Dinner parties with scientists can get pretty wild.

The formation of a special type of volcanic eruption can be explained with a kitchen experiment.

Looking back into the early universe using JWST has thrown up a new mystery.

The tech giant announced the change in line with Trump's plans.

The 2028 Democratic presidential primary has arguablky been underway since early 2020 when Joe Biden sealed the nomination, so it’s only natural likely candidates have started making national TV appearances to serve as Democrat Party leaders since they were thrashed in November. On Monday’s CBS Mornings, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer received a rhetorical massage masquerading as a book tour for the young-adult version of her memoir. Of course, topics such as this never came up. Instead, co-host Tony Dokoupil first noted Democrat Alissa Slotkin won an open Senate seat even though President Trump won the state and if there’s a “lesson in that split-ticket situation.” After Whitmer only conceded the state “tends to go back and forth and likes some balance and I’ve won twice with big margins within two years of Donald Trump also carrying Michigan,” she pivoted to making herself seem relatable and unobjectionable: I think it’s to keep listening to the people. And that’s part of what I talk about in my book that we made for young adults. These are lessons that you can use at any age, right? Learning how to listen is a superpower that not enough people tap into. Featured co-host Vladimir Duthiers brought up the illegal immigrant deportation raids and if she had an opinion on them, but Whitmer again had a meandering, vanilla answer about “planning...for...a number of different scenarios” and “treat[ing] people with dignity” who are grappling with “legitimate fears and concerns” while also “following the law.” Co-host and Democratic donor Gayle King went to “Donald Trump’s proposal for tariffs, which could greatly affect the state of Michigan and the auto industry” and Whitmer again only stuck to the surface-level with the admission she’s “not against” them, “but we’ve also got to be very strategic” so allies don’t end up “saying yes to China.” Thankfully, Dokoupil went back to her absurdly esoteric answer about deportations: Great question from CBS’s @TonyDokoupil to Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer on deporting dangerous criminals. Notice Whitmer wouldn’t even commit to supporting that.... Dokoupil: “So, taking inspiration from the theme of listening and that section of the book there about the… pic.twitter.com/Po1twaZMN7 — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 27, 2025 Having faced down the hardball, King went full gush over Whitmer’s alleged “superpower” being listening, which sounded great, but falls flat when one considers her devotion to abortion and draconian Covid-19-era restrictions (click “expand”):     KING: We all keep going back to the listening — importance of — DOKOUPIL: I love that section. KING: — I love that, too, the importance, you call it your superpower. But the advice from your grandmother, wish I could have met her, work hard, don’t get married until you’re 28, never part your hair in the middle. I think Ester Whitmer was on to something there. But the listening — there’s a great anecdote where you had gone to visit a hospital and you were talking to the mother of a patient. You said, what can I do for you? And she just said, fix the damn roads — WHITMER: Yeah. KING: — which became a rallying cry for you — DOKOUPIL: On the side of the bus. KING: — on the side of the bus, so I’m curious about, you said superpowers is listening whether your talking to a student, whether you’re talking to a President. That seems to be a lost art for those of us — many of us in this country. WHITMER: It’s really important. It’s my favorite thing about being governor and serving the public is I get to engage with people on the ground and find out what’s going on in their lives so that I can stay focused on what’s going to make their lives better. It is a skill that you can use whether you’re in second grade or in high school or you’re 54-year-old governor — or bout to be 54-year-old governor of Michigan. And when I asked that woman, you know, what’s important to you, I thought she’d talk about health care. KING: Yes. WHITMER: We’re in a children’s hospital, her child’s in the hospital. KING: She was blunt. WHITMER: Maybe we’d talk about childcare or education, she talked about roads. And the reason why is because when your road — when you have to fix the busted tire on your car, it’s money out of your rent, it’s money out of childcare. And that’s — that’s really what’s important for people. King kept control the rest of the way with a softball about the kidnapping plot against her (which was — how should we put it — full of Swiss cheese holes) and observation that this version of “the book ends with a Q&A with your daughter, done by your — your daughters — done by your sister, which we get some insight into how this governor thinks.” To see the relevant CBS transcript form January 27, click here.

