Idiocracy

The Hill reports: Some firefighters battling the massive Dixie Fire raging in Northern California have faced some unforeseen challenges when trying to evacuate residents in harm’s way. Local KPIX reported that firefighters working to evacuate the historic mountain town of Greenville last week encountered residents who refused to leave their property and threatened firefighters with weapons as the blaze moved …

The Wall Street Journal reports: More drivers have engaged in risky behaviors, like speeding and driving under the influence, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Compounding the problem, safety officials say, these drivers often leave their seat belts unbuckled, raising the potential for deadly consequences. More than half of all crash fatalities last year involved unbelted drivers or occupants, according to the …

The Guardian reports: More than 1,000 people have so far signed up to the pro-Trump cryptocurrency magacoin, including conservative media personalities and Republican figures, the Guardian can reveal. The news comes after poor security configuration in a website associated with magacoin exposed the email addresses, passwords, cryptocurrency wallet addresses and IP addresses of users who have bought in to what …

NBC News reports: So much for Donald Trump’s quest for “perfect” hair. President Joe Biden’s administration is reversing a Trump-era rule approved after the former president complained he wasn’t getting wet enough because of limits on water flow from showerheads. Now, with a new president in office, the Energy Department is going back to a standard adopted in 2013, saying …

The New York Post reports: Joey Chestnut broke his own world record at the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Sunday — a Fourth of July feat much of America missed thanks to ESPN’s shoddy live feed. Live footage from the contest in Coney Island cut out three times — including just as the 37-year-old eating champ hoovered up his …

The Daily Beast reports: An Instagram post uploaded after John McAfee’s death was announced Wednesday appeared to be a shoutout to the QAnon conspiracy theory, turning the apparent suicide in prison of a notorious software impresario into a surreal moment while sparking a frenzy of baseless speculation. Posted around 4 p.m. Wednesday, the image showed just a black letter “Q” …

Mediaite reports: During the New York City Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday, candidates were asked what they would ban if elected. Predictably, Ben Shapiro was widely mocked for pointing out – in apparent earnestness – that none of the candidates said they would ban crime, which by definition, is banned. Read the full article. Notably, nobody said crime https://t.co/9ihSrJwWy6 …

Mediaite reports: Earlier this week, Newsmax held a panel discussion about a Virginia high school student who said “Allah” instead of “God” while reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in front of her class graduation ceremony. During the discussion in which five indignant people took umbrage at this development, conservative radio talkshow host Mark Vargas called the act “unpatriotic,” and said, …

“I was informed by the director of NASA that they have found that the moon’s orbit is changing slightly and so is the earth’s orbit around the sun, and we know there’s been significant solar flare activity. “And so is there anything the National Forest Service or BLM [Bureau of Land Management] can do to change the course of the …

The New York Daily News reports: A mayoral hopeful in Albuquerque was punched at a campaign event by a man who was also accused of flying a drone adorned with a dildo around the candidate while he was on stage. It’s the second time the “Dongcopter” — complete with its own Twitter account — has harassed a New Mexico politician …

Law & Crime reports: A Texas woman was arrested after she attempted to shoot a loose puppy that had run into the street and accidentally struck her 5-year-old son in the abdomen, the Houston Police Department (HPD) announced on Tuesday. According to HPD, officers responding to reports of a shooting at Dunham Road on Saturday learned that 24-year-old Angelia Mia …

CNN reports: A Florida man accused of killing an iguana last year wanted a charge of animal cruelty dismissed on the basis of the state’s “stand your ground” law. A judge has denied his motion. PJ Nilaja Patterson was arrested after allegedly beating, dragging and kicking a 3-foot iguana in Lake Worth, Florida, on September 2, 2020, according to a …

USA Today reports: After video surfaced showing a woman walking toward a grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park who then charged her, the National Park Service launched an investigation. The woman appeared to disregard the park rule to stay at least 100 feet from bears at all times. In footage captured by tourist Darcie Addington, who filmed the scene from …

Milwaukee’s NBC News affiliate reports: The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office said it was dispatched to northbound I-94 near the Illinois/Wisconsin state line Sunday for a report of a Tesla driver who appeared to be asleep at the wheel. The deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop and activated the lights and sirens in his car. The driver didn’t pull over …

Columbia, South Carolina’s NBC News affiliate reports: A woman hoarding gas caught on fire following a car accident Thursday night in Pickens County, according to Chief Deputy Chad Brooks. A deputy in a marked patrol unit, saw a Pontiac G6 traveling on Jameson Road in Pickens and determined that the vehicle was displaying a South Carolina license plate that had …

Tampa’s ABC News affiliate reports: According to a spokesperson for Citrus County Fire Rescue, the driver had just filled up gas cans at the Texaco Food Mart near the scene. Firefighters found four 5-gallon containers filled with gasoline in the back of the Hummer. Firefighters say one person was injured but refused to be transported for treatment, against medical advice. …

Oakland’s Fox News affiliate reports: A 25-year-old man was arrested after he was seen riding in the back seat of a Tesla with no one in the driver’s seat. Param Sharma was arrested Monday evening by California Highway Patrol on two counts of reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer. Sharma remained unflinching in his attitude about sitting in the …

Law & Crime reports: A defendant showed up to a court’s Zoom stream with a deeply unfortunate screenname. No, his name was not really “Buttfucker 3000.” This happened in an arraignment hearing posted to YouTube on Tuesday from the court of Judge Jeffrey Middleton in St. Joseph County, Michigan. There was a brief pause before the defendant realized the judge …

“I didn’t even vote. Out here in California, it’s like, why vote for a Republican president? It’s just not going to work. I mean, it’s overwhelming. “It was voting day and I thought the only thing out here in California that I worry about, which affects people, is the propositions that were out there. And I didn’t see any propositions …

“Racing has a problem, Bob Baffert is not the problem. Bob Baffert is not stupid. I haven’t heard anything officially. They haven’t told me anything. “I know when Churchill Downs came out with that statement, that was pretty harsh. And I think they had to just—with all the noise going on, we live in a different world now. “This America …