"Too Little, Too Late": Biden Expected to Announce Border Executive Action This Week as AMNESTY Begins

Humans like to think they’re special, but at the end of the day, they’re just another primate. For proof, look no further than our DNA: we’re up to four percent Neanderthal, 99 percent chimpanzee, and 50 percent banana (the most monkey of all fruit, and you know it.)But despite knowing all this, you still might not be too happy to be informed if you have “gorilla ribs” – which is a shame, because there’s a non-zero chance that you really do. What are gorilla ribs?Besides the obvious – the ribs which are located inside a gorilla – you may not have heard of the anatomical variant sometimes known as “gorilla ribs”. That’s not surprising: they’re rare, potentially only occurring in around one in every hundred people, and even that small group generally won’t know they’ve got them unless something goes wrong.They "are usually detected as incidental findings during routine radiographic imaging of the lumbar region,” notes one 2017 case report of a man whose gorilla ribs were only discovered at autopsy. “The majority of cases […] have been asymptomatic.”So, what precisely are we dealing with, here? Well, gorilla ribs are more properly known as “supernumerary lumbar ribs” – a name which is both completely and accurately descriptive, and at the same time entirely unhelpful to anybody outside of the medical field. Translated into plain English, though, it’s a lot more straightforward: they’re an extra pair of ribs, found underneath the normal ones.“Lumbar ribs most commonly arise from first lumbar vertebra, although it has been reported to arise from the second and third vertebrae as well,” explains a 2013 case report of a man whose extra rib was discovered after a routine examination for back pain. “Lumbar ribs are a common finding in standard developmental toxicology bioassays that are performed globally,” the report adds. They "are associated with longer ribs, increased numbers of vertebrosternal ribs, and the presence of extra presacral vertebrae.”Okay, that’s a lot of words – it might be time for a little anatomy lesson.Why are they sometimes called gorilla ribs?Outside of anomalies, the human spine has 33 vertebrae – 24 in adulthood after ones at the bottom fuse. The first seven from the top are the cervical vertebrae – the vertebrae of the neck, which are found immediately below the skull. In fact (fun side trivia here) all mammals have the same number – yes, even giraffes – with only three exceptions: the manatee, which has six; the two-toed sloth, which has five to seven; and the three-toed sloth, which has eight or nine.Below the cervical vertebrae you should find 12 thoracic vertebrae – easy to spot, because they’re the ones that have ribs attached. However, not all ribs are created equal: the top seven pairs, are known as fixed or vertebrosternal ribs, are called “true”, meaning they are connected directly to the sternum, or breastbone; the next three pairs, conversely, are “false”, because while they do meet the sternum, it’s via the cartilage of the ribs above, rather than a direct connection.Finally, there are the two “floating” ribs, so called because they – well, they kind of float there. They’re attached to your spine, obviously, but not to anything else; they just sit there, protecting your kidneys and diaphragm and occasionally sliding out of place and making you think you’re dying.So much for the ribs and thoracic vertebrae; carry on downwards, and we next come to the lumbar vertebrae. You should have five of these, making up the spinal column of your lower back. Below that is the sacrum, which is the middle bit of your pelvis (the outer wing-like bits being the ilia), and underneath that is the coccyx – the sad vestigial reminder of our once-mighty tails. These latter two parts technically make up the last nine of your vertebrae, bringing the grand total to 33, but they’re all fused together inside your butt, so we may as well ignore them.Now, supernumerary lumbar (or "gorilla") ribs are an extra 13th pair that sprout from – you guessed it – the lumbar vertebrae. That might mean you just have fewer non-ribbed vertebrae in your spinal column, or it may – as the 2013 case report noted – involve having one more vertebra than most people. Either way, it can be quite confusing for the poor radiologist who first notices them, since vertebrae are usually either counted down from the last rib or up from the sacrum – with an extra rib and/or vertebra in the mix, those two methods no longer agree.But here’s the thing: you may have noticed that we specifically said the human spine. Despite our species’ closeness on the evolutionary tree, there are quite a few differences between humans and our primate cousins – and one that you probably haven’t thought about too much is sitting just inside our trunk.