“Adolf Hitler has long been rumored to have had just one ball — but also possibly had a micropenis, according to a new DNA analysis. The Nazi dictator is believed to have had a hidden genetic disorder known as Kallmann syndrome, which can thwart the development of sexual organs, according to a stunning new documentary analyzing his biological makeup. The condition, which can also inhibit the normal progression of puberty, means Hitler had a 1-in-10 chance of having a micropenis, the Times reported. … The findings have been laid bare in a Channel 4 documentary — ‘Hitler’s DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator’ — that will air on Saturday, and will be later published in a scientific journal. The research zeroed in on a DNA profile created from a sample of a bloodstained piece of fabric that a US army colonel cut from the sofa where Hitler killed himself in a Berlin bunker in 1945.” (11/13/25)
“Israeli [squatters] torched and defaced a mosque in a Palestinian village in the central West Bank overnight, scribbling hateful messages in a show of defiance a day after some Israeli leaders condemned a recent attack by [squatters] against Palestinians. One wall and at least three copies of the Quran and some of the carpeting at the mosque in the Palestinian town of Deir Istiya had been torched when an AP reporter visited Thursday. … Soldiers from Israel’s military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, were present at the scene.” (111/13/25)
“Fewer than half of Americans now say religion is an important part of their daily lives, a 17 percentage point drop since 2015, which ranks among the largest declines in the world, according to a new Gallup poll. The U.S. was once exceptional for its high religiosity among wealthy nations. The shift reflects profound cultural changes that could reshape politics, social ties and even national identity. In the latest Gallup Poll released Thursday, only 49% of U.S. adults say religion is essential to their daily life, down from 66% in 2015.” (11/13/25)
“A gold pocket watch recovered from the body of one of the richest passengers on the Titanic is expected to fetch £1m at auction. Isidor Straus and his wife Ida were among the more than 1,500 people who died when the vessel travelling from Southampton to New York sank after hitting an iceberg on 14 April 1912. His body was recovered from the Atlantic days after the disaster and among his possessions was an 18 carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch that will go under the hammer on 22 November. … Mr Straus was a Bavarian-born American businessman, politician, and co-owner of Macy’s department store in New York. … On the night of the sinking, it is believed his devoted wife refused a place in a lifeboat as she did not want to leave her husband and said she would rather die by his side. Ida’s body was never found.” (11/13/25)
“A trade group representing French authors and screenwriters said Thursday that it had launched legal action against Chinese social media group TikTok over alleged copyright infringements. The Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers (SACD), a non-profit collective which represents around 60,000 writers for cinema, TV, theatre and comedy shows, said it had filed a suit in Paris. ‘TikTok has, for many years, been using protected works from the SACD repertoire without any authorisation and has never offered acceptable compensation for the authors of these works, nor has it removed the works we asked it to,’ the SACD said in a statement sent to AFP.” (11/13/25)
“A political consultant and former chief of staff for California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been indicted on accusations of skimming campaign funds from former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Federal prosecutors said Dana Williamson, 53, of Carmichael, Calif., was arrested Wednesday morning. A 23-count federal indictment was then unsealed, charging her with a slew of conspiracy, fraud and other charges. … Federal prosecutors allege that Williamson and the co-conspirators diverted about $225,000 in funds from the dormant political campaign. The indictment also accuses her of filing false tax returns for more than $1 million in business deductions for private jet travel, luxury hotel stays, home furnishings and designer handbags.” (11/13/25)
“Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Thursday that an individual attempted to confront Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba on Wednesday night, ‘destroyed property in her office’ and then ‘fled the scene.’ ‘Thankfully, Alina is ok,’ Bondi added. ‘Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country.'” (11/13/25)
“Classes and transportation in Bangladesh were seriously disrupted Thursday as ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former ruling Awami League party called for a nationwide “lockdown” in protest against her trial over last year’s protests that left hundreds dead. Hasina faces charges of crimes against humanity involving a crackdown on the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule in August 2024. She has been in exile in India since then and has not been seen in public or online. A special tribunal in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, is expected to announce a verdict against Hasina on Monday, chief prosecutor Tajul Islam said during a news conference Thursday.” (11/13/25)
“U.S. Catholic bishops voted Wednesday to make official a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender patients at Catholic hospitals. The step formalizes a yearslong process for the U.S. church to address transgender health care. From a Baltimore hotel ballroom, the bishops overwhelmingly approved revisions to their ethical and religious directives that guide the nation’s thousands of Catholic health care institutions and providers.” (11/12/25)
“President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday designated four European left-wing groups as terrorist organizations, following through on his vow to crack down on leftists after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The networks targeted by Trump’s Republican administration all appear to be based in Europe, with no operations in the United States. They are an Italian anarchist front that sent explosive packages to the then-president of the European Commission in 2003, two Greek networks believed to have planted bombs outside riot police and labor department buildings in Athens, and an anti-fascist group whose members were prosecuted by German authorities for a hammer attack against neo-Nazis in Dresden.” (11/13/25)
