Democrats Abandoning Biden Over Border Crisis

Eclipse fever is not just for those looking forward to spectacular sights next week. NASA will launch three sounding rockets to see how the temporary blocking of sunlight affects the upper atmosphere as part of APEP (Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path‚ but also the name of the Egyptian Sun God’s nemesis).Starting 90 kilometers (55 miles) up‚ the ionosphere is well above the highest clouds‚ so it‘s usually exposed to sunlight throughout the day. Eclipses are the one exception‚ and provide an opportunity to study it in ways dusk does not. Most eclipses lack suitable launch sites‚ at least in the path of totality – but the eclipse of April 8 passes conveniently close to some major American sites.The APEP team‚ led by Professor Aroh Barjatya of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida‚ has put new instruments on three sounding rockets they launched from White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico during the 2023 annular eclipse. These will explore the ionosphere to a height of 420 kilometers (260 miles) during the eclipse’s peak‚ as well as 45 minutes before and after.The ionosphere is "an electrified region that reflects and refracts radio signals‚ and also impacts satellite communications as the signals pass through‚” Barjatya said in a statement. “Understanding the ionosphere and developing models to help us predict disturbances is crucial to making sure our increasingly communication-dependent world operates smoothly.”The ionosphere during an ordinary day/night cycle. Red and yellow represent high-density ionized particles‚ seen during the day. The purple dots represent neutral‚ relaxed particles at nightImage Credit: NASA/Krystofer KimSunlight‚ of course‚ affects all parts of the atmosphere – but the ionosphere is a creation of that light. High-energy photons separate atoms into electrons and positively charged ions. At night they recombine‚ so the ionosphere declines. Weather conditions lower down in the atmosphere also play a part‚ creating a more complicated picture.Satellites have revealed an even bigger impact from eclipses‚ but those suitably equipped with instruments are seldom in the right place at the right time for observations. The rockets‚ on the other hand‚ can be timed at scientists’ will. The path of totality passes to the west of the Wallops Island‚ Virginia‚ launch site. However‚ the APEP team consider it close enough to get the data they need.The waves created by ionized particles during the 2017 total solar eclipseImage Credit: MIT Haystack Observatory/Shun-rong ZhangObservations of previous events reveal atmospheric waves that affect the entire path of the eclipse‚ as well as more localized disturbances known as perturbations‚ which can interfere with radio signals. The changes can be seen in variations in both temperature and plasma density.The rockets will compare the density of charged and neutral particles at the three points during the eclipse. “Each rocket will eject four secondary instruments the size of a two-liter soda bottle that also measure the same data points‚ so it's similar to results from fifteen rockets‚ while only launching three‚” Barjatya said. The work will be further supported using high-altitude balloons‚ ground-based radar‚ and some satellite observations.   The rockets’ launch during the 2023 annular eclipse is shown above. A steep drop in plasma density on that occasion was reported at the American Geophysical Union conference.  “We saw the perturbations capable of affecting radio communications in the second and third rockets‚ but not during the first rocket that was before peak local eclipse‚” said Barjatya. “We are super excited to relaunch them during the total eclipse‚ to see if the perturbations start at the same altitude and if their magnitude and scale remain the same.”

