News Snowpiercer Snowpiercer Season 4 Trailer Hints That Someone Is Coming, and That Someone Is Clark Gregg By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on June 3, 2024 Credit: AMC Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: AMC “They’re coming!” That’s the message from the very short teaser for the upcoming fourth season of Snowpiercer. Who is coming, exactly, is still unclear, though it looks like it’s a force of stormtroopers/winter soldiers (sorry, not sorry) who don’t seem too happy. We’ve known since 2022 that Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will be in the upcoming episodes, but AMC released an image of the actor that strongly suggests that he’s part of the arctic brigade, which you can see here: Gregg isn’t the only new cast member we’ll see in season four: Michael Aronov (The Drop, The Americans, Operation Finale) will also be in the upcoming episodes. The two join series regulars Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Sean Bean, Rowan Blanchard, Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, Iddo Goldberg, Katie McGuinness, Hall, Sam Otto, Chelsea Harris, Mike O’Malley, Roberto Urbina and Sheila Vand. Here’s the synopsis for the final season: Nine months after Snowpiercer and Big Alice parted ways, Till and Ben encounter unforeseen enemies when Melanie sends them off the train on a reconnaissance mission. Meanwhile, the residents of New Eden face uncertain times and unknown adversaries, compelling them to further confront the complexities of their new reality. The first episode of season four, “Snakes In The Garden,” premieres Sunday, July 21, 2024, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and will be available to stream on AMC+. If you want to catch up before then, the first two seasons are currently streaming on AMC+, with the third season dropping on the platform on June 8, 2024. Check out the trailer for season four below. [end-mark] The post Snowpiercer Season 4 Trailer Hints That Someone Is Coming, and That Someone Is Clark Gregg appeared first on Reactor.

Movies & TV Doctor Who Doctor Who Uses Social Media Toward Devastating Ends in “Dot and Bubble” What starts as a treatise on the problems of social media bubbles ends on a far more painful note By Emmet Asher-Perrin | Published on June 3, 2024 Credit: BBC / Disney+ Comment 1 Share New Share Credit: BBC / Disney+ This week seemed like it was going to be all cute aesthetics with horror beneath… they sure fooled us. Recap Credit: BBC / Disney+ Lindy Pepper-Bean (Callie Cooke) awakes in Finetime, a city of wealthy white young people protected from the Wild Woods by a bubble shield. The denizens all go about their lives inside virtual bubbles where they maintain constant contacts with their friend lists via video. They work two hours a day, and then party for the rest of it, and are directed through the environment by their bubble, never looking outside of it. Lindy’s friend Gothic Paul (Pete MacHale) tells her that their friends are disappearing, but Lindy isn’t interested in that; she’d much rather watch the local influencer Ricky September (Tom Rhys Harries) and do her work. The Doctor pops up in her bubble, but he’s not on her friend’s list, so Lindy blocks him. Ruby appears while Lindy is working and claims she works in maintenance. She asks Lindy to turn off her dot and drop her bubble and see what’s outside. Lindy sees a large slug monster eating her coworker. The Doctor and Ruby tell Lindy to drop the bubble again and get out of the building, but Lindy can’t walk without the bubble directing her. She encounters another slug creature, but it doesn’t eat her, and the Doctor can’t figure out why. He tells Lindy to make her way to the evacuation area via conduits underground. Lindy gets stuck and runs into Ricky September IRL. He saves her and admits that after he uploads videos, he logs off immediately to read and learn. Ricky uses the computer system to check on their Homeworld—all these young people were sent to live in Finetime by wealthy parents—but he discovers that Homeworld was already overrun by the slug monsters. He doesn’t tell Lindy. Ricky and Lindy make it underground and the Doctor instructs Ricky to plug in numbers at the door leading to the evacuation area until it unlocks. The Doctor and Ruby finally work out that the people in Finetime are being eaten in alphabetical order, leading them to work out that the slug monsters were created by the dots; the technology they created has grown to hate them. Lindy is unfortunately next on the list, and because there are no slugs down there, her own dot weaponizes and tries to kill her. Ricky tells Lindy to work on the door lock while he fights it off. As the door opens, Lindy tells the dot that Ricky September changed his name, and his real surname is Coombes—he’s the next on the alphabetized list. The dot kills Ricky while she escapes. Lindy finds the few survivors remaining underground with the Doctor and Ruby and the TARDIS. The group is preparing supplies to leave, ready to tame the woods outside. The Doctor insists that it’s too dangerous out there, and asks the group to come with him. All of them are mortified by the idea: The Doctor is an outsider, and they already feel contaminated by allowing him this close. The Doctor tells them that he doesn’t care if they continue to believe that, and offers them the chance to escape again, somewhere they can be safe. The group refuses in disdain, and leave on their boat. The Doctor cries and screams, and leaves with Ruby. Commentary Credit: BBC / Disney+ Oh yeah. Yes. Keep going. Let’s get the less heavy stuff out of the way first: Apparently, this episode was originally designed for Eleven’s tenure (which, that would’ve been an entirely different circus, huh?), but cut because the effects needed would’ve cost too much. That work is on display here, and it’s one of the few places where I’ve actually appreciated the Disney money thus far because it gives the environment that extra plastic sheen. The fact that the “monsters” of the episode are practical effects (there are three people working those slugs at a time!) and also aren’t really the monsters of the episode at all, it’s so good. The story also has that limited-scope