FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Anti-Defamation League claimed that right-wing extremists committed “all” the extremist-related murders in 2023‚ discounting the apparent extremism of Audrey Hale‚ the transgender shooter who killed three adults and three students in March at the Covenant School in Nashville‚ Tennessee. Conservative commentator Stephen Crowder released three pages of the shooter’s manifesto‚ which police confirmed were legitimate‚ in November. Hale‚ a white female‚ reportedly identified as male and went by the name “Aiden.” Her manifesto expresses hatred for white people‚ whom she refers to as “crackers.” “Kill those kids!!! Those crackers. Going to private fancy schools with those fancy khakis and sports backpacks with their daddies mustangs and convertibles. F— you little sh—s‚” she wrote. “I wish to shoot your weak ass d—s with your mop yellow hair‚ wanna kill all you little crackers!!! Bunch of little faggots with your white privileges. F— you faggots.” These remarks echo the Left’s ideological talking points on “white privilege” and reveal a disdain for others based on their skin color. This hatred of white people echoes the Marxist claim that America is institutionally racist‚ so justice demands stripping whites of their “privilege” and elevating racial minorities rather than securing a level playing field for all races. Yet the ADL told The Daily Signal that Hale’s case does not show “clear evidence of extremism.” “The case of Hale does not appear in the report‚ as we did not find clear evidence of extremism‚” the spokesperson said. “Hale left some writings‚ not released by police‚ that they described as lacking any specific political or social issues. Three pages of a document were later leaked that contained hateful epithets directed at white and LGBTQ+ people‚ which did not provide evidence of any particular extremist ideology‚ but rather primarily resentment and grievance at students from the shooter’s former school perceived to be better off than the shooter was.” “If additional information comes to light‚ this determination may change‚” the spokesperson added. The ADL appears to have considered Hale’s decision to condemn her targets as “faggots” to be an example of “epithets directed at … LGBTQ+ people‚” thus muddying any potential left-wing extremism as a motivating factor. The ADL also responded to potential criticism that excluding Hale from the report may undermine the organization’s credibility. “Every year‚ the ADL Center on Extremism examines all murders that attract speculations or allegations of extremist connections‚” the spokesperson said. “Some cases are confirmed as being extremist-connected and are included in our statistics. In many instances‚ though‚ investigation either reveals no extremist ties or uncovers insufficient evidence to determine an extremist connection. Such incidents are not included in the year’s extremist murder statistics.” “If additional evidence is subsequently revealed for a specific murder that confirms an extremist tie‚ such a murder would be added to the statistics at that time‚” the spokesperson added. “Our statistics are regularly updated to include new findings.” The ADL noted that “although our statistics determined that all extremist-related murders in 2023 were perpetrated by far-right extremists‚ as ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt made clear upon the release of the report: ‘Last week’s sickening attempted mass shooting in Houston by a woman who had praised Islamist terrorist groups reminds us we cannot stand idly by as hateful extremists continue to threaten our security from across the ideological spectrum.’” In our just released 2023 Murder &; Extremism report‚ @ADL's Center on Extremism takes a timely deep dive into the role of women perpetrators of extremist-related killings. And although 15 of the 17 murders in 2023 were by white supremacists‚ and all were far-right extremists‚… https://t.co/IX7cHqfi9Y— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) February 20‚ 2024 ADL’s examples of right-wing extremism include two murders apparently motivated by neo-Nazism and white supremacy. In May‚ 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia‚ a Hispanic man who reportedly had white supremacist and neo-Nazi tattoos‚ killed eight people at a mall in Allen‚ Texas‚ before police killed him. In August‚ 21-year-old Ryan Christopher Palmeter shot and killed three people in a Dollar General store in Jacksonville‚ Florida‚ before he shot himself. His AR-15-style rifle bore a swastika and racial slurs written in white sharpie. The ADL has repeatedly condemned what it characterizes as racism on the Right while turning a blind eye to the racial discrimination perpetrated by the Left in the name of “anti-racism.” In 2020‚ the ADL defined racism as “the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.” In 2022‚ it released an “interim” definition stating that racism “occurs when individuals or institutions show more favorable evaluation or treatment of an individual or group based on race or ethnicity.” The ADL has claimed that Fox News host Tucker Carlson endorsed a racist antisemitic