Despite being the last continents on Earth to be inhabited by humans (excluding Antarctica)‚ the Americas are thought to have been home to around half of all language families ever spoken. Tracing these dialects back to their prehistoric roots‚ the author of a new study has revealed that every North American language can be linked to one of two ancient Siberian mother tongues‚ which were brought to America 24‚000 and 14‚000 years ago respectively.In the millennia before the first words of English‚ Spanish‚ French‚ or Dutch were uttered on North American soil‚ the continent was abuzz with the sound of around 200 separate language families‚ making it an incredibly verbally diverse region. The first of these vernaculars is thought to have been imported when glaciation opened up a passage from Siberia to Alaska in the late Pleistocene‚ although how this language spread and evolved over the years is a difficult story to tell.In an attempt to unravel this oral history‚ renowned linguist Johanna Nichols from the University of California‚ Berkeley‚ compared the semantic features of 60 different North American languages spanning all language families and the entire geographical range of the continent. To group these languages together‚ Nichols looked at “16 linguistic structural features that are known or likely to be good markers of families‚ areas‚ or underlying types.”Examples of such features include gendered nouns‚ numeral classifiers‚ and n-m pronouns‚ whereby the first-person singular pronoun has an "n" as its first consonant while the second-person singular form has an "m" instead.Ultimately‚ Nichols was able to trace all languages back to two founding populations‚ the first of which appeared along the west coast of North America with two waves of Siberian immigrants that arrived 24‚000 and 15‚000 years ago. At a time when glaciation made human settlement north of the Columbia River impossible‚ these two groups of newcomers mingled in California and Oregon‚ giving rise to the first distinct group of American languages.According to Nichols‚ this dialect is notable for its prominent use of n-m pronouns and preceded the arrival of the second Siberian language type‚ which appeared among the first inland communities following the formation of an ice-free corridor around 14‚000 years ago. Characterized by polysynthesis - whereby sentence-like words can be built by stacking up affixes - this second founder population gave rise to the languages spoken by the famous Clovis culture which occupied parts of North America prior to 10‚000 BCE.Speakers of these dialects then mixed with a fourth wave of Siberian entrants around 12‚000 years ago‚ ultimately giving rise to a family of languages that were distinct from those spoken in California and Oregon‚ and which became the lingua franca of the earliest settlers of the Pacific Northwest.Overall‚ therefore‚ Nichols concludes that “structural profiles imply that two linguistically distinct and internally diverse ancient Siberian linguistic populations provided the founding American populations.”Amazingly‚ she writes that “the dominant structural properties among the founder languages are still reflected in the modern linguistic populations‚” which means the distribution of North American languages continues to be defined by the ancient glaciation events that led to the opening of these entry windows.The study has been published in the American Journal of American Anthropology.

Interstellar space is not too far. We have already sent two probes beyond the heliosphere – the region where the Sun dominates with its solar wind. Our foray into the space between the stars has brought crucial new insights but remains too limited to provide a deep understanding of our place in the galaxy.One important aspect that we are completely ignorant of is the shape of the heliosphere. The name suggests a spherical shape but we are not actually sure it is. Models suggest that it might be stretched‚ or even crescent-shaped‚ instead of spherical. Researchers have now worked out where best to send a probe to understand the heliosphere."Without such a mission‚ we are like goldfish trying to understand the fishbowl from the inside‚" first author Dr Sarah A. Spitzer‚ from the University of Michigan‚ said in a statement."We want to know how the heliosphere protects astronauts and life in general from harmful galactic radiation‚ but that is difficult to do when we still don't even know the shape of our shield‚" added Dr Marc Kornbleuth‚ a research scientist at Boston University and co-author of the study.The galactic radiation affects the shape of the heliosphere‚ making it directional. There’s the nose side in the solar direction of motion‚ where the heliosphere is closest to the Sun. And there’s the tail‚ that extends a bit like the wake of a boat. A mission proposal in 2021 considered possible direction and assumed a probe 45 degrees from the nose was optimal. This new work disagrees.Spitzer and colleagues crunch the numbers of six possible trajectories with the idea of maximizing scientific outputs. After all‚ it would take many years to leave the heliosphere. They found that going through the flanks would be a great position to study interstellar space and get a better idea of the shape of the heliosphere.The two spacecraft in interstellar space are Voyager 1 and 2. They were not designed for this purpose‚ but to study the giant planets‚ so their ability to study the interstellar plasma has been limited. And they do not get too far off the nose. At the tail‚ the interstellar plasma might be able to be injected into the heliosphere. But we can’t be sure unless we can get a proper look at it from the outside."If you want to find out how far back your house extends‚ walking out the front door and taking a picture from the front sidewalk is likely not your best option. The best way is to go out the side door so you can see how long it is from front to back‚" said Kornbleuth."A future interstellar probe mission will be our first opportunity to really see our heliosphere‚ our home‚ from the outside‚ and to better understand its place in the local interstellar medium‚" added Spitzer.Voyager 1‚ which is currently experiencing a major computer problem‚ has traveled about 163 astronomical units (AU) from us. One AU is the Earth-Sun distance and a probe that takes the path drawn by Spitzer and her team would travel to 400 AUs with an expectation that it would survive over many decades to 1‚000 AUs."This analysis took a lot of persistence. It started small and grew into a great resource for the community‚" said Susan Lepri‚ a professor of climate and space sciences and engineering at the University of Michigan and the senior author of the study.A paper describing this work is published in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.