“The majority of mammals possess 19 or 20 thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, for a total of 26 or 27 [cervical, thoracic, and lumbar] vertebrae,” explained researchers from New York University, following a 2019 study into mammalian spinal variations. “There is little variation in these numbers, either within species or across different species – or even different species separated by over 160 million years of evolution,” they pointed out. “Humans, with 24 [vertebrae], are one of the exceptions.”But you know who’s not an exception? Almost all the other great apes. Chimps, bonobos, and, yes, gorillas all have 13 pairs of ribs, with only four lumbar vertebrae underneath (unless you’re an eastern gorilla, in which case you have just three). The overall effect is one of a human ribcage – albeit a conical and flared-out kind of one – with an extra couple of ribs underneath the normal set.So, when a human turns out to have an extra pair of ribs below the others? Well, we could have called them “chimpanzee ribs” or “bonobo ribs”, or even “gibbon ribs” if we wanted – but for whatever reason, “gorilla ribs” was the name that stuck.When gorilla ribs go wildSupernumerary lumbar ribs may be rare, but they’re far from the only way in which the human body can give you a little extra bone in your breastplate. For a few people – estimates vary wildly depending on what populations you’re measuring, why you’re measuring them, and who is doing the measuring – their extra rib isn’t at the bottom, but the top of their ribcage.Known as cervical ribs for obvious reasons – viz, they sprout from the cervical vertebrae – these are basically, well, ribs in your neck. Like gorilla ribs, they’re rare, and usually go unnoticed even when they’re there, since they tend not to cause many problems – although they can occasionally compress the nerves in your shoulder, leading to a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome.But where things get really hinky is in the few – very, very few – people for whom one set of extra ribs just doesn’t cut it.“Lumbar ribs most commonly arise from [the] first lumbar vertebra,” says the 2013 case report, but “it has been reported to arise from the second and third vertebrae as well […] Rudimentary ribs have also been reported at the sacral site and coccyx.”And if all else fails, you can always just shove in some extra vertebrae to cope with your gorilla-esque anatomy – like one 35-year-old who, in 1969, was found to “[have] 15 pairs of thoracic ribs arising from 15 thoracic vertebrae.” “In our search of the literature we have not found another case of a patient with this many pairs of thoracic ribs,” the authors of that particular case study noted. You know what? Forget gorillas – that guy was clearly a snake.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.  The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.  

Phase III trial results for a new drug targeting advanced lung cancer have just been reported, with some experts calling them “unprecedented” and “off the chart”. The drug is called lorlatinib, and the trial team says it’s setting a “new benchmark for targeted therapies in cancer.” A staggering 60 percent of patients on the drug showed no disease progression after five years – for those taking an existing drug, this was just 8 percent.“You don’t need a magnifying glass to see the difference between these two drugs,” commented Dr Julie Gralow, chief medical officer of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), to the Guardian. “Sixty per cent five-year progression-free survival in non-small cell lung cancer is just unheard of.”Lorlatinib, also known by its brand name Lorbrena, was developed to target non-small cell lung cancer in which there is a specific genetic mutation involving the ALK gene. Although ALK-positive cancer only accounts for a small fraction of lung cancer diagnoses, it tends to affect younger people and nonsmokers, and can readily spread to the brain in a process called metastasis.Treating ALK-positive cancer is a challenge. Drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), of which lorlatinib is an advanced example, work well initially, but almost all patients will later experience a relapse as their cancer becomes resistant to the drugs.In this latest, trial, lorlatinib was compared to another TKI called crizotinib. It’s important to note that crizotinib is no longer routinely used in the US, although it is still in use in the UK and elsewhere. Dr Gralow explained to NBC News that the more up-to-date drugs that are used by oncologists in the US had not been approved when the trial originally started, and thus could not be included.That doesn’t take anything away from the fact that the new results show “the most impressive progression-free survival we’ve ever seen in this population,” Dr Gralow added.A group of 296 patients with ALK-positive lung cancer were randomly assigned receive treatment with either lorlatinib or crizotinib. The patients were followed up for 5 years to track their progress.As well as the unprecedented progression-free survival outcomes, only four patients taking lorlatinib developed lesions on their brains, suggesting that the cancer was spreading there. For those who were already showing signs of brain metastasis when the trial started, lorlatinib decreased the probability of their brain disease continuing to worsen by 83 percent. In the crizotinib group, every patient with brain metastases experienced disease progression during the trial.The second-generation TKIs – the ones that are too new to have been included in this trial – have led to significant improvements over crizotinib when it comes to treating brain metastases, but the authors note the prognosis for these patients remains poor. With lorlatinib, we could be looking at another big leap forward.