President Joe Biden, flanked by TV screens proclaiming he is "securing the border," announced a new executive order on Tuesday that he says will drastically limit the number of illegal immigrants who are still overwhelming the nation's southern border."I've come here today to do what Republicans in Congress refuse to do: secure the border," Biden declared, leaving out the fact he took steps on his first day in office to undo border security measures put in place by the Trump administration.Biden then blamed Republicans for not passing the bipartisan legislation that was proposed earlier this year due to its many flaws. He says it is based on Republicans' refusal to do anything about the southern border in order to keep it an issue through election season. This is despite the fact that congressional Republicans passed a border security bill, H.R. 2, over a year ago, and Senate Leader Chuck Schumer has not allowed it on the floor for a vote.Biden says the executive order will cap the number of illegal border crossings to 2,500 per day, and it is set to go into effect at midnight tonight. The restrictions will lift if illegal crossings are fewer than 1,500 per day for seven days.'I'm quite skeptical that this is going to have any kind of immediate, widespread, dramatic impact on the border.'The order, however, will also exclude the following from that 2,500 threshold: Unaccompanied minorsPeople with medical emergenciesPeople who claim "credible fear"People from nations that will not take back deporteesThe order also does not include those who are allowed into the U.S. through the CBP One app, which thousands are on a daily basis, nor does it include the thousands of people who are allowed to fly directly into the U.S. from qualifying countries to be mass-paroled."Also, asylum has already been banned for most migrants who cross illegally since the end of Title 42 last year — and that hasn’t stopped them from coming. Highest numbers in recorded history end of 2023," Fox News reporter Bill Melugin explained.In the end, the executive order serves nothing more than to provide a talking point for Biden and other Democrats in an attempt to address one of the issues the Biden administration polls the worst on."President Biden has effectively legitimized crisis levels of illegal immigration well beyond those laid out by the DHS secretary he once served with," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green said, pointing to how 1,000 illegal entries per day cause major issues for Border Patrol. — (@) It is not just congressional Republicans who are criticizing the political move. NBC News reporter David Noriega said, "I'm quite skeptical that this is going to have any kind of immediate, widespread, dramatic impact on the border."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trump may have been convicted of all 34 counts levied against him in the Manhattan hush-money trial, but Mark Levin doesn’t believe justice has been served. Rather, he believes it has yet to be. “The problem is, there was a jury. There should never have been a jury, there should never have been a case. Prosecutor is a Soros prosecutor. Case should have been dismissed,” Levin says. “The problem is, you have a judge who is a Biden judge. So, now you have two individuals, two dishonest individuals, who lack complete integrity. That is Bragg and Mershan, who are influencing a federal, national, presidential election.” Levin says this shows “intent in the case of Joe Biden.” “God willing, if Donald Trump is the next president of the United States, I am going to urge him, I’m going to lobby him, to tell his Attorney General of the United States, ‘Let’s stop playing games,’” Levin explains, adding, “Indict Joe Biden and indict Antony Blinken.” Why? “Because according to Bragg, Merchan, and their surrogates — they created a crime.” Levin says this crime is valid because of the precedent they’ve set in the Trump trials. “That is the precedent that comes out of the New York case that Biden just supported,” he says. In addition, former special counsel Robert Hur supplied plenty of evidence in his previous report that Levin believes could indict Joe Biden. “We have so much evidence in this report from Mr. Hur of willful violations of classified information. It’s hard to keep track,” Levin says. “But the Department of Justice said they’re not going to act because Mr. Hur said, and certified, that Joe Biden is an imbecile.” “So, Joe Biden is exposed, and in my view, should be indicted for willfully disclosing classified information, effectively selling secrets for a profit, and trying to cover it up,” he adds. Want more from Mark Levin?To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Toward the beginning of his presidency, Biden issued an executive order to “promote and defend the right to vote.” Biden directed every agency in the federal government to participate, telling federal agencies they were to somehow look into voter registration, expand vote by mail, and use approved third-party organizations to help them get it all done. “We don’t know who those organizations are; we don’t know all of the details because they are stonewalling Congress,” Glenn Beck explains, noting that what a “third-party organization” meant in 2020 was “partisan with strings attached.” Biden has still not let Congress know exactly what the executive order is meant to do — and in the weeks leading up to the midterms, had his DOJ stonewall FOIA requests. The Foundation for Government Accountability reportedly called the executive order an “unconstitutional taxpayer funded get out the vote effort designed to benefit the president’s political party.” “So, it’s Zuck-bucks on government-funded steroids,” Glenn says. An email revealed by the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project proves this, showing a collaboration between an approved third party and the Department of Agriculture. “The Department of Agriculture, of all agencies, had enlisted the support of this approved third party to get their info at state level on voter registration data,” Glenn says, before reading a line from the third party, Demos, website. “They are quote ‘working to build a just, inclusive, multi-racial democracy,’” Glenn reads, continuing, “Demos has worked at the intersection of democracy reform, economic justice, and racial justice. Demos has moved progressive issues from the movement to the mainstream, such as debt-free college.” “This is our election partner,” Glenn says, shocked. “Does that sound non-partisan?” 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.

