“The self-described Chicago suburb ‘super mayor’ is facing mounting legal woes after being ousted in a landslide election following a scandal-plagued time in office. Former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, a Democrat, has been ordered to appear for a contempt hearing after she did not turn over public records from her time in office, according to WGN 9. The Edgar County Watchdogs Inc. sued the Village of Dolton and the former mayor for failing to produce financial records after the administration allegedly disregarded Freedom of Information Act requests earlier this year. ‘The former mayor is about to find out if losing an election is enough to escape contempt of court,’ Edward ‘Coach’ Weinhaus, attorney for Edgar County Watchdogs, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. Henyard was previously held in contempt of court after she failed to turn over records from her time in office, directly dismissing state transparency laws for elected officials, WGN 9 reported.” (06/04/25)
“One hundred years ago, in 1925, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a powerful message in Pierce v. Society of Sisters: ‘The child is not the mere creature of the state,’ and parents have the fundamental right ‘to direct the upbringing and education of’ their children. This wasn’t just a legal victory — it was a triumph for families, a declaration that parents, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their kids. As we mark this milestone, we celebrate President Donald Trump, a leader whose fight for parental rights echoes the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who saw the family as sacred and rooted in natural law. With a Supreme Court ruling on Mahmoud v. Taylor on the horizon, let’s reflect on why this matters and why the legacy of Pierce resonates at kitchen tables across America.” (06/04/25)
“Syria’s new government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency’s head told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an exclusive interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials. He also said al-Sharaa expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, adding, ‘Why not?’ The agency’s aim is ‘to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons,’ Grossi said. He described the new government as ‘committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation’ and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months.” (06/04/25)
“The Canadian government has proposed a bill to restrict some asylum claims and give authorities more power to halt the processing of immigration applications. Canada’s immigration minister Lena Diab said the Strong Borders Act is meant to curb organised crime and the flow of illegal drugs and weapons, while boosting the ‘integrity’ of the country’s immigration system. It includes provisions that would give police more power to monitor Canada’s shared border with the US. It could also bar those who have been in Canada for more than year from filing a claim for asylum. But critics said the bill, which seeks to expand authorities’ ability to open and inspect mail, would breach civil liberties. The proposed legislation comes amid increasing pressure on Canada, which has historically been open to newcomers, to restrict immigration as the country deals with strained public services and a housing crisis.” (06/04/25)
“Yesterday, the Yale School of Public Health sent a letter to Senate Democratic leaders with a new analysis showing that the One Big Beautiful Bill’s changes to federal health care programs would kill more than 51,000 Americans annually. Nearly 15 million are liable to lose health coverage as a result of the bill …. Those cuts would cost about 29,500 people their lives, the Yale researchers estimate. Another 13,000 largely poor nursing home residents would die from the repeal of the Biden administration’s safe staffing rule, which would remove the minimum number of nurses on call in those facilities. And close to 9,000 would die from the government’s failing to extend enhanced premium support for the ACA that expires at the end of the year, making health coverage unaffordable for another five million Americans.” (06/04/25)
“More than 1.5 million foreign pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia for this year’s Hajj, a government spokesperson said Wednesday. Hajj is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, a religious obligation involving rituals and acts of worship that every Muslim must fulfil if they have the money and are physically able to do it. Hajj Ministry spokesperson Ghassan Al-Nuwaimi provided an approximate number for foreigners at this year’s pilgrimage. He did not say how many domestic pilgrims were taking part. Last year, there were 1,611,310 pilgrims from outside the country. On Wednesday, pilgrims streamed into Arafat, some making the journey on foot, carrying their luggage through temperatures nudging 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Others carried the elderly. People paused to sit on the ground to rest or eat before heading to their camps. Mount Arafat, a rocky hill southeast of Mecca, holds immense significance in Islam.” (06/04/25)
“Today, we review last night’s council meeting, take a look at the ongoing effort to shrink the size of Nashville’s Metro Council, wonder whether or not Penny Schwinn will finally get confirmed for a federal position, and tour the Downtown Presbyterian Church. Protesters were scattered in front of the courthouse, the gallery was packed like sardines, and a line of those wishing to speak during the public hearing on Nashville’s budget stretched the length of the building at last night’s council meeting. For nearly four hours, members heard from over one hundred constituents who made their pitch for more funding or fewer taxes. Union members, Metro workers, homeowners, nonprofit representatives, and activists stepped up for their two minutes at the mic. … A group of protesters standing on the courthouse steps with ‘No New Taxes’ shirts on told The Pamphleteer that they feel Nashvillians have been left behind.” (06/04/25)
“An almost 200-year-old condom has just gone on display at an exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It is thought to be made of a sheep’s appendix and features an explicit print representing a nun and three clergymen. The rare artefact dates back to 1830 and was purchased by the museum at an auction last year. The condom is part of an exhibition on 19th Century prostitution and sexuality. Prints, drawings and photographs also form part of the display. It is ‘a subject that is underrepresented in our collection,’ the museum said in a press release. ‘It embodies both the lighter and darker sides of sexual health, in an era when the quest for sensual pleasure was fraught with fears of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases – especially syphilis,’ it added.” (06/04/25)
“Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, saying the agency, under President Donald Trump, had illegally cut off funding to it through a program designed to distribute more than $1 billion in aid to states to purchase food from farms for schools, child care centers, and food banks. The lawsuit in federal court, announced by Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, comes three months after the USDA advised states that it was ending the pandemic-era assistance program because it no longer reflected agency priorities. ‘I don’t get what the hell their priorities are if not feeding people and taking care of our farmers,’ Shapiro said at a news conference at a food bank warehouse in Philadelphia. The USDA declined comment Wednesday. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Harrisburg, asks the court to reverse the USDA’s decision to end the reimbursement program.” (06/04/25)
“On a Wednesday morning in mid-February, Boston University ecology professor Nathan Phillips staged one of the nation’s first protests against Elon Musk’s central role in gutting government agencies and firing tens of thousands of federal workers. It was a lonely one: Phillips and a close friend holding signs reading ‘Defund Musk’ on the sidewalk outside a Tesla showroom in Boston’s upscale Back Bay neighborhood. But Phillips returned the next day, and after getting the word out to friends and colleagues, about 20 people joined him. That weekend, the crowd was a little bigger. By mid-March, as Tesla Takedown protests took off nationwide …. on a global day of action in March targeting the company, at least 650 protesters showed up — part of a worldwide groundswell that, by late April, contributed to a remarkable 71% drop in Tesla’s profits, which Musk himself credits to protest organizers.” (06/04/25)
