Climate change activists are now arguing that simply owning a dog can increase a person’s carbon footprint. A finding published in PNAS Nexus says that, supposedly, people overestimate the climate benefits of activities like recycling or switching light bulbs. At the same time, they underestimate other beneficial impacts, such as taking fewer flights. “We think, ‘I have to recycle this and it will help the planet,’” Madalina Vlasceanu, an assistant professor of environmental social sciences at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, told the Greater Good Magazine. “It’s less likely you will hear that if you fly less, that’s the best you can possibly do, lifestyle-wise.” Another “underestimated” benefit is cutting back on beef intake. According to Earth.org, pets’ meat consumption accounts for 64 million tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. That adds up to 25-30% of the environmental impact of meat intake. In a list of ideas on how to reduce one’s carbon footprint that includes switching to public transport and eating poultry instead of beef, Greater Good Magazine suggested people “opt out of getting a dog.” Man’s best friend is just the latest victim of climate activists’ propaganda. To them, owning a dog is an activity even dedicated climate change sympathizers engage in without realizing it, and they blame people who aren’t fully dedicated to the cause for furthering these issues. “People will engage in lifestyle changes when they think it’s easy to do. It’s less important to them if it’s effective,” Vlasceanu said. “For collective action, it is more important to people that the action they engage in will actually result in a meaningful change.” Though it seems like a lost cause to try and convince people to radically change their lifestyle so it fits a fear-based narrative, activists are not letting up. “In order to meaningfully address climate change, experts have agreed that we will need lifestyle change and collective action,” Vlasceanu said. “Both of these have to work together. This is a critical part of the pathway to net zero.”

Former White House press secretary and dedicated television journalist Bill Moyers passed away on June 26 following a long illness. Bill’s longtime friend Tom Johnson confirmed to the Associated Press that Bill died at a New York hospital. Bill began his career in the 1960s. He had stints as a senior news analyst with The CBS Evening News and as the chief correspondent for CBS Reports. Bill Moyers worked into the 2000s, and his final show, Moyers & Company, aired until 2015. Bill Moyers, a legend in the world of journalism and a longtime member of the extended PBS family, has died at the age of 91. Moyers was perhaps best known for the long-running programs and documentaries he produced at PBS, including "Bill Moyers Journal" and "Joseph Campbell… pic.twitter.com/mrgOYuTvep— PBS News (@NewsHour) June 26, 2025 Bill Moyers Had a Penchant For Public Television And Focused Much Of His Energy In Investigative Journalism Bill Moyers told the Associated Press in 2007 that he loved working in the public television sector. “I think my peers in commercial television are talented and devoted journalists,” he said. “But they’ve chosen to work in a corporate mainstream that trims their talent to fit the corporate nature of American life. And you do not get rewarded for telling the hard truths about America in a profit-seeking environment.” PBS News shared a segment about Bill Moyers on X with a tribute that reads, “Bill Moyers, a legend in the world of journalism and a longtime member of the extended PBS family, has died at the age of 91. Moyers was perhaps best known for the long-running programs and documentaries he produced at PBS, including ‘Bill Moyers Journal’ and ‘Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth.'” “I love Bill Moyers. He was a true public servant in every sense of the word. With his storytelling, compassion and curiosity, he showed how journalism can move people’s hearts and minds including mine,” Arianna Huffington shared on X. “His series on Joseph Campbell was so important for me when it first came out in 1988. I just watched it again last month and it is still as relevant as ever.” “A moment of silence, please, and one last presentation of ‘talking heads as thinking minds and thinking people’ with the passing of presidential adviser and spokesman turned TV journalist Bill Moyers,” a fan wrote. This story’s featured image is by Lev Radin via Shutterstock. The post Esteemed TV Journalist Has Passed Away at 91 appeared first on InspireMore.

