Gavin Newsom set to ban vapes in California — and the $2K fine it comes with
California is one step closer to banning disposable nicotine vapes — with environmentalists arguing the gadgets’ metals would be better off in electric vehicle batteries.
State lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 762 Wednesday, sending the measure to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for a signature or veto — with repeat violators facing civil fines of up to $2,000.
The bill would permanently ban disposable, battery-embedded vapor inhalation devices containing tobacco products, prohibiting anyone from “importing or manufacturing” them for sale in California starting Jan. 1, 2027.
It would also prevent the sale of those kinds of e-cigarettes starting on Jan. 1, 2028.
Those who violate the ban could be found guilty of an infraction and fined up to $500. Separate civil penalties begin at $500 for a first violation and rise to $2,000 for a third or subsequent violation.
Supporters spoke about the need for the governor to sign it, citing the pollution from these devices in our water and land and the fire hazard they pose when they reach waste facilities or are disposed of improperly.
California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) said the devices often end up in the trash or on the ground, littering streets and beaches and leaching toxic chemicals into waterways.
“It is against common sense to pollute our land and water for an electronic product that is used just a few times, serves no beneficial purpose, and creates hazardous waste,” said Jenn Engstrom, state director of CALPIRG.
“We’re hopeful California will continue to be a leader in waste reduction by prohibiting this unnecessary and harmful product.”
The group said the metals used in the vapes, which require lithium and copper wire, would be better used for creating batteries for electric cars.
Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, who represents Thousand Oaks and introduced the bill said “We are hopeful the governor will recognize the threat these devices pose to our communities and that the costs of cleaning up the mess these devices leave are borne by ratepayers.”
Tony Hackett, a policy associate at Californians Against Waste, said “vape companies shouldn’t get a pass.”
“We don’t let other industries design products with embedded fire hazards and walk away when they fail,” Hackett said. …
Judge axes Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s confession in long-delayed 9/11 terror case — in major blow to feds
A military judge on Friday threw out a key confession made by the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks — in a major blow to the feds that could derail the already long-delayed case.
Head plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 2007 statements made to investigators were not voluntarily given, trial judge Lt. Col. Michael Schrama wrote in a bombshell ruling.
The US military did not make the decision public — citing a “security review” — but sources familiar with its contents said the judge axed Mohammed’s confessions from the case in the ruling.
It comes just days after Schrama set Mohammed’s trial for June 2028 — with the 25th anniversary of the world-altering Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, looming in two weeks.
The head military prosecutor overseeing the case, Rear Adm. Aaron C. Rugh, told The New York Times Friday that he would review the ruling and “make a decision on whether to appeal in the near future.”
An appeal could threaten to delay the long-simmering case yet again, as families of the victims fear that Mohammed could die behind bars before being found guilty in a court of law.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
I Went to Planned Parenthood in California
Canada, U.S. Urged to Unite Against China | China in Focus
Aluminum trade groups are calling on the United States and Canada not to get stuck in trade wars but to focus on competition from China. What led to the collapse of U.S.–Canada trade negotiations?
A new tariff under consideration is putting U.S.–China relations under renewed pressure—just one month before President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Xi Jinping. How is China responding?
China-backed hackers have been taken down. U.S. officials say the hackers targeted critical infrastructure, including the Department of Justice, NASA, the Federal Reserve, and the Senate.
China is moving to give its global corruption hunt official legal power. But is it really about anti-corruption—or just one more tool for overseas control?
Trump Briefed on 2 DISASTROUS STORIES… One is ENFURIATING!!
Mamdani CUTS ALL Sewer Repairs… 12 Hours Later, QUEENS IS GONE
Nancy Mace Draws the Line on What Justice Means for Lindsay Clancy
Trump Moves to Authorize Ranchers, Farmers to ‘Process Their Own Food’
In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed that ranchers and farmers “have always been a number one priority” for him. Trump explained that while there were “essentially” four big meat processing companies, they are making “life miserable” for ranchers and farmers.
“Ranchers and Farmers have always been a number one priority for me,” Trump said. “They work very hard, are smart, efficient, and immaculately CLEAN, but for years I have heard that they have had a tremendous problem with the Big Processors, who many say are a nasty Monopoly.”
Trump continued to explain that in an effort to “break this powerful monopoly” he was “authorizing legal documents to be drawn in order to allow Farmers and Ranchers to be given the right to PROCESS THEIR OWN FOOD.”
