A culture of fear has persisted at a Florida nuclear power plant owned and operated by the state's largest utility, Florida Power & Light (FPL). Workers were hesitant to report safety concerns to upper management lest they face retaliation. Inspectors came to this conclusion after interviewing more than 75 employees at the St. Lucie plant, located on a barrier island an hour north of West Palm Beach. A federal database showed workers' anonymous complaints of wrongdoing at the plant skyrocketed last year. On-site workers filed far more reports here than at any other of the nation's 54 nuclear power plants. The findings come as the utility asks regulators for permission to hike Floridians' electric rates by billions of dollars over the next four years. FPL's proposed increase represents the largest rate hike request in US history. FPL CEO Armando Pimentel Jr's total 2024 compensation was $11.4 million. read more
JAMA informs: "Teenagers and children across America are increasingly inhaling nitrous oxide, better known as "laughing gas" or "whippets" to get high. Inhaling nitrous oxide comes with serious health risks: Blood clots, frostbite, asphyxiation, heart palpitations, hallucinations and even paralysis, brain damage, or death. Sold in canisters, easy access appears to be growing throughout the US. There are no age restrictions on buying nitrous oxide which is available online and in gas stations across the country. US deaths linked to misuse of the common, legal inhalant climbed nearly sevenfold -- 578% -- between 2010 and 2023. In 2023, 156 Americans, many of them children, died from huffing nitrous oxide. Eighth-graders make up a large proportion of users." read more
Despite the president's sagging approval rating overall, a Gallup Poll confirmed that Donald Trump's support remained overwhelmingly strong among working-class American pedophiles. "Even though his polling numbers among Americans who are not sexually attracted to children have hit a second-term low, the president's approval rating is still an impressive 80% among child rapists with household incomes between $30,000 and $80,000," said polling analyst Lily Willis.
This leaked internal memo circulated inside DHS suggests that Donald Trump's use of the military for domestic law enforcement on immigration could soon get worse. read more
Donald Trump's latest flat 25% tariff on all Indian exports to the US seems to have rubbed New Delhi the wrong way, as the world's fourth largest economy has reportedly told US officials that India was no longer interested in buying its fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jets. read more
The Native American casinos in California will probably benefit the most from this. Good for them.
Link: thecoastnews.com
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