feel of so many of the best Who episodes, with only two characters really getting most of the screen time and the Doctor and Ruby on the periphery of things. I know that some folks weren’t pleased with the Gen Z style dialogue on this one, but that critique doesn’t hold for me because it’s so important that the sickly parody of social media culture be too heavy and reach a little too hard. The misdirect of the ultimate theme in the episode is more effective when its initial salvo of critiquing social media doesn’t entirely work. I had a moment in the beginning of internal eye rolling at Lindy’s resistance to the concept of “dropping your bubble,” like yes, okay we get it, har har. Everything about it is just on the wrong side of overdone, which is the perfect distraction. The aesthetic works in favor of this, and so does Callie Cooke’s outstanding performance; she leans into the vacancy with intention, so that it’s hard to tell where the portrayal is headed. And the arc here is working to misdirect us because we’ve seen Doctor Who guest stars do the opposite of what this story entails—we’ve watched people learn and change and grow into a better destiny due to meeting the Doctor, so we’re primed to assume that will be the direction things play out in. The story is poking at the audience too, in its depiction of these things. What annoys us about how social media is portrayed here? Is it actual missteps (which are there, in fairness) or is it simply having to acknowledge the inherent nastiness that the landscape engenders and how often it encourages our worst impulses by design? And more importantly—did you or did you not notice that every single person on the screens in Finetime was white? It’s the first glaring clue, and it’s literally projected at us from every angle immediately. And there are clues about Lindy, too, but we’re inclined to dismiss them: As Ricky points out, she’s saying this is the best day of her life while all of her friends are being eaten. She tries to ignore the Doctor from the very start for not “belonging” in her bubble, but is more receptive to Ruby invading it. The script gives us outs, ways in which we can twist her meaning to make the answer for her behavior something more benign. Which is, in turn, often what we do when we encounter behaviors that could be the result of malignant prejudices. We are left to make up our own minds until the point when Lindy sells out Ricky to save herself. And even then, we still aren’t sure of the purpose (if any) around that reveal. We only get to sit with the discomfort of having spent the entire episode with her—another important choice in the framing. This is another Doctor-lite episode and it’s better for the fact that we’re being given the entire plot through Lindy’s eyes. Encouraging the viewer to fully engage with her point of view, perhaps even empathize with her plight, is the surest way to give the ending its maximum impact. But before we get into that ending: Whatever this episode achieves, there are still no Black writers working on Doctor Who this season, or any POC writers at all, for that matter. That needs to be said because the show can still and always do better, and that’s a particularly glaring place to start. Regardless of that, racism is still something that the show needs to continually reckon with, particularly with their current leading man. And this episode manages that need in a way that doesn’t feel clichéd, tidy, or weakened for audience comfort. In fact, the end of this episode is perfectly calibrated devastation. And that matters coming off of Thirteen’s tenure, where sexism only got the barest wave in a couple episodes, and even then was never handled emotionally for the Doctor at all. It matters because even after all that he’s been through, this is the first time the Doctor has been told ‘no’ with such blatant, sickened disgust from the very people he would help. It matters because it’s this Doctor, who occupies this body and is also a supernova of compassion. He will be hurt by this in a way that would have hurt so few of his previous faces. It matters because he was willing to take that abuse from them, and they still said no. It matters because the racism implied here is technically an allegory—their objections are to the Doctor being an “outsider” to Finetime—but oh-so obviously not one at all when they call the TARDIS “voodoo,” and talk about “taming” the world outside like their ancestors, and all the white kids get in their damned Mississippi paddle-steamer-looking boat to head into the great unknown. And Ruby can do nothing but stand next to the Doctor and watch him hurt because none of this was directed at her. It matters. It fucking matters. And it was there right from the start. Along with all the things that play into that supremacy: the wealth, the unattainable beauty standards, the consumerism masquerading as activism, and the constant looking away from anything that makes us uncomfortable or frightened or confused. It’s all part of the same circuit. So yeah, it’s a little blunt in places. But it’s a gorgeous piece of work, this episode. Time and Space and Sundry Credit: BBC / Disney+ This episode has quite a bit in common with “Gridlock” and also with “The Long Game” and it’s ensuing follow-up in “Bad Wolf,” with its themes of pacification of the masses and how various forms of media can be used to control us. Similarities to Black Mirror certainly fit the bill as well, but Doctor Who is always Doctor Who in that. One of my favorite things about the episode is the use of color and light—the way everyone in Finetime is bright enough to be on camera all the time, and depicted in the soft colors we see so frequently on social media. But even better in its rendering of that is the makeup—literally from the moment Lindy appears on screen, she looks oddly yellowed because her makeup had been so heavily and obviously applied, only for it to instantly come clear that this was intentional. Of course, Susan Twist is back, this time as Penny Pepper-Bean. Who is she? How is she tied to Ruby? Next week we’ll be back with “Rogue”…[end-mark] The post <i>Doctor Who</i> Uses Social Media Toward Devastating Ends in “Dot and Bubble” appeared first on Reactor.

