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A whopping great spider of an invasive species is believed to be on its way to New York, which is bad news for arachnophobes but really not that big of a deal for everybody else. The joro spider is a regular in the news for its United States tour, but despite its impressive size, it’s not dangerous and actually very shy.Who is the joro spider?Spiderlings of the orb-weaving joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) can parachute, enabling individuals to travel miles across the country. As Gothamist explained, northward winds could now be carrying them as far as New York, but if you’re an arachnophobe living in the big city, we’ve got good news.Joro spider size may be impressive, but they’re not dangerous. They have a legspan of up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) and bright coloration that advertises their venom to would-be predators who are small enough for it to be effective. Like other spiders they’d sooner not waste that venom on something as big as a human, but if you get a joro spider bite it's been compared to a weak bee sting.Joro spider vs. turkey basterAggression was put forward as an explanation for the joro spider's success as an invasive species, but a curious experiment proved that this wasn’t the case. By puffing air on around 50 spiders with a turkey baster, scientists elicited a threat response known as thanatosis – which is basically freezing – to see how long it lasted across species.The joro spider bite has been compared to the pain of a bee sting for humans, but it's deadly to smaller creatures.Image credit: XIANLONG / Shutterstock.comIn most spiders, thanatosis was short-lived and they started moving again after a minute or so. The reticent joro spider, however, stayed completely still for over an hour after facing down the turkey baster. The only spider known to have a similarly long thanatosis response is the golden silk spider, which sits alongside the joro spider in the Trichonephila genus.So, if you’re an arachnophobe living in the big city, don’t let fear get in the way of enjoying the summer. Should you find a wayward joro spider wandering through your house, one puff of a turkey baster can buy you a whole hour.Why is the joro spider such a successful invader?As for why such a spineless invertebrate has done so well as an invasive species, their physiology may hold the key. An investigation into the success of the joro spider outside of Asia revealed they have physiological characteristics that make them better able to survive cold weather compared to other invasive spider species. That includes an inherently higher metabolism that’s twice that of invasive golden silk spiders, and a heart rate that remains 77 percent higher in cold temperatures.With their ballooning babies already taking to the skies, it may be time for US citizens to get comfortable with the joro spider as a neighbor. As Andy Davis from the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia said, resistance is futile.“People should try to learn to live with them. If they’re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they’re just going to be back next year.”

The curious case of Florida's sawfish is continuing to evade explanation. Researchers have been working hard to find the reason why sawfish in the Florida Keys are erratically spinning around and dying en-masse, but their tests have yet to uncover a culprit.Since the fall of 2023, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has collected hundreds of reports of smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) in the Florida Keys exhibiting “abnormal fish behavior”, including thrashing around and swirling in circles. As of late May 2024, they’ve documented 50 sawfish deaths too.The FWC launched a first-of-its-kind emergency response effort to prevent additional deaths in March 2024. This involved extensive testing of 250 chemicals in the water, as well as sampling of fish tissue from necropsies. So far, nothing unusual has been found, deepening the mystery.All tested chemicals in the water were either not detected or were below any biological thresholds, with most being below minimum detection limits, while the fish necropsy data so far has not shown any apparent signs of a communicable pathogen or a bacterial infection. A smalltooth sawfish impacted by the recent event in the Florida Keys.Image credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)The FWC also doesn’t believe the water’s dissolved oxygen levels, salinity, pH, or temperature are a factor. One of the main suspects the FWC had initially highlighted was toxic red tide, a harmful algal bloom that produces toxins known to cause neurological problems for fish and other animals. However, their tests have suggested this factor isn't at play.However, other harmful algal species and their associated toxins have been observed in samples of the water, seabed, and fish tissue. While it's a promising avenue to explore, the FWC stressed that “more work is needed to determine if this is the cause of the unusual behavior.”Likewise, tests for heavy metals in the water, as well as blood and tissue samples of the sawfish, are still under analysis and pending results.With their long, flat snout that is lined with sharp transverse teeth, sawfish look like a half-shark and half-chainsaw. Their unusual saw snouts are used to hunt; along with helping them dig around sedimented seabeds, it also emits an electrical field that helps them find prey. Taxonomically, they belong to the subclass Elasmobranchii alongside sharks, rays, and skates. There are at least five species of sawfish, all of which are critically endangered with extinction – a fact that makes the plight of Florida’s smalltooth sawfish all the more pressing. 