The cast of NBC’s Saturday Night Live has an unintentionally funny definition of a king. On the most recent episode, James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump character touted his executive orders on DEI and Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as Secretary of Defense as evidence of Trump’s “king era.” The rest of the cast was dressed up as the Founding Fathers drafting the Declaration of Independence when Lin-Manuel Miranda joined to reprise his Broadway role of Alexander Hamilton and rap, “I say, our lives matter not if we lose them in the cause of liberty. What matters is the nation we build. Because in America, all men are created equal. America not England, we doing the sequel and we will have leaders but no one thing. In America, we will never have a king.”     The fact that the real Hamilton was artillery captain at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence notwithstanding, Johnson crashed the party, “Never say never. Kidding, of course, though in many ways I'm not. I'm in my king era. But just like the Founding Fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we're doing it very whitely. DEI is over. It's dead. Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show The Office: mostly white people but with one funny black guy who's having a really bad time.” Not only is revising the federal government’s HR culture not monarchical, it’s also not making the country whiter. Still, Johnson later recalled another faux controversy, “We love you, Elon, but to quote some of his own children, ‘I do not want him in my life.’ They say he did the Nazi salute. Not true, okay. He was creating a new greeting, a cross between hi and hello. We're calling it a ‘Heil.’"  Johnson rolled on and struggled to differentiate between mastering Trump’s style of speaking and butchering actual conservative arguments, “I've done more in the past four years than Sleepy Joe and Kamala did in the past four years. All thanks to my beautiful executive orders. From now on, there will be two genders. One to work and one to cook. And we're done with LGBT. No more drag, no more guys in wigs, no more whatever these guys were wearing. What a weird way to dress, right? A little zesty.” Later still, Johnson added, “Oh, how great is Pete Hegseth? He said he was going to start drinking if he got the job, and that's all I needed to hear. "I'll never drink again!" The famous promise people make right into the toilet. Good luck with that.” Whether one thinks of Hegseth, the fact that the vice president had to break the tie in the Senate to get him over the top would suggest to anyone who knows what words mean that “king era” is not the correct way to describe Trump’s first week. Here is a transcript for the January 25 show: NBC Saturday Night Live 1/25/2024 11:31 PM ET LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA [AS ALEXANDER HAMILTON]: What do I say? I say, our lives matter not if we lose them in the cause of liberty. What matters is the nation we build. CAST [AS FOUNDING FATHERS]: Here, here. Aye, aye. Because in America, all men are created equal. America not England, we doing the sequel and we will have leaders but no one thing. In America, we will never have a king. JAMES AUSTIN JOHNSON [AS DONALD TRUMP]: Never say never. Kidding, of course, though in many ways I'm not. I'm in my king era. But just like the Founding Fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we're doing it very whitely. DEI is over. It's dead. Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show The Office: mostly white people but with one funny black guy who's having a really bad time. We need to bring back Stanley culture, right? In terms of crossword and with regard to Pretzel Day. Look at Lin. He got tricked into coming here, now he's frozen on stage. But I'm back in the White House. Just in time. Everything is back to how it was. Except now my new favorite son is Barron. And he is smacking his head on every door frame, oh, it's bad. It's like when Gandalf goes to Bilbo's house. And the inauguration was a tremendous success. It was inside due to cold and fear, but we had a lot of surprise guests like Melania. That was nice. Melania showed up to my inauguration dressed like, frankly, Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat and you know I had to put my nerd herd in the front row, broligarchs before hoeligarchs. I've been saying it, we're saying it a lot. Zuck, Bezos, Tim Apple, and, of course, Elon. We love you, Elon, but to quote some of his own children, "I do not want him in my life." They say he did the Nazi salute. Not true, okay. He was creating a new greeting, a cross between hi and hello. We're calling it a "Heil."  Lin, what do you think, did he do it? I think he did it a little bit. But -- it's been a great first week. I've done more in the past four years than Sleepy Joe and Kamala did in the past four years. All thanks to my beautiful executive orders. From now on, there will be two genders. One to work and one to cook. And we're done with LGBT. No more drag, no more guys in wigs, no more whatever these guys were wearing. What a weird way to dress, right? A little zesty.  