a member of the Oversight Committee, he could investigate the Smithsonian.

The Trump administration is seeking a $1 billion settlement from the University of California, Los Angeles, a White House official said Friday, after the Department of Justice accused the school of antisemitism and other civil rights violations.

UCLA is the first public university to be targeted by a widespread funding freeze over allegations of civil rights violations related to antisemitism and affirmative action.

President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen or paused federal funding over similar allegations against elite private colleges. In recent weeks, the administration has struck deals with Brown University for $50 million and Columbia University for $221 million but has explored larger settlements, such as in its ongoing battle with Harvard University.

The Trump administration had suspended $584 million in federal grants for UCLA, the university said this week. On July 29, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division issued a finding that UCLA violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “by acting with deliberate indifference in creating a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.”

Joel and Kathryn Friedman, both 71, are counting the days until they can sell their home and move into a 55-plus community.

The retired empty-nesters have been ready to downsize for years, but are reluctant to sell their five-bedroom, 5,000-square-foot Southern California house [mansion] in large part because of at least $700,000 in capital gains taxes they estimate they'd have to pay.

Since 1997, home sale profits over $500,000 (for married couples) and $250,000 (for single filers) have been subject to a capital gains tax of up to 20%. That threshold hasn't changed since 1997, meaning that — between inflation and soaring home prices pushing an ever higher number of houses above that limit — many more home sellers have to pay the tax now than when it was first implemented.

The Friedmans are among a growing number of older homeowners discouraged by the tax from selling their valuable properties. Housing economists say that dynamic has exacerbated a shortage of family-sized homes on the market, especially in expensive places like California.

The Friedmans' house is too big for them, and maintenance costs are only rising, Joel said. "There are a million reasons why we'd like to move, but we're not because the tax is just burdensome," he said.

But that could change — there's bipartisan support in Congress for raising the federal tax threshold to boost home sales in a stagnant market.

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a task force to oversee the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and he's putting himself in charge of it.

The task force will coordinate federal planning for transportation, security and visa processing for the 2028 games. Mr. Trump said he's directing agencies like the State Department and Justice Department to "use every tool at their disposal to ensure a fantastic, safe and beautiful event."

The president will personally chair the task force — in line with a similar Trump-led task force to oversee preparations for the 2026 World Cup — and Vice President JD Vance will serve as its vice chair. Other members include Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

In response to questions from reporters, the president said Tuesday, "we'll do anything necessary to keep the Olympics safe, including using our National Guard or military."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

Several years ago, traffic crashes and pedestrian deaths from speeding were out of control in Uruguay. So, officials installed a national network of speed cameras.

That system was no joke — hence the warnings. And it worked.

During my week in the country, I rarely saw anyone speeding. And I couldn’t help but admire Uruguay’s exceedingly well-executed plans.

Bright signs warned drivers well in advance of camera areas — giving no excuse for failing to slow down. The intent was clearly to change behavior, not to collect fines.

Camera zones didn’t just last for an intersection or two — they sometimes went on for miles in highly populated areas.

Meanwhile, Uruguay didn’t simply send tickets in the mail and call it a day. It used a variety of techniques to fundamentally change the country’s toxic driving culture.

In high-danger areas, such as near schools or crowded beaches, speed limits were lowered — enforced by cameras — to as little as 15 mph. Meanwhile, crosswalks in these zones were mostly raised — forming massive speed bumps. This ensured that drivers couldn’t absent-mindedly ignore speed limits and blow through crowded street crossings; paying attention was mandatory. These bumps also protected against speedy bad actors who might otherwise cover their license plates to avoid camera fines.

Traffic deaths dropped by 24% from record highs after the cameras went up. Still, that wasn’t good enough. So, in 2016, Uruguay passed no-tolerance drunk driving laws. Fatalities dropped 20% more.

Tesla was caught withholding data, lying about it, and misdirecting authorities in the wrongful death case involving Autopilot that it lost this week.

The automaker was undeniably covering up for Autopilot.

Last week, a jury found Tesla partially liable for a wrongful death involving a crash on Autopilot. We now have access to the trial transcripts, which confirm that Tesla was extremely misleading in its attempt to place all the blame on the driver.

The company went as far as to actively withhold critical evidence that explained Autopilot’s performance around the crash. Within about three minutes of the crash, the Model S uploaded a “collision snapshot”—video, CAN‑bus streams, EDR data, etc.—to Tesla’s servers, the “Mothership”, and received an acknowledgement. The vehicle then deleted its local copy, resulting in Tesla being the only entity having access.

What ensued were years of battle to get Tesla to acknowledge that this collision snapshot exists and is relevant to the case.

The police repeatedly attempted to obtain the data from the collision snapshot, but Tesla led the authorities and the plaintiffs on a lengthy journey of deception and misdirection that spanned years.

A white supremacist hate group marched across the State House lawn carrying swastika flags and fought with passersby in Concord Saturday, according to several eyewitnesses.

Lieutenant Mark Schneible said Concord police are investigating possible criminal activity related to the group, but provided no other detail. A spokesperson for the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office said Sunday that it was "actively monitoring" the police investigation.

A white supremacist group called Blood Tribe was claiming through social media posts to be behind Saturday's events. Organizations that study extremism, including the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and the Anti-Defamation League, describe Blood Tribe as a neo-Nazi group with several dozen members and thousands of online followers.

"[Blood Trine's] stated goal is to turn the United States into an all-white ethnostate through the violent removal of all Jews and non-white minorities they see as enemies of the white race," according to George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

The group carried several flags bearing swastikas and a sign that read “Trump loves Epstein."

President Donald Trump on Friday fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, hours after the agency reported that job growth in the U.S. had slowed to a near-halt.

In a Truth Social post that also directed even more fire at Fed Chair Jerome Powell, Trump accused BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of being a political appointee who was manipulating jobs data.

“I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s [Harris’] chances of Victory,” Trump wrote.

“We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,” he added.

Car companies continue to sell vehicles in Australia that use much more petrol and emit more toxic fumes than advertised, despite repeated investigations identifying discrepancies in marketing.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) on Wednesday released the latest results from its “real-world” testing program, a four-year $14m government-funded scheme that scrutinises claims made about vehicles’ fuel consumption and emissions.

The country’s peak motoring body said it had tested 114 popular cars, vans and utes since the program began in August 2023 and found more than 77% of these vehicles used more fuel than advertised.

In its most recent study, the AAA said 25 of the 30 cars tested used more petrol than advertised, showing consumers could not rely on the fuel consumption and emissions information provided at point of sale.

Guests report getting billed hundreds of dollars for smoking, based on the readings of an "algorithmic" smoke detector. The sensor manufacturer markets its product as a way for hotels to unlock new revenue streams.

See also: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/marietta-hotel-fined-women-hundreds-smoking-they-say-other-activities-tripped-sensors/WPFWFT7INFGOLHR4HSQK7YIOKY/