Government workers are reportedly in a state of panic over the prospect of former President Donald Trump winning another term in office, according to E&E News. Bureaucrats up and down the federal hierarchy are concerned that a second Trump administration could cost them their jobs and put an end to liberal programs they worked to implement under President Joe Biden, E&E News reported. Trump has, if elected, pledged to implement reforms that would allow him to fire up to 50,000 civil servants at will, with the former president singling out workers who are incompetent, unnecessary or undermine his democratic mandate. “The first rendition of the Trump administration was really, really difficult, and we saw a mass exodus of employees retiring,” a National Park Service employee told E&E News. “If we do have an administration shift, other employees will also reconsider their positions and move to the private sector. I don’t know what I’ll end up doing.” Of the civil servants that didn’t exit during Trump’s first term, many worked internally to deliberately obstruct his agenda, according to Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019 and admitted to engaging in such behavior. Bureaucrats are worried that Trump may seek to appoint administrators who agree with his agenda this time around. “He’s going to get people in place that are more intelligent and are more loyal to him,” a park service employee said. “Now I think he could do a lot of damage.” To replace large numbers of federal employees, Trump would reclassify them as Schedule F employees, allowing him to fire them at will. The Biden administration finalized a rule in April that would prevent their status from being changed involuntarily, however, allies of the former president have shrugged off the rule by pointing out that a Trump administration could simply reverse it, according to The New York Times. Amid fear that Trump’s plans may come to fruition, bureaucrats are making moves to ensure the Biden administration’s policies are as hard to repeal as possible, a senior employee at the Interior Department told E&E News. “The concern hasn’t been focused on who the Democratic nominee is as much as concerns about Trump winning and what that would mean,” they said. “From everyone’s perspective it is get as much done as possible. Also trying to bury into the agency programs [like environmental justice] so they can survive a Trump administration.” Conservatives are increasingly optimistic about Trump’s chances of defeating Biden in November as the president lags behind Trump in the polls and the Democratic Party grapples with internal disputes regarding whether or not he should be their nominee. “The mood is somber and incredulous,” one long-time employee of the Department of the Interior told E&E News. “The hope is we will not suffer through another term with the prior leadership, but the fear [is] that if we do, they will target employees they don’t like, make things up to justify whatever punishment they want and just cripple the good work we are doing.” Staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), meanwhile, are also upset and agitated, the president of a union representing some of the agency’s employees told E&E News. “So many of our members lived through the absolutely disastrous first Trump administration and his attempted dismantling of EPA,” she said. Originally published by The Daily Caller News Foundation. The post ‘Really, Really Difficult’: Bureaucrats Worry Behind Closed Doors They’ll Be Sent Packing Under Trump appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Thoughts on the Convention and Donald Trump

Cephalopods are always full of surprises that push the boundaries of what we think we know about animal life – and few are more fascinating than the octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron), a deep-sea loner with removable limbs and a strong tendency towards same-sex behavior. Most squids have a total of 10 appendages, consisting of eight arms and two long tentacles. However, as octopus squid mature, their two feeding tentacles are reabsorbed into their bodies, leaving them with just eight appendages.Some individual octopus squid have even fewer arms, though. They are one of the only known squids to purposefully lose one of their arms as a way to escape a predator, a bit like how lizards can ditch their tail if it's been grabbed by a bird. They’re also capable of regenerating the lost limb, a remarkable trait that only a few animal groups possess.A 2012 study observed 84 individual O. deletron using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and found that 17 (27 percent) of them had at least one partially missing arm. The researchers even directly witnessed this behavior, called autotomy, when the squids made contact with their ROV and shed their limbs in a panic.   