It’s been nearly five years since the Walt Disney Company leaned into the corporate vogue of diversity, equity, and inclusion across its theme parks.

Now, some parkgoers think they’re hearing something different — something familiar.

‘The sound of the trip starting for real.’

DEI dream

Back in 2021, Disney confirmed to Newsweek that it would phase out the classic greeting, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” from announcements at Magic Kingdom. In its place came a more neutral line: “Good evening, dreamers of all ages,” part of a broader push to make park language more “inclusive.”

At the time, the change was treated as small but symbolic — another piece of Disney’s effort to align itself with the cultural priorities of the moment.

Now, a clip circulating on X suggests the company may be quietly loosening its grip on that approach. In the video, a monorail announcement clearly addresses riders as “ladies and gentlemen” while instructing them to hold the handrail — a phrase that, until recently, had been scrubbed from official park language.

Old times

No announcement has been made. No policy has been reversed, at least publicly.

But at a place like Disney, where every word is scripted and nothing is accidental, even a small change can signal something larger.

For longtime visitors, it’s not really about the phrasing itself. It’s about what it represents: a return to tradition — or at least a pause in the steady rewriting of it.

RELATED: Lindsey Graham spotted holding bubble wand at Disney World during shutdown

No place for ‘ladies’

Various Disney-centric sites have stated that the removal of “ladies and gentleman” from park experiences was actually a bigger blow than it seemed. Inside the Magic called it the most recognized part of the vital experience that leads Disney fans into the theme park.

Disney Dining called the phrase “the sound of the trip starting for real,” noting its specific cadence made it memorable to park goers.

That Park Place reported that it took just a year for Disney to start treating gendered language like a bygone era, with progressive ideology becoming part of Disney’s internal training philosophy. The outlet cited diversity and inclusion manager Vivian Ware, who reportedly said cast members were being taught to avoid saying “ladies and gentlemen” and “boys and girls.”

Instead, the outlet stated, they were taught to say, “Hello, everyone,” or, “Hello, friends.”

The language shift wasn’t the only obvious change to standards at Disney, either.

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Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

Mixed-up mouse

In 2023, Disney partnered with a man who claimed to be “gender fluid” in order to promote a Minnie Mouse-themed clothing set that included a red dress, yellow pumps, and red hair bow.

Earlier that year, an employee at Disneyland, who appeared to be a man in a dress, was seen greeting little girls at the salon and dress shop called the “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.”

Align reached out to Disney Parks to ask when the gendered language was brought back into the attractions and the reasoning behind the policy change, but did not receive a reply.

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While many are happy that the Trump administration was able to rescue two military members from the conflict in Iran, at least one MS Now host is furious at some words used about that rescue.

Lawrence O’Donnell complained in a monologue on his show that War Secretary Pete Hegseth used the phrase, “We leave no man behind,” while praising the military operation.

‘That is, of course, the old-school version of the idea, back when only men flew American military planes.’

O’Donnell cited President Donald Trump, who explained that 155 aircraft and hundreds of military personnel were included in the operation to rescue a colonel who had ejected from an F-15 fighter jet.

“Donald Trump had said the Iranians couldn’t possibly do that. Donald Trump said they had no air defenses in Iran, and they humiliated Donald Trump by proving him wrong — by shooting down his planes, shooting down two of his planes,” O’Donnell said.

“The pilot of that plane was rescued within hours of the shoot-down. The still-unnamed, seriously injured colonel had to hide for 48 hours before the rescue team could find him and save him without losing any other military personnel in that very risky mission,” he added.

“They did lose two rescue planes worth $100 million each that they had to leave behind in Iran and destroy as they were leaving,” O’Donnell said. “And today at the White House, that brilliant rescue was described by the secretary of defense … as a long-standing American military rule of never leaving anyone behind.”

He aired the video of Hegseth saying, “We leave no man behind,” to reporters.

