Michigan’s Second-Largest City Lost An Entire Tray Of Mail Ballots And Still Has No Clue Where They Went
Grand Rapids lost a tray of absentee ballots and does not know where it went, City Clerk Joel Hondorp told The Federalist.
A group of parents accused teachers within Texas' Spring Independent School District of giving their preschool-age children "sleepy stickers" — apparently body-worn patches that release melatonin and other substances.
Lisa Luviano told WKRC-TV her daughter first brought the sleep patches to her attention last month.
'We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true.'
"The sticker makes me fall asleep," four-year-old Layne reportedly told Luviano.
Luviano told the news outlet that her daughter arrived home from school one day and showed her parents the patch, which she was still wearing at the time.
"She kind of pulled up her little shorts and said, 'Mom, look, this is my sleeping sticker.' And I was like, the what?" Luviano said.
The concerned mother told KTRK-TV that her girl said her teacher gave her the stickers "for sleeping time."
Layne's father, Joseph, stated that he suspected something was wrong when his daughter was not falling asleep at night.
He told WKRC, "Two o'clock in the morning, I hear some noise in the room, and I go over there, and she's still up."
The day after Layne came home and showed her parents the patch, Lisa went to the school and filed a report.
"We did say we wanted to file criminal charges if this is something that is true," Lisa told KTRK.
Lisa also took a photograph of the purple and blue sleep patch — which includes illustrations of a moon, clouds, and stars — and sent the image to other parents in Layne's class.
Melissa Gilford, whose child attends the same school as Layne, stated that her daughter recognized the patch from Luviano's photo.
"I showed it to my 4-year-old, and she said, 'Yes, that's the sleepy sticker,'" Gilford told WKRC.
After researching the patch online, Gilford discovered that it contains melatonin and other substances she was unfamiliar with.
Najala Abdullah, another parent, explained that her 4-year-old son also received the stickers while in class.
Abdullah said, "They're giving them drugs to make them sleep, to keep them quiet."
She noted that her son recently stopped eating and was returning home from school with untouched lunches.
"Every night, my son will come home. He's staying up. He's not sleeping," she told KTRK.
Abdullah also filed a report with the school as well as Child Protective Services.
Spring ISD issued a Tuesday statement to KTRK saying two of its teachers were placed on leave as police investigated the matter.
"Spring ISD is aware of allegations that two staff members at Northgate Crossing Elementary School allegedly administered sleeping supplements to students on Sept. 24. These staff members were immediately removed from the classroom and placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing investigation by the Spring ISD Police Department. The district takes every allegation of educator misconduct seriously and will take all necessary measures to ensure that our students are educated in a safe and nurturing environment," the district stated.
You can view a video report here about the controversy.
Last December a Spring ISD staff member was placed on administrative leave after allegedly giving melatonin gummies to students.
Melatonin, which is sold as an over-the-counter nutritional supplement, is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to Children's Health, there are no extensive studies on the appropriate dosage for children. However, Michelle Caraballo, M.D., a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine Specialist at Children's Health and Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern, recommends one to three milligrams for toddlers and preschool-age children.
The Sleep Foundation recommends just one to two milligrams for children around 5 years old and up to three for children 6 to 12.
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A 12-year-old boy has died after falling from the balcony of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas was on a seven-day cruise in the western Caribbean with stops in Honduras and Mexico.
'We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests.'
On Saturday, the ship was en route to Galveston, Texas.
On the last night of the cruise, a 12-year-old boy plummeted to his death after falling from a balcony.
According to People magazine, the boy fell from the ship's "Central Park" neighborhood — an open area in the ship's interior on the 8th deck — which includes bars, restaurants, shops, and more than 10,000 plants and flowers.
The FBI confirmed that it was investigating the incident, according to the Washington Post, noting that it's “the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas,” and was coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection.
Royal Caribbean released a statement on the boy's death: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of one of our guests. Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time. For the privacy of the guest and their family, we have no additional details to share.”
The FBI and Royal Caribbean did not reveal the circumstances of how the boy fell from the balcony.
The Harmony of the Seas cruise ship docked in Galveston at 7 a.m. Sunday, according to cruise tracking site CruiseMapper.
In 2019, a 16-year-old boy fell to his death while attempting to climb into his room from the balcony of the Harmony of the Seas ship. The teen was on the eighth floor, according to the Broward Medical Examiner’s Office. The teen reportedly fell and landed on a pier after attempting to climb into his room from a nearby balcony because he forgot his room key.