“Lorlatinib is the only ALK TKI that has reported five-year progression-free survival, and even after this time, the majority of patients continue to have their disease controlled, including control of disease in the brain,” lead author Dr Benjamin Solomon told the Guardian.All drugs can cause side effects, and the potential side effects of chemotherapy are often among people’s biggest fears when they’re diagnosed with cancer. A majority of patients taking lorlatinib, 77 percent, did experience some adverse effects, with the most common being swelling, high cholesterol, and elevated lipid levels – these are known issues with other anticancer drugs, and may be tackled with cholesterol-lowering medications.Sometimes chemotherapy side effects can be mitigated by reducing the dose or pausing treatment for a while.Because of adverse effects, the study authors report that 62 percent of patients took a temporary break from lorlatinib treatment and 11 percent stopped it completely. Crizotinib, too, caused side-effects, with 48 percent of patients taking a break and 11 percent permanently coming off the drug.Importantly, though, the authors report that reducing the dose of lorlatinib early in treatment did not seem to have a negative impact on outcomes.Overall, the authors conclude that the results represent “the longest [progression-free survival] ever reported with any single-agent molecular targeted treatment not only in advanced [non-small cell lung cancer] but across all metastatic solid tumors.”Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Lorlatinib may only be suitable for a small fraction of cases – those with the ALK mutation – but for eligible patients, this new generation of drugs could be genuinely changing the game.  The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

China has made history on the Moon once more. It successfully landed once again on the far side of the Moon, having been the only nation to have done that before. The new mission, Chang’e 6, is going for another first. It will collect rocks and soil, bringing them back to Earth. If it does so successfully, it will be the first sample collected from the far side.The Moon is tidally locked to Earth. This means that it takes the same time to rotate on its axis as it takes to go around our planet, so we see only one face: the near side. But there is a whole other face that we have been able to study since space travel became a possibility – and still it was only with Chang’e 4 in 2019 that humanity landed there. And now we might get pieces of it back.     IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The Moon is not all the same everywhere, and samples have revealed some intriguing insights about the history and composition of our satellite. Chang’e 6 landed at 22:23 UTC on June 1 in the Apollo crater, which is 537 kilometers (334 miles) across. This already enormous crater is part of an even bigger site: the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an area of massive interest for understanding the Moon's past.The South Pole-Aitken Basin formed around 4 billion years ago when a colossal object slammed into the Moon. That object did not disappear, and researchers believe that it remains buried underneath this region. After all, there is a massive structure under it. But even more important is the fact that the collision threw a portion of the lunar mantle out into the open. If Chang’e 6 were to find mantle rocks and bring them back, it would be revolutionary.The surface on the far side tends to be more rugged than the near side. Apollo is relatively flat, but Chang’e 6 had to be equipped with some impressive tech to guarantee success. Not an easy task, given how many crash-lands the Moon has seen in the last year alone.“During the descent, an autonomous visual obstacle avoidance system was used to automatically detect obstacles, with a visible light camera selecting a comparatively safe landing area based on the brightness and darkness of the lunar surface,” a press release on the Chinese National Space Agency website said.“The combination then hovered about 100 meters [328 feet] above the safe landing area and used a laser 3D scanner to detect obstacles on the lunar surface to select the final landing site before a slow vertical descent. As the combination approached the lunar surface, it shut down the engine and touched down via free fall, protected by a cushioning system.”Chang’e 6 is equipped with a drill and a scooping device. It will collect about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of sample from up to 2 meters (6.6 feet) below the surface. It is expected to fly off tomorrow, June 4, and all going well it will take 4.5 days to come back to Earth.