Grammy winner Billy Strings took the stage in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 20 as if nothing was wrong. But he soon shared a story that shocked his fans and broke their heart. Per Billboard, he’d just played a show in his hometown and fell asleep on the bus when his wife, Ally Dale, gave him the devastating news. “I might have got three hours of sleep and I was in a deep sleep. My wife woke me up this morning and told me that my beautiful mother, Debra Apostol, passed away in her sleep,” Billy told the sold-out crowd at Rupp Arena. Billy Strings said he didn’t know what else to do with the news of Debra Apostol’s death, so he got up and began to walk. “I just put my shoes on and started walking,” Billy Strings said. “I walked until I saw this old country church and it was like a beacon, and I went there and knocked on the door and this kind lady let me in and she stayed with me and prayed with me for a while, and eventually gave me a ride back to where I was staying.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Billy Strings (@billystrings) Billy Strings Said Debra Apostol Would Want Him To Perform Billy Strings told the crowd that Debra Apostol loved his fans. “The last couple years were some of her happiest because of a lot of you folks right here,” he said. “And you all became some of her best friends and I really want to thank you for that.” Tributes poured in for Debra Apostol, and condolences to Billy Strings and his family. “Billy’s mom passed away last night and this home boy just owns it and just comes out and lets it go. Some incredible stuff. Wow. RIP mama strings,” a fan shared on X. Even those who don’t really know Billy Strings and Debra Apostol were moved by his story. “Not really familiar with who you are but may god watch over your family in this dark time your mother will forever be watching over you!” This story’s featured image is by Adam Shanker via Shutterstock. The post Singer Shares Devastating Announcement Moments After Taking Stage At Sold-Out Show appeared first on InspireMore.

Identical twin brothers Walter Scott Jr. and Wallace Scott helped form the R&B vocal group The Whispers in 1963. Best known for their number-one hits The Beat Goes On and Rock Steady, The Whispers had an unmistakable sound that made you want to get up and dance. Sadly, The Whispers lost Walter Scott on June 26 at age 81 following a six-month battle with cancer, Billboard reported. Desirae Lee Benson-Brockington, a representative for the band, shared the news on Facebook. “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of Walter Scott, one of the incredible founding voices of the legendary group The Whispers. As a member of the promotional team for the group, I’ve had the honor of witnessing up close the power of Walter’s artistry, humility, and grace. His contribution to music, culture, and the hearts of so many will never be forgotten,” she wrote. Rest easy, Walter Scott pic.twitter.com/JCai6rEh5O— Strictly 4 My X’ers (@Lizzs_Lockeroom) June 27, 2025 The Whispers Fans Hated To Hear The News Of Walter Scott’s Passing Sadly, Walter Scott’s twin brother, Wallace Scott, is the only remaining original member of The Whispers. “Truly a gut punch if I ever experienced one. This one is super hard to believe. RIP Walter Scott of The Whispers,” a fan shared on X. “Los Angeles has lost a quiet giant. Walter Scott, one-half of the legendary twin frontmen of The Whispers, has passed on—but his voice and legacy remain eternal. Walter helped define the sound of grown R&B. With silky harmonies, sharp suits, and heartfelt storytelling, The Whispers weren’t just hitmakers—they were truth tellers. In a world full of love songs, they gave us ‘Olivia (Lost and Turned Out)’—a haunting warning about a young woman caught in human trafficking,” a tribute reads. That was over 40 years ago, long before that topic ever hit mainstream headlines. Walter and The Whispers used melody to bring awareness, compassion, and reality to our ears.” “So, the Whispers’ Lady’ is ABSOLUTELY one of my Day 26 songs – shoot, most of the Whispers hits are, but Lady has them scats and adlibs,” a fan shared on X. “However, I’m also posting this in tribute to Walter Scott, half of the smoothest set of twins ever, who has joined the ancestors at 81.” This story’s featured image is by Randy Miramontez via Shutterstock. The post The Whispers Founding Member Walter Scott Dies Following Cancer Battle appeared first on InspireMore.