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins responded to Trump’s post in a post on X, praising American ranchers for producing “the highest-quality, most incredible beef in the world.
“We are on it Mr. President,” Rollins said. “Our great American ranchers produce the highest-quality, most incredible beef in the world AND it is a matter of national security that we be able to feed and fuel ourselves.”
Rollins continued to explain that “starting Monday,” there would be big announcements such as the rescinding of “outdated guidance,” the waiving of red tape regarding processing, and “adding technology for faster safety data.”
Other announcements would focus on “expanding ranchers’ ability to sell across state lines,” and grow “real support for small processors.”
Mom Crashes With 2 Kids Then Runs Into Traffic
FDA: ‘Explosive Diarrhea’ from Lettuce Born Parasite Hits Three More States
The outbreak, which has led to hundreds of hospitalizations and at least two deaths since its discovery in July, has now been detected in Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas, according to the Food and Drug Administration, Fox News business reported Saturday.
Across 20 states, 11,458 illnesses have been reported, according to the FDA.
“Health authorities have traced the multistate outbreak to contaminated iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico to Taco Bell restaurants,” Fox Business reported.
The outbreak is reportedly one of the largest food borne illness events in recent U.S. history.
According to Fox Business:
Dave Ciesinski, president and CEO of The Marzetti Company, which owns and operates a range of popular retail food brands, including refrigerated salad dressings, recently told FOX Business that the outbreak isn’t just hurting lettuce sales but also affecting how Americans shop and eat.
Sales of leafy greens tumbled as much as 30 percent at the beginning of the outbreak, he said, while vegetable sales fell roughly 16 percent to 17 percent, with fruit also declining.
“Suffice it to say, they’re changing their behavior,” Ciesinski said of consumers on the outlet’s Claman Countdown show.
The two reported deaths were in Michigan, which is one of the hardest hit states. The deceased both had underlying health conditions that contributed to their demise, according to health officials.
Cyclospora is a single-celled parasite that produces “cyclosporiasis.” Its symptoms include “watery diarrhea, fatigue, and loss of appetite,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as “bloating, cramping, and weight loss.”
“Without treatment, symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to a month or longer,” the CDC website states.
The CDC recommends consumers wash their hands and any fresh produce under running water “before eating, cutting, or cooking.” Cooking can kill the parasite.
ICE officer charged in Minneapolis shooting released in Texas after judge declines to intervene
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer who was charged in connection with shooting someone in Minnesota earlier this year was released from lockup in Texas on Thursday.
A judge on Wednesday declined to take action to prevent the man’s release and force Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to send the individual back to Minnesota.
Minnesota officials have been pushing to have the man held as they fight for his extradition in the Hennepin County case.
The man, Christian Castro, “was released at 6:59 a.m.,” Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino told Fox News Digital in an email on Thursday.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced in May that Castro was “being charged with four counts of assault in the second degree and one count of falsely reporting a crime.”
“Mr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of a home knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no harm to him or anyone else,” Moriarty asserted, saying the bullet hit Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg and eventually lodged “in the wall of a child’s bedroom.”
Castro was arrested in Texas, and Minnesota has been pressing for Texas to extradite him from the Lone Star State….
Biden-honored Iraqi official lands on US terror watchlist as Trump State Dept revokes visa
Four years ago, Taif Sami Mohammed was being celebrated by the United States as one of the world’s most courageous women.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the senior Iraqi official as the country’s “Iron Woman,” crediting her with stopping bribes, uncovering schemes that enriched corrupt officials and fighting corruption despite threats against her.
Today, Mohammed is believed to be outside Iraq, on the U.S. terrorist watchlist and can no longer enter the United States.
A State Department official told Fox News Digital that the department revoked Mohammed’s visa this week, marking a dramatic reversal for an official who received one of the Biden administration’s highest-profile awards for women in 2022.
“While the Biden State Department shamefully celebrated and awarded foreigners who threaten our nation, the Trump State Department revokes their visas and ensures these individuals are removed from our country,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Rubio, suspected terrorists will never be allowed to remain in the United States.”
The State Department did not immediately provide details about when Mohammed was placed on the terrorist watchlist or the intelligence that led to that determination.
Mohammed’s fall from Washington’s favor had been building publicly for more than a year. ..
Suspected human smugglers lead cops on 100-mph chase before bailing and allegedly committing armed carjacking
Two suspected human smugglers led authorities on a 100-mph chase in Texas on Thursday before bailing out of their vehicle, with one allegedly carjacking a civilian at gunpoint, authorities said.
