Green Rude Squeal: Ford Sounds Retreat on EVs, Writes Off $1.9 Billion

Scientists believe that humpback whales should join the esteemed rank of tool users, along with Homo sapiens, apes, crows, and a variety of other super-smart creatures. Unlike these other clever characters, humpbacks are particularly special because they create the tools themselves and ingeniously adapt them to suit their needs.The tools in question are “bubble nets” produced by the whale’s blowhole that are used to herd and catch krill. In a new study, researchers show how humpback whales in Alaska skillfully manipulate their unique bubble nets in various ways to maximize their food intake. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually create or modify these tools themselves,” Professor Lars Bejder, co-lead author of the study and Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, said in a statement. “This little-studied foraging behavior is wholly unique to humpback whales. It’s so incredible to see these animals in their natural habitat, performing behaviors that only a few people ever get to see,” explains co-author and MMRP researcher William Gough. To learn about this incredible behavior, the researchers headed to the ocean off Southeast Alaska and monitored the whales using non-invasive suction-cup tags on whales and drone videography. The wealth of data showed that the behavior is surprisingly complex – it appears the humpbacks can accurately gauge the size of the krill swarm and fine-tune their bubble blowing to optimize each catch.            “These whales skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form nets with internal rings, actively controlling details like the number of rings, the size and depth of the net, and the spacing between bubbles. This method lets them capture up to seven times more prey in a single feeding dive without using extra energy. This impressive behavior places humpback whales among the rare group of animals that both make and use their own tools for hunting,” Bejder explained.Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are one of the largest animals on the planet, reaching lengths of up to 18.3 meters (60 feet). The species are baleen whales, the same as other giants like blue whales and fin whales.Their population numbers were decimated by the whaling industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, although have managed to bounce back in recent decades. Still, the species faces a slew of threats, from climate change and habitat loss to vessel strikes and pollution.The good news, the researchers say, is that they are clearly inventive and intelligent animals that are relatively well-prepared to face the challenges ahead. “What I find exciting is that humpbacks have come up with complex tools allowing them to exploit prey aggregations that otherwise would be unavailable to them. It is this behavioral flexibility and ingenuity that I hope will serve these whales well as our oceans continue to change,” notes Andy Szabo, co-lead study author and Executive Director of the Alaska Whale Foundation.The new study is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

With the recent declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the clade I mpox outbreak originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, it’s easy to get a spooky feeling of déjà-vu. Just over four years ago, the same agency was describing COVID-19 as the “most severe” health emergency ever.But it’s important to remember that we’re talking about two very different diseases – mpox is not another COVID-19. There are some very important reasons why the WHO has called for another emergency response, but we are not seeing a repeat of the early months of 2020. And here’s why.Mpox and SARS-CoV-2 are different types of virusesThis might sound obvious, but it’s a good place to start. Mpox and SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent behind COVID-19, belong to two very different families of viruses.SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus. It’s a big family of viruses that mostly only cause mild cold-like illnesses in humans, but SARS-CoV-2 joins two others that can cause much more serious disease: SARS-CoV, the original SARS virus, and MERS-CoV, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped virus with a single-stranded RNA genome. It only encodes a small number of proteins, and just four that are necessary to maintain the structure of the virus. One of these is the spike protein, which has become infamous in the last few years as the means by which the virus gains access to our cells. The spike protein is also the key target of the mRNA vaccines that altered the course of the COVID pandemic. Mpox, on the other hand, is a poxvirus. Their internal structure is quite different from that of coronaviruses: their genomes are double stranded DNA, not RNA, and they have much greater complexity. They do also have an outer envelope, but it has a large number of proteins that can allow them to enter multiple cell types. COVID-19 took the world by surprise, but humankind has a lot more experience dealing with poxviruses. Smallpox remains the only human disease to have been completely eradicated, thanks to vaccines, but it used to kill millions of people every year. Thankfully, no strain of mpox we’ve yet seen has anything like that kind of case fatality rate.   