NASA’s Perseverance has spent 1‚063 days on Mars exploring the rocks and structures of Jezero Crater and its river delta. It has been collecting samples to be sent to Earth and analyzing rocks. But for over a month‚ one of its instruments has not been working‚ and mission specialists have not yet been able to solve the problem.One of the most intriguing instruments on Perseverance is SHERLOC‚ a bulky backronym for Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman &; Luminescence for Organics &; Chemicals. The instrument uses lasers to hit interesting targets‚ and its camera and spectrometers use the hit of the laser to look for water-altered minerals and organics. The holy grail of this quest is a biosignature‚ evidence of life (past or extant) on Mars.The instrument has already provided important insights into the Red Planet. Unfortunately‚ on January 6‚ one of the two covers that protect the instrument from dust wouldn’t open. Since then‚ engineering approaches have been successful at partially opening it‚ but the team is still at work to understand what has happened to cover and how they might fix it for good.The mechanical problem has partially disabled SHERLOC. It can take images through its WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera‚ but laser scanning and spectrometry were performed through the aperture that is not fully opening now.SHERLOC is not the only instrument on Perseverance‚ so even if the team can’t find a solution this is not the end of the mission. The rover has six other instruments and they are all working fine. Some of the instruments have overlapping capabilities.Perseverance has recently lost its exploration companion‚ the little helicopter Ingenuity. A flight malfunction led to a broken rotor‚ and so the first flying vehicle on another world was set down for good.

The animal kingdom has a multitude of tricks for surviving harsh weather conditions and long‚ cold winters. From snuggling down in a cave to sleep away the worst of the weather‚ to shutting down all but the most basic of functions as a way to save energy‚ we break down the differences between the ways these animals are surviving.What is hibernation?When the temperatures are lower and food is harder to find‚ animals from mice to birds and bats go into a long deep sleep. In the UK‚ the Wildlife Trust lists only three species that truly hibernate: bats‚ dormice‚ and hedgehogs. Hibernation means the body's processes will slow down almost completely‚ with reduced heart and breathing rates. The metabolic rate is lowered as a means to save energy‚ and animals survive in this state by using the fat reserves that they have built up in the autumn. Animals in hibernation look almost dead and most likely feel cold to the touch. In fact‚ according to National Geographic‚ the arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryii) can cool their bodies to sub-freezing temperatures for hibernation.  In true hibernation‚ the heart rate is also lowered. According to Scientific American dwarf lemurs (genus Cheirogaleus) in Madagascar have a typical active heart rate of around 180 beats per minute. During hibernation‚ this can go down as low as 4 beats per minute.What is torpor?Torpor is hibernation's most overlooked cousin. In this state‚ an animal's metabolism‚ heart rate‚ and breathing all slow down in a similar way to hibernation. However‚ torpor is more easily entered and emerged from and doesn’t last as long as true hibernation. A torpor state can even be entered into every day and is most often a trend in endotherms living in arid areas.The fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata) is a carnivorous marsupial and can use this daily torpor to survive when its diet of insects might be in short supply. Birds like the common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)‚ whose name means "sleeping one"‚ can also enter torpor‚ writes the Audubon Society.  Compared to hibernation‚ topor does not last as long‚ and does not have quite the same drastic effect on the internal temperature of the body.Do bears hibernate?Many people get taught that bears hibernate through the long winter but scientists aren’t sure whether this is strictly true. It could be that bears are more likely in torpor since their metabolic rate is massively reduced but their body temperature doesn’t fall. It could be that a reduction in body temperature would be too hard to wake up from. What is brumation?Reptiles‚ including snakes‚ and amphibians do undergo a kind of state similar to hibernation called brumation. In North Carolina and Texas‚ crocodiles were seen brumating under sheets of frozen ice with just their snouts visible. This again shows the key signs of lowered breathing and metabolic rate‚ but the animals will continue to drink‚ but not eat‚ and are not in quite as deep a sleep state. What is aestivation?While‚ typically‚ brumation‚ torpor‚ and hibernation are seen as ways to survive cold weather‚ there is another kind of state animals can enter to survive hot temperature extremes. Aestivation is most often seen in fish and invertebrates and helps prevent animals from drying out. Similar to hibernation‚ it also involves the slowing of an animal’s metabolic rate. Unlike hibernation‚ aestivation can end fairly quickly when the weather conditions improve.African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) can aestivate by encasing themselves in cocoons of mucus during a drought‚ per National Geographic. Can humans hibernate?While humans can enter sleep states such as medically induced comas‚ people cannot truly hibernate. However‚ the remarkable ability of animals to undergo these complex survival methods is being looked at by NASA for its potential applications for human spaceflight. 