Darling, I'm off to start America! Hand me my wig and my tights and my big blousy shirts. So we're going to go back to common sense in regards to gender. And the women will wear the makeup. No more makeup on men. Unless you need it to be president. Also, we are pulling out of Paris Climate Agreement, we're pulling out of World Health Organization, using something I call the pullout method. Something, frankly, I wish I did a lot more in the 1980s. Eric. But, as much as I’ve already accomplished, there’s still so much to be done. I know I said I would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. I didn't say which 24 hours. Also have to ensure that all of my cabinet positions are filled. We're filling my cabinet with some of the best people. They're all very good. Except for most of them. Oh, man, what is SNL going to do? Who's going to play Hegseth? Look at these guys back here. None of them got the build. Nobody has the jaw. Got plenty of Zuckerberg options, though, that’s going to be a fight. Oh, how great is Pete Hegseth? He said he was going to start drinking if he got the job, and that's all I needed to hear. "I'll never drink again!" The famous promise people make right into the toilet. Good luck with that.  Oh, look at Lin, look how bad he wants to do a rap. He wrote a whole rap, and he doesn't get to do it. The audience would have eaten that right up. But we're not going to hear it. He's in sniffing distance of an EGOT, and he's got to stand there till I'm done.  Lindie, Lindie, Lindie, Lindie. Laura Linney. Lin-Manuel Miranda Cosgrove. There he is. He's such a Miran. Well, in conclusion, it's been a great week. I basically hit all my campaign promises except for the one people cared about: price of eggs. All-time high. Who would have thought it would be easier to get a ceasefire in Gaza than bring down the price of eggs? Might have to take the "L" on that one.  You know, we're looking into fabulous alternative egg options such as seagull or perhaps Cadbury. Well, Lin, you've been a great sport. Frankly, a really good friend. I want to thank him for his generous anonymous $1 million donation to my campaign. I know that was you, Lin. MIRANDA: No, it was not. JOHNSON: Your word against mine!  JOHNSON AND MIRANDA: And live from New York, it's Saturday Night Live!

Investigative reporter Matt Taibbi and Tucker Carlson recently spoke at length about long-standing efforts by deep-staters to control information flows, apparent last-ditch attempts by elements of the previous administration to embroil the U.S. in a direct conflict with Russia, and the likelihood that President Donald Trump has been targeted for assassination on more occasions than have been publicly admitted. While the conversation was wide-ranging, it largely centered on the question of what impact Trump's mass disclosures — particularly his planned declassification of government documents — might have, not only on his safety but regarding various matters left unresolved or swept under the rug over the past four years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its possible manufacture. Taibbi told Carlson that in this time of revelation and reopened investigations, former President Joe Biden's strategic blunder could ultimately prove to be what forces Anthony Fauci to spill the beans. While Biden apparently sought to spare Fauci from accountability, Taibbi indicated that the former president's pardon of Fauci on the eve of Trump's inauguration actually painted a target on his back and deprived the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of his key means of self-preservation. "The thing is about these pardons — they're a mistake. If you want to know what's happening, they just made it a lot easier for us to find out," said Taibbi. "Once the pardon's delivered, the person can't plead the Fifth. If they're brought before a grand jury, they can't take the Fifth any more. If they're brought before a congressional committee, they can't invoke the right against self-incrimination." 'It's going to be like a turkey shoot.' Citing the insights of past and current congressional investigators as well as criminal defense attorneys, Taibbi suggested that the consensus is that it is "illogical to give somebody a pardon if you're trying to cover up things" unless "there are very serious crimes involved." In either case, the pardon serves as a giant "red flag." When asked what possible crimes Fauci might have needed cover for, going all the way back to Jan. 1, 2014 — around the time the Obama administration supposedly halted funding for dangerous gain-of-function research that makes pathogens more deadly and/or more transmissible — Taibbi noted that "the one thing that comes to mind immediately is perjury." "Lying under oath to the Congress. In particular, saying, you know, that we have never funded gain-of-[function] research, that we weren't doing it during this time period — even as there are other people in the government, like the deputy director of the NIH, saying, 'Yes we were,' or Ralph Baric, who was one of the scientists at UNC, saying, 'Yes, absolutely, that was gain-of-function,'" said Taibbi. Fauci misled Congress by stating in May 2021 that the National Institutes of Health "has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology." In