Welcome back, Carly Fiorina
Just when we thought she was out of the presidential race, she's pulled back in. Carly Fiorina is joining the #CruzCrew as Ted Cruz’s running mate on the Republican ticket — IF — and this is a YUUUGE IF — he can overtake Donald Trump for the party’s presidential nomination. Wednesday's announcement in Indianapolis came a day after Trump crushed Cruz in a sweep of primaries and triggered epic Twitter fits over his reference to Hillary Clinton's "woman's card." Now, Cruz trails him by nearly 400 delegates, and Indiana's May 3 primary is possibly his last chance to keep Trump from winning the nomination outright. Can Fiorina help him win? (Maybe if she doesn't sing.)
'Serial child molester' get 15 months for bank fraud. Yep, bank fraud.
What began as an investigation into former House speaker Dennis Hastert’s suspicious bank withdrawals led to allegations
of sexual abuse that had been buried for decades — long enough for the statutes of limitations to expire. Instead of being investigated and prosecuted for sex crimes against his former students, history's longest-serving Republican speaker was sentenced Wednesday to 15 months in prison for bank fraud, and the judge called him a "serial child molester." Hastert, 74, was a high school coach who served 20 years in Congress before retiring in 2007. In 2015, allegations emerged about hush money and sexual misconduct. A man called "Individual A" told prosecutors that Hastert molested him more than 40 years ago when he was 14 and paid him to keep quiet. Later, three more accusers came forward. But it was too late.
Chobani serves up a delicious deal to full-time employees
It's good to work at Chobani. Employees at the Upstate New York plant received a letter this week saying that when the company goes public or is sold, 2,000 full-time employees will receive shares worth up to 10% of the company's value. It's an ownership stake in the company that could make some of them millionaires! CEO Hamdi Ulukaya said in the letter: “This isn’t a gift. It’s a mutual promise to work together with a shared purpose and responsibility. To continue to create something special and of lasting value.” Shares will be distributed based on tenure. (And how's your week going?)
Has the outrage over Target's decision on transgender bathrooms faded yet? Nope
A week-old petition calling for the boycott of Target over its transgender bathroom policy had more than 898,000 signatures as of 5 p.m. ET Wednesday — and it's still going. The retailer's policy allows people to use store bathrooms based on the gender they identify with. We decided to ask other retailers about their policies. Starbucks, Hudson's Bay Co. — parent company to Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue — and Barnes & Noble told USA TODAY that their employees and customers are welcome to use the stores' bathrooms based on their gender identification. There are also stores that didn't respond. Read more of the remarks here.
Finally, the end of the dark era of no national mammal may be in sight
In very large animal news, the U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to designate the American Bison as the first national mammal. Millions of bison used to roam the Great Plains, but populations were devastated during the Indian wars to deprive Native Americans of their food sources, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bison populations have now rebounded but never come close to their former numbers. If the Senate passes the measure and President Obama signs it into law, the bison will be on par with the bald eagle, the national bird.
This is a compilation of stories across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Associated Press
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