He has the “flu”

Made-for-TV appearance

Scientists seeking out why some endangered animals or ecosystems are thriving while others are in decline have made an encouraging determination. Across a worldwide, cross-section of conservation success stories, they found it wasn’t a question of money, but of the actions of the locals, that determined whether nature flourished or foundered. Traversing coral reefs in […] The post Local Opinion and Involvement Found as Key Determinant in World’s Conservation Success Stories appeared first on Good News Network.

By the author of The Flat Broke Cookbook and The Tower Everyone everywhere is trying to save a buck lately. And with the increased cost of living it’s no wonder. Heck, a pound of ground beef could practically serve as a dowry for a young Victorian-era lady. But not all ideas are worthwhile, and some are downright dangerous. In a few interesting threads (here and here) on Reddit, contributors shared the advice that they thought was the very worst in Frugal Land. Some of them could work in certain circumstances, but most, you may find, are not really worthwhile. And there’s more. Some of this advice was great a generation or so ago. But times have changed dramatically, and we can no longer expect the same kind of economic stability that our parents had. We have had a period of massive inflation since 2020, and wages, in most cases, have not gone up to keep standards of living the same. Are you out of the loop? Sometimes my daughters inform me I’m out of the loop with regard to “how things are now.” And they’re right. When I left college to take an amazing job opportunity, my rent in a large city was around $300 a month. It was in that sweet spot of one quarter of my income, and I was very financially comfortable. Now, however, the average renter in America is paying closer to 30-40% of their income, and one in five Americans are paying a whopping 50% or more of their monthly income to keep a roof over their heads. CBS News reported the following statistics and numbers: Meanwhile, the high cost of keeping a roof over your head is weighing on Americans across the country, with the median annual rent now at $21,480, Zillow’s data shows. The real estate firm estimates that nearly half of all U.S. renters are “cost-burdened,” meaning that more than 30% of their income goes toward housing expenses. Among families with children under 18, 54% are rent-burdened, Zillow found. ( source) You may have bought your home years ago, when prices were more reasonable, and gotten it paid off by now. You may have made a series of wise decisions that have left you in a much better place financially. But, it’s important to bear these numbers in mind when advising others. For some of us, life just happened in a way that unraveled our efforts toward stability, such as divorce, death of a spouse, or job loss. For others, especially the 20-somethings of today, they’re looking at an entirely different Monopoly board. Onward to the worst advice… “If you can afford rent, you can afford a mortgage.” While that might have been true once, with the ever-increasing mortgage rates it might not be true any longer. What’s more, unless you have a hefty emergency fund, the cost of home repairs and appliances can require a huge chunk of money that you may have to pay using debt. And that’s not all. Property taxes are massive in many desirable areas, and a decade of absolutely horrible natural disasters has dramatically increased the cost of homeowners insurance. This isn’t always the case – if you can afford to buy your home outright, you may be better served by purchasing. If the mortgage payment is truly a drop in the financial bucket for you, and you have a very healthy emergency fund, then by all means, buy that house. But if it’s a tight squeeze, you may be better off renting for a while longer. “Buy a hybrid/electric car.” In theory, a hybrid or electric vehicle would eventually save you money. But to get from now (the point of purchase) to then (the point of savings), there’s a whole lot of money in between. Hybrid and electric vehicles tend to cost more significantly money to buy than gasoline-powered autos, for starters. Routine maintenance on a hybrid is about the same as a gas-powered car, with some claiming savings on brake wear-and-tear. Routine maintenance on an electric car is even less, due to fewer moving parts. Buying your hybrid or electric car used can save you some money on the front end. But, it does bring you closer to a very big expense. But don’t even get me started on the high cost of one repair that comes after the warranty days have passed: the battery. A battery replacement on a hybrid vehicle can cost anywhere from 2000 to 8000 dollars. Despite the fact you only need to replace it every 