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Analysis: Marijuana Retailers Not Associated With Increased Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Accidents

The opening of marijuana retailers is not associated with any immediate increases in motor vehicle accidents, according to data published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

Yale University researchers assessed motor vehicle crash data for the weeks prior to and after the adoption of adult-use marijuana legalization in Connecticut. They also compared motor vehicle crash data during the same period with that of a control state (Maryland). 

Researchers reported “no significant changes” in the prevalence of either statewide accidents (compared to Maryland) or local (within proximity to dispensaries) accidents.

“Here we show that the introduction of recreational cannabis dispensaries in Connecticut did not lead to a significant rise in MVA [motor vehicle accident] rates statewide or at the local level near cannabis dispensaries,” the study’s authors concluded. “The lack of substantial differences in crash rates within the eight weeks before and after recreational dispensary openings suggests that dispensaries may not be a relevant determinant of traffic safety in the proximity of these outlets.”

The study’s findings are consistent with those of a three-year analysis of motor vehicle crash data from Washington state, which reported “no statistically significant impact of cannabis sales on serious injury/fatal crashes” following retail commercialization. By contrast, assessments from other states evaluating longer-term trends in traffic safety following legalization have yielded mixed results. 

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3I/ATLAS Was Just Spotted by the James Webb Telescope, Confirming an Odd New Discovery About the Strange Interstellar Comet

An unusual interstellar visitor speeding through our solar system was recently spotted by the powerful eye of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The American space agency revealed this week that its premier space observatory had captured new images of the comet, known as 3I/ATLAS, on August 6, 2025, using its Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument.

Since that time, NASA researchers have been studying data collected about the object during Webb’s observations, with the latest insights appearing in a new preprint paper. The latest observations provide further confirmation that 3I/ATLAS is producing a large carbon dioxide-rich cloud of material around the object, commonly referred to as its coma.

Carbon Dioxide in Abundance

The unusual carbon dioxide abundance, previously detected in observations by NASA’s SPHEREx mission, is accompanied by traces of water, carbon monoxide, sulfur compounds, water ice, and an abundance of dust, according to the new findings made possible by Webb.

In the new paper by co-author Martin Cordiner and colleagues, 3I/ATLAS’s unusual ratio of carbon dioxide to water vapor is also noted as having been one of the highest ever measured in a comet. This is significant, as it suggests that 3I/ATLAS is quite distinct from the types of comets that originate within our Solar System.

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Former Golden Meadow police chief arrested for deleting department records

The former police chief of Golden Meadow was arrested after he reportedly deleted several years of police records immediately after he lost the election to keep his job, the attorney general’s office reports.

Tony Dufrene surrendered himself to authorities Wednesday once a warrant for his arrest was issued, Attorney General Liz Murrill said Thursday in a news release. 

The former chief admitted to deleting more than 12 years of data and records, according to his arrest affidavit. He was charged with malfeasance in office, injuring public records and computer tampering.  

Dufrene’s lost his re-election bid Nov. 5 to Michelle Lafont in a race decided by nine votes. The day after his loss, investigators said Dufrene began deleting files and deactivating modules on Central Square, the police department’s report management system. He continued doing so through Dec. 31 when his time in office came to an end, according to his arrest affidavit.

More than 30 Central Square “reports/modules” were affected, investigators were told. The records affected include calls for service to the police department, fuel use data, Taser reports, thefts, warrants, sick leave and overtime, the affidavit detailed.

State agents interviewed a Golden Meadow police officer who said they had a discussion with Dufrene about his actions on Central Square.

“In conversation, the officer stated that Dufrene told them that since he lost the election he would be deleting files and it was up to the offices [sic] to memorize anything they needed for daily operations,” the affidavit said.

Because certain modules were not available, police were forced to keep handwritten records instead of entering information into Central Square. During the course of the investigation, Central Square was able to recover the removed modules and 12 years of records Dufrene removed.

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Uvalde CISD calls missing Robb Elementary records a ‘mistake’; families say negligence

Attorneys for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District acknowledged this week that they failed to release all records requested in a lawsuit tied to the 2022 Robb Elementary School mass shooting, documents that could shed further light on the district’s response to the tragedy, calling the omission a mistake.

The admission came after a coalition of media companies, including Sinclair Broadcast Group, flagged missing materials in the district’s disclosures. The district’s legal representatives apologized publicly, insisting the error was not intentional.

“We are not in any way trying to hide anything,” one attorney told trustees during a tense meeting. “It was truly an error on our side.”

The revelation has reignited concerns among survivors and families of victims, many of whom have long accused school officials of withholding information about the shooting and its aftermath.

“I want accountability,” said Vincent Salazar, whose granddaughter, Layla, was killed in the attack. “The people who were there, who were responsible, did not do their job.”

