Dank Demoss, a Detroit rapper, is suing Lyft, a ride-sharing service, alleging that her weight prevented her from getting into a car she had hired. Demoss, whose real name is Dajua Blanding, posted a video of an encounter with a purported Lyft driver who turned her down on Instagram on January 19. I apologize. I have no room. In the video, the driver remarked, "My car is small." "I can fit in this car," said 29-year-old Demoss. You can't, I assure you, so I apologize. The driver responded, "I'm going to cancel [the ride], and you won't be charged." Are you saying that because I can't get in your car, I can't get into the Lyft? Are you saying that I need to order another Lyft because I'm too big to fit in your car? Demoss uttered those words. "Yes, you need to order a bigger car," the d...

The scientific community has spent decades trying to refute the widely disproved hypothesis that vaccines cause autism before turning its attention to other plausible explanations. However, proponents of autism now express concern that if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as secretary of health and human services, it could undo years of progress in distancing autism from vaccines and possibly redirect valuable research funds to a theory that has already been refuted by hundreds of studies conducted worldwide. They caution that he would have significant control over who serves on committees and sets policy. Kennedy's previous remarks regarding autism were also criticized by others, who called them offensive and stigmatizing. The founder of the Autism Science Foundation, Alison Singer, stat...

A court ordered Wednesday that Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood tycoon whose sexual misbehavior fueled the #MeToo movement, will be retried on rape charges in New York on April 15. In 2020, Weinstein, 72, was found guilty in New York of first-degree criminal sex act against another woman and third-degree rape of another woman. He was given a 23-year jail sentence. Last April, a state appeal court reversed that conviction in a 4-3 ruling, finding that the trial judge had erred in permitting women to testify regarding unrelated charges. Weinstein was indicted on further charges by a grand jury in New York City in September. Weinstein's retrial will feature a new accusation involving a woman who wasn't involved in the initial case, according to Judge Curtis Farber's statement on Wedn...

TALLAHASSEE, FL. With Governor Ron DeSantis pledging to reject the legislation voted by Republican lawmakers late Tuesday night, an attempt to enact President Donald Trump's immigration accord in Florida is expected to fail. Trump, who owns a house in Florida and has recruited several Floridians into his administration, helped arrange the deal. However, it immediately encountered a fierce conflict between DeSantis and the state's Republican-controlled Legislature, which now feels more confident in opposing the once-all-powerful governor. Late into the night, lawmakers worked to strengthen a measure that they and DeSantis claimed was intended to bring Florida state laws into compliance with a number of executive orders that Trump had signed. However, the bill's main source of contention p...

During his first confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before senators on Wednesday. Democrats questioned him about his opinions on abortion and vaccines. In his opening remarks, Kennedy attempted to shield himself from the anticipated lines of inquiry, which caused a protester in the gallery to briefly erupt. "News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry," Kennedy stated. The individual exclaimed, "You are!" before being escorted from the room. Kennedy went on: "I am pro-safety, but I am neither. I spent years trying to educate people about the harmful chemicals and mercury found in fish, but that didn't make me anti-fish. I think vaccines are essential to health care, and all...

Former Senator Bob Menendezi is set to be sentenced Wednesday afternoon in federal court in New York on accusations of bribery and corruption. Prosecutors are recommending that he be imprisoned for 15 years. The 71-year-old former leader of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee calls the plan "vindictive and cruel" and "a life and death sentence" for the New Jersey Democrat. Prosecutors accused Menendez of accepting bribes, including cash and gold bars, to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar, and he was found guilty in July of extortion, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and operating as a foreign agent. Additionally, two co-defendants were found guilty, and on Wednesday morning, one of them received a seven-year prison sentence. Menendez entered a not guilty plea and...

During his first confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's choice to be the next secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before senators on Wednesday. Democrats questioned him about his stance on vaccines. A protester in the gallery briefly erupted as Kennedy attempted to shield himself from the anticipated line of questioning in his opening statement. "News reports have claimed that I am anti-vaccine or anti-industry," Kennedy stated. Someone shouted, "You are!" and was escorted from the room. Kennedy went on, "I am pro-safety, but I am neither. I spent years trying to educate people about the harmful chemicals and mercury found in fish, but that didn't make me anti-fish. I think vaccines are essential to healthcare, and all of my children have had th...

On Thursday, Hamas intends to free three Israeli hostages, including a civilian and a dual American citizen whose status last week threatened to jeopardize the tenuous ceasefire. According to information obtained by the Hostages Families Forum, Hamas will free the three Israelis and five Thai individuals who were also kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023, incident. Arbel Yehoud, 29, is one of the prisoners the terrorist organization intends to free. Israeli officials had anticipated that Yehoud would be released last weekend as part of the ceasefire agreement's first phase, which calls for the release of 33 hostages in total. It is also anticipated that 20-year-old Agam Berger and 80-year-old Gadi Moses will be released. Berger came at Nahal Oz facility just two days before the Oct. 7 attack ...