A boat trip near Roche Harbor in Washington ended up leading one man to a $1,000 civil penalty, after he violated regulations by driving his boat straight through a pod of orcas.The incident occurred back in September 2022, when the man, who’s been named as Matt Ryan, was taking his boat Cypress Point into the waters on the west side of San Juan Island. There, a fellow boater in a nearby vessel spotted the 15.5-meter (51-foot) boat heading toward a pod of orcas and, sounding their horn and using hand signals, attempted to warn Ryan of the whales’ presence.But those warnings went unheeded, and Ryan kept on course – even after one of the orcas leaped out of the water in front of his boat. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.What he may not have realized at the time, however, was that the captain of the other boat had filmed the entire scene and later reported it to the authorities through the interagency partnership Be Whale Wise.“The high-resolution video provided strong evidence in this case,” said Greg Busch, assistant director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement, West Coast Division, in a statement. “We’re fortunate that people watching knew what they were seeing was not right, documented it in detail, and reported it so that we could take action.”In this case, Ryan was violating federal regulations at the time which required all vessels in Washington’s inland waters to stay at least 183 meters (200 yards) away from orcas. For the region’s Southern Resident orca population, the distance required is even greater due to their status as an endangered group.Though it would later turn out that the whales in front of the Cypress Point were Bigg’s orcas, it’s unlikely that Ryan would’ve been able to tell the difference between the two – and regardless, both have federal protections.There’s a good reason behind those regulations; one of the main threats to orcas is the disturbances caused by boats. Orcas rely on sound for life under the water, using it to communicate, hunt, and navigate, but noise made by vessels can interfere with those behaviors.A 2021 study, for example, found that boats traveling within 366 meters (400 yards) of Southern Resident orcas in the waters surrounding San Juan Island disturbed the foraging activity of the whales to the point that some females didn’t feed at all.This, the authors write, “could have cascading effects on the ability to meet energetic requirements to support reproductive efforts. This is particularly concerning in an endangered population that is in decline.”Due to such threats, violations of distance protections are taken pretty seriously. In this case, Ryan’s punishment wound up as a $1,000 civil penalty and an admission of having been liable for the violation, carrying no criminal consequences, but perpetrators can end up receiving much greater fines and citations.And while we’re here, it’s not just boating that can be a problem – people really shouldn’t be body slamming orcas either.

After a three-week vacation, NBC’s Seth Meyers had a lot to catch up on Monday’s edition of Late Night. Amid various Olympic-themed analogies, Meyers was relieved that the election no longer feels “like a funeral dirge,” while he also reveled in the supposed idea that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are driving Republicans “insane.” Meyers recalled, “When I left this desk three weeks ago, suffice to say the vibes were brutal. The election felt like a funeral dirge. Trump was leading in national polls and seemed like he was coasting to victory.”     Now, however, “Fast forward to today, Harris is now leading in the polls, including new ones out from three key swing stages: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. If you told Democrats three weeks ago they'd be up four points in those three states before the end of August, they'd be twerking like a Canadian pole vaulter. By the way, was also awesome. And on top of all that, massive crowds are now waiting in lines to see Harris and Walz, mobbing her plane, and literally swag surfing at her rallies.” Later, Meyers turned to Walz, “The very existence of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is driving Trump insane, and it's revealed his true character for the world to see. That's why he's losing his mind at Kamala's poll numbers and crowd size. That's why the Republicans are desperately cycling through one nonsensical attack after another. For Walz, their latest is a dumb nickname that's probably not going to help them with women voters.” After a trio of Fox News clips dubbing Walz “Tampon Tim,” Meyers claimed: Republicans are flailing worse than me at Olympic break dancing. Just to clarify, Walz signed a bill into law providing free period products in public schools. It does not require them -- exactly. It does not require them in boy's bathrooms. Local districts have flexibility to decide where to put them and some, though not all, chose to include them in boy's bathrooms. And my response to that is ‘who cares?’ You think it's scandalizing for an eighth grade boy to see a tampon?  