Hunter Biden defied a congressional subpoena on Wednesday‚ an action his father has previously said should be prosecuted. President Joe Biden said in October 2021 that individuals who defy subpoenas from the January 6 House Select Committee should be prosecuted‚ and the Justice Department indicted Steve Bannon for doing so in November 2021. Legal experts said the president’s son could be‚ but for various reasons may not be‚ likewise prosecuted by the Biden Justice Department for his choice to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill instead of sitting his deposition before the House Oversight Committee. Criminal defense attorney and legal analyst Philip Holloway told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the law “must be applied equally or it has no meaning.” “Hunter Biden needs to be held to the same standard as other recent people who have thumbed their noses at congressional subpoenas‚” Holloway said. “In this case‚ however‚ Hunter went so far as to show up on Capitol grounds and hold a press conference‚ thereby figuratively giving the middle finger to the House of Representatives. It is imperative that he be cited for contempt and that he be prosecuted by the U.S. attorney just as was the case recently with Bannon.” Holloway called dodging a valid subpoena “just stupid‚” noting Hunter could have “invoked the 5th Amendment” at his deposition. “I scratch my head wondering why Hunter’s lawyer—who stood with him at the presser— would subject his client to additional criminal charges‚” he said. “I would never have advised someone to dodge a subpoena.” George Washington University Law professor Jonathan Turley made a similar point Thursday‚ writing that Republicans initiating contempt of Congress proceedings could “force the hand of Attorney General Merrick Garland” and calling Hunter’s refusal to appear an “unenforced error.” Garland said in 2021 that the prosecution of Bannon was in pursuit of “equal justice under the law.” “Since my first day in office‚ I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law‚ follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law‚” said Garland in a statement at the time. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said in a statement Wednesday that they intend to initiate contempt of Congress proceedings. Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy wrote Wednesday that the younger Biden knows he won’t be prosecuted by the Justice Department. “Similarly‚ Hunter Biden knows that‚ while the House could hold him in contempt‚ the Biden Justice Department is not going to prosecute him for criminal contempt for [sic] three reasons‚” he wrote. “(1) he’s the president’s son; (2) there’s already tension with the White House because prosecutors botched the sweetheart plea deal and have now indicted Hunter twice (putting the president in the politically compromising position of having to pardon him at some point); and (3) the Justice Department is part of an administration whose story is that the impeachment inquiry is an illegitimate political hit job forced by MAGA Republicans so they can orchestrate proceedings hyped as ‘Biden impeachment’ in parallel with the criminal proceedings Trump faces in court‚ which Democrats are hyping.” The White House did not immediately respond to a 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 Joe Biden Said Subpoena Defiers Should Be Charged. Will His DOJ Arrest Hunter Biden? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Progressives Worry About So Many Former Comrades Drifting to the Right

Israel to Biden: Stop Talking About the Two-State Solution Hamas Murdered on 10/7