conspiracy theory when he claimed that the Democratic Party is attempting to “replace the current electorate” with “third-world voters” by keeping the southern border open. The ADL’s omission of Hale from the 2023 list of extremist murders may trace back to Hale’s transgender identity. The ADL has taken an aggressive stance supporting gender ideology by condemning those who oppose it. The ADL’s Center on Extremism has flagged critics of gender ideology‚ attacking conservative figures like Chaya Raichik‚ the Jewish woman behind the influential Libs of TikTok X account. The ADL has even alerted law enforcement to conservatives who have criticized transgender orthodoxy‚ such as Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow Chris Rufo and conservative commentator Matt Walsh. The ADL has faced harsh criticism for adopting many of the Left’s favored causes‚ often in the name of fighting antisemitism. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Nashville Transgender Shooter Not a Left-Wing Extremist Because She Called Victims ‘Faggots‚’ ADL Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

For all the White House’s bragging about the strength of the economy‚ most Americans still don’t approve of President Joe Biden‘s performance on this issue. That’s likely because they have been left behind‚ especially native-born Americans. This is perhaps most evident in figures from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. If one looks only at the headline numbers in each monthly report‚ the economy appears to be off to the races. Nonfarm payrolls are up‚ and unemployment is down. But few analysts have bothered asking questions like what kinds of jobs are being added to the economy‚ how much they pay‚ who has the jobs‚ or why the unemployment rate is so low. The economy is not adding high-paying‚ full-time jobs that come with benefits. The number of full-time jobs was roughly flat over the last 12 months‚ so essentially all the job growth was part-time employment. As the layoffs mount‚ Americans are replacing their previous job with more than one part-time job. That increases the number of payrolls without increasing the number of people employed‚ which helps explain the unprecedented disparity between the two categories. The shift to lower-paying‚ part-time employment has become so dramatic that it is dragging down average hourly wages. In fact‚ December and January marked the biggest two-month decline in full-time employment since the government-imposed lockdowns of March and April 2020. Aside from those losing their primary job‚ Americans are increasingly taking second or third jobs to make ends meet. But even the Bureau of Labor Statistics data on multiple jobholders understate the extent of the problem. When a person gets a second job‚ that increases the number of multiple jobholders. But when that person gets a third job‚ it doesn’t. With 60% of Americans living from paycheck to paycheck‚ it’s no surprise that so many of them have gotten extra jobs as they rack up a record $1.1 trillion in credit card debt to cover necessities. The low unemployment rate is also a facade as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes from the headlines‚ the product of over 5 million workers missing from the labor force. The number not in the labor force was trending down before the lockdowns in early 2020‚ but it has remained elevated since then and is still above June 2020 levels. Adding those missing workers back into the labor force yields an unemployment rate of over 6%. While not horrific‚ that percentage is common during recessions and shows that Americans are not faring as well as is being portrayed. Yet the best explanation for Biden’s poor polling on the economy has to do with who is getting these millions of new jobs. It turns out they aren’t native-born Americans. Although last month’s job data quickly garnered hyperbolic terms like “blowout‚” a fairer word would be “depressing” for many Americans. Native-born employment not only was a whopping 5.5 million below its pre-pandemic trend‚ but also was 121‚000 below its pre-pandemic level‚ or 0.1%. Conversely‚ foreign-born employment was 2.8 million above its pre-pandemic level‚ or 10.3%‚ having returned to the pre-pandemic trend last year. It turns out all the job gains since the beginning of 2020 have gone to the foreign-born; on net‚ native-born Americans have lost jobs. Even the Bureau of Labor Statistics concedes that its figures reflect at least some illegal aliens working in America. With millions of such illegal aliens pouring across the southern border due to Biden administration policies‚ it makes sense that this would augment the workforce of foreign-born people here legally and boost employment numbers. That native-born Americans have made no progress in terms of job numbers in four years is a key reason why they view the economy so poorly‚ but it isn’t the only one. Their inflation-adjusted weekly earnings are still down 4.2% under Biden‚ according to the government estimates. The reality is even worse because the Bureau of Labor Statistics has grossly undercounted many price increases‚ such as the cost of homeownership. Using rental