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John Bolton cashed in and America paid the price

I went to prison for defending the Constitutional separation of powers.

John Bolton (an occasional contributor to The Hill) may well wind up in prison, too if investigators uncover evidence and prosecutors decide to bring charges over his alleged classified disclosures. 

When Bolton wrote his book, “The Room Where It Happened” — reportedly receiving a $2 million advance — he wasn’t just dishing gossip. He was sharing information about Oval Office conversations and national security that should have stayed secret — either by law or under executive privilege.

A federal judge already spelled this out in black and white. In June 2020, Judge Royce Lamberth warned that Bolton had “likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations.” The judge only allowed the book to hit shelves because “the horse is already out of the barn,” given the publication of excerpts and the shipment of 200,000 copies of the book.

Lamberth went further in his ruling, stressing that Bolton had “gambled with the national security of the United States” and that the government was “likely to succeed on the merits” of proving he unlawfully disclosed classified material. Translation: Bolton didn’t just break trust — he may have also broken the law. 

I served with Bolton, and he was far too frequently a loose cannon, bent on bombings and coups— Doctor Strangelove with a mustache. He agitated for airstrikes, pushed regime-change fantasies, and obsessed over military solutions when diplomacy was working. Then, instead of honoring executive privilege and confidential debate, Bolton acknowledged that in writing his memoir he relied on the “copious notes” he had conspicuously taken inside the White House. 

That isn’t service. That isn’t patriotism. That’s profiteering off of America’s secrets. 

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European Post Halts Mail to U.S. – Undermining Security and Trade Enforcement

Ahead of the August 29 implementation of President Trump’s executive order ending the de minimis exemption, which had allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free, postal services in Britain, France, Germany, India, Belgium, Denmark, and New Zealand announced they will suspend shipments to the United States.

They claim confusion over the rules, though packages worth less than $100 remain exempt, something hardly difficult to understand. The timing suggests this is more political theater, an attempt by Europeans to pressure Washington into reducing tariffs on other products.

Trump signed the order on July 29 to combat China’s abuse of the system, particularly its use of low-value parcels to smuggle fentanyl and circumvent trade sanctions. U.S. Customs and Border Protection processed more than 4 million such packages daily. Closing the loophole prevents sanctioned Chinese goods from bypassing tariffs through postal networks.

Retail giants like Temu and Shein built their entire business model on exploiting de minimis, shipping 1.36 billion parcels in 2024, mostly from China and Hong Kong.

As carriers scramble to adjust their systems, letters and documents remain unaffected, but parcels to the U.S. face delays and backlogs until new procedures are clarified. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy have already halted most package shipments, while France, Austria, the U.K., India, Singapore, Thailand, and Australia cite “lack of clarity” over how duties will be collected and what extra data is required.

In reality, the rules are straightforward. With the exception of personal gifts under $100, all shipments are now subject to country-of-origin tariffs. Transportation carriers are required to collect and remit duties to U.S. Customs and Border Protection using methods long in place. Postal shipments even have a grace period and remain duty-free until CBP establishes a new entry process.

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What Climate Crisis? Weather Channel Reports “Record-Breaking Cold” For August 

It must be extraordinarily difficult for leftist corporate media outlets and woke government weather forecasters to admit “record-breaking cold temperatures” or “unseasonably cool air” across parts of the Lower 48 – in August of all months. 

August is the prime season when far-left climate NGOs and their political allies, amplified by their MSM propaganda megaphone, usually try to convince everyone of an alleged climate crisis….

But the narrative of imminent doom for planet Earth unless cow farts, gas stoves, 2-stroke weedwhackers, petrol-powered vehicles (MSM always forgets to talk about Bill Gates, Al Gore, and Democrats flying around in private jets) are banned. 

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If Ukraine Wants Security Guarantees, It Should Get Them From Europe

President Donald Trump deserves immense credit for prioritizing diplomacy in pursuit of a resolution to the Russia-Ukraine War. After three and a half years of madness and mayhem in Ukraine, and beneath a volley of overwrought accusations of “Appeasement!” from Democrats, the media, and parts of Europe, Trump has met with both sides of the conflict to discern their positions and try to bring them together to end the killing.

The substantive issues are admittedly tough. The Russians are dug in on territorial concessions and the end of NATO expansion, while the Ukrainians are dug in on security guarantees. Not surprisingly, after three years of brutal conflict, Kyiv wants outside powers to commit to going to war for it if the Russians should invade again. Rightly, Trump has declined repeatedly to commit U.S. forces to fight and die for Ukraine.

