As we welcome in September, the new school year and autumn in the northern hemisphere, our news for this morning is via nbatman’s Reddit news feed.
John Eastman, a former legal adviser to Donald Trump, may have inadvertently admitted to a crucial aspect of the allegations against him during a Fox News interview. When asked about his intentions on January 6, Eastman mentioned the idea that Vice President Pence could reject electors with pending certification, but the host disputed this notion. Eastman then stated that he recommended giving state legislators a week to address election irregularities. Legal experts believe Eastman’s comments could be incriminating and likened them to a confession of federal crimes. They cautioned against discussing the matter on television when facing legal charges – Legal experts: John Eastman “literally just confessed to the crime” in Fox News interview (Salon)
A 12-year-old boy named Yahshua Robinson passed away after collapsing during physical education class amid a heatwave in Lake Elsinore, California. He reportedly collapsed during class as temperatures soared into triple digits. His family revealed that he wasn’t dressed appropriately for gym class and had requested water and complained of difficulty breathing before collapsing. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department confirmed they responded to a report of a minor needing medical aid and the child was later pronounced dead in the hospital. Experts emphasize that children are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, making it crucial to address heat exposure and dehydration promptly – Boy wasn’t dressed for gym, so he was told to run, family says. He died amid triple-digit heat (Los Angeles Times ~ California)
India celebrated its successful landing of the world’s first-ever robotic mission to the lunar south pole region, making it the fourth nation, after Russia, the US, and China, to land on the moon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed India’s intention to send humans to the moon in the near future. India’s plan includes two uncrewed missions, Gaganyaan 1 and 2, followed by its first crewed mission, aiming to send three astronauts to low-Earth orbit for a three-day mission. This achievement has positioned India as an emerging space power, and the nation is keen to further develop its space exploration capabilities – India wants to fly its own astronauts to the moon, after becoming the first nation to land near the lunar south pole (Insider ~ Science)
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has won a key victory in its investigation and lawsuit against Intuit, the company behind tax preparation service TurboTax. The FTC’s in-house administrative judge ruled that Intuit deceptively promoted TurboTax as a free product. Intuit confirmed the ruling and stated that it will appeal the decision. The ruling will require Intuit to change how it advertises TurboTax products, including specifying the tax forms that qualify for free use and elaborating on the phrase “see if you qualify.” The FTC sued Intuit in March 2022, alleging that it misled customers into believing they could file their taxes for free and then required them to pay fees to complete the process – TurboTax’s free filings deceived customers, FTC judge rules (Politico ~ Technology)
Researchers led by Director C. Justin Lee from the Center for Cognition and Sociality (CCS) within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea have made significant strides in understanding the regulation of fat metabolism and obesity. They discovered that astrocytes, star-shaped non-neuronal cells in the brain, play a key role in controlling a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus called the GABRA5 cluster. These neurons act as a switch for weight regulation. Inhibiting the activity of GABRA5 neurons led to weight gain, while activating them resulted in weight loss. The researchers also developed a drug called ‘KDS2010’ that allowed obese mice to achieve weight loss without dietary restrictions. The findings offer hope for new obesity treatments that target astrocytes and the GABRA5 cluster – A new breakthrough in obesity research allows you to lose fat while eating all you want (Institute for Basic Science ~ News Center/Research News)
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