Scientists and researchers are constantly making new discoveries about the past. Whether they are unearthing ancient artifacts or finding lost texts‚ these findings help us get a better idea of what actually happened and what life was like so long ago. While we have a very basic idea of what has occurred throughout history‚ for the most part‚ many things about our world and the history of our... Source

Saddle up‚ partner! We're about to take a wild ride through the tumbleweeds of cinema history as we corral the most cringe-worthy and yawn-inducing Western movies of all time. From questionable plotlines to shootouts that missed the mark‚ get ready to lasso some laughter and facepalm aplenty in this roundup of the Worst Westerns ever to hit the big screen. Shalako (1968) Shalako is considered one... Source

The Georgia Board of Education upheld a previous decision Thursday to fire Katie Rinderle‚ a former fifth-grade teacher‚ for reading a book about gender identity to her students‚ according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rinderle‚ who had taught for 10 years‚ was fired in August 2023 by Cobb County School Board for reading the book “My Shadow Is Purple‚” which encourages kids to go “beyond the gender binary‚” according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Rinderle had appealed the school’s decision in September‚ but the board determined that her firing was not “unconstitutionally vague” or a result of a “predetermined outcome.” A parent reportedly complained that Rinderle was reading the book to her class‚ prompting a review of her actions from the school board‚ according to Axios. The book’s Goodreads description reads‚ “My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry‚ and my Mom’s is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices‚ a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different‚ it’s both and it’s none.” The book focuses on the life of a 6-year-old who discovers their gender identity‚ Axios reported. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp‚ a Republican‚ signed the “Parental Bill of Rights” and the “Protect Students First Act” into law in 2022‚ prohibiting “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools. As a result of the law‚ the district adopted its own policy on the issue and determined that the book was not appropriate and has also taken steps to remove sexually explicit books from its shelves‚ according to NBC News. Riderle also filed a lawsuit against the district earlier this month with the Southern Poverty Law Center‚ arguing that she had been discriminated against and that the policies “unlawfully discipline educators for mentioning LGBTQ+ and gender-nonconforming people and their experiences in the classroom‚” according to a press release. Riderle has 30 days to appeal the board’s decision in Cobb County Superior Court‚ NBC reported. Rinderle’s attorney did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation 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 Georgia Board of Education Affirms Firing of Teacher Who Read Gender Book to Fifth Graders appeared first on The Daily Signal.

One state prosecutor and one civilian plaintiff have already won huge fines and damages from former President Donald Trump that may‚ with legal costs‚ exceed $500 million. Trump awaits further civil and criminal liability in three other federal‚ state‚ and local indictments. There are eerie commonalities in all these five court cases involving plaintiff E. Jean Carroll‚ Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg‚ New York Attorney General Letitia James‚ federal special counsel Jack Smith‚ and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. One‚ the prosecutors are either unapologetically left wing or associated with liberal causes. They filed their legal writs in big-city‚ left-wing America—Atlanta‚ New York‚ Washington—where liberal judges and jury pools predominate in a manner not characteristic of the country at large. Two‚ the cases are overtly political. Bragg‚ James‚ and Willis have either campaigned for office or raised campaign funds by promising to get or even destroy Trump. Carroll’s suit was funded by left-wing billionaire Reid Hoffman. Smith sued to rush his court schedule in hopes of putting Trump on trial before the November election. Three‚ there would not be any of these cases had Trump not run for the presidency or not been a conservative. Carroll’s suit bypassed statute-of-limitation restrictions by prompting the intervention of a left-wing New York legislator. He passed a special bill‚ allowing a one-year window to waive the statute of limitations for sexual assault claims from decades past. Until Trump‚ no New York prosecutor like James had ever filed a civil suit against a business for allegedly overvaluing real estate assets to obtain loans that bank auditors approved and were paid back in full‚ on time‚ and with sizable interest profits to the lending institutions. Bragg bootstrapped a private nondisclosure agreement with Trump into a federal campaign violation in a desperate effort to find something on the former president. Smith is also charging Trump with insurrectionary activity. But Trump has never been charged with insurrection‚ much less convicted of it. Willis strained to find a way to criminalize Trump’s complaints about his loss of Georgia in the 2020 national election. She finally came up with a racketeering charge‚ usually more applicable to mafiosi and drug cartels. Four‚ in all these cases‚ the charges could have been equally applicable to fellow left-wing public figures and officials. President Joe Biden‚ like Trump‚ was accused of sexual assault decades earlier—by former staffer Tara Reade. Yet Reade was torn apart by the media and the Left for inconsistencies in her memory. By contrast‚ the wildly inconsistent and amnesiac Carroll won $83 million from Trump. Smith created the precedent of charging Trump for unlawfully removing classified files and taking them to his private residence. But the government simultaneously did not charge Biden for similar offenses. Yet Biden had removed files not for two years but for more than 30. He stored them not in one location but several. Biden’s rickety garage was a mess‚ not a secure family compound like Trump’s Florida estate. Moreover‚ Biden did so while a senator and vice president‚ without any presidential authority to declassify almost any presidential document he wished. Biden never came forward to report the crime for over 30 years—until Trump was charged. Indeed‚ Biden was caught on tape six years ago admitting to his ghostwriter that he possessed classified files but never reported it. Bragg might have noticed that both Hillary Clinton (fined $113‚000) and Barack Obama (fined $350‚000) broke campaign financing laws. Neither was subject to federal criminal charges by local prosecutors. An array of left-wing celebrities‚ politicians‚ 2004 House members‚ former Sen. Barbara Boxer‚ D-Calif.