Earlier this year, there was a bit of a mystery at the Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, after a stingray appeared to become pregnant despite no male stingrays being present. While an interesting mystery in its own right, the case drew extra attention after suggestions by the head of the aquarium that the stingray could have been impregnated by a shark. After a series of tests, however, the team has found "truly a sad and unexpected medical development.""Our stingray, Charlotte, is expecting! We have held this close to our hearts for over 3 months," Team ECCO, which runs the aquarium, announced on Facebook in February, alongside ultrasound scans. "The really amazing thing [i]s we have no male ray!"                                             There are of course a few options for how a ray could become pregnant without the presence of a male. Some species of ray can store sperm for later use, but no male stingrays have been kept in the tank with Charlotte at all, Brenda Ramer, founder and executive director of Team ECCO, told ABC 13 News at the time.However, there were males of another species in there with her, leading to the unlikely claim that a shark could have impregnated her."In mid-July 2023, we moved two 1-year-old white spot bamboo males (sharks) into that tank. There was nothing we could find definitively about their maturation rate, so we did not think there would be an issue," said Ramer. "We started to notice bite marks on Charlotte, but saw other fish nipping at her, so we moved fish, but the biting continued."During mating, male sharks – including bamboo sharks – bite the females in order to get into position, suggesting to the team that this might be an explanation. Hybrids are possible, though generally between two genetically similar species that have not long diverged, and there are no documented cases of sharks breeding with stingrays.Hybrids of species that parted ways long ago have been discovered, but they are incredibly rare. In 2020, a team found a hybrid of an American paddlefish and a Russian sturgeon, two species that last shared an ancestor in the Jurassic era. Ultimately, this idea was always very unlikely."I'm going to stop this misinfo in its tracks," Dr Noah Bressman, assistant professor of physiology at Salisbury University, explained on Bluesky. "Sharks [and] rays are as distantly related as humans [and] snakes, so a snake knocking up a human is just as likely as a shark knocking up a ray."Another idea was proposed, though this too would be revealed as incorrect. Rays can reproduce sexually, but in rarer cases, they can develop an embryo without fertilization. This is known as parthenogenesis, a term that stems from the Greek words for “virgin birth”. Birth by this method, though still uncommon, happens every now and then. In fact, one shark at the aquarium has given birth via parthenogenesis 14 times. Though it is rarer in rays, it was still more likely than a hybrid. However, after a series of tests, the team has found a grimmer explanation; the stingray was unwell."We regret the delay of updates regarding Charlotte. This time was necessary to gather data and analyze lab and testing results," the aquarium wrote on Facebook on May 30. "The reports show that Charlotte has developed a rare reproductive disease that has negatively impacted her reproductive system. The findings are truly a sad and unexpected medical development.""Our priority is to focus on Charlotte’s health and wellbeing. We will work with, and be guided by, veterinarians and specialists to better understand this disease and the treatment options for Charlotte," the team added, though there was no comment on whether the stingray remained, or was ever, pregnant. "While the research of this disease is limited, we hope that Charlotte’s case and medical treatment will positively contribute to science and be of benefit to other rays in the future."

Animal migrations are some of the most spectacular sights the natural world has to offer, from incredible wildebeest moving across Africa to the incredible solo journeys undertaken by bird species across planet Earth. Now, a silky shark has entered the record books with a record-breaking migration that helps highlight the vulnerability of this species.Silky sharks (Carcharhinus falciformis) are a widespread species found across many of the world’s oceans. They tend to be found in waters near the edges of continental shelves. They typically hunt tuna as well as squid, crabs, and porcupine fish, write the Shark Research Institute. "I had a mixed gut feeling about the migratory nature of silkies from the Galápagos Marine Reserve. While previous studies on pelagic sharks had revealed that they can travel for thousands of kilometres, our previous research on tiger sharks in the Galápagos had shown that they like to stay close to home due to the great abundance of food within the reserve. Since we always encounter silky sharks behind the boat during field work at Darwin and Wolf islands, I thought they might also like to stay close to home … only to be proved wrong big time!" said Dr Pelayo Salinas de León, lead author of the