The yellow-bellied toad is sure to win the hearts of even the most hesitant of anuran appreciators‚ being an adorable little amphibian with heart-shaped pupils. Exactly what the pupil shape means in terms of the toad’s vision isn’t known for certain‚ but the staggering diversity of anuran pupil shape has taught us that previously held associations of pupil shape with lifestyle might not apply to amphibians.Yellow-bellied toads‚ Bombina sp.‚ are well suited to muddy life‚ being sediment-brown on top with bright – you guessed it – yellow bellies. They hibernate for a long period over the winter and then emerge in spring for the mating season. As they go in search of love‚ their vision is guided by heart-shaped pupils that are just one of many strange pupil shapes seen in anurans‚ which is the group of amphibians that encompasses frogs and toads (some of the rarest of which can be seen at ZSL London Zoo’s new Secret Life Of Reptiles And Amphibians house).A study decided to hop into the strange world of anuran pupil shape by looking at images of 3‚200 species. Doing so revealed that the pupil in anurans is a highly plastic structure that’s evolved seven main shapes during the history of the group. They did not find a significant correlation between pupil shape and the animals’ habits‚ except that aquatic anurans appeared to more often have circular pupils.Get a load of those peepers.Image credit: Matthijs Hollanders / Shutterstock.com“Some authors tested the association of pupil shape and diel activity for some amniote clades‚” wrote N. Cervino et al. “They showed a significant correlation between pupil shape and ecological niche (diel activity‚ foraging mode)‚ where herbivorous (prey) mammals are likely to have horizontal pupils‚ diurnal predators‚ circular pupils and nocturnal and arrhythmic ambush predators‚ vertical slit pupils. However‚ our results suggest that in anurans‚ these inferences do not hold‚ indicating the need to explore other potential drivers of pupil evolution.”One of those authors was principal investigator Marty Banks of the Banks’ Lab‚ UC Berkeley’s visual space perception laboratory‚ who told IFLScience that there was a curious outlier in the animal pupil shapes they studied.“There’s one very clear exception for which we have no explanation: the mongoose‚” said Banks to IFLScience. “It’s a small carnivorous mammal that has eyes on the front of its head. So‚ you’d expect them to have either a vertical slit pupil or a round pupil‚ but they have horizontal pupils. That animal does not fit our account at all.”Heart-shaped or horizontal‚ it’s clear there’s more to the pupil than meets the eye.[H/T: Snopes]

What if you come home and find strangers living in your house? I assumed you order the squatters out‚ and if they resist‚ call the police‚ and they will kick them out. Wrong. Pro-tenant laws passed by anti-capitalist politicians now protect squatters. If a squatter just lies about having a lease‚ the police won’t intervene. “It’s a civil matter‚” they’ll say. “Sort it out in court.” Great. Court might cost $20‚000. Or more. And courts are so slow‚ eviction might take years. In my state‚ New York‚ homeowners can’t even shut of utilities to try to get the squatter out. That’s illegal. Worse‚ once a squatter has been there 30 days‚ they are legally considered a tenant. This month‚ NYC police arrested a homeowner for “unlawful eviction” after she changed locks‚ trying to get rid a squatter. “Squatter rights‚” also known as “adverse possession” laws‚ now exist in all 50 states. As a result‚ evicting a squatter legally is so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes! Flash Shelton may have a better idea. His mom wanted to sell their house after his dad died. But while they were selling it‚ squatters moved in. Shelton did what I would have done -- called the police. But the police said there was nothing they could do. So he tried a new tactic: out-squat the squatter. “I just felt‚ if they can take a house‚ I can take a house‚” Shelton says in my new video. “I could go in as the squatter myself‚ (and) gain possession of the property.” When the home invader left for a few hours‚ Shelton went in and changed the locks. Only then did the squatters leave. Now Shelton’s started a business‚ SquatterHunters.com‚ where he tries to help others get their houses back. “People think of squatters as homeless‚ destitute‚” I say. “They are not homeless‚” answers Shelton. “They’re criminals ... people taking advantage of the system. In fact‚ one squatter he pushed out was Adam Fleischman‚ who started the Umami Burger restaurant chain. Fleischman told Shelton‚ “I’m a victim here.” He even called the cops. “He felt that since he had possession of the house‚” says Shelton‚ “That he had the right to call law enforcement and have me removed.” I tried to reach Fleischman to hear his side of the story. No luck. “Where does he hear that he has this right to squat?” I ask Shelton. “The city was telling him this‚” says Shelton. But now Shelton was a squatter‚ too‚ so he was protected by the same pro-“tenant” law. Still‚ only when Shelton threatened to bring friends to the house as backup did Adam Fleischman leave. In Los Angeles‚ a woman claimed to be a “caretaker” for an elderly homeowner‚ who said she didn’t want the woman in her home. So‚ she gave Shelton a lease. While the squatter was out‚ Shelton changed the locks. “But the squatter is still there?” I ask Shelton. “Still there‚” he says‚ “Climbing through the window because she doesn’t have access to the main house.” She’s now been there for two years! Shelton says his team will move in and get rid of the squatter. “How do you know that will work?” I ask. “Because once I take possession‚” says Shelton‚ “Then she’ll have to fight in court to try to get back in. Most likely she won’t do that.” Why do squatters feel entitled to other people’s property? Probably because people hate landlords. They listen to silly people like Marxist New School professor Miguel Robles-Duran‚ who calls landlords “parasites” who “provide no social value.” Popular TikTok socialist Madeline Pendleton adds that landlords have “guaranteed forever incomes‚ without having to put in any labor.” No labor? Who does she think buys the land; pays lawyers to decipher the excessive regulations; hires architects‚ carpenters‚ plumbers and electricians; pays the taxes; manages the property‚ etc.? It’s infuriating! I’m glad people like Flash Shelton fight back.