An octopus squid (Octopoteuthis deletron) observed by MBARI's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Doc Ricketts in Monterey Canyon at a depth of approximately 540 meters (1,772 feet).Image courtesy of MBARI; © 2019 MBARIThey’re typically seen in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington to Baja California. Per the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the species lives at depths of up to 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) in the twilight (mesopelagic) zone during the daytime. When the sun goes down, they rise to the surface at depths of 500 meters (1,600 feet) to feed.Like many deep-sea inhabitants, there’s plenty we don’t know about octopus squid, such as their diet. It’s evident, however, that the species is preyed upon by a host of different animals, including whales, sharks, and even seabirds.To avoid becoming someone else’s dinner, O. deletron can change color, a behavior that’s common in cephalopods that live in shallow waters, but not so typical in deep-dwelling species. They achieve this through specialized cells in their skin called chromatophores, which contain sacs of pigment that can be expanded or contracted by the action of surrounding muscle cells, allowing rapid changes in color and pattern. Cephalopods can also shift their appearance using cells called iridophores, which reflect light to produce iridescent colors through structural interference, as well as leucophores, which scatter light and increase their brightness.                     Another trick up their sleeve is a light-producing organ that sits at the end of each arm, used to bedazzle prey, illuminate their surroundings, or perhaps woo potential mates.Speaking of mating, their solitary lives lead them to develop some fairly fascinating sexual behavior. O. deletron is particularly unique because it exhibits same-sex behavior as commonly as opposite-sex sexual behavior, according to a 2011 study.To reproduce, the squid uses a modified arm to effectively shoot a packet of sperm into the flesh of the partner, where it remains until the female can fertilize its eggs. However, it appears that the octopus squid is indiscriminate with who it attempts to inseminate and will often fire a sperm packet at fellow males. In the lonely depths of the ocean, you can’t miss your shot.“This is a solitary species that is not very abundant; it lives in deep, dark waters where opportunities for reproduction are few and far between. In response to that challenge, this reproductive strategy ensures that no opportunity for successful mating is lost. It’s kind of like buying a Lotto ticket, except the odds are much better," Bruce Robison, a co-author of the study and deep-sea ecologist at MBARI, said in a statement.

Ever been out walking and spotted a pair of sneakers slung over a power line? It’s not an uncommon sight, and with good reason. Shoe tossing – or shoefiti – is done all over the globe and for all sorts of reasons, so let’s dive into some of the most common theories behind this seemingly counterintuitive behavior.MemorialHumans have been memorializing the dead for millennia, with graves and burial sites dating back as far as the Neanderthals (though some of that may have been the work of bees). Since then, we’ve come up with all sorts of ways to remember lost loved ones, from Memento Mori to hanging shoes on powerlines.The practice has the potential to backfire, however, particularly in the case of a TikTokker who angered people after posting a now-deleted video where they cut down hanging shoes to sell. The stunt was criticized online for being “insensitive” after the user said, “When you see shoes on power lines, you might think of gang territory, but what I think of is profits,” tapping into a common legend about shoe tossing.TerritoryOne of the more dramatic theories behind shoe tossing is that it’s a marker of “gang activity”, marking territory or communicating messages, such as where people can buy drugs. Our old debunking pals at Snopes have labeled this theory a Legend, because, simply, there’s no one answer as to why people toss shoes over power lines.However, just because something isn’t a universal sign of gang activity doesn’t mean that’s never the case. As WBEZ Chicago found out when they spoke to Missouri state prison inmate Patrick Starr, once a high-ranking member of the Bloods gang. “To us in Kansas City it was about your crew and y’all marking your neighborhood.” According to Starr, other inmates from Chicago and St Louis “said that represented guys who were killed from each neighborhood.”It seems unless you’re there in the moment, it's unlikely you'll ever know the true motivation behind shoefiti. There is, however, one explanation that most of us can relate to.TauntingIf you’re old enough to have endured high school, this one likely won’t be surprising. In the United States, the standard utility pole is around 10 meters (35 feet) tall, making them a great place to toss someone’s sneakers if you really want to piss them off, being both too high to reach, as well as really dangerous.Wearing rubber gloves or rubber-soled shoes can’t protect you from electrocution from powerlines, according to Austin Energy. So, if some dumbass tosses your shoes over a power line, do not try to get them back.Wayward sneakers can hold all kinds of meaning and information, and in the case of marine forensics, those found sailing with human feet still inside can have a lot to say...All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.

