Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr blamed America’s fentanyl crisis solely on communist China during congressional testimony this week. Barr made the remarks while testifying on Tuesday in front of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party on a 64-page report titled‚ “The CCP’s Role In The Fentanyl Crisis.” Barr said that the death toll in the U.S. every year from drug overdoses was higher than the number of Americans killed during the bloodiest year of World War II. “The [People’s Republic of China] is the source of the fentanyl that is slaughtering Americans‚” he said. “China produces nearly all the illicit fentanyl precursors used and the fentanyl introduced into the United States. These are the indispensable ingredients that drive the fentanyl trade.” “There is no practical alternative for anywhere near the volume of precursors necessary to fuel this trade‚” he continued. “Simply put‚ without China’s production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors‚ there would be no fentanyl crisis in the United States and the mass slaughter would effectively stop.” “We are now sustaining a casualty rate from drug overdoses that exceeds the death toll we suffered in waging a world war. We have long known that the PRC is the source of the fentanyl that is slaughtering Americans.” — Former AG William P. Barr pic.twitter.com/6UCgWUNBB8 — Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (@committeeonccp) April 16‚ 2024 Barr said that the Chinese Communist Party was not just a “bystander” in the entire ordeal — they are prime movers. “They are knee deep and actively sponsoring‚ encouraging‚ and facilitating the production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors for distribution in the United States‚” he said. “First‚ the committee’s investigators have found a hidden [Chinese] government website currently fully active that offers complete tax rebates incentivizing the export of all fentanyl analogs and precursors‚ as well as other synthetic narcotics — drugs that are illegal in the U.S.‚ illegal in China‚ and have no legitimate purpose.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP He said that the tax incentives offered to Chinese companies “allow companies to effectively operate tax free when they export fentanyl precursors.” He added that the investigation found evidence that shows China “provides grants and awards to companies that are engaged in open and notorious synthetic narcotic manufacturing and drug trafficking.” “The CCP are not just bystanders. They are prime movers. They are knee-deep in actively sponsoring‚ encouraging and facilitating the production and export of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors for distribution in the US.”— Former AG Bill Barr pic.twitter.com/jLYlXICWmx — Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (@committeeonccp) April 16‚ 2024 Barr said that there was evidence that China was intentionally engaged in this activity and that the U.S. should not expect China to operate in good faith or to have “goodwill” toward the U.S. “The key point here is that the PRC and the CCP have the capacity to shut this down‚” he said. “This is not taking place in the rain forests of Burma. This is taking place among a manageable number of companies in industrial parks in a modern surveillance state. The Chinese can push a button with a keystroke find somebody in one of their cities within less than a minute‚ know exactly where they are. They know what’s on the internet. There’s no question they’re aware of what’s happening.” He also said that since President Joe Biden met with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping that he has not been aware of any changes that China has made in its malicious behavior flooding the U.S. with fentanyl.

Numerous House Democrats in the nation’s capital refused to condemn burning the American flag and chanting “death to America” when confronted by a reporter this week. The questions from the reporter came in response to far-Left protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City this week holding a pro-Palestinian demonstration that disrupted traffic. “Anti-Israel protesters blocking the Brooklyn Bridge were burning the American flag and chanting ‘Death to America‚'” the reporter said to Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA). “Do you support that type of protest&;#63; Congresswoman‚ do you support burning the American flag and chanting Death to America&;#63;” Pressley refused to answer or even acknowledge the reporter. The reporter later asked Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) the same questions. “Does it sound like this is pro-Palestinian or anti-American if they’re burning American flags and chanting Death to America&;#63;” the reporter asked. “I’m‚ I’m not privy to–‚ to‚ I haven’t seen these reports‚” AOC responded. “I’d have to check for them myself.” The reporter then asked Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA)‚ who just lost the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in California if she condemned the actions of the protesters on the bridge. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “We’ve gotta get her onto her next event‚” one of Porter’s staffers said. “Are you okay with people burning the American flag&;#63;” the reporter asked. “If you’d like to follow up with us–” the staffer interrupted. “Are you okay with people chanting Death to America&;#63;” the reporter pressed. “Congresswoman Porter‚ are you okay with people chanting Death to America&;#63; Is it okay&;#63; Do you not have a problem with it&;#63;” The staffer repeatedly interrupted as Porter refused to answer any of the questions. WATCH: Democrats REFUSE to condemn protesters burning The American Flag&;#33; pic.twitter.com/2n4SY43mvJ — Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) April 17‚ 2024