‚ and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams all recently challenged the results of elections. They sought either to delay or redo ballot counting or‚ on the federal level‚ to sidetrack electors to ignore popular votes in their respective states. These lawfare cases are part of other efforts that were highly partisan and without merit. Recall the Trump “Russian collusion” hoax and the “Russian disinformation” farce over Hunter Biden’s laptop. In another first‚ some blue states are suing to take Trump’s name off the ballot for “insurrection‚” a crime for which he has never been charged. Total up the deaths‚ damage‚ and length of the summer 2020 Antifa/BLM riots. Then compare the tally to the one-day Capitol riot on Jan. 6‚ 2021. The former proved far more lethal‚ long-lasting‚ and destructive. Yet very few of the 14‚000 arrested rioters in 2020 were ever prosecuted‚ much less convicted. By contrast‚ the Biden administration sought to jail hundreds for crimes allegedly committed Jan. 6‚ such as “illegal parading.” We are entering a dangerous era in America. Ideology and party affiliations increasingly determine guilt and punishment. Opponents are first targeted‚ and then laws are twisted and redefined to convict them. The Left is waging lawfare with the implicit message to political opponents: Either keep quiet or suffer the consequences. COPYRIGHT 2024 Tribune Content Agency LLC The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. 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 Blue Laws for Red Citizens appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rumors abound that Senate Democrats want to avoid holding a trial on the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by “tabling” or otherwise dismissing the House impeachment articles. But doing so would be contrary to the Senate’s impeachment trial rules and its own historical practice. The Senate has never refused to hold a trial when the impeached public official remained in office. The House of Representatives impeached Mayorkas on Feb. 13 for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Critics try to trivialize this serious step by claiming that the conflict is simply a disagreement over immigration policy. That disagreement certainly exists‚ but the House impeached Mayorkas for “willful and systematic refusal to comply” with federal immigration law. The first article of impeachment‚ in fact‚ lists seven different examples of such refusal. The second impeachment article‚ titled “Breach of Public Trust‚” details how Mayorkas made “false statements” to Congress and “knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department.” Like these articles‚ and the specific violations of the law and interference with the separation of powers they present‚ an extensive special report published by The Heritage Foundation a week before the House impeachment outlined how Mayorkas’ actions fit within the historical understanding of “high crimes and misdemeanors” that warrant impeachment. And his pattern of ignoring both the law and misleading Congress has only gotten worse since then. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) The place to debate whether Mayorkas’ actions constitute impeachable offenses was in the House‚ and the House made its decision. It is now the Senate’s responsibility under the Constitution to conduct an impeachment trial‚ a duty the Senate has never refused to fulfill. Conducting a trial is necessary to carry out the impeachment process the Constitution established‚ as well as to protect the public trust and the national security of the country. The Constitution gives the “sole Power of Impeachment” to the House of Representatives and the “sole Power to try all Impeachments” to the Senate. While the responsibilities are divided‚ the process is not. The Constitution’s main impeachment clause states: “The President‚ Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States‚ shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for‚ and Conviction of‚ Treason‚ Bribery‚ or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” If the House impeaches‚ the Senate has the duty to fulfill its responsibility and complete the process. Although words such as “trial” and “conviction” parallel the criminal justice process‚ impeachment is intended to be used to remove officers of the United States who are no longer fit to hold office because of their gross misbehavior and dereliction of duty. The Constitution‚ in fact‚ limits the consequences of conviction by the Senate to automatic removal from office and possible disqualification from holding future office‚ specifically providing that an official may yet—depending on the conduct involved—face criminal prosecution after they are removed from office. Thankfully‚ the impeachment process has been used rarely in American history‚ but Congress has always administered that process in a consistent way. Prior to Mayorkas‚ the House passed 21 impeachment resolutions covering 20 public officials: 14 federal judges‚ three presidents (Donald Trump twice)‚ one Supreme Court justice‚ one Cabinet secretary‚ and one senator. The Senate failed to complete an impeachment trial in only four instances when‚ consistent with the removal purpose of impeachment‚ the officials in question had already left office.  