Excerpts Young Adult Read an Excerpt From Natalie Leif’s Take All of Us A YA unbury-your-gays horror in which an undead teen must find the boy he loves before he loses his mind and body. By Natalie Leif | Published on June 3, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Take All of Us, a new young adult horror novel by Natalie Leif—publishing with Holiday House on June 4th. Five years ago, a parasite poisoned the water of Ian’s West Virginia hometown, turning dozens of locals into dark-eyed, oil-dripping shells of their former selves. With chronic migraines and seizures limiting his physical abilities, Ian relies on his best friend and secret love Eric to mercy-kill any infected people they come across.Until a new health report about the contamination triggers a mandatory government evacuation, and Ian cracks his head in the rush. Used to hospitals and health scares, Ian always thought he’d die young… but he wasn’t planning on coming back. Much less face the slow, painful realization that Eric left him behind to die.Desperate to find Eric and the truth before the parasite takes over him, Ian along with two others left behind—his old childhood rival Monica and the jaded prepper Angel—journey to track down Eric. What they don’t know is that Eric is also looking for Ian, and he’s determined to mercy-kill him. The itch to say I love you rattled inside me for the rest of the evening, around a tasteless taco dinner and mindless homework attempt, and all through a long night of waking up dry-eyed and sleepless every half hour. I finally cracked around eight a.m., when Eric might be awake, and I sent him a text to meet me at the mall like I had something important to tell him. What I was going to tell him, how and when and where, I had no idea about. Eric, I love you. I don’t mean like a friend, I mean more than that. I want to… date you? Kiss you? Marry you?Eric, I am IN LOVE with you. I don’t care if you’re a boy. I get if that ruins our friendship for you, and you want to leave forever and never look back—No, that ain’t true, I wouldn’t get it. I don’t want to lose out on spending lazy summer days together like this. So if you don’t love me back, let’s both pretend I never said anything. Got it?But… if you DO somehow love me back, maybe we could kiss? Just once, real quick. No one would have to see, promise. I buried my head in my hands, scrubbing against my eyelids until my vision flared red. None of those sounded right. Even in my own head, I sounded hesitant and slow, the sort of person you could only love out of a strange sense of pity. All this seemed like a bad idea, now. Too late for that, I guessed. I’d already made it to the mall. I’d already sat down on the edge of the fountain, on plaster that smelled like chlorine and mildewed coins. And he was already settled next to me, drinking pop out of a water cup, waiting for me to confess whatever big damn secret I had. Once upon a time, the Kittakoop mall was somewhere important. It was built that way, with a long, wide hallway and a dozen off-shoot stores, with lush potted plants along the walls and speakers piping synth-pop Muzak overhead. Maybe it was built with the expectation that we’d grow into it, like little kids in hand-me-down clothes. Nowadays, though, it sat half empty, its big hallway caked with dust in the corners and that same handful of Muzak songs cycling through static. The plants still looked nice, though their plastic threads had frayed at the edges and the glue showed through in spots. Half the stores stood empty, their security grilles drawn and their insides a dark mass of cardboard boxes, while the other half cycled through brands every year or two: first a hair salon, then an insurance company, then a Chinese takeout place. Only the clothing store seemed to stay every year, a single corporate mass keeping the mall barely alive. Every so often a person or two would mill past us, their footsteps echoing across the tile, and I watched them for the sake of something to do that wasn’t trying to find words. My eyes flickered from them, to my hands, to the scattered coins rippling under the fountain’s shallow pool behind us. The air-conditioning rattled, too cold and stale, cutting through the faded purple jacket I’d thrown on. Buy the Book Take All of Us Natalie Leif Buy Book Take All of Us Natalie Leif Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Beside me, Eric pulled out the battered lighter he always fiddled with when bored or restless. He lifted a tanned arm, exposing an inch of bare skin under the edge of his tugged-up shirt… and opened an eye to watch me. “What?” he asked. “It’s just…” I took a deep breath, let it out again. “It’s nothing. Never mind.” And it could be nothing. It could be nothing, and we could both go home, and soon enough it’d suffocate under the weight of all that nothing, and the world would keep spinning round, and it’d be fine. That’d be the safest option, too. No one could blame me for being too safe. We’d moved to West Virginia in the first place to be safe, because I’d had a grand mal seizure on the kitchen floor and suddenly the city was too full of strobe lights and flashing signs and alarms blaring DANGER, ALERT, EMERGENCY, everything the doctors told me to avoid. I could imagine just about all those signs now. They sat on any path toward talking about my feelings, blaring and bright and not giving a whit about the medical alert bracelet on my wrist that said EPILEPTIC. “It don’t seem like nothing,” Eric said. He flicked the lighter, flick-flick-flick, and I bit back an itch to slap it out of his hands and remind him that you don’t even smoke, you just like looking at the fire. DANGER, went my brain. “Well, it is.” “You called me all the way out here for nothing?” DANGER. ALERT. NO ACCESS. “Yeah. Guess I must’ve forgot what it was. Probably wasn’t important. You want to get takeout or something instead, while we’re here?” “Uh-huh. And now you’re changing the subject. Come on, fluffy.” DANGER. EMERGENCY. “I told you, it’s not a big deal. I’ll tell you later, promise.” “Wait, which is it? ‘I forgot’ or ‘I’ll tell you later’?” DANGER, DANGER, DANGER, DANGER. “It’s both. Neither? Look—” I couldn’t get that flashing siren out of my head, and I squeezed my eyes shut. “I just don’t want to ruin things—” “Ian—” “I don’t want you to think I’ve just been creeping on you, but ever since I realized it’s been hard to stop thinking about it—” “Ian—” “I can’t hardly think right now, even, I—” “Ian, stop.” Eric pressed a hand to my arm. “What the hell?” I stopped, but that siren didn’t, and I realized with a start that it wasn’t in my head. High overhead, next to the skylights, tiny lights flashed sharp white, casting the mall kiosks and plants into searing silhouettes. An alarm warbled in and out, and the speakers crackled, that soothing Muzak drowned out by a distorted recording. “State of—Evacuate—warning—please—from the building— This is—” a man’s voice echoed, thundering across the hall. It kept on, but all I could really notice were those lights. They flashed over and over, searing neon, and as I stared at them I felt the taste of sour copper and spit gather in my mouth, along with a dizzy floatiness somewhere behind my eyes. No, I thought. Then: no, no-no-no, not again. I couldn’t hear Eric’s voice anymore, but I saw him hold up a hand: stay here. I saw him stand up, and I mouthed the words, help me, at the back of his head. His shirt flared a sickly reddish-orange, smearing across my vision as he moved—him surging forward in bursts of feverish white light toward the exit, me fainting backward into the fountain, and that siren still screaming, screaming, screaming over both of us. Then I hit the water, and the back of my head cracked hard against the tile, and everything went from a carousel of electric colors to brilliant white. I tasted copper and chlorine, mixed together in a mouthful of cloudy red bubbles, and… it was funny. Under a foot of stale fountain water, the alarm didn’t sound so loud. It drifted into my ears from somewhere far away, along with echoes of EVACUATION and BUILDING and STATE…and, over it all, somehow, still that gentle shopping mall Muzak, crooning gently on. Even the light didn’t seem so bad, distorted by ripples. I wondered, absently, if this was how non-epileptics got to see alarms: as distant, casual things, acknowledged and ignored, the kind of things they could look directly at and then away