Breathing liquids is generally a bad idea. In fact‚ few ideas could be worse for anybody who enjoys breathing. But there is a concept – which has been tested on animals and humans – that we should be able to breathe in certain liquids that are rich in oxygen.It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi‚ largely because it is‚ appearing in a whole host of works from The Abyss to The Dark Forest‚ the origins of the Dark Forest hypothesis. But partial liquid ventilation is used clinically‚ providing oxygen to patients during mechanical ventilation.Of course‚ breathing isn't taking place in liquid oxygen. Or at least‚ maybe just the one breath‚ given that it becomes liquid at temperatures of -183°C (-297°F). Instead medical professionals use oxygen-rich liquids such as a perfluorocarbon (PFC) which can support pulmonary gas exchange. Outside of medical use‚ people occasionally get the idea that liquid breathing could benefit deep sea divers. Having your lungs filled with fluid while diving would make the inside pressure match the outside pressure‚ meaning that you would not have to worry about decompression sickness‚ aka the bends.The concept has been tried out in mammals‚ including cats and mice‚ some of which survived for weeks. Aside from one major hiccup – they tend to die when returning to normal breathing – it did demonstrate that full liquid ventilation could be possible. However‚ one problem found in cats may keep the concept out of reach. While getting oxygen into the bloodstream was effective‚ carbon dioxide elimination was impaired.In partial liquid ventilation‚ the amount of liquid is small‚ and is mainly eliminated via evaporation. Breathing completely submerged in liquid‚ meanwhile‚ would not be pleasant‚ and you would essentially feel like you are drowning the whole time you are doing it. Expanding and contracting your lungs would also be an issue‚ given that your body is not used to the work involved in moving denser liquids inside of you. Clearing carbon dioxide out would be a problem requiring assistance. To deal with this‚ some have suggested we could attach a device directly to the bloodstream (via a vein in your leg) to scrub carbon dioxide from your blood.Creating a new way of breathing underwater is not a pressing concern. However‚ liquid breathing has also been suggested as a way of dealing with another problem in the future: excessive G-forces faced by astronauts during spacecraft acceleration. Humans can withstand forces of around 9 G for a few seconds‚ but even facing forces of 6 G for a sustained period would be fatal. If you place somebody in liquid‚ however‚ you can distribute the force over the surface of their body‚ making them able to withstand forces up to about 24 G. Beyond this‚ things get unpleasant again."The thorax‚ with its air-filled lungs‚ has a mean density considerably lower than that of the rest of the body which results‚ when accelerated during water immersion‚ in orthogonal homogeneous thoracic squeezing‚" one review on the topic explains. "This compression causes severe difficulties from pain‚ lung hemorrhage‚ pneumothorax‚ alveolar collapse‚ to even death depending on the magnitude of acceleration."If the lungs are filled with fluid‚ however‚ that shouldn't be a problem. But the problems of filling someone's lungs completely with fluids and mechanically ventilating them while in space are‚ for now‚ insurmountable.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.

