Elon Musk hit back on Friday at the "contemptible fools" that he argued must be removed from the Republican Party amid a MAGA civil war over immigration. Vivek Ramaswamy and Musk irked the hard right of the GOP and MAGA base when they defended the use of H-1B visas to bring high-skilled migrant workers into the U.S. Ramaswamy sparked the MAGA world infighting on Thursday when he made the argument that the U.S. needs to import high-skilled workers as American culture has led to mediocrity in the population. "Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer)," wrote Ramaswamy after several MAGA influencers slammed President-elect Donald Trump's hiring of a prominent Indian American tech executive into his administration.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologized to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a "tragic incident" following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people. read more
For the second time this year, a Florida appellate court has ruled against environmentalists fighting to enact a widely supported local clean water measure. The Fifth District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday that although 83% of voters in Titusville approved a 2022 initiative establishing the right to clean water, the city in Brevard County couldn't enact it because of a 2020 state law preventing local government from giving rights to bodies of water, plants, and animals. The City of Titusville had appealed a lower court's ruling siding with Speak Up Titusville, the group behind the local ballot measure. The three-judge appellate panel reversed the lower court's order to codify the clean water amendment allowing residents to sue, on behalf of the "Waters of Titusville," any entities that violate the measure.
Costco is battling an anti-DEI wave with a stern rebuke to activist shareholders looking to end the warehouse retailer's diversity ambitions. Walmart, John Deere, Tractor Supply and other companies are changing or walking away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies. But Costco believes DEI helps its "treasure hunt" shopping atmosphere, and it is standing behind its efforts. Costco's board of directors unanimously recommended that its shareholders vote against a proposal brought by a conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research, that would require Costco to evaluate and issue a report on the financial risks of maintaining its diversity and inclusion goals. The group criticized Costco for possible "illegal discrimination" against employees who are "white, Asian, male or straight."
A genetic analysis of viral samples from a patient in Louisiana hospitalized with the first severe case of bird flu showed mutations that may result in the virus becoming more transmissible among humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. read more
The stinky------------- killed 1.2 million Americans while destroying the U.S. economy.