“That is, of course, the old-school version of the idea, back when only men flew American military planes,” O’Donnell continued. “General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, put it this way: ‘We leave no one behind.’ The general knows, unlike Pete Hegseth, that that could have been a woman they were trying to rescue, and it might be a woman the next time.”

He went on to accuse Hegseth of ignoring the history of thousands of military members, including the late John McCain, who were left behind in previous American conflicts.

RELATED: Dem Rep. Katie Porter says increasing abortions would help Americans deal with inflation

O’Donnell also claimed that Trump had gone “insane” and that he was not a Christian “in any real sense.” He also said the president should be removed from the Oval Office under the 25th Amendment.

The liberal host was ridiculed by many online, not the least of which was the Republican National Committee.

“Btw what is a woman, @Lawrence?” the RNC responded.

Video of O’Donnell’s breathless rant is available for review on the MS Now YouTube channel.

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A knife-wielding male was caught on surveillance video issuing death threats — he was heard twice saying, “I’ll kill you in the name of Allah” — to another man in the driveway of an Ohio home in the middle of the night last weekend.

Anthony Tyrone Jessie Long, 23, was arrested and charged with aggravated menacing and aggravated trespassing after Warren County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Franklin Township home just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday for a reported suspicious person, WXIX-TV reported, citing sheriff’s office records.

‘Hey bud, you knocking on the door?’

A woman told dispatchers that a male was walking around the front of the property and knocking on the door while holding a knife and threatening to kill her husband “in the name of Allah” before chasing after the couple’s daughter, who had just arrived in the driveway, the station said.

“We knew our daughter would just get out of the car and come right in,” the woman told WXIX in the aftermath, adding that “we were too afraid that the guy was going to do something to her.”

Surveillance video shows the suspect at first kneeling and bowing his head on the driveway. Soon the dad approaches the suspicious person and asks him, “Hey, bud, you knocking on the door?”

With that, the male walks toward the dad and twice tells him, “I’ll kill you in the name of Allah.”

The dad then retreats toward the house and yells for his daughter to drive away.

RELATED: Machete-wielding male takes hostage at bank he robs, threatens killings, DA says. It comes to deadly end when cops catch him.

The daughter was able to get away, WXIX reported, and the suspicious person fled in a car.

When deputies got to the scene, the victims showed them surveillance video of the incident, the station said.

About 15 minutes later, Clearcreek Police were dispatched to a traffic stop near Bunnell Hill and State Route 122; a caller claimed they were being followed by a driver — and that the driver tried to ram the caller’s car, WXIX said.

With that, the person who called 911 led the driver to a Clearcreek Police station where officers detained the driver, identified as Long, as the driver matched the description of the suspicious person wanted for threatening the Franklin Township family, the station noted.

Deputies returned to the Franklin Township residence, and the family showed them video of the suspicious person with a knife — and the knife matched the one found in Long’s possession, WXIX said.

Long was taken to the Warren County Jail, and jail records on Thursday afternoon indicate he’s still behind bars. The station said Long is being held on a $1,500 cash-only bond for the Clearcreek incident as well as a $75,000 bond for the Franklin Township incident; his next court date is April 23.

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The Canadian federal government under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized medically assisted suicide nationwide in 2016.

As critics predicted, the state-facilitated suicide program — referred to as medical assistance in dying — was grossly liberalized in a short of period of time, maximizing both the number of accepted rationales and the number of those killed.

The province of Alberta appears keen to rein in Canada’s sick experiment and protect its would-be victims, especially ahead of the Carney government’s planned MAID eligibility expansion next year.

Background

In its first year, MAID offed 1,108 Canadians. That number tripled the following year, and by 2021, the number of Canadians killed by their government had climbed to over 10,000 in a single year.

‘MAID should not be a substitute for robust health care.’