Some of the best fossils in the world have been found along a 95-mile-long stretch of coastline in the UK. Known as the Jurassic Coast‚ it’s turned up the world’s first fossilized ammonite eggs‚ more belemnites than you can shake a stick at‚ and a giant sea monster that lived 150 million years ago.It was a pliosaur‚ the apex predator of its time‚ and one of the largest marine predators ever to swim in Earth’s oceans. With the biggest species at around 12 meters (39 feet) long‚ there wasn’t much that was off the menu‚ and they would use their enormous teeth to snatch prey like ichthyosaurs and chomp them into pieces. Not everyone visiting the Jurassic Coast can expect to find such a prehistoric beast‚ but find a fossil? That’s almost a guarantee because this rocky outcrop is known as one of the most productive fossil sites in the world with good reason.Fossils for everyoneRetrieving the marine monster involved a treacherous weeks-long expedition halfway up a cliff where the majority of the skull was revealed to be hiding after Philip Jacobs found the snout just sitting on the beach. It’s a story that summarizes the Jurassic Coast quite perfectly‚ as it really is a place where fossils can be found by just about anyone‚ just about anywhere.Ammonites are a common find along the Jurassic Coast.Image credit: Arjen de Ruiter / Shutterstock.comWhy? Because nature keeps chipping them out of the cliff face for us.“Fossils along this coast have been collected for hundreds of years now‚ from the famous Mary Anning who collected on the other side of Dorset‚ around 50 miles [80 kilometers] away‚” said fossil expert Chris Moore to IFLScience. “ [It used to be] a shallow warm sea [that was] very rich in life. [The area is] constantly eroded by the English Channel because it’s in the southwest UK. We get big storms that wash away the soft clay and continually reveal new fossils.”Cliff compositionMoore worked with fossil expert Steve Etches MBE‚ proprietor of the Etches Collection where the pliosaur skull will go on display‚ on the treacherous excavation and retrieval of the fossil. As they discovered during the dig‚ the Jurassic Coast cliffs’ composition explains why so many fossils are dropped onto the beaches before being reclaimed by the sea.A section of mudstone along the Jurassic Coast.Image credit: Ballista at the English-language Wikipedia‚ CC BY-SA 3.0“The whole cliff is composed of what we call mudstone‚ and mudstone is really a very compressed lithified clay‚” Etches told IFLScience. “So‚ when it's fresh‚ it’s really hard for us to excavate into that. But leave it a couple of months and you get wet dry effects‚ and it starts to revert back to clay. That slimy‚ sticky clay. So‚ it erodes away very‚ very quickly.”Etches compares the significance of the Jurassic Coast as making it comparable in importance to the Grand Canyon. It might be hard to fathom given it’s a third of the canyon’s length‚ but when you take a look at its history‚ it starts to make sense.Traveling through geological timeProspective time travelers could do worse than to go for a weekend away at the Jurassic Coast‚ as the unique history of the land means you can explore different times in Earth’s history simply by putting one foot in front of the other.“From West Dorset to East Dorset‚ you're walking through the whole Jurassic suite sequence of rocks‚” explained Etches. “You're going through 200 million years to basically 140 million years‚ and as you walk East‚ you’re going through time. All the rocks are dipping this way and they're cut off‚ so you can see every Jurassic suite sequence of rocks.”A section of cliff face along the Jurassic Coast showing off its strata.Image credit: Josie Elias / Shutterstock.comTo put it into context‚ Moore explains the region is a bit like a sponge cake that’s been tilted and cut off‚ so the cliff face provides a window into all the layers between which life is sandwiched like delicious‚ fossil jam. If you start hunting along that cake in the East‚ you’ll be looking at the youngest rock layers and moving toward the oldest as you head further west.Ancient animals to be foundFeeling inspired to go on a fossil hunting trip? It takes dedication‚ but as the Etches collection is a testament to‚ the rewards can be rich and varied.Anyone for ammonite eggs?Image credit: Rachael Funnell“[We’ve found] world-first ammonite eggs‚ flying reptile remains‚ ichthyosaurs‚ plesiosaurs‚ pliosaurs‚ fish! I mean‚ we’ve got a vast range of fish‚” said Etches. “I’m mostly interested in vertebrates‚ but my prime aim is to collect the whole diverse assemblies of what was living at the time of the Kimmeridgian.”Starting with a visit to the Etches Collection demonstrates the rich diversity of ancient life to be found here‚ and with the team’s workshop on site‚ you might just catch a glimpse of some fossil preparation taking place firsthand. It doesn’t take a fossil expert‚ however‚ and the Jurassic Coast has and will give up its treasures to anyone with a keen eye.“People can come all the way along the Jurassic Coast and pick up a fossil pretty much anywhere along the length of it‚” added Moore. “You know‚ whether it's a crushed ammonite‚ a piece of fossil squid‚ oyster‚ there’s fossils all the way along.”Happy hunting! And on the topic of fossils‚ did you know it's been 200 years since a dinosaur was named for the first time? 