While there has been network coverage (full of spin) of the Hunter Biden gun trial there have been and will continue to be certain newsworthy items they won’t tell you about. We will be using this space in the coming days to alert you to those developments. Today we begin with the story of how Hunter Biden has blown threw so much of his benefactor Kevin Morris’s (AKA “Sugar Brother) money that Morris’s daughter has complained about it.  Up until recently the Hollywood millionaire Morris had been covering Hunter’s legal fees but apparently he’s now “tapped out” of funds. It got so bad that Morris’s 23-year old daughter allegedly confronted Hunter face-to-face and scolded him: “stop taking advantage of my father.” Amount of coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning shows? 0 seconds. This is just the latest example of the Big Three networks running damage control for Hunter and the Biden family.  On June 4, the New York Post reported:  The daughter of Hunter Biden’s “sugar brother” Kevin Morris accused the first son of “taking advantage” of the millionaire Hollywood lawyer, The Post has learned. Dulcie Lou Morris, 23, dressed down the first son face-to-face for taking millions from her father for his legal bills. Morris, 60, is a Hollywood entertainment lawyer and Democratic donor who began paying Hunter Biden’s debts weeks after meeting him at a fundraiser for then-candidate Joe Biden in Brentwood, California, in 2019. On Monday, Morris showed up in Wilmington, Delaware, as part of the Biden entourage for the first day of Hunter’s gun trial. … While the first son’s family rallied around him, Morris’ family have attacked both Hunter and Morris himself.  “His entire family has abandoned him because they were livid when they found out he was bankrolling everything,” a source close to the Morris family told The Post. Morris’s daughter Dulcie Lou even confronted Hunter Biden recently, telling him to “stop taking advantage of my father,” the source said. Last month, Politico reported that Morris told his legal associates that he has run out of cash to help fund Biden’s defense.  Abbe Lowell, Biden’s main attorney, had sought to postpone the Delaware trial last month over “strained” resources to handle two trials in different parts of the country. Biden will go on trial accused of federal tax crimes in Los Angeles, California, in September. Lowell takes in between $850 and more than $1,500 per hour, according to Politico. It’s unclear how much Morris has spent on Biden, but a January letter to the House Oversight Committee from one of Morris’ attorneys suggests the figure is more than $6.5 million, including a $2.6 million loan to pay Biden’s debt to the IRS in 2021.  Most of the loans carry a 5 percent interest rate, the letter said. The New York Post story went on to remind readers how deeply involved Morris has been in Hunter’s life over the last few years: Morris also found a “lavish” house for Biden and Cohen in Venice Beach, paying $17,500 a month from January 2020 to October 15, 2020, according to transcripts from the House committee hearing. “I have worked hard to create a life that has allowed me to help my family and friends when they have needed it, and I did so with Hunter,” Morris told the House committee. In addition to paying for the first son’s personal expenses, Morris bought 13 of the self-taught artist’s paintings, totaling nearly $1 million. And Morris is accused of spying on the filming of a documentary, titled “My Son Hunter,” according to a complaint lodged with the State Bar of California. In the complaint, filmmaker Phelim McAleer alleges that Morris flew on his private jet in November 2021 to Serbia, where the Hunter Biden biopic was being filmed, and pretended he was an independent documentary filmmaker producing content for “South Park streaming.” … Morris made his fortune representing the co-creators of “South Park” and other Hollywood celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson. Calls to lawyers representing Hunter Biden and Kevin Morris were not returned Monday. Dulcie Lou Morris refused comment Monday. ABC, CBS, NBC evening and morning show coverage: 0 seconds.

