A ringed planet is a thing of beauty. Saturn is iconic – and let’s be honest‚ it’s 90 percent due to the rings because the planet itself does not have many other distinctive features. Earth’s beauty is very different‚ but it's fun to wonder if it could be enhanced by the presence of rings. The question of aesthetics is in the eye of the beholder‚ but we can answer the scientific ones: How would Earth get rings‚ and what would happen to the planet&;#63;Rings form from solid bodies coming too close to a planet. There is a range called the Roche limit: Within the limit‚ the tidal forces of the primary body – in our case the Earth – would be too strong and would disintegrate a satellite. It depends on the radius of the primary body and the density of the two bodies‚ so it is not just a single value.If we take‚ for example‚ the Earth and the Moon‚ the Moon could orbit as close as 9‚500 kilometers (5‚900 miles) before it gets destroyed. If we want less rocky rings‚ maybe we need to consider the destruction of an icy moon. If it's (possibly) good enough for Saturn‚ it is good enough for Earth.How To Make The Rings&;#63;So you are a celestial Sauron and you are ready to gift Earth with a ring (and you want to keep the Moon). So let’s make an icy ring just like Saturn. It is best then to introduce an icy moon with the density of Enceladus. It would need to get closer to our planet to be ripped apart – about 5‚300 kilometers (3‚300 miles) should do the trick to pulverize the icy moon. And you don’t need something as big as a moon. A comet as big as the largest ever found will be plenty to make a nice ring around Earth.There is a little problem with this ring. Ice won’t keep well in our orbit‚ that’s why the bodies of the inner solar system are so dry. So we might have to stick with rocks. Might not be as shiny as ice‚ but the Moon is all rock and it still reflects about one-tenth of the light it gets. That’s good enough to get some bright rings.The making of the ring is unlikely to be very laborious beyond bringing a sizable asteroid this close to Earth safely. You have your raw material in a nice little object‚ you put it at the right distance from your other object. Wait for the tidal forces to stress your target‚ and over time‚ a nice ring will appear. This is guaranteed to work on big and small bodies. Asteroids such as Chariklo have rings and they might be stable for 10 million years.Their stability is important for our little experiment as well. The size of the particles that make the rings matters a lot‚ as well as the presence of shepherd moons‚ tiny satellites that help balance out the forces. It takes a village to keep the rings in orbit.How Do You Keep A Ring&;#63;Rings are not forever. Saturn’s rings might be as young as 400 million years‚ if not younger. This might not seem young for humans – but for a planet of 4.5 billion years‚ it’s less than 10 percent of its life. So the feature is temporary.And the destruction is constantly happening. Some particles will fly off‚ but a lot of them will rain onto the planet. The inner portion of the rings will create a perpetual meteor shower over the equator. On Saturn‚ the slow destruction of the rings heats up a specific portion of the upper atmosphere.  It is likely that the same would happen on Earth. The lowest altitude for the rings is likely to be around 1‚000 kilometers (600 miles). Particles below that altitude would get dragged down too quickly by the extremely thin atmosphere.The consequences of the rain of rings are uncertain‚ since it's not a problem we actually have to contend with. There would be some for sure‚ though. That would be a pretty consistent effect in the upper atmosphere‚ so it wouldn’t be business as usual. And it’s not just in the equatorial regions. Despite the arbitrary separation we place upon the planet‚ every region of the world is linked to the rest. Heating over the equator will affect the whole of Earth.It seems that the whole affair might be more bother than anything. If we want to see what happens to a rocky planet once it gets rings‚ we can just wait for it to happen to Mars. In a few tens of millions of years‚ Mars’ moon Phobos will be ripped apart by the planet‚ and a ring system with all its beauty and dangers will form around the Red Planet.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

Since the demise of the dinosaurs‚ mammals have thrived. Without their scaly peers around‚ their numbers exploded‚ they diversified‚ and they got bigger – but just how big&;#63;We know that the blue whale is the largest mammal ever – heck‚ it’s also the most massive animal to ever live – measuring around 30 meters (98 feet) and weighing up to 200 tons. But what about mammals that walked the Earth&;#63;Currently‚ the African elephant is considered the largest living land mammal (and also animal) in the world. Coming in at 7 meters (23 feet) long and 3.7 meters (12 feet) tall‚ these extant giants typically weigh 4 to 7 tonnes and also have the heaviest brain and nose of any terrestrial mammal. Not bad – but they're no contest for the largest land mammal ever.That crown goes to the now-extinct Paraceratherium – a massive hornless rhino with