#trump has increased his #networth by billions while the #economy and #jobs stall. Coincidence?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OVRBSayTPwY

The single most important thing ripped out of Trump’s bill #trump #budge...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/MpNDBq6jkZM

The GOP is banning states from regulating AI

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iVN1dq-EzBk

 

If you’re angry about #egg #prices you might want to watch this

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uzZJFt-C7Ws

 

Crumbling trust in American institutions: A MAHA activist takes on Girl Scout cookies : Planet Money : NPR

At least two fact-checking sites have investigated this study of Girl Scout cookies and have concluded that its findings are "misleading" and, basically, not as scary as they may sound. We spoke with a toxicologist, Joe Zagorski at Michigan State University's Center for Research on Ingredient Safety, who said something similar. Zagorski criticized the cookie study for its small sample size (25 cookies), its lack of peer review and other methodological issues. And he contended that the levels of heavy metals, aluminum and herbicide that the study found in the cookies are not dangerous. 

The level of glyphosate found in the Girl Scout cookies, for example, is so extremely small, Zagorski says, that a 70-pound child "would have to eat over 73,000 cookies a day to reach a level that could cause concern" over their lifetime. Look, maybe I could do it, but … that's a lot of cookies...

 https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2025/04/01/g-s1-56914/crumbling-trust-in-american-institutions-a-maha-activist-takes-on-girl-scout-cookies

 

Supreme Court upholds federal regulation banning 'ghost guns' : NPR

The court says ghost guns, which are virtually untraceable weapons that require assembly, are considered "firearms" and subject to ATF regulation...

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/26/nx-s1-5341404/supreme-court-ghost-guns 

 

Elon Musk May Now Control Fate of SpaceX Regulators at FAA — ProPublica

For each launch, AST's staff calculate the risk that "uninvolved" members of the public, or their property, will be harmed. They also consider whether the launch will cause environmental damage or interfere with other airspace activities like commercial flight, as well as make sure a rocket's payload received the proper approvals. … 

But Musk has criticized AST for focusing on "nonsense that doesn't affect safety." He's also emphasized that his company moves quickly and must have failures to learn and improve. Within SpaceX, this approach is known as "rapid iterative development." And it is not without risk. Last month, when Starship blew up shortly after liftoff, dozens of airplanes scrambled to avoid falling debris. Residents of the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos reported finding pieces of the craft on beaches and roads, and the FAA said a car sustained minor damage… 

Musk, however, downplayed the explosion as "barely a bump in the road." Moreover, he seemed to brush off safety concerns, posting a video of the flaming debris field with the caption, "Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!"

https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-spacex-doge-faa-ast-regulation-spaceflight-trump

A government worker's message for Elon Musk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijvrvp8Z17M

"Nonsensical": As Trump Blames Crash on DEI, Aviation Expert Says It's Understaffing and Lax Regulation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr7ADVDCUwQ

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Is Building the Vegas Loop With Little Oversight — ProPublica

In 2019, the company discharged groundwater into storm drains without a permit, resulting in a state settlement and a $90,000 fine. In 2021, state officials sent a cease-and-desist letter to prevent Boring from taking actions that could "cause unpermitted discharge of groundwater," prompting Davis, Boring's CEO, to complain to the head of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection that the state was "being fairly aggressive and that this was starting to hurt" the company, according to an email the head of the agency sent to several staffers. 

The following year, local officials cited Boring for illegally connecting to a sewer without approval, records show. In 2023, state environmental regulators found the company was dumping untreated groundwater into the sewer, with one official writing that Boring staff were "unsure of how long they have been bypassing the treatment system." Local officials said they investigated but did not find evidence to take further action... 

"What's the traffic control system going to be like down in those tunnels? How are they going to make sure that none of those cars crash into each other when they're going at 35 mph from one tunnel into an intersection with another tunnel?" said the expert, who requested anonymity because of concerns about professional repercussions. "All their answers are completely evasive. So there are significant operational concerns."…

https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-boring-company-las-vegas-loop-oversight 

 

How a quest for greater profits upended the global supply chain during the pandemic (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)

Everything from disinfectant wipes to computer chips were in short supply during the pandemic. New York Times journalist Peter Goodman explains the disruptions in How the World Ran Out of Everything.

Interview:

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/24/g-s1-5913/how-a-quest-for-greater-profits-upended-the-global-supply-chain-during-the-pandemic

Homeopathy Part 3 (The Cross Examiner)

Welcome to the Cross Examiner Podcast, the Internet's courtroom in the case of rationality versus religion. Our host, a seasoned attorney and outspoken atheist, takes on the rise of Christian nationalism and the misinformation fueling it. 

