[FoxNews] Retail giant says smoke, soot and cleanup from the April 29 blaze at a Maryland store resulted in $10M in lost inventory
A New Jersey man was arrested Thursday after allegedly sparking a massive fire with camping fuel and fireworks inside a Maryland Walmart, creating a terrifying diversion to pull off a $10,000 jewelry heist.
Anthony J. Rhodes, 36, of Berlin, New Jersey, was taken into custody without incident by local police and is currently sitting in a Camden County jail awaiting extradition to Maryland. His charges include first-degree arson and manufacturing an explosive device.
The chaotic scene unfolded on the night of April 29 at a store in Elkton, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.
Security video showed a masked man entering the store with a backpack and loading a grocery cart with camping fuel and several boxes of fireworks, officials said. The suspect then parked the shopping cart next to the children's clothing section and set it ablaze.
As the fire grew and fireworks began exploding inside the store, customers and staff scrambled for the exits.
Authorities said the suspect then smashed into the store's jewelry counter, stealing nearly $10,000 worth of merchandise before walking out and fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.
While firefighters from the Singerly Fire Company quickly extinguished the flames and contained direct fire damage to around $5,000, Walmart said the smoke, soot and subsequent cleanup resulted in $10 million in lost inventory.
Officials said Rhodes was wearing a Jefferson University Baseball T-shirt during the heist, which investigators used to track him down.
Rhodes did not have a connection to the university or its sports teams, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Walmart Global Investigations assisted with the investigation.
"Working side-by-side with our ATF partners and Walmart Global Investigations, our team was able to identify a suspect quickly," acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray wrote in a statement after the arrest. "Investigations such as these require an all-hands approach, and I am proud of everyone who was able to bring this case to a close."
#1
Was in a Walmart SC store yesterday,and customer Open Carry was seen a number times. No one giving it a 2nd thought. Just like it should be. PLUS no idiots pulling crap, like they do in anti firearm Democrat areas that make it safer for criminals.
#2
Jewelry robbery at Walmart? It's sort of like chaining and stealing a ATM at a 7-11 at oh dark thirty. The thugs have swarmed more jewelry stories for far more higher return than this.
[FoxNews] Settlement also mandates hospital fire five doctors and provide free detransition care for five years
Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) in Houston agreed to stop administering puberty blockers to children, pay $10 million in penalties and open a "detransition clinic" after a sweeping probe from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the state of Texas.
The resolution brings to a close a years-long investigation by Texas' Healthcare Program Enforcement Division, which concluded that TCH fraudulently billed Texas Medicaid for "unallowable and illegal ‘gender-transition’ interventions," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote in a Friday statement.
"Under the terms of this landmark agreement, Texas Children’s will establish the first-ever multidisciplinary clinic designed to provide medical care to patients who were subjected to 'gender-transition' procedures," Paxton wrote.
"This Detransition Clinic will help patients reverse the damage caused by ideologically-motivated physicians who harmed patients by performing dangerous medical interventions for the purpose of "transitioning" them," Paxton's statement continued.
All services provided through the detransition clinic will be funded by Texas Children’s and be free of charge to patients for the first five years of the clinic, according to Paxton.
He also revealed that the settlement mandated TCH to fire five "woke" doctors who performed gender transition surgeries on children.
"Today is a monumental day in the fight to stop the radical transgender movement. This historic settlement reflects an institutional and fundamental cultural shift away from radical ‘gender’ ideology. In addition to helping establish the first-ever Detransition Clinic and securing millions, this settlement will ensure that the deranged child mutilators who hurt our kids are fired and held accountable," Paxton added in his statement.
"I applaud Texas Children’s Hospital for changing course and committing to being a part of the solution by agreeing to form a first-of-its kind Detransition Clinic that will help provide free care to those who have been victimized by twisted, morally bankrupt transgender ideology. Under my watch, I will investigate and bring the full force of the law against any Texas hospital that abuses children with harmful medical interventions to ‘transition’ kids," he concluded.
In a statement, Texas Children's Hospital, meanwhile, characterized controversies surrounding its gender-affirming care program as an "unconscionable campaign of mistruths and mischaracterization."