data‚ the BLS estimates this has risen by less than 20% in the last three years. Conversely‚ the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta uses real-world housing data to estimate that the cost of homeownership has risen 76.5% over the same time‚ or four times the official metric from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is surprisingly easy to square the circle of good economic headlines and lousy polling on the economy: The benefits of Bidenomics go to a few‚ and Americans as a whole come last. Originally published by The Washington Times Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Biden’s Low Marks on Economy Reflect Reality appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Alabama Supreme Court’s recent 7-2 decision that a frozen embryo is a “child” under the state’s wrongful-death statute demonstrates once again that judges have to use the right method to make the right decisions. Keeping this in mind prevents getting distracted by the politics and hysterics that often accompany decisions on such volatile issues. In this case‚ three married couples used in vitro fertilization to conceive children. Some of the embryos were implanted and resulted in the birth of healthy babies. Other embryos were preserved in a cryogenic nursery located in the same building as the local hospital. In December 2020‚ a hospital patient entered the nursery and removed several embryos. The patient accidentally dropped the embryos because the extremely cold containers freeze-burned the patient’s hands. The embryos were destroyed when they were dropped—essentially killing them.  The couples sued the nursery and hospital under the Wrongful Death of a Minor Act‚ a state law enacted in 1872 that allows the parents of a deceased child to sue “[w]hen the death of a minor child is caused by the wrongful act‚ omission or negligence of any person.” Although the statute does not define the term “minor child‚” the Alabama Supreme Court previously held that it includes an unborn child‚ regardless of viability or stage of development. This case‚ however‚ focused on the where‚ rather than the when‚ a minor child was killed. Alabama legislators knew about unborn children in the womb when they enacted the wrongful-death statute. However‚ in vitro fertilization produces unborn children outside the womb before they are implanted into the women for gestational purposes. What is a judge supposed to do when the law is old‚ but the facts are new? This is where the method a judge uses to decide the case makes all the difference. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has explained that judges should decide cases that involve written law such as statutes in two steps. Judges must first interpret the statute‚ or figure out what the legislature meant by the text it enacted‚ and then apply that interpretation to the facts of a particular case. But how are judges supposed to put that theory into practice when‚ as with the Alabama wrongful-death statute‚ the law is more than 150 years old? Joined by five other justices‚ Justice Jay Mitchell answered that question in his majority opinion. Courts begin by assuming that‚ in the absence of evidence to the contrary‚ legislatures use words in their “natural‚ ordinary‚ commonly understood meaning.” When the Alabama legislature enacted the wrongful-death statute in 1872‚ Mitchell explained‚ the word “child” was commonly understood to include the unborn. The Alabama legislature has enacted a series of strong pro-life laws‚ and Mitchell observed that‚ in 2022‚ Alabama voters amended the state constitution to require that judges construe statutes in a way that protects the rights of the unborn and a born child equally. That reinforced the court’s previous conclusion that “child” in the wrongful-death statute included unborn children at any stage of development. And it supported the majority’s conclusion that the wrongful-death statute “applies on its face to all unborn children‚ without limitation.” Criticism of the majority by three justices appeared based on what they thought the statute should have said. Justice Brady Mendheim’s separate opinion‚ for example‚ agreed with the majority’s result‚ but thought it “problematic” that the majority had not considered that “IVF was not even a scientific possibility” when the legislature enacted the wrongful-death statute. Similarly‚ dissenting Justice Will Sellers emphasized the subjective “intent of the Act‚” rather than objective meaning of the words that the legislature put in the statute.   