100,000-150,000 miles, you could pay for a new-to-you used car at the high end. And an electric car? Sit down, Sally. If that unfortunate repair is needed outside of warranty, a replacement can cost you $6,500 to $20,000. I bought the whole entire car I’ve driven for the past three years for $4k. I’m happy with my decision. “Brush your teeth with X.” There are all sorts of tips out there for ways to save money on toothpaste. Some folks suggest using just baking soda, others use coconut oil, and still others only use water. I suppose it’s cheaper but only until you get the bill from the dentist. If you watch for sales, you can find a decent quality toothpaste at a very reasonable price. I always stock up when they’re on sale. Read this article on the importance of preventative dental care. Obviously if it’s the end of the world, you gotta do what you gotta do, but that’s what prepping is for. My daughters tease me that my toothpaste stash might actually outlast the apocalypse. Until then, get yourself some normal toothpaste and brush your teeth like your mama taught you, please. “Move somewhere cheaper and commute.” I often see advice about moving someplace cheaper, and that can be a wonderful solution in certain situations. But…not in all situations. It has worked well for me in the past, especially once I began working online. But let’s think this through. Are you leaving a great job to move someplace without the same work opportunities? You might want to rethink that with the job market as it is. Are you planning to commute for work and school and just live an hour outside of town? Um… prepare to spend a fortune on gas PLUS loads of time as the commute gets longer when more people have the same idea. When you spend more time on the road, you have less time for cooking, meal-planning, yard work, and other types of activities that save you money. Are you losing the support of nearby family and friends? It depends on your situation how much that will cost you. If you rely on a family member for childcare, get ready to have a heart attack when you see how much paying for fulltime childcare costs now. If you have health issues, having family around can be even more important. Not only might you need a ride to the hospital that doesn’t cost $20k out of pocket, but you might need someone to stop by and take care of your pets/children, etc. This is advice that definitely can work, but not for everyone. “Deny yourself life-quality/hygiene to save a buck.” We know that on occasion, broke happens and you simply cannot afford to go to an event that costs money, whether for gifts or transportation or admission. And sometimes we can’t afford to maintain things like hair color or professionally manicured nails or a stylish wardrobe, which is more important in some jobs than others. But that doesn’t mean you have to step back from life completely. Have you ever met someone who avoids weddings, birthdays, showers, and holiday events just because they want to save some money? I sincerely believe that’s no way to live. Sure, you don’t have to accept every single invitation that comes your way but for people you truly care about, I think that it’s worth the expenditure. You can find all sorts of creative ideas for gift-giving online, as well as thrifty menus and other treats. Life is way to short to go full-on hermit in the name of saving money. As far as your appearance goes, it’s one thing to skip the expensive trips to the salon or eschew buying new clothes, but it’s entirely another to avoid cleanliness and personal hygiene. Unless your situation is truly dismal and you no longer have running water or a home, you can almost always afford to stay clean, if not fashionable. Please understand that we’re not talking about extreme scenarios or the end of the world here – we’re talking about the lengths that some folks go to in order to save money.  And these are people who could afford to spend a little and embrace life (and smell good while doing it.) Anything health and safety related There are some places you just shouldn’t cut corners. Don’t drive a car with bad brakes for “as long as possible.” Don’t get cruddy windshield wipers. Don’t go to work when you’re too sick to be there (and when you’re likely to spread your illness.) Don’t skimp on checking out that questionable lump or spot. Don’t resist getting emergency treatment for something that could become severe or even life-threatening. With things like these, it’s just not worth the risk to save some money. Either you’ll spend it now, or you’ll spend more later. Or, even worse, something terrible will happen due to your neglect. Your safety and well-being are worth the extra money. If you can’t afford to fix your vehicle when it’s unsafe to drive, then take public transit or join a