Ancient paintings on the walls of a Patagonian cave have been dated to 8‚200 years ago‚ making them the oldest known rock art in the region by several millennia. Staggeringly‚ researchers also found that the markings were built up over a period of roughly 3‚000 years‚ suggesting that the illustrations were used to transmit cultural knowledge for around 130 generations.Located within the harsh‚ arid desert of northwest Patagonia‚ in what is now Argentina‚ the Cueva Huenel 1 (CH1) site is known among archaeologists for its enormous concentration of prehistoric artworks‚ consisting of geometric shapes and patterns including human forms and strange‚ comb-like figures. Previously‚ the paintings were believed to be just a few thousand years old‚ yet the authors of a new study have now revealed that the markings stretch all the way back to the Late Holocene. Using direct radiocarbon dating of the plant-based pigments with which the drawings were produced‚ the researchers discovered that the CH1 artworks are several thousand years older than expected‚ and that they remained consistent in their design over three millennia. Oddly‚ the cave shows no signs of having been lived in during this period‚ with an absence of stone tools or butchered animal bones‚ although a pit filled with plant material that had been dyed with red ocher was present.The study authors therefore suspect that the cave represented a “cultural keystone place”‚ where ancient hunter-gatherers stored local knowledge and met to maintain tribal connections and conduct rituals over many years. Such focal points‚ they suggest‚ enabled the sparsely populated communities that inhabited Patagonia to remain connected at a time when extreme heat and dryness made survival incredibly challenging.“The emergence of rock art at CH1 is recorded since [8‚200 years ago] against a challenging environmental background‚ where the ability to maintain connectivity and demographic viability would have been crucial‚” write the researchers. “We suggest that the standardized painting events – and other pigment-related activities – practiced over generations sought to maintain large-scale safety nets by storing information rooted in collective memory and guaranteeing social preservation beyond oral tradition‚” they continue.In total‚ the study authors analyzed 895 separate paintings that encompassed 446 motifs‚ all of which were continually reproduced using the same pigments over thousands of years.By providing a “place-based sense of identity”‚ the cave may have enabled dwindling numbers of people to stick together across a vast‚ unforgiving landscape. At a time when human populations in South American deserts were “experiencing repeated crashes”‚ the lifeline provided by CH1 and its communicative illustrations may have been the difference between survival and annihilation.The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

A new study looking at impact cratering on Titan has found bad news in the search for life on the moon‚ and potentially other icy moons of the Solar System as well.Titan‚ Saturn's largest moon‚ is often thought of as a potential candidate for life. The moon is the only place in the Solar System – other than Earth – where liquids are known to be present on the surface‚ making up rivers‚ lakes and seas.These water features are made of liquid hydrocarbons‚ the bulk of which is methane. More intriguing to scientists looking for life is the giant subsurface ocean‚ thought to be more than 12 times the volume of Earth's oceans‚ locked beneath the planet's icy crust and stretching 55 to 80 kilometers (35 to 50 miles) below the ground."Titan’s rivers‚ lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane might serve as a habitable environment on the moon’s surface‚ though any life there would likely be very different from Earth’s life‚" NASA explains of the moon. "Titan could potentially harbor environments with conditions suitable for life – meaning both life as we know it (in