study and co-Principal Investigator of the shark ecology project at the Charles Darwin Foundation, in a statement.Scientists researching silky sharks fitted an adult female (nicknamed Genie) with a satellite transmitter near Wolf Island to the north of the Galapagos Marine Reserve in July 2021. What followed was an epic journey of more than 27,666 kilometers (17,190 miles) over 546 days, breaking the record for the longest recorded migration of a silky shark by nearly six times.The mighty voyage undertaken by Genie is the equivalent of crossing the US from the east to west coast four times. At the furthest point, Genie was 4,755 kilometers (2,954 miles) away from the point she was tagged in. This graphic shows the likely locations of Genie during her mammoth migration route.Image Credit: Save Our Seas Foundation"Understanding the migratory pathways of silky and other threatened pelagic sharks is crucial for developing effective management strategies to revert ongoing global population declines. Sharks have been roaming the world’s oceans for hundreds of millions of years and the map boundaries we humans have established on paper mean nothing to them," said Dr Salinas de León in a second statement. Silky sharks are classed as vulnerable by the IUCN, which also explains that the silky shark is the second most caught species of shark globally. They frequently become tangled in fish aggregating devices and are often caught as bycatch as well as being caught intentionally for their fins. Silky sharks are vulnerable to overfishing because they take a long time to mature and grow slowly. “Their long migrations through heavily fished international waters expose them to significant risks, highlighting the need for a coordinated global response to ensure the survival of this highly threatened group of species,” continued Dr Salinas de León.Genie was thought to have swum an average of 50.67 kilometers (31 miles) per day. The data represents the longest recorded migration both in duration and in distance traveled. She also spent nearly all her time within international waters, not inside the protected safer waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands. "This finding is a call to action for all stakeholders involved in marine conservation and fisheries management to work together to protect these iconic species and the oceanic ecosystems they inhabit," added co-author Dr Mahmood Shivji of the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Research Center and Guy Harvey Research Institute.The paper is published in the Journal of Fish Biology.

After a years-long hunt, Vermont botanists have rediscovered a floodplain-dwelling plant species that hadn’t been seen in the state since 1916.When it comes to the search for false mermaid-weed (Floerkea proserpinacoides), it’s not exactly an understatement to say it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. The plant is small, making it hard enough to spot among the many taller plants living alongside it.And if you thought its flower might make it more obvious, you’d be wrong – some are only the size of a pin head. Coupled with a short blooming period of around four to six weeks a year, there’s a lot working against anyone trying to find the plant.But 108 years after false mermaid-weed was last spotted in Vermont, Molly Parren, a turtle technician from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, inadvertently snapped a picture of it whilst visiting a streamside parcel on private land and sent it to her botanist colleague."When I opened up the photo that she had sent, there was this little weird plant in the corner of the frame. And when I zoomed in, I immediately knew that it was Floerkea, that it was false mermaid-weed," Grace Glynn, a botanist at the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, told Vermont Public. "I couldn't believe that I was finally seeing this plant."According to a social media post from the department, Glynn then visited the site and confirmed the presence of the plant, as well as further specimens in a public conservation area downstream.Even considering its miniature size, it was a surprise to find false mermaid-weed in the state after all this time – though it’s native to and fairly common in multiple states in the US.“False mermaid-weed is a floodplain plant, and historic populations are believed to have been destroyed by some common challenges facing Vermont's floodplains: extreme floods, invasive species, and development,” said the department.“The fact that the newly rediscovered population of false mermaid-weed has been able to persist in good quality habitat - on both private and protected land in Addison County - for over a century is a sign that good stewardship by landowners and conservation organizations really can make a difference.”With the plant only blooming for a short period, it’ll be a year before the rediscovered patch can be surveyed in more detail. In doing so, it’s hope that botanists will learn more about how false mermaid-weed can be conserved.“Ultimately, we want to know how we can help this species flourish in Vermont in the future,” Glynn told VTDigger.