"Today, we made the difficult decision to settle with the Texas Attorney General and the Department of Justice, closing a chapter that has been wrought with falsehoods and distractions. To be clear – we are settling to protect our resources from endless and costly litigation. This settlement will allow us to redirect those precious resources to focus on the life-saving care and groundbreaking discoveries of our exceptional clinicians and scientists," the hospital wrote in a Friday statement, which has since been deleted from its website.
Prominent pro-trans activists criticized the move.
"Just complete chicken--- stuff by the general counsel and admin at Texas Children's," Alejandra Caraballo, a prominent transgender civil rights attorney, wrote in a post on social media network Bluesky.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A fully loaded septic truck was smashed to smithereens when a freight train collided with it at a railroad crossing in Virginia.
Virginia has not been doing well since they put themselves in the hands of the Democrats…
The crash triggered a hazardous materials scare as shattered debris and foul-smelling waste exploded across the road in a collision that was all caught on camera.
The violent impact unfolded on Thursday afternoon on Yadkin Road in Chesapeake, Virginia when the truck was attempting to cross the railroad tracks.
Instead it found itself directly in the path of an oncoming eastbound train operated by Norfolk Southern.
Dramatic footage captured by witness Azuriah O’Daniel showed the terrifying moment the train’s horn blasted through the air as the septic truck rolled onto the crossing seconds before disaster struck.
The locomotive slammed into the rear of the tanker with devastating force, ripping the septic tank completely away from the cab, hurling both sections into a ditch beside the tracks.
The impact blasted hoses from the vehicle, mangled metal across the roadway and spewed the truck’s contents across the surrounding area.
Authorities confirmed that hazardous materials were identified at the scene, although police said there was no immediate danger to the public.
#1
I had an ER patient once who struck the side of a fully loaded manure spreader while going 55 mph (the local limit). The impact caused the greater part of the 10 or so tons of manure inside to jump out of the spreader and come down again, all around the crash scene for quite a few feet in all directions. Driver was wearing lap & seat belt in a car with air bags. He stayed inside until EMS got there. They had to wade their way through quite a few inches of manure to get him out of his seat & then transport him to see me. Only injuries to the driver were some bruises on his chest and abdomen from his restraints. Only injury to EMS was to their pride. I am sure the forced conversion of his car's kinetic energy to spewing tons of manure around much decreased the shock of the impact.
[Wunderground]...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY AFTERNOON... [17-18 May]
* WHAT...Heavy snow possible. Total snow accumulations over 6 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.
* WHERE...Central Carbon County.
* WHEN...From late Sunday night through Monday afternoon.
-----------------------------------
This is from the NWS for the Rawlings area but similar storm watches are up for a large part of WY and CO. Snow will be heavy and wet and could damage trees and powerlines. Travel on parts of I-80 and I-70 may be a problem during Sunday night. This will be the second May snowstorm for WY for 2026.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
05/17/2026 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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[DW] Massive crowds of protesters marched in cities across Argentina, including the capital Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza and Tucuman, on Tuesday.
The protesters called for the government of libertarian President Javier Milei to implement a university funding law at the center of a lengthy political standoff.
In Buenos Aires, the march culminated at the Plaza de Mayo, where the presidential palace is located, and spilled onto surrounding streets.
Organizers estimated that some 600,000 students, university staff, union members and opposition supporters attended the protest in the capital with 1.5 million taking part countrywide.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] The United States may be preparing an operation against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro similar to the one against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. This was reported by The New York Times (NYT) on May 16.
According to the authors of the article, to implement this initiative, the American side intends to initiate criminal prosecution against the Cuban politician.
"Senior officials want to at least have the opportunity to play out the Venezuela scenario again," the publication states.
The newspaper's sources, members of US President Donald Trump's inner circle, believe the White House may not approve an operation to capture Castro. However, experts emphasize that even the potential for such a forceful scenario could become a powerful lever of influence on Havana.
On May 10, Trump stated that the United States would "get involved" in Cuba. However, the American leader did not specify what actions Washington intended to take regarding Havana. He also called Cuba a failed state.