carpool. If you need urgent medical care, go to the hospital and set up a payment plan afterward. Please don’t put yourself at risk to save money. Your life is worth more than that. What do you think are the worst frugal living hacks out there? Is there a piece of money-saving advice that makes your ears bleed every time you hear it? Is there a frugal living trick that you think is dead wrong? What is it, and why do you think it’s a bad idea? Let’s talk about the worst frugal-living hacks in the comments section. About Daisy Daisy Luther is the author of highly-rated survival suspense novels such as The Tower, The Widow in the Woods and Haven Hill. Before she began writing fiction, she was the founder of The Organic Prepper website and the author of 17 books in the preparedness world. Her work focuses on resilience, self-reliance, frugal living, and ordinary people finding strength in difficult times, whether in real-world crises or fictional ones. You can find additional creative content, early fiction previews, and ad-free articles from Daisy on Patreon. The post 6 of the WORST Frugal Living Hacks Ever appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—This weekend, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an issue advocacy campaign in Ohio that highlights how tax relief is helping families keep more of what they earn while supporting small businesses, workers, and economic opportunity across the state. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is highlighted in the ad, which was first shared with the Daily Signal, as a key public official who backed these efforts in Washington. Husted supported the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and has advocated for provisions aimed at helping Ohio families and small businesses. The campaign encourages Ohioans to learn more about how these tax policies are benefiting working families and small businesses and to make their views known about policies that affect jobs, investment, and economic growth. The ad is in the style of a football game, and specifically highlights tax benefits such as no federal taxes on tips or overtime, the child tax credit up to $2,200 per child, the 20% small business deduction, and the average Ohio tax cut at $3,173 per filer in 2026 as “a win for Ohio families” with “more money in your paychecks” and “more opportunities for Ohio workers.” There’s a mention of how “federal lawmakers like Senator Jon Husted fought to deliver tax cuts for working families like yours.” “The job is not finished,” the ad mentions, which also says to “call and thank Senator Husted and urge him to keep fighting for working families and small businesses.” The ad is being released on Saturday for college football game day. The campaign ad builds on the Chamber’s broader New Fight for Free Enterprise initiative, including free enterprise endorsement events and roundtables across the country, the recently launched Opportunity Tour, which is a six-week trip through 20 states with more than 50 events, and the $100 million contribution supporting the New Fight for Free Enterprise. The Chamber has also held Free Enterprise Forums with incoming members of Congress from both parties and shown support for the bipartisan Congressional Free Enterprise Caucus. Chamber leaders further describe the issue advocacy campaign. “The Chamber will continue to champion pro-growth, pro-business policies that help businesses, workers, families, and communities thrive. Whether it’s through our nationwide Opportunity Tour or ads like this one, we’re committed to talking with people in all 50 states about how they are benefiting from the Working Families Tax Cuts, legislation we supported every step of the way and continue to promote,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Neil Bradley. “Our work in Ohio builds on a nationwide effort already underway—and we’ll continue bringing this message to more states and communities across the country.” Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers, also chimed in. “The whole state benefits when Ohio families keep more of what they earn. Tax relief and a competitive business environment help Ohio employers invest, expand, and create jobs, strengthening local businesses, communities and the state’s economy. The Ohio Chamber supports efforts that expand opportunity for families and businesses across the state,” he said. Husted is facing a special election in November against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and has himself touted his efforts with the Working Families Tax Cuts.

El Niño and climate change are making their presence known.

A new semantic analysis has found that binders in the late Gothic period may have added extra complications to an already stupidly complicated mystery.