Does your dog know the names of its toys? Lots of dog owners may think their precious pooch can identify their favorite toys by name‚ but the phenomenon is actually pretty rare. In fact‚ many dogs who are believed to have this ability have usually had it trained into them and they can only identify a few objects. But then there are spontaneous learners‚ the special cases‚ the truly “gifted”. Dogs are popular subjects for studying social cognition because they have evolved alongside humans. So aside from being adorable‚ their ability to identify object labels (the names of things)‚ and to associate labels with specific objects could offer insights into various cognitive mechanisms. For instance‚ this ability could help us understand how object labels are acquired and how they work in reference communicative signals in non-human species. That is‚ how animals understand labels as references for things. Moreover‚ a dog’s knowledge of object labels could indicate whether they have bias towards certain features on an object. And the influence of these verbal labels – what is essentially language – on mental representation can be explored by comparing dogs with knowledge to those who lack it. This sounds great‚ but not all dogs can do it. Most of the very few studies into this phenomenon have only included a few animals – one or two – because‚ contrary to what their owners may think‚ the dogs themselves do not demonstrate evidence of knowing objects on an individual level. And efforts to teach dogs have usually failed. As such‚ what are called Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs‚ those who have this ability‚ are rare. Given their apparent rareness‚ how can we explore GWL dogs? Well‚ a team of researchers turned to the citizen science approach to gather information. “As GWL dogs are rare‚ the search for them and the documentation of their behaviour can most efficiently be done with the help of educated dog owners”‚ Dr Shany Dror‚ Eötvös Loránd University‚ Hungary‚ and colleagues wrote. The authors used this method to create the first study conducted on a relatively large sample size of dogs that possess a vocabulary of multiple object names. Citizens to the rescue Dror and colleagues operated on the hypothesis that an owner’s skills in dog training or experience with dogs could contribute to the ability of their dogs to learn object names. “In this case‚ we would expect that most owners of GWL dogs are professional trainers or experienced dog owners and that most of them deliberately taught the toy names. Additionally‚ we aimed to explore whether most GWL dog owners had many dogs in the past and whether their previous dogs or dogs adopted after the GWL dogs‚ also showed this exceptional ability‚” they explained.“Moreover‚ we expect that households with multiple dogs would likely include more than one GWL dog‚ assuming that owners have a consistent approach and lifestyle towards their dogs.”Through this citizen-led approach‚ the team were able to identify 41 GWL dogs. They identified them through a social media campaign and press articles. The owners who took part were first instructed on how to test their dog’s knowledge of toy names by themselves. Then the team performed a controlled Vocabulary Assessment Test (VAT) whereby researchers observed the dogs over the internet (not in a creepy way). Owners of the dogs that performed significantly better than chance were then asked to carry out a questionnaire about the dogs’ life history‚ the owner’s experience as owners‚ and the process through which their dog acquired their knowledge. “In addition‚ we tested for correlation between the number of toys the dogs confirmed to know during the VAT‚ and the number of toys they were estimated to know approximately two years after the VAT‚ as well as between the estimated number of toys and the dogs’ Accuracy in the VAT‚” the team added.The results‚ which took five years to gather‚ are certainly something to wag your tail over. “During the tests‚ we found that most of the dogs had already learned over 15 object labels‚ and their owners reported that they continued to acquire more labels‚ with many dogs now being able to recognize over 100”‚ the team explained.Interestingly‚ out of the 35 owners who took part in the study‚ only three of them reported having a professional background in dog training. This suggests dog owner’s skills are not a significant factor behind GWL dogs’ abilities. “Obviously‚ owners play some role in facilitating GWL dogs’ ability to learn object labels”‚ the team added‚ “because the dogs would not be able to learn toy names without owners providing them with toys‚ and dedicating time to play with them.”“And yet‚ the results presented here suggest that the owners’ training skills are likely not the primary driver behind these dogs’ skill.”Crucially‚ around 74 percent of the owners who participated reported that they did not intentionally train their dogs to learn toy names. Instead‚ they noticed that their dog had learned the names spontaneously through play interactions. This then prompted the owners to introduce more toys. As such‚ the owners did not necessarily recognize that their doggo was doing anything special. It is possible that “playfulness” may be a factor in this ability‚ but even among naturally playful breeds – such as Border collies – the presence of true GWL dogs is rare. “Thus‚ we suggest that playfulness‚ by itself‚ is likely not enough for the development of GWL dogs’ vocabulary. Here we also present the first evidence that‚ although the ability to learn object labels is most frequently found in Border collies‚ it also exists in a variety of other breeds.”Obviously‚ with a citizen science study‚ there are limitations about bias and‚ in this case‚ there is a small sample size. Nevertheless‚ the study offers new insights using this novel approach. “While our findings on GWL dogs should not be generalized to the wider population of typical family dogs‚ they support previous findings on GWL dogs‚ increasing their validity and suggesting that what has been found with a specific GWL dog‚ may be extended to other GWL dogs”‚ the team concluded.The study is published in Scientific Reports. 

