Wednesday, September 29 top stories
It is Wednesday, September 29. Here are today’s top stories.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said 22 animals and a plant that is native to the United States are now extinct and should be removed from the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Some of the animals that are no longer with us are two bird species and eight species of freshwater mussels that used to live in the 48 states, nine species of Hawaiian birds and a plant, a fish in San Marcos, Texas, and a bat in Guam.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, signed in law by former President Richard Nixon, is designed to protect animals and plants under threat, but the FWS said it was too late when these species were added to the list because they were probably already extinct or in steep decline.
The FWS said human activity causes habitat loss, introduction of invasive species, and disease.
The Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said now is the time to collaborate and be innovative to save America’s wildlife.
NPR reported that mail delivery will become slower and more expensive soon. The U.S. Postal Service’s spokesperson said beginning Friday, it would establish new service standards for first class mail and periodicals that slows their target delivery time by 30%. The spokesperson said there would be increased time for some pieces of mail to go across the country or long distances, but that 61% of first-class mail and 93% of periodicals would not be affected by the new standards.
The USPS said beginning October 3 and ending December 26, all commercial and retail domestic packages would have temporary price increases because of the holiday season.
YouTube announced it would terminate channels of those who spread misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines or vaccines in general. YouTube said it would terminate several prominent YouTubers who make false claims such as the Covid-19
vaccines altering your genetic code or causing your body to become magnetized and connected to cellphone towers.
YouTube said it would also remove videos with misinformation on currently administered vaccines that are considered safe and effective by local health authorities and the World Health Organization. YouTube said this means they will take down videos that claim that vaccines cause cancer, infertility, or autism. YouTube said it would allow scientific discussions about vaccines and personal testimony about vaccines, but they would remove personal testimony if the person starts making broad claims about vaccines and starts telling people to not use vaccines.
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An extensive investigation by the Wall Street Journal found that 131 federal judges violated U.S. law and judicial ethics by failing to recuse themselves from overseeing cases that involved companies that the judges or their family members had stock in. The WSJ was able to obtain the judges’ financial disclosure forms which listed the stocks they owned and compared it against the cases they presided over from 2010 to 2020. The WSJ said there were a total of 685 court cases in which they might have had a conflict of interest and that about two-thirds of the rulings were in favor of the judges’ financial investments. The WSJ said it contacted many of the judges for comment and that many responded with either shock or embarrassment or ignorance that they violated U.S. law. Some judges blamed faulty computer software. Many of the judges said they had contacted their clerks to notify the parties of old cases that the judges failed to recuse themselves. The WSJ said there are some parties that want to bring the case before a judge again, so there’s a lot to unravel. The WSJ investigation is likely to have ripple effects on the federal judiciary.
Chron.com reported that last weekend, a 16-year-old teenager boy who was driving a large Ford Super Duty pickup truck harassed and then ran over a group of cyclists who were training for a triathlon. This happened in Waller County, which is near Houston. One of the cyclists said the teen appeared to have been trying to “roll coal” by driving close and accelerating to blow thick, black smoke on the cyclists. The teen is said to do this to a few cyclists in the rear of the group and then when the truck drove towards a group of six cyclists in the front, the truck accelerated and slammed into six cyclists.
Four of the cyclists were taken to a hospital. One of the cyclists in the back, who was not hit, said he observed the teen’s parents showing up within minutes and that when police arrived, they questioned the teen but released him without charges.
There is a torrent of criticism and questions towards police for not making an arrest.
The teenager is unidentified because he is a minor. Today his attorney said in a statement that the teen is a new and inexperienced driver who did not have criminal intent. The attorney said the teen immediately called 911 and cooperated with police.
The Waller County District Attorney posted on Facebook that they would thoroughly review the matter and take appropriate actions after the police investigation is complete. The DA said a grand jury will decide whether to file charges or not.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/28/1041304836/slower-mail-delivery-higher-prices-holiday-season