Only one day after accusing Fox News of making the news whatever it wants with no regard for facts and only trying to make people perpetually angry, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel was confronted on Thursday with the truth behind President Trump’s remarks about a hypothetical scenario where Iran bombs Los Angeles and San Diego. However, instead of correcting himself, Kimmel tried to keep the myth that Trump wants the enemy to kill 13 million Americans alive.Kimmel began by reading a Trump Truth Social post, “He is now quadrupling down on this fantasy he has been expressing about Iran wiping out L.A. and San Diego. He wrote, ‘The fake and artificial news is out there trying to say that I'm inviting the enemy to bomb San Diego and L.A. when, in actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon, and if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?’ Blah, blah, blah. ‘These people are degenerates and think they can continuously get away with fake news!’” Jimmy Kimmel refuses to let the myth that Trump wants Iran to bomb Los Angeles and San Diego die, "On the other hand, he is now quadrupling down on this fantasy he has been expressing about Iran wiping out L.A. And San Diego."After reading a Truth Social post, Kimmel dismisses… pic.twitter.com/hzlKFAweEw— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) October 9, 2026 “Blah, blah, blah” is an interesting thing to say when your entire narrative comes crumbling down. However, for Kimmel, the real problem was with Trump’s defenders, “First, they said it was a joke. Then, they said it was taken out of context. And now, he just keeps saying it. Over and over again.”Who is “they”? Sure, some people said it was a joke, but other people were saying it was taken out of context from the beginning. Nevertheless, Kimmel then played a clip of Trump that he thought proved his point but actually proved the opposite. Trump declared, “I say it all the time. Let's see what would happen if they ever did something like to Los Angeles or San Diego. Those seem to be the most prominent because of location. And I'm talking about through missiles. That would be terrible if something like that happened. You want to see problems, let them hit Los Angeles or let them hit a place like San Diego.”Kimmel reacted by ranting, “Why do you keep saying Los Angeles and San Diego? If you aren’t inviting them to target us, try mixing the cities up a little bit.”Los Angeles is the country’s second largest city, and San Diego is home to the largest naval base on the West Coast, but Kimmel’s clueless ranting continued. With a lack of understanding of basic ideas such as military research and development, he huffed that, “He ruminates about our death by missile strike and tries to cover it by saying we won't let that happen. You know why it won't happen? Because it can't happen! Iran has no known missiles capable of reaching California. Tehran is more than 7,000 miles away. Their range is 1,200 miles. Iran doesn't have any nuclear weapons that could hit us. He might as well be protecting us from the chupacabra here. Do you think he even knows this? I’m serious. He might not even know this.”Not only does Kimmel continue to spread misinformation about Trump’s remarks, he also remains proudly ignorant of the policy details behind them.Here is a transcript for the October 8 show:ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!10/8/201611:39 PM ETJIMMY KIMMEL: On the other hand, he is now quadrupling down on this fantasy he has been expressing about Iran wiping out L.A. and San Diego. He wrote, "The fake and artificial news is out there trying to say that I'm inviting the enemy to bomb San Diego and L.A. when, in actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon, and if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?” Blah, blah, blah. “These people are degenerates and think they can continuously get away with fake news!"First, they said it was a joke. Then, they said it was taken out of context. And now, he just keeps saying it. Over and over again.DONALD TRUMP: I say it all the time. Let's see what would happen if they ever did something like to Los Angeles or San Diego. Those seem to be the most prominent because of location. And I'm talking about through missiles. That would be terrible if something like that happened. You want to see problems, let them hit Los Angeles or let them hit a place like San Diego.KIMMEL: Why do you keep saying Los Angeles and San Diego? If you aren’t inviting them to target us, try mixing the cities up a little bit. He ruminates about our death by missile strike and tries to cover it by saying we won't let that happen. You know why it won't happen? Because it can't happen! Iran has no known missiles capable of reaching California. Tehran is more than 7,000 miles away. Their range is 1,200 miles. Iran doesn't have any nuclear weapons that could hit us. He might as well be protecting us from the chupacabra here. Do you think he even knows this? I’m serious. He might not even know this.

