Tyrannosaurus rex is arguably the most famous of all the dinosaur species‚ with starring roles in pretty much every dino movie ever made. However‚ scientists have identified a new subspecies of Tyrannosaur‚ Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis‚ older and more primitive but still the same size as a double-decker bus. This new species also helps researchers understand where T. rex and other Tyrannosaurs might have originated from‚ a question that has puzzled palaeontologists. The new species was discovered when the team took a closer look at a museum specimen of a 71-73 million-year-old partial skull. The skull was discovered in the Hall Lake Formation‚ New Mexico‚ USA in the 1980s and is currently on display at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History &; Science (NMMNHS). Reconstruction of what Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis might have looked like.Image credit: Sergei Krasinski“[The] skull/jaw was originally described and assigned to T. rex in 1986‚" Dr Spencer Lucas‚ one of the authors of the new paper and Curator of Paleontology at NMMNHS‚ told IFLScience. "Decades later‚ much has been learned about T. rex through newly discovered fossils. The anatomical differences between the McRae fossil and other T. rex now stand out as likely taxonomic differences‚ hence the need for reinvestigation”Close analysis of the skull revealed that not only was it not a Tyrannosaurus rex skull‚ but it represented a whole new species‚ now named Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis‚ thought to have lived 71-73 million years ago – around 6-7 million years before T. rex was roaming about. It also sheds light on the idea that tyrannosaurs were living in North America millions of years earlier than palaeolontologists previously thought. “New Mexicans have always known our state is special‚ now we know that New Mexico has been a special place for tens of millions of years‚” Dr Anthony Fiorillo‚ Executive Director of NMMNHS‚ said in a statement seen by IFLScience. Given that T. rex is so famous‚ this helped the team identify key subtitle differences between the bones within the skull of a T. rex and the skull of the new species. While it might not look like it‚ these jaws are shallower and longer than a T.Rex‚ suggesting a mouth with less bite force.Image credit: Nick Longrich“The differences are subtle‚ but that’s typically the case in closely related species. Evolution slowly causes mutations to build up over millions of years‚ causing species to look subtly different over time‚” said Dr Nick Longrich‚ a co-author from the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath‚ UK.Dr Lucas told IFLScience that the longer and shallower jaws in the new species suggest that it “likely had less bite force than in a T. rex.” Regardless it was still an impressively large dinosaur‚ roughly the same size as a T. rex‚ which measured up to 12 meters (40 feet) from head to tail and 3.6 meters (12 feet) tall. Given the dates of the fossil‚ it shows that tyrannosaurs grew to a giant size near the end of the Campanian (toward the end of the Cretaceous period). Like its more well-known cousin‚ both species would have consumed a largely meat-based diet.  Phylogenetic analysis also suggests that the species could be a sister species to the T. rex making it the closest known relative. According to Dr Lucas‚ it could even be a “plausible ancestor”‚ though the paper notes not a direct one. The discovery suggests that Tyrannosaurs may have evolved south of an island continent called Laramidia that existed between 100 and 66 million years ago. This island was extremely large and would have stretched from what is now Alaska to Mexico. Towards the end of the Cretaceous period‚ the team posits‚ Tyrannosaurus started spreading north‚ alongside other giant species like Triceratops. The paper is published in Scientific Reports.