Mpox and SARS-CoV-2 are spread differentlyAs you might expect, these two very different types of viruses are also spread in different ways. We’ve only been dealing with SARS-CoV-2 for a relatively short amount of time, and our understanding of how it spreads has been developing as we’ve been trying to figure out how best to respond to the threat. Early in the pandemic, many suggested that contaminated surfaces were a key point of transmission, leading to a large emphasis on handwashing, cleaning, and sanitizing (remember wiping down all your groceries?). Edicts like the “2-meter rule” for social distancing aimed at limiting transmission via close contact with infected people through respiratory droplets. Critics at the time believed that this shifted focus away from the role of airborne transmission, a debate that was complicated by mixed messaging around what “airborne transmission” actually meant. The WHO staunchly maintained that COVID was not airborne for much of 2020.  Now, almost five years in, we understand a lot more about how COVID spreads and we know that it can linger in the air, and be transmitted over greater distances than many initially thought. Ventilation and air filtration are now considered important elements of a COVID-19 mitigation strategy.  For mpox, the situation is rather simpler. The disease spreads through close contact with an infected person, which includes sexual contact, and occasionally via contaminated objects and surfaces. Someone can be considered infectious until all of their mpox sores have completely healed, but the virus can persist on surfaces for some time if they’re not disinfected.One bit of good news is that as enveloped viruses both mpox and SARS-CoV-2 should be susceptible to most hand sanitizers, if soap and water are not available. Mpox and SARS-CoV-2 cause very different diseasesYou’re probably sensing a theme here. Mpox and COVID-19 are very different diseases with different risk profiles, and it’s important that health authorities respond to each one appropriately.Scientists are learning more every day about what the SARS-CoV-2 virus does once it gets inside the body. What we do know is that multiple organ systems can be affected, which helps explain the wide variety of symptoms people experience. Not everyone exposed to the virus gets any symptoms at all, of course, and human challenge studies have helped shed some light on how certain people’s immune systems seem better at fending it off. There’s also the issue of long COVID, where some people develop lingering health issues even after a comparatively mild initial infection. There are so many questions yet to be answered, and we’re going to be seeing more new research findings for years to come.Mpox has been around longer, and thus we have a better understanding of how it operates. The virus can enter the body via the mouth, nose, or through breaks in the skin. This point of entry is known as the inoculation site, and the virus begins to replicate here before spreading to the lymph nodes. It gains access to other organs via the lymphatic system, during an incubation period that can last up to 21 days in some cases.The initial symptoms generally include a fever, headache, and muscle pain – quite non-specific, and hard to pin down as mpox. This lasts a couple of days before the characteristic rash starts to appear, as lesions that can affect any area of the skin and also the inside of the mouth and throat. The blisters can be itchy or painful, and may persist for up to four weeks.For both diseases, treatment for more severe cases can include antiviral medications and hospitalization, but for most people, the focus is on relieving the symptoms while the disease runs its course.There’s no question that the arrival of vaccines changed everything with COVID. They don’t completely prevent someone from becoming infected with the virus – although they do offer a reasonable degree of protection on that score – but they’ve made a huge difference when it comes to severe disease and death. There are currently two approved vaccines for mpox as well, and authorities are trying to get more doses into the worst-affected regions. Public health messaging that explains who is at risk and how eligible people can access a vaccine is also key. The bottom lineWhen you get right down to it, there are few similarities between mpox and COVID-19. We’re not walking into another lockdown situation. The WHO’s Europe regional director Dr Hans Kluge recently spoke at a press conference, confirming that this time around, we have many of the tools we need to stop the spread of mpox – not least because we've just experienced an outbreak affecting dozens of countries, albeit with a less lethal variant of the virus, beginning in 2022. “Two years ago, we controlled mpox in Europe thanks to the direct engagement with the most affected communities of men who have sex with men,” Dr Kluge said, as reported by the BBC. “We can, and must, tackle mpox together – across regions and continents.”But there was also a warning mixed in. “Will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally or will we enter another cycle of panic, then neglect?” Dr Kluge asked. Mpox is not COVID – but that doesn’t mean we can or should ignore the lessons that COVID has taught us as we mobilize against the latest threat to global public health. 