The only mention of Walz's military controversies was a brief two-second bit in a recap Meyers rattled off all the news he missed when he was away in which, he called the matter "lies," but never cared to actually debunk them. Here is a transcript for the August 12-taped show: NBC Late Night with Seth Meyers 8/13/2024 12:46 AM ET SETH MEYERS: When I left this desk three weeks ago, suffice to say the vibes were brutal. The election felt like a funeral dirge. Trump was leading in national polls and seemed like he was coasting to victory. Fast forward to today, Harris is now leading in the polls, including new ones out from three key swing stages: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin. If you told Democrats three weeks ago they'd be up four points in those three states before the end of August, they'd be twerking like a Canadian pole vaulter. By the way, was also awesome. And on top of all that, massive crowds are now waiting in lines to see Harris and Walz, mobbing her plane, and literally swag surfing at her rallies. … MEYERS: The very existence of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is driving Trump insane, and it's revealed his true character for the world to see. That's why he's losing his mind at Kamala's poll numbers and crowd size. That's why the Republicans are desperately cycling through one nonsensical attack after another. For Walz, their latest is a dumb nickname that's probably not going to help them with women voters. SEAN HANNITY: They're calling him tonight "Tampon Tim." REPORTER: A nickname for Tim Walz is "Tampon Tim." JESSE WATTERS: Trump's running against a woke woman and a progressive VP named "Tampon Tim." MEYERS: Republicans are flailing worse than me at Olympic break dancing. Just to clarify, Walz signed a bill into law providing free period products in public schools. It does not require them -- exactly. It does not require them in boy's bathrooms. Local districts have flexibility to decide where to put them and some, though not all, chose to include them in boy's bathrooms. And my response to that is who cares? You think it's scandalizing for an eighth grade boy to see a tampon?  The worse thing that will happen is that they'll steal them, put them in their friend's locker as a joke and their friend will say, "Not cool, Mike." And they'll say, "Shut up, Dave." And then, the principal will come by and say, "Hey, those aren't toys. Now, stop being so weird and get to football practice." And they'll say, "Yes, Mr. Walz."  Walz freaks out Republicans and Harris freaks out Trump because he can't stand the idea of anyone else getting more media attention or more crowds or more positive coverage. And now, he's once again claiming Democrats are cheating. Basically, Trump thinks he's getting screwed worse than a guy who's-- WATTERS: Having sex with a couch.

Former President Donald Trump went all in against Bidenomics hammering President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over inflation during a conversation with X-owner Elon Musk. Trump sat down with Musk during an Aug. 12 X Space interview covering the attempt on Trump’s life, energy policy, lawfare, inflation and censorship. During this conversation, Trump and Elon discussed how and why brutal inflation has harmed Americans over the last few years. The former president tore into Harris and Biden over the economy. “It's a disaster with inflation. It doesn't matter what you make, the inflation is eating you alive,” Trump said. ”Four years ago, five years ago, people were saving a lot of money. Today they're using all their money and borrowing money just to live.” In response, Musk laid the blame directly on massive government spending, saying that “Inflation comes from government overspending because the checks never bounce when it's written by the government.” Musk explained that inflation occurs when the government spends more than it recovers from taxes and increases the money supply, before calling for reducing government spending and studying how to reduce costs in the future.  The former president also called out the Biden administration for other inflationary policies such as increasing energy prices. Gas prices have risen 48% under Biden and Harris as the administration signed anti-energy executive orders, put a “pause” on liquified natural gas projects, strangled coal and natural gas plants and put restrictions on drilling in Alaska.  “We have to bring energy prices down,” Trump said before adding, “The cost of energy, not only gasoline, it's the cost of heating your house of cooling your house that has to come down. It’s gone up 100 percent, 150 and 200 percent and that has to come down.”  Later in the interview, Musk referred to inflation as “effectively a tax on people” before emphasizing the urgency of reducing government spending to solve inflation.  Trump agreed, pointing to other signs that  Americans are harmed by inflation such as the price of bacon and Americans’ rising debt. Americans’ average personal savings rate, which increased by 129% under the Trump administration, has fallen a catastrophic 70% under Biden and Harris.  Conservatives are under attack! Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and demand Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency on WEF partnerships, clarity on so-called hate speech and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

The male who was arrested in connection with Monday's stabbing at London's Leicester Square has been charged with attempted murder.Ioan Pintaru, 32 — a Romanian citizen with no fixed address — appeared at Westminster magistrates court Tuesday and also was charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place, the Guardian reported, adding that the weapon was a steak knife.Police warned the media and the public that 'nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.'A Sky News video report includes images of Pintaru.Prosecutor David Burns said the defendant “approached the 11-year-old girl, placed her into a headlock ... then stabbed her eight times to the body," the paper said, adding that the victim was visiting the area as a tourist with her mother.Burns added that the girl "sustained wounds to the face, shoulder, wrist and neck area. Fortunately members