Idiocracy

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: On Wednesday, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) was making the point that the number of veterans and reservists arrested after the Jan. 6 insurrection was relatively small, when he decided to pose a question to Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Ms. Brooks, just a yes or no question …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: An Escambia County assistant principal and her daughter hacked into dozens of student accounts to cast fake votes to apparently help her daughter become homecoming queen, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Pensacola residents Laura Rose Carroll, 50, and her 17-year-old daughter were arrested by FDLE agents Monday after an investigation found they cast …

The Guardian reports: The Trump Buddha statue, listed on the Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao, is priced at 999 Chinese yuan (£110 GBP/$150 USD) for the small version, which measures 1.6 metres tall. A larger version, listed as 4.6 metres tall, is available for 3,999 yuan (£440/$610). The statue, with Trump’s hands folded in his laps, thumbs pointing outwards, is a …

Law & Crime reports: The Utah House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would require cell phones and tablets sold in the Beehive State to contain filters to block pornographic material from reaching a user’s eyes. The bill had previously been approved by the state senate. The measure, HB72, applies to “smart phones activated in the state on …

The Arizona Daily Star reports: A lawmaker persuaded the Arizona House to let businesses ignore mask mandates to stem COVID spread partly by arguing they weren’t needed decades ago to stop the spread of AIDS. On a 31-28 party-line vote Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House approved legislation that says business owners need not enforce any state, city, town or county requirement …

Politico Playbook reports: Over the weekend we told you that one of the stars of CPAC — that enormous statue of Trump — was made in Mexico. Well, it turns out there’s more to the story. Artist Tommy Zegan had told Playbook he hand-crafted the 200-pound, chrome-painted fiberglass statue with the help of three men in Rosarito, Mexico, where he …

“Lockdown libido occurs when everybody is shut down for too long. You know what they do? They gain weight. They get obese. You know what obesity does? Drives down testosterone and sperm counts. “You drink more alcohol. You know what alcohol does? It makes estrogen out of testosterone, your sperm counts drop. Smoking cigarettes, which everyone is doing more and …

Mediaite reports: Tommy Zegan says he was inspired to create the enormous gold statue of Donald Trump because he felt that other less flattering statues of the president were not doing him justice. Made of painted fiberglass, the statue was assembled in Mexico and painted in Tampa, Florida. It’s for sale for $100,000. Zegan says he also made a stainless …

The Independent reports: Bloomberg reporter William Turton captured the video — featuring a squat statue of a golden Trump garbed in a business suit and Rocky Balboa’s boxing shorts and red flip-flops, brandishing what appears to be a magic wand and a non-disclosure agreement, being wheeled through the event as attendees can be seen taking snapshots and cooing things like …

Media Matters reports: DR. HARVEY RISCH (GUEST): Honestly, I don’t know how he could say the masks are a lifesaving measure when there’s no evidence to suggest that. Whether there’s benefit or not scientists argue about, that’s fine. But to call them a lifesaving measure is totally beyond the pale of anything that is scientific and knowable. I think they’re …

The New York Post reports: A dad-to-be in upstate New York was killed when a device he was building for a gender reveal party exploded, state police said Monday. Christopher Pekny, 28, was working on the device for his child’s gender reveal party in the Catskills town of Liberty when it blew up just before noon on Sunday, cops said. …

The Hill reports: Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer said Friday that “cancel culture” will “come after Bible characters next” during a discussion of the Chicago initiative to review historical statues in the city, including ones of former President Abraham Lincoln. “If they start canceling American presidents, they’ll come after Bible characters next,” Hemmer said. “Mark my words, right?” The Black …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Two women took a page out of “Mrs. Doubtfire” in an attempt to get their second COVID-19 vaccine shot. The two women dressed up as “grannies,” complete with bonnets and gloves, in an effort to pass as elderly women old enough to get their second COVID-19 vaccine at the Orange County Convention Center, health officials …

The Washington Post reports: Once again, an ABC reality competition series will have ties to the Trump White House — 18 months after former press secretary Sean Spicer made his debut on “Dancing With the Stars,” Kellyanne Conway’s daughter, Claudia, auditioned on the season premiere of “American Idol,” where she successfully made it through to the next round. ABC was …

Metro Weekly reports: Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory are reportedly embracing the idea that the COVID-19 vaccine can make people gay. It’s a claim previously shared by conservative religious figures, including an ultra-Orthodox rabbi in Israel and an Islamic cleric in Iran, who told their followers not to accept a coronavirus vaccine because those who have it “become homosexuals.” …

Page Six reports: Kellyanne Conway’s 16-year-old daughter Claudia nervously takes her shot at becoming the next “American Idol” in a teaser for the show released this week. The teen is introduced as a “social media sensation” as she strolls out before the TV talent show’s celebrity judges in a promo for Sunday’s premier for the new season. “I’m Claudia Conway. …

Michigan Live reports: During the baby shower, a small cannon-type device was fired in the back yard to celebrate the baby’s pending arrival, according to a statement from Michigan State Police. When the cannon was fired by the home owner, the cannon itself blew up causing metal shrapnel to strike three parked cars and the garage where the baby shower …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: Frostproof city leaders met Monday night to officially declare the first week of February “Donald J. Trump Week” in the city. Frostproof City Council Member Austin Gravley said, “Last night I was proud to be a part of a proclamation the first of its kind making February 1-6 Donald J. Trump week in the City …

Global News reports: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wants humans to stop using animal words as “slurs” in what it says is a “speciesist” and “supremacist” use of language. The activist group put out the unusual call on its Twitter account Tuesday, where it claimed that animal-related insults “degrade animals by applying negative human traits to certain …

The New York Daily News reports: A former regular on “Real Housewives of New York City” has her eye on Gracie Mansion. Bronx-born businesswoman Barbara Kavovit is running for mayor, adding a reality-show twist to an already unusual campaign season. “There seems to be a lack of real-world experience by our current politicians and while they didn’t create our current …