The European Space Agency’s JUICE mission is on its way to Jupiter, but to get there it needs some help in the form of multiple gravity assists as it flies by various planets. Yesterday it successfully completed its first flyby, but it was not your standard gravitational assist maneuver. For the first time ever, a spacecraft used two celestial bodies in rapid succession to change its speed, and it was the first-ever flyby of the Earth and the Moon.The first half of the lunar-Earth flyby was carried out on Monday, August 19, with Juice snapping some amazing photos of the Moon as it went by. Yesterday it successfully completed the second leg, the flyby of Earth, sending more photos of our pale blue dot home. JUICE and the Moon right after the historic flyby on August 19, 2024.Image Credit: ESA/Juice/JMC ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Simeon Schmauß & Mark McCaughreanJUICE needs to be traveling pretty fast to get to Jupiter but the lunar-Earth gravitational assist (LEGA) actually slowed the spacecraft down to put it on a Venus-bound trajectory. Once there it will get the initial substantial speed boost it needs, using the plenty for another gravity assist in August 2025. It will then be followed by two flybys of Earth, one in September 2026 and a final in January 2029. It is due to reach Jupiter and its icy moons in 2031.It was a daring maneuver but it saved JUICE a lot of fuel; so much so that it's actually opened up the possibility of carrying out a much closer study of Ganymede, the largest Moon of Jupiter, and the ultimate object of study of the mission.Earth snapped by Juice as it carried out a flyby on August 20, 2024.Image Credit: ESA/Juice/JMC Simeon Schmauß & Mark McCaughreanWhile the focus of this maneuver was to get into the right orbit at the right speed, the LEGA allowed the team to take the pictures of the Moon and Earth as well as test out some instruments that could not have been tested in realistic space conditions before.“The timing and location of this double flyby allow us to thoroughly study the behaviour of Juice’s instruments,” Dr Claire Vallat, Juice Operations Scientist, said in a statement.“It happens early enough in Juice’s journey that we can use the data to prepare the instruments for arrival at Jupiter. And given how well we know the physical properties of Earth, the Moon, and the surrounding space environment, it’s also the ideal location to understand how the instruments respond to a real target.”More high-resolution photos of the Moon and Earth taken by Juice’s scientific camera, JANUS are expected to be downlinked and shared in the coming weeks.

CBS’s Stephen Colbert’s interview with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was derailed late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning on night two of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago by anti-Israel hecklers. The Late Show host struggled as he sought to control the unruly behavior, but also tried to appease them by noting Pelosi’s answers were “unsatisfying to some people” as he did not realize his and Pelosi’s desire for a two-state solution is not what the hecklers really want. Colbert began with a typical softball that had nothing to do with Israel, “Now, last night, last night you were there when President Biden told the country, ‘America, I gave my best to you.’ You've known this man for 50 years. How emotional of a moment was that for you?”     After Pelosi gave her ode to Biden, Colbert asked what she thought of people claiming she was the one that led the charge to dump Biden. Pelosi did everything she could to not answer the question, and that’s when the disruptions began, “Let's say this, what's really important about what happened [Shouting] is what comes next, what comes next. What comes next is we're going to elect Kamala Harris president of the United States. [Shouting] It's going to be a great, great election. [Shouting].” Colbert then went to commercial, “There is—for the people at home who can't tell, there's a protest going on in the audience. Hold on, young lady, I can hear you… When we come back, I'll ask the next question I had on that subject, if you will listen, okay.”   Mid interview with Nancy Pelosi, at 12:56 AM ET live @colbertlateshow from Chicago interrupted by anti-Israel protesters. #Colbert pic.twitter.com/FfRRnfKpHT — Brent Baker ?? ?? (@BrentHBaker) August 21, 2024   After said break, Colbert began, “There was a political protester here…If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians, what role does the United States play?” After giving a long rambling answer that touched on Biden’s career and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, Pelosi gave the standard liberal, ceasefire, two-state solution answer that did not appease the shouters: Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages freed. But we don't want children killed in Gaza and so we have to come up with a solution. And right now, right now we just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire agreement. We're hoping that Hamas will too. But it takes me to the point of saying to you, war has no role in a civilized society. This is not—we have to learn more about trust and peace [shouting]. In learning about each other rather than [sound cut] [shouting] conflict resolved by war. Colbert noted, “Well, as you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people. Because they believe that the United States.”     