After San Diego Padres utility player Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for betting on baseball, it was revealed that four other players have received suspensions for gambling as well.MLB said that Marcano placed 387 bets totaling over $150,000, 231 of which were related to the major leagues. Of those bets, 25 were placed on Pittsburgh Pirates games while he was on their roster. He did not appear in any of those games, however.It was also revealed that at least four other players had been suspended for placing bets. This included fellow MLB player Michael Kelly, who, statistically speaking, is one of the Oakland Athletics' top relief pitchers with just a 2.59 ERA in 28 appearances.He was found to have placed 10 bets on nine MLB games between October 5-17, 2021, when he was a minor league player. He wagered on outcomes, over/under on runs, and individual pitcher strikeout totals. He wagered $99.22 and won $28.30.Kelly was declared ineligible for one year for betting on baseball. He last appeared in Triple-A in 2023.'There are more people involved in this than people want to believe' Pitcher Michael KellyPhoto by Ezra Shaw via Getty ImagesJay Groome was another San Diego Padres player to receive a gambling-related suspension. He received a year for betting on major league games. The 25-year-old placed 32 MLB-related bets between July 2020 and August 2021, which included 24 bets on the Boston Red Sox while he was assigned to their High-A affiliate. He wagered a total of $453.74 and had a net loss of $433.54. Groome has played three games in the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in 2024.Jose Rodriguez of the Philadelphia Phillies organization also received a yearlong ban for betting on MLB games. Rodriguez is a regular starter for the Phillies Double-A affiliate, having played 38 games in 2024.Rodriguez made 31 bets, 28 on MLB, three on college baseball. He bet on outcomes and runs scored, wagering a total of $749.09. Pitcher Jay GroomePhoto by Norm Hall via Getty ImagesThe fourth player to be suspended for a year for gambling on major league games was Andrew Saalfrank. The left-handed pitcher last played for the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 29, 2024, appearing in just two games for the team this season. He has appeared in 18 games in Triple-A.In 2023, he pitched in 21 games in the season and playoffs, including three in the World Series. He bet 29 times on baseball between September and the end of October 2021. He again bet on March 9, 2022. His baseball bets totaled $445.87; he lost $272.64 on MLB wagers, winning just five of his bets.MLB revealed that it was tipped off about the betting activity by a legal sports-betting operator. The league also noted that none of the players who have been punished played in any game that they wagered on, and it denied having inside information relevant to their bets.MLB reportedly said that the information aligned with what it was told by the betting company. Pitcher Andrew SaalfrankPhoto by John E. Moore III via Getty Images"There are more people involved in this than people want to believe," said baseball analyst Gary Sheffield Jr. "If the MLB was serious about this issue, they'd put integrity over the money, but money will always be number one," he continued."We may find it striking how often players that are caught gambling are not that good. If you're a good enough player, the league is able to make this problem go away.""We'll never have a full understanding of the investigations, nor will we know how valuable players are seemingly not caught," Sheffield added.Sheffield said that an attempt to make mid-season games more exciting with gambling has opened up "Pandora's box," and the risk of growing the game has come with drawbacks. The writer and podcaster added that it's going to be a rough road for these suspended players, given that they will likely lose a year's worth of service time.The (literal) payoff for these baseball players will always be an intriguing line of questioning, seeing as most of them do not make money.Marcano won just 4.3% of his MLB-related bets.That's an incredibly low payoff compared to former NBA player Jontay Porter, who received a lifetime ban from his league in April 2024. He had $21,965 in alleged winnings but also allegedly told a bettor about his health status for the purpose of gambling. The bettor then placed an $80,000 parlay proposition with an online sports book to win $1.1 million dollars.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rep. Thomas Massie to Merrick Garland: 'You've Created an Office … That Doesn't Exist'