Under the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act that was passed in 2010, railings on cruise ships must be at least 42 inches tall.
Harmony of the Seas was first launched in 2016 and has 18 decks and a maximum capacity of 6,687.
Between 1995 and 2024, there were 416 people who went overboard while on cruise ships, according to data compiled by cruise industry researcher Ross Klein.
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After the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump over the weekend, a North Carolina police officer hopped on Facebook and wrote, "Damn. Only about an inch away from making America great again…” WNCN-TV reported.
As you might imagine, the post proved a costly miscalculation.
'My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste.'
Detective Sgt. Brandon Richardson — a 24-year veteran of the Tarboro Police Department — is now on on administrative leave pending an internal investigation, WNCN reported. Tarboro is a town of just over 11,000 residents and sits a little over an hour east of Raleigh.
The police department in a Facebook post of its own Monday said it "is aware of an inappropriate social media post made by one of our officers. We take this matter very seriously, as it does not reflect the values and standards of our department."
The department's message added that after they caught wind of the post, officials took "immediate steps to address the situation: An internal investigation has been launched to determine the context and details surrounding the post. The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation. We are reviewing our social media policies to ensure they align with best practices and clearly communicate our expectations."
WNCN reported that Richardson issued an apology on his Facebook page that appears to have been taken down. The station reported that his post read in part, “My attempt at dark humor was completely out of line and in poor taste. I realize now that my words were not only inappropriate but also deeply offensive to many of you. For that, I am truly sorry.”
Richardson's post added that he takes full responsibility, WNCN noted, adding that he made an appeal to “keep Mr. Trump and his family in our thoughts as he heals from this physical and mental wound.”
WNCN reported that Richardson joined the Tarboro Police Department as a patrol officer in 2000 before being promoted to detective with the department’s investigation division in May 2014.
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Former President Donald Trump noted in January that if he was ultimately denied presidential immunity in his election interference case, "Then Crooked Joe Biden doesn't get Immunity, and with the Border Invasion and Afghanistan Surrender, alone, not to mention the Millions of dollars that went into his 'pockets' with money from foreign countries, Joe would be ripe for Indictment."
Trump added, "By weaponizing the DOJ against his Political Opponent, ME, Joe has opened a giant Pandora's Box."
In subsequent months, various Republicans raised the possibility that President Joe Biden and his allies might soon get a taste of their own medicine.
For instance, a fundraising email circulated by Rep. James Comer's (R-Ky.) campaign in March noted, "When President Trump returns to the White House, it's critical the new leadership at the DOJ have everything they need to prosecute the Biden Crime Family and deliver swift justice."
'Joe Biden has done exactly that for the last few years and has done far more in addition to that to engage in a campaign of lawfare against his political opposition.'
While the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on July 1 that Trump and other presidents have "absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within [their] conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority," Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) appears more than happy to keep alive the fear among Democrats that upon turning the tables, a Trump administration might similarly engage in lawfare.
On Sunday, Kristen Welker of NBC News' "Meet the Press" showed Vance year-old footage of Trump stating, "I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family."
Insinuating such action would be unprecedented, Welker pressed Vance on whether he would support such an initiative as Trump's vice president.
Vance, on Trump's shortlist of potential running mates, answered, "I find it interesting how much the media and the Democrats have lost their mind over this particular quote. Donald Trump is talking about appointing a special prosecutor to investigate Joe Biden for wrongdoing. Joe Biden has done exactly that for the last few years and has done far more in addition to that to engage in a campaign of lawfare against his political opposition."
"I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is, 'We ought to investigate the prior administration.' There are obviously many instances of wrongdoing," continued Vance. "The House Oversight Committee has identified a number of corrupt business transactions that may or may not be criminal. Of course, you have to investigate to find out."
Vance underscored that Trump's desire to investigate Biden is a "totally reasonable thing for him to do and frankly, the Biden administration has done far worse."
"If you think that what Donald Trump is proposing is a threat to democracy, isn't what Biden has already done a massive threat to our system of law and government?" added the Ohio Republican.
After a hurried attempt to distance the Biden White House from the prosecutions against Trump — entirely sidestepping at least one case wherein prosecutors reportedly met with elements of the White House before taking action against Trump — Welker asked Vance once more whether he would back Trump should he seek justice for Biden.