He then turned to the crowd, “Hold on one second. Would you like to respond to what they are saying? Hold on, will you listen to her response if she--? [sound cut] Will you listen to her response?” Pelosi repeated the typical Democratic line on the need for a two-state solution. Later, Pelosi’s successor, Hakeem Jefferies, joined the show, and Colbert tried again, “Now, we had some protesters earlier this evening when Speaker Pelosi was out here, who, despite the horrors of the attack on October 7th, and the remaining hostages that are in the hands of Hamas, believe that the United States shouldn't be selling arms to Israel right now. given the number of civilian deaths in Gaza over the last 11 months. How would a Speaker Jeffries advise a President Harris about that situation?”     Jefferies, too, repeated the party line as he praised Biden and Harris’s current policies. Switching topics, Colbert wondered, “You served as the House manager overseeing the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Watching that party now, completely enthrall of Donald Trump, are you surprised after all of that, after the disaster of the end of his presidency and the horrors of January 6th, that he has such complete control?” Jefferies claimed he was not before using the opportunity to hype the Obamas, “No, because, as President Obama said today, and wasn't President Obama and Michelle Obama on fire?” Colbert was also in love, “I didn't have any jokes. I was just watching.” Here is a transcript for the August 20 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 8/21/2024 12:53 AM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Now, last night, last night you were there when President Biden told the country "America, I gave my best to you." You've known this man for 50 years. How emotional of a moment was that for you? NANCY PELOSI: Well, it was very emotional, as it is now, when you're asking about it. Because he truly did. This is a man who has been such a consequential... Such a consequential president of the United States. But his leadership and service did not begin then. Over decades. But as president probably one of the most, to use the word again, consequential presidents of the modern era. He always had a brilliant vision. He knew why he was engaged in public service, a vision about making the future better. Based on values of concern for people, strategic in his thinking, knowledgeable about the issues and a heart full of love for the American people. This is truly a great man. … PELOSI: Wouldn't that be your next question? COLBERT: If I were allowed to ask it. PELOSI: Let's say this, what's really important about what happened [Shouting] is what comes next, what comes next. What comes next is we're going to elect Kamala Harris president of the United States. [Shouting] It's going to be a great, great election. [Shouting] COLBERT: [Shouting] There is—for the people at home who can't tell, there's a protest going on in the audience. Hold on, young lady, I can hear you. There’s a protest going on right now. We’re at the commercial break but the subject is on Israel and Palestine and if you have a seat, we have to go to the commercial break. When we come back, I'll ask the next question I had on that subject, if you will listen, okay. Hold on, Madam Secretary—Madam Speaker. We'll be right back with more of Speaker Nancy Pelosi … COLBERT: Let's talk about another aspect of power, the U.S. using its power overseas, as I said earlier. There was a political protester here and there’s a, you know, a political convention in town and you're a politician and protests are natural.  PELOSI: Yes. COLBERT: People are protesting, even within the Democratic Party, there’s dissension over what is the proper use of American power, especially our projected power overseas, firm and soft power. If the goal is the peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians, what role does the United States play? PELOSI: Well, let me just say this was a role that President Biden played very well for years he was chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee. He was a senator, long time, vice president and president. So, his experience globally has been huge. If I could tell a story. Before you were born, again, when I was in school, I went to the inauguration of John F. Kennedy and in the speech he made this incredible inaugural address, he said to the citizens of America, ask “not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” You probably read that in the history books. It was my youth, you probably read it in a history book. The very next sentence that he says in the speech is "To the countries of the world, ask not what America can do for you but what we can do working together for the freedom of mankind."  And that is our mission. And that is what— COLBERT: But you understand— PELOSI: That is what Joe Biden was all about. So yes, we have had a commitment to Israel. It's been in our security interests to do so. Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization. We want the hostages freed. But we don't want children killed in Gaza and so we have to come up with a solution. And right now, right now we just got word earlier today that Israel had agreed to the ceasefire agreement. We're hoping that Hamas will too. But it takes me to the point of saying to you, war has no role in a civilized society. This is not—we have to learn more about trust and peace[shouting]. In learning about each other rather than [sound cut] [shouting] conflict resolved by war. COLBERT: Well, as you can see from the continuing protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people. PELOSI: Yeah, but let me— COLBERT: Because they believe that the United States. Hold on one second. Would you like to respond to what they are saying? Hold on, will you listen to her response if she--? [sound cut] Will you listen to her response? PELOSI: They’re screaming, I can’t hear them, but to those have them— COLBERT: They've said that the United States should not have any role in supplying Israel arms to kill people of Gaza, now, that's what they are saying. PELOSI: Israel has a right to defend itself. COLBERT: Agreed. And the hostages should be returned. PELOSI: And the hostages should be returned, but the other part of it is, that has been so major for all of us for many years is that there must be a two-state solution. You cannot have peace unless you have a two-state solution. Israel, a secure Jewish democratic state, in the region. And, the Palestinians having their own secure country there as well. Unless you have a two-state solution, you will not have a resolution of this and that is a time of opposition. [shouting] COLBERT: Please, don’t interrupt my guest. … COLBERT: Now, we had some protesters earlier this evening when Speaker Pelosi was out here, who, despite the horrors of the attack on October 7th, and the remaining hostages that are in the hands of Hamas, believe that the United States shouldn't be selling arms to Israel right now. given the number of civilian deaths in Gaza over the last 11 months. How would a Speaker Jeffries advise a President Harris about that situation? HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Well, I think that what President Biden is doing right now, with Kamala Harris is doing as part of the Biden-Harris administration, to do everything possible to try to achieve a ceasefire agreement to bring the hostages home, to surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who are in harm's way through no fault of their own, surge that aid immediately and continuously, and define the path toward a just and lasting peace, a safe and secure Israel, and the Palestinian people being able to experience the dignity and self-determination that they deserve. COLBERT: Are you hopeful of that? You served as the House manager overseeing the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Watching that party now, completely enthrall of Donald Trump, are you surprised after all of that, after the disaster of the end of his presidency and the horrors of January 6th, that he has such complete control? JEFFRIES: No, because as President Obama said today, and wasn't President Obama and Michelle Obama on fire? COLBERT: I didn't have any jokes. I was just watching. JEFFRIES: But, President Obama made the point that it's turned into a cult of personality. And as a result, the Republicans have just fallen in line behind Donald Trump, bending the knee, doesn't matter how irresponsible or reckless or out of control his behavior is, which is why the stakes are so high. But, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are running a campaign that is joyful, that is hopeful, that is forward-looking, and wants to bring the American people, in all of our diverse glory, together.

Although he appears as the ostensible voice from the right on the PBS News Hour’s Friday evening political discussion, New York Times columnist David Brooks is no one’s idea of a hard-core conservative. He said “I love Joe Biden” before criticizing Biden’s angry speech on Night One of the Democratic National Convention, after previously stating “I do think Donald Trump is actually a threat to democracy.” Yet Brooks did manage to puncture at least one of the gassy feminist balloons blown up by his colleagues in the booth in Chicago in the 10 pm hour, during the long wait before Joe Biden’s speech. Anchor Amna Nawaz heralded the puffery to come. Amna Nawaz: Judy, reflect on that moment when Hillary Clinton came out, because we saw Vice President Harris come out earlier and the room absolutely erupted. It was a sustained standing ovation for Hillary Clinton from everyone in this room. And there was a clear connective tissue being drawn in her remarks there, which went back even earlier to the legacy of President Biden and what we’re going to hear from him. This went back to her campaign, she went back to Geraldine Ferraro, she went back to Shirley Chisholm. Reflect on those remarks for a moment and how they went over here. PBS reporter Judy Woodruff: Well, it went over big. I don't know what the gender breakdown here is but everybody in this arena, I think it's fair to say, was cheering the Hillary Clinton message that, yes, women have tried. And they’ve tried, a woman ran in ’72, as you said, Gerry Ferraro was the vice presidential nominee, and Hillary Clinton herself eight years ago. But she said, finally, the future is now. Now it’s time, let's go fight let’s go win this. I think it's fair to say