The first impeachment was of Sen. William Blount of Tennessee in 1797‚ despite some House members questioning whether a member of Congress qualified as a “civil officer” subject to impeachment. The Senate expelled Blount the day after the House impeached him and‚ therefore‚ did not proceed with a trial. Since then‚ the clear consensus has been that the category of “civil officers” is limited to appointed officials in the judicial or executive branches. In three other cases‚ impeached federal judges resigned either before or during their Senate trials‚ terminating those proceedings or making them unnecessary. In the other 17 cases‚ the Senate conducted and completed a comprehensive impeachment trial‚ resulting in eight convictions and nine acquittals. The Senate adopted specific impeachment trial rules in 1986‚ and they clearly contemplate that the Senate will fulfill its responsibility‚ using the word “shall” more than 100 times. Rule III‚ for example‚ states that when the House has presented its impeachment articles to the Senate‚ “the Senate shall … proceed to the consideration of such articles … until final judgment shall be rendered.” In contrast‚ the impeachment rules use the word “may” only in connection with how the Senate actually conducts a trial‚ not whether it does so at all. The Constitution‚ Senate rules‚ and uniform historical practice all compel the conclusion that the Senate has a duty to fulfill its responsibility in the impeachment process. It’s important that the American people witness their elected representatives‚ who each took an oath to support and defend the Constitution‚ take seriously a task as important as impeachment. That’s particularly true when the House has concluded that Mayorkas has instituted‚ presided over‚ and deliberately perpetuated the worst border crisis in American history‚ endangering national security‚ threatening the safety of the public‚ and imposing huge costs on state and local governments and communities. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer‚ D-N.Y.‚ should be the first to insist that this duty comes before partisan politics. He and the other members of the Senate have a constitutional obligation to the American people to undertake a serious‚ substantive hearing on the misbehavior of Mayorkas. 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 Why Senate Has a Solemn Obligation to Conduct a Mayorkas Impeachment Trial appeared first on The Daily Signal.

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Germany has just become the latest to join a select group of countries that have legalized cannabis use. Today‚ February 23‚ 2024‚ the Bundestag passed a law that is due to come into effect from April 1‚ permitting recreational use of the drug for over-18s in both public and private spaces‚ with some restrictions.News that the country’s government was planning a more lenient stance on cannabis first broke in October last year‚ but it’s only now that the official vote has gone through. It joins a small club of other countries like Canada‚ and a number of jurisdictions in the US‚ which have legalized personal use of cannabis. Other places‚ including the UK‚ allow limited access to the drug for medicinal purposes. Clouding the picture even further are regions where the drug remains technically illegal‚ but where its use is decriminalized‚ such as Portugal and the Netherlands.  The legislation passed by 407 votes to 226‚ but its detractors were not going down without a fight.“You are asserting in all seriousness that by legalising more drugs we will contain drug use among young people. That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard‚” said Tino Sorge of the Christian Democrat party during the debate‚ according to Reuters‚ while the BBC reports that another party member‚ Simone Borchardt‚ called it a “completely unnecessary‚ confused law" regardless of warnings from doctors‚ police and psychotherapists.However‚ those in favor of a relaxation of the rules are sticking to their convictions that a harm reduction approach is the best way forward.“We have two goals: to crack down on the black market and improved protection of children and young people‚” said Health Minister Karl Lauterbach as the debate began. Even when the law comes into effect in April‚ that doesn’t mean it’s carte-blanche as far as pot is concerned. Possession of up to 25 grams (0.9 ounces) in public spaces and 50 grams (1.8 ounces) in private homes will be allowed‚ considered a substantial quantity. Growing up to three plants per household will also be permitted.But if the homegrown approach doesn’t work for you‚ purchasing the drug will be more difficult. While the original plans for the law involved the sale of cannabis from specially licensed shops and pharmacies‚ this is no longer on the cards. Instead‚ “cannabis social clubs” with a limit of 500 members each will be set up and will be responsible for distributing the drug to their constituents‚ all of whom must be German residents.Said German residents are so far divided as to the wisdom of this policy. DW reports that a YouGov poll found 42 percent of respondents either somewhat or completely rejected the proposal‚ meaning there are quite a number of people left to convince. The evidence we have from places where legal cannabis has been available for a while paints quite a mixed picture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that‚ contrary to what many fear‚ teen cannabis use actually went down after legalization. But‚ a study only months earlier concluded that cannabis had overtaken alcohol as the most abused drug among US children.  With similarly conflicting results around the potential benefits and harms of the drug‚ it’s unlikely the controversy will die down any time soon.Indeed‚ according to the BBC‚ opposition politicians in Germany are already hatching plans to scrap the law should they be elected into government next year.As it stands‚ recreational cannabis will no longer be verboten in Germany as of April 1. How long that will be the case remains to be seen.

