Are Hobbits Hiding In Human Family Tree?

In the wake of the success of The Mandalorian, Disney+ has produced many—arguably too many—Star Wars television series in hopes that the expanded universe content would draw die-hard fans of Jedis and droids to the streaming service. The results have been mixed. Baby Yoda justifiably drew hordes of fans and plenty of coos when he used the Force to summon blue macarons in The Mandalorian.

If it feels like you’re suddenly seeing ticks everywhere, it’s not in your head. The U. S. tick population has exploded in recent years, largely driven by climate change, which means spotting one of these blood-sucking pests is an unfortunately routine event for people in many parts of the country.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to discover new treasures in the cacophonous world of podcasting. There are a lot of shows—many of them not good. It seems every week a new celebrity announces a podcast in which they ask other celebrities out-of-touch questions or revisit their own network sitcom heyday. And studios continue to scrounge for the most morally dubious true-crime topics they can find. So forgive me if I find myself returning to some of the masters this year.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected a challenge to one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the U. S. following a lawsuit by women who had serious pregnancy complications. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The ruling from the court, whose nine justices are all elected Republicans, is the latest decision to uphold Texas’ abortion ban, which critics say does not offer enough clarity over when exceptions are allowed. “Texas law permits a life-saving abortion,” the court wrote in the order signed by Republican Justice Jane Bland. Last summer, state District Judge Jessica Mangrum had granted a temporary injunction preventing Texas from enforcing the ban against doctors who in their “good faith judgment” ended a pregnancy that they determined was unsafe because of complications.

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Friday he has registered as an independent, raising questions about his future political plans. Manchin, who would have faced a tough reelection in November if he had chosen to run, has long been an outspoken critic of the Democratic Party and an obstacle to many of President Joe Biden’s legislative priorities. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Manchin has served in the Senate since 2010.

PARIS — The French interior minister said Friday that security authorities have foiled a plan to attack soccer events during the Paris Olympics. Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that the members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the city of Saint-Etienne, southwest of Lyon. According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in the city of Saint-Etienne that will host several soccer matches during the Summer Games.