there are still a number of Americans who are conflicted about whether they are gonna vote for a woman in 2024, but if anybody is making the case for it, it is Hillary Clinton and we’re certainly going to hear it tonight from Joe Biden and from Kamala Harris herself in three nights. In between the you-go-girl feminism, male anchor Geoff Bennett praised left-wing "Squad" member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (who has embarrassed herself on a regular basis during her time in the House), saying “her elevation and evolution I think has been so striking because she has found a way to blend populism and pragmatism and blend protest and power, and she got one of the most raucous receptions when she took the stage tonight.” Minutes later it was back to pure high-octane feminism, with Woodruff, as if getting something off her chest, waxed indignant about the history of Republican sexism. Woodruff: The only thing I would add, excellent point is that seeing these women who have been demonized by the Republican Party. Hillary Clinton, an object of more than scorn I mean she was Satan. Nancy Pelosi, we haven’t seen her yet. We will see her later this week. Certainly Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez demonized, and they’re doing it now to Kamala Harris. I mean the language former President Trump is using to describe her, the last few days, it gets darker by the day. So I’m reminded of how women in particular have been frankly characterized in a really ugly way by the other party. I think it’s something to think about. I mean, I think about Republican women who haven’t – I mean, I think of Elizabeth Dole, who ran for president back in the 1990's. I don't remember the opposite thing happening. I stand corrected if one of you can—" Brooks instantly interjected with the obvious conservative rejoinder: David Brooks: Sarah Palin. Judy Woodruff: Thank you. Sarah Palin. After a few seconds of awkward silence followed by nervous chuckling, anchor Amna Nawaz broke in, sounding mildly exasperated. Nawaz: ….The question still remains, in 2024, is America ready to elect a woman president? Indeed, Sarah Palin, plucked from relative obscurity from Alaska’s Republican governorship to be Sen. John McCain’s running mate in 2008, was mauled by the media in sexist and sometimes sexually violent fashion, as Brooks could have gone on to note. 

It’s a challenging task but we here at NewsBusters are going to try to sift through all the crazy, angry and ridiculous observations made by leftist journalists every night of the Democratic National Convention coverage and pick one for Worst of the Night. So without further ado, the Worst Media Outburst for Tuesday night goes to MSNBC anchor Alex Wagner for excitedly proclaiming the idea of a President Kamala Harris has to be “distressing” if you are “a part of the white patriarchy like Donald Trump” and his “supporters.”     “So nobody’s ready to write the epigraph for the Trump years, but I do think, you know, it’s a powerful suggestion, right? That Barack Obama is the future. That Kamala Harris is the future and that Donald Trump is the past. And indeed, that demographic reality lies at the core of so much of Donald Trump’s power over his audience, right? The idea that a multicultural inclusive America is actually the road we’re heading down, and that the sort of white patriarchal society that allowed Donald Trump to profiteer as much as he has is going into the rear view, right? That’s a powerful, distressing idea if you are part of the white patriarchy like Donald Trump.  The idea that a multicultural inclusive America is actually the road we’re heading down, and that the sort of white patriarchal society that allowed Donald Trump to profiteer as much as he has is going into the rear view, right? That’s a powerful, distressing idea if you are part of the white patriarchy like Donald Trump. And supporters who see change, who see people like Barack Obama, who see people like Kamala Harris, you know, multi-ethnic leaders, multi-racial progressive leaders, and are scared of that vision, right? The idea that this might be the norm. And that Trumpism and MAGAism are the things of yesterday, veering their heads for one last gasp? Man, that's powerful stuff.”— MSNBC host Alex Wagner on night two of MSNBC’s live coverage of the Democratic National Convention, August 20.     MONDAY'S WORST OF THE NIGHT       Anchor Linsey Davis: “Former President Donald Trump is expected to go campaign in Howell, Michigan tomorrow. Many people are aware that a month ago, in Howell, KKK protesters marched in the streets with the white robes on and suggested that they support Donald Trump. I’m curious if you make anything about that connection and him going in particularly to Howell tomorrow.”Governor Gretchen Whitmer: “Well, you know, anyone who’s doing a little bit of research might have said ‘that’s really a bad idea, look at the optics.’ You’re showing up where the KKK was just at the same time you’re in Michigan. I mean, this is a— I think — a troubling strategy that we see from the other side to divide us and to scare us and to stoke fear and anger.  — ABC’s Your Voice/Your Vote: Democratic National Convention, August 19.    Please return to this space for the rest of the week to find out who had the most obnoxious take of the night.