Critics of the Trump administration expressed their outrage after War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Fort Hood killer will be publicly executed.Major Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others during the 2009 attack at the Army base. He later said he wanted to prevent more deaths of Muslims in the Middle East. He was convicted in 2013.'We'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand there's serious consequences for these types of things.'Hegseth said in an interview Thursday that the execution, conducted by the Army, will be public, as a throwback to previous times."No-brainer. Execution by firing squad. Army major betrays his country; radical Islamist kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood. Of course we're going to do it at Fort Hood," he said."And do it on a Thursday; we're going to do it at 1 o'clock, which is when he did it. And it's going to be soldiers with rifles, executing the firing squad," he added.Hegseth pointed out that there has been no such military execution since World War II."Well, I kind of like the mentality we had in World War II, which was win," he added. "Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you need to stand your ground."He went on to criticize former President Barack Obama for calling the attack "workplace violence.""That's the worldview we're up against is workplace violence," he added."We know what it is: It was a radical Islamist attack in uniform inside the ranks. And so he's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be," Hegseth said. "And we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public, because people need to understand that there's serious consequences for these types of things."While many on the left objected to the announcement, even Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina expressed his displeasure with the plan. "Hasan should face the death penalty, but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting," he wrote. "Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America." RELATED: VIDEO: CRAZED Democrat warns Hegseth could face EXECUTION over alleged war crimes Democrat Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state agreed. "We can seek justice in this country without glorifying violence and turning an execution into a grotesque public spectacle. What this criminal did was abhorrent and must be punished — but we as a country cannot condone livestreaming a man’s death for entertainment," she wrote. "We are long past the days of public hangings in the town square. Kids watch what our leaders do and say, is this kind of bloodshed really what we want them seeing?" she added. Hasan is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 3. His will be the first execution of an American military member since 1961.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Many conservative Americans feel so discouraged by the Republican Party's slow progress and long record of disappointment that they’re vowing to withhold their vote in midterm elections in hopes of making a statement that ignites change.On a recent episode of “The John Doyle show,” the BlazeTV host called this “the dumbest political strategy ever.” First off, Doyle doesn’t hold the same hopeless sentiments about the Republican Party and its inability to correct course after the last “60 years of betrayal.”“We've got good guys in positions that matter. Things are starting to look a little bit better, if not perfect,” he says, “but still, you've got these bad-faith actors capitalizing on leftist social media incentives, trying to cloud any positive perception that patriots have of the Republican Party by pointing back to that 60-year history of betrayal that we are all intimately familiar with.”“Thinking that you're going to hold the historically controlled opposition party accountable by not voting, punishing them by withholding your vote? This is basically — and we've done the math on it — the stupidest political strategy in the history of both politics and strategy.”He denounces the idea that America needs more political parties to choose from. These third parties, he argues, “are spoilers, but they have no chance of winning.”“If you want to get something done in America, you've got two parties to choose from. … A winning third-party candidate would not even change that anyway,” he argues, “and even if you did change it, it's hardly like it would result in anything better or fix anything at all, and in fact, it would likely make things a lot worse.”“[A multi-party system] means you can't actually have nearly as much bipartisanship, and the establishment Republicans are far more forced to work with MAGA than they would be otherwise. It's actually to our strength and to our benefit that we have [a two-party system].”Doyle then turns his attention to another group of conservatives who believe “that the best way to get the Republican Party to listen to them is to not vote or go out and vote for Democrats.”“The basic argument goes: The Republican Party is not working in the interests of the right wing. It's not doing enough deportations; it's not doing enough to deal with leftists; it's not doing enough for young white men … so by not voting and punishing the Republican Party, the Republican Party would then realize they do actually need to do these things in order to win over these groups of people,” he explains.“What they'll often point to as evidence for this is that the Republican Party often tries very hard to win over minorities who don't vote for them. And still, the Republicans will give them concessions; they'll do leftism light to try to pander to these groups. So therefore, this obviously would work for the young white male patriot too,” he continues.But the same logic doesn’t apply, Doyle argues.For starters, young white males and young people in general are not seen as likely to turn out, he says, and he points to data showing about 50% of those eligible actually vote in a presidential year, dropping to just over 25% in midterms.Second, the GOP is not one room of "elites” you can punish by staying home. Rather it’s a stack of factions, and the MAGA one — “very often young white men themselves” who are “on our side” — is inside it and still gaining ground.“You don't really need to try to punish them by not turning out or voting blue. They kind of get what's going on, and you're just going to kneecap them if you do that,” Doyle warns.To hear his full analysis, watch the episode above.Want more from John Doyle?To enjoy more of the truth about America and join the fight to restore a country that has been betrayed by its own leaders, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.