Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, who serves as the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, disclosed on Sunday that American taxpayers are “funding thousands of Chinese experiments with direct applications to the Chinese military.” Writing in The National Interest, Rubio, one of the Republicans at the forefront of confronting Communist China along with Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, mentioned a report that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) had given $30 million in artificial intelligence research grants to a Chinese scientist at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Rubio pointed out that the Beijing Institute of Technology works to create next-generation weapons for the Communist Chinese Army. But then Rubio submitted new evidence: The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) found that U.S. taxpayers funded the aforementioned experiments. “Their findings note more than 5,000 instances of research collaboration between the DoD’s funding agencies and Chinese entities between 2019 and 2024,” he wrote. He continued: NCIS specifically records eighty-one collaborations with China’s nuclear weapon research and development complex, hundreds of collaborations with the “Seven Sons of National Defense” and the “Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry”—China’s premier defense industry-affiliated universities—and seventeen collaborations with China’s National University of Defense Technology—the People’s Liberation Army’s premier scientific research institute. The experiments “have focused on facial recognition, stealth technology, underwater acoustics, explosives, semiconductors, cryptography, cybersecurity, and data mining,” Rubio asserted, adding, “Such research, facilitated by our own government, may have already given Beijing an edge in key areas of twenty-first-century warfare. … China now has nearly unfettered access to America’s fundamental research due to a lack of prohibitions in grant language pertaining to co-authorship and collaboration.” Rubio and Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) plan to introduce the FORTIFY U.S. Research Act “to safeguard taxpayer-funded research and close loopholes that have enabled our adversaries to exploit it,” he stated. Rubio declared that such legislation is “what the American people require to begin restoring their faith in our institutions. The longer we wait to act, the more that faith will fade—and the more its fading will be justified.” Rubio’s efforts to combat the pernicious influence of Communist China have included the following: In March 2023, he and Iowa GOP Senator Joni Ernst introduced the No Funds for Enablers of Adversarial Propaganda Act to deny federal funds to any individual or entity that had an agreement, partnership, or advertisement with TikTok. In August 2023, he called for banning TikTok in an opinion piece. Last month, Rubio introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to expose the corruption of the Chinese Communist government and its leadership. The bill, titled the “Confronting CCP Malign Influence Act of 2024,” would require the Director of National Intelligence to “prepare and make available a report on the wealth and corrupt activities of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, and for other purposes.” “Our nation’s greatest adversary is Communist China and the American people must realize the complex reality a new world order, led by Beijing, would pose. Whether it be through economic, social, or military coercion, we are seeing an increased effort from China to displace our nation as the world’s leading power,” Rubio stated.

President Joe Biden lashed out at his favorite MSNBC hosts during a Monday morning interview, scolding them for daring to ask about his apparent cognitive decline and whether or not any official testing had been done to evaluate him for any potential age-related conditions. Biden, 81, whose last two weeks have been punctuated by a disastrous debate performance followed by an “incoherent” interview with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, seemed equal parts frustrated and belligerent when “Morning Joe” anchors Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski pressed him about his cognitive state. WATCH: MSDNC: “Have you been tested for any age-related illnesses … that might explain having a night like that where you couldn’t finish sentences!?” BIDEN (angry rambling): “I’ve been testing myself! … It drives me NUTS people talking about this!” pic.twitter.com/A5iyoij06s — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 8, 2024 Brzezinski posed the question, asking, “Have you been tested for any age-related illnesses — pre-Parkinson’s or anything like that — that might explain sort of having a night like that where you couldn’t finish sentences?” Biden started out laughing a bit uncomfortably. “I was feeling so badly before the debate, when I came back they tested me for … they thought maybe I had COVID, there was something wrong, I had an infection or something,” Biden said, suggesting that he had received some medical tests but not directly answering whether he had been tested for anything age-related. “They tested me, they gave me those tests, I was clear.” “So, but look, I had a bad night,” Biden continued. “But the fact of the matter is … look at what I’m doing, I mean, let me put it this way. If there was something that was wrong that night, it’s not like it’s [unintelligible] that’s one night and goes away, that’s why I’ve been out. I’ve been testing myself everywhere I go. Going out and making the case. The night of that debate I went out, I was out until two o’clock in the morning. That very night! That very night! It drives me NUTS people talking about this!”