Caitlin Clark and Cooper Flagg rule basketball

'This case is being investigated'

Some Republican officials are sounding the alarm about a provision tucked into the Senate budget reconciliation bill that would potentially eviscerate state regulation of artificial intelligence. The provision would prohibit states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence technologies for 10 years after the bill is enacted. It defines AI as “artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce.” The Senate provision has a legislative counterpart in the version of the budget reconciliation bill that passed the House of Representatives as well. The Senate provision would enforce the regulation ban by withholding federal broadband funding from states that opt to enforce AI regulations that they’ve already signed into law. It would also withhold funding if the states or localities pass new legislation regulating AI during the next 10 years.  That part of the budget bill is seen in some quarters as a gift to the Big Tech companies that spend tens of millions of dollars to lobby Congress and the executive branch. It would likely free the technology giants from having to deal with some of the state and local regulations currently governing AI. Officials in both Republican and Democrat states have sought to ameliorate the potential harms of AI, and the Senate provision puts some of those protections at risk. For example, Texas, the second-largest state in the country and the largest one under Republican governance, has passed laws that restrict the use of AI in viewpoint-based censorship on some internet websites and protect users’ privacy from AI-driven personal-data harvesting by requiring the right to opt out of such profiling.  Several states—among them Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas—have also passed laws banning AI-generated child exploitation material. The potential hindrance to law enforcement was raised by 40 states’ attorneys general in a letter to congressional leadership in May. “In the absence of federal action to install this oversight, over the years, states have considered and passed legislation to address a wide range of harms associated with AI and automated decision-making. These include laws designed to protect against AI-generated explicit material, prohibit deep-fakes designed to mislead voters and consumers, protect renters when algorithms are used to set rent, prevent spam phone calls and texts, require basic disclosures when consumers are interacting with specific kinds of AI, and ensure identity protection for endorsements and other AI-generated content,” the state attorneys general wrote.  The attorneys general went on to outline what they fear the AI provision of the “big, beautiful bill” as doing to AI regulation and enforcement. 2025.05.15-Letter-to-Congress-re-Proposed-AI-Preemption-_FINAL (1)Download “This bill does not propose any regulatory scheme to replace or supplement the laws enacted or currently under consideration by the states, leaving Americans entirely unprotected from the potential harms of AI. Moreover, this bill purports to wipe away any state-level frameworks already in place,” the top law enforcement officials concluded.  Macarena Martinez, the communication’s director for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas—who has led the effort to keep the provision in the budget bill as chairman of the Senate Commerce, Finance and Transportation Committee—told The Daily Signal: “Senators need to ask themselves—do they really want their constituents subjected to the laws and mandates of California and Colorado? Imposing racist DEI mandates on AI developers is not just offensive, it’s corrosive to America’s global competitiveness.” Critics of the provision have pointed out that it is unlikely it would rein in California’s laws, given that the state would likely just choose to opt out of broadband funding. California, with its approximately $327 billion annual budget, can afford to lose its $1.9 billion broadband funding. Martinez continued, “You can be sure China is not worrying whether its AI uses the right pronouns like the state of California is. Despite fearmongering from naysayers, the AI section in President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill contains no prohibition against a state’s generally applicable law on privacy, child online safety, [child sexual abuse material] or other explicit content.” That claim is also in contention. Tennessee’s attorney general posted on X Thursday that “[u]nfortunately, the moratorium’s broad definitions and broad preemption continue to create too much risk for existing Tennessee laws like the ELVIS Act and the Tennessee Information Protection Act, as well as our ability to confront as-yet unknown future challenges from AI.” Tennessee’s ELVIS Act—the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act—is intended to protect musicians and other artists from unauthorized use of their voice, image, and/or likeness, particularly in the context of AI.  