a giraffe-like long neck. Found mostly in Asia‚ in China‚ Mongolia‚ Kazakhstan‚ and Pakistan during the early to late Oligocene epoch (34–23 million years ago)‚ these behemoths dwarf the biggest rhino we have today – the southern white rhino‚ which can reach 4.2 meters (13.8 feet) long‚ 1.85 meters (6 feet) tall‚ and weighs 3.6 tonnes. Paraceratherium‚ meanwhile‚ is thought to have had a total length of 7.4 meters (24 feet) and a shoulder height of 4.8 meters (15.7 feet)‚ making it the most massive mammal to ever walk the Earth. The prehistoric goliath is also believed to have weighed around 17 tonnes – almost five times as much as its extant counterpart – based on estimates from a partially reconstructed skeleton in the American Museum of Natural History.Paraceratherium transouralicum – a species in the genus Paraceratherium.Image credit: ABelov2014 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)Back in 2021‚ a new species of extinct giant rhino‚ Paraceratherium linxiaense‚ was discovered in Tibet. Dating from 26.5 million years ago‚ the fossils included a completely preserved skull‚ as well as a mandible and vertebrae from another individual. “The skull was more than a meter (3 feet) long‚” Deng Tao‚ lead author of a study presenting the findings‚ told CNN at the time. “It was very rare for a skull of that size to be preserved.”However‚ Paraceratherium’s reign as the largest land mammal is not uncontested. Due to the incompleteness of fossils discovered‚ it’s not possible to know for sure just how big these ancient rhinos grew – and they face some stiff competition from other extinct titans.How does Paraceratherium size up against these giants&;#63;Image credit: Yegane Bagirova/Benevector/ Oleg Senkov/Shutterstock.com and Chen Yu‚ created by IFLScienceFor example‚ some say the straight-tusked elephant Palaeoloxodon‚ which lived around 700‚000–50‚000 years ago‚ was even bigger than Paraceratherium‚ weighing up to 22 tonnes. This was based on just a fragment of a femur‚ however‚ so is discounted by others. Other estimates using more complete limb bones from juvenile elephants place Palaeoloxodon‘s weight at a more modest 13–15 tonnes.Borson’s mastodon‚ which inhabited parts of Eurasia 5 to 2.5 million years ago‚ is thought to have weighed in the region of 15–16 tonnes‚ so would also give our enormous rhino a run for its money.Regardless of the debate‚ none of these heavyweights come anywhere near the largest animal to ever walk the Earth.It’s not a mammal‚ but Patagotitan mayorum was undeniably mammoth‚ stretching 37 meters (121 feet) in length and weighing the equivalent of 10 African elephants. The likes of Paraceratherium could never.

The University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO) has officially opened‚ giving astronomers an infrared eye on the universe that will last when JWST runs out of fuel. At 5‚640 meters (18‚500 feet) above sea level‚ the location is the highest for a ground-based telescope. The challenges of getting it built‚ however‚ reveal why no one has done this before.Anyone who has camped on a mountainside knows how much clearer the stars can look there. It’s not just about being away from city lights‚ although that certainly matters‚ it’s the fact that there is a lot less atmosphere above to interfere. Even though space is not usually defined as starting until 100 kilometers (62 miles) up‚ half the air is below this location.Much as the focus is on the Hubble and JWST telescopes‚ many of the advances in astronomy in recent years have come‚ at least in part‚ from giant mountain-top telescopes that can be larger than anything we can put in space just yet. The more remote the location‚ however‚ the more expensive it becomes to build an observatory there.For most instruments‚ Paranal Observatory‚ elsewhere in the Atacama Desert‚ or the top of Mauna Kea have proven a good compromise‚ but infrared wavelengths are more affected by water vapor in the atmosphere than their optical counterparts‚ shifting the balance. To get above a little more air‚ Emeritus Professor Yuzuru Yoshii thought it worth paying the price of a harder-to-reach location. If he’d known it would take 26 years to get his goal built‚ however‚ he might have felt differently.Cerro Chajnantor is a great place to do infrared astronomy not just because it is above half the atmosphere‚ but because it is so dry.Image Credit: ©2024 TAO project (CC-BY-ND)“I’m seeking to elucidate mysteries of the universe‚ such as dark energy and primordial first stars. For this‚ you need to view the sky in a way that only TAO makes possible‚” Yoshii said in a statement. “Of course‚ it contains state-of-the-art optics‚ sensors‚ electronics and mechanisms‚ but the uniquely high altitude of 5‚640 meters is what gives TAO such clarity of vision. At that height‚ there’s little moisture in the atmosphere to impact its infrared sight.”The 6.5-meter (21-foot) diameter TAO sits at the top of Cerro Chajnantor‚ Chile. As an indication of how difficult this mountain is to reach‚ the first few hits when searching the name lead to stories about the telescope‚ followed by one on a website called “Dangerous Roads”. This reports the first road to the summit was only built in 2006 and requires four-wheel drive to navigate – hardly the ideal conditions for transporting ultra-sensitive astronomical equipment.  