Fossilized skin from a reptile that lived at least 45 million years before the first dinosaur has been found. Although we know nothing else about the animal it came from‚ along with seven skin casts of similar age‚ the record-smashing discovery helps reveal the early evolution of skin. Skin doesn’t fossilize well‚ so on the rare occasions we find some where the conditions were so perfect that it it did‚ the specimen is priceless. The further one goes back in time‚ the more likely it is that a fossil will have been destroyed by geological processes. Consequently‚ finding skin from the Paleozoic (539-252 million years ago) is so unlikely few fossil hunters even dream of it.Yet it happened to a pair of amateur paleontologists‚ Bill and Julie May‚ who found part of the skin of a lizard from around 288 million years ago. The find was made in Oklahoma’s Richards Spur limestone cave system. It’s thought the lizard fell into what was already a cave at the time and a combination of low oxygen levels‚ clay sediments‚ and oil seepage preserved the skin.“Every now and then we get an exceptional opportunity to glimpse back into deep time‚” said Ethan Mooney‚ a graduate student at the University of Toronto‚ in a statement. Mooney had the privilege of being assigned the study of this specimen and other soft tissues from the caves as an undergraduate. “These types of discoveries can really enrich our understanding and perception of these pioneering animals.”“Animals would have fallen into this cave system during the early Permian and been buried in very fine clay sediments that delayed the decay process‚” Mooney added. “But the kicker is that this cave system was also an active oil seepage site during the Permian‚ and interactions between hydrocarbons in petroleum and tar are likely what allowed this skin to be preserved.”Even with all this going for it‚ not much skin survived – less than the size of a fingernail. What did might be considered the skin equivalent of the platypus‚ combining features associated with wildly different modern species‚ as well as being a great survivor. Its pebbled surface is reminiscent of crocodile skin‚ but it also has hinged sections like those seen on snakes and legless lizards.Although the skin survived‚ no bones or teeth made it from the unfortunate individual – a testament to how rare fossilization is – so we cannot identify the exact species of lizard. It may well be one that has never been scientifically described.Although being able to identify the species would add a lot‚ Mooney says the discovery still shows how ancient aspects of modern reptile skin are. “The epidermis was a critical feature for vertebrate survival on land‚” he said. “It's a crucial barrier between the internal body processes and the harsh outer environment.”The cave system in which the skin was found is the world’s richest source of land-living Paleozoic fossils‚ with hundreds of thousands of bones preserved by the same unusual combination of factors. Elsewhere in the system impressions in rocks carry the surface shape of ancient skin from several animals‚ seven of which have been described along with the fossil skin.Mooney and co-authors describe these casts as revealing “striking variation”‚ indicating the preserved sample cannot be taken as representative of the era as a whole. Nevertheless‚ these impressions show that dermal scales‚ now found only in a few living amphibians‚ were standard at the time.One particularly remarkable specimen reported in the same paper is a near-complete skeleton of a lizard-like Captorhinus aguti‚ accompanied by patterns the authors interpret as records of skin.The study is published in Current Biology.

We all love a good joke‚ but what we find funny is individual to each of us. Or is it? Does our gender influence our sense of humor? According to one new study that identified some similarities (but also some differences) in what men and women find funny‚ it might not be as ridiculous a question as it sounds.The findings‚ published in the appropriately named journal Humor‚ suggest that “men rate visual jokes more highly than women do‚ whereas women prefer jokes that involve political commentary or the dynamics of close relationships.” Meanwhile‚ jokes about the complexities of romantic relationships had both rolling in the aisles.These observed differences are likely reflective of how we socialize‚ the study’s authors theorize‚ rather than being indicative of some biological difference.To reach these conclusions‚ the team made use of an exhibition of print cartoons dating from 1930 to 2010 at The Cartoon Museum‚ London. Data was collected from 3‚380 people‚ who were asked to judge 19 pairs of cartoons and declare their age and gender.“Cartoons have become a regular feature of our cultural life‚ both as a vehicle to amuse and as a way of making political and social comments in the form of satire‚” the researchers explain of their choice to study them. As such‚ they represent a way of conveying complex ideas in a simple visual form and “provide us with novel insights into aspects of our psychology that are often difficult to study”.Each of the participants‚ who stated their gender as either male or female‚ had to rate which joke in each pair tickled them more. In general‚ the more complex jokes were more positively received than those that relied on simpler‚ more slapstick humor. Just as in verbal jokes‚ the number of mindstates – understanding the intentions of a third party‚ ie “I know what she’s thinking about what he’s saying” – affected the reception to the cartoon. Those with more mindstates were more likely to have people in stitches‚ but only up to a certain limit‚ at which point they become too confusing.A person’s age didn’t significantly affect how funny they found a cartoon‚ nor did the date of its publication – but the same can’t be said for their gender.“Of all the results‚ it is perhaps the gender differences that are the most surprising: we did not anticipate that these would be as large as they are‚” they write.Their findings suggest that‚ in general‚ women give higher ratings to a wider range of topics‚ and are more likely to be bent double by jokes about politics and intimate relationships. Men‚ on the other hand‚ preferred slapstick or situational humor‚ while both were found to have a giggle at jokes about the dynamics of social relationships. “We argue that these differences in humor preference arise from the remarkable differences in social style of the two sexes‚” the study’s lead author Professor Robin Dunbar said in a statement. “This explanation has previously been overlooked because psychologists and others have concentrated on IQ-type differences‚ which are minimal.”We wonder how the world’s oldest bar joke would go down.The study is published in the journal Humor.