In other words‚ they used the wrong method by mixing interpretation and application‚ rather than keeping them separate. If a statute’s meaning is limited by how it could have been applied when the legislature enacted it‚ virtually every statute would rapidly become obsolete and have to be constantly reenacted. Consider the chaos that using this method in constitutional cases would cause. The Fourth Amendment‚ which prohibits “unreasonable searches and seizures‚” could not be applied to wiretaps because electronic communication methods did not exist in 1791. The First Amendment’s guarantee of “freedom of speech” would not apply to films or online publications‚ as they likewise didn’t exist in 1791. You get the point. That’s why judges must start with a statute’s text‚ then figure out what the legislature meant by it‚ and then apply it to the facts of each case as it comes along. Using that method allowed the court in this case first to determine what the word “child” meant in the wrongful-death statute‚ even though it was enacted in 1872‚ and whether that included an unborn child without any limitation on the child’s location. Justice Greg Cook’s dissent‚ which spanned 57 pages‚ appeared to take issue with the court’s previous decisions that the wrongful-death statute applied generally to unborn children. And he speculated about the impact of the majority’s decision‚ claiming that it “will mean that the creation of frozen embryos will end in Alabama.”  Just four pages later‚ Cook himself noted that “because these appeals are at the motion-to-dismiss stage … there is no factual record at this point‚” undermining any basis for his prediction. Whether that prediction is reasonable‚ however‚ is irrelevant because the legislature‚ not the courts‚ has the authority to consider such policy matters.   Predictably‚ the media uniformly misreported what the court actually decided in this case. “Alabama Court Ruled Frozen Embryos Are Children‚” reported CBS. Virtually identical headlines came from USA Today‚ National Public Radio‚ The Washington Post and many other outlets. The Post went even further‚ claiming that “the State Supreme Court ruled Friday that frozen embryos are people.” Using that broad a brush makes this decision appear‚ perhaps intentionally‚ radical rather than common sense. The truth is that the court looked at the wrongful-death statute for what it says and refused to see a location restriction that the legislature did not put there. By using the proper method of interpreting the statute’s text and then separately applying it‚ the majority was able to settle this legal dispute and leave the policy speculation and issue politics to the legislature. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post In Frozen Embryos Case‚ Alabama Supreme Court Demonstrates Proper Method of Adjudication appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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NASA hopes to have astronauts on Mars in the near future. It is not going to be an easy journey and being on another world will be extremely dangerous. The space agency wants to be there as prepared as possible. And part of that requires volunteers who want to take part in a 12-month-long simulation of living on Mars.The first CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) mission started on June 25‚ 2023‚ and NASA is now looking for the next four simul-astronauts to take the place of Dr Kelly Haston‚ Ross Brockwell‚ Dr Nathan Jones‚ and Dr Anca Selariu. Their mission ends on July 6‚ 2024. The next CHAPEA mission is expected to start in the spring of 2025.“NASA is looking for healthy‚ motivated U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are non-smokers‚ 30-55 years old‚ and proficient in English for effective communication between crewmates and mission control. Applicants should have a strong desire for unique‚ rewarding adventures and interest in contributing to NASA’s work to prepare for the first human journey to Mars‚” NASA wrote in an announcement post.        Applications can now be submitted‚ with an April 2 deadline. The selection process will be similar to that of astronauts in terms of skills‚ although it is a shorter turnaround‚ as it is expected to last between 12 and 14 months.“Crew selection will follow additional standard NASA criteria for astronaut candidate applicants. A master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering‚ mathematics‚ or biological‚ physical or computer science from an accredited institution with at least two years of professional STEM experience or a minimum of one thousand hours piloting an aircraft is required‚” NASA explained‚ although medical doctors‚ people currently working towards a STEM Ph.D.‚ and a few other groups might be considered.  The individual crew rooms for the astronauts in the simulated 3D-printed habitat.Image credit: NASA/Bill StaffordThe team will have to go on simulated spacewalks‚ perform robotic operations‚ keep up the habitat‚ maintain a regular exercise regime‚ and grow crops for subsistence. Communications with the outside world happen with at least a 20-minute delay; at its closest distance‚ Mars is just three light-minutes away but at its furthest‚ is about 22 and a half light-minutes away. And this simulation is all about hardships.        The crew will have to face resource limitations‚ equipment failures‚ and environmental stressors on top of communication delays. While many questions in the applications are about the ability to go through these challenges for over a year‚ NASA asks also if the candidates can go without speaking to their loved ones for periods of over two weeks.Participants will be paid for this mission‚ but how much has not been disclosed. This information will be provided to candidates during the screening process.