Trump has previously repeatedly threatened Cuba with military force and has not ruled out a US invasion. On May 1, he stated that American forces could take control of Cuba en route from Iran. The American leader asserted that the country is in serious trouble and that the US intends to address Cuba, but must first finish its business in the Islamic Republic.
Since February, the United States has tightened its energy blockade against Cuba, halting oil supplies from Venezuela and Mexico. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Russia is concerned about the situation in Cuba and will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the country. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that the people of Cuba are ready to defend their country and that no aggressor will force Cuba to capitulate.
[FoxNews] Trump expressed optimism about trade deals made during his first visit to China since November 2017
President Donald Trump holds "all the cards" in negotiations with Beijing, according to Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson.
Hanson argued Friday that America’s energy dominance, economy and artificial intelligence growth allow Trump to negotiate from a position of strength.
"All the data show that the cards are in Donald Trump's hands," Hanson said on "The Ingraham Angle." "He can be [as] magnanimous as he wants, but he has all the cards in his hand, and they don't have any."
Trump left China Friday after a two-day summit, his first visit to the country since November 2017. The two world leaders were originally set to meet at the end of March, but the outbreak of fighting in Iran pushed the meeting back.
Hanson also pointed to factors like China’s declining birth rate, its massive dependence on foreign oil and the United States' success in keeping Beijing's influence out of the Western Hemisphere as clear indicators that Trump has the upper hand.
"China is not [going to] be a player. And if it is a player, it's [going to] be with the permission of the United States," Hanson said.
He compared modern concerns over China to past global regimes, including former American anxieties over the Soviet Union and Japan.
"China is just the latest phase that we're all supposed to be upset about, but it's [going to] meet the same fate vis-a-vis us that these other so-called superpowers experience[d]," Hanson said.
Trump expressed optimism about trade progress made during the trip, saying aboard Air Force One, "We had a great stay. It was an amazing period of time. President Xi’s an incredible guy. We’ve made a lot of great trade deals."
The president also said China offered to help move negotiations with Iran along.
Major topics, however, appear to have been left unfinished, including Taiwan and the release of political prisoner and Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai.
When pressed on the potential arms package for Taiwan, Trump said he does not want to see fighting break out with China.
"Nothing's changed. I will say this: I'm not looking to have somebody go independent," Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier. "And, you know, we're supposed to travel 9,500 miles to fight a war. I'm not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down."
But Hanson argued Trump would not abandon support for Taiwan in exchange for China’s help with Iran negotiations.
"They want stuff from us, and we don't need stuff from them," he said. "And he's not [going to] sell out Taiwan for help in Iran when he doesn't need their help."
#1
We are the largest OIL producing nation in the world. Why are we paying these prices? UAE $1.25 per gallon, Saudi $1.00 dollar per gallon. The OIL companies are ripping us off just like the drug companies, insurance companies and other. Their CEO's need to be charge with profiteering.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/17/2026 15:44 Comments ||
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#2
/\ It's a "Global" market. Anything with the word 'global' associated with it.... you know the rest of the story.
[DW] Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest final in Austria's capital, Vienna, on Saturday night with the song "Bangaranga" amid a boycott by five countries over Israel's participation.
The song’s infectious beats and tightly choreographed dance routine proved a hit with both national juries and viewers, whose votes together decide the winner.
Dara beat 24 other competitors during Saturday’s grand final in Vienna.
The Eurovision Song Contest described Dara as "one of the most well-known pop musicians in her country, shaping the image of contemporary Bulgarian pop with her unique voice, commanding stage presence and unrestrained genre-blending."
Fascinating explanation of how Israel has recently done really well in the popular vote and the non-member vote, but considerably less well in the jury vote, but this year the rules were changed:
[IsraelTimes] For 1st time, Israel didn’t win ‘rest of the world’ vote and it received fewer top rankings from nations’ voters than last year, but picked up jury points from 22 of 34 countries.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A fully loaded septic truck was smashed to smithereens when a freight train collided with it at a railroad crossing in Virginia.
[Wunderground]...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
[DW] Massive crowds of protesters marched in cities across 