The site also warns: “Do not take this drive if you have respiratory problems or any type of heart condition.”The University of Tokyo's new observatory isn't the most impressive looking instrument‚ but its location is.Image Credit: ©2024 TAO project (CC-BY-ND)Even the opening ceremony was held a thousand kilometers (620 miles) away in Santiago.By comparison‚ the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) whose 54 12-meter (39-foot) diameter antennae have transformed astronomy in the last decade is just 5 kilometers (3 miles) away‚ but at 580 meters (1‚900 feet) lower‚ it is much more accessible.Yoshii is not the only one to see the site’s potential. Just 28 meters (92 feet) further down the same peak sits the slightly smaller Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope‚ which will operate at similar wavelengths when complete next year. This is intended as a precursor for a bigger instrument at the same location.“Construction on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor was an incredible challenge‚ not just technically‚ but politically too. I have liaised with Indigenous peoples to ensure their rights and views are considered‚ the Chilean government to secure permission‚ local universities for technical collaboration‚ and even the Chilean Health Ministry to make sure people can work at that altitude in a safe manner‚” Yoshii said. With the Thirty Meter Telescope dogged by protests from Indigenous Hawaiians‚ the decision to get consultation right looks particularly wise in hindsight.The payoff is an instrument that can operate at mid-infrared wavelengths‚ those too long for optical telescopes but too short for instruments like ALMA. Currently‚ this is the domain of space telescopes alone. “This area of the spectrum is extremely good for studying the environments around stars‚ including planet-forming regions‚” said Professor Takashi Miyata.The TAO will be capable of wide-field observations‚ allowing it to capture much more of the sky than space telescopes‚ which can then follow up for higher resolution. Priority tasks include studying the way supermassive black holes shape the evolution of galaxies‚ exploring organic dust between the stars‚ finding the first stars‚ and the ongoing quest to identify dark matter. 

The daddy long legs‚ or grandaddy long legs‚ depending on your tastes‚ is a perplexing creature‚ not least because there isn’t a great consensus on what one is. Several species have been given the nickname that reads like the naming scientist was feeling frisky that day‚ but despite all the confusion‚ one curious question has spread far and wide: are daddy long legs poisonous&;#63;The answer is no‚ daddy long legs are not poisonous‚ and the background to the urban legend takes us on a journey of confused classifications and the difference between venomous and poisonous.What are daddy long legs&;#63;Depending on who you speak to‚ a (grand) daddy long legs can be anything from harvestmen‚ to long-legged spiders‚ and craneflies. According to the Burke Museum’s spider myths series‚ the ranging definitions of daddy long legs include one true spider‚ Pholcus phalangioides‚ and a few thousand species that aren’t spiders‚ including harvestmen and crane flies.We didn't need to demonstrate crane flies as daddy long legs on such a phallic mushroom‚ but it felt right.Image credit: Photodigitaal.nl / Shutterstock.comSo‚ choose your poison when it comes to daddy long legs definitions‚ and on that note…Poisonous Vs VenomousVenomous creatures inject their toxin into you because it requires an active delivery system. It could be from the stinger of an insect‚ or the fangs of a venomous snake. Lots of things can be classed as poisons but you have to physically ingest the toxin present in the poison for it to affect you. It is passively absorbed through ingestion‚ inhalation‚ or by making contact with skin.So…This goofy fella is a harvestmen‚ an order of arachnids known as Opiliones.Image credit: Warut Prathaksithorn / Shutterstock.comAre daddy long legs poisonous&;#63;No‚ daddy long legs are not poisonous. The idea comes from a widespread urban legend that daddy long legs pack a record-breaking toxin potent enough to kill us‚ but they don’t have strong enough fangs to bite. Were this true‚ the delivery of the toxin through a bite – however epically they allegedly fail – would put them in the venomous camp‚ which is strike one for the “poisonous” idea. Strike two is that it also has no basis in fact.This sassy lady is Pholcus phalangioides‚ aka‚ mummy moderate venom.Image credit: Triwidana / Shutterstock.comOf our three key daddy long leg candidates – harvestmen‚ crane flies‚ and Pholcus phalangioides‚ the spider – only the spider has venom. However‚ it’s not considered medically relevant for human health‚ and the venom certainly isn't a record-breaker among spiders.And if you’re thinking of eating a daddy long legs‚ we suggest you go sit in the shade for a bit. These leggy critters aren’t your daddy‚ and they’re not a snack.