The Canadian government revealed in its latest MAID report that a total of 16,499 people were euthanized under the program in 2024, accounting for over 5% of all deaths in Canada that year. Of those euthanized, at least 4.4% nationally were not terminally ill. In Alberta, the number was 4.6%.

By the end of 2024, the number of Canadians who have died through MAID crested 76,000.

Originally, MAID applicants had to be 18 or older and suffering from a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” causing “enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable” to them.

Within years, the country’s eugenicist-founded health care system had given the green light to effectively execute those struggling with anxiety, autism, depression, economic hardship, PTSD, and other survivable issues.

RELATED: Canada’s conservative challenger Pierre Poilievre wins big on Joe Rogan’s podcast

Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images

Persons suffering solely from a mental illness will be eligible for MAID beginning March 17, 2027.

Alberta takes action

Alberta Attorney General Mickey Amery, who is also the justice minister of the ruling United Conservative government, introduced legislation last month — the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act — that would “increase oversight, introduce necessary safeguards, and provide greater clarity around eligibility requirements for medical assistance in dying … in the province.”

The bill would, among other things, prohibit MAID in Alberta for: persons under 18; persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness; individuals lacking the capacity to make their own health care decisions; and advance requests.

It would also prohibit euthanasia for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable; restrict the display of MAID propaganda; empower health practitioners and institutions to refuse participation in the euthanasia regime; and bar Alberta health professionals from referring individuals for MAID eligibility assessments outside the province.

The legislation would also introduce penalties for doctors and nurses who violate the proposed provincial rules.

“Canada has the fastest growing death rates in the world when it comes to MAID. Far from being an option of last resort, MAID is now the fifth leading cause of death in Canada,” Amery told the Alberta Legislature last week. “The country is currently projected to reach its 100,000th death by MAID in June, becoming the first nation in the modern era to measure its total assisted deaths in the six figures, more than the totals of any other jurisdiction with some form of legal, doctor-assisted death.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a statement, “Those struggling with severe mental health challenges need treatment, compassion and support, not a path to end their life at what may be their lowest moment. In Alberta, a patient whose sole underlying condition is mental illness will not be eligible for MAID.”

‘The state refusing to fund and provide a killing service is the baseline.’

Rebecca Vachon, health program director for the Canadian think tank Cardus, said in a statement, “We support the adoption of these enhanced protections for Albertans and urge all legislators to work collaboratively to implement them.”

While the Catholic Bishops of Alberta underscored that “the Church teaches that ‘euthanasia and assisted suicide are always the wrong choice,'” they similarly characterized the bill as an important step in the right direction, stating, “A just society is one that protects the vulnerable, upholds the dignity of every person, and chooses to accompany them in times of illness and dying. The Alberta government is taking some significant steps that respect these necessary values.”

Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and co-founder of Disability Filibuster, recently noted in a piece for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute,

The state refusing to fund and provide a killing service is the baseline we build from. Without that, there is simply no foundation. If disability — and only disability — makes one killable, then why would a state build the infrastructure, policies, and programs necessary to support disabled life? Particularly when one is an expense and the other represents considerable cost-saving?

Some euthanasia advocates have joined state media in framing the life-affirming legislation in negative terms.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, for instance, suggested that the legislation “would significantly restrict access to medical assistance in dying … and undermine constitutionally protected rights.”

Michael Trew, Alberta’s former chief addiction and mental health officer, recently wrote that the bill “amounts to taking away choice from many who are fully competent” and that “this loss of choice INCREASES pain and suffering.”

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The Republican lieutenant governor of Texas says his party is going to have a tough time in the midterm elections unless Republicans stop bickering among themselves.

Dan Patrick was speaking about the expensive battle between two Republicans for one of the state’s seats in the U.S. Senate, according to the Texas Tribune.

‘We’re going to have a tough time holding the Texas House.’

Patrick said that whoever loses the runoff election on May 26 between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton must endorse the winner or risk losing the seat — and possibly turn over control of the Senate to Democrats.