An airport employee in Florida has been arrested and a local reporter mildly accosted, all in connection with an Apple Watch and a stolen piece of luggage.Paola Garcia, a college student in Florida, became frustrated after her hard-shell pink suitcase went missing following a recent flight into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Garcia told WPLG that she typically carries the suitcase on with her when she flies, but in this instance, Spirit Airlines forced her to check it.The woman then became belligerent, grabbing Weinsier's ID tag from around his neck and striking him in the leg while crying for help and demanding to be 'put ... on camera.'When her plane landed at the airport that day, Garcia told the outlet she waited at the luggage carousel for "at least two hours," watching as other passengers walked away with their luggage while hers was yet to appear. Garcia was especially concerned because inside the suitcase were several valuable items, including jewelry, a MacBook computer, and two Apple Watches.A Spirit representative assured Garcia that her suitcase would soon be located and returned to her. "So I give my address to Spirit," she said.The luggage never arrived at her address, but one of her Apple Watches did ping from another Florida address the following morning. The address was for a home just 15 minutes from the airport, Garcia claimed.Garcia, still worried about her missing belongings, decided to drive over to the strange home in hopes of retrieving them. "I needed my computer," she explained. "I have a test that day."When she arrived, she did not spot her suitcase. She did, however, notice several pieces of luggage strewn about the yard and immediately dialed 911. Broward County deputies then arrived on the scene and after chastising her for putting herself in such a "dangerous" situation, they ran the address through an airport database — and got a hit. Junior Bazile, a 29-year-old employee of airport retail stores called Paradies Shops, lives at the home. He also happened to be working at the airport the day Garcia's property went missing.Surveillance footage from the airport obtained by deputies as part of the investigation appeared to show Bazile rifling through Garcia's luggage before placing it in a clear plastic bag. Brazile was later arrested and charged with grand theft, which becomes a felony for items valued above $750, the New York Post reported.Garcia's lost property has not been found.Spirit Airlines has since issued the following statement: "We issued a reimbursement check to the guest as a courtesy, even though we are not currently aware of any evidence that any Spirit employee was involved. We take any allegation of this nature seriously, and we are investigating."A spokesperson for the airport told WPLG that airlines are responsible for the checked luggage placed in their care.Meanwhile, WPLG reporter Jeff Weinsier went to Bazile's home, hoping to get his version of events. Bazile was not home at the time, but his mother, whose name has not been given, chatted with Weinsier on camera for several minutes.At first, she remained relatively calm as she firmly denied the allegations against her son. "The police come in here, and they don’t find nothing," she said, repeatedly pointing a finger at Weinsier. "Nothing in my house. Nothing in my house."The woman's demeanor changed quickly, though, after Weinsier challenged her about the alerts from Garcia's Apple Watch. The woman then became belligerent, grabbing Weinsier's ID tag from around his neck and striking him in the leg while crying for help and claiming to be the victim of an attack. She even demanded to be "put ... on camera," though, of course, she had been on camera throughout their conversation.Weinsier reported that the woman never asked him to leave. He later declined to press charges.When Weinsier approached Bazile for comment at the courthouse a few days later, Bazile repeatedly ordered him to "go away." Whether Bazile has yet entered a plea in connection with the theft charge is unclear.Paradies Shops declined WPLG's request for comment. The sheriff's office claimed the entire incident remains under investigation.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Ms. Rachel is the host of an incredibly popular YouTube channel that features “toddler learning videos” — but her recent celebration of Pride Month has called her morals into question. The YouTuber offers her over 10 million subscribers alphabet songs and speech therapy to kids who may need it. “Happy Pride to all of our wonderful families and friends. This month and every month I celebrate you. I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so glad you’re exactly who you are. To those who are going to comment they can’t watch the show anymore because of the support, no worries and much love your way,” Ms. Rachel said in a video posted to Instagram on June 1. “God bless. I am not chasing fame or views, I’m standing strong in love,” she added. Allie Beth Stuckey of “Relatable” is not a fan, noting that Ms. Rachel’s show also features a member of the LGBTQ community. “Most of the comments that I saw in the video were very positive because a lot of people in the world are liberal. I mean they’re literally parents, as we’ll talk about in a few minutes, who take their kids to drag shows and think that they are teaching their children great values of inclusion and love rather than perversion and depravity,” Stuckey says. Ms. Rachel calls herself a Christian and has claimed that it is her Christian faith that inspires her to celebrate Pride. After receiving backlash, Ms. Rachel posted another video to Instagram and cited the Bible as why she loves “every neighbor.” “In Matthew 22 a religious teacher asks Jesus, ‘What’s the most important commandment?’ And Jesus says, ‘to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself,’” Ms. Rachel said. “It doesn’t say ‘love every neighbor except.’ There are so many reasons I stand strong in love.” While Stuckey believes Ms. Rachel seems like a “genuine” person, she notes that it’s possible to be “genuine and wrong.” “That is where she stands when it comes to an attempt at theologically defending celebrating something like Pride. Of course, pride comes before destruction, but also celebrating Pride in what God calls sin, what God calls destructive for the body, soul, and mind,” Stuckey explains. “It’s this idea that in order to truly love someone you must not only place yourself in their position, but you must affirm all of their feelings and therefore affirm and celebrate their sin, and this is not the Christian definition of love,” she adds.Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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