Scientists in Japan say they have successfully transplanted kidney tissue between rat fetuses while they were still in the uterus. The study is yet to be peer-reviewed‚ but the authors believe it represents the first step in a journey that could lead to future in-utero xenotransplantation in humans.The study was focused on a neonatal condition called Potter sequence‚ which can happen when there’s not enough amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus as it grows. Among its many possible symptoms‚ the kidneys can be badly affected‚ causing disease or even preventing them from developing at all. In their paper‚ which has been posted as a preprint‚ the authors explain that babies born with these issues often don’t survive long enough to be treated with dialysis‚ so there’s a need to find a way to “bridge the gap” until they’re old enough for more invasive treatments. It's hoped that transplanting fetal pig kidneys into human fetuses could one day provide that solution – but as you might imagine‚ this is still a highly experimental approach.“Our project is the first of its kind‚” lead author Takashi Yokoo‚ from Jikei University School of Medicine‚ told Nature News. The delicate procedure involved anesthetizing pregnant rats and carefully exposing the uterus. The tiny kidneys had already been removed from the donor fetuses‚ and were injected through the uterine wall and approximately 5 millimeters under the skin of the recipient fetus. The kidneys had previously been labeled with green fluorescent protein‚ so the surgeons would be able to check the tissue had been transferred successfully.The average success rate for the transplant was determined to be 88 percent. Of the nine fetuses transplanted‚ all but one showed evidence of the green fluorescent protein when they were born a few days after the surgery. The kidneys seemed to develop normally too‚ although they were separated from the rats’ own urinary tracts and had to be drained manually by the researchers. One particularly interesting observation was that the host rat’s own blood vessels had started to grow inside the donor tissue‚ which is great news when it comes to the possibility of transplant rejection. “In this case‚ the host is infiltrating the organ‚ and you overcome that. That was really cool‚” fetal surgeon Glenn Gardener‚ who was not involved in the work‚ told Nature News.The scientists even experimented with fetal mouse kidneys‚ an interspecies transplant more along the lines of the proposed use of pig kidneys in human patients. This‚ they write in their paper‚ was a success‚ “confirming the maturation of the transplanted kidneys and demonstrating less tissue damage due to rejection compared to the transplantation of mouse fetal kidneys into adult rats.”Clearly‚ we’re still at the very early stages of this research. But organ transplantation – including xenotransplantation – has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. We’ve seen the first successful transplant of a genetically edited pig kidney into a human patient; innovative ways to use animal organs to buy time for those on the waiting list; and even a heart flown across the ocean to meet its recipient.Against that backdrop‚ in-utero transplants don’t sound so unrealistic‚ and they would certainly be a game-changer for children born with all kinds of organ defects.Yokoo told Nature News that the team’s next step is to apply for ethical approval to conduct human experiments‚ but that’s likely a long way off. This is one journey that many will be following very closely indeed.  The study‚ which has not yet been validated by peer review‚ has been posted to bioRxiv.

