NY Post ^ | 11/18/25 | Tracy Swartz Posted on by Libloather In a startling first, a Washington state man has been infected with a strain of bird flu previously only detected in animals. The Washington State Department of Health described the unidentified patient as being “older” and having “underlying health conditions.” The agency noted that the man has a “mixed backyard flock of domestic poultry” at his home in Grays Harbor County, in the southwest of the state. Two of the birds recently died, the Washington Post reported. Wild birds could also access the property, with agency officials believing that either set of birds is “most likely” the source of the virus exposure. The man remained hospitalized as of last week while the investigation continues. The risk to the public is low, according to Washington health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No one else has tested positive for H5N5. There’s no evidence of person-to-person spread, though experts have acknowledged that viral evolution can be “unpredictable.” (Excerpt) Read more at nypost. com . TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Local News; Pets/Animals; Science KEYWORDS: bird; humans; virus; washington Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC PO Box 9771 Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. 1 posted on by Libloather Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4353535/posts
Tag: investigation
BBC Shetland star pays sweet tribute to ‘incredible’ on-screen wife as she joins cast
Shetland will be back tonight as Tosh and Ruth continue to work on their latest case Shetland star Lewis Holden, who plays Billy McCabe in the BBC series, has paid tribute to his on-screen wife, who has joined the cast this series. Billy has taken on a more central role in the storyline, and for the first time, he was able to shoot scenes away from the police station. This series marks the first time the case touches on Billy’s personal life. His wife, Morag, had previously worked with the victim, Eadie Tulloch, in the Shetland social services department. While Eadie’s late husband Robert was once Billy’s sergeant in the police. The Tullochs were mentors and friends to the McCabes, so Eadie’s death will be very difficult for them. Particularly when the spotlight of the investigation unearths difficult questions. While fans were thrilled to see the beloved character have a main storyline, the actor has opened up about what it was like to play after Billy’s wife, Morag, was also welcomed to the cast. Lewis began, “This series, we finally get to meet Mrs McCabe, Billy’s wife, Morag. She’s fab! It was great having Leigh Biagi on set and exploring the personal life of Billy away from the station. “Billy and Morag have been together for some time now. They have a great wee house, that is to die for, with just seals and seabirds for neighbours. They are living the ‘Good Life’ and are very happy, but trouble is brewing.” Paying tribute to his on-screen wife, the actor went on, “Having Leigh playing Morag has been incredible. We didn’t know each other before this series, but we hit it off right away. I think we look like a longstanding couple! “We’re always so fortunate to have such a wonderful guest cast. Year after year, they are always brilliant.” The synopsis for tonight’s episode reads, “Chris and Hayley’s attempts to pay off their spiralling debts go violently wrong, with a Lunniswick local getting caught in the middle. “Calder and Tosh question Stevie only to face the wrath of Amy as she grows more protective. Isobel worries as she tries to hold her family together, a pregnant Jess sneaks out to meet a mysterious friend, and a weary Tom is forced to make some tough sacrifices. Sandy makes steady progress into Eadie’s finances, leading him to a troubling conclusion.”.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/tv/bbc-shetland-star-pays-sweet-36269543
Yala Addresses Liquidity Crisis Amid Suspicious Activities
**Yala Blockchain Faces Liquidity Crisis and Suspicious Activity in YU Stablecoin**
The Yala blockchain platform announced on November 16 that it is addressing liquidity concerns and suspicious activities involving its YU stablecoin, with an investigation currently underway. This issue highlights vulnerabilities within DeFi protocols, raising growing concerns about security and liquidity in the crypto markets—especially following a substantial depegging of the YU stablecoin.
### Yala’s Liquidity Shock: Borrowing Patterns Under Scrutiny
Yala reported significant liquidity disruption after YAM Protocol issued warnings about suspicious borrowing behavior within the Yala market on Euler. Notably, all available USDC was borrowed despite high-interest rates and subsequent non-repayment. In response, the Euler team set the lending limit on Yala’s market to zero, effectively impeding withdrawals.