"I would absolutely support investigating prior wrongdoing by our government. Absolutely. That's what you have to have in a system of law and order," said Vance. "But I have to reject the premise here."
Vance torpedoed Welker's intimation that lawfare would be unprecedented and that Biden had nothing to do with the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith, noting that Attorney General Merrick Garland — who made the appointment — was not only handpicked by Biden but "answers to Joe Biden [and] can be fired by Joe Biden."
After indicating Biden's fingerprints were on the appointment of the special counsel who brought two indictments against his political opponent, the Ohio senator continued poking holes in the talking head's narrative framework.
Vance noted that one of the "main guys" engaged in the prosecution of Trump in New York "was a Department of Justice official in the Biden administration who jumped ship to join a local prosecutor's office to go after Donald Trump."
Vance was referencing Matthew Colangelo's migration from a senior position in the Biden DOJ — acting associate attorney general, then principal deputy associate attorney general — to a supporting role going after Trump in New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.
Welker immediately went on the defensive, suggesting, "That happens all the time."
After indicating Welker's claim that such strategic migrations were common was rubbish, Vance reiterated that Trump's proposal is aimed at "merely reinforcing our system of law and government."
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There was a concerted public-private campaign during the pandemic to downplay the strong likelihood that COVID-19 — a virus that would go on to kill millions worldwide — did not originate in the controversial Chinese communist lab that long engaged in dangerous experiments on coronaviruses with the help of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
While the Chinese communist regime did its part to bury evidence of a potential lab leak as the virus was first spreading, then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci ultimately did the heavy lifting in terms of narrative curation.
Anthony Fauci and the virologists in his orbit worked feverishly to suggest that the virus had a zoonotic origin, concealing their own doubts about that possibility while denigrating those who would suggest otherwise.
There was cause, after all, for them to engage in revisionism and propaganda. Elements of the Western medical establishment admittedly didn't want to alienate China by assigning it any blame over the deaths of multitudes of Americans, and Fauci had his fingerprints on the American grant money poured into dangerous work at the Wuhan Institute of Virology via disgraced zoologist Peter Daszak's EcoHealth Alliance — whose gain-of-function subcontractor was ostensibly among the patients zero who took ill in late 2019.
The lab-leak theory was censored on social media, especially on Facebook, which directly coordinated with Fauci. Talk show hosts, talking heads, and once respected newspapers dutifully parroted the approved talking points.
Yet, not all were convinced in Washington, D.C., the media, and the medical establishment — certainly not Stanford University's Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, epidemiologist and co-author of the "Great Barrington Declaration," and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Both Bhattacharya and Paul are among those featured in "The Coverup," a new documentary series presented by Blaze Media and Free the People, which debuts today on BlazeTV.
"The Coverup" explores the evolution of the Fauci-anointed COVID-19 origins narrative, the corresponding censorship campaign, various underlying motives and vested interests, and the ultimate breakdown of truth, breaking new ground and making Fauci's job of spinning yarns before Congress next week all the more difficult.
'You would go down in history as one of the world's greatest monsters.'
In BlazeTV host Matthew B. Kibbe's deep-dive in the first episode of the series, entitled "Dissident," he speaks to Bhattacharya about the research agenda that set the stage for the deadly outbreak and assesses what was at stake for the powers that be — and for Fauci in particular — where narrative control was concerned.
"He's in a tough position," said Bhattacharya. "If people understand that what has happened the last three-and-a-half years in the COVID pandemic is potentially, maybe even actually, a result of this kind of research agenda and Fauci was one of its champions, he is in a very tough spot."
"Millions and millions of people have died. Economies have been devastated," continued Bhattacharya. "The poor of the world, children, vulnerable people have been hurt by this mad science experiment. ... You would go down in history as one of the world's greatest monsters."
Later in the episode, Bhattacharya discusses the nature of the infrastructure shoring up the deadly research agenda as well as the possible link between officials' cognizance of a possible lab leak and the draconian COVID protocols they ultimately promoted.
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Extra to speaking to Dr. Bhattacharya and Sen. Paul in the series, in subsequent episodes, Kibbe gleans troubling insights from White House Coronavirus Task Force insiders about the early commitment to the zoonotics origin narrative, from journalists censored for asking questions, and from those working to hold the apparent architects of the pandemic responsible in its aftermath.
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