As NewsBusters reported, ABC, CBS and NBC were obsessed (even before the final verdict came down) with the Donald Trump trial.  On Monday, another big trial involving a political figure begins. However, don’t expect anywhere near the amount of network interest in D.A. Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump — because these legal proceedings involve Hunter Biden.  While Hunter isn’t on the same level as former President Trump, he is still the son of the current president and therefore his gun trial should garner a lot of attention and it probably would if ABC, CBS, NBC weren’t so in the tank for Team Biden. If their refusal to cover any of the recent Biden family scandals is a guide, don’t expect ABC, CBS, NBC to plaster their evening and morning shows with reports on Hunter Biden’s gun trial. The following are five brand new Biden family scandals (from the last three months) that ABC, CBS, NBC refused to report:      Documents Show Hunter Used Sandy Hook Memorial to Set Up a Meeting Between Joe and Chinese Business Partner On May 27, the New York Post reported:   Hunter Biden used his dad’s appearance at a Sandy Hook shooting memorial event to coordinate a previously unknown planned meeting between the former vice president and a Chinese business partner, newly unveiled texts showed. On Dec. 12, 2017, Hunter messaged CEFC executive Liu Yadong on WeChat to arrange a meeting with his powerful dad, documents released this week by the House Ways and Means Committee revealed. “Can you meet this evening early,” Hunter wrote in the messages obtained by IRS investigators. “My father will be in New York also and he wants me to attend the Sandyhook [sic] memorial service with him and I would like him to meet you along with my uncle [Jim Biden] and then you and I can talk let me know if that works.” “No problem,” Liu replied. “Pls let me know where and when to meet.” Joe Biden was later pictured at the Plaza Hotel for the event commemorating five years since the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It was not immediately clear if Biden and Liu actually met that night. Despite repeatedly insisting his family earned no money from China, the president featured prominently in first son Hunter and first brother James Biden’s multimillion-dollar relationship with CEFC, with most of his known alleged interactions happening in 2017 shortly after he left office as vice president. Joe Biden played a similar supporting role in Hunter’s dealings with Chinese state-backed fund BHR Partners, which was registered just days after the father-son duo landed in Beijing aboard Air Force Two in 2013. The newly revealed texts between Hunter Biden and Liu came after several months of back-and-forth over the Biden clan’s involvement in a deal with CEFC – which has ties to the Chinese government – in exchange for a cool $10 million per year. ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.   House Votes to Release Evidence That Proves Hunter “Indisputably” Lied Under Oath On May 22, the New York Post reported:  The House Ways and Means Committee voted Wednesday to release 100 pages of new evidence that shows Hunter Biden lied under oath to Congress during his Feb. 28 deposition. The evidence, provided by IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who probed the first son’s finances, reveals Hunter “indisputably” lied at least three times during his sworn testimony, the panel’s majority said after voting in a closed-door executive session for its release. Hunter, 54, claimed he was “high or drunk” when he sent a threatening text message to the wrong Chinese business associate — but phone records of the WhatsApp message show the associate, Raymond Zhao, responded and “knew exactly” what the president’s son was talking about when he asked to speak with the chairman of CEFC China Energy, Ye Jianming.  “Sure. I need some time to reach him,” Zhao, a translator for CEFC, wrote back in messages over the next day. “CEFC is willing to cooperate with the family.” The first son also kept exchanging messages with Zhao after making the threat that he was “sitting” with his father, Joe Biden, and said they would both “hold a grudge” if the CEFC translator reneged on a “commitment.” … Ziegler also provided documents to the committee showing that Hunter signed off on and was the “beneficial owner” of a Rosemont Seneca Bohai bank account — despite his testimony that it was not “under my control nor affiliated with me” and he “didn’t even know that there was such a thing” as a corporate secretary of an entity. “I, Robert Hunter Biden, hereby certify that I am the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC,” reads the signed April 29, 2014, document, which allowed the first son to enter into a contract with Porsche Financial Services. Hunter also falsely denied that he would help his associates with “any work as it related to visas that they needed” or “pick up the phone and call anybody for a visa.” In fact, a Feb. 5, 2015, email obtained by Ways and Means show Hunter, his ex-business partner Devon Archer and other associates trying to secure a visa for the founder of the Ukrainian gas firm Burisma, Mykola Zlochevsky. “Hunter is checking with Miguel Aleman to see if he can provide cover to Kola on the visa,” Archer wrote in the email, before adding to Burisma associate Vadym Pozharskyi: “please send Hunter an email with all Kola’s passport and visa documents and evidence and copy me. We’ll take it from there.” “Hunter Biden has shown once again he believes there are two systems of justice in this country — one for his family, and one for everyone else,” said House Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) in a statement. “Not only did Hunter Biden refuse to comply with his initial subpoena until threatened with criminal contempt, but he then came before Congress and lied.” ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.   