Take a look out your window wherever you work and it most likely looks like a trash-filled alley behind a fast food restaurant in comparison to the view astronauts get aboard the International Space Station (ISS).Retired NASA Astronaut Terry Virts is well aware of this‚ and used a lot of his time on board the space station taking incredible shots of the Earth down below‚ or up above depending on his orientation.           IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.In fact‚ as Virts' second trip to the ISS came to a close‚ a month later than had been scheduled‚ he still wanted to remain in space for that view.“I was ready to stay up there because there were still pictures I wanted to take‚ there were still videos I wanted to do‚” Virts told Time in 2015. “If you’re an astronaut flying in space‚ you gotta look at that as your last flight. And so you gotta enjoy it. And I’ve got the rest of my life to be on Earth.”The extra time away from family‚ friends‚ and gravity (well‚ not quite) may have been worth it for one shot currently being shared around the internet. On his last day on the ISS‚ and the last day in space before he retired as an astronaut‚ Virts got a final spectacular shot of the pyramids from above. IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The only better view is inside.[H/T: Ladbible]

Your tax dollars at work -- to laud violent Marxism and a cop killer for Black History Month. PBS News Weekend on Sunday devoted its semi-weekly “Hidden Histories” segment to praise the militant Marxist-black power group the Black Panther Party‚ founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland. Anchor John Yang: In the 1960s-civil rights movement‚ some concluded that non-violence and the focus on integration had failed. Rather than integrating society‚ they wanted to fundamentally change it‚ and they didn’t renounce violence and self-defense. Their cry was Black Power‚ rather than we shall overcome. One of the most prominent of these groups was the Black Panther Party. It was also perhaps one of the most misunderstood and most vilified by the white establishment. For Black History Month‚ that’s the topic of tonight's Hidden Histories. How is this "Hidden Histories"? PBS (and the rest of the media) have lionized the Black Panthers for decades.  Via voice-over‚ Yang proved an encapsulated history of the Black Panther Party‚ admitting “Their 10-point program leaned heavily on Marxism. They saw black American struggles as part of a global liberation movement.” Fact check: Marxism is not about "liberation." It's about dictatorship. Yang soft-pedaled the Panther’s radicalism‚ gushing over “free food‚ especially breakfast for schoolchildren‚ free health care‚ and voter registration drives” and clashes with J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI. The group disbanded in 1982‚ but according to Yang‚ “many see parts of its legacy living on today in groups like Black Lives Matter.” That lead into his interview with Rutgers University history professor Donna Murch‚ author of a book on the rise of the Black Panthers in Oakland. Murch soon got into Marxism and one dubious BLM heroine in particular. Murch: ….The Panthers are formed in Northern California‚ and they were adamant in opposition to the Vietnam War and American imperialism. They identified with the Vietnamese and with Ho Chi Minh‚ and they actually looked a lot to Vietnam‚ to China‚ and to a vision of anti- colonialism and a socialist state that would serve the people.  Murch pivoted to valorize a left-wing heroine and cop killer‚ Assata Shakur‚ an inspiration for Black Lives Matter‚ now exiled in Communist Cuba. Murch wrote a book about Shakur‚ Assata Taught Me. Murch:  ….my second book is about the last 10 years‚ and it's about the Black Lives Matter movement and why they chose Assata Shakur‚ who was a rank-and-file Panther member from New York City. So she’s not from Oakland‚ where the Panthers were formed. She's from New York‚ and she wasn’t part of the traditional male leadership‚ and especially over the last 10 years in the fight against state violence and murder and mass incarceration‚ Assata has become the best known of the Panthers. And it’s from a poem that she wrote in Cuba in the 1980s that so many of these movement organizations opened their meetings. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. Marxist Shakur (real name Joanne Chesimard)‚ a member of the 1970s radical group Black Liberation Army‚ was convicted of the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster during a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. She escaped prison in 1979 and fled to Communist Cuba to spout against American tyranny from an actual dictatorship. Murch skipped all that‚ and journalist Yang said nothing‚ merely concluding‚ “Donna Murch of Rutgers University. Thank you very much.” This offensively evasive segment on a cop killer was brought to you in part by Consumer Cellular. A transcript is available‚ click “Expand.” PBS News Weekend 2/18/24 7:16:04 p.m. (ET) JOHN YANG: In the 1960s‚ civil rights movement‚ some concluded that non-violence and the focus on integration had failed. Rather than integrating society‚ they wanted to fundamentally change it‚ and they didn`t renounce violence and self-defense. Their cry was Black