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) appears set to try to blame his wife‚ Nadine Menendez‚ for the federal bribery charges that the couple is facing‚ according to newly unsealed court documents. “At trial‚ as part of his defense‚ Senator Menendez may elect to testify to communications with his wife that serve to materially decrease any inference of culpability on Senator Menendez’s part‚” the motion states. “Senator Menendez will explain‚ for example‚ what he and his wife discussed contemporaneously with their dinners with Egyptian officials (which colored his understanding of the purpose of such dinners); the explanations that Nadine provided for why [co-defendants Wael Hanna and Jose Uribe] had provided her certain monetary items; the reasons why he sent his wife a series of questions that other Senators purportedly intended to ask an Egyptian official; and many more topics.” The 70-year-old senator is planning to show the “absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part” by “demonstrating the ways” that his wife “withheld information from Sen. Menendez or otherwise led him to believe that nothing unlawful was taking place‚” the document continued. The document added that by “demonstrating the absence of any improper intent on Senator Menendez’s part‚ they may inculpate Nadine.” Menendez and his wife were indicted on federal charges in September for allegedly accepting bribes from three businessmen in exchange for actions that he took as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to the DOJ‚ the alleged bribes were intended to protect the businessmen and to benefit Egypt. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Prosecutors later said in a revised indictment that Menendez also allegedly used his clout to help a friend secure a multi-million dollar investment deal from the Qatari government‚ in part by taking actions that benefited Qatar. In a subsequent superseding indictment‚ Menendez was also charged with conspiracy‚ obstruction of justice‚ public official acting as a foreign agent‚ bribery‚ extortion and honest services wire fraud.

Google employees who occupied the California office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian for more than eight hours to demand the company stop doing business with Israel were arrested late Tuesday. The employees broadcast their protest on a “notech4apartheid’ Twitch livestream. The video showed they given the opportunity to leave voluntarily‚ and then arrested by police after refusing to do so. In the stream‚ a man is seen approaching the protesters to notify them that they were put on administrative leave and asking them to leave.  BREAKING: Google employees were arrested after occupying their boss's office for more than 8 hours to demand that the company sever ties with Israel. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/W4WQO8NNgH — Kassy Akiva (@KassyDillon) April 17‚ 2024 “It’s getting kinda late‚” the man says. “I wanted to ask you‚ you know‚ to cooperate‚ you’ve been placed on admin leave and we’d like to see if you’d just voluntarily [leave] it’s been a while. Can you do that for us&;#63;” When he threatens to call law enforcement‚ employees state that they understand. Seconds later‚ police walk in the office and detain them all before the livestream cuts off. The protests were announced in internal emails to employees that shared a list of demands‚ including that Google drop its $1.2 billion contract with Israel for Project Nimbus‚ a cloud-computing project of the Israeli government. Demands also include that Google cease all “business with the Israeli apartheid government and military‚” stop the “harassment‚ intimidation‚ bullying‚ and silencing‚” of Palestinian and Muslim employees‚ and address the “health and safety crisis” among workers who are rattled over their labor being used to “enable a genocide.” Organized by No Tech for Apartheid‚ the protesters claim they will remain in the office until Google drops Project Nimbus and heeds the other demands. Anti-Semitism appears to be rampant throughout Google’s workforce. In February‚ The Daily Wire reported on internal anti-Semitic incidents taking place at Google‚ including the words “kill all Jews” found written on a bathroom wall inside its offices‚ and a Jewish employee being assaulted by anti-Israel protesters on one of their campuses. The Daily Wire also reported that a group of employees attempted to hijack an International Women’s Day event to bash Israel. “By choosing to provide the Israeli government and military with our powerful cloud computing and AI technologies‚ we have continuously enabled Israel’s apartheid state in Palestine and ongoing genocide in Gaza‚” the protesters write in a letter to Kurian. “Years of being silenced‚ ignored and lied to by leadership has confirmed to us as workers that our concerns will not be heard without significant action‚ and as you read this‚ we are sitting in the office of Thomas Kurian‚ the CEO of Google Cloud‚ until our demands are met.” Protests also took place at other Google offices in New York City‚ San Francisco‚ and Seattle.

The Islamic Republic of Iran temporarily closed its nuclear facilities this week over “security considerations” that they could be targeted by Israel in an airstrike in retaliation for Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone barrage. “We are always concerned about this possibility‚” said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi at a U.N. Security Council meeting. “What I can tell you is that our inspectors in Iran were informed by the Iranian government that [Sunday]‚ all the nuclear facilities that we are inspecting every day would remain closed on security considerations.” Grossi kept inspectors back on Monday over fears that Israel could hit the facilities after Iran launched combined more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend — the first time the country has ever directly attacked Israel. Several foreign policy and military experts urged Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear program following the attack‚ arguing that the window was closing for them to do so. “Most importantly‚ I think Israel should be looking at this as an opportunity to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program‚ which is the existential threat that Israel faces‚” said former Trump national security adviser John Bolton. Mark Dubowitz‚ CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)‚ a non-partisan institution focusing on national security and foreign policy; Brigadier General (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel‚ senior fellow at FDD and a former top Israeli official‚ said in an article that Israel “must now shift to neutralizing Iran’s nuclear scientists and their ability to build an actual weapon.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “After this weekend‚ the threat of a nuclear weapon being deployed from inside Iran toward Israel is a step closer to reality‚” they added. Other experts believe that an attack could actually strengthen Iran’s resolve to build nuclear weapons and lead to “Iran’s decision to break out.” Experts also believe that the longer that Israel takes to respond to the attacks‚ the less likely their response is to be significant in scale and impact.

