Whether you love the food or not, it's hard to deny the role that McDonald's has played in American culture. Since those Golden Arches first appeared above a McDonald's in Phoenix, Arizona in 1953, they've loomed large over every nook and cranny of the country. Even people who aren't crazy about the chain restaurant's offerings feel some level of nostalgia when looking at old pictures of... Source

Just 10 days before his second inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump’s designation as a convicted felon became official in a New York court.  New York Justice Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to an “unconditional discharge,” meaning no jail time, fine, or other penalty. Such a sentence means it will not likely interfere with Trump’s duties as president. Nevertheless, Trump has maintained he is innocent and indicated he will appeal—a process that could be lengthy.  Though Trump has been assailed by Democrats and the media as “convicted felon” after the jury verdict last spring, a criminal defendant isn’t formally a convicted felon until a judge enters judgment of guilt at the sentencing, legal experts such as former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy and Yale law professor Jed Rubenfeld. This bookends a remarkable week for Trump of formalizing long anticipated yet historically significant events. On Monday, a joint session of Congress on Monday formally certified Trump’s 2024 election victory. On Friday, the judge finalized a jury’s guilty verdict.  Trump posted on Truth Social after the sentencing, “The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt.” “After spending tens of millions of dollars, wasting over 6 years of obsessive work that should have been spent on protecting New Yorkers from violent, rampant crime that is destroying the City and State, coordinating with the Biden/Harris Department of Injustice in lawless Weaponization, and bringing completely baseless, illegal, and fake charges against your 45th and 47th President, ME, I was given an UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE,” Trump posted. “That result alone proves that, as all Legal Scholars and Experts have said, THERE IS NO CASE, THERE WAS NEVER A CASE, and this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED. The real Jury, the American People, have spoken, by Re-Electing me with an overwhelming MANDATE in one of the most consequential Elections in History,” he added. “As the American People have seen, this ‘case’ had no crime, no damages, no proof, no facts, no Law, only a highly conflicted Judge, a star witness who is a disbarred, disgraced, serial perjurer, and criminal Election Interference. Today’s event was a despicable charade, and now that it is over, we will appeal this Hoax, which has no merit, and restore the trust of Americans in our once great System of Justice. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” The “unconditional discharge” sentencing effectively amounts to a recognition of the Manhattan jury’s guilty verdict from last spring in Trump’s “hush money” case regarding his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels.  The New York jury convicted Trump on 34 counts of fraud in the case led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Late Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett, both Republican appointees, joined the three Democratic appointees Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson in a 5-4 ruling. But the ruling largely locked Merchan into what was previously seen as a suggestion. “First, the alleged evidentiary violations at president-elect Trump’s state-court trial can be addressed in the ordinary course on appeal,” the order from the high court said. “Second, the burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial in light of the trial court’s stated intent to impose a sentence of ‘unconditional discharge’ after a brief virtual hearing.” The post How Trump Responded to the New York Sentencing appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Looking for home remedies for your toothache? Here's some natural remedies My Mother taught me, and now I'd like to pass on to you. This week I had to write my article a little ahead of time as I will be out of the office for a few days. I went for an annual cleaning at my dentist and a routine X-ray showed that my lower wisdom teeth had turned sideways and were now completely impacted. I had put it off long enough and it was finally time to schedule in to get them removed.  I was lucky this time that they hadn't caused me any pain and have not started to damage my other teeth, but I really started to think and I realized one very important thing… You can’t schedule a toothache and it never fails that a major toothache hits when it’s late at night and your dentist’s office is closed, or you’re somewhere remote and getting to a dentist any time soon is just not an option. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of a toothache knows that it is not just your mouth that hurts. A toothache can be felt in just about every part of your body.  