> “We have observed suspicious on-chain borrowing activity that led to 100% fund utilization in Yala’s USDC pool on Euler,” stated the Yala team.
### Market Data and Critical Challenges
Yala now faces critical challenges as a result of these events. For context, in May 2025, the stablecoin USDX faced a similar liquidity crisis due to problematic borrowing behaviors in its markets—drawing parallels to the current situation unfolding with Yala.
Recent data from CoinMarketCap shows that Yala’s stablecoin YU holds a market price of $0.96, marking a 4.28% decline over the past 24 hours. The market capitalization stands at $85,978,165, with a 24-hour trading volume surging by 115.90% to $909,202.74.
### Looking Ahead
These recent developments underscore the ongoing challenges DeFi projects face in maintaining liquidity and stability. Yala’s investigation remains active, as the platform works to restore trust and stabilize its markets.
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/tech/yala-addresses-liquidity-crisis-amid-suspicious-activities/
‘Retribution’: Trump calls for Epstein inquiry into Democrats
President Donald Trump is intensifying his efforts to thwart attempts to force the release of the Epstein files, even as the House moves toward a vote that could send disclosure legislation to his desk for his signature or veto. This development further heightens scrutiny of his past ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, the president announced he will ask the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation “to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him.”
The New York Times reported that the “inquiry appeared to be retribution for the renewed focus on his own ties to Mr. Epstein.”
After White House officials reportedly held a Situation Room meeting with Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert on Wednesday to convince her—unsuccessfully—to remove her name from the discharge petition, the president took a different approach on Friday. He appeared both to try to wash his hands of the entire ordeal while refocusing attention on his political opponents and others.
“Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!” Trump railed on his Truth Social website, while attacking Democrats.
“The Democrats are doing everything in their withering power to push the Epstein Hoax again, despite the DOJ releasing 50,000 pages of documents, in order to deflect from all of their bad policies and losses, especially the SHUTDOWN EMBARRASSMENT, where their party is in total disarray, and has no idea what to do,” Trump alleged.
“Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish,” the president continued. “Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat’s problem, not the Republican’s problem!”
“Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Summers about Epstein, they know all about him, don’t waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!”
Deadline on Friday noted that “Since the email release, Trump has avoided answering reporters’ questions about Epstein.”
Pointing to Trump’s Friday remarks, Politico’s Kyle Cheney remarked, “Trump again pleads with Republicans to stop talking about Epstein. The pressure hasn’t worked as well as it usually does. Also, the emails show Epstein was politically amorphous, deriding Ds just as much as Rs. And these latest emails were from the Epstein estate, not DOJ.”
https://www.alternet.org/smartnews/trump-clinton-epstein/
Republicans Inserted a Sinister Provision into the Shutdown Package
Having secured Democratic capitulation on a deal fat with empty promises, Senate Republican leader John Thune made sure that the agreement also addressed one of the president’s most important issues — whitewashing the insurrection of January 6, 2021. And, needless to say, he did so with the tacit approval of seven Democratic senators. It is, as they say, a “bipartisan” bill.
From Politico:
In an interview Monday evening, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)—who claims he was one of the lawmakers to have his data subpoenaed as part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election—said Thune was responsible for the inclusion of the provision.
“Leader Thune inserted that in the bill to provide real teeth to the prohibition on the Department of Justice targeting senators,” Cruz said.
A person close with direct knowledge of the legislation’s negotiations, granted anonymity to speak candidly, confirmed Thune oversaw the inclusion of the provision. It was tucked into the legislative branch spending measure for fiscal year 2026, part of a three-bill “minibus” of appropriations measures that Senators were set to vote on Monday night alongside a continuing resolution to fund the government through January 30.
The House is expected to clear the package for President Donald Trump’s signature as early as Wednesday.