Three and a half billion years ago life had not only found a way‚ but diversified‚ so that all these years later we can observe differences in what was left behind.The Earth has undergone so many cycles of geologic uplift and destruction that there is very little left of the rocks from the time when life had just begun. Parts of Western Australia represent one of the few exceptions‚ holding traces of microorganisms 3.48 billion years old.Barite is a particularly promising material to study from this time‚ since it is stable under high temperature and pressure conditions‚ and does not dissolve easily in water.Black bedded barite samples analyzed by University of Göttingen PhD student Lena Weimann and colleagues come from calderas‚ hollows that form after volcanic eruptions and often fill with lakes. Hot fluids in the caldera provide both energy and nutrients to lifeforms today‚ and such environments are good candidates for the places where life first evolved. Trapped in the barite‚ the team found carbonaceous particles whose molecular size indicates they were left behind by early lifeforms.“As our findings show‚ original traces of the first organisms can still be found even from extremely old material‚” Weimann said in a statement. Barite (barium sulfate) from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia shows three sorts of organic molecules‚ two of which were apparently living at the same time.Image credit: Gerhard HundertmarkNot a lot of information about these organisms has survived‚ although we know they must have been single-celled. That might suggest there is little we can learn. However‚ when Weimann’s team combined several high-resolution observation techniques they found three distinct sorts‚ which they call populations‚ of carbonaceous material.These indicate that the life forms of the day had evolved to fill separate niches even at this early point in time.The most common population is found at the edges of single growth bands of barite crystals. A second is found finely distributed within the barite matrix‚ while the third is found within quartz veins that crisscross the barite. The first two were apparently deposited as the barite crystallized‚ while the quartz apparently entered the system at least 200 million years later‚ accompanied by the third population.The team thinks population one arises from organic particles accumulating on crystal surfaces where the water and sediment met. When the flow of hydrothermal fluid dropped off or temperatures fell‚ biofilms and microbial mats‚ like those formed by single-celled organisms today‚ sometimes became incorporated into the rocks.When the flow picked up‚ particles that may have been from organisms living elsewhere were carried with it. Crystallization rates were higher at these times‚ and the particles got distributed within the growing crystals‚ creating population two.The study is published open access in Precambrian Research.