the subsurface ocean) and life as we don’t know it (in the hydrocarbon liquid on the surface)."Liquid water under the surface is of course promising for life‚ but for life to emerge you also need organics. It was thought that these ingredients could be delivered to the ocean below‚ where they could be swirled around and heated and potentially spark life via the impacts of space objects. The idea was that the surface – rich in organics – would mix with the subsurface ocean as objects impact the surface and melt pools of water in the ice. Being denser than the surrounding ice‚ this would then sink down to the subsurface ocean.However‚ a study from the University of Western Ontario attempted to estimate how many comets impact the moon per year‚ and the quantity of organics which would be delivered to the subsurface ocean through these impacts. Unfortunately‚ the team found that the volume of glycine – the simplest amino acid – delivered to the ocean would only be around 7‚500 kilograms (16‚500 pounds)‚ or around the weight of an adult elephant."One elephant per year of glycine into an ocean 12 times the volume of Earth's oceans is not sufficient to sustain life‚" astrobiologist Catherine Neish said in a press release. "In the past‚ people often assumed that water equals life‚ but they neglected the fact that life needs other elements‚ in particular carbon.""This work shows that it is very hard to transfer the carbon on Titan's surface to its subsurface ocean –basically‚ it's hard to have both the water and carbon needed for life in the same place‚" Neish added.Given that Titan has more organics on its surface than the other icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter‚ this puts a bit of a dampener on our search for life within the Solar System."Unfortunately‚ we will now need to be a little less optimistic when searching for extraterrestrial lifeforms within our own Solar System‚" Neish said. "The scientific community has been very excited about finding life in the icy worlds of the outer Solar System‚ and this finding suggests that it may be less likely than we previously assumed."Nevertheless‚ there is still a little wiggle room. Life could be possible‚ for instance‚ if there were more organics on the surface than previously estimated‚ if organics could come from the core‚ or other processes could deliver organics from the surface to the ocean below."It is nearly impossible to determine the composition of Titan's organic-rich surface by viewing it with a telescope through its organic-rich atmosphere‚" Neish added. "We need to land there and sample the surface to determine its composition."Fortunately‚ NASA plans to do just that with the Dragonfly mission‚ which will see a flying vehicle hop around the moon's surface. Neish‚ who is part of the Dragonfly team‚ says that this research could help identify interesting places to land."If all the melt produced by impacts sinks into the ice crust‚ we wouldn't have samples near the surface where water and organics have mixed. These are regions where Dragonfly could search for the products of those prebiotic reactions‚ teaching us about how life may arise on different planets‚" said Neish."The results from this study are even more pessimistic than I realized with regards to the habitability of Titan's surface ocean‚ but it also means that more interesting prebiotic environments exist near Titan's surface‚ where we can sample them with the instruments on Dragonfly."The study is published in Astrobiology.

In the heartwarming saga of transformation‚ a rescue pup named Mia offers a powerful narrative of fear‚ trust‚ and love. Initially‚ Mia displayed aggressive behavior‚ snapping and snarling at anyone who dared to approach her. Her story begins with a compassionate individual named Angela recognizing her plea for help behind the veneer of aggression. This... The post Scared rescue pup snaps at everyone until woman figures out how to ‘calm her’ appeared first on Animal Channel.

