Idiocracy

The Guardian reports: One of the most prominent anti-vaccine activists in the US says he caught measles in west Texas and traveled back home – but he seems not to have alerted local authorities of his illness, which means the highly transmissible virus may have spread onward. Brian Hooker, chief scientific officer of Children’s Health Defense, filmed an interview in …

ProPublica reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to overhaul an obscure but vital program that underpins the nation’s childhood immunization system. Depending on what he does, the results could be catastrophic. In his crosshairs is the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a system designed to provide fair and quick payouts for people who suffer rare but serious side effects from shots …

Snopes reports: In mid-July 2025, after Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa visited the Oval Office to meet with U.S. President Trump, an image comparison began circulating online. The pair of images showed how the Oval Office looked during the Biden administration compared to its appearance a few months into Trump’s second term. A Snopes reader wrote in …

“Your car air freshener is turning you gay. It is depleting your testosterone. It is wrecking your hormones. I was just in an Uber and the Uber driver had like a pack of trees, a pack of car fragrance trees. It’s disgusting, right? They need to be banned. So I told the Uber driver, ‘Do you realize that those are …

Reuters reports: Among the scores of offices the U.S. State Department eliminated last week in its dramatic revamp, the shuttering of one little-known office has raised particular alarm among U.S. diplomats. The small team at the Department’s Office of Casualty Assistance, which supports U.S. diplomats and their families abroad in the event of death or serious injury, received termination notices …

The New York Post reports: Conor McGregor was trending all over social media for the wrong reasons on his birthday. Several explicit pictures of the former UFC two-division champion were shared on social media by rapper Azealia Banks after she accused the Irishman of sexual harassment. The post on X, which was taken down by the platform for violating their …

“I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American. And we have every right to ask, on whose behalf was he working? How does a guy go from being a math teacher at the Dalton School in the late 70s with no college degree to having multiple airplanes, a private island, …

The Daily Beast reports: A devout MAGA mom holed up in a detention center in the Mojave Desert says her support for President Donald Trump is unwavering, despite his ICE goons locking her up. Arpineh Masihi was born in Iran but has been in the United States since she was 3 years old. She became a target for Immigration and …

The Christian Post reports: Can ChatGPT interpret speaking in tongues? Shawn Bolz, who was recently accused of fabricating prophecies in his ministry, recently shared that it appears OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, can translate speaking in tongues, also known as glossolalia. In a recent discussion about God and technology shared on YouTube, Bolz highlighted what is being called the “ChatGPT Tongues Challenge,” …

The Associated Press reports: Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday praised a company that makes $7-a-pop meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. He even thanked Mom’s Meals for sending taxpayer-funded meals “without additives” to the homes of sick or elderly Americans. The spreads include chicken bacon ranch pasta for dinner and …

The Hill reports: The Department of Justice (DOJ) released surveillance footage Monday to back up its determination that disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a New York City prison in 2019. The nearly 11-hour video was filmed outside Epstein’s prison cell during the final hours of his life while he was awaiting trial on additional …

Via press release from the Texas government: Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation declaring Sunday, July 6, 2025, as a Day of Prayer in Texas in response to the devastating floods that swept through Central Texas and the Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. “Texans are known for their faith, strength, and resilience,” said Governor Abbott. …

The wrestling site Bloody Elbow reports: Dana White is on board with Conor McGregor’s offer to return to the octagon on the White House lawn next year. Following the announcement from President Trump, a number of high-profile fighters have thrown their hat into the ring to get on the massive card. And no name has a higher profile than Conor …

CBS News reports: Get ready to see some punches on the White House grounds. President Trump says he will host a UFC mixed martial arts fight at the White House as part of next year’s festivities celebrating 250 years of American independence. The idea came up during a Thursday night speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds The federal government is …

ABC News reports: Social media influencer Brian Johnson, better known to millions of followers as “Liver King,” was arrested Tuesday evening at Austin’s Four Seasons Hotel after making threats against podcast host Joe Rogan on social media. The Austin Police Department took Johnson into custody around 6 p.m. after he posted a video challenging Rogan to a fight. “Man to …

The Daily Beast reports: Elon Musk has gone from being one of the top advisers to the president of the United States to just another guy posting his drug test results on the internet. The Tesla chief had denied a bombshell New York Times report claiming he used ketamine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, and Adderall while acting as Donald Trump’s chief …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Some of the biggest merchants are exploring how to issue or use stablecoins, potentially shifting the high volumes of cash and card transactions that they handle outside the traditional financial system and saving them billions of dollars in fees. Walmart, Amazon, and other multinational giants have recently explored whether to issue their own stablecoins in …

NBC News reports: More than 460 laid-off employees at the nation’s top public health agency received notices Wednesday that they are being reinstated, according to a union representing the workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed reinstatement notices went out to the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees, but provided few details. About 2,400 CDC …

Via press release from the National Park Service: On June 10, a 30-year-old man from Randolph, New Jersey, was injured by a bison in Yellowstone National Park. At approximately 9:45 a.m. in the Upper Geyser Basin at Old Faithful, a man was gored by a bison after a large group of visitors approached it too closely. The individual was treated …

Orlando’s Fox affiliate reports: A man faces charges after Pinellas County deputies say he called 911 claiming security at a club “took” $300 from him – money he used in an attempt to pay an employee for sex. According to an arrest affidavit filed by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Sultan Alnofaie, 21, called 911 from the OZ Gentlemen’s Club …