Annie Potts recently remembered sharing the screen with Reba McEntire during an episode of Young Sheldon‚ and she admitted that one of her favorite memories from that time was hearing the Grammy-winning songstress sing perfectly off-key. Annie reminisced about her time with Reba while visiting The Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday‚ April 16. The singer starred in the Season 4 installment titled A Pager‚ a Club and a Cranky Bag of Wrinkles‚ and she had a scene with Annie’s MeeMaw where the two perform a hilariously awful karaoke duet of Islands In The Stream‚ Before the two join forces‚ Reba McEntire horribly attempts to sing Patsy Cline’s Crazy‚ which‚ of course‚ is a clever characterization considering Reba is an iconic country music star‚ “The funny thing is they wrote [Reba’s] part so that… the idea was that she couldn’t sing‚” Annie laughed. “She sang off-key‚ which‚ if you’re a really good singer‚ it is very is difficult. Off-key‚” she added. “But she just like — I don’t know — went up or down a fifth and stayed there. And it was an astonishing thing. A measure of just how good she is‚ of course.” Annie Potts went on to say that Reba McEntire is exactly as she seems‚ “funny and delightful‚ sweet and beautiful. All of that.” And she made an impression on more than just the actress. She also sparked the romance with her then-friend and now-boyfriend‚ Rex Linn‚ while guest-starring‚ as well. The Fancy singer also earned praise from Young Sheldon executive producer Steve Holland‚ who hopes to get her back on the show for its final season. “We would love to have her back‚” he told TVLine. “She’s expressed interest‚ but she’s very busy. She has another pilot that she’s shooting…so I just don’t know if it’s going to work out.” This story’s featured image is by Rick Diamond/Getty Images. The post “Young Sheldon” Star Annie Potts Praises Reba McEntire’s “Bad” Singing appeared first on InspireMore.

In the complex world of avian behavior‚ researchers have discovered a fascinating phenomenon: birds sing while sleeping. Scientists observed muscular contractions in a bird’s vocal tract to decode the quiet melodies of their nightly reveries. Let us begin a scientific quest to discover the mysteries of bird dreams and the intriguing world of avian sleep patterns. The science of avian dreams: unraveling the mystery Birds‚ like humans‚ undergo multiple stages of consciousness during sleeping. Previous studies have suggested that daytime actions‚ including singing‚ may continue throughout bird slumber. Gabriel Mindlin‚ a specialist in birdsong‚ reflects on the profound implications of this discovery: “Dreams are one of the most intimate and elusive parts of our existence. “Knowing that we share this with such a distant species is very moving.” Mapping muscle movements: understanding birdsong during sleep To better understand avian dreams‚ researchers at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) systematically observed muscle activity in sleeping birds’ vocal tracts. Using custom-made electromyography (EMG) electrodes‚ the team assessed muscle reaction and electrical activity‚ giving light to the physiological processes that drive bird dreams. The great Kiskadee: a window to avian dreamscapes The use of the great kiskadee in the study provided important insights into bird sleep patterns. This loud and aggressive species‚ notable for its unusual three-syllable call‚ was used as a model organism to study bird dreaming. Through diligent observation and data collecting‚ researchers discovered the great kiskadee’s nocturnal habits‚ providing insight into avian dreamscapes. Synthetic songs: transforming avian dreams into sound Researchers reconstructed sleeping birds’ silent songs by combining data on muscle activation and electrical signals. The scientists used complex dynamical systems models to transform muscle activity patterns into synthetic melodies‚ producing audio representations of bird dreams. “We can use the muscle activity patterns as time-dependent parameters of a model of birdsong production and synthesize the corresponding song‚” says Mindlin. Insights into the avian brain and implications for future research The study’s findings provide a unique perspective on the avian brain‚ paving the path for future research into avian cognition and behavior. Researchers want to better understand bird cognition and communication by decoding avian dreams using dynamical biomechanics modeling. “We have shown how physical models can be used to listen to what a bird is dreaming‚” the researchers said‚ emphasizing the transformational potential of their research. Source study: Chaos—Synthesizing avian dreamsThe post The science behind birds’ singing in their sleep first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.