of the public intervened, which prevented any further injury to the child,” the Guardian noted.The paper also said the girl’s 34-year-old mother initially was thought to have been wounded as well, but blood on the mother actually was from her daughter's wounds, police said Tuesday.The girl was taken to a hospital, and Burns noted that she "required plastic surgery for the injuries she sustained,” the Guardian said.Police said Monday there was no suggestion the incident was terror-related, and authorities don't believe the defendant and the girl and her mother know each other, the paper noted.Pintaru will appear in the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales on Sept. 10, the Guardian said.Police warned the media and the public that "nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings." As readers of Blaze News know, the commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police recently said "we will come after you" — even if you live in another country — if you post material online about the rioting in England that officials define as inciting racial hatred.Just two weeks ago, a 17-year-old male was accused of killing three and injuring numerous other victims in a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed children's dance class in U.K. seaside town of Southport.Officials initially said there was no evidence that terrorism was a motive in the Southport knife attack, which angered many who accused the government of covering up evidence. Police identified suspect Axel Rudakubana and charged him with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. Officials identified him as being from Cardiff but also noted that his parents are Rwandan. Unrest and violence erupted the day after the stabbings and soon spread across the United Kingdom.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Marriott International Inc. filed a lawsuit against a franchisee hotel in New York City after it allegedly converted the property into a shelter for illegal aliens without the brand’s permission.According to the complaint, Pride Hotel in Jamaica, New York, “willfully breached” the franchise agreement by entering into a contract with the city in 2023 to house illegal immigrants. The New York Times reported that more than one in five New York City hotels is being used to house illegal aliens.'Even if it were possible, it would likely take many years.'“Marriott and Pride Hotel entered into the Franchise Agreements such that Pride Hotel would operate a dual-branded Aloft and Element hotel property,” the lawsuit, filed Aug. 5, states. “But instead of fulfilling its obligations under the Franchise Agreements, Pride Hotel and the other defendants never opened the Hotels as Marriott properties and, instead, entered a lucrative agreement with the City of New York to use the Hotels to house migrants and asylum seekers without Marriott’s permission and in violation of the Franchise Agreements.”Marriott also accused Pride Hotel of failing to remove the company’s trademarks and branding from its building before converting it into a shelter. The hotel brand claimed that “even if it were possible, it would likely take many years” for it to re-enter the market where Pride Hotel is located.According to Marriott, it was not notified by Pride Hotel when the building’s construction was completed. However, a Marriott employee noticed that individuals “appeared to be moving into” the property in August 2023. Pride Hotel then sent a letter to Marriott requesting that they re-evaluate their existing agreement and instead partner with the city to provide housing to illegal immigrants, the lawsuit read.Marriott stated that it confirmed that Pride Hotel had already started housing individuals on behalf of the city before it reached out to the company about modifying the agreement. Marriott provided Pride Hotel with a list of requirements to continue forward with housing illegal aliens, but the hotel “failed to respond for over two months,” the lawsuit said.“During this two-month period, Marriott received photographs from its opening managers showing that people were still living in the Hotels in late October 2023. Though the Hotels were occupied, Pride Hotel did not remit any fees to Marriott as required by the Franchise Agreements,” the complaint stated.Marriott terminated the franchise agreement in March and noted that Pride Hotel allegedly never paid any of its dues. It is seeking $2.6 million.New York City signed a $980 million contract with a hotel trade group in 2022 to provide housing to illegal immigrants. The hotels that participate in the program are guaranteed between $139 and $185 per night, regardless of whether the rooms are fully occupied or not, according to a report from the Times.The city's arrangement has significantly driven up hotel costs in the area. Converting the hotels back to traditional use would require significant and costly renovations that hotel brands may push for the city — taxpayers — to cover.Additionally, a recent audit released by the New York City comptroller's office found that the city performed poor oversight of its $432 million contract with Rapid Reliable Testing NY LLC, also referred to as DocGo, Blaze News previously reported. In part, the company was tasked with finding shelter for illegal aliens. However, the audit revealed that over just the first two months of the contract, DocGo received $1.7 million in taxpayer funds for nearly 10,000 hotel rooms that sat vacant. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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NEW: Unearthed Video Shows Tim Walz Had Close Relationship With Hitler-Promoting Muslim Cleric