President Joe Biden joined MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” — apparently his favorite show — by phone on Monday in an attempt to calm the waters after a relatively disastrous two weeks. Biden, 81, whose first debate outing against former President Donald Trump was objectively bad, also struggled to get through an interview with Democrat operative-turned-ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos — and on Monday morning, appeared to have difficulty with questions from other friendly sources: “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. WATCH: “How can you assure the American people that you won’t have another night like the one you did in Atlanta?” BIDEN: “How can you assure you’re gonna be on, on, you know — fate’s not gonna intervene on your way to go to work tomorrow?” ??? pic.twitter.com/heW2rk7VAv — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 8, 2024 As many media outlets have in the aftermath of the debate, the “Morning Joe” hosts asked Biden what he planned to do to reassure the American people that his bad debate performance was, as he has repeatedly insisted, just one “terrible night” rather than a clear indication that he is no longer cognitively up to the job, much less the campaign. “How can you assure the American people that you won’t have another night like the one you did in Atlanta?” Brzezinski asked. “Look at my career. I’ve not had many of those nights. It was a terrible night, and I really regret it happened,” Biden replied before pivoting to suggest that no one’s future was guaranteed — by pointing out the possibility that even the futures of the “Morning Joe” hosts were not assured. “But the fact of the matter is, how can you assure you’re gonna be on, on, you know — fate’s not gonna intervene on your way to go to work tomorrow?”

One congressional Democrat is condemning fellow members of his party who are breaking ranks and urging President Joe Biden to step aside in the 2024 race. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), a two-term lawmaker from the Bronx, argued on Monday that the discordance of some members turning on Biden while others are standing with him after a poor debate performance is hurting the Democratic Party’s chances of winning the presidential contest. “Regardless of where one stands on the question of President Biden’s political future, the intra-party mixed messaging strikes me as deeply self-destructive,” Torres said in a statement posted to his personal X account. “Those publicly calling on President Biden to withdraw should ask themselves a simple question: what if the President becomes the Democratic nominee? The drip, drip, drip of public statements of no confidence only serve to weaken a President who has been weakened not only by the debate but also by the debate about the debate.” He added, “Weakening a weakened nominee seems like a losing strategy for a presidential election. The piling-on is not so much solving a problem as much as it is creating and compounding one. The process by which we decide how to move forward matters as much as the decision itself.” Some Democrats inside and outside Congress have begun pressing Biden to end his campaign and give someone else the chance to take on former President Donald Trump in the November election. Several House Democrats are among them, including Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Mike Quigley (D-IL). Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), who hails from a battleground district, joined them on Saturday. “Given what I saw and heard from the President during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following that debate, I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump,” Craig said in a statement. Declaring there was “simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency,” Craig added that she “respectfully” called on Biden to “step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as President and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.” Axios published a report on Saturday that cited unnamed lawmakers saying the handful of House Democrats who had already come forward urging Biden to end his bid would soon have company. “The drip drip is about to be more than that,” said one. A second said, “We’ll certainly amp up the public pressure as needed.” The Associated Press reported that some leading congressional Democrats, including Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), and Mark Takano (D-NY), said in a private call convened by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) that Biden should step aside. Others in Congress, including House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), have stuck with Biden while suggesting that he should work to reassure supporters if he remains in the race. Yet more have been more unabashedly supportive of the incumbent. “I’m with Joe Biden,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at a press conference after the debate, according to Syracuse.com. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that a planned meeting this week meant to rally Senate Democrats to ask Biden to leave the presidential race has been canceled. Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats on Monday stating that “despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.” RELATED: Biden Tells Congressional Dems He Is ‘Firmly Committed To Staying In This Race’

A video published on social media over the weekend showed Vice President Kamala Harris covering up President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline in numerous interviews and public remarks over the last year and a half. The video comes after a Wall Street Journal poll published last week found that 80% of voters believe that Biden is “too old” to run again for president following his disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump. At least nine Democrats have publicly called on Biden to quit his re-election campaign. Polling has also shown Trump beginning to build a lead on Biden that will be difficult to defeat this fall. News reports have said that Democrats are willing to coalesce around Harris as the party’s nominee if Biden drops out and gives her his blessing. As talk continues to swirl about whether Harris could replace Biden, many have started to point out that she has covered up his cognitive decline over the last couple of years as she would have been able to see it up close in person, given her proximity to the president and regular interactions with him. Republican strategist Steve Guest posted a video showing Harris repeatedly defending Biden against concerns over his age and his mental fitness for office. The video includes Harris making the following remarks: February 8, 2023: “We have a very bold and vibrant president in Joe Biden.” February 8, 2023: “It’s about thinking about whether we have in our leader, which we do in Joe Biden, somebody who is bold.” February 17, 2023: “[Biden] is probably one of the boldest and strongest American presidents we have had.” March 16, 2023: “He is an extraordinary leader and I wish that people could see what I see.” September 7, 2023: “Joe Biden is gonna be fine.” September 20, 2023: “[He] is in touch with the problems of today and has a vision for what we can do today and in the future.” October 29, 2023: “Joe Biden is very much alive.” November 29, 2023: “Age is more than a chronological fact … Not only is he absolutely authoritative in rooms around the globe, but in the Oval Office.” November 29, 2023: “It is important we not be seduced into one of the only arguments that that side of the aisle has right now on [Biden’s cognitive decline] in a way that is intended to distract from the accomplishments!” January 16, 2024: “He is extraordinarily smart. He has the ability to see around the corner.” January 17, 2024: “We have a president in Joe Biden who is forward-thinking in a way that we’ve not seen in a long time.” January 25, 2024: “This is someone who is tireless in terms of working on behalf of the American people.” February 9, 2024: “The way that the president’s demeanor in [Special Counsel Hur’s] report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated!” February 21, 2024: “Our president is in good shape, in good health, and is ready to lead in our second term.” March 8, 2024: “I’m ready, if necessary, but it’s not gonna be necessary.” WATCH: WATCH: Over 6 minutes of Kamala Harris covering up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. For years, she said Biden is “very bold and vibrant” and is “tireless in terms of working.” Kamala claimed Biden “is gonna be fine,” and said he “is in good shape, in good health.” Kamala LIED. pic.twitter.com/d2domPIUOA — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 7, 2024