As the 2024 presidential election looms closer, more information regarding January 6, 2021 — dubbed an “insurrection” by the left — continues to be exposed almost four years later. In newly released security footage from outside the DNC headquarters that fateful day, more questions about the day’s timeline have been raised. The footage shows a man with a bag getting out of a police vehicle and walking off camera in the direction where a “pipe bomb” was found just minutes later. Glenn Beck is concerned as to what this might mean. “That’s kind of a big deal. I mean, that’s earth-shattering,” he says before asking Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker what he thinks. While Baker doesn’t believe it’s proof that the man set a bomb down, he says that “it does make us ask questions, and it makes us question the FBI directly.” “The FBI can solve this for us today if they will release the DNC’s own security cameras. Their own security cameras are aimed and focused on exactly that spot where the bomb was placed, but they have never released that to the public,” Baker explains. “If you’re forced to take a leap of faith,” Glenn responds, “and you look at all of the evidence, it is circumstantial, but it is pretty good. Especially when the DNC has that video and won’t release it. Why wouldn’t you release the video?” Because there was also protocol in place to make sure the grounds were swept for suspicious activity, this makes the video footage of the man carrying a bag to that exact spot potentially more damning. “Somehow, someway, 15 minutes before it was discovered, we see a guy getting out of a car, bag in his hand, he walks over that direction into that, it’s a blind spot in the camera coverage from the CCTV, because they moved it,” Baker says. “This takes us into a whole new territory if it is true,” Glenn adds. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A Wisconsin teacher accused of sexual misconduct with an 11-year-old boy has been hit with nine additional felonies and faces life in prison if convicted. As Blaze News previously reported, 24-year-old Madison Bergmann was arrested and charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault on May 2. Text messages revealed that the alleged encounters happened inside a classroom during lunch and after school, the criminal complaint stated. However, Bergmann was charged last week with nine additional felonies: one count of using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, one count of exposing a child to harmful materials, two counts of child enticement causing mental or bodily harm, and five counts of sexual misconduct by school staff.If convicted on the charges, Bergmann could be sentenced to life in prison. Bergmann has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Until she resigned in May, Bergmann had been a 5th-grade teacher at the River Crest Elementary School in St. Croix County, Wisconsin.After Bergmann's resignation, the Hudson School District issued a statement:Learning about a school staff member and alleged inappropriate conduct that breaches trust is deeply troubling for all of us. We understand the gravity of this situation and are committed to providing the necessary support for any child who may be impacted. We kindly request the school community to respect the privacy of Hudson students and their families and refrain from spreading rumors or speculation. The School District counseling staff are available to help any child or staff who may be experiencing difficulties with this news.The school district told parents that the staff member was ordered to have no contact with students and was barred from school property. Citing charging documents, KSTP-TV reported that Bergmann communicated with the 11-year-old boy over the phone and text messages "almost daily." Prosecutors said the teacher conveyed in text messages between the pair that she enjoyed the boy touching her and the two "making out," according to KARE-TV.Text messages revealed that the alleged encounters happened inside a classroom during lunch and after school, the criminal complaint stated. The victim allegedly informed investigators that they talked about having sex.Police reportedly found handwritten notes between her and the boy in Bergmann's purse.The alleged child sex abuse was revealed when the boy's mother overheard her son talking to the teacher on the phone, according to the criminal complaint. The parents purportedly checked their son's phone and discovered texts of a sexual nature between the student and teacher. The boy’s father stormed into River Crest Elementary School with printouts of the conversations, authorities claimed. "That was a dramatic day," an anonymous River Crest Elementary School teacher told the New York Post. "He was not calm about it, and he was not quiet."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Can they really make this work?