from without once wondering if it’d be the thing that killed them. It seemed nice. I watched the light sparkle like stars as I choked down another lungful of water, listened to buzzing synths and happy drumbeats as my vision faded from white to pooling black, and it did seem so nice. I sank into it like Mr. Owens did, letting it settle into my aching joints and racing heart and overwhelmed head. And it all went dark. * * * I can’t remember what happened after that, except in fragments. Someone pulling on me, yanking me out of the water. Eric’s voice, frantic and shouting and stumbling all over itself. A rush of cold air against my face, the taste of old pennies against my teeth. Trying to breathe, failing, panicking. Throwing up mouthfuls of pinkish water onto the floor, the splash of it against cement. Taking thin, reedy breaths I coughed back out, burning in my throat. Dropping, curling up on my side, lights still too bright, fluorescents buzzing like wasps. Running footsteps. The hallway—a potted plastic fern—sticky dark blood against my fingertips, too much, everywhere—the cool comfort of a shadowed corner, the black slab of an OUT OF ORDER vending machine—a pounding in my head, needles and hammers against my skull—sinking into a corner, burying my face in my jacket hood—shaky legs and a bone-deep tiredness— And a long, long quiet. * * * The worst part about seizures was never the seizure itself. I fainted through those, or otherwise got so fuzzy-headed that I forgot them before they were over. Nah, the worst part was always afterward: waking up disoriented on a floor somewhere new, head full of cotton stuffing and a sour burnt taste in my mouth. Shaking pins and needles out of heavy limbs, checking if I’d pissed myself again, feeling up and down for all the new bruises and cuts and aches I’d have to carry home. If I was really unlucky, there might be a couple onlookers or a cop there, too, gawking and throwing out questions like what the hell happened to you? No watchers this time, at least. Hadn’t pissed myself, either, somehow. Or I had, and falling into old fountain water made it hard to tell. I decided to pretend I hadn’t. When I finally felt stable enough to lift my head—with the pounding and nausea faded into something just south of excruciating—I pushed myself upright. The siren and flashing lights were gone, and the peppy Muzak, too, leaving a silence deep enough to bask in. I savored it for a second, then, all at once, I remembered being pulled out of the water. I remembered Eric’s voice, shouting noises that didn’t settle into words but damn sure settled into fear. Of course. Eric always knew what to do. After years together, he’d become a natural at noticing the signs of a seizure, getting me situated in a safe place, and shooing away anyone who wanted to rubberneck. He must’ve run back from the entrance as soon as he saw me flailing underwater like an idiot. So I raised a hand and forced a smile, in case he was lurking somewhere close. “ ’M okay,” I rasped. “Still here. Thanks for the save.” No answer. I squinted around, raising a hand to shield my eyes from even the faint skylights of the mall. “Eric?” Eric wasn’t here. Neither were any of the other shoppers we’d seen milling around. The mall sat dim and empty, a wide swath of shuttered storefronts and drifting dust motes. The only lights I could see were the skylights letting in shafts of hazy afternoon sun… and the vending machine beside me, its face glowing with shadows of cola cans and water bottles. Its motor hummed somewhere inside, and the fountain kept burbling on down the hall, but everything else sat quiet and dead. Dead. At the word, the back of my head gave an angry throb, and I cried out and pressed a hand to it. It felt sticky and somehow soft, like a baby’s head where the bones haven’t quite shaped all the way yet. I pushed at it and it hurt in a dizzying way, a little button I could press to knock myself out of my senses for a bit. My hand came back bloody. Not just a smear, either, but a whole handful, welling into my palm and leaking between my fingers as I stared. One mercy of waking up post-seizure: I always woke up too tired to know if I should be scared yet. I could get up, get my bearings, and tidy up most of any mess before I came to enough to panic about it. So when I saw the blood pooled in my hand and felt it trickling down the back of my neck, I didn’t scream, even when I realized in a vague way that it’d be a good time for it. I got up instead, swaying with vertigo, and staggered down the hall past all those grated storefronts and toward the nearest bathroom. A family bathroom, it turned out, one of those kinds with a single room and a baby changing station and a toilet that only came up to my shins. And a mirror. I caught myself against the sink, smearing blood all across its pretty white porcelain, and I looked up at myself. And I realized I was dead. The eyes gave it away first, as they always did. I’d always had a round face and a scrawny build, as if after years of health scares my body had given up on growing somewhere around age twelve. It’d been what made me and Eric match—him pushed to grow up too soon, me stuck behind, and both of us meeting in the middle, where we were supposed to be. But now I had big black doll eyes to go with all that, nestled above purple shadows in a milk-pale face like a ceramic figurine, and that doll-me in the mirror seemed as shocked by it as I did. Everything else came with its own flavors of wrong, too. My hair hung in blond fluffs over my forehead, dry in the front, plastered to my neck in chlorine-dark blood-clumps in the back. The jacket I’d thrown on hung waterlogged on my shoulders, all my careful iron-on patches of skulls and monsters and other cool things—slapped on in a desperate attempt to seem at least a little badass—were dyed pinkish-orange from the water. Even my shirt fit wrong now, its collar tugged askew and sleeves rolled up somewhere between falling and thrashing back up. Just like Mr. Owens, I thought. A little less out of it, a lot less sunburned, but otherwise we could be cousins. And all of a sudden, I started laughing. I laughed way too hard, coughing it up and wheezing it back down, and I pressed a red-smudged hand to my face just to keep it steady. “Holy shit,” I breathed. “I really messed up, now.” Another laugh. “What a stupid way to die.” I couldn’t stop laughing. Because it really was funny, in that awful-funny way. All the ways I could have died—hell, all the things that had tried to kill me already, from seizures to allergies—and I died in a foot and a half of rusty fountain water. This shouldn’t have even happened. I did so good, living in the fancy side of town and drinking filtered water and eating organic food . . . except mall fountains didn’t have water filters, did they? Mall fountain water wasn’t clean enough to drink from or to die in. It didn’t matter if I’d lived like a rich person expecting a quiet death—I’d died like an old country man with a lungful of used fountain water. Like the letter from the government warned about: Sorry. Our mistake. Here’s three hundred dollars. Buy a water filter. Eat uncontaminated food. Consider moving. Push your neighbors into a lake. Or maybe I’d already been doomed like this. Maybe I’d contaminated myself with some school water fountain, or a drink from a vending machine. Maybe I was always gonna die stupidly and wake back up mad about it. I didn’t even get to see what the alarm was about; it could’ve been a fire, or a terrorist attack, or a tornado, or anything else that would’ve killed me with some sort of dignity. Maybe I could have even been a hero, rescuing a dozen orphan kids before collapsing from smoke inhalation. Eric would’ve found it funny, if he was here. Only Ian Chandler, fifteen-year-old walking crisis, could fail an evacuation so hard he died. Only Ian Chandler could get so flustered at being gay that he slipped on a tile and cracked his head open and let all the brains spill out. Only Ian Chandler could die in a mall fountain before he’d even tried living first. I kept laughing until I teared up, until the tears started streaming down my face between chuckles, until I curled up on the floor and I laughed and I laughed and I screamed myself hoarse. Excerpted from Take All of Us, copyright © 2024 by Natalie Leif. The post Read an Excerpt From Natalie Leif’s <i>Take All of Us</i> appeared first on Reactor.