Conspiracy theorists are exhausting the Internet once more‚ with a theory about why NASA is "really" postponing humanity's return to the Moon.On Tuesday‚ NASA confirmed that their plan to put humans on the Moon has been delayed once more. Having originally been scheduled for 2024‚ the space agency pushed it back to 2025 in 2021‚ but now that date has slipped too. "Safety is our top priority‚ and to give Artemis teams more time to work through the challenges with first-time developments‚ operations‚ and integration‚ we're going to give more time on Artemis II and III‚" NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on Tuesday. "So‚ what I want to tell you is‚ we are adjusting our schedule to target Artemis II for September of 2025 and September of 2026 for Artemis III‚ which will send humans for the first time to the lunar south pole." This explanation was not good enough for conspiracy theorists‚ because nothing is. They of course (wrongly) think that the reason why it is taking so long to go to the Moon is because this is the first time NASA has actually attempted it.     IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.    IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.The "moon landing is faked" conspiracy is an old one. "Evidence" presented by conspiracy theorists that we didn't make it to the Moon includes the classic "how did the flag wave if there's no wind"‚ to which the answer is "there was a metal pole at the top of the flag".Meanwhile‚ evidence presented by the mainstream view that we did go to the Moon includes footage of people on the Moon‚ mirrors on the Moon that have been targeted with lasers from Earth‚ and Moon rocks which we returned to Earth from the Moon.The reason for NASA's delay is what they say it is; an abundance of caution to make sure everyone makes it to the Moon safely. Spaceflight is no trivial thing. Just ask the team behind the doomed Peregrine Lander‚ currently unable to make it to the Moon and deliver its payloads‚ which include the DNA of Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry.Adding in landing on and then lifting off from the Moon‚ with a crew on board‚ does not make any spaceflight easier. NASA may have the knowledge of previous spaceflights‚ but is working with entirely new rockets and spaceships. As eager as everyone is to get to the lunar surface (AGAIN) and beyond‚ we'll just have to accept that to do so safely may take us to 2026‚ or even beyond that.

Life on our planet has been going on for several billion years. Young stars have had a privileged position in our search for life elsewhere. After all‚ it’s easier to compare past and present than to speculate about the future. However‚ research has shown that we shouldn’t discard older stars as hosts of life-bearing planets‚ even if the stars have died – although death might not be all that good for life.A factor that appears to be critical is the stellar wind. The magnetic field of our planet protects us from the stream of particles that constantly comes from the Sun. This is much worse when stars are young and gradually gets better. Research on stars like the Sun‚ or even older stars‚ suggests that they tend to have a shift in the strength and complexity of the magnetic field‚ something that greatly impacts the stellar wind.Devastating erupting events become less likely as these Sun-like stars age‚ making it more likely that life can endure around the objects‚ and even providing better chances for the development of advanced civilizations.So stars like the Sun or older are good – well‚ up to a point. Our own star and many like it are destined to become red giants. Once a star has run out of hydrogen in its core‚ it first compresses itself‚ igniting helium‚ and then swells up. It is likely that when the Sun inflates‚ its outer layer will extend all the way to Earth’s orbit. And even though the density of the plasma would be very low‚ we have a hunch that being inside a star is not really good for life.The red giant phase is also characterized by the release of powerful stellar winds‚ and the heat from the now-large star pushes the habitable zone further out. That might be good news for the moons of the gas giants‚ but not so much for the rocky planets: Venus and Mercury are gone for sure at this point‚ and best case scenario‚ Earth and Mars are scorched. So not super hospitable for life‚ at least not everywhere.Researchers were also curious about what happens afterwards. Red giants shed their layers and what remains is the compressed degenerate core. We call this dead star a white dwarf. Without stellar winds and with great stability over billions of years white dwarfs are a great place for life‚ as long as the planets survived the red giant phase and the life evolved after the white dwarf came to be.Research shows that the changes from regular star to red giant to white dwarf are too quick for life to adapt unless you have a way to protect and relocate a whole planet. Older stars and white dwarfs should be investigated as potential hosts of life‚ but it seems unlikely that life can survive uninterrupted on a world as its star changes and evolves.The new study is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

In a quiet neighborhood‚ something extraordinary happened thanks to a dog named Bobby. Bobby was known for his endless energy and love for digging. His owners‚ the Smith family‚ often found him digging holes in their backyard. But one day‚ Bobby’s digging led to a discovery that would save his entire neighborhood. It all started... The post Heroic dog’s persistent digging ends up saving the entire neighborhood appeared first on Animal Channel.