The seventh (and final) season of ABC’s liberal drama Station 19 has begun‚ and only three episodes in‚ it’s already pouring on the leftist propaganda. Thursday’s “True Colors” episode centered on “Fabruary-Seattle Winter’s Pride‚” which the fire station is participating in and inserted a child into the planning. One of the show’s many gay characters‚ Travis (Jay Hayden)‚ asks a smart question…“How many Prides do we need‚” adding‚ “…It feels a little excessive to me. I mean‚ we're here‚ we're queer…We don't need to look like a box of Lucky Charms year-round to prove that.” Travis’s wise insight ends up being borne from internalized shame‚ as we later find out‚ which he carries because his father Paul (Robert Curtis Brown) was cruel to him when Travis came out because Paul was secretly gay himself. Of course. At the parade‚ Travis introduces his boyfriend Eli (Rob Heaps) to Paul and meets his father’s boyfriend Kyle who he’s in an open relationship with (which they call “ethical non-monogamy”). Paul originally had an affair with Kyle while he was married to Travis’s mother: Eli: You okay? We don't have to do this if you don't want to. Travis: No‚ I want to. Eli: Yeah? Travis: I want you to meet him. Also‚ it'll be a good buffer. Dad! Paul: Travis! Hey! Guys‚ come here. How are you? Travis‚ this is my pastor‚ Emmanuel. Pastor‚ this is my son‚ Travis. Travis: Nice to meet you. Oh‚ uh‚ Dad‚ this is Eli. Eli‚ this is my father‚ Paul Montgomery. Eli: Hi. It's very nice to meet you‚ sir. Paul: Great to meet you‚ as well. Kyle! Kyle‚ this is my Travis and his boyfriend. Eli: Dr. Martin! Kyle: Eli Stern. Eli: What are the chances? Dr. Martin's been my dentist for years. Kyle: Yeah‚ I'll take full responsibility for that killer smile. Travis: Thought you said he was a DJ. Paul: Oh‚ he is‚ on the weekends. Travis: Right. Kyle: You know‚ Travis‚ it is so great to finally meet you. Your dad has told me so much about you. Travis: Yeah‚ I think it would have been a bit inappropriate for us to meet back when you two first got together‚ though‚ right? Kyle: Maybe you're right. Better late than never. Excuse me for a second. Travis: He seems great. Paul: He is. He is. Travis: You okay with that? Paul: With what? Travis: Dad. That. The guy feeling up your boyfriend. Who is that? Paul: Oh‚ yeah. I'm okay with it. We have an understanding. Travis: Oh‚ wait. Are you two in an open relationship? Eli: Travis! Paul: We like to call it‚ uh‚ ethical non-monogamy‚ but yeah‚ we are. Travis: Well‚ if you have to put "ethical" in front of it... Kyle: Well‚ it may be a little unconventional‚ but it works for us. Travis: I bet it does. Eli: Yeah‚ well‚ as long as it works for you two. I totally understand the utility of open relationships. I'm such a serial monogamist myself‚ I could never really do it. Oh‚ isn't Travis so intolerant?! How dare he have any moral standards?! As the parade begins‚ the show made sure to feature children watching in the crowd as a drag queen dances sultrily and shows off his/her “booty.” Other than that‚ the parade was very G-rated‚ unlike real pride parades where fetishes and kinks are on full display to children‚ as well as body parts they should never be exposed to. And‚ of course‚ they included angry protesters to make it appear that anyone who believes homosexuality is wrong and anyone who is concerned about children being groomed and exposed to vile sexual scenes at real pride parades are all just cruel‚ violent‚ hateful bigots: Andy: I love your rainbow butterflies. Here you go. That is perfect. Alright‚ you're all set. Protesters: Let men be men! Make America straight again! Let men be men! Make America straight again! Protester: Hey‚ pedo‚ hands off the kid! Protesters: Pervert! Pervert! Andy: What'd you call her? What'd you say? Say it again. I would leave a kid with that woman any day. You? Never. Sullivan: Andy. Andy‚ Andy‚ Andy – Andy: What‚ you think that makes you a man? Sullivan: Andy. Andy. Andy: Men don't hide behind masks and scream at little kids. You're a coward. Oh‚ you want to throw something? Sullivan: Andy. Hey‚ Captain! Andy: Throw something again. I dare you. Sullivan: Captain Herrera! Calm down. You need to calm down. Protesters: Let men be men! Make America straight again! Let men be men! Andy: They're just trying to incite fear and scare everyone. Who do they think they are? Sullivan: Look‚ you're right‚ you're right‚ alright? But we cannot engage. Andy: Bishop‚ what's wrong? Maya: I