Power‚ rather than we shall overcome. One of the most prominent of these groups was the Black Panther Party. It was also perhaps one of the most misunderstood and most vilified by the white establishment for Black History Month. That`s the topic of tonight`s Hidden Histories. JOHN YANG (voice-over): The Black Panther Party was revolutionary and both its goals and its tactics. It began in 1966. In response to both the assassination of Malcolm X‚ a leading advocate of black separatism‚ and the killing of an unarmed black 16-year-old named Matthew Johnson during a San Francisco police stop. Founders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton were college students at the time. HUEY P. NEWTON‚ Co-Founder‚ Black Panther Party: We have a Black Panther Party. As long as the evil Tetra and corrupt officials‚ as long as the oppressor makes the laws the people are not bound to respect them‚ we are bound to transform society and erect a system where people will receive justice. JOHN YANG (voice-over): Their 10 Point program leaned heavily on Marxism. They saw black American struggles as part of a global liberation movement. HUEY NEWTON: In America‚ Black people are treated very much as the Vietnamese people are any other colonized people because where you were brutalized‚ the police in our community occupy our area our community as a foreign troop occupies territory. JOHN YANG (voice-over): They provided community services called Survival Programs to promote self-determination‚ free food‚ especially breakfast for schoolchildren‚ free health care and voter registration drives. They established schools in nine cities. MAN: I cannot stand you these oppressor foreign troops in our community. JOHN YANG (voice-over): Women made up roughly half of the Panther membership of about 2‚000‚ and they often held leadership roles. From 1974 until 1977‚ Elaine Brown was the head of the National Party‚ but it was the group`s paramilitary displays that drew the white establishments‚ attention and alarm. Members patrolled neighborhoods and black jackets and black berets‚ openly and legally carrying weapons. For many white Americans‚ a photo of stern looking Newton holding a rifle and a spear became their image of Black Panthers. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover called the party the greatest threat to internal security in ordered surveillance to expose‚ disrupt‚ misdirect‚ discredit‚ or otherwise neutralize the Black Panthers. Tensions with local police led to deadly clashes. In Chicago a police raid killed rising party star Fred Hampton and party member Mark Clark. In 1982‚ the federal government paid $1.8 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the FBI had a role in the Chicago raid. Plagued by internal disputes and power struggles the party was essentially defunct by the late 1970s. It was formally disbanded in 1982. But many see parts of its legacy living on today in groups like Black Lives Matter. JOHN YANG: Party members are among the first to openly challenged police violence often converging on the scene when officers stopped young black men on the streets. Donna Murch is an associate professor of history at Rutgers University and the author of "Living For The City‚ Migration‚ Education and the Rise of the Black Panther Party in Oakland‚ California." Donna‚ from your perspective‚ what is the greatest legacy of the Black Panther Party?   DONNA MURCH‚ Author‚ "Living For The City": I think the greatest legacy was a youth movement‚ a young organization composed mainly of people in their late teens and early 20s working class youth that had migrated from the south‚ who found themselves having unprecedented access to high school and college in California. And out of that‚ they helped form a study group and create a new type of organization and youth movement that was focused on serving the community. It started with confronting police violence‚ because that`s what the community saw as its single biggest problem. This is the era of the urban rebellions‚ you know‚ the party is formed a year after Watts‚ and they were willing to perform a form of activism in order to empower others. But very quickly‚ after the police patrols‚ the Panthers shifted into something called Survival Pending Revolution‚ which meant founding free breakfast programs‚ Freedom Schools‚ and the longest running institution of the Black Panther Party was a school in Oakland that ran for almost a decade. JOHN YANG: Can you put the Black Panther Party in sort of the context of the civil rights movement of where they stood‚ what role the organization filled what their contributions were? DONNA MURCH: I think one of the best ways to understand the Panther Party is to think about the Black Freedom Movement‚ as having a large geography and time period. So the party is formed year after the passage of the Voting Rights Act. But you know‚ the dismantling of legal segregation in the South did not dismantle the problems of economics‚ and access in the north and in the West. And one of the central issues about this was both police violence‚ and people not having equal access to the social welfare state. So‚ I would describe the Panthers as emerging in this moment‚ post-civil rights after the accomplishments of the civil rights movement of the successful