Hunter Claims He Never Introduced Dad to Burisma Exec, Despite Them All Having Dinner Together On May 20, the New York Post reported:  Indicted first son Hunter Biden suggested in a new interview that he didn’t introduce his father to an executive from a Ukrainian gas company that was paying Hunter a million-dollar salary — despite testifying to Congress that then-Vice President Joe Biden dined with the very same Burisma Holdings executive. The 54-year-old brazenly backpedaled days after a fresh report that “sugar brother” Kevin Morris, who has bankrolled Hunter since meeting him at a presidential campaign fundraiser in late 2019, is “completely tapped out” after giving or loaning the scandal-plagued Biden at least $4.9 million. President Biden’s son told The Daily Beast that lewd photos from his abandoned laptop, which also contained documents linking his dad to foreign business relationships, show “someone in the throes of addiction” and have been used to bolster the case that his business dealings were improper. “You know, ‘Here’s this degenerate. And we can show you in vivid detail the level of his degeneracy. And here’s him smoking a crack pipe. And here’s him naked in a bathtub… Oh, and by the way, here’s an email from Vadym [Pozharskyi] thanking him for introducing him to his dad,’” Hunter told the outlet. “Now, none of the second part is true. But they’ve made it a hell of a lot easier for people to believe.”  Hunter indicated he did not introduce the Burisma board adviser to his father despite testifying on Feb. 28 that then-VP Biden attended a pair of dinners at DC’s Cafe Milano restaurant in 2014 and 2015 — one of which included Pozharskyi, whose company hired Hunter in early 2014 as his dad assumed control of the Obama administration’s policy toward Ukraine. “I do believe that Vadym was at one of these dinners, yes,” Hunter told Congress, backing The Post’s initial October 2020 reporting on documents from Hunter’s abandoned laptop. The Post’s scoop was initially censored by Facebook and Twitter as the Biden campaign gave the impression it was denying the reporting, which described a thank-you email from Pozharskyi one day after the April 16, 2015, meal at Cafe Milano. Emails show Hunter planned for the dinner, which included other foreign patrons, to be “ostensibly” about his role on the board of the World Food Program USA charity. ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.   Fund Manager Claims Jim Biden Had Business Relationship with Qatari Officials, Would Be Closest Link Between a Biden Family Member and Foreign Government On April 28, Politico reported:  New details about Jim Biden’s foreign fundraising efforts are spilling out in a Kentucky bankruptcy court, where recent testimony indicates that President Joe Biden’s brother partnered with Qatari government officials in his quest to find money for U.S. health care ventures. The sworn testimony by fund manager Michael Lewitt, a former business partner of Jim Biden’s, attests that two companies that facilitated the efforts were part-owned by “members of the Qatari government.” One company named in the testimony partnered directly with Jim Biden in the multi-year fundraising efforts. The second company provided financial backing for a series of loans that a hospital chain paid Jim Biden to arrange, according to documents and testimony Lewitt submitted in the course of the federal bankruptcy proceedings. If substantiated, the alleged arrangements would constitute some of the closest known financial links between a relative of President Joe Biden and a foreign government. The alleged arrangements stem from an effort by Jim Biden to raise money from Qatari sources for ventures in the U.S. beginning in the months after his older brother left the vice presidency. At the time, the tiny, gas-rich nation faced a financial blockade from its neighbors and was spending lavishly to shore up its political standing in the West. Public records and emails obtained by POLITICO offer a window on fundraising efforts in which Jim Biden invoked his ties to older brother and sought workarounds to restrictions on international money movements. Transactions related to the efforts are also at the heart of a recently-settled fraud case brought by the SEC and are being scrutinized as part of a federal criminal investigation in South Florida. Much about the efforts remains unknown, and the White House, the Qatari Embassy, and a representative for Jim Biden all did not respond to requests for comment for this story. ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.   CIA Blocked Hunter’s “Sugar Brother” Attorney Friend From Being Interviewed by Feds     On March 21, the New York Post reported: The CIA blocked federal investigators from interviewing Hunter Biden’s “sugar brother” Kevin Morris during a five-year probe into the first son’s alleged tax crimes, a whistleblower has told House impeachment leaders. House Oversight and Judiciary Committee chairmen say the whistleblower informed them the intelligence agency stopped IRS and Justice Department investigators from interviewing Morris in August 2021, a Hollywood lawyer and patron of the first son, according to a Thursday letter addressed to CIA Director William Burns. The whistleblower informed Oversight chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that two DOJ officials were summoned to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va. — and told Morris “could not be a witness” for their investigation into Hunter Biden. “It is unknown why or on what basis the CIA allegedly intervened to prevent investigators from interviewing Mr. Morris,” Comer and Jordan wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The  Post. “However, these allegations track with other evidence showing how the DOJ deviated from its standard investigative practices during the investigation of Hunter Biden.” The Republican lawmakers added that the account “seems to corroborate our concerns about DOJ’s deviations from standard process to provide Hunter Biden with preferential treatment,” which have been unearthed as evidence during their impeachment inquiry into his father, President Biden. ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.