In the summer of 2010‚ the skies over Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan Airport became the center of attention as a huge UFO disrupted the regular bustle of air traffic. On the evening of July 7th‚ operations came to an abrupt halt when unidentified lights appeared‚ leading to a cascade of delayed and rerouted flights. The alert was triggered by bright lights in the sky that moved erratically. Reports claim that air traffic controllers at the Hohhot Air Traffic Management Bureau spotted the object on their radar. A flight crew preparing for descent first detected the object around 8:40 p.m. and notified the air traffic control department. Aviation authorities responded within minutes‚ grounding outbound flights and diverting inbound ones to airports in Ningbo and Wuxi. The incident was so exceptional that the airport even sounded the air defense siren for it and warplanes patrolled all night. At that time‚ thousands of people at the airport witnessed the scene‚ taking photos and videos of different quality. Eighteen flights were affected. Though normal operations resumed an hour later‚ the incident captured the attention of the Chinese media and sparked a firestorm of speculation on the UFO’s identity. After about an hour‚ the object and the lights suddenly vanished and passenger jets were allowed to land. Fueling speculations further‚ Hangzhou residents released photos‚ taken in the afternoon before the delays‚ of a hovering object bathed in golden light and exhibiting a comet-like tail. Real UFO video from 2010. Less than an hour before the Xiaoshan airport shut down‚ residents said they also saw a flying object emitting red and white rays of light. Ma Shijun was taking a nighttime stroll with his wife when he saw the object. “I felt a beam of light over my head. Looking up‚ I saw a streak of bright‚ white light flying across the sky‚ so I picked up the camera and took the photo. The time was 8:26 p.m. However‚ whether the object was a plane‚ or whether it was Xiaoshan Airport’s UFO‚ I don’t have a clear answer‚” Ma told the Xinhua news agency. The Hangzhou meteorological authorities proposed a more mundane explanation‚ suggesting the afternoon visuals were likely reflections from an aircraft. Zhu Jing‚ curator of the Beijing Planetarium‚ supported this theory regarding Ma’s photograph‚ comparing the image to the familiar sight of an airplane’s strobe lamps. The following day‚ reports emerged from Chongqing‚ where another unidentified flying object was sighted‚ adding to the nationwide curiosity and debate. After a few days‚ Chinese news reported that authorities learned what the UFO was after an investigation‚ but “there was no appropriate time to publicly disclose” the information because it had a “military connection‚” state-run China Daily concluded. And that’s literally all. Yes‚ that’s where the news on this scale ends. No investigations‚ nothing. This incident happened in 2010‚ when smartphones were not popular‚ but thousands of people witnessed UFOs‚ so many videos and photos were left on the Chinese network at that time. A day later‚ all these videos and pictures were deleted by government departments. Even the news of CCTV reporting the event was deleted on that day. Only a few photos and videos left Despite conflicting official explanations and eyewitness accounts‚ the true nature of the lights remains an open question. The post Forgotten Incident: Huge UFO Blocking the Sky Over Xiaoshan Airport appeared first on Anomalien.com.

In the serene‚ sunlit waters of the Bahamas‚ a dramatic and heart-stopping scene unfolded that captured the attention of nature lovers worldwide. A loggerhead turtle was caught in the terrifying grip of a tiger shark. The harrowing encounter‚ caught on video‚ highlighted not just the brutality of nature but also the incredible compassion humans can... The post Fisherman save turtle from jaws of shark and he returns to ‘thank’ them with his favorite treat appeared first on Animal Channel.

On Monday‚ MRCTV’s Tierin-Rose Mandelburg appeared on One America News Network’s In Focus with Alison Steinberg to talk about the failed White House Correspondents Dinner that took place over the weekend. Outside the event‚ as guests were arriving‚ large crowds of pro-Gaza protesters chanted and yelled at them. Obviously the guests‚ only caring for themselves‚ waltzed right in and didn’t bat an eye. (Remember‚ these elitists only cared about getting wined and dined by the president.) Steinberg hopes the video of the elitists ignoring the protestors gets people to wake up and realize that “None of these people care about you‚ they’re never going to [and] they’re never going to make the changes that you want to see.”     OAN then played a video from inside the dinner where President Joe Biden struggled to eat his salad.  The irony of it was that at the event‚ Biden claimed that his opponent‚ former President Donald Trump‚ was the six-year-old. I bet a six-year-old could use his fork properly. Related: MRCTV's Tierin-Rose Mandelburg on OAN: Dancing in the White House‚ Woke NPR &; Travis Kelce A video clip was also played from the 2014 White House Correspondents Dinner where even President Barack Obama laughed at jokes poking fun of Biden’s mental abilities.  Yet‚ 10 years later‚ we’ve still got people thinking he’s fully capable of running our country. Follow us on Twitter/X:   Things That Need To Be Said: The World Is Taking Christians For Granted Christian prosecution is growing in prominence and is largely ignored‚ if not outright encouraged‚ by our leftist government. pic.twitter.com/gIxNLk2nUg — MRCTV (@mrctv) April 29‚ 2024