When animals are killed by predators on land in the wild‚ there's a good chance scavengers will descend upon the carcass pretty quickly‚ saving everybody the problem of burial.The same is true in the ocean. Essentially‚ if there are predators out there who do not finish the whole meal‚ you better believe something will come to fit the "I'll just take the scraps" niche. But some carcasses are more difficult to scavenge than others‚ which (along with mermaids) was the surprising subject of a viral X (Twitter) thread on Tuesday.         IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.After whales die‚ they begin to decompose. Gases during decomposition can sometimes float the animal to the surface‚ where birds and sharks will attempt to tear out chunks‚ over the course of weeks or even over a month. But it isn't easy for the animals. Despite using techniques such as vigorous head thrashing and shaking‚ and body rolling.Generally‚ as noted by Kairo‚ who runs a popular science-based Instagram account‚ the methods are ineffective are getting to the tastiest parts of whales.       IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The thread suggests (for fun) that one mythical animal could perfectly fit this niche‚ and have itself an easy life opening up whales and scavenging on the gooey bits inside."MERMAIDS" They have hands! And teamwork! And tools!" Kairo suggests. "There is this unrealized potential to take on this deeply lucrative role of top scavenger that nobody else in the ocean seems to be able to fill."While a fun idea‚ whale carcasses are not going to waste as it is (other than the occasional time they are scattered for miles by overenthusiastic officials using way too much TNT). After weeks of bobbing around‚ they sink and can fall to the bottom of the ocean‚ where their decaying body will feed an ecosystem‚ known as a "whale fall".  Scavengers tend to consume the soft tissues of the animal within months‚ while fragments of flesh feed nearby critters for over a year."The whale skeleton can support rich communities for years to decades‚ both as a hard substrate (or surface) for invertebrate colonization and as a source of sulfides from the decay of organic compounds of whale bones. Microbes live off of the energy released from these chemical reactions and form the basis of ecosystems for as long as the food source lasts‚" the National Ocean Service explains. "At deep sea levels this forms a new food web and provides energy to support single- and multi-cell organisms and sponges‚ thus adding to the ocean's food chain."While scavengers at the surface may struggle to get a share of the carcass‚ scavengers down below sure finish the job.

Working in a zoo presents challenges of all kinds‚ from working to engage the public with conservation issues to making sure every animal has the highest standard of care and welfare. Over at Houston Zoo‚ the team is doing just that – down to some of the smallest residents.In the Bug House‚ a Peruvian jumping stick female was spotted to be in difficulty after shedding her exoskeleton and coming out of the molt. The entomology keepers noticed that the jumping stick had a weakened area in her thoracic region‚ the part of the insect that resembles the neck.“On Feb 5th we noticed her old molt was next to her. She was 'floppy' still – they are very soft and pliable and fragile‚ after molting – so we knew it was molting related. It was obvious that something didn't quite go right.” Julie LaTurner‚ one of the entomology keepers who first noticed the problem‚ told IFLScience. Peruvian jumping sticks spend almost all of their time climbing branches; having a weakened neck was causing the female's head to be affected as she climbed‚ the team wrote on their blog page. These insects are actually a type of grasshopper‚ not a stick insect (Stiphra spp). They live in the tropical rainforests of South America in the wild. The females are much bigger than the males and look quite different‚ a biological phenomenon known as sexual dimorphism. Julie stressed how unusual this sort of problem is among the animals. “Most of the time molting goes perfectly fine. These bugs molt several times before reaching adulthood. This is a fairly rare occurrence‚ and the first time I've seen something this extreme.”Fortunately for the insect‚ Julie was able to work with the vets at the zoo to create a bespoke neck brace for the jumping stick.Without the work from the team‚ the insect would most likely have had to be euthanized.Image Courtesy of Houston Zoo“Bug vet treatments are not really something that is established‚ for many reasons. They are surprisingly complex creatures! I wasn't really sure if our vet‚ Dr Melissa‚ would be able to create something that could work for the time we needed it to‚ or even if our grasshopper would tolerate it."The stick part of a cotton bud was used as it was the perfect flexible material to work for the animal. The situation was quite pressing‚ with the insect’s life hanging in the balance. “If we hadn't come up with a solution‚ she would have had to be euthanized‚ she would not be able to eat with her head in the unnatural position‚ and it was probably also physically uncomfortable. This was ultimately to give her a chance to live‚" explained Julie.The brace was a great success‚ with the jumping stick only needing to wear it for around four days to allow the exoskeleton to harden. She is now moving around her enclosure in a normal way and is able to hold her head in a natural position. This is not the first time zoos have gone above and beyond for the residents – San Diego Zoo created fancy orthopaedic boots for one of their penguins. “She has taught us a lot about invertebrate physiology and health care‚" concluded Julie. "We love our invertebrates‚ and we really want people to learn about them‚ and appreciate the wide variety of lifestyles‚ habits‚ and life histories they have. When you see the bugs in your neighborhood‚ take a moment to look them up and learn about them. You'll find them to be just as fascinating."