(The Center Square) – The David Geffen Medical School at taxpayer-funded University of California at Los Angeles is among the world premier medical institutions, but its teachings about obesity have attracted a harsh national spotlight. As the conservative Washington Free Beacon reports, First year medical students in a required class “learn that ‘fatphobia is medicine’s status quo’ and that weight loss is a ‘hopeless endeavor.'” Students are required to read an essay by a self-described “fat liberationist” who argues that “‘ob*sity’ is a slur ‘used to exact violence on fat people’—particular ..read more

(The Center Square) – The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted 3-2 to restore net neutrality rules, reversing a repeal ushered through during the Trump administration. Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers should not be able to discriminate against different kinds of content by throttling connection speeds or offering paid priority. Just ahead of Thursday’ vote, Democratic FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said internet access went from “nice to have, to need to have.” She referenced the COVID-19 pandemic and the way consumers used the internet for school and w ..read more

(The Center Square) – Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg on Thursday asked Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office to take jurisdiction over and prosecute corruption cases related to the office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. Both Ogg and Hidalgo are Democrats. At a news conference, Ogg said she asked Paxton’s office to take jurisdiction of six public corruption cases pending against three former members of Hidalgo’s office. They were charged with illegally steering an $11 million contract for COVID outreach to Elevate Strategies, a company with no healthcare experience and only one em ..read more

(The Center Square) – North Carolinians are paying more at the fuel pump than a month ago, though still a quarter less than the national average. Friday morning’s statewide average, according to the American Automobile Association, is $3.38 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline. A month ago it was $3.29. The national average is $3.66, up from $3.53 a month ago. Two months ago, regular unleaded in North Carolina was about $3.10 per gallon. Diesel fuel is an average of $3.94 per gallon. That’s down from $3.98 a month ago and near last year’s $4.00 on the same date. The national average is $4 ..read more

Lawsuit over fatal COVID outbreak proceeds Legal proceedings will move forward in LaSalle County in connection with the deaths of dozens of veterans who died at a retirement home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between November 2020 and January 2021, 36 veterans died during an outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home. An investigation by an inspector general found that health and safety protocols were ignored. The firm representing 31 of the 32 families who are taking legal action did not disclose the amount of damages they are requesting. Protests at Northwestern University Northwestern Universit ..read more

(The Center Square) – U.S. Supreme Court Justices on Thursday grappled with multiple questions about what a president can and can’t do as they heard oral arguments in a case that could have wide-reaching political ramifications not only for the 2024 election, but well beyond. Supreme Court justices are considering a case involving former President Donald Trump and if presidents have immunity from criminal prosecutions. Trump’s attorney D. John Sauer said the president must have immunity for a functioning democracy to flourish. “Without presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, there ca ..read more

No former president had been charged with a crime before Donald Trump. During oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday on whether presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution, hypothetical charges for at least four other presidents were discussed. Trump’s attorney D. John Sauer argued Thursday that the president must have immunity for a functioning democracy to flourish. “Without presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, there can be no presidency as we know it,” Sauer told the justices. “For 234 years of American history, no president was ever prosecuted fo ..read more

(The Center Square) – Businesses in unincorporated parts of King County are bracing for a potential minimum wage increase, but some are urging the county council to adjust the legislation to a model that could save the local economy. Next month, the King County Council will vote on a proposed bill that would increase the hourly minimum wage in unincorporated King County to $20.29. That would tie the cities of Tukwila and Renton for the highest minimum wage in the nation. The bill was adjusted so that small businesses with five or fewer employees and an annual gross revenue of less than $2 mil ..read more

(The Center Square) – Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs is working with U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, D-Chicago, to urge the U.S. Treasury to make it easier for states to facilitate the return of mature U.S. Savings Bonds. Freichs said at a news conference in Chicago that the Illinois Treasurer’s Office has an unclaimed property and missing money department where they take money that was maybe forgotten in an old savings account, and they put that money back into the pockets of those who may claim the assets. “When we put that money back into people’s pockets, they’re able to use that money to may ..read more

(The Center Square) – The Aurora Public Schools Board of Education in Colorado is participating in a retreat focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and the material for the meeting highlights one of the biggest proponents of critical race theory. The April 27 meeting’s material highlights the work of Kimberle Crenshaw, a full-time faculty member at Columbia Law School. Columbia Law School faculty are in the news recently after they criticized administration at Columbia University for arresting 100 pro-Palestine protesters. Crenshaw’s bio on the Columbia Law School page states: “Crenshaw’s ..read more