Michelle Bran&;eacute; is an anti-borders extremist. Her entire career has been dedicated to undermining America’s immigration laws and interfering with efforts to secure America’s borders. She has characterized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as “abusive” and has been a vocal advocate for defunding the agency. The bulk of her employment history consists of jobs with organizations that oppose any reasonable immigration enforcement. If you think Bran&;eacute; sounds like an incredibly poor choice to make decisions about who ICE should and should not detain‚ you would be correct. Nevertheless‚ the White House has chosen her to be the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration detention ombudsman. This administration’s hiring practices‚ like its policy choices‚ are nothing less than a deliberate attempt to undermine the DHS from within. In her new job‚ Bran&;eacute; will “assist individuals with complaints about the potential violation of immigration detention standards or other misconduct by DHS (or contract) personnel and provides oversight of immigration detention facilities.” Given her publicly and frequently expressed bias against any type of immigration enforcement‚ how often do you think she’s going to find in favor of ICE&;#63; This recent hire continues the Biden administration's series of controversial job picks. For instance‚ Tucson‚ Arizona‚ police chief Chris Magnus was selected to serve as the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection‚ despite (more likely because of ) his advocacy of sanctuary city policies. Magnus instructed his department not to cooperate with ICE or the Border Patrol. He eventually proved so incompetent as his job that even the White House had to acknowledge his shortcomings and accept his resignation. The DHS tapped Kerry Doyle‚ a pro-illegal alien‚ anti-ICE activist with no immigration enforcement experience‚ as ICE’s chief attorney. Doyle is a vocal critic of ICE’s successful 287(g) program that enlisted local law enforcement agencies’ assistance in apprehending criminal aliens. She has also been an outspoken supporter of foolish and dangerous sanctuary city policies. Ed Gonzalez‚ the sheriff of Harris County‚ Texas‚ was nominated to run ICE in 2021. A vocal opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration policies‚ he ended his department’s cooperative agreements with ICE and criticized ICE enforcement actions as unfair to alien lawbreakers. Gonzalez eventually withdrew his name from consideration after he was accused of domestic violence. It’s not unusual for individuals with both prosecution and defense experience to be nominated for positions as judges or criminal justice agency heads. In the past‚ however‚ those nominees have typically been people who‚ along with having familiarity with both sides of an issue‚ have expressed a strong belief in the American system of justice. They have not been ideological extremists who believe that certain groups of people are entitled to break the law. But that is exactly what we’re getting now. The people in charge of immigration enforcement with the DHS are ideological extremists whose primary concern is the well-being of alien lawbreakers‚ not the American people they are supposed to protect. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas regularly appears before Congress and‚ with a straight face‚ claims he is doing everything possible to secure America’s border and discourage illegal immigration. But even if Mayorkas were serious about immigration enforcement — he is not remotely interested in enforcing the provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act or securing the border — how would he do it if every agency that reports to him is being run by people who are stridently opposed to secure borders&;#63; This administration’s hiring practices‚ like its policy choices‚ are nothing less than a deliberate attempt to undermine the DHS from within. In fact‚ the very office that Bran&;eacute; is heading up is a classic inside-the-beltway boondoggle. Congress established the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman in 2019. The office did not exist before because‚ like everyone else detained in the United States‚ incarcerated aliens could seek legal review of their detention‚ both before the U.S. Immigration Court and the federal courts. If that somehow wasn’t enough‚ immigration detention is also overseen by the DHS Office of the Inspector General‚ the DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties‚ the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (aka “internal affairs”)‚ and the ICE Custody Management Division. Dissatisfied guests in an $800-per-night luxury hotel have fewer avenues of recourse when they are dissatisfied with the service they receive. So it’s unclear why foreign nationals who have either worn out their welcome in the United States or were never welcome in the first place‚ should have so many taxpayer-funded officials ensuring that federal incarceration is to their liking. ICE’s job is tough enough under the best of circumstances. There is no reason for Congress to further complicate it by creating unnecessary watchdog agencies like OIDO. That’s bad enough. But appointing an ICE-hating extremist like Michelle Bran&;eacute; to oversee such an agency is an unforgivable slap in the face to the dedicated‚ patriotic‚ and hardworking men and women of ICE. And it serves only to further politicize a basic public safety and national security function that should receive unqualified bipartisan support.