NBC’s Seth Meyers lamented on the Wednesday edition of Late Night that the Democratic Party is not further to the left on immigration‚ as he demanded the party stop “parroting GOP talking points” on the issue. Meyers’s lamentations included reading a quote from Sen. Chris Murphy‚ “who negotiated the compromise with Republicans‚ said‚ ‘They told us what to do. We followed their instructions to the letter‚ and then they pulled the rug out from under us in 24 hours.’”     Urging Democrats to forget Republican concerns‚ Meyers elaborated‚ “Let me crack Republican code for you. It's a trick‚ everything's a trick. The Republican Party is your wife saying she doesn't need anything for Valentine's Day. Every time she says that‚ you call the florist‚ and you double the order if you value your life.” Meyers also‚ again‚ mourned the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas‚ “ These people are not serious. Yesterday‚ they ran through a pointless impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas without any evidence of wrongdoing. In fact‚ one GOP congressman admitted on Fox that the impeachment vote was just PR move for Republicans.” That congressman was Rep. French Hill and he declared‚ “The president could take executive action to do it today. Doesn't need more money‚ it needs action‚ and this is what's disappointing to people‚ and that's why Mayorkas is going to pay this public relations price by being impeached.” Meyers reacted to the clip by decrying Hill’s comments‚ “Impeachment is not a public relations tool. You're supposed to be a lawmaker‚ if you want to do PR‚ then you should join Temu because they need the [bleep] help.” After a digression on Temu‚ the LiMu Emu‚ and Jerry Seinfeld‚ Meyers continued‚ “The House GOP is even smaller now because the Trump brand is toxic in swing districts‚ it's not a serious governing party‚ so maybe instead of parroting GOP talking points on immigration‚ Democrats could make a positive progressive case for why we should protect and stand up for asylum seekers and next time Republicans claim they want to work out an immigration compromise‚ don't fall for it. Just say—” The sentence ended with a truncated MSNBC clip of a voter in New York’s special election for the third congressional district simply saying “no.” If Meyers thinks Democrats moving left on immigration is going to endear them to voters‚ he should be prepared to be disappointed. Here is a transcript for the February 14-taped show: NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers 2/15/2024 12:48 AM ET SETH MEYERS: Democratic Senator Chris Murphy‚ who negotiated the compromise with Republicans‚ said‚ "They told us what to do. We followed their instructions to the letter‚ and then they pulled the rug out from under us in 24 hours.” Let me crack Republican code for you. It's a trick‚ everything's a trick. The Republican Party is your wife saying she doesn't need anything for Valentine's Day. Every time she says that‚ you call the florist and you double the order if you value your life. These people are not serious. Yesterday‚ they ran through a pointless impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas without any evidence of wrongdoing. In fact‚ one GOP congressman admitted on Fox that the impeachment vote was just PR move for Republicans FRENCH HILL: The president could take executive action to do it today. Doesn't need more money‚ it needs action and this is what's disappointing to people‚ and that's why Mayorkas is going to pay this public relations price by being impeached.  MEYERS: Impeachment is not a public relations tool. You're supposed to be a lawmaker if you want to do PR‚ then you should join Temu because they need the [bleep] help.  I keep getting Temu confused with the LiMu Emu. It's starting to feel like a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up routine. "There's too many commercials‚ I can't keep track: Timu‚ LiMu Emu‚ F-you. [Seinfeld jingle] The House GOP -- I am better than Seinfeld. The House GOP is even smaller now because the Trump brand is toxic in swing districts‚ it's not a serious governing party‚ so maybe instead of parroting GOP talking points on immigration‚ Democrats could make a positive progressive case for why we should protect and stand up for asylum seekers and next time Republicans claim they want to work out an immigration compromise‚ don't fall for it. Just say-- INDERBAL DHAL [NEW YORK VOTER]: No. 