And if the candidates continue criticizing each other, they’ll even imperil Republican control of the state House as well, he added.

“Get over it and come together as one,” said Patrick. “We’re going to have a tough time holding the Texas House.”

President Donald Trump had already weighed in on the issue in March when he said on social media that he would eventually make an endorsement in the race and that the other candidate must drop out for the good of the party. So far, he has not publicly endorsed either Cornyn or Paxton.

A loss of Republican control of the U.S. House would deeply jeopardize Trump’s ability to continue passing his agenda in the latter end of his second term. It may even lead to another impeachment.

Patrick admitted that the Texas Senate, where he officially presides, is in safe hands, but added that Cornyn and Paxton must help keep the Texas House in Republican control.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows appeared to respond to Patrick on social media.

“We will not lose the Texas House,” Burrows said. “We will fight to retain every Republican seat. I look forward to the fall campaign where we get to talk about Texas’ prosperity under Republican leadership; and, I trust the voters of Texas to continue to vote for conservative government up and down the ballot!”

Texas House Democratic Campaign Chair Rep. Christina Morales took the opportunity to swipe at Patrick and the GOP.

“Dan Patrick is telling Republicans they’re in trouble in November, and for once, he’s telling the truth,” said Morales.

RELATED: Trump to intervene in Texas’ Senate race, anoint his preferred candidate

“Dan Patrick and Texas Republicans have spent years pleasing Trump, catering to corporations, and rewarding their wealthy donors while Texas families can’t afford groceries, can’t trust the power grid, and can’t access basic healthcare,” she added in part. “Their voucher scam is defunding our neighborhood schools. Our communities are being torn apart by Trump’s ICE raids that Republicans refuse to stand up against.”

Republicans got a boost in their effort to keep the U.S. House in their control on Tuesday when a Trump-endorsed candidate won a special election to fill the Georgia seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene. While Democrats did not win the long-shot election, they seem to have made some inroads in the state.

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A California man pleaded guilty on Monday to stealing millions of dollars in taxpayer funds through his participation in a prescription drug fraud scheme, the Department of Justice reported.

Paul Richard Randall, a 66-year-old man from Orange County, has admitted to submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid program, from May 2022 to April 2023.

‘This guilty plea should send a message that this administration — consistent with the president’s war on fraud — will not turn a blind eye while criminals fleece taxpayers.’

As part of his plea agreement, Randall confessed that he and his alleged accomplices took advantage of Medi-Cal by exploiting a policy change. The government program suspended the requirement for health care providers to obtain prior authorization before delivering services and medications for reimbursement while transitioning its prescription drug program to a new payment system.

Randall billed Medi-Cal millions of dollars each month for dispensing high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic drugs through a pharmacy, including some pain medications. One such medication was Folite tablets, a vitamin available over the counter.

The DOJ contended that of the $270 million billed, Medi-Cal paid more than $178 million for 19 drugs that were either medically unnecessary, not provided to the patients, or both.

The funds provided by Medi-Cal were laundered to a third party to pay kickbacks to Randall and his alleged co-schemers.

RELATED: Vance’s task force shutters 221 hospices in ‘fraud king’ Gavin Newsom’s California

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Randall has been in federal custody since June 2025 and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. He faces up to 30 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 3.

One of Randall’s accomplices, Kyrollos Mekail, a 37-year-old from Moreno Valley, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to two counts of health care fraud. Mekail is awaiting sentencing.

A second alleged co-conspirator is charged with two counts of health care fraud.

RELATED: The Medicaid fraud problem is not going away

J. David Ake/Getty Images

“This defendant used a public health program as his personal piggy bank,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said of Randall. “This guilty plea should send a message that this administration — consistent with the president’s war on fraud — will not turn a blind eye while criminals fleece taxpayers.”

“Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, the Department, working closely with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, is supercharging efforts to take down every fraudster and bring them to justice,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said.

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