Helicopter video from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations shows the high-speed pursuit unfolding along Interstate 10 in Fabens.
Authorities are seen pursuing the suspected human smugglers before their vehicle was disabled and both occupants fled on foot.
An official can be heard over radio communications saying the vehicle’s front right tire may have been damaged by a spike strip.
Moments later, the vehicle slows down and two occupants jump out and run.
“Bail out, bail out, bail out!” someone is heard shouting in the video.
The two men are then seen running across the highway, with one quickly apprehended by a member of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The other suspect allegedly carjacked a civilian at gunpoint before he was also later taken into custody, authorities said…
Mayor Karen Bass: Hands Off Thousands of Migrant Food Vendors Operating Illegally in L.A.
Bass’s announcement this week ordering police to stop issuing violations to unpermitted vendors follows a Breitbart News investigation last month that revealed the widespread lack of enforcement of city and county food safety laws, with street food stands run by illegal migrants getting a free pass while citizen restaurateurs and licensed food stands are subject to fines, high costs, burdensome regulations and even closure.
Bass’s office told the California Post Thursday that the mayor “stands firmly with street vendors” and has directed the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to stop issuing criminal citations to unpermitted vendors.
“Street vending is a quintessential part of LA’s world-class food scene and a livelihood for thousands of hardworking Angelenos. Supporting LA’s street vendors is more important than ever given ongoing attacks by ICE,” her office told the outlet.
The message is clear, say critics.
If you’re in the United States illegally and operating a business illegally, you get a free pass. If you are a citizen, you must follow all the rules or face fines and even closure.
As Breitbart News reported in July, an estimated 50,000 vendors operate throughout Los Angeles but fewer than 700 have active permits, with only 53 of those for food vendors.
Besides presenting food safety problems for America’s second largest city, the tent canopies and smokey grills that accompany many operations have become a blight on neighborhoods and business districts, contributing — along with the homeless and widespread littering — to the kind of streetscape typically found in impoverished Third World countries.
Current city statutes require a city vending permit to sell food or merchandise on city sidewalks and in city parks. It must be renewed annually.
Food vendors must also obtain a county heath permit, demonstrating they have met all the requirements of food safety, such as refrigeration, sanitation stations and other commonsense practices that restaurants must follow.
Breitbart News’s investigation revealed scores of unpermitted food stands throughout the city that lacked basic food safety equipment.
The report highlighted one operation near Venice Beach where cooked chopped beef could be seen stored in an open plastic tub exposed in the hot sun only inches from passing cars.
The county is on board with the hands-off policy as well. As Breitbart News reported: …
Watch: Sydney Sweeney Lingerie Ad Breaks Internet — ‘She’s Gonna Be Bigger than Victoria’s Secret’
Actress Sydney Sweeney is celebrating her “birthday month” by highlighting her luxury lingerie brand, SYRN — rolling out a risque cake eating campaign, and modeling a range of pieces of the intimate apparel featuring her famous derrière.
As an indicator of what to expect over the next four weeks, The Euphoria star has called the online preview marking her 29th year on the planet “Birthday Boobs.”
Sweeney shared a video Thursday on Instagram of her modeling several pieces of lingerie to mark the event and in one fleeting scene went topless and covered her chest with birthday cakes.
Fancy pink panties complemented the birthday look while her hair tumbled down in loose curls.
“Celebrate my birthday month with my newest @syrn collection coming September 1st,” she captioned the Instagram post, flagging her SYRN lingerie brand’s forthcoming “Birthday Boobs” collection.
The post was also shared on X, garner nearly nine million views in less than 24 hours:
With more than a thousand comments on just one X post, public sentiment could be some up by the words of one use, who said: “Fuck me. She is gonna be bigger than Victoria Secret.”..
Jena Sims makes a golf commercial that won’t get canceled, 12U football coaches tangle & Chris Sale’s shutout
Welcome to the final Friday Screencaps for August where we give thanks to the patio gods for the great weather we’re about to experience this weekend. I’m talking 80 degrees and sunny today. 82 and sunny Saturday and 87 and sunny on Sunday.
Here’s what I want you to do right now. Go hide all the pumpkin spice candles your wife has out. Replace them with Yankee Candle’s ‘Sun & Sand’ candles. Or a variation.