addition to putting the former NIAID director back on the hot seat, Taibbi suggested that other people with fingerprints all over the pandemic, including Peter Daszak — the British zoologist who was formally debarred along with his scandal-plagued organization EcoHealth Alliance this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — may similarly be trotted out to answer questions, including questions about documents that the Trump administration may release. "There are documents that we know exist that we're going to get now with FBI communications between the bureau and a lot of these scientists dating back 10 years, and it's going to tell a very crazy story," said Taibbi. "There's a reason why Fauci's pardon is backdated to 2014, because that's the time period that they're going to have to start looking [at]." The investigative reporter suggested that key questions to revisit with these scientists will be, "When did we start defying the ban on gain-of-function research? ... Why were we doing it? What connection did that have to the Wuhan thing? What kind of advanced notice did we get? What kind of lies were told about it? Who were responsible for those lies? What kind of information did we get about the inefficacy of the vaccine?" "COVID is a gigantic rats' nest of stuff," continued Taibbi. "It's going to be like a turkey shoot, where every direction they look, they're going to find something revelatory." The investigative reporter suggested that the Republican-controlled government could illuminate what authorities actually knew about what was going on at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where American tax dollars ended up courtesy of Fauci; whether there was advance warning that the pandemic was coming; and whether investigations into the possibility of a lab leak were suppressed "because of the connections to U.S. research." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump's administration is set to put a pause on tens of billions of dollars' worth of federal grants and loans on Tuesday, according to an internal memo from the Office of Management and Budget obtained by Blaze News. The temporary funding freeze was put into effect as the OMB puts forth an ideological review of the budget. As a result, the administration is pausing funds to any grant or loan that "may be implicated by the executive orders" Trump has implemented, including foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI programs, "woke gender ideology," and the Green New Deal.'Career and political appointees in the executive branch have a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through presidential priorities.'Notably, the freeze does not affect funding for Medicare or Social Security benefits. "The use of federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and Green New Deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve," the memo reads. "This memorandum requires federal agencies to identify and review all federal financial assistance programs and supporting activities consistent with the president's policies and requirements."Several prominent Democrats, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, heavily criticized the funding freeze. Despite this, the memo pointed out that Americans overwhelmingly elected Trump, who campaigned on addressing the government's bloated budget. "The American people have elected Donald J. Trump to be president of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar," the memo reads. "In fiscal year 2024, of the nearly $10 trillion that the federal government spent, more than $3 trillion was federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the executive branch have a duty to align federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through presidential priorities.""Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing American priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending 'wokeness' and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again," the memo reads.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump's Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched its first raids in New York early Tuesday morning, resulting in the arrest of a notorious gang leader and other violent illegal alien criminals.Police sources told the New York Post that ICE's first arrests involved individuals with warrants for crimes including burglary, menacing, kidnapping, extortion, and other violent offenses.'We are getting the dirtbags off these streets.'A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News that the early morning raids targeted "murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary."One of the individuals apprehended by ICE was a Dominican national wanted for a double homicide in his home country. Federal immigration agents also arrested 25-year-old Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, a Tren de Aragua ringleader tied to a viral surveillance video from August that captured armed suspected gang members storming through an Aurora, Colorado, apartment complex.Zambrano-Pacheco was arrested by DEA agents and Department of Homeland Security officers at the apartment complex in the Bronx early Tuesday