passage of the Civil Rights Act‚ and also the Voting Rights Act. But I would be remiss to not talk about the global link to the Panthers. They`re formed in 1966. And this is after over a decade of decolonization of African countries winning their independence. And also very importantly‚ they look to Asia. The Panthers are formed in Northern California‚ and they were adamant in their opposition to the Vietnam War and American imperialism. They identified with the Vietnamese‚ the Viet Men and with Ho Chi Minh‚ and they actually looked a lot to Vietnam‚ to China‚ and to a vision of anti- colonialism and a socialist state that would serve the people. So‚ I think that`s one of the most important contexts. The other thing I really want to stress because the popular representations of the Panthers is wrong. So many people find out about the Panthers through Forrest Gump‚ they`re represented as anti-white black militants. But the truth is‚ is that the party of all the 60s organizations‚ they had the strongest ties to creating a multiracial coalition‚ what was called in this period‚ the rainbow coalition that Jesse Jackson later picks up on. So they united with white radical youth who they called Mother Country Radicals to oppose the Vietnam War. And this was incredibly threatening to the government of the time‚ you know‚ to J. Edgar Hoover in particular‚ because you basically saw multiracial coalition uniting to stop anti-communism and violence in the global south. So I think that would also be the Panthers legacy‚ a model of multiracial coalition building. JOHN YANG: You mentioned the free breakfast program that they ran in communities‚ which is not that far‚ apart from the federal free breakfast program that`s being run now. But there was also a political vision. And that wasn`t there. DONNA MURCH: Yes‚ that`s such an important point. They were arguing that the social welfare state as it existed was not serving the people and that they as teenagers could provide free breakfast. And when they started their freedom schools‚ so many of the low income children who went to Panther schools had not had breakfast‚ and they couldn`t learn. And so they were shaming the state. And although we don`t have the direct documentary evidence‚ it is thought by many scholars‚ that that shaming of the state prompted the issuing of free school lunch. JOHN YANG: Are there groups today that you see as direct descendants of the Black Panther Party that can draw a direct line from them to today? DONNA MURCH: Yeah‚ I would say‚ you know‚ my first book was about the party`s Genesis in Oakland. It`s called Living For The City. But my second book is about the last 10 years‚ and it`s about the Black Lives Matter movement and why they chose Assata Shakur‚ who was a rank and file Panther member from New York City. So she`s not from Oakland‚ where the Panthers were formed. She`s from New York‚ and she wasn`t part of the traditional male leadership‚ and especially over the last 10 years in the fight against state violence and murder and mass incarceration‚ Assata has become the best known of the Panthers. And it`s from a poem that she wrote in Cuba in the 1980s that so many of these movement organizations opened their meetings. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and protect one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. JOHN YANG: Donna Murch of Rutgers University. Thank you very much. DONNA MURCH: Thank you. It`s truly my pleasure.

With the exception of Pearl Harbor‚ the Western Hemisphere escaped World War II mostly unscathed. It also led‚ to paraphrase Japanese Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto's alleged quote‚ a sleeping giant to wake up in the form of the United States. With Europe and Asia in rubble‚ the threat of the Soviets replacing the Nazis‚ and China falling to the communists‚ men like Winston Churchill‚ Harry Truman‚ and George Marshall forged a new world order‚ placing the West in the hands of the United States. On June 4‚ 1940‚ standing in the House of Commons as the Nazis turned toward a possible invasion of England‚ Winston Churchill delivered one of many famous speeches. He said‚ "And even if‚ which I do not for a moment believe‚ this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving‚ then our Empire beyond the seas‚ armed and guarded by the British Fleet‚ would carry on the struggle‚ until‚ in God's good time‚ the New World‚ with all its power and might‚ steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old." He‚ and the leaders in the aftermath of World War II‚ knew the "power and might" of the New World‚ in the form of the United States‚ would need to rebuild the world order. Now‚ almost 80 years after the end of World War II‚ progressives who have long harbored a hatred of American world order and the reactionary right with its disdain for American global leadership are joining forces to undo that world order and hand it to the Communists of China‚ the Islamofascists of Iran and the tyranny of Vladimir Putin. Though Americans are still struggling financially at the microeconomic level‚ the United States outperforms every other nation at the macroeconomic level. China is in a depression. Canada and Europe have both higher interest rates and higher inflation. Germany is economically stagnant. The