Dozens of energy policy and advocacy groups are pushing Congress to repeal one of President Joe Biden’s signature climate policies. A coalition of more than 40 organizations signed on to a letter being circulated Thursday to lawmakers, taking aim at the Environmental Protection Agency’s recently finalized emissions-reduction regulations for coal-fired and new natural gas power plants. The letter urges lawmakers to back expected resolutions from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, that would overturn the rules using the Congressional Review Act, a tool allowing lawmakers to overturn certain federal regulatory actions. The EPA’s rules, finalized in April, require many existing coal plants and new natural gas facilities to control 90% of their emissions by 2032 if they want to stay open in the longer term. This mandate effectively will require plant operators to spend billions of dollars on expensive carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, equipment to continue operating some facilities. Critics of the Biden administration‘s policy have derided its reliance on CCS, technology that they say is not sufficiently advanced to play a major role in America’s power grid so soon. REPORTER: "Can you say how much of the grid is in danger?"FEMA ADMIN: "I think we should go onto other things." pic.twitter.com/8tzz52CYyM— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) August 31, 2023 “The Environmental Protection Agency’s recently finalized power plant rule will kill America’s existing supply of baseload generation from coal. At the same time, the rule will deter investment in new baseload generation from natural gas,” the letter states. “That means the rule will drive up consumer energy costs, impair grid reliability, and chill economic growth. The rule is also an unlawful power grab that defies the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA.” “The EPA could not have picked a worse time to attack affordable, reliable, coal- and gas-fired generation,” the letter from energy organizations continues. “Electricity demand is projected to grow substantially due to the proliferation of data centers, expansion of artificial intelligence, onshoring of chip production, and the EPA’s and California’s policies to forcibly electrify U.S. motor vehicle fleets.” Some of the organizations represented among the letter’s signatories include the Competitive Enterprise Institute, The American Consumer Institute, the American Energy Institute, and the Western Energy Alliance. The Environmental Protection Agency has maintained that its regulations for power plants will not negatively affect the reliability of America’s power grid. However, several grid analysts and experts said they suspect that the opposite is more likely to end up being the case if the rules are fully enacted. A coalition of red states and the Edison Electric Institute, a major utility trade group, are suing the government over the rules. The EPA didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post Dozens of Energy Groups Ask Congress to Overturn Biden’s Green Power Plant Rules appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Read the original post "Homemade Hot Dog Buns" on A Modern Homestead. Soft and fluffy, homemade hot dog buns are a delightful treat... and easier than you think! This recipe will help you learn exactly how to make your own hot dog buns with ease. I've included directions for einkorn flour and modern wheat, so this is a hot dog bun recipe for everyone! We've been making... Read More The post "Homemade Hot Dog Buns" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Pro-Israel Comic's Shows Cancelled After Death Threats

Economy Grinding to a Halt?