Chia seeds can be a yummy addition to lots of baked goods. That said, you’ll want to make sure that the chia seeds you have in your cabinet aren’t apart of this recall list. The announcement of this recall was first shared by the FDA on May 13. Since then, however, they’ve upgraded the recall to “Class I” — this is the highest risk level according to the FDA’s scale. But what does that mean? According to the FDA’s website, a “Class I” recall is “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of, or exposure to, a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.” In this case, the hazard stems from the potential presence of Salmonella. Valeria Boltneva / Pexels The impacted products are made by Walmart’s Great Value Brand: Organic Black Chia Seeds 32 oz. more specifically. That being said, just because you have a bag of these chia seeds doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be concerned. Only those with lot numbers ending in “C018” and expiration dates of Oct. 30, 2026 are on this recall list. If you have these products, it’s important to dispose of them. A refund is available with proof of purchase. Chia Seed Recall Upgraded to Class I by FDA — Here is What to Look Out For “While no adverse events associated with the products have been reported to date, products are being recalled out of an abundance of caution and because consumer safety is the company’s highest priority,” a release from May reads. Still, it’s important to be on the lookout for potential symptoms. This can include: Diarrhea Stomach cramps Fever Vomiting While most people recover on their own after a few days, dehydration can be possible if symptoms are particularly intense or last longer than normal. Stay safe, everyone! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Walmart Product Recall Upgraded To Class I By FDA For Chia Seed Products appeared first on InspireMore.

Lex Brown hadn’t been going to his new school for long, but there was at least one thing just about anyone could tell you about him: He loved his family dearly. This can even be seen in the way the 15 year old’s life was taken far too soon. While playing around in the Wabash River, his 9-year-old brother got swept away in the current. Without hesitating, the teen dove after him. Although Lex was successful in pushing his little brother toward safety, he quickly got caught up in the current himself. Sadly, this is how Lex drowned. Ever since that day, family and friends have taken the time to celebrate this young hero. In fact, a vigil was held in his honor. Here, people shared kind words about Lex. This includes Darin Simpson, the principal of Dugger Union Jr./Sr. High School. TikTok “Everything with Lex was family oriented,” Simpson shares. “Whenever he was asked about what his hobbies were, he was either going fishing with his little brother or teaching his little brother how to do this or that. His plan after high school was to own his own shop so he could work with his mom.” Meet Lex Brown, the 15-Year-Old Who Lost His Life to Save His Little Brother On social media, you can also find loving posts in Lex’s honor, like the video below by Chris Sanders. According to the caption, Chris’ brother was friends with Lex. @disonthebeast On June 29, 2024 Lex Brown without hesitation jumped into the river to save his 9yr old brother. Lex was able to push his brother to the bank but the current claimed lex. Lex was 15yr old full of life and taking on every day with a smile and all kinds of jokes. He was my brother's best friend. He will be missed. @Casey Clark #giveheavensomehell #rip ♬ original sound – Chris Sanders “Lex was 15 yr old, full of life, and taking on every day with a smile and all kinds of jokes,” Chris writes. “He was my brother’s best friend. He will be missed.” Rest in peace, Lex Brown. The InspireMore team sends our condolences to the teen’s family and friends during this devastating time. You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Hero: 15-Yr-Old Gives His Life To Save His Little Brother From Drowning appeared first on InspireMore.