TV News LIES

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Thursday to reinstate a Florida law that punishes businesses for allowing children into drag shows.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the "Protection of Children Act" in May to ban "children" from any "adult live performances" that feature sexual or lewd conduct. The penalty for restaurants or other venues that violate the statute is potential license revocation or even criminal charges. While the law does not explicitly refer to drag shows, it is widely seen as aimed at them.

Hamburger Mary's Restaurant and Bar in Orlando, Fla., challenged the law in court, contending that it violates the First Amendment right of free speech. The restaurant frequently hosts drag show performances, comedy sketches, and dancing. In July a federal judge in Florida temporarily blocked the law from going into effect, and the state of Florida asked the Supreme Court to reinstate it while appeals are carried out in the lower courts.

More...

An Israeli private investigator who orchestrated a global hacking operation that targeted American climate activists and foundations was sentenced in federal court to nearly seven years in prison after pleading guilty.

The emails obtained through the hacking were published in the American media. Federal prosecutors said that oil giant ExxonMobil then used the news reports to fight multiple state investigations.

The activists were victims of a hacking attack led by private investigator Aviram Azari. Federal prosecutors in New York say Azari was a key figure in a "massive computer hacking campaign that targeted thousands of victims worldwide," including climate activists in the U.S., government officials in Africa, members of a Mexican political party and critics of a German company called Wirecard.

More...

Hamas agreed to free at least 50 women and children held captive in Gaza in exchange for a multi-day pause in fighting and an increase in aid, The Washington Post reported, citing an Arab diplomat.

Israel had yet to accept the deal, which would allegedly involve the release of some Palestinians jailed in Israel. It is expected to reach a decision sometime Wednesday.

While Israel and U.S. leaders had balked at a ceasefire in the conflict, a three-to-five-day pause in the fighting appears to be a possibility. Israel bombarded Gaza in recent weeks in a campaign that has killed thousands, left many more without access to resources or care and decimated hospitals in the region.

American officials had signaled on Wednesday that such a deal was coming to fruition, with a number of reports suggesting that the two sides were “close” to a deal.

Cristina Nuñez's doctors had always advised her not to get pregnant. She has diabetes, end-stage renal disease and other health conditions, and when she unexpectedly did become pregnant, it made her extremely sick. Now she is suing her home state of Texas, arguing that the abortion laws in the state delayed her care and endangered her life.

Nuñez and six other women joined an ongoing lawsuit over Texas's abortion laws. The plaintiffs allege the exception for when a patient's life is in danger is too narrow and vague, and endangered them during complicated pregnancies.

The case was originally filed in March with five patient plaintiffs, but more and more patients have joined the suit. The total number of patients suing Texas in this case is now 20 (two OB-GYN doctors are also part of the lawsuit). After a dramatic hearing in July, a district court judge agreed with the plaintiffs that the law needed to change, but the state immediately appealed her ruling directly to the Texas Supreme Court. That move allows Texas' three overlapping abortion bans to stand.

More...

An obesity drug called Zepbound won approval for use in adults from the Food and Drug Administration Wednesday, ushering in a new rival to Novo Nordisk's blockbuster Wegovy.

Eli Lilly & Co., maker of Zepbound, says it shows greater weight loss at a lower list price than Wegovy. The Lilly drug will be available in the U.S. by the end of the year. A version of the shot, known generically as tirezepatide, is already sold as Mounjaro to treat Type 2 diabetes.

The Lilly drug works by acting on two hormone receptors in the brain, including one called GLP-1, short for glucagon-like peptide-1 – that regulate appetite and metabolism.

The new class of medicines for managing obesity that includes Zepbound and Wegovy has given people with obesity and overweight a potent option for treatment. But the drugs are expensive, and many people who lose weight regain it after stopping the medicines.

More...

What if the song "Baby Shark" stopped after just two stanzas?

For non-fans of the catchy tune, that might sound like a dream. For a real-life Mommy Shark in Illinois, it's reality: She produced a baby without a Daddy Shark.

The epaulette shark pup hatched this summer at Brookfield Zoo, just west of Chicago. Its mother has been at the zoo since 2019; in that time, she's never shared a tank with a male.

It's a rare case of parthenogenesis, a type of asexual reproduction, according to the zoo.