If you don’t have that scene, go buy it today on your lunch break. It’s still summer, dammit!
Moving along….what a week for the golf industry and commercials. I’m sure you guys have been following the Good Good vs. Callaway drama.
Let this serve as a reminder that it isn’t hard to make a golf commercial.
For example, look at how Chili’s made this commercial, or social media content, with PGA golf wife Jena Sims. This is how you make a golf commercial that won’t get canceled.
Trump admin blocks more than $1.6B in potentially improper Medicare lab payments, agency says
Federal officials and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud have blocked or clawed back more than $1.6 billion in potentially improper Medicare laboratory payments since President Donald Trump returned to office, including $732 million tied to 157 lab providers booted from the program for alleged fraud.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the labs were suspected of billing Medicare for tests that were never performed, tests patients did not need and services billed at higher rates than they should have been.
“When laboratories bill Medicare for tests they never performed, it drains the Medicare Trust Fund and diverts resources away from beneficiaries who need them,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said.
In one case, the owner of a consulting company enrolled 14 labs in Medicare and billed the program more than $24 million, even though CMS said none of the labs appeared to be operating.
CMS has since held back $12 million in payments to the labs and recovered another $7 million. Eleven of the 14 labs have been removed from Medicare, while the remaining three are still under investigation.
CMS said it is using artificial intelligence and other technology to sift through Medicare claims and spot unusual billing that could be a sign of fraud.
The technology looks for billing that falls outside normal patterns and can flag suspicious claims for closer scrutiny. CMS can then hold, reject or deny a claim before Medicare pays it…
Canada’s broadcasting system orders media not to refer to 9/11 as ‘terrorist attacks’, leaked memo shows
A leaked Canadian Broadcasting Corporation memo shows reporters being instructed not to refer to the Sept. 11 terror attacks as “terrorist attacks.”
The memo was outed by Warren Kinsella, a Canadian journalist who confirmed the existence of the memo to The Jerusalem Post.
Written by Basem Boshra, the senior director of journalistic standards and public trust at CBC News, the memo contained a section pertaining to “longstanding language guidance.”
“Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks,” the section read. “The hijackings led to passenger jet crashes in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Manhattan. The World Trade Center (WTC in second reference) was destroyed.”
After being confronted with the memo, a CBC spokesperson defended it, saying it’s the network’s practice to “exercise extreme caution before using the words terrorist and terrorism.”
“The memo was a reminder of the longstanding practice that favors the use of these terms with attribution in our reporting,” the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson also pointed to an October 2023 blog by CBC editor-in-chief and general manager Brodie Fenlon.
“CBC News does not itself designate specific groups as terrorists, or specific acts as terrorism, regardless of the region or the events, because these words are so loaded with meaning, politics and emotion that they can end up being impediments to our journalism,” the blog post read.
“While the language is not seriously disputed in some cases, it’s less clear if not highly contested at other times – which can lead to virtually endless questions about consistency and impartiality in our coverage of various attacks around the world,” it continued.
These excuses have done little to temper a rising tide of growing anger against the CBC coming from both inside Canada and also the U.S. government: …
Socialist mayoral candidate faces backlash for unintentionally exposing the incompetence of Los Angeles officials
Nithya Raman, a Democratic socialist and a candidate for mayor in Los Angeles, faced widespread ridicule after trying to highlight her achievements in improving city infrastructure. She claimed that her office managed to paint a crosswalk after a lengthy nine-month wait.
In a social media post, Raman stated, “The Los Feliz Neighborhood Council alerted our office in late 2025 to the need for a crosswalk at Sunset Dr. and Bates St., which has just been completed! Thank you to our incredible CD4 Field Team for continuing to problem-solve, push for solutions, and make our streets safer.”
Accompanying her post was a photo of the newly painted crosswalk, which revealed that, aside from the paint job, the cracked pavement remained unaddressed. This sparked a wave of mockery online.
Reality TV star and former mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt commented, “Holy s**t, my sides…Nithya Raman’s big accomplishment is taking 9 months to paint 7 yellow stripes over a cracked street? How dumb do you have to be to post this? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.” Meanwhile, Katie Pavlich from NewsNation quipped, “LOL only a commie would celebrate this as a success. Nearly year to do this and the street is still broken. What a joke!”
Richard Grenell, who served as a special envoy under the Trump administration, added, “Dear Lord, Nithya. Your standards are so incredibly low. They didn’t even fix the street; they painted over cracks. And it took them a year.”