New York Faces Invasion of Hand-Sized Flying Spiders - but They Should't Worry

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on Tuesday a "three-pronged approach" to curb the Justice Department's authority following the conviction of former President Donald Trump on multiple felony charges last week.

For a small, lumpy chunk of rock that barely reflects any light, Mars’ Moon Phobos draws a lot of attention. Maybe because it’s one of only two moons to orbit the planet, and its origins are unclear. But some of the attention is probably because we have such great images of it. Phobos is the largest of Mars’ two moons, the other one being Deimos. Scientists are uncertain about their history. They could be a pair of captured main-belt asteroids, two lobes of what once was a binary asteroid until capture separated them, or a second-generation object formed after Mars had already formed. Or they could be surviving fragments from an ancient collision between more massive objects. Phobos isn’t very large. It’s about 26 km × 23 km × 18 km and not massive enough to be rounded. Studies of its density show that it’s a rubble-pile body loosely held together by its own gravity. When the ESA launched its Mars Express Orbiter in 2003, its mission was to study Mars. One of its instruments is the High-Resolution Stereo Camera, a German contribution that produces colour images with up to two meters resolution. The instrument also has a black-and-white mode, and the original image of Phobos was black-and-white. Andrea Luck is a skilled image processor from Glasgow, Scotland, with a healthy enthusiasm for space images. He decided the original B&W image, which he describes as epic, needed to be updated to colour. “I was kinda tired of seeing this epic photo online only in black and white, so I decided to jazz it up with some colours!” he wrote on his Flickr page. It’s interesting to note that it’s a single image, not a composite. Here’s the original B&W image. This is the original image from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. It caught Phobos over Mars’ limb on March 26, 2010. The waviness of Mars in the background is a by-product of HRSC’s line-scanning operation. Image Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum) The HRSC’s mission is to take stereographic images of Mars’ surface, capturing geological and morphological details. The goal is to map as much of the surface as possible. But at the bottom of its list of objectives are images of Phobos and Deimos. The HRSC captured this image of Phobos in 2017. It shows the Stickney Crater, Phobos’ largest impact crater, and the unusual grooves on the moon’s surface. Mars Express images helped scientists conclude that the grooves are likely from impact ejecta. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin. CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO Images of Phobos have helped scientists better understand the odd moon, but they’re not enough to reach solid conclusions. Fortunately, a mission to Phobos and its sibling Deimos will be launched in a couple of years. JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is launching the MMX mission in 2026. MMX stands for Martian Moons Exploration. Its goal is to understand the origins of Phobos and Deimos. MMX will also return a sample from Phobos in 2031. Once in Earthly labs, those samples should reveal a lot. But for now, we can enjoy this processed image of Phobos, which captures its nature as a fast-moving, rubble-pile moon with uncertain origins. The post How Mars’ Moon Phobos Captures Our Imaginations appeared first on Universe Today.

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