Author: Benjamin Hughes

U.S. Army bars transgender people from enlisting, ends gender-affirming care services

U.S. Army bars transgender people from enlisting, ends gender-affirming care services

Benjamin Hughes

The U.S. Army will no longer allow transgender people to enlist, and will stop providing gender-affirming care for service members, it announced on social media Friday. “The #USArmy will no longer allow transgender individuals to join the military and will stop performing or facilitating procedures associated with gender transition for service members. Stay tuned for

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Researchers take a whiff of ancient Egyptian mummified remains: "We were surprised at the pleasantness"

Researchers take a whiff of ancient Egyptian mummified remains: “We were surprised at the pleasantness”

Benjamin Hughes

At first whiff, it sounds repulsive: sniff the essence of an ancient corpse. But researchers who indulged their curiosity in the name of science found that well-preserved Egyptian mummies actually smell pretty good. “In films and books, terrible things happen to those who smell mummified bodies,” said Cecilia Bembibre, director of research at University College

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Federal layoffs start with huge number of probationary workers and warnings of bigger cuts on way

Federal layoffs start with huge number of probationary workers and warnings of bigger cuts on way

Benjamin Hughes

Washington — The Trump administration on Thursday intensified its sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce, the nation’s largest employer, by ordering agencies to lay off nearly all probationary employees who hadn’t yet gained civil service protection – potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of workers. In addition, workers at some agencies were

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Whale swallows kayaker and spits him out — and it's all captured on video: "I thought I was dead"

Whale swallows kayaker and spits him out — and it’s all captured on video: “I thought I was dead”

Benjamin Hughes

A humpback whale briefly swallowed a kayaker off Chilean Patagonia before quickly releasing him unharmed. The incident, caught on camera, quickly went viral.  Last Saturday, Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell, in Bahía El Águila near the San Isidro Lighthouse in the Strait of Magellan when a humpback whale surfaced, engulfing Adrián and

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Judge blocks Trump order restricting access to gender-affirming care for now

Judge blocks Trump order restricting access to gender-affirming care for now

Benjamin Hughes

Washington — A federal judge in Maryland agreed Thursday to temporarily halt President Trump’s executive action that restricts access to gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19, delivering a setback to the Trump administration efforts targeting what it calls “gender ideology” while the legal proceedings move forward. U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson issued

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