I appreciate the significant efforts to revise the AI moratorium to mitigate concerns about consumer protection, and I recognize the risks of both overregulation at home and competition from China.Unfortunately, the moratorium's broad definitions and broad preemption continue…— TN Attorney General (@AGTennessee) June 27, 2025 The post Budget Bill’s Ban on Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Draws States’ Ire appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello. This is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. The Democrats, under kind of a volatile and unhinged Rep. Al Green, introduced articles of impeachment in an effort to impeach President Donald Trump for a third time. Remember, there were two successful impeachments. But of course, they failed to get a conviction in the Senate during Trump’s first term. And this one was strange because 128 Democrats of the House caucus voted against it. And so, Reps. Al Green and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar and all of these people that were affiliates for “the squad” and the radical fringe couldn’t even get a majority of Democrats. And you know why that was? Think about it for a reason. One of them was that Sen. Chuck Schumer in the Senate and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who’s not speaker but she still has the influence on Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the speaker who voted against the resolution, said, “Wait a minute. You got to remember that if we do this, we’re going to get killed by clips every day during the midterms.” And those clips are going to show President Barack Obama, in the single year 2016, he dropped 26,000 bombs. And it wasn’t just in Syria. It wasn’t just in Iraq. It wasn’t just in Afghanistan. He dropped them in Libya. He dropped them in Somalia. He dropped them in Yemen. Twenty-six thousand bombs. And they all had one thing in common. He didn’t think he had to go to the Congress to ask permission. Why did he think that? I don’t think he was legally required to. But there was a political reason. At that time, in 2016, he had no majority in the House. He was down over 40 seats. And he had no majority in the Senate. And had he gone and said, “I’m the Mad Bomber. And I’ve been bombing Libya from 2011 to 2016 without your approval. And I want to keep doing it. I’ve dropped 26,000 bombs this year. I want to keep bombing,” they would’ve said, “No. It’s partisan, maybe.” And so, Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries knew that that was hypocritical. On the last day—as I said earlier—the last day that Barack Obama was in office, he knew that Trump was coming in. And he knew that he had to go out with a bang. So, he took the B-2 bombers, probably some of the same pilots, and he ordered them to take off from Missouri. And they flew 5,000 miles longer to Libya. And they bombed supposed terrorist elements of this Libya chaotic mess that he had created by bombing it earlier in 2011. Nobody in the House, on the Democratic side, said a thing. So this opposition is really hurting the Democrats because it’s so hypocritical. But more importantly, it’s an act of omission. You want to say to them: “Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries, AOC, what’s the status of homeless people in your district? What do you want to do with illegal immigrants? You brought them in, 12 million of them. And they’re here illegally. Why would you have sanctuary cities that protect even the criminal element? Why would you not want to deport them when 54% of the American people do?” In other words, they’re not paying any attention to what people want: affordable housing, affordable gas, affordable energy, safe streets, secure borders, deterrent foreign policy. None of that. All they’re doing is saying, “If Donald Trump does something, we are going to be irate. We’re going to use pornography. We’re going to use smuddy language. And we’re going to oppose him. And now, we’re going to impeach him.” And some people in that party said, “This is so unhinged. It’s so contradictory. It’s so paradoxical. It’s so hypocritical. It’s just fodder for campaign messages in every purple House race in two years. Don’t do it.” So, it was a surprise. And as far as people on the Right, to finish, we were told that 30,000 people were going to die, from some of our close friends in the MAGA group. We were told this was going to be World War III. And then you wanted to say to yourself: Well, who would do that? Who would do that? Who would start World War III? Russia? Russia’s bogged down in a theater-wide war. It’s lost a million dead, wounded. It’s not going to do anything. Well, China? China. China. China’s got about 500 or 800 nuclear weapons. We have about 6,000 or 7,000 that could be deliverable very quickly. But more importantly, China’s oil comes outta the Strait of Hormuz. They don’t want to go in there. They don’t want to send anything to Iran. And finally, our people who impeached Donald Trump should remember a great truth. One of the subtexts of this entire war—I should say two—Iran was a complete paper tiger. It had never any military ability. It had almost lost the war against Saddam Hussein from ’80 to ’88. It sued for peace. Its only method of hurting people was through third-party terrorists. It had no military capability to speak of. And yet, it scared seven or eight presidents. That was No. 1. And finally, Iran is the most hated country in the world—the theocracy is. So, when we had this strike and the aftermath, the only people who were voicing support were people like North Korea, Venezuela. And that’s about it. Anybody else basically said, “Well, I don’t like the United States. And I don’t like Europe. But these people are crazy. And I do not want them to get a bomb.” So, they have no support. And they weren’t militarily capable. And the only people who failed to see that—and indirectly, by this impeachment, were trying to help Iran—were whom? Our own Democratic Party—at least a minority of them. Seventy-nine of our Democratic colleagues in the House wanted to embarrass Donald Trump and line up on the side with a few lunatic regimes that did not even include Russia and China and others of that ilk. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post 128 Democrats Reject Latest Trump Impeachment—Here’s the Major Reason Why appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The state of California must remove from federally funded sexual education curricula all gender ideology references that “indoctrinate” students, according to a notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week.  The order intends to reform California’s “egregious” academic resources that teach “gender identity is distinct from biological sex and that boys can identify as girls,” according to the Administration for Children and Families.    The Administration for Children and Families is the agency within HHS responsible for administering federal grants to states to provide sex education programming for youth.   The agency sent a letter to the state on June 20, citing specific examples in which California’s curricula did not coincide with federal law. One such example instructed educators to “remind students that some men are born with female anatomy, some women are born with male anatomy.”   Agency officials claimed, “The educational materials promoting gender ideology have nothing to do with Personal Responsibility Education,” the sex education grant program, and, therefore, will not be federally funded.   California-Noncompliance-Letter-FINALDownload According to the Family and Youth Services Bureau website, “PREP [the Personal Responsibility Education Program] is a $75 million per year federal grant program that teaches youth ages 10-19 about abstinence and contraception, aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Federal law requires the content taught in PREP classes to be both medically accurate and age appropriate.” The bureau is an office within the agency, and it requested that all states participating in the grant program submit their curricula to the bureau for review.   The Trump administration has promised that all Personal Responsibility Education Program materials will be “free from gender ideology content.”  Acting Assistant Secretary at the Administration for Children and Families, Andrew Gradison, said, “The disturbing gender ideology content in California’s PREP materials is both unacceptable and well outside the program’s core purpose. ACF remains committed to radical transparency and providing accountability so that parents know what their children are being taught in schools.”  The state of California has 60 days to remove all gender ideology references from the curricula, or else it could lose its grant funding, the letter stated.   The post California Faces Deadline to Remove ‘Gender Ideology’ From Curricula appeared first on The Daily Signal.

After mounting pressure from the Trump administration and the Department of Justice, James Ryan resigned from his post as president of the University of Virginia Friday, according to The New York Times.  The Justice Department launched an investigation earlier this year after receiving complaints from conservative law firm America First Legal that the university’s administration was disregarding President Donald Trump’s executive order to end illegal discrimination being done in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion. UVA’s board of visitors dissolved its Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships in a resolution on March 8, following Trump’s Jan. 21 order. In the resolution, the university’s board allowed for transferring “permissible” programs to a “new organizational home.” “UVA has not dismantled its DEI framework—it has merely rebranded it to evade legal scrutiny. What the law prohibits, UVA simply renamed,” attorney for America First Legal Megan Redshaw said in a statement. “We are grateful the DOJ [Department of Justice] has taken our findings seriously and is taking action to hold UVA accountable. No institution that receives taxpayer funds is above the law.” The Jefferson Council, a UVA alumni group, contacted America First Legal with its concern that UVA was simply rebranding its DEI office rather than eliminating it. After investigating the university’s DEI practices, America First Legal sent a letter to the Justice Department with 48 exhibits it said showed how the school failed to comply with Trump’s orders. Letter-to-DOJ-AAG-Dhillon-regarding-UVADownload “UVA has rebranded its DEI programs using euphemisms like ‘Inclusive Excellence,’ ‘Advocacy and Opportunity,’ ‘Community Engagement,’ ‘Strategic Wellness and Opportunity,’ ‘Inclusion and Belonging,’ and ‘Viewpoint Diversity,’ while continuing to apply race-, sex-, and other identity-based preferences,” Redshaw said. The Federalist correspondent Breccan Thies told The Daily Signal that UVA has also rebranded job titles of former DEI staff. “Rachel Spraker, who used to be called the ‘assistant VP for diversity and inclusion,’ … is now the ‘assistant VP for equity and inclusive excellence,’” Thies said. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Justice Department and UVA alumna Harmeet Dhillon opened the probe at the end of May.  “UVA is not in compliance—it is in open defiance of DOJ’s clear directive and long-standing federal law,” Redshaw said. “The university is running the same discriminatory programs under different names, hoping no one will notice. Rebranding discrimination does not make it legal, and changing a label doesn’t change the substance. UVA’s use of sanitized language and recycled job titles is a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law.” The Daily Signal contacted UVA’s board of visitors and The Jefferson Council but has not received comment as of publication time. The post University of Virginia President Resigns Over DEI After Pressure From Justice Department appeared first on The Daily Signal.