The golden records carried by the Voyager missions have become famous as an effort for humanity to explain ourselves to any aliens who might find them. As well as being our introduction to the universe‚ they were also a sort of love letter to Earth‚ a reminder to humanity of what is precious about ourselves and our home. So it’s appropriate that tucked away among the more familiar sounds is a testament to the records’ two leading creators’ relationship.Space is so big that the chances the Voyager missions will ever be found by aliens is tiny‚ no matter how long they last. Already the spacecrafts’ power supplies are running low. By the time they drift into the vicinity of any other star system‚ there will be radio blips to detect them by‚ so the question of whether aliens would be able to work out how to operate a phonograph is largely moot.Everyone involved in the project knew this. The message was mostly for humanity‚ to encourage us to see each ourselves as part of a common species‚ rather than members of sometimes warring nations‚ and to remind us what we love about Earth. But in the end‚ room was found for something much more personal: the brainwaves of one creator thinking about another.Officially known as the Murmurs of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar Message Project‚ the Golden Records were an Initiative of Carl Sagan‚ an advance on the more basic Pioneer plaque he had championed.“The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced spacefaring civilizations in interstellar space‚” Sagan said.  “But the launching of this bottle into the cosmic ocean says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”Ann Druyan was hired as the creative director‚ tasked with finding the images and music to include‚ and to try to have at least some of them make sense to minds very different from our own. While Druyan was putting together the possibilities‚ decisions on the records’ contents were made by a committee chaired by Sagan.Druyan worked closely with the committee members‚ including Frank Drake‚ but particularly with Sagan‚ and found herself falling in love with him.Among the sounds of machines operating‚ wind and rain‚ the greetings of various animals‚ and the music of humans and whales alike‚ the record contains an hour’s worth of recordings of Druyan’s brainwaves‚ squeezed down to a minute. The capacity to track brainwaves and turn them into sound was a new technology at the time‚ and Druyan and Sagan wondered if they might someday be resurrected to reveal her thoughts.Druyan has said that her thoughts during the time covered roamed widely‚ on the theme of the things we might like aliens to understand about ourselves. This included the history and challenges of human civilizations‚ but also what it was like to fall in love. Druyan told Radiolab that her brainwaves were recorded just two days after she and Sagan had declared their love for each other. Consequently‚ the thoughts on love were more than theoretical‚ and specifically about Sagan himself.Sagan and Druyan married and were together until his death. Their collaborations included the documentary series Cosmos‚ still regarded as a landmark in science communication. Druyan also contributed to Sagan’s book Pale Blue Dot‚ which includes his famous reflections on Voyager 1’s photograph of Earth‚ returning to the theme of our common humanity and our dependence on the “only home we’ve ever known.”Interstellar space is large and lonely‚ but also safe compared to the vicinity of stars. The Voyagers’ instruments will fail soon‚ but the structure of the craft‚ and the records on board‚ are expected to survive a billion years‚ give or take. Whatever becomes of humanity and the Earth in that time the record‚ including Ann’s thoughts of Carl‚ will live on.The complete sounds of the golden record can now be found online‚ and the records have been reissued for those who prefer the original.