When it comes to Republican battles with Hunter Biden‚ ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel knows which side he’s on. As Hunter showed up at his contempt vote at the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday‚ Kimmel claimed that the stunt showed that it was Republicans who “were the ones on crack.” Kimmel began by feeling the need to provide some background information‚ "The backstory is a MAGA-happy gang of Republicans‚ they made it their mission to paint Hunter Biden -- you're familiar with the crackhead Hunter Biden—okay‚ as some kind of criminal mastermind who's charged with bringing money into the family. So they served him with a subpoena‚ they ordered him to testify‚ as part of this manufactured impeachment query they're doing and Hunter said‚ ‘All right‚ I'll testify‚ but only if I can do it in public.'"      Of course‚ closed door testimony is how Democrats began their 2019 impeachment of Donald Trump‚ but Kimmel thinks a different set of rules should apply now‚ "He wanted to do it on TV‚ presumably so we can see what a joke this is and they said‚ no‚ no‚ we have to do it in secret so we can spin it however we like afterwards and Hunter says no deal either we do it in public or we don't do it at all. So‚ this morning‚ the Oversight Committee meets‚ with cameras rolling‚ for a hearing on whether to hold Hunter in contempt for not showing up. And guess who shows up? Hunter Biden." Preparing to play some video clips from the proceedings‚ Kimmel declared "It was incredible. It was like when the polar bear showed up on Lost. It was like C-SPAN meets The Maury Povich Show. They didn't know what to do. They were planning to do a big grandstanding routine where they give the little speeches they hope will get on Fox News‚ but instead they ended up looking like they were the ones on crack." After playing a clip of Rep. Nancy Mace telling Hunter that he is "the epitome of white privilege" and has "no balls‚" Kimmel returned and missing the irony of it all retorted‚ "That was Nancy Mace of South Carolina calling Hunter Biden out for white privilege. Have you met your own party? Have you met your own face by the way? Nancy Mace completely lost it. She demanded that he be arrested and locked up. Nothing satisfies these people. They're constantly asking‚ 'Where's Hunter?' And then he shows up‚ and they're mad." If Kimmel alleges that Republicans were only trying to get on Fox then Hunter was only trying to get on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Kimmel was happily to oblige.   Here is a transcript from the January 10 show: ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 1/10/2024 11:37 PM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: The backstory is a MAGA-happy gang of Republicans‚ they made it their mission to paint Hunter Biden -- you're familiar with the crackhead Hunter Biden—okay‚ as some kind of criminal mastermind who's charged with bringing money into the family. So they served him with a subpoena‚ they ordered him to testify‚ as part of this manufactured impeachment query they're doing and Hunter said‚ "All right‚ I'll testify‚ but only if I can do it in public."  He wanted to do it on TV‚ presumably so we can see what a joke this is and they said‚ no‚ no‚ we have to do it in secret so we can spin it however we like afterwards and Hunter says no deal either we do it in public or we don't do it at all. So‚ this morning‚ the Oversight Committee meets‚ with cameras rolling‚ for a hearing on whether to hold Hunter in contempt for not showing up. And guess who shows up? Hunter Biden.  It was incredible. It was like when the polar bear showed up on Lost. It was like C-SPAN meets The Maury Povich Show. They didn't know what to do. They were planning to do a big grandstanding routine where they give the little speeches they hope will get on Fox News‚ but instead they ended up looking like they were the ones on crack.  … KIMMEL: That was Nancy Mace of South Carolina calling Hunter Biden out for white privilege. Have you met your own party? Have you met your own face by the way? Nancy Mace completely lost it. She demanded that he be arrested and locked up. Nothing satisfies these people. They're constantly asking‚ "Where's Hunter?" And then he shows up‚ and they're mad.