think I just saw my brother. Andy: What? Protesters: Make America straight again! To be clear‚ screaming vile words at children is the exact opposite of what anyone who is truly concerned about children would do. And it goes without saying that hate and violence are never okay. But shows like Station 19 have a clear agenda of painting anyone opposed to their way of thinking with the same brush as these raging protesters in the hopes of tarnishing our reputation and diminishing our beliefs. Meanwhile‚ when Travis apologizes to Eli for cheating on him twice‚ Eli responds‚ “What part are you sorry for? Being a cheater and a hypocrite? Or are you sorry for being a judgmental prick who overcompensates 'cause he's uncomfortable with his own sexuality? I mean‚ you even chose the most hypermasculine career known to man‚ to prove yourself…You are a real piece of work and the most repressed man I have ever known. And I work in politics‚ so that's saying something. But hey...like father‚ like son‚ huh?” Travis complains about Eli’s harsh words to his co-worker Vic (Barrett Doss)‚ who ends up agreeing with Eli. During their discussion‚ a car backfires‚ sending everyone at the event into a panic thinking it was gunshots: Protesters: Let men be men! Make America straight again! Let men be men! Make America straight again! Travis: I mean‚ I get what I did was wrong‚ but where does he‚ like‚ get off saying I'm like my father? You know‚ a man he just met an hour ago. A man whose lifeblood at one point was rampant‚ internalized and externalized homophobia. Vic: Okay‚ so what did you say? Travis: Well‚ I mean‚ I didn't dignify it with a response. But I -- you know‚ I cheated‚ and that was terrible. But he doesn't know what he's talking about. Vic: Okay. Travis: Okay. Why do you keep saying okay? Vic: I don't know‚ Travis. You spent the entire morning complaining about Pride and rainbows‚ and Herrera had to make you put on that shirt. Travis: What does that have to do with anything? I don't have issues with masculinity‚ Vic. I've done drag. Vic: Yeah. Once. For Halloween. Travis: Say what you want to say. Vic: Maybe his delivery was wrong‚ but he wasn't. Travis: Oh‚ no! Vic: What the hell?! Security: Just drive. There's an exit up ahead on the left. Ross: Those weren't gunshots. That was a car backfiring. Security: You sure about that? Ross: Of course‚ I'm sure! I was trained to know the difference. Why weren't you? Stop the car! Security: Go! Go‚ go‚ go! Back at the firehouse‚ the crew discusses the protests and claim that gay people are being doxxed‚ trans women are being harassed and they lament that armed men are showing up at voter drop boxes. Another gay character‚ Maya (Danielle Savre) is told to go home to yet another gay character‚ her wife Carina (Stefania Spampinato)‚ and their baby after seeing her brother with the protesters: Maya: My brother was one of the protesters. Andy: You don't know that. Maya: I do. I saw him again without his gaiter. You know‚ maybe I shouldn't be surprised‚ given how we grew up. But to see him like that‚ like one of them‚ I don't know. Andy: Go home. Go be with your wife and your baby. That's an order. Okay. We're not doing this. We're not giving them this much power. This is exactly what they want. Vic: Well‚ I'd say mission accomplished. Beckett: I expected it to turn into a circus‚ but I didn't expect fascists to be part of the show. Andy: Why can't they just leave other people alone? Sullivan: Intimidation. That's their one and only tactic. Ben: It's infuriating. I mean‚ at what point does the doxxing‚ the -- the harassment of trans women‚ the -- the armed men at voter drop boxes‚ when does it stop? This is what they do. They show up‚ put everyone on edge so that the slightest provocation sets everyone off. Andy: There's got to be something we can do. We can't just let them win. Travis: No‚ we can't. I have an idea. I just need to call in a favor from my dad. Umm‚ wasn’t it WaPo’s liberal reporter Taylor Lorenz who doxxed the woman behind the X account “Libs of TikTok?” *Checks notes* Yes. Yes‚ it was. Projection‚ much? Travis finally realizes he hasn’t been woke enough by the end of the episode and calls his dad to set up a pride dance party at the fire station with Kyle as the DJ. The two share a conversation about how his dad being secretly gay affected Travis: Paul: Thanks for getting Kyle and me out of there. Travis: That's the least I can do for acting like such a jerk all day. Paul: It's not your fault. It's hereditary. Travis: Maybe we have more in common than I realized. Paul: That's got to be one of my biggest regrets. Pushed a lot of my hang-ups onto you. Travis: Dad‚ we don't have to get into all that. Paul: I don't think I realized how much it affected you. In my eyes‚ you were always so brave. As a kid‚ you were fearless. I remember the day you came out to me. I was terrified. So‚ I taught you to be ashamed‚ to bury it deep down‚ not let anyone see it‚ like I had always done. That shame you're holding on to... that shame that tells you you can't be your whole imperfect‚ messy self... That doesn't belong to you. That's mine. And it's time for you to let it go. You're an incredible man‚ Travis. And I am so proud to be your father. It's good that you did this. Travis: If they want to be loud‚ we got to be louder. We really should go dance‚ Dad. Paul: Yeah‚ we really should. Let's go. Come on. Music: ♪ Release the love‚ forget the rest…You won't break my soul ♪ ♪ You won't break my soul ♪

A city official in Denver is begging migrant families flooding into Colorado to move on to places like Chicago and New York‚ claiming that the lack of resources throughout the state would cause them to suffer‚ according to the Daily Mail.Communications liaison Andres Carrera urged a group of migrant arrivals to search out support in other parts of the country. He suggested that they go to New York or Chicago‚ which "gives you more." He went on to mention that "there are also more job opportunities there."The report mentioned that Denver alone has set aside more than $100 million to be allocated to asylum seekers‚ which would cover housing‚ education‚ and medical care‚ according to Mayor Mike Johnston. However‚ that number could soar to $180 million‚ which would represent 15% of the city's annual budget. Earlier this month‚ USA Today reported that more than 40‚000 migrants had arrived in Denver in less than a year. City officials are struggling to provide for migrants as well as serve the taxpayers amid rising rent costs and a housing shortage.While Denver is considered a sanctuary city‚ the influx of migrants has tested the city's capacity to continue to support them. City officials are planning budget cuts to keep support for migrants flowing‚ but surrounding cities have refused to step in and help.The migrants who recently arrived in Denver were reportedly sent as part of an effort spearheaded by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R)‚ who has made it a point to send migrants to Democrat-led cities to expose the flaws in President Joe Biden's immigration policy."The lead importer of migrants to New York is not Texas‚ it’s Joe Biden‚" Abbott said at an event held by the Manhattan Institute. "It's a crisis. It's chaotic and it must stop."Carrera went on to tell the crowd that Denver has "received too many migrants" and that the city has run out of resources. "If you stay here‚ you are going to suffer even more and I don't want to see this."Carrera added that officials would be willing to buy migrants tickets to "any city" they wished to go‚ adding that they could even go "up to the Canadian border."Denver has reportedly put a limit on the amount of time new arrivals are allowed to stay in city shelters‚ which is two weeks for individuals and six weeks for families with children.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Telecommunications company AT&;T announced Saturday that a recent data breach leaked the personal information‚ including Social Security numbers‚ of 73 million current and former customers on the dark web‚ TechCrunch reported.A company press release explained that the sensitive data was published online approximately two weeks ago.“While AT&;T has made this determination‚ it is not yet known whether the data in those fields originated from AT&;T or one of its vendors. With respect to the balance of the data set‚ which includes personal information such as social security numbers‚ the source of the data is still being assessed‚” the company stated.AT&;T has launched an investigation into the incident with the support of internal and external cybersecurity experts.