Surprisingly, the major broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC had full reports on their flagship morning news shows about the start of the first Hunter Biden trial to the tune of eight minutes and 43 seconds, but was well short of the 14 minutes and three seconds on April 15 to kick off the Trump trial. And, while they were giddy at Trump’s starting, they were crestfallen over the “sad and sordid” trial getting underway that’s already taken “a real personal toll” on President Biden as a lead GOP “political punching bag”.     ABC’s Good Morning America was the most excited at the Trump trial (as well as the guilty verdict of the former President), so it came as no surprise they downplayed the trial, acting like Hunter’s a child and Joe a powerless father. Senior national correspondent Terry Moran was beside himself: “This is a historic case, but it is also a sad and sordid tale of drug addiction and its consequences in the Biden family, as in so many American families. And it carries the very real potential of personal and political pain for the President.” Leaning into the attempts at sympathy, Moran emphasized Hunter is “President Joe Biden’s only living son” and “spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction.” Only then did Moran briefly explain what prosecutors are alleging Hunter did: “Prosecutors say that, in October, 2018, during a time they say Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs, he purchased this Colt revolver and allegedly lied on a federal form that he was not addicted to drugs.” Moran laid it on thick with more sympathetic tones to argue “President Biden has stood by his son” and the trial could “be deeply personal and potentially embarrassing for the First Family” (click “expand”): MORAN: In his memoir Beautiful Things, Biden writing that in the fall of 2018, he had hopes of getting clean through a new therapy. Through it all, President Biden has stood by his son. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN [on CNN, on 10/11/23]: I have great confidence in my son, I love him. And he’s on the straight and narrow and he has been for a couple years now. And I’m just so proud of him. MORAN: The trial is expected to be deeply personal and potentially embarrassing for the First Family. Prosecutors are relying on photos and text messages from Hunter Biden, including this one allegedly sent just two days after purchasing the gun. “I was sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th street and Rodney.”...This trial is expected to take a couple of weeks and Hunter Biden could face serious prison time if he is convicted, although that would be unlikely with a first offender. And then Hunter Biden faces another federal trial on federal tax evasion charges in the fall in the full swing of the presidential campaign. NBC’s Today actually had a full segment and two partials on the Hunter Biden trial. Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles led with the fact that this trial is only happening because “the President’s son planned to plead guilty to a series of tax offenses that would have led to these charges going away, but that deal fell apart.” Nobles, however, pivoted to painting Hunter as a victim, not someone who could soon own the title of convicted felon: “This is not the position Hunter Biden expected to find himself in. The embattled son of the sitting President, who’s been very public about his struggles with drugs and alcohol, now facing the legal fight of his life, a fight that could end with possible jail time.” “But Hunter wrote extensively about his struggles with substance abuse during that same period of time. Prosecutors have signaled they plan to use Hunter’s words against him from his memoir, Beautiful Things,” he added moments later. After noting the witness list includes his ex-girlfriend/late brother Beau’s widow, Hallie Biden, Nobles trumpeted President Biden’s coziness with his son and time at the White House as endearing, which certainly wouldn’t be the case if one of President Trump’s adult sons or daughters were tried during his first term. Nobles also fretted about Republicans focusing on Hunter’s life of ruin “as a political punching bag” and central to a “fizzled” “impeachment inquiry” (click “expand”): NOBLES: Despite the difficult position the trial puts Joe Biden in, the President has not pushed his son away, inviting him to state dinners, spending part of the Memorial Day weekend with him and publicly defending his son. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN [on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, 05/05/23]: First of all, my son has done nothing wrong. I trust him. I have faith in him. NOBLES: But Republicans have used Hunter’s legal troubles as a political punching bag, aimed at his father using it as the basis of their impeachment inquiry into the President, which has largely fizzled. SENATOR TOM COTTON (R-AR) [on NBC’s Meet the Press, 06/03/24]: Hunter Biden is guilty of so many crimes, he can barely even keep track of them. NOBLES: And the President’s Democratic allies are brushing off the potential political problems this trial presents. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES [on NBC’s Meet the Press, 06/03/24]: President Biden commented as a loving father, as I would hope any loving father would do. KOTB: So Ryan, how might this trial impact the President as he’s on the campaign trail? NOBLES: [E]ven though there are signs that Republicans have not been successful in tying Hunter Biden’s legal issues directly to his father, there are other signs that it is taking a real personal toll on the President, who is just worried about his son. And, instead of pushing Hunter away, the President appears to be pulling him closer, just as his re-election campaign kicks into high gear, Hoda. CBS Mornings largely played it straight with correspondent Scott MacFarlane at the Wilmington, Delaware courthouse. MacFarlane had a few sympathetic notes, such as fretting “Hunter Biden has always been open about his battles with substance abuse, but this trial is going to put some graphic details out there in open court” and then pointing out Hunter’s “been public about his battle with addiction and spoke with CBS Sunday Morning in 2021.” To see the relevant transcripts from June 3, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).

Whether you own a pet rabbit or you’re watching them in your garden, one of the most fascinating parts of a rabbit is their teeth. At first blush, they don’t look all that different from ours, and in many ways, they may appear the same. But while rabbit teeth are similar to ours in many ways, in others, they’re completely different. The more you learn, the more interesting they become. With that in mind, we’ve highlighted 10 of the most surprising and interesting facts about rabbit teeth for you here. The 10 Facts About Rabbit Teeth 1. They Never Stop Growing The reason you need to provide so much grass and hay for your rabbit isn’t only because they need all that food. It’s also because otherwise, their teeth will overgrow! They need grass and hay constantly to help them safely and efficiently digest food, using most of the otherwise indigestible fiber, but keeping their teeth in check is a big part of it. Image Credit: Thurid_with_th, Shutterstock 2. Rabbits Have 28 Teeth While cartoons really only highlight a rabbit’s front teeth, they have a mouthful of chompers! They have incisors, premolars, and molars to help them tear food apart and chew it up. Their front teeth are fairly sharp and help them chew through and bite off pieces of food, but once it’s torn up, the teeth in their cheek area grind it up into something smaller for them to safely swallow. 3. Rabbits Need Fiber to Wear Down Their Teeth Rabbits need food with tons of fiber. Not only is all this fiber necessary for their digestive health, but it’s also a key component in what wears down their teeth. The fibrous portion of their diet does a great job of grinding away at them, which your rabbit needs so their teeth don’t overgrow. 