  The Media Research Center has the receipts to show that artificial intelligence poses a grave danger to media critical of the Biden administration. OpenAI‚ one of the largest artificial intelligence companies in America‚ is propping up two extremely partisan media ratings firms—Ad Fontes and NewsGuard—both of which MRC Free Speech America has exposed as being nothing but tools used by the left in an attempt to destroy right-leaning media. MRC researchers on Tuesday asked the most advanced version of OpenAI’s language model‚ “GPT-4-1106-preview‚” to list the five worst and five best news sources in America. The answers were shocking‚ to say the least.  The newest version of GPT-4 refused to list the five worst news sources‚ claiming such a task can be “highly” subjective. Instead‚ the chatbot directed users to leftist so-called media ratings firms Ad Fontes and NewsGuard. But the OpenAI chatbot’s non-answer was telling. While it refused to explicitly say which news sources it deemed the “worst‚” its directive for users to utilize Ad Fontes’s infamous Media Bias Chart and NewsGuard’s ratings system made it clear which outlets the large language model was programmed to consider unacceptable. “We’ve been warning you‚ Artificial Intelligence is going to be suppressing your speech. The day has arrived‚ [GPT-4] is officially putting its thumb‚ elbow‚ its entire arm on the scale to try to get you to read The New York Times‚ The Washington Post and other left-wing outlets at the expense of conservative media‚” MRC Free Speech America Dan Schneider said in response to our findings. “[GPT-4] is now directing users to go to the most radicalized left-wing media ratings firms around to find the answer out—that’s NewsGuard and Ad Fontes.”  What are Ad Fontes and NewsGuard? MRC Free America has exposed Ad Fontes and NewsGuard‚ both government-tied‚ so-called media ratings firms‚ as biased entities against right-leaning media.  MRC researchers‚ for instance‚ have exposed NewsGuard’s ratings as being disproportionately favorable for left-wing media outlets—not once‚ not twice but a staggering three times. In December 2023‚ MRC unveiled that NewsGuard anointed outlets deemed by AllSides as left-leaning with an average rating of 91 percent.  In contrast‚ NewsGuard punished the right-leaning sites with a disparaging average rating of 65 percent. Making matters worse‚ damning reports caught NewsGuard receiving taxpayer dollars to censor via a contract with the Biden State Department. Not to be outdone‚ Ad Fontes‚ a Colorado-based media ratings firm founded by former attorney Vanessa Otero‚ came under damning scrutiny perhaps for the first time since its inception in 2018 following an MRC bombshell report into its biased ratings. MRC researchers exposed  Ad Fontes for its leftist bias‚ which provides a highly favorable score of 64 percent on average for left-leaning media. However‚ the media ratings firm strangled media it deemed right-leaning with an average low score of 32 percent. Once caught‚ Ad Fontes cunningly targeted NewsBusters‚ the flagship news site of the Media Research Center‚ the parent company of MRC Free Speech America. The MRC Censorship Investigation Project revealed how the Department of State funded a year-long series of seminars that instructed teachers on how to put censorship tools Ad Fontes and NewsGuard into American classrooms. Ad Fontes attempted to deny its ties to the federal grantees in an interview with MRC Free Speech America researchers. Such declarations‚ however‚ were demonstrably false. The Hypocrisy of OpenAI’s Newest GPT-4: The So-Called ‘Best’ News Sources Despite directing MRC researchers to demonstrably biased Ad Fontes and NewsGuard‚ the newer GPT-4 claimed that it was unable to list the five worst news sources because it sought to remain unbiased. “For the sake of neutrality and because I‚ as an AI‚ aim to provide unbiased information‚ I won't list specific news sources labeled as the ‘worst‚’” the chatbot claimed‚ before recommending news consumption from various media sources. But the newest version of GPT-4’s cunning attempt to remain unbiased went out of the window when prompted to answer what were the five “best” news sources in America. “Determining the ‘best’ news sources is subjective and can vary widely depending on the criteria used‚ such as accuracy‚ depth of analysis‚ breadth of coverage‚ and editorial standards‚” the chatbot told MRC‚ before boasting about some of the most leftist-biased news sources it considered to be the so-called “best.” Drum roll‚ please. The newest version of GPT-4 picked none other than The Associated Press (AP)‚ National Public Radio (NPR)‚ The