United Kingdom is struggling. Americans are best situated because the world trades in dollars. As the world's reserve currency‚ the American dollar benefits Americans with relatively lower inflation‚ lower transactional costs globally‚ and better currency conversion deals. While progressives and the reactionary right vilify American foreign aid‚ it amounts to about 1% of the federal budget. With our foreign aid‚ we earned goodwill without placing our troops on the same global footprint the British required to prop up their empire. We earn stability in shipping and trade that keeps our costs down. We ensure China's expansionist tendencies are curtailed in much of the world. It is no coincidence that as the progressives and reactionary right in this country try to gut foreign aid‚ China has expanded its aid programs. Our investment to fund Ukraine's war effort is part of this spending. Those who say "we just cannot afford it" seem fixated on ending support for Ukraine as opposed to a vast array of ridiculous programs like government subsidies for battery chargers or massively wasted programs in elementary‚ secondary‚ and collegiate education programs. CNBC notes the United States government made $247 billion in improper payments in 2022. The United States Senate is proposing $95 billion to help Israel‚ Taiwan‚ and Ukraine militarily. Perhaps the far left and reactionary right could focus more on misspending by Washington instead of the much smaller investment in preserving an American world order. It is far better for us to help Ukraine and Taiwan kill commies than for us to send our own military to do it. Too many people reacting to Democrats and slick charlatans opposed to an American world order insist our foreign aid and efforts abroad drag us into "endless wars" and foreign intrigue. Those who know better have a difficult but necessary task to explain what it would mean to give up the American led world order to our enemies. The costs we pay now would be chump change compared to the increased costs of goods and services if the United States slipped out of global leadership‚ not to mention the inevitable wars that would come. If the tired American giant sets aside its power and goes back to sleep‚ its enemies will work to make sure it can never wake again. To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

Desi Lydic is The Daily Show’s temp host of the week on Comedy Central and she got started on Tuesday by reacting to the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling that embryos are people. Lydic did not take the news well‚ as she dismissed embryos as “just jizz and eggs.” After an ABC report on the ruling‚ Lydic claimed‚ “That's right‚ the bar has been moved again. From now on in Alabama‚ life begins when a man notices his first cousin is hot.”     Lydic continued‚ “Just to clarify what's happening here: tens of thousands of women have children using IVF every year and since it's not possible to do that without creating some excess embryos‚ the state of Alabama has now ruled that starting a family is basically murder. You know‚ pro-life!” Contradicting herself‚ Lydic added‚ “And the way this ruling happened is so crazy. This wasn't even intentional. They just dropped a test tube! You know‚ back in my day‚ we had something called the five-second rule‚ and it was sacred.” Yes‚ Alabama ruled that people can be sued for destroying embryos‚ but what does that have to do with starting a family? Rolling right along‚ Lydic lamented‚ "And I'm sorry‚ but it's just weird to say that frozen embryos are legally the same as children. Last time I checked‚ you're not allowed to store kids in the freezer. And yeah‚ yeah‚ I have checked‚ and now I'm on some kind of CPS watch list. Don't get me wrong‚ embryos are extremely precious to potential parents‚ but technically‚ they're just jizz and eggs. That's not a child‚ that's an appetizer at a very avant-garde Brooklyn restaurant."  By her own materialist logic‚ Lydic isn’t a person‚ "technically‚” she is also the result of sperm and eggs. Of course‚ one assumes that deep down Lydic doesn’t believe that about herself‚ so why is it different for embryos? Here is a transcript for the February 20 show: Comedy Central The Daily Show 2/20/2024 11:13 PM ET DESI LYDIC: That's right‚ the bar has been moved again. From now on in Alabama‚ life begins when a man notices his first cousin is hot. Just to clarify what's happening here: tens of thousands of women have children using IVF every year and since it's not possible to do that without creating some excess embryos‚ the state of Alabama has now ruled that starting a family is basically murder. You know‚ pro-life!  And the way this ruling happened is so crazy. This wasn't even intentional. They just dropped a test tube! You know‚ back in my day‚ we had something called the five-second rule‚ and it was sacred. And I'm sorry‚ but it's just weird to say that frozen embryos are legally the same as children. Last time I checked‚ you're not allowed to store kids in the freezer. And yeah‚ yeah‚ I have checked‚ and now I'm on some kind of CPS watch list. Don't get me wrong‚ embryos are extremely precious to potential parents‚ but technically‚ they're just jizz and eggs. That's not a child‚ that's an appetizer at a very avant-garde Brooklyn restaurant. 