Thune’s involvement is notable as the revelations that Smith collected phone records for several Senate Republicans have emboldened GOP lawmakers, prompting them to deflect Democrats’ accusations of weaponization of the Trump Justice Department and claim that President Joe Biden’s DOJ was looking to target conservatives.
Much as I’d like to believe that the “Tailgunner” ran his mouth about this in order to keep Thune in line, I think the Republican leader is all-in on his president’s project to consign January 6 to political and historical incoherence.
Thune is a bloodless, colorless politician who looks like the guy who chairs the banquet committee at a decent public country club. His career has been unremarkable. He has proven to be as pliable as the president needs him to be—a perfect supporting actor.
A perfect combination of legislator and apparatchik, Thune knows all his lines and how to hit all his marks.
“The abuse of power from the Biden Justice Department is the worst single instance of politicization our country has ever seen,” Cruz continued. “I think it is Joe Biden’s Watergate, and the statutory prohibition needs to have real teeth and real consequences.”
Because, while he is bloodless and colorless, Thune is not stupid. He knows good and well why Smith subpoenaed the limited phone records of the senators. At the time, there was an attempt to overturn the 2020 election that touched, in one way or another, the entire Republican party—very much including its legislative branch.
It was dead center in Jack Smith’s mandate to inquire what contact, if any, the White House of the time had with Republican senators.
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a69384900/john-thune-jack-smith-watergate/
Intel files lawsuit against ex-employee who allegedly copied 18,000 company files & disappeared
Intel has launched a lawsuit against a former employee accused of committing an egregious act of corporate sabotage. According to Intel, the ex-employee, Jinfeng Luo, allegedly copied around 18,000 files from corporate servers before disappearing.
Intel filed the lawsuit in Seattle District Court, as reported by The Oregonian news outlet. The company claims that Luo was among those scheduled to be laid off by the end of 2025. He was reportedly informed of his termination on July 7, with his last day set for July 31.
Following the notification, Luo allegedly attempted to copy company data. Initially, he plugged an external drive into company hardware but was locked out by security. Approximately five days later, he is said to have successfully connected another storage device and copied around 18,000 files.
Intel alleges that some of the files Luo copied were labeled “top secret” or “confidential” company materials. This suspicious activity prompted an internal investigation. Despite Intel’s efforts to contact him at three separate listed addresses over several months, Luo has not been located, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The lawsuit claims damages estimated at around $250,000, which Intel seeks should Luo be found. The case highlights serious concerns about data security and employee access during layoffs within major corporations.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146760/intel-intc-lawsuit-jinfeng-luo-files-stolen
Intel files lawsuit against ex-employee who allegedly copied 18,000 company files & disappeared
Intel has launched a lawsuit against a former employee accused of committing a serious act of corporate sabotage. According to Intel, the ex-employee, Jinfeng Luo, copied approximately 18,000 files from the company’s corporate servers before disappearing.
Intel alleges that the stolen files included “top secret” and “confidential” company materials, causing significant concern within the company. The lawsuit, filed in Seattle District Court and reported by The Oregonian, claims damages amounting to around $250,000 should Luo be located.
Luo was reportedly among employees set to be laid off by Intel by the end of 2025. He was informed of his termination on July 7, with his employment officially ending on July 31. Shortly after, Intel claims Luo attempted to copy files by plugging an external drive into company hardware but was locked out by security measures.
However, about five days later, Lenovo allegedly used another storage device and successfully copied roughly 18,000 files. This triggered an internal investigation by Intel, which has since been trying to contact Luo at three separate listed addresses.
Despite multiple efforts, Luo has not appeared at any of these addresses, and his current location remains unknown. Intel continues to seek answers regarding the extent of the data breach and the whereabouts of the former employee.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146760/intel-intc-lawsuit-jinfeng-luo-files-stolen
Native American boarding schools in the US, by the numbers
CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the United States government and Christian denominations operated boarding schools where generations of Native American children were isolated from their families. Along with academics and hard work, these schools sought to erase elements of tribal identity — from language and clothing to hairstyles and even their names.