Donald Trump has a lot of things to celebrate this week, but a foregone conclusion in November isn’t one of them. Joe Biden is down in the polls and losing the unwinnable war against time’s toll. But he’s nothing if not tenacious, and the president has a trick ready to turn Trump’s latest triumph — over an assassin’s bullet — into a political defeat. In his Oval Office remarks Sunday, Biden tied the attempt on Trump’s life to a litany of other acts of political violence, including the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. He was returning to a winning theme from 2020, when the summer of rage following the death of George Floyd gave Democrats an opening to identify Trump with chaos. The Biden campaign’s next move is obvious enough — blame Trump and the GOP themselves for the assassination attempt by linking it to their position on guns. Just why 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to murder Trump isn’t clear. But how he tried to do it is significant enough for Biden’s purposes: Crooks used a rifle, and whatever his ideological interests may have been, he’s confirmed to have been a firearms enthusiast. He tried out for his high school’s shooting team, belonged to a gun club, and died wearing the T-shirt of a pro-gun YouTube channel, Demolition Ranch. A vote for Trump, Democrats will say, is a vote for political instability and putting deadly weapons in the hands of unstable individuals like Crooks. Republicans, meanwhile, have already sprung a trap on themselves. To score cheap political points, or because they’re simply victims of their own groupthink, Trump supporters have started echoing a Democratic theme. They think they’re turning the tables on progressives by holding them accountable for creating a climate of violence with their extreme anti-Trump rhetoric. Trump even appears as Adolf Hitler on a recent New Republic cover. Isn’t that an incitement to murder the man? When President Biden himself talks about putting Trump in a bull’s-eye, isn’t that language likely to lead to someone like Crooks actually putting him in the crosshairs? Republicans never thought so before, whenever they used such "targeting" metaphors, and progressives were the ones accusing them of inspiring violence. It shouldn’t take an exceptional degree of self-awareness for supporters of Donald Trump to recognize how hyping the dangers of intemperate language might backfire. Any comparison of Trump to Hitler is moronic, but it’s not an instigation. And if rude rhetoric were the deciding issue of the campaign, voters would be quick to send Trump into retirement — not only for the things he says but for the deranged utterances he elicits from his enemies’ mouths. Democrats are only too happy to wage a campaign on these terms. Their strategy calls for getting voters to see Biden, once again, as a force for calm and unity and Trump as a source of endless controversy, anger and upheaval. Trump, on the other hand, has to court moderates without repudiating the right, if he wants to match or surpass his 2016 victory. He needs the Republican base, including gun owners and pro-lifers, to turn out in full strength — but the no-compromise policies conservatives hope for are what many swing voters fear most. Trump was the president who built the Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v. Wade. But he’s seen how referendums on abortion have turned out since then, and he’s determined not to let his campaign become one. Democrats are doing their utmost to turn it into just that. Biden’s no moderate when it comes to guns or abortion, or almost anything else, but moderation is a message he’ll exploit to the fullest. He wants to be the no-drama candidate — a steady, mature hand at the wheel, even if one that’s a bit too mature. Trump at his best is an inimitable mixture of humor, optimism, urgency and outrage. He takes the stage to opera, disco and the Rolling Stones — drama is his element. He must, however, be seen to master the whirlwind, as he did when he rose to his feet and raised his fist defiantly after the assassin missed his shot. Biden seeks to turn his own mediocrity into a strength. It worked last time. Republicans shouldn’t help him do it — either by becoming complacent about their chances in November or by adopting the Democrats’ framework on rhetoric and violence. Daniel McCarthy is the editor of Modern Age: A Conservative Review. To read more by Daniel McCarthy, visit www.creators.com.