One of the suspected Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooters told police he was "just being stupid" when he allegedly started shooting indiscriminately into a crowd full of kids‚ according to court documents. Lyndell Mays‚ 23‚ and Dominic Miller‚ 18 — two of the suspects Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) called "thugs‚" to the chagrin of Kansas City's Democratic Mayor Quinton Lucas — have both been charged with murder in relation to the horrific Valentine's Day shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' victory parade. The afternoon shooting claimed the life of Lisa Lopez-Galvan‚ a 43-year-old mother of two‚ and grievously wounded at least 24 other people‚ ages ranging from 8 to 47. The murder charges come just days after a pair of teens were charged with gun-related offenses as well as with resisting arrest in connection with the parade shooting. More arrests may yet be made as the investigation progresses. According to court documents‚ Mays was found after the bloodletting just north of West Pershing Road and Kessler Road‚ suffering from a gunshot wound. Shell casings were located next to his person along with a stolen Glock 9mm handgun. The gun contained a 15-round magazine with six live rounds remaining‚ including one that was chambered. Court documents indicate Mays admitted to police that "he drew a gun first‚ in a crowd of people with kids‚ picked one of the individuals in the group at random‚ and started shooting‚ all because they said‚ 'I'm going to get you‚' and to him‚ that meant‚ 'I'm going to kill you.'" When pressed on why he advanced on the group of males to begin with‚ Mays allegedly told police‚ "Stupid‚ man. Just pulled a gun out and started shooting. I shouldn't have done that. Just being stupid." A female witness who was with Mays when the shooting began west of Union Station reportedly told police that "a group of four males approached Lyndell Mays‚ and one of the males asked Lyndell Mays what he was looking at‚ because they didn't know him." The female witness' boyfriend told police that Mays and a group of individuals were "arguing about why they were staring at each other." He indicated that while it was clear the confrontational males had in their possession a firearm‚ "at no time did the individual touch the firearm or make any threatening statements" to him‚ his girlfriend‚ or Mays. The female witness claimed that upon spotting firearms‚ she begged Mays to leave. After her supposed attempt at de-escalation‚ she allegedly turned her back on Lyndell and the other men‚ at which point she heard gunshots. Jacob Gooch Sr.‚ a man who took a bullet at the parade along with members of his family‚ told "CBS Mornings" last week that prior to the shooting‚ he heard a girl begging one alleged shooter‚ "Don't do it. Not here. This is stupid." Gooch indicated that his daughter observed the alleged shooter break free of the woman‚ then begin "shooting and spinning in a circle." Court documents suggest surveillance footage confirms that Mays played a lead role in escalating the situation. "Lyndell Mays starts to approach the individuals in an aggressive manner‚ at which time Witness 9 puts her hand on Lyndell Mays in an attempt to stop him from advancing further‚" says the court documents. "It appears Witness 9 and Lyndell Mays continue to verbally argue with individuals in the group." After yelling at the other men and pointing his finger at them "in an angry manner‚" Mays allegedly circled "behind a person and pull[ed] out a handgun with his right hand and point[ed] it at one of the individuals‚" none of whom apparently had yet produced a firearm. Mays allegedly chased after an unarmed individual with his gun drawn‚ prompting the other men to pull out their guns and then start shooting. In the melee‚ Mays apparently caught a bullet to the side of the head. While it appears that Mays may have started the shooting‚ court documents indicate that the bullet that killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan was fired from a Taurus G3 9mm — "the firearm Miller acknowledged possessing and firing." Court documents indicate that Mays was initially tackled and detained by a witness. Blaze News previously reported that two heroic dads at the parade chased down one of the suspected shooters and held him until police arrived. Mays and Miller each face charges of second-degree murder‚ two counts of armed criminal action‚ and unlawful use of a weapon. They are both being held on a $1 million bond. Lopez-Galvan's family said in a statement Tuesday‚ "The effort and dedicated hours spent to expeditiously investigate this senseless act of violence is extremely commendable. It is reassuring for our family and the entire community to know that this joint team effort has resulted in the identification of the suspects involved." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Biden administration announced Wednesday morning that it has approved the cancellation of another $1.2 billion in federal student loan debt‚ according to a White House press release.Nearly 153‚000 borrowers who are currently enrolled in the administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education repayment plan will have their debt canceled‚ according to the recent statement.Borrowers enrolled in SAVE who took out $12‚000 or less and have been in repayment for at least 10 years are eligible for the debt forgiveness plan. However‚ those who took out more than $12‚000 could also see their loans wiped out.“For every additional $1‚000 a borrower initially borrowed‚ they will receive relief after an additional year of payments‚” the White House explained. “For example‚ a borrower enrolled in SAVE who took out $14‚000 or less in federal loans to earn an associate’s degree in biotechnology would receive full debt relief starting this week if they have been in repayment for 12 years.”Eligible borrowers will begin seeing their loans canceled as early as this week.“Originally planned for July‚ the Biden-Harris Administration implemented this provision of SAVE and is providing relief to borrowers nearly six months ahead of schedule‚” the White House added.According to the announcement‚ the forgiveness plan aims to “help community college and other borrowers with smaller loans and put many on track to being free of student debt faster than ever before.”“Under the Biden-Harris Administration’s SAVE plan‚ 85 percent of future community college borrowers will be debt free within 10 years‚” the White House noted.To date‚ the Biden administration has approved roughly $138 billion in federal student debt cancellations that will be passed along to American taxpayers. The White House touted that Biden “has cancelled more student debt than any President in history‚” despite “Republicans in Congress and their allies” attempting to “block” the administration “every step of the way.” The administration claims its debt forgiveness plan will “fix the student loan system and make sure higher education is a pathway to the middle class.”In an effort to circumvent the Supreme Court’s June decision to block Biden’s plan to implement sweeping federal student loan cancellations‚ the administration has been rolling out multiple smaller but similar forgiveness plans.In January‚ the Biden administration announced it would eliminate more than $5 billion in federal student loan debt for 74‚000 borrowers.An Intelligent.com survey released last month found that millions of student loan borrowers are refusing to repay their debt‚ hoping it will pressure the federal government to roll out unilateral cancellations. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Rashida Tlaib becomes more radical by the day. On February 6‚ she took to the house floor to brand Benjamin Netanyahu as someone she doesn't "really like” and echoed her anti-Israel agenda‚ which Mark Levin notes was full of outright lies. “Sending 17.6 billion dollars‚ U.S. tax dollars‚ with no conditions attached to Netanyahu’s extremist government to drop more bombs on innocent Palestinians‚” Tlaib yelled. “It’s such a lie‚ it’s so grotesque‚” Levin says. “The Israeli government has already killed 27‚000 people. 11‚500 of them were children‚” Tlaib continued. “I’m tired of my colleagues coming to me whispering‚ ‘I don’t really like Netanyahu.’ Well‚ then why are we sending him billions of dollars with no conditions?” Levin couldn’t disagree more. “They throw these numbers around because they know that their Hitlerian friends like her and in the media will regurgitate them‚” he says‚ adding that the numbers she’s using are flat-out lies. Tlaib then went on to say that Netanyahu is “telling us‚ over and over again‚ what his intention is.” “His intention is to defeat your terrorist friends. Sounds pretty good to me‚” Levin says‚ adding that “17 billion sounds pretty cheap‚ considering what they’re doing.” “They’re the only ones fighting these people. They’re the only ones who stand between Iran and nukes and the United States‚ and unfortunately‚ Iran’s going to get nukes because the United States under Blinken and Biden wants them to have nukes‚” Levin explains. 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.

The Sims is one of the longest-standing bastions of PC gaming‚ yet it’s always been so bright and cheerful. But what if you could apply that deep social simulation to a much more taxing environment‚ such as the post-apocalyptic wastelands of games like Fallout and Stalker? This is City 20‚ an ambitious new survival game and life sim that tasks you with managing resources and relationships alive as you strive to survive. Continue reading Fallout meets The Sims in this ambitious new sandbox survival game MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best survival games‚ Best sandbox games‚ Best life games