Author: Reporter

Whether it is a grinning President Joe Biden as “Dark Brandon” or Donald Trump’s face superimposed onto a scene from HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” both presidential campaigns this year have embraced digital memes, the lingua franca of social media. The campaigns of the current Democratic president – and the criminally convicted ex-president, adjudicated rapist, and a documented pathological liar – enthusiastically create and share content trying to shape the narratives around both men. President Biden’s campaign even recently posted a job seeking a manager of meme pages. With tens of millions of people using social media as a primary...

All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published in May. The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where rabies is common. The update applies to dogs brought in by breeders or rescue groups as well as pets traveling with their U.S. owners. “This new regulation is going to address the current challenges that we’re facing,” said Emily Pieracci, a rabies expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was...

Tick season has started across the U.S., and experts are warning the bloodsuckers may be as plentiful as ever. Another mild winter and other favorable factors likely means the 2024 tick population will be equal to last year or larger, some researchers say. “It’s very bad and has only been getting worse,” said Susanna Visser of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An increasing variety of ticks are pushing into new geographical areas, bringing unusual diseases. Exotic southern species like the Gulf Coast tick and the lone star tick are being detected in New York and other northern...

Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell has mostly recovered from the brutal assaults he endured from Donald Trump’s supporters on January 6, 2021. But not completely. His shoulder still has limited endurance and there are screws and a metal plate holding his right foot together after bone fusion surgery. Emotional recovery has been more difficult. Gonell struggled when he heard that former Trump visited Capitol Hill last month and received what he called a “hero’s welcome” from the Republican lawmakers Gonell had protected that day, and when Trump falsely told millions of viewers in last week’s debate that many...