I have had a few so bad that they made me sick to my stomach from the pain alone. Although in most cases only a doctor can cure the source of the problem, this list of treatments & pain relief remedies should get you through until you can visit the dentist. It is important to note: If you have a toothache, there is a reason for it and it’s best to have it taken care of by a professional as soon as possible, rather than having it treated at home in hopes that the underlying issue will go away on its own. If it’s infected (if your gum area is swollen), don’t delay in getting professional medical care. Directions: Apply the below remedies directly to both the problem tooth and surrounding gums unless otherwise directed. For items that direct you to chew, or for liquids that are to be swished around inside mouth, direct the liquid on and around the sore tooth as much as possible. Do not swallow liquids. Rinse your mouth and spit them out when done. Try one of these home remedies for a toothache! Salt Water: Mix a heaping tablespoon full of salt in a small glass of warm water; swirl around inside your mouth for as long as you can, spit out. Repeat as needed. Hydrogen Peroxide: Swoosh a bit of hydrogen peroxide. If the taste is too horrid for you, try diluting with a bit of water. CAREFUL. TOO MUCH OF THIS STUFF IS TOXIC. Alcohol: Swoosh a bit of whiskey, scotch, brandy or vodka. A strong mouthwash that contains alcohol will do the trick too. Vanilla Extract: Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla and hold in place. Can also use a cotton swab dipped in extract. Other extracts that have the same effect are: Almond Extract Peppermint Extract & Lemon Extract Tea Tree Oil: Just a drop or two will do the trick. You can also add some to a cotton swab and hold in place or add a few drops of tea tree oil to a small glass of lukewarm to warm water and rinse your mouth with it. Oil Of Oregano: Mix a few drops with a bit of olive oil, then saturate a cotton ball with mixture. Can replace the olive oil with lukewarm water if preferred. Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and hold it in place. Can also try regular household vinegar. Ginger Root: Take a fresh piece of ginger and chew it a bit. Garlic: Take a clove of garlic, smash it and apply (settle it inside cheek). You can also mash some garlic with salt. Peppermint Leaves: Chew on fresh peppermint leaves. You can also dried leaves, just hold them in place. Potato: Cut a fresh piece of potato (raw, skin off) and hold in place. Can also pound a piece of raw potato, mix in a bit of salt and use the mash. Lime: Cut a slice or wedge of lime and apply, bite into it if you can to release some of the juice. Onion: Slice a piece of fresh onion and hold it inside your mouth. The onion needs to be freshly cut (so it provides a bit of onion juice). Plantain: Chew up a fresh plantain leaf. If you’re too sore to chew, use the other side of your mouth. Once the leaf is macerated a bit apply it to the problem area and hold in place. Cucumber: Slice a fresh piece of cucumber and hold it over the sore area. If refrigerated, you might want to bring the cucumber to room temperature before using (if sensitive to cold) otherwise a cool piece can be soothing.You can also mash a piece with a bit of salt and pack it around the sore tooth. Cayenne Pepper: Make a paste with cayenne pepper and water. Black Pepper: You can use this full strength or make a mix of pepper and salt. Baking Soda: Take a cotton swab and moisten it with a bit of water, dip it in baking soda (coat the swab really well with baking soda) then apply. You can also make a mouth rinse by mixing a heaping spoonful of baking soda in a small glass of lukewarm to warm water, dissolve the soda then swish the mixture in your mouth. Cloves: This is remedy from the old timers (my great grandparents), rest a clove against the sore area until pain goes away. You can also use a drop or two of clove oil (BE CAREFUL: too much can be toxic) or make a thick paste of ground cloves and water or ground cloves and olive oil. Tea: Make a fresh cup of tea then take the used tea bag (still warm) and stick it in your mouth. Careful not to tear the bag. The tannins that are naturally in tea leaves can help numb things. Ice Pack: Cover an ice pack with a face cloth or towel then hold over your cheek where the problem is. This will help numb things. Make sure that you have some type of cloth between your skin and the ice, otherwise you can severely damage your skin.If that doesn’t work, try the opposite–a hot compress (making sure that it is not so hot as to scald your skin). Home Remedies For Toothache Tips If the pain is unbearable and there’s no dentist available, call your local hospital’s emergency room–chances are they have a dentist on call that can treat you (for a fee of course). Try gently brushing your teeth and flossing–this might bring some relief. One old time remedy that you should not follow is to place an aspirin against the sore tooth.  You will have just as much if not more of an effect by swallowing the aspirin.Aspirin is actually an acid (acetylsalicylic acid to be exact) and placing it directly against your gums or teeth will cause corrosion of your teeth and acid burns on your gums. If the side of your face is in severe pain and it feels like you’re going to lose your mind (I’ve been there, done that)–it could be a sinus infection or an allergy that affects your sinuses rather than a problem tooth (even though it definitely feels like it).Try taking a decongestant or if that is not available, a shower set on the hottest setting may help clear your sinus cavities.This might help relieve things until you get to a doctor. Chances are a prescription antibiotic is what you’ll need to clear up the sinus infection.If it is a sinus infection please don’t wait to get it taken care of!  I have permanent damage to my left eardrum from a sinus infection that became so congested it literally burst my eardrum as a pressure relief valve. Have I missed any of your tried-and-true methods to relieve tooth and gum pain? Please share it below in the comments section. Please be aware: These are notes I have collected in my personal life over the years, in my own research as well as tips gathered from my grandparents and great grandparents. They are not by any means professional medical advice and a trained dentist should always be contacted as soon as possible. P.S. If you have a toothache it may be in your best interest  to go on a soft food diet until you get to the dentist. Click here to see what I ate for days after my surgery that has earned a permanent spot in my pantry. Did this help!? We hope your ailments heal quickly! Next: The Many Wonderful Benefits and Uses of Apple Cider Vinegar