New York Times‚ The Wall Street Journal and the British-based BBC News as the “best” news sources in America. Absurdly enough‚ the newest version of GPT-4 issued the following disclaimer after touting these aforementioned sources: “While many consider these sources among the best in terms of their journalistic standards and integrity‚ it's important to remember that all news organizations may have some degree of bias or make mistakes.” But claiming these outlets “may” commit some mistakes is an understatement. For instance‚ take a look at the AP and The Times: both outlets falsely reported that Israel bombed a Gaza-based hospital. Such reporting relied entirely on the Gaza Ministry of Health‚ currently governed by Hamas‚ a foreign terrorist organization. Arguably‚ the story marked the worst example of shoddy journalism in 2023 alone. BBC News‚ one of the so-called “best” sources according to the newest version of GPT-4‚ similarly blamed Israel for the bombing despite little evidence‚ prompting the Israeli government to accuse the outlet of committing “modern blood libel.” BBC journalist Jon Donnison bluntly claimed‚ again without evidence‚ “The Israeli military has been contacted for comment and they say they are investigating. But it is hard to see what else this could be‚ really‚ given the size of the explosion‚ other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes.” Subsequent information‚ including Israeli and American intelligence assessments‚ determined that the Palestine Islamic Jihad‚ a Sunni Islamist militant group based out of Gaza‚ was responsible for the blast‚ not Israel. After reports debunked the outlets’ false claims that Israel was at fault for the bombing‚ the backlash was so widespread that The Times issued a mea culpa in response‚ the AP backtracked its initial claim that Israel was responsible and the BBC dubbed its initial speculative reporting “wrong” and declared that it was “amended with apology.” In contrast‚ NPR held out hope that the debunked hospital hoax somehow remained factual. NPR host Mary Louise Kelly claimed on Oct. 25‚ 2023—nearly a week after President Joe Biden declared Israel not responsible—that there was “still a lot we don’t know about the blast‚” including “how it happened and who is responsible.” Yet a day earlier‚ NPR lambasted other outlets for rushing to rely on unsubstantiated Hamas-led information. “Speed may matter a lot to readers‚ viewers and listeners‚” NPR reported‚ also warning: “Accuracy and fairness still matter more‚ especially when stakes are so high.” But it was too little‚ too late. The anti-Israel reporting published by these so-called “best” news sources‚ along with other leftist media reporting‚ ignited violent protests against Israeli and U.S. embassies and at the U.S. Capitol‚ where 300 people were arrested. It also prompted King of Jordan Abdullah II to cancel a crucial meeting with Biden‚ Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sissi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the then-newly initiated war between Hamas and Israel. Earlier Version of GPT-4 Confirms OpenAI Chatbot Biased in Favor of Left MRC posed the same questions to the earlier version of GPT-4 on Monday: What were the “best” and “worst” news sources in America? This older version of OpenAI’s large language model (simply‚ “GPT-4”)‚ uses online data through September 2021 and gave MRC researchers slightly different answers to those provided by GPT-4-1106-preview. However‚ the blatant bias remained clear. Predictably‚ the older iteration of the GPT-4 chatbot hailed legacy media outlets The New York Times‚ The Washington Post‚ CNN‚ The Wall Street Journal and BBC America as the “best” media sources in the nation. Tellingly‚ when queried about the five “worst” news outlets‚ the chatbot singled out Breitbart News‚ the Daily Mail‚ the defunct National Enquirer‚ Occupy Democrats and InfoWars. “Please note that the 'best' sources can vary depending on individual factors like political alignment‚ subject interest‚ and medium preference‚” the older version of GPT-4 claimed in its response. Despite the disclaimer‚ the OpenAI-owned chatbot provided highly flattering descriptions for what it labeled as the “best” news sources. Strikingly‚ the chatbot did not mention the left-wing bias of the news sources it championed as the “best‚ nor did it list the many examples of false and inaccurate coverage by these outlets” Instead‚ the bot commended The Times—the infamous newspaper that provided shoddy reporting on the Gaza Hospital bombing—as being known for “high-quality investigative journalism” and “one of the most trusted sources in America.” Similarly‚ the chatbot claimed The Post “offers a balanced view of both domestic and international issues” and that CNN offers a “variety of perspectives.” As if that wasn’t enough‚ the large language model claimed BBC America “provides a broad perspective with global news and coverage.”  