“Based on our preliminary analysis‚ the data set appears to be from 2019 or earlier‚ impacting approximately 7.6 million current AT&;T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders‚” AT&;T added.The telecommunications firm reset passcodes for the millions of affected accounts after TechCrunch informed the company about the leaked data‚ the news outlet reported. Passcodes are usually four-digit PINs that are used as an added layer of security. AT&;T has not found evidence that the data breach resulted from unauthorized access. Additionally‚ it does not believe the sensitive leaked information included personal financial data or call history.“The information varied by customer and account‚ but may have included full name‚ email address‚ mailing address‚ phone number‚ social security number‚ date of birth‚ AT&;T account number and passcode‚” it reported.AT&;T noted that it is in communication with impacted customers via email and mail and will offer complimentary identity theft and credit monitoring services. Customers were encouraged to set up fraud alerts through the national credit bureaus. “As of today‚” the company stated Saturday‚ “this incident has not had a material impact on AT&;T’s operations.”In 2021‚ a hacker claimed to have stolen 73 million customer records‚ but AT&;T denied the data breach. In March‚ the allegedly stolen information was published on a cybercrime forum‚ TechCrunch reported. Some customers have since confirmed that their sensitive data was leaked.Last year‚ AT&;T acknowledged that information for 9 million customers was hacked by one of its vendors‚ Fox Business reported. The data leak included Customer Proprietary Network Information‚ such as names‚ account numbers‚ phone numbers‚ and email addresses.A company spokesperson stated at the time‚ “A small percentage of impacted customers also had exposure of rate plan name‚ past due amount‚ monthly payment amount‚ various monthly charges and/or minutes used. The information was several years old.” Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Homeowners of an electric vehicle were forced out of their home at 6 a.m. when a vehicle in their garage caught fire and then exploded as firefighters waited for backup.Fire crews responded to a distress call from an alarm company in Boulder‚ Colorado‚ to a family home at 6:08 a.m. Upon arrival‚ crews noted that an electric vehicle inside the garage was smoking. The call was changed to a "Fill-the-Box" incident‚ which is when the firemen are requesting additional resources. As the firefighters were waiting for resources‚ the vehicle exploded in the garage‚ Boulder Fire-Rescue reported on their X account."It sounded like an aircraft had crashed right here and exploded‚" a neighbor told ABC Denver7.The crews reported no injuries‚ and all the home's residents were safely evacuated. Firefighters then worked to ventilate the home‚ which had been filled with smoke. They then carefully removed the exploded vehicle from the garage‚ along with another family vehicle of unknown type.The department has opened an investigation into the origins of the fire. None — (@) Electric vehicle fires are not unheard of by any means. However‚ while the make and model of the car was not identified by fire officials‚ several readers of the story pointed out that the car in question did not appear to be fully electric but rather a hybrid. Multiple online sleuths pointed to a Volvo XC40 Recharge as the model that caught fire and exploded‚ a hybrid-electric vehicle. However‚ the vehicles — which can cost around $75‚000 — still use a 78kWh lithium ion battery.Therefore‚ despite the distinction‚ the vehicle would still carry a large battery at its base‚ underneath the vehicle's frame. It also is still charged similarly to a fully electric car‚ with a plug-in DC charger.The incident is yet another example that lithium ion batteries do not appear to be fully user-safe as of yet. In 2022‚ four were killed in a New York City electric-bike repair shop."It is very clear that this was caused by lithium-ion batteries and e-bikes. There was a very large number of both batteries and e-bikes‚" said FDNY Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh.A new analysis showed that the number of fires caused by rechargeable batteries in New York City surged from 30 in 2019 to 220 in 2022. Firefighters have been warned that lithium-ion battery fires burn longer and hotter than regular car fires and are hard to extinguish safely. Since 2019‚ they've found 669 incidents between New York City and San Francisco‚ resulting in hundreds of injuries.The vast majority of such batteries come from China‚ as well‚ with the country controlling 83% of the lithium-ion battery market.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!