4. Rabbit Teeth Can Break Rabbit teeth are far from indestructible, and all it takes is for them to chew on some hard food the wrong way or get into a fight with another rabbit for one of their teeth to break. Already damaged or unhealthy teeth are more easily broken. Dental fractures in rabbits can be incidental or very serious, and if they involve the pulp, the tooth may become infected and die. Either way, they will need to be checked by a veterinary dentist, as some teeth may be removed or need adequate treatment. Image Credit: Habichtland, Shutterstock 5. Rabbits Teeth Grow Curved While you might think an overgrown rabbit tooth would grow straight down, that’s not the case. Rabbit’s teeth are cylindrical and have a natural curve. If a rabbit’s tooth starts to get too long, due to malocclusion or inability to meet the opposite tooth straight on, it starts to curve even more, which creates all kinds of problems for them. It’s kind of how human nails will curve after being too long—they don’t just keep growing straight out! This can cause sharp spurs, the tongue can become trapped, and the rabbit will be in pain and may struggle to eat. 6. Rabbits Use Their Teeth Just Like Us While rabbits have different dietary needs and unique teeth, the way they use those teeth is pretty straightforward. Their incisors in the front of their mouth tear away at the food to make it easier to fit into their mouth, and from there, the premolars and molars in the side of their mouth grind the food up into smaller bits. That’s the same way our teeth work. So really, a rabbit’s mouth isn’t all that different from ours. Or is it? 7. Rabbit’s Upper Incisors Only Have Enamel on One Side One thing that’s extremely unique, interesting, and important with a rabbit’s upper incisors is that they only have enamel on one side of them. Enamel is hard and helps protect your teeth, but a rabbit needs to ensure their front teeth always stay sharp and grind down a bit so they don’t overgrow. That’s why their incisors only have enamel on the outside. This protects the teeth from external factors, but it allows them to constantly stay sharp and wear down when they’re chewing. Image Credit: Victoria Paladiy, Shutterstock 8. You Don’t Need to Brush Rabbit Teeth One advantage of grinding their teeth down little by little each day is that there’s no good reason to brush them. And most would not really allow it, anyway. You brush your teeth so they don’t rot, but no particular part of the rabbit’s teeth will stay in their mouth for long enough for this to be a problem, as they are always growing. So, the next time you see some pet toothpaste in the pet care aisle, leave it there—your rabbit doesn’t need it! 9. You Can’t Neglect Rabbit Dental Care Just because you don’t need to brush their teeth doesn’t mean you can neglect their oral hygiene. You need to ensure their teeth stay sharp, healthy, and at the right length; otherwise, your rabbit is going to be in a world of trouble. If you suspect that your rabbit is having some sort of dental issue, you need to take them to a vet right away so they can address it. Rabbits don’t want pain in their mouth any more than the rest of us, and they are particularly sensitive to it, and it’s up to you to ensure their mouth stays pain-free day after day. Otherwise, they may get digestive issues, as they are not able to eat their food comfortably. This can lead to another serious illness called gut stasis, which may be life-threatening if not treated promptly. 10. Rabbits Chew Super Fast If you’ve ever paid attention to a rabbit eating, you’ve probably seen them chewing like crazy. That’s not a trick of the eye. A rabbit can make up to 120 jaw movements a minute, which means their mouth is going side to side and front to back in a circular kind of motion  twice a second! All that movement allows them to grind their food up into extremely small pieces and wear their teeth down, both of which are necessary for their long-term health. Image Credit: Leena Robinson, Shutterstock Conclusion While a rabbit’s teeth might look and function similarly to ours in many ways, their unique features help ensure they can have a happy and healthy life whether they’re in the wild or in your home. Now that you know a bit more about them, you can care for them a bit better if you have a pet rabbit and appreciate them a bit more if you’re always seeing them chomping on something in your garden! Sources https://www.everypaw.com/all-things-pet/everything-you-need-to-know-about-rabbit-teeth https://overlandparkfamilydental.com/blog/facts-about-bunny-teeth https://newrabbitowner.com/rabbit-teeth/ https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/dentistry/rabbit-dentistry/ https://www.mypetsdentist.com/rabbit-rodent-dental-care.pml https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6955932/ https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-should-i-feed-my-rabbits/ https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/gastrointestinal-stasis-in-rabbits https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uploads/wp-post-to-pdf-enhanced-cache/1/rabbit-nutrition-how-to-prevent-problems-through-correct-feeding.pdf https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/gastrointestinal-stasis-in-rabbits https://todaysveterinarynurse.com/dentistry/rabbit-dentistry/ Featured Image Credit: Roselynne, Shutterstock The post 10 Surprising Vet-Verified Facts About Rabbit Teeth appeared first on Pet Keen.

Former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci was grilled by the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic for 14 hours in January. In the lengthy interview, Fauci admitted that he was unaware of any scientific studies demonstrating that masking for children worked or that the 6-foot social distancing guidelines — which effectively shut down schools, churches, and businesses — were an effective way of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. Fauci also acknowledged that the lab leak theory was not a conspiracy theory as he previously suggested. Fauci, who plays a starring role in BlazeTV's "The Coverup," appeared before the committee Monday to speak to these admissions as well as to his role in overseeing the funding of deadly gain-of-function experiments. ''Because I said so.' That's never been good enough for Americans and it never will be.' Committee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) told Fauci at the outset, "Whether intentional or not, you became so powerful that any disagreements the public had with you were forbidden and censored on social and most legacy media time and time again. That is why so many Americans became so angry — because this was fundamentally un-American." "'Because I said so.' That's never been good enough for Americans and it never will be," added Wenstrup. "Americans do not want to be indoctrinated. They want to be educated." The hearing had the potential to be educational; however, Democratic committee members opted for the latter, celebrating Fauci, defending his preferred narratives, and lobbing attacks on their political opponents. Republican lawmakers, alternatively, attempted to hold Fauci's feet to a low-heat fire, largely failing to get results. What follows are five key takeaways from the Fauci hearing. 1. Not so effective after all When asked straight out by Wenstrup whether the vaccine "stopped transmission of the virus," Fauci answered, "That is a complicated issue because in the beginning, the first iteration of the vaccines did have an effect — not 100%, not a high effect — they did prevent infection and subsequently, obviously transmission." 