morning. He faces kidnapping, burglary, and menacing charges.New DHS Secretary Kristi Noem joined ICE during its first New York City raids this week. "We're here in New York City this morning. We are getting the dirtbags off these streets," she stated.Noem posted a video on social media showing law enforcement officials arresting a "criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges.""We are doing this right — doing exactly what President @realDonaldTrump promised the American people — making our streets safe," she wrote.The Post reported that the New York Police Department issued an internal memo reminding officers that they may partner with federal immigration officials regarding criminal investigations but that the city's sanctuary laws prevent them from aiding in deportation efforts.ICE reported that on January 27, it arrested 1,179 and lodged 853 detainers. The following day, it made another 969 arrests and filed 869 detainer requests.Border czar Tom Homan has stated that ICE is prioritizing the arrest of safety threats but noted that anyone in the country illegally is "on the table" for deportation.Homan told ABC News, "You're going to see the numbers steadily increase, the number of arrests nationwide, as we open up the aperture.""Right now, it's concentrating on public safety threats [and] national security threats. That's a smaller population," he continued. "So we're going to do this on a priority [basis], that's President Trump's promise. But as that aperture opens, there'll be more arrests nationwide."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Global Fight League hosted its inaugural fighter draft that hopes to bring a new revenue sharing model for fighters, along with health insurance and a retirement fund.For months, the GFL has touted a new way to do business in mixed martial arts, boasting a "50% event-specific revenue share model that ensures athletes benefit from the league's success.""This revolutionary structure prioritizes fighters' financial security and professional well-being," a GFL press release said in December, according to Sherdog.The January 24 draft saw former UFC champions, fighters in their mid-40s, and others who haven't fought in years take center stage in what is intended to be a similar format to the defunct International Fight League.Six teams drafted 20 fighters each, with two fighters representing each of the 10 new weight classes that range from 110 pounds to 265 pounds. The draft had four rounds, but the format was abandoned after that according to Yahoo Sports, with full team rosters subsequently revealed. The outlet also reported that the draft process and order was never explained.The six teams are based in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Dubai, London, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. While New York did not have a manager named, the five other teams all had former UFC fighters as managers.From a pool of more than 400 athletes, the first-round picks were all former UFC fighters as well:1. Tyron Woodley (Dubai)2. Gegard Mousasi (London)3. Sage Northcutt (Los Angeles)4. Junior dos Santos (Miami)5. Kevin Lee (New York)6. Fabricio Werdum (Sao Paulo) Paige Vanzant in Bare Knuckle Fighter Championships in 2021.Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty ImagesWhile all these fighters are household names for MMA fans, they are all well past their prime.First overall pick Woodley is now 40 and hasn't fought in MMA since 2021. His last ventures were in boxing against Jake Paul also in 2021; he lost both fights.The average age of the first-round picks was 38, a number saved by 28-year-old Sage Northcutt and 32-year-old Kevin Lee. In fact, the entirety of the draft also saw an average athlete age of 38 for the male fighters. For women, those drafted averaged 27 years old.Some of the more bizarre team additions certainly cast doubt upon the likelihood that these promotions will actually happen.For example, 45-year old Frank Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion, hasn't fought in MMA since 2019.Neither has 45-year-old UFC legend Urijah Faber.Chad Mendes last fought in MMA in 2018; a loss in the UFC.MMA audiences would also be shocked if fan favorite Mauricio "Shogun" Rua fought at 43 years old.For the women's side, picks like Jessica Aguilar and Leslie Smith, both 42, are peculiar, as both were seemingly retired.When factoring in the inclusion of former UFC fighter, bare-knuckle boxer, regular boxer, Power Slap competitor, and porn star Paige VanZant, things tend to appear less serious.More competition in the MMA space is certainly welcomed, but this isn't exactly the first fight league with grandiose promises, like a "structured retirement fund," to pop up.Financial backing isn't exactly clear, and if viewers don't line up, GFL's lifespan could be far shorter than the IFL's two-and-a-half year run, even if it is promoted by network DAZN.The promotion is set to launch in April with fighters earning four points for a finish, three for a decision win, and two for a draw. Those who lose by decision will get one point but none if they are finished. All points will contribute to a team's total score.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!