One critic noted, “Peak California governance is bragging about taking a year to paint a crosswalk without bothering to fix the giant cracks.” Another detractor pointed out that “something that should have taken a minimum of a couple of days, with permitting, took almost a year. The cracks in the road were not even fixed, just paint. It is unbelievably pathetic that you claim this to be an accomplishment.”
Raman previously triumphed over Republican candidate Spencer Pratt in the mayoral primary and is currently up against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, who is also a Democrat.
Trump signs order creating new Space Academy akin to West Point, location to be determined
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to establish the U.S. Space Academy.
Trump said the location of the academy was yet to be determined, but compared its significance to that of the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
The U.S. Space Academy will be for students looking to enter the U.S. Space Force, a new branch of the military Trump created in his first term.
Trump said it will also serve NASA and the civilian spaceflight industry.
“We’re going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most. That’s exciting. That’s really exciting. And I’m going to be choosing a location very shortly,” Trump said during remarks at NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
The other purpose of the event was to award the four Artemis II astronauts with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Behind Trump stood more than a dozen astronauts throughout the ceremony.
After signing the executive order, Trump presented the vaunted award, which was first given to Neil Armstrong in 1978, to all four members of the Artemis II crew.
The crew consists of NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, the mission commander; NASA astronaut Victor Glover, the pilot; NASA astronaut Christina Koch, a mission specialist; and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, also a mission specialist.
“We gather here on these storied grounds to celebrate the immense courage and service of four intrepid space heroes whose sense of daring and adventure led them further from Earth and anyone has ever traveled before. Incredible,” Trump said.
Trump called the crew members “great people,” also thanking the engineers and scientists who worked on the Artemis II mission.
“Mr. President, it means a lot that you are here at the Johnson Space Center. It underscores the important work that is going on here in Mission Control, in furthering human exploration,” Wiseman said when he was called up to speak. “Thank you for coming here today.”…
PASSPORTS FOR US, DINGHIES FOR THEM? British Women Investigate the Channel Migrant Crisis
A group of patriotic British women travel to France to investigate the migrant crisis unfolding across the English Channel—and to ask the questions our political leaders appear unwilling to confront.
During their journey, the women must present their passports and comply with strict border controls numerous times while travelling to France by ferry and returning to Britain.
Yet every day, small boats carry predominantly young men across the Channel after they have already travelled through several European countries, including France. Many then claim asylum upon reaching British shores.
Why are British citizens required to follow every immigration and border rule while people arriving by dinghy are allowed to enter without prior permission? Why is Britain expected to accept asylum claims from people who have passed through multiple safe countries? And how much of this movement is genuinely about escaping immediate danger—and how much is driven by economic opportunity?
This investigation examines what is happening on the French side of the Channel and exposes the extraordinary double standard at the heart of Britain’s border crisis.
Swampy SoCal sets record for heat misery: ‘Comparable to the Amazon rainforest’
One of the most humid places in America Thursday was not swampy South Florida — but usually arid Southern California, according to weather experts.
The dew point — which measures “how comfortable” humidity feels outside — reached nearly 70 degrees in Los Angeles, according to weather analyst Colin McCarthy.
“That is brutal humidity,” McCarthy said.
Meteorologist Ben Noll said LA’s dew point actually reached as high as 73 degrees on Thursday. Other parts of Southern California, like the Salton Sea, hit a whopping 81 degrees.
It’s “comparable to the Amazon rainforest and quite possibly its highest value on record,” Noll said of LA’s humidity.
The stickier than usual conditions in Southern California have been attributed to an unusually warm Pacific Ocean that is evaporating more. There was a Category 3 severe marine heat wave near the coast.
There’s also a “heat dome,” Noll said, where an area of high pressure over the Southwest U.S. is making things more humid.
Winds high in the atmosphere are pulling moist tropical air from Mexico into the Los Angeles area, Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the New York Times.
According to McCarthy’s data, Thursday was one of the most humid days on record for Los Angeles. The last time it got nearly as humid were two days in September 2022.
The heat wave may be worsened by the El Niño weather pattern, weather experts said, with the coming days expected to record some hot temperatures.
An extreme heat warning from the National Weather Service remains in effect until 8 p.m. Friday, with temperatures potentially reaching up to 102 degrees.
“There is a high risk for dangerous heat illness, especially for sensitive groups like the very young, the very old, those without air conditioning and those active outdoors,” the warning said.
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