That leaves things at loggerheads: If Ukraine will not quit fighting without security guarantees, and the United States — under Joe Biden as well as President Trump — doesn’t want to provide them, who will? The natural answer should be Europe. With an economy roughly the same size as the U.S. economy, five times Russia’s population, geographic proximity to Ukraine, and already more combined military spending than Russia, surely Europe should step up.

After all, the Europeans have been quite consistent: Protecting Ukraine from Russia is of vital importance to them. Referring to the war in Ukraine, France’s Emmanuel Macron warned last year that “our Europe could die.” Macron was joined last week by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, the U.K.’s Keir Starmer, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Donald Tusk, and other EU leaders in issuing their demand for “ironclad security guarantees” to protect “Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

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Why The IEA Reinstated Its “Business As Usual” Scenario

  • The IEA has reversed course by reintroducing the “Current Policies Scenario” in its flagship World Energy Outlook, marking a significant policy shift.
  • The debate highlights the inherent subjectivity of data in energy modeling and the political stakes tied to forecasting fossil fuel demand.
  • U.S. political leaders and fossil fuel advocates pressured the IEA, arguing that its previous modeling discouraged oil and gas investment and threatened energy security.

A great debate is unfolding about the subjectivity of data in producing the energy outlooks that guide public policy and private spending, shaping the future of the global energy sector. The International Energy Agency has been caught in the crossfire of a partisan debate in which environmental and energy industry leaders vehemently disagree about what constitutes accuracy, truth, and good science in data, and particularly in the agency’s flagship World Energy Outlook report. And this year, the fossil fuels industry is getting its way.

It’s easy to forget that data is not objective, nor is it purely subjective. This false dichotomy, according to data expert Melanie Feinberg, “distorts the empirical realities of data collection, the challenging work of forcing unruly phenomena to speak in clean, distinct, ideally quantitative phrases.” Instead, good science is about recognizing the responsibility of being an active decision-maker to produce methods and outputs that most accurately represent complex realities. 

Human-led decisions and difficult choices are being made at every step of developing a report like the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s annual World Energy Outlook – from how to collect and clean the data to how to analyze and report on it.

One of those critical choices is how the agency chooses to construct its projected scenarios for the clean energy transition and the phaseout of fossil fuels. 

The choice that has recently come under scrutiny is whether to include a “Current Policies Scenario” along with the typical scenarios that the agency uses to make its forecasts.

The IEA based its “business as usual” outlooks on current policies until 2019, when the agency decided to switch to a “Stated Policies Scenario,” which it believed to be more accurate.

The difference is that the Stated Policies Scenario assumes certain future policy actions, such as the extension and renewal of policies with end dates.

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UNREAL- British pub owner refuses entry to people wearing the flag of their country

UNREAL- British pub owner refuses entry to people wearing the flag of their country

An unprecedented incident shook daily life in England when a British pub refused entry to customers carrying their own country’s flag. What might seem trivial has become a focus of debate about national identity, freedom of expression, and the growing imposition of arbitrary rules by certain local administrations. Witnesses and affected patrons reported that the ban is clear and direct: carrying the English flag in a pub located in England may result in being denied service, regardless of whether the visitors’ intent is simply to show national pride.

The pub owner claimed it was a “simple rule by management” and that not allowing entry with national flags is part of an internal policy that must be followed strictly. However, for many citizens, this represents an abuse of authority and a clear contradiction: how is it possible that in one’s own country, a basic symbol like the national flag can be prohibited? The incident quickly went viral on social media, where thousands expressed outrage over what they see as censorship and discrimination within Britain itself.

During the confrontation, a tense exchange took place between the customer and pub staff. Video recording was prohibited inside the establishment, while the visitor insisted on understanding the reason for the ban. Despite the owner’s persistence and administrative justification, the situation sparked public debate about the limits of private authority versus citizens’ rights. Additionally, the comparison with other foreign flags, such as the Palestinian flag, highlighted a double standard many find unacceptable: the English flag is banned, while others can be displayed without issue.

This case occurs amid a broader context of demographic changes in England due to increasing immigration pressure. Cities such as London, Birmingham, and Manchester have experienced significant growth in migrant populations, creating cultural and political tensions over preserving traditional British values. Many citizens feel that national identity is at risk and that imposing rules like banning the English flag reflects an increasing fear among establishments of cultural conflicts or political confrontations. For conservatives, the pub situation is a microcosm of a larger problem: mass immigration has altered social balance and incentivized administrative decisions that prioritize neutrality over protecting national identity.

The case has alarmed those who defend national pride and traditional British values. Conservative analysts argue that situations like this reflect a troubling trend of restricting patriotic symbols and silencing expressions of identity while ignoring the challenges of mass immigration. The controversy also raised questions about business owners’ freedom versus the obligation to respect customers’ fundamental rights, particularly in contexts where there is no conflict or real threat, only the display of a national emblem.

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