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where the remains of 17 students were recently exhumed and repatriated, served as a model for other schools across the country.
### By the Numbers:
**Number of schools:** 526
An Interior Department review published in 2024 found 417 federally funded boarding schools for Native children in the United States. Many others were run by religious groups and other organizations.
**Burial sites:** 74 (53 marked, 21 unmarked)
An “incomplete” number of burial sites, at 65 schools, were identified by the Interior Department across the federal boarding school system.
**Treaties:** 127
Number of treaties between the U.S. government and Native American tribes that implicate the federal boarding school program, reflecting its significance to westward expansion.
**Costs:** $23.3 billion
The amount the U.S. government authorized to run the schools and pursue related policies, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from 1871 to 1969.
**Years of operation:** 39
The Carlisle Indian Industrial School operated from 1879 to 1918.
**Enrollment:** 7,800
Children and young adults enrolled at Carlisle over four decades, representing more than 100 tribes.
**Petitioners:** 276
Number of students who signed a petition in 1913 asking for an investigation into conditions at Carlisle.
**Deaths at Carlisle:** 230+
Number of deaths among students enrolled at Carlisle.
**Deaths nationwide:** 973
Deaths among students at government-run boarding schools in the U.S., according to the Interior Department report. A review by The Washington Post last year documented about 3,100 deaths. Researchers say the actual number was much higher.
**Bodies sent home:** 58
Indigenous students repatriated from the Carlisle Barracks cemetery since exhumations began in 2017, leaving 118 graves marked with Native American or Alaska Native names. About 20 more graves contain unidentified Indigenous children.
—
### Sources:
– National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
– *Carlisle Indian Industrial School: Indigenous Histories, Memories and Reclamations*
– U.S. Army
– *Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report, Volume 2*
https://ktar.com/national-news/native-american-boarding-schools-in-the-us-by-the-numbers/5771229/
2 hospitalized after kitchen fire tears through Pompano Beach townhouse
POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) — Firefighters were busy Sunday morning as they worked to put out a kitchen fire at a townhouse in Pompano Beach.
Pompano Beach Fire Rescue responded to the area near the 3900 block of Palm Aire Drive. 7News cameras captured fire crews on scene and showed the front door partly burned.
Fire crews reported that the blaze started in the kitchen before spreading throughout the residence. Two people were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation.
Nearby residences also suffered smoke damage, according to officials. Two adjacent townhomes have been deemed uninhabitable due to the extent of the damage.
The Red Cross is assisting all those affected by the fire. The cause of the blaze is currently under investigation.
Shooting on Greek island of Crete leaves 2 dead and at least 6 injured
Two people have died and at least six others were injured in a shooting on the Greek island of Crete, authorities reported. The incident occurred on Saturday and is believed to have been sparked by a long-standing family feud.
The shooting took place shortly after 11 a.m. in the village of Vorizia, located 52 kilometers (32 miles) south of Heraklion, Crete’s largest city. According to police statements, the two victims—a 39-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman—died as a result of the shootout.
Six other individuals were injured and transported to local hospitals with varying degrees of severity, local emergency services EKAB confirmed. Among the injured are two men who remain hospitalized under guard while their involvement in the incident is being investigated by authorities.
Local media reports indicate that the shooting is the latest episode in a long-running feud between two local families. This follows an explosion on Friday night at a house under construction in the area, which caused property damage but no injuries.
The shooting led to a significant deployment of security forces and emergency response teams to the small mountain village. Authorities have opened a preliminary investigation into the events. Further updates are expected as the investigation continues.
https://wtop.com/national/2025/11/shooting-on-greek-island-of-crete-leaves-2-dead-and-at-least-6-injured/