This episode is the third part of our series on homeopathy, where we delve into the pseudo-scientific practices and the alarming lack of regulation surrounding it. In this episode, our host recounts the history of homeopathy, from its inception by Samuel Hahnemann in the 1790s to its current status as a legally recognized "drug" under the FDA. He explains the dubious principles behind homeopathy, such as the "law of similars" and extreme dilutions, which result in remedies that are just water. 

The episode also covers the regulatory loopholes that allow homeopathic products to be marketed without proving their safety or efficacy. Our host also performs a daring stunt by ingesting 240 homeopathic pain relief pills and contacting the Poison Control Center to highlight the absurdity of these so-called remedies. The results are both enlightening and alarming, shedding light on the real risks posed by homeopathy and the urgent need for stricter regulations.

Don't miss this eye-opening episode that challenges the very foundations of homeopathy and calls for a more rational approach to medicine. If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider subscribing.

Stay informed and stay rational.
Interview: 

https://youtu.be/qkgNspZMuEs?si=YBuLBsi4MAmDUvFb

How the White House just made the world a little safer from biorisks (Vox)

New regulations are a win for safe synthetic DNA.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24152929/synthetic-biology-synthetic-dna-white-house-biological-risks-engineered-virus

Trump seeks $1 billion from oil CEOs, vows to limit EVs - The Washington Post

Trump's response stunned several of the executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden's environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/

Our Fragile Food System: Journalist says we're 'basically guinea pigs' for a new form of industrialized food (Tonya Mosley; Fresh Air podcast)

Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser says mergers and acquisitions have created food oligopolies that are inefficient, barely regulated and sometimes dangerous. His new documentary is Food, Inc. 2.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/18/1245541903/journalist-says-were-basically-guinea-pigs-for-a-new-form-of-industrialized-food

Antiabortion advocates want Congress regulate IVF after Alabama ruling - The Washington Post

But the GOP is grappling with voter opinions on reproductive health issues at the ballot box…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/14/ivf-congress-antiabortion-alabama-ruling/

Biden is toughening limits on deadly soot. Industry is fighting back. - The Washington Post

"We've heard the same Chicken Little 'the sky is falling' argument from industry every time EPA has proposed an update to the PM standard," he said. "And industry has a perfect record on their projections: They've been wrong every single time about what the impact would be on economic growth and development."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/01/19/soot-pollution-rule-biden-epa/

Is Legalizing Marijuana a Mistake? (John Donvan; Open to Debate podcast)

According to an October 2022 Pew survey, “88% of US adults say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use.” 

While marijuana legalization is gaining more and more cultural acceptance, effectively regulating drugs has long flummoxed policy and lawmakers. 

Some are even starting to have second thoughts, especially when it comes to how to practically enforce legal sales. In fact, voters in Oklahoma – one of the nation’s leading weed markets –overwhelmingly rejected recreational legalization earlier this year, even though voters backed medical marijuana legalization by a double-digit margin in 2018. 

Those who argue “Yes” for marijuana legalization say legalization creates more problems for our legal system because it requires extra enforcement to crack down on already robust illegal markets to make way for new, regulated, and legal markets. Additionally, competition from illegal weed markets is undercutting legal sales, which means the expected revenue stream from a legalized industry is far lower than expected. 

Those who argue “No” say legalization can reduce the burden on law enforcement and criminal justice systems, allowing resources to be redirected to more pressing issues. They also highlight marijuana’s medical benefits, such as for pain management and treatment of certain health conditions, which have made a difference in people’s lives.

Interview: 

https://opentodebate.org/debate/is-legalizing-marijuana-a-mistake/

Rep. Sherrill: GOP knows pistol braces are ‘killing our children,’ but voted to repeal regulation

"They know this is something that is killing our children, and yet they're continuing to move forward in this way," says Sherrill. "The number one cause of death of children under 18 year old is, under 18, is death by firearms." Sherrill adds, "That's really unacceptable. And the fact that we are seeing this consistent pushback, not just to not implement basic protections, like universal background checks, like an assault weapons ban, but to actually go further and take down regulations that are in place, you know, I just I really have no words."

https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/rep-sherrill-gop-knows-pistol-braces-are-killing-our-children-but-voted-to-repeal-regulation-182205509697

Wave of lawsuits against US gun makers raises hope of end to mass shootings

"There's simply an effort to say: guns are a product, like cars, like medicine, like cigarettes, and we should have the same tools at our disposal to confront abuses within that industry."…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/27/gun-lawsuits-manufacturer-sellers-crimes