'I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine.' "However, it's important to point out something that we did not know early on that became evident as the months went by is that the durability of protection against infection and hence transmission was relatively limited whereas the duration of protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death was more prolonged," said Fauci. "In the beginning it was felt that in fact it did prevent infection and thus transmission." After discovering Fauci would not disavow any of the draconian COVID measures he championed during the pandemic, Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas) also asked Fauci about his support for vaccine mandates and the efficacy of vaccines. Fauci reiterated, "It clearly prevented infection in a certain percentage of people, but the durability of its ability to prevent infection was not long." Fauci was one of the most visible and consistent exponents of the "safe and effective" mantra, having claimed in December 2020, "I feel extreme confidence in the safety and the efficacy of this vaccine and I want to encourage everyone who has the opportunity to get vaccinated so that we can have a veil of protection over this country, that would end this pandemic." — (@) 2. Fauci: The blameless victim Whereas Republican members blasted the former NIAID director for funding dangerous experiments of the kind that may have kicked off the pandemic as well as his years-long promotion of falsehoods, Democrats painted Fauci as a blameless victim and seized on the opportunity, as Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) did, to attack former President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) told Fauci, "You're human, just like the rest of us," and stressed that he "deserve[s] better." "I've seen your commitment not just to science, but to, again, to the greater good," said Dingell. 'You have been a hero to many for 54 years.' After singing Fauci's praises, Dingell gave Fauci an opportunity to complain about facing criticism and perceived threats. Democratic Reps. Dingell, Robert Garcia (Calif.), Jill Tokuda (Hawaii), Katherine Castor (Fla.), Raul Ruiz (Calif.), and Kweisi Mfume (Md.) similarly engaged in hagiography. "We owe you an apology for the way we have dragged you through the mud," said Mfume. "You have been a hero to many for 54 years," continued Mfume. "You are a world-renowned scientist and an American patriot." Mfume made no mention of Americans who have suffered vaccine injuries but instead spoke in the abstract of "thousands of American lives [that] could have been spared" if they had not followed so-called conspiracy theories during the pandemic. After paying his respects to Fauci, Rep. Garcia asked whether the "American public should listen to America's brightest and best doctors and scientists, or instead listen to podcasters, conspiracy theorists, and unhinged Facebook memes." "Listening to the people just described is going to do nothing but harm people because they will deprive themselves of life-saving interventions," said Fauci, who was among the so-called experts who cautioned against using ivermectin to fight COVID-19. Fauci proceeded to accuse the unvaccinated of getting an estimated 200,000-300,000 killed in the U.S. alone. — (@) 3. Fauci hangs 'inner circle' out to dry Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) noted that there is "a troubling pattern of behavior" in Fauci's "inner circle," naming Fauci's David M. Morens, senior scientific adviser to the head of the NIAID, and Fauci's former chief of staff as two offenders. Comer pressed Fauci on whether Morens violated NIH policy by using a personal email for official purposes. Fauci appeared more than willing to throw his former adviser and frequent correspondent under the bus, indicating Morens' personal email use to avoid transparency was indeed in violation of agency policy. "Does it violate NIAID policy to delete records to intentionally avoid FOIA?" "Yes," said Fauci. 'That was wrong and inappropriate and violated policy.' "On April 28, 2020, Dr. Morens edited an EcoHealth press release regarding the grant termination. Does that violate policy?" asked Comer. "That was inappropriate for him to be doing that for a grantee as a conflict of interest, among other things," said Fauci. "On March 29, 2021, Dr. Morens edited a letter that Dr. Daszak was sending to NIH. Does that violate policy?" asked Comer. "Yes, it does," answered Fauci. "On Oct. 25, 2021, Dr. Brady provided Dr. Daszak with advice regarding how to mislead NIH on EcoHealth's late progress report. Does that violate policy?" asked Comer. "That was wrong and inappropriate and violated policy," said Fauci. "On Dec. 7, 2021, Dr. Morens wrote to the chair of EcoHealth board of directors to quote, 'Put in a word,' for Dr. Daszak. Does that violate policy?" asked Comer. "Should not have been done, and that was wrong," said Fauci. "Well, I'm not sure of a specific policy, but I imagine that does violate policy. Should not have been doing that." — (@) 4. Fauci denies funding gain-of-function research Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) asked Fauci whether the National Institutes of Health funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 'I would not characterize it as dangerous gain-of-function research.' "I would not characterize it the way you did," said Fauci, contradicting the NIH's account. "The National Institutes of Health, through a sub-award to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, funded research on the surveillance of and the possibility of emerging infections. I would not characterize it as dangerous gain-of-function research." Elsewhere in his testimony Monday, Fauci said that "according to the regulatory and operative definition of [Proposed Research Involving Enhanced Potential Pandemic Pathogens], the NIH did not fund gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology." Lesko quoted NIH Principal Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak as acknowledging the "failure of the Wuhan Institute of Virology to provide us with the data that we requested and the lab notebooks that we requested, [which] certainly impeded our ability to understand what was really going on with the experiments that we have been discussing." Granted the lack of transparency at the infamous lab, Lesko asked Fauci how he can be certain that the National Institutes of Health did not fund gain-of-function research on coronaviruses in China granted its subcontractor EcoHealth Alliance's reporting failures. Fauci once again stressed that the NIH did not fund the deadly research in question, which EcoHealth Alliance's subcontractor specialized in. 5. Downplayed likelihood of lab leak Fauci claimed Monday that the idea he covered up a lab leak was "preposterous." Fauci indicated in his opening statement that he was informed on Jan. 31, 2020, "through phone calls with Jeremy Farrar, then director of the Wellcome Trust in the U.K., and then with Christian Anderson, a highly regarded scientist at Scripps Research Institute, that they and Eddie Holmes, a world class evolutionary biologist from Australia, were concerned that the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 suggested that the virus could have been manipulated in a lab." Fauci then noted he partook in a conference call the next day "with about a dozen international virologists to discuss this possibility versus a spillover from an animal reservoir." Despite indications to the contrary, Fauci claimed, "The accusation being circulated that I influenced these scientists to change their minds by bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false and simply preposterous. I had no input into the content of the published paper," referencing the March 2020 study published in the journal Nature, "The Proximal Origins of SARS-CoV-2." "The second issue is a false accusation that I tried to cover up the possibility that the virus originated from a lab. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite," continued Fauci. "I have repeatedly stated that I have a completely open mind to either possibility and that if definitive evidence becomes available to validate or refute either theory, I will readily accept it." Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) later asked Fauci whether he downplayed the lab leak theory on account of having funded experimental viruses at the Wuhan lab — funding Fauci copped to but Ranking Member Raul Ruiz nevertheless cast doubt on in his closing remarks. Fauci, prickled by the suggestion that he tried to downplay the possibility he had fingerprints on research that got millions of Americans killed, answered in the negative. — (@) Like Blaze News? 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