Of Course: It Was Arson

Celebs to Newsom, Bass: Resign

There's a reason multiple observatories are based in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

The symbol was very common in the Middle Ages and was used by cultures across the world before it was appropriated by German nationalists.

Lava plains, new surfaces, and the location of possible ice deposits are a tease of things to come.

Sit back, relax, and let’s Break It Down in episode 47...

The United States secured the right to build and operate the Panama Canal and control five miles of land on either side of the passage in 1904, after the French lost 20,000 lives bungling a similar effort. Over the next decade, tens of thousands of American men labored in the malarial heat, excavating nearly 240 million cubic yards of rock and dirt and setting 3.4 million cubic meters of concrete. For a price tag of $375 million and thousands of lives, the U.S. ended up with a historic, 51-mile marvel of engineering. Democratic President Jimmy Carter signed away control of the canal in 1977. On the day of Carter's funeral, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation that would set the stage for America possibly to reacquire the canal, which President-elect Donald Trump said in December was "a VITAL National Asset for the United States." The Panama Canal Repurchase Act introduced Thursday by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and co-sponsored by numerous Republicans, including Reps. Troy Nehls (Texas), Mike Lawler (N.Y.), and Barry Loudermilk (Ga.), would authorize President-elect Donald Trump to enter into negotiations for the reacquisition of the Panama Canal from the Republic of Panama. 'Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake.' "President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal," Rep. Dusty Johnson, a member of the House Select Committee on China, said in a statement. "China's interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad — owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe." The South Dakota congressman noted in a release that without the canal, ocean shippers would have to travel an additional 8,000 miles around South America. He also highlighted a potential return on investment, noting that tolls on the more than 10,000 ships that transit its locks every year could generate billions of dollars that might benefit the U.S. Trump stressed at a press conference Tuesday that the "Panama Canal is vital to our country. It's being operated by China. China. And we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made, by the way. Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion." "Look, he was a good man. I knew him a little bit, and he was a very fine person, but that was a big mistake," continued Trump. "Giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake. We lost 38,000 people. It cost us the equivalent of a trillion dollars, maybe more than that." Last month, Trump similarly noted in a Truth Social post that the canal and its independence from communist Chinese interference were "crucial for U.S. commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports." 'Welcome to the United States Canal!' "Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.," stated Trump. According to the Panama Canal Treaty and Neutrality Treaty signed by Carter and Panama's then-chief of government Omar Torrijos in 1977, the canal "shall be permanently neutral" and in time of both peace and war "shall remain secure and open to peaceful transit by the vessels of all nations on terms of entire equality." The growing influence of China in Panama, a country roughly the size of South Carolina, has prompted many to doubt the continued neutrality of the canal. A Congressional Research Service report updated on Dec. 17, 2024, noted that some American military leaders are concerned that Beijing-linked companies along the canal "may present a security vulnerability for the United States" — a concern compounded by Panama's embrace of China's imperialistic Belt and Road Initiative. Rep. Dusty Johnson highlighted in his release that while the "commercial importance cannot be overstated," the canal is also a "key transit point for Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels." Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, prickled by Trump's previous statements, stated in a December video, "Every square meter of the Panama Canal is Panama's and will continue to be. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable." Trump responded to Mulino's comment, "We'll see about that," then shared an image of the American flag flying over the canal with the caption, "Welcome to the United States Canal!" Axios indicated that some Democrats might also be on board with America retaking the canal. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), for instance, ruled out military force but noted that "the United States reasserting its history in the Panama Canal is actually a good, important, strategic issue." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!