But these favorable characterizations of CNN and BBC America are a stark departure from reality. In July 2021‚ The Post issued a correction after falsely claiming that the COVID-19 Lab Leak theory was “debunked.” In a ridiculous display of its left-wing bias‚ CNN implied that racism—not unprecedented levels of illegal immigration—could be the fuel behind the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Similarly‚ BBC was forced to issue an apology for blindly promoting anti-Israel rhetoric amid the Jewish state’s military operation in the Gaza Strip.  The older version of GPT-4 reiterated a similar disclaimer when prompted to answer what the five “worst” media sources in America were. According to the chatbot‚ factors such as individual perspectives‚ political stances‚ and reader perceptions of credibility and bias play a role when assessing the “worst” outlets—yet the chatbot did not hesitate to criticize the outlets it placed in this category. “Breitbart tends to have a strong right-wing bias and has attracted criticism for publishing misleading or false information on various occasions‚” the chatbot wrote of Breitbart. When addressing the Daily Mail‚ the chatbot questioned — without providing evidence — the accuracy of the outlet’s reporting: “While it's originally from the UK‚ it has substantial readership in the US. Critics have challenged the accuracy and sensational nature of its reports.” The older version of GPT-4 described the now-defunct Enquirer as a “tabloid” often criticized for “prioritizing sensationalism over accuracy.” In contrast‚ the chatbot merely described Occupy Democrats — the meme-posting Facebook page turned wanna-be news site — as being “called out for a strong bias‚ with several fact-checkers marking its content as misleading or inaccurate multiple times.” MRC Free Speech America findings come less than a year after catching ChatGPT‚ a less advanced version of GPT-4‚ peddling the left’s radical gender ideology during Pride Month in June 2023. “Can a woman have a penis?” MRC researchers asked the chatbot‚ to which the large language model replied that some transgender individuals may undergo surgeries “which may involve the construction of a neopenis.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand government agencies and Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency‚ clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us at the Media Research Center contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

In the event of a significant and prolonged grid-down scenario‚ the need to adopt extraordinary measures to ensure personal safety becomes paramount. The post Avoid these places after SHTF appeared first on Survivopedia.

President Joe Biden angrily denounced special counsel Robert Hur in his impromptu White House media briefing over a statement that he had forgotten the date of his son's death‚ but a central claim he made has been refuted. NBC News reported that the 81-year-old falsely accused Hur of bringing up the death of Beau Biden when it was the president himself who brought it up during their interview. "I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died‚" said Biden. "How in the hell dare he raise that?" he yelled angrily. "Frankly‚ when I was asked the question‚ I thought to myself‚ 'What is any of their damn business?'" Biden added. He went on to forget the name of the saint who he claimed to pray to when commemorating the death of his son. The NBC report found two sources who claimed the president himself brought up the death of his son‚ contrary to his angry accusation. The sources said Biden was trying to recall other events in order to remember the dates when he was providing material to a ghost writer and then brought up his son. Biden's disingenuous attack on the special counsel was taken up by his defenders. “Why in the hell are you asking that question?” asked former Attorney General Eric Holder on MSNBC. “What does that have to do with the retention of classified documents?”Even the president's wife‚ first lady Jill Biden‚ accused the special counsel of using “our son’s death to score political points.”Others pointed out that in the address meant to assuage fears about his memory problems‚ Biden confused the name of the president of Mexico with the president of Egypt. Some Republicans used the bizarre media briefing to call for a 25th Amendment vote to remove Biden from the Oval Office. “My memory has not gotten worse‚” said Biden in the address. "My memory is fine!"Here's more about Biden's address: Editor's Note: This article originally erroneously credited the report to CBS news‚ not NBC news. We regret the error. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A raving anti-Semite from El Salvador marched into Joel Osteen's Houston-area megachurch on Sunday and opened fire using a gun with a brand-new "Palestine" sticker on its stock. Two off-duty officers quickly returned fire and made quick and definitive work of the attacker. While it is not yet entirely clear why the gender-bending pro-Palestinian shooter opened fire in the pro-Israel Christian church‚ there appears to be an effort under way to downplay the possibility that religious and political hatred were major factors and instead blame gun access. Quick background Blaze News previously reported that Genesse Moreno‚ 36‚ bypassed a security guard and entered Lakewood Church with a 7-year-old child in tow just before the 2 p.m. Spanish-language service was scheduled to begin. Moreno‚ reportedly the child's biological mother despite sometimes going by the name Jeffrey Escalante‚ was dressed in a trench coat and armed with an Anderson Manufacturing AR-15 rifle. She was also carrying a .22 caliber rifle in a duffel bag. According to police‚ Moreno began firing inside the hallway on the west side of the church at 1:55 p.m.‚ prompting a response from a 28-year-old off-duty Houston Police Department officer and a 38-year-old Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent‚ who fatally shot her. The child who accompanied Moreno inside the building was struck in the head by a bullet during the exchange. He remains in critical condition at Texas Children's Hospital. Tom George Thomas‚ a 57-year-old volunteer at the church‚ took a bullet to the hip but has since been released from a hospital. While certainly her last‚ this was not Moreno's first run-in with the law. Over the past two decades‚ Moreno has been slapped with charges for drug possession‚ assault‚ illegal possession of a weapon‚ resisting arrest‚ and forgery‚ reported CNN. Houston Homicide Commander Christopher Hassig indicated that the gender-bending shooter was also temporarily detained in 2016 over mental health concerns and has a history of mental illness. KHOU-TV reported that Moreno's former mother-in-law‚ Rabbi Walli Carranza‚ claimed in court documents that the shooter had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and Munchausen by proxy; had harmed her child more than once; and had been the subject of multiple child protective services investigations. The Houston Chronicle noted that Moreno lost custody of her son to her Jewish ex-husband at one point but apparently regained it in 2022. Early in the investigation‚ police also indicated they had uncovered some of the shooter's "anti-Semitic writings." Downplaying ideological motives One of Moreno's neighbors told KPRC-TV that she routinely threatened nearby residents with weapons. Extra to painting a swastika on a neighbor's fence‚ she is alleged to have repeatedly made Nazi salutes in public. Carranza told the New York Times that Moreno frequently targeted her Jewish in-laws with "very anti-Semitic" rants that "were very profane and ... horrible." Despite acknowledging that her former daughter-in-law had been a practicing Muslim‚ Carranza stressed‚ "This has nothing to do with Islam. This ranting‚ I'm sure‚ was fueled by mental illness." The former mother-in-law appeared to suggest in a Monday Facebook statement that religious or political hatred were ultimately the "excuse" for Moreno's attack. "Although my former daughter-in-law raged against Israel and Jews in a pro Palestinian rant yesterday this has nothing to do with Judaism or Islam. Nothing‚" wrote Carranza. "But this is what happens when reckless and irresponsible reporting lets people with severe mental illness have an excuse for violence." After highlighting a potential trigger for the violence‚ Carranza pinned blame on the Lone Star State for "not having strong red flag laws that would have prevented her from owning or possessing a gun. Let it be clear that the second amendment stops where the first amendment right to life begins and it's time to remove from the US Constitution any protection for gun ownership." Various Democratic lawmakers‚ including state Reps. Ann Johnson and Gene Wu‚ have amplified the suggestion that red-flag legislation such as Texas House Bill 3057 "could have prevented this very incident‚" reported the Chronicle. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!