Sally Buzbee has resigned from her post as Executive Editor of the Washington Post. She was at the struggling newspaper for just three years before calling it quits. The move comes just months before the presidential election. Fox News Digital reported that Buzbee will be replaced by former editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal Matt Murray. He is expected to stay on with the newspaper until the conclusion of the presidential election. Afterward, the job is expected to be passed to Robert Winnett, who is currently serving as the deputy editor at the Telegraph Media Group. 'We are taking a definitive step away from the 'one size fits all' approach and moving towards meeting our audiences where they are.'William Lewis, CEO and Publisher of the newspaper, said the change was needed because the paper is trying to accommodate its audience better, according to the New York Post. "Sally is an incredible leader and a supremely talented media executive who will be sorely missed. I wish her all the best going forward," Lewis said. Buzbee's departure was shared via email by Lewis to those on staff Sunday evening.The Washington Post released a statement on Sunday, stating:The Washington Post also announced today its intention to launch a new division of the newsroom dedicated to better serving audiences who want to consume and pay for news differently from traditional offerings. This third newsroom will be comprised of service and social media journalism and run separately from the core news operation. The aim is to give the millions of Americans – who feel traditional news is not for them but still want to be kept informed – compelling, exciting and accurate news where they are and in the style that they want.Buzbee previously worked as executive editor at the Associated Press before joining the Washington Post in 2021. However, during her tenure, the newspaper has suffered a significant loss in audience and labored under financial difficulties.Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos purchased the Washington Post in 2013 from then-chairman and CEO Donald Graham. Graham previously characterized Bezos as a "uniquely good new owner." The decision to hand the newspaper over to Bezos came after years of industry challenges, per reports.After a decade under Bezos' control, the newspaper is struggling once again."By creating three, strong, journalism functions — Core, Service/Social and Opinions — we are taking a definitive step away from the 'one size fits all' approach and moving towards meeting our audiences where they are," Lewis said.Murray expressed his excitement to get started on the newspaper, saying: "I’m deeply honored to join such a storied news institution with its long, rich history of memorable and impactful journalism and want to thank Sally for her great leadership.""I am excited by Will and Jeff’s vision for The Post’s next era of growth and reinvention and can’t wait to get started."One Washington Post insider said, "This has been a chaotic and turbulent period internally."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A concealed-carry license holder shot three males who physically attacked him amid an argument outside his Chicago home Friday night, police told WLS-TV.The 43-year-old victim was arguing with three other males he knew just before 11:30 p.m. in the 4700 block of West Wrightwood Ave. in the city's Belmont Cragin neighborhood when the three males physically attacked the victim, police told the station.'He's my cousin, the one that they beat up,' Andres Salgado told WLS. 'I don't really know the whole story, but my cousin's a hardworking man ... he has two kids. His wife is a teacher in public schools.'With that, police told WLS the victim pulled out a handgun and fired it, hitting all three alleged attackers.Police noted to the station that a 29-year-old male was shot five times in the torso; he was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition. WLS added that a 22-year-old male was shot in the chest and taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital in critical condition while a 55-year-old man was shot in the neck and was in critical condition at Illinois Masonic Hospital.The victim suffered blunt force trauma to his head and body and was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, police told the station, adding that the victim's gun was recovered at the scene."He's my cousin, the one that they beat up," Andres Salgado told WLS. "I don't really know the whole story, but my cousin's a hardworking man ... he has two kids. His wife is a teacher in public schools."Salgado added to the station that the alleged attackers "tried to go into my cousin's house."Area Five Detectives are trying to determine a motive as well as the circumstances behind the attack, WLS said, adding that police haven't released information about possible criminal charges. "He's a hardworking man, doesn't deserve this," Salgado added to the station in regard to the victim. "Always with his kids, taking them to baseball, baseball practice, everything. His wife is a teacher. Very respectful family." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!