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) returned from his economic development trip to Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, where he “met with company executives, business leaders, foreign dignitaries, and government officials to promote Texas’ booming economy and drive progress in industries that are critical to the future of the global economy,” according to a press release from the Office of the Texas Governor. Over the course of Gov. Abbott’s governorship, Texas has attracted billions of dollars in new investment into semiconductor manufacturing from Asian companies, creating thousands of high-paying jobs for Texans. GlobiTech, a subsidiary of Taiwan-based GlobalWafers Co., Ltd., is establishing a manufacturing plant in Sherman, Texas, that provides silicon epitaxy products to the semiconductor industry. Similarly, Samsung has set up shop for chip manufacturing in Austin, Texas, partly due to Gov. Abbott’s policies. Gov. Abbott has provided a rough guideline of a successful 'America First' economic policy. If former President Trump wins the presidential election, it would be wise to implement an industrial policy that counterbalances the potential short-term price hikes that result from his proposed universal tariff. During his trip, Gov. Abbott also stressed the importance of AI and space exploration and collaborating with East Asian countries since “the winners of the AI race will be winners of the world.” Abbott also announced the creation of a State of Texas office in Taipei, Taiwan, a new Samsung steel manufacturing plant in central Texas, emphasizing the necessity to forge economic relationships with key allies, restore manufacturing in vital sectors, and reduce overreliance on China.“This mission helped strengthen our economic and cultural partnerships with Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan,” said Governor Abbott in the press release. “As Texas looks toward the future, it’s crucial that we continue to provide leading businesses from around the world with the opportunities to thrive and succeed in our great state. By visiting with business and government leaders in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, our ongoing collaboration in emerging industries will grow stronger for years to come. Working with our global partners across the Pacific, we will forge the future of innovation.”A new conservative economicsAmerican political leaders have always been keen on meeting with foreign leaders to bolster economic activity. However, Gov. Abbott’s recent Asia trip and his expressed willingness to form coalitions to revitalize domestic manufacturing are among the many markers of a new economic policy forming on the center-right. Like traditional neoclassical economics, this new conservative economics focuses on supply, promotes free markets and deregulation, and encourages trade. However, its nationalism and pragmatism open it to a more interventionist industrial policy, advocating for investment in research and development and subsidies for key manufacturing sectors, which are vital for American economic and national security interests. David P. Goldman, deputy editor of Asia Times and Washington fellow at the Claremont Institute’s Center for the American Way of Life, told Blaze Media that he believes “semiconductors are the most critical of industries, because all modern economic activity depends on them.”“There is a very strong case for domestic production under secure conditions of chips used by the military or critical infrastructure. In that respect, the CHIPS Act addressed an urgent need. It did not address it especially well, however,” Goldman said. “Lack of skilled labor and infrastructure led to long delays in TSMC's and Samsung's plans to build chip fabrication plants in the US, and the price index for new industrial plant construction rose by nearly 30% in response to new investment supported by the CHIPS Act. Our allies Japan, South Korea and Taiwan can only do so much; we urgently need to train skilled labor and technicians and upgrade our infrastructure. The states can play the key role in training through their university systems.”As America faces the looming threat of China and the supply-chain consequences, he and many others have put aside the standard neoliberal economic orthodoxy and embraced a new conservative economics. Less than a year after Congress passed the CHIPS Act, Gov. Abbott signed the Texas CHIPS act, “establishing the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium (TSIC) and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF) … [that] leverage[s] Texas’ investments in the semiconductor industry, encourage semiconductor-related companies to expand in the state, further develop the expertise and capacity of Texas institutions of higher education, and maintain the state’s position as the nation’s leader in semiconductor manufacturing,” according to Texas Economic Development & Tourism.When the legislation was proposed, Gov. Abbott called it “a national competition to design and build the future of semiconductors.” He continued and said, “it is a race that Texas must win for our state, our workforce, our national security, and our future. With this legislation, Texas will not only remain number one in America for semiconductors — we will be number one in the world.” Since then, Texas has become one of the primary hubs for chip manufacturing. Gov. Abbott has provided a rough guideline of a successful "America First" economic policy. If former President Trump wins the presidential election, it would be wise to implement an industrial policy that counterbalances the potential short-term price hikes that result from his proposed universal tariff. However, Trump’s global tariff would help rebalance America’s critical trade deficit. It may even be deflationary, and with policies that help fund capital-intensive projects vital to American interests, we could see long-term benefits for American industry.The new right’s economic policy shows the eminence of economic security and independence from China. The trip highlighted the imperative that if America wants to regain the economic dominance it once had, America must be number one in semiconductor manufacturing, and adopting a robust industrial policy might just put us a significant step closer.