America’s colleges and universities were once seen as the greatest collection of academic institutions in the world. Places where young adults went to pursue knowledge‚ speak their minds‚ and debate their views‚ especially when those views opposed one another. No longer. Driven by leftists‚ America’s institutions of higher learning‚ the birthplace of the free speech movement‚ have become Marxist indoctrination centers‚ where only one view is tolerated. Take an opposing view and you will be canceled‚ doxed‚ and possibly expelled. No wonder applications to colleges and universities have declined while enrollment at trade schools has skyrocketed. Even worse‚ today‚ the prevailing view is one that is grossly anti-Semitic in its support of a terrorist organization that murders indiscriminately; rapes men‚ women‚ and children; and even puts innocent babies into ovens‚ baking them to death in front of their parents‚ replicating the horrors of the Holocaust. How did we get here&;#63; The free speech movement began in 1964 at the University of California‚ Berkeley‚ of all places‚ with students protesting the school’s restrictions on campus political activism. What started as small‚ peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations grew to a series of huge rallies and protests‚ demanding that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution apply at Berkeley. These sit-ins and protests led the university to overturn its policies that restricted the content of speech and advocacy on campus. This spread to other campuses as students protested in favor of civil rights and an end to the Vietnam War. Then‚ universities began to change‚ sliding to the extreme left. Student radicals of the 1960s and ’70s eventually entered the faculty and became administrators. A 2022 survey of faculty at Harvard showed that more than 80% of its faculty identified as being either liberal or very liberal. Less than 1.5% of professors identified as conservative. A recent job posting at the University of California‚ Berkeley‚ required applicants to provide statements on their contributions to advancing diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion. Today‚ neither diversity nor inclusion are tolerated on America’s college campuses‚ especially if you happen to be Jewish. Funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros‚ protests in support of the terrorist organization Hamas have erupted on campuses across the country. They are looking to replace Israel with a terrorist nation‚ calling for a globalized “intifada‚” or uprising. Chants of “from the river to the sea‚ Palestine shall be free‚” echo across our nation’s universities. The slogan is a euphemism for wiping Israel — and Jews — off the map. Protesters have physically and verbally attacked Jewish students and in some cases even prevented them from attending class. In an increasingly common occurrence‚ a Jewish Yale student who was covering a pro-Hamas protest at the university reported being assaulted by a protester who supports the terrorist organization. Administrators at most universities have failed miserably in addressing the protests and the anti-Semitism that accompanies them. And perhaps no three universities have failed worse than Harvard‚ Columbia‚ and the University of California. Harvard’s president‚ Claudine Gay‚ was forced to resign after she faced national backlash over the university’s response to the Israel-Hamas war‚ failing either to condemn Hamas or address a pro-Palestinian‚ anti-Semitic statement signed by more than 30 student groups. Before Congress‚ Gay also said that students calling for the genocide of Jews may not violate the school's code of conduct. Columbia has fumbled its response to pro-terrorist protests on its campus since they began. Instead of having protesters illegally occupying the school’s Morningside Heights campus arrested‚ the administration tried negotiating with them. As of Monday night‚ protesters had moved from their encampment and into nearby Hamilton Hall‚ where they have built barricades. Columbia already capitulated to the protesters by canceling in-person classes and moving all classes to remote learning‚ effectively surrendering to the mob. The University of California has also surrendered to protesters‚ canceling its commencement ceremony‚ previously scheduled for May 10. The parent of a University of California senior‚ who requested to remain anonymous‚ expressed his and his student’s anger and frustration. “My daughter missed her high school prom and graduation because of the COVID lockdowns. Now she is missing her college graduation because the university would rather bow to people who break the law and support murderers and rapists than the law-abiding students who worked hard‚ followed the rules‚ and wanted to celebrate their achievement in front of friends and family.” This parent’s statement summarizes the situation perfectly. University administrators across the nation would rather punish the students who abide by the law and follow their university’s rules than incur the wrath of those who support rapists and baby-killers. No wonder applications to colleges and universities have declined while enrollment at trade schools has skyrocketed. America’s colleges and universities are at a tipping point. Will they re-embrace their historic position of encouraging debate‚ the free exchange of ideas‚ and the pursuit of knowledge‚ regardless of race‚ creed‚ color‚ or political affiliation&;#63; Or will they follow the path of the violent mob‚ continuing down a suicidal path driven by the left&;#63;