Wildlife authorities in North Carolina have reported that a decapitated dolphin was discovered on Lea-Hutaff Island. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ law enforcement office stated the dolphin was initially found on the island intact. Days later, when members of the marine mammal stranding team from the University of North Carolina Wilmington arrived on the island to evaluate the dolphin, they discovered its head was cut off. The office stated, “This animal was intentionally decapitated, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The remote location where the dolphin was found adds to the difficulty of investigating this incident and cause of death.” Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who decapitated the dolphin. A dolphin was found in North Carolina with its head missing. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information on who might have been involved. Call (800) 853-1964 with any info. Learn more: https://t.co/oNIJ3y6adh pic.twitter.com/S8NyLpV2D2 — NOAA Fisheries (@NOAAFisheries) May 14, 2025 Check out what The Guardian reported: Wildlife officials in North Carolina are offering a reward of $20,000 for information about the decapitation of a dolphin on a remote coastal island. The 8ft-long dolphin was initially found, intact, on Lea-Hutaff Island in the state by a member of the public. When staff from the marine mammal stranding team from the University of North Carolina Wilmington arrived a few days later to investigate, they found the animal’s head had been removed. “This animal was intentionally decapitated, a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The remote location where the dolphin was found adds to the difficulty of investigating this incident and cause of death,” said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries’ office of law enforcement in a statement. It added that an initial health assessment of the dolphin showed the animal was likely carrying Brucella, a bacteria that causes the infectious disease brucellosis and can be passed on to humans through direct contact. Anyone convicted of mutilating the dolphin could face a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in jail. Lea-Hutaff Island is a remote and undeveloped barrier island north of the city of Wilmington and is only accessible by boat. The island is a haven for turtles, as well as shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl and marsh birds during their nesting, migration and wintering seasons. ALERT | $20K Reward for Dolphin CaseA dolphin was found decapitated on a North Carolina island only accessible by boat. Anyone with information is asked to call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline. #ProtectTheWorld with Citizen. Hampstead, NC pic.twitter.com/ki2X8z9Xyu — Citizen (@CitizenApp) May 15, 2025 Per NOAA: NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement is investigating the death and decapitation of a dead bottlenose dolphin on Lea-Hutaff Island. We are asking the public for any information about who may have been involved. We are offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or the assessment of a civil penalty. A member of the public originally reported the stranding of a dead dolphin on Lea Island, near marker 105, to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline on April 15. The area is a remote, undeveloped barrier island north of Wilmington, North Carolina, only accessible by boat. When our stranding network partner, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, went to the reported location, the 8-foot dolphin had been intentionally mutilated and its head removed. They determined that someone intentionally removed its head between April 16 and April 18, after they received the initial stranding report. Based on their initial health assessment of the dolphin, the University suspects the animal is carrying Brucella, a bacteria that causes the infectious bacterial disease brucellosis. The disease can be transferred to humans through direct contact. Our stranding network partner performed a necropsy (animal autopsy) and complete results and cause of death are pending.

Ford has announced a recall of over 250,000 vehicles over a potential issue that could make their brakes defective. Ford announced in a filing to the National Highway Traffic Administration that it would be recalling 273,800 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs due to braking issues. The report stated, “SUVs’ front brake lines “may be in contact with the engine air cleaner outlet pipe,” causing possible brake defects. “A brake line leak may cause longer-than-expected brake pedal travel and result in a reduction in the rate of deceleration,” added Ford. Ford is recalling more than 220,000 Ford Expeditions and 50,000 Lincoln Navigators made between 2022 and 2024 due to potential braking issues. @rebeccajarvis reports. pic.twitter.com/5aahCEW4BR — Good Morning America (@GMA) May 15, 2025 Check out what Fox Business reported: Ford is recalling 273,800 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs in response to a potential issue that could make their brakes defective. The recalled Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles are from model years 2022-2024, according to a recall report the automaker submitted to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). The recalled SUVs’ front brake lines “may be in contact with the engine air cleaner outlet pipe,” which could cause the lines to sustain damage and leak. “A brake line leak may cause longer-than-expected brake pedal travel and result in a reduction in the rate of deceleration,” Ford said in the report. “If there is a rapid loss of brake fluid or the brake fluid is completely depleted, this can extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.” The front brake line potentially getting bent during installation may have been the source of the issue, according to the NHTSA recall report. Another Ford recall of nearly 274,000 vehicles over brake issue https://t.co/vqzUeKU1tn pic.twitter.com/FDqBHY8IXR — The Independent (@Independent) May 15, 2025 Ford Motor Co. is recalling 273,789 SUVs because of the risk of lost brake function, NHTSA said in a May 9 report. —— Read the rest of this story here: https://t.co/iIi56VV8bh#Ford #Recall #SUV #Safety #Automotive #Brakes #NHTSA #Expedition #Navigator #Vehicles #CarSafety pic.twitter.com/FiCmlZbmD9 — Automotive News (@Automotive_News) May 14, 2025 Per The Independent: Ford is recalling nearly 274,000 of its Expedition and Lincoln-branded Navigator SUVs across the U.S. due to an issue that may cause a loss of brake function while driving, increasing crash risks. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front brake lines in these now-recalled cars “may be in contact” with their engine air cleaner outlet pipe due to a potential installation defect. That can result in a brake fluid leak and/or a loss of brake function. The recall covers 223,315 Expeditions and 50,474 Navigators between model years 2022 and 2024. Ford expects that just 1% of these vehicles have the defect, per a recall report dated Friday.

Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz called the DOGE caucus “dead” and “defunct.” Why? Whats the problem? He said they met only twice in five months. Moskowitz also accused Elon Musk of running DOGE solo with “zero” member involvement. He labeled it a “complete failure” that didn’t improve any efficiency. Looks like it’s more efficient for Musk to handle DOGE without this Democrat poking his nose in it. Fox News reports: Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. — the first Democrat to join the Congressional DOGE caucus — pronounced the group “dead” while speaking to Politico. “The DOGE caucus is dead. It’s defunct. We haven’t met in months. We only had two total meetings in five months. And we weren’t involved at all in anything [happening at DOGE], which Elon was in charge of. Zero. Zilch. Nada. [Musk] did it all on his own,” Moskowitz said, according to the outlet, which noted that the exchange with the lawmaker had been edited for length and clarity. “DOGE was a complete failure. Complete failure. Nothing has been made more efficient,” Moskowitz reportedly asserted. But caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., says the caucus is still very much alive. “The DOGE Caucus is alive, well, and fully engaged. We have been actively working behind the scenes to push forward critical reforms through One, Big Beautiful Bill that will safeguard America’s financial future. From stopping Medicare benefits from going to illegal immigrants to fighting duplicative payments in the Earned Income Tax Credit to fighting improper payments at HHS, the caucus continues to lead on key policy initiatives,” he said in a comment provided to Fox News Digital after publication on Wednesday. “In addition, we have discussed codifying the DOGE cuts through the recissions process with senior White House officials, including Vice President Vance, OMB Director Vought, and Elon Musk. Rest assured, we are here for the long haul, and our work is far from finished.” Fox News Digital also reached out to Moskowitz’s office to request a comment from the congressmen on Wednesday, but no comment was provided. He was the first Dem to join. And I have a feeling this caucus was created as a distraction for the Dems haha! BREAKING: Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz is the first House Democrat to join the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus. pic.twitter.com/iLd8lzrDf4 — Proud Elephant (@ProudElephantUS) December 3, 2024 And here’s Moskowitz wearing a Vladimir Putin mask: Democrat Rep. Jared Moskowitz wears a Vladimir Putin mask to the Oversight Committee hearing on Bidens corrupt business dealings. Our country is run by a bunch of nutjobs. “I just came to thank James Comer for taking all of our intelligence and using it in the committee.… pic.twitter.com/lmjUkjWKwk — I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) March 20, 2024  

Since I retired from teaching about fifteen years ago, I have written hundreds of posts, articles, chapters, and stories. I have written about history, literature, science, politics, and religion. But mostly, I have written about freedom. Like Thomas Jefferson, “I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over […] The post Saving or Killing Free Speech appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

On Thursday evening, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said former FBI Director James Comey should be thrown in jail for a social media post widely seen as threatening President Donald Trump. Gabbard told Fox News host Jesse Watters that she “absolutely” did not buy Comey’s claim that he did not realize that a photo he posted to Instagram of shells on a beach showing “86” and “47” had anything to do with violence. “I’m very concerned for [Trump’s] life. And James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this,” Gabbard said. James Comey just issued a call to action to murder the President of the United States. As a former FBI Director and someone who spent most of his career prosecuting mobsters and gangsters, he knew exactly what he was doing and must be held accountable under the full force of the… pic.twitter.com/zvbu5Vf0zg — DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) May 16, 2025 Comey, who was cast out as FBI director by Trump in 2017 and has been critical of the president over the years, drew controversy earlier in the day when he posted the photo of shells arranged to show “86” and “47” on a beach. “Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” Comey said. Many people interpreted the photo as referencing assassination because “86” is used as slang for kill and Trump is the 47th president. Others have defended Comey, contending that “86” could simply mean removal. Comey deleted the photo and, in a follow-up post, insisted he did not mean to suggest anything drastic. “I posted a picture earlier of some shells I saw on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message,” Comey said. “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.” Still, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the bureau that Comey once led was looking into the matter. “We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support,” Patel said on X. People have been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening Gabbard and Trump. Last year, during the 2024 campaign, Trump survived two assassination attempts. Gabbard suggested that Comey should face consequences regardless of what he was thinking. “Whatever James Comey’s intent, he and people like him need to be held to account according to the law, which is something that he claims to have given his life for and stands by the rule of law. Fantastic,” Gabbard said. “The rule of law says people like him, who issue direct threats against the president of the United States — essentially issuing a call to assassinate him — must be held accountable under the law.”

'The attitude of the party'

Thursday's Final Word

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