Franklin Graham used his speech at the Republican National Convention to share the gospel.Speaking on the final night of the convention on Thursday, Graham reflected on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and shared his belief that Trump survived because of divine intervention.'Unite our hearts, bring us together, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for all.'"God spared his life," Graham declared. "And when we go through those experiences, it changes us.""It can cause us to examine our lives and re-evaluate our priorities, as it should," he continued. "When President Trump rose from that platform, he rose with his fist raised in strength, showing America his unshakeable resolve to fight for them and this nation."Then Graham used his stage time to share the core message of Christianity, quoting John 3:16."I cannot explain why God would save one life and allow another one to be taken. I don't have the answer for that," Graham said."But one thing I do know is that God loves us, and he wants us to be with him in heaven one day. And that's through faith in his son, Jesus Christ," he continued. "You see, the Bible says that, 'God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shouldn't perish but should have everlasting life.'"Afterward, Graham prayed. He asked God to give Trump wisdom. He petitioned for Sen. JD Vance and his family. And most importantly, he asked God to "unite our hearts, bring us together, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty, and justice for all." — (@) Faith was a significant component of the RNC, especially after the attempted assassination of Trump.Not only is it hard to understand how Trump turned his head at the literal perfect time to prevent being murdered, but Corey Comperatore — the lone tragic death from the Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally — was a man of strong faith.Not only did he emulate the self-sacrificial love of Jesus by protecting his family in his final moments of life, but Comperatore was "a man of deep faith who lived his life in honor of Christ and in service to others," according to his pastor Jonathan Fehl."Corey was a longtime, faithful member of Cabot Church. His love for Jesus was clear in the way he lived his life. He served his family, his church, his community, and his country, and he did that all with a heart of service to the Lord," Fehl said in a letter to his congregation after the tragedy that was shared with Blaze News."Whether it was taking part in a small group, serving on the trustees, or lending his expertise to a building project, he was constantly helping the people around him," Fehl added. "He drew particular strength from the Book of Romans, always telling new Christians they should read that book first."Comperatore's funeral is being held on Friday.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

In response to the near-assassination of Donald Trump, President Biden called for “unity” and requested that both sides “lower the temperature.” The mainstream media has continued to circulate Biden’s language, which is frankly hypocritical, considering “the media ... has participated in ratcheting the temperature up quite a bit over the past few years,” says Stu Burguiere. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who joins the show, agrees: “Yeah, it's really cute for the media and for people on the left to tell us to take the temperature down when they themselves do quite the opposite of that.” According to Sen. Lee, if Biden and the media really wanted to take the temperature down, they would “end ... the political lawfare.” Biden's Message of Unity is a LIE if He Doesn't Do THIS For Trump youtu.be “[Biden] could call for the criminal charges against his political opponent to be dismissed,” Sen. Lee tells Stu and Glenn Beck. “He can do that directly for the federal charges, for the state charges” by “[calling] upon the governors of New York and Georgia.” While such a drastic shift is highly unlikely for Biden, whose entire campaign hinges on the demonization of Donald Trump, the temperature at the RNC is higher than ever — but in a good way. Glenn says the convention has “a sense of joy” that channels “Reagan 1984” and that even Donald Trump “[seems] different.” Sen. Lee, who’s attending the convention, confirms Glenn’s speculation: “He seems much more somber; he seems shaken but reinvigorated by the support that he's getting ... I think it's impossible for him to have gone through that experience — nearly getting killed — it'd almost be impossible to not feel that something had changed, and perhaps even on kind of a spiritual level ... like he had a mission and a purpose for which he had been preserved.” “Does it feel like to you that we’ve turned a page and we’re in a different chapter now of this American story?” asks Glenn. To hear Sen. Lee’s answer, watch the clip above. 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.

Katie Pavlich TORCHES 'MSNBC Lunatics' for FAKING Their Presence at the RNC Convention as Only SHE Can

Biden Family Discussing Exit Plans - Are Deals Being Made?