A motion was filed Monday to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the election interference case of one of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants in Georgia. The 127-page motion not only exposed Willis to a possible federal criminal investigation and threatened her case but has also prompted questions over whether the White House has been directly involved in efforts to prosecute President Joe Biden's top rival. Willis and her alleged lover‚ special prosecutor Nathan Wade‚ apparently met with elements of the Biden White House before and after their recommendation of charges against Trump‚ giving greater weight to congressional lawmakers' previous concerns that the Georgia case against the Republican front-runner was "coordinated" with Democratic partisans and politically motivated from the start. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and state Attorney General Christopher Carr have been urged to investigate Willis over the various damning allegations in the motion‚ including the White House visits. White House meetings The Monday motion to disqualify Willis highlighted a number of meetings that the Democratic DA's alleged lover‚ Trump prosecutor Nathan Wade‚ apparently had with elements of the Biden White House. An invoice sent from Wade to the Fulton County DA's office in May 2022 — ostensibly paid for by Georgia taxpayers — requested $2‚000 for an eight-hour meeting on May 23 labeled "travel to Athens: Conf[erence] with White House Counsel." Another invoice to Willis' office in January 2023 requested a payment of $2‚000 for an eight-hour White House meeting on Nov. 11‚ 2022‚ three days after Trump announced his bid for re-election. — (@) In addition to these supposed meetings with elements of the Biden White House‚ Wade's invoices indicated he met with elements of the Jan. 6 committee on at least four occasions in 2022 — April 18-21; on May 31; Sept. 7-9; and on Nov. 16. Willis also brushed shoulders with those in Washington most desperate to see the Republican presidential candidate carted away. Mike Howell of the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project noted that Willis visited the Biden White House for roughly five hours on Feb. 28‚ 2023‚ months ahead of Trump's Georgia indictment. It appears that Willis met with Vice President Kamala Harris. A grand jury in Fulton County recommended indictments in the Trump election probe just weeks prior‚ on Feb. 16. — (@) Former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik asked‚ "Why would Wade be meeting with The White House Council? Who is directing the Fani Willis investigation? The White House‚ the DOJ?" Trump suggested the "purpose of the visit was to illegally coordinate the prosecution of your favorite President‚ Me!" Investigating Willis Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a complaint with Gov. Kemp and Georgia AG Carr Wednesday‚ requesting they order "the immediate and formal criminal investigation into the alleged criminal misconduct" by Willis‚ along with Wade. Greene highlighted various troubling allegations raised in the Monday motion to disqualify Willis‚ including the Fulton County DA's alleged "illegal conflict of interest." Willis hired Wade‚ previously a middling associate municipal court judge in Marietta‚ Georgia‚ in November 2021 without the approval of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners as required by law‚ according to the motion. Wade‚ whose compensation — exceeding $650‚000 since January 2022 — Willis authorized‚ is alleged to have taken his boss on luxurious vacations. The motion alleged that Willis' "apparent intentional failure to disclose her conflict of interest to Fulton County and the Court‚ combined with her decision to employ the special prosecutor based on her own personal interests may well be an act to defraud the public of honest services since the district attorney 'personally benefitted from an undisclosed conflict of interest.'" Greene noted further that "Willis even used taxpayer funds to pay Nathan Wade for two trips to coordinate with President Biden's White House staff before bringing her unprecedented indictment of President Trump‚ Biden's chief political rival in 2024." The congresswoman suggested in her complaint that the allegations point to an effort to "illegally politicize and weaponize her public office to wage lawfare against President Trump for the purpose of interfering in the 2024 presidential election." NBC News indicated Willis has not responded to the underlying claims in court filings or through requests for comment. Democratic machinations Willis' White House visits and alleged affair are not the only interactions that have raised eyebrows in recent weeks. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)‚ chairman of the House Judiciary Committee‚ noted in a letter to Willis last month that extra to "coordinat[ing] its politically motivated prosecutions with the Office of Special Counsel Jack Smith‚" her office "also coordinated its investigative actions with the partisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol." "To the extent that your politically motivated prosecutions are now relying in any way on records obtained from the partisan January 6 Select Committee‚ it only reinforces concerns about your commitment to due process and whether you have fulfilled your obligations to properly disclosed this material‚" wrote Jordan. Jan. 6 committee staff reportedly guided Willis' team in the early days of its probe into Trump‚ with correspondence taking place over the course of several months. Politico indicated the Jan. 6 committee was willing to help Willis' probe "even as it rebuffed the Justice Department's requests for material in the separate federal criminal probe of Trump's election subversion" because unlike the Fulton County team‚ "federal prosecutors might have been required to disclose the evidence in ongoing criminal cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol." In his Dec. 5 letter‚ Jordan requested documents and communications between the Fulton County District Attorney's Office and the Jan. 6 committee. Willis refused to comply with congressional investigator's request‚ claiming in a Dec. 19 letter that the request "violate well-established principles of federalism and separation of powers." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Famous former judge and television personality Judith Sheindlin said that she was surprised that a recent attack on a Las Vegas‚ Nevada‚ judge didn't result in the shooting of the convicted felon who leaped over the bench.Sheindlin spoke to E! News about convicted felon Deobra Redden‚ the man who attacked Clark County Judge Mary Kay Holthus.In the video in question‚ Redden was at a sentencing hearing for the charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm. The man's attorney argued for a suspended sentence‚ but the judge stated that she thought "it's time that he get a taste of something else."Redden then leapt over the bench‚ attacking the judge in a barrage of assaults that took several officials to stop."I was actually shocked that this defendant managed to get as far as he did without somebody shooting him‚" Judge Judy remarked. "It probably happened in a second‚" she continued."Once he was there‚ there were too many people [to risk firing a gun]‚ but I was actually shocked that somebody managed to get as close to her and on top of her!"Redden‚ 30‚ is reportedly a three-time convicted felon who had received multiple stints of probation and has even allegedly bitten a woman. He also reportedly has nine misdemeanor convictions on his record. A judge in Las Vegas was just attacked during a live hearing after she denied probation for a career felon — (@) "I dealt in the family court with some issues that are at least as profound as being jail sentenced: terminating parental rights‚ abuse of children‚ and there is always that risk that somebody will act out and you just have to hope that you have support staff that will get there before they get to you‚" Sheindlin explained."He was like a projectile!" the judge added. "That kind of anger and total lack of self-control is so dangerous; that's the kind of danger — because he was there as for a battery!"Defendant Redden appeared before the same judge the following week and was handed his sentence. Judge Holthus sentenced him to up to four years in state prison.According to the Associated Press‚ Redden is eligible for parole for that charge after 19 months. However‚ he will appear before another judge for 15 felony and misdemeanor charges related the the courtroom attack‚ which could land him decades in prison.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Chris Christie was caught on a hot mic predicting that Nikki Haley will get "smoked" in the Republican presidential primary.Just moments before Christie took the stage in New Hampshire to announce the end of his campaign‚ the event livestream caught Christie speaking with people offstage about the state of the Republican race."I mean‚ look‚ she spent $68 million so far‚ just on TV. Spent $68 million so far; $59 million by DeSantis. And we spent 12‚" Christie said. "I mean‚ who's punching above their weight and who's getting a return on their investment‚ you know? And she's going to get smoked. And you and I both know it. She's not up to this." — (@) Sources who spoke with NBC News confirmed something else Christie said in the clip: that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called him earlier in the day when he heard rumors that Christie was planning to suspend his campaign.According to that source‚ DeSantis told Christie that he "appreciated" his role in the race despite his campaign ending prematurely.Importantly‚ the source also said that Christie attacked Haley in that call. The former New Jersey governor reportedly called Haley a "joke" who is not up to the task of winning the Republican presidential nomination — let alone the presidency. DeSantis‚ meanwhile‚ agreed with Christie's assessment that Haley is "going to get smoked." — (@) In recent weeks‚ a relationship between Christie and DeSantis has begun to bud‚ according to Politico — over their shared concern that Haley is a poor candidate.Politico reported:DeSantis and Christie have privately been talking by phone in recent weeks‚ and have discussed their mutual belief that Haley is a poor candidate. After Haley flubbed a question about the origins of the Civil War‚ Christie reached out to DeSantis to talk about it. They have also conversed about their shared view that Haley hasn’t given a direct answer on whether she is open to being Trump’s vice presidential pick.If the polls are correct‚ Haley will indeed get "smoked." It is ironic‚ however‚ that Christie — whose campaign did not reach the first caucus or primary — made that prediction. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!