Some 10‚000 to 20‚000 years ago‚ cataclysmic floods of water tore through a portion of North America now known as Washington State. Incredibly‚ the scars gouged into the earth from this violent event can still be seen today‚ revealed by satellite images from space.As explained by NASA Earth Observatory‚ these satellite images were captured back in May 2023 by Landsat 8‚ an Earth observation satellite under the command of NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that orbits our planet every 99 minutes.They show a portion of southeastern Washington State called the Columbia Plateau that’s abundant in agricultural land growing hops‚ tree fruit‚ sweetcorn‚ milk‚ potatoes‚ grains‚ and many other vegetables.Carving across patches of green and brown farmland‚ the images reveal the giant gray streaks known as the Channeled Scablands. From ground level‚ these features appear as huge rocky formations‚ made up of steep-sided canyon walls and jagged cliffs.A close-up of the Landsat-8 image showing Wilson Creek.Image credit: Landsat-8/NASA/USGSThe formations were a long-standing mystery for geologists until the 1920s when a high school science teacher named Harley Bretz theorized that they could have been sculpted by glacial streams.“The channeled scablands are the erosive record of large‚ high-gradient‚ glacier-born streams‚” he wrote in his 1923 research paper. “The magnitude of the erosive changes wrought by these glacial streams is nothing short of amazing."While controversial at the time‚ his theory turned out to be on the money. Scientists now know that the Channeled Scablands were formed during the Ice Age due to a huge ice dam that formed along the Clark Fork River. Behind the ice dam‚ water from the Clark Fork gathered.The Channeled Scablands look fairly different when seen from an Earth-bound angle.Image credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.comOver several thousand years‚ the ice dam continuously broke and reformed‚ flooding the plains with 2‚100 cubic kilometers (500 cubic miles) of water traveling at over 128 kilometers (80 miles) per hour. According to National Geographic‚ this torrent of water had the force of 10 times the combined flow of all the world's rivers‚ so it’s not hard to see how it carved these vast geological features. One of these sights is Dry Falls‚ once the greatest known waterfall that ever existed on Earth. Now‚ however‚ it’s just a 121-meter-high (400-foot)‚ 5.6-kilometer-wide (3.5 miles) cliff that overlooks a gaping gorge and a set of lakes.While the landscape is perhaps more picturesque from ground level‚ its epic scale can be best appreciated from a satellite cruising 705 kilometers (438 miles) above Earth. 

Solar Cycle Maximum‚ here we come. The Sun’s activity is truly picking up steam‚ meaning more sunspots‚ coronal holes‚ and even solar flares. The strongest yet for the current solar cycle‚ Cycle 25‚ is an X 2.8 class flare: the strongest recorded since September 10‚ 2017‚ and about 5 to 10 percent of the strongest on record from November 2003.The location of the flare was above the sunspot AR 3514‚ and while it was not directly facing our planet‚ we were hit by the energetic release. The solar flare created a radio blackout‚ and was one of the strongest radio events from the Sun ever recorded according to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) of the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration.          The effects of the radio blackout were on the Sun-facing portion of the planet at the time (December 14‚ 5:02 pm UTC)‚ so across the Americas. It was strongest over South America‚ but the SWPC reports radio communication interference over the United States.“These blackouts can lead to temporary degradation or complete loss of high frequency radio signals. This is the largest flare of this solar cycle and since Sep 10‚ 2017‚ when an X8.2 flare was observed at GOES-15‚” a statement from SWPC reads. “This sunspot region will be monitored closely by SWPC forecasters given its potential to produce additional M-class and greater flares.”          The X 2.8 flare was preceded by a weaker M-class flare from the same sunspot. While weaker‚ it was still able to create some moderate radio interference across the sunlit portion of the Earth‚ which at that point was Europe‚ Africa‚ and portions of Asia.The Sun goes through a cycle of activity that lasts 11 years. At solar maximum‚ there is the best chance to have strong flares and powerful coronal mass ejections that can lead to all sorts of space weather effects on the Earth‚ including radio blackouts and gorgeous northern and southern lights.The current cycle is expected to peak between January and October of 2024. Official predictions are usually put forward when the Sun is at its minimum. So in 2019‚ it was estimated that the maximum was going to be reached in July 2025.           These predictions need to balance the consensus of different models initially‚ and given how quiet cycle 24 was‚ it might have affected some models more than others. Not all of the models though. A new prediction approach did expect an earlier‚ more active cycle in a paper that was released in April. Solar flares such as this are continuing to prove the authors right.

Remains of extinct human relatives are annoyingly rare‚ leaving many chapters of our own evolution a mystery. However‚ a review of an old fossil discovered over 40 years ago has busted open an important part of the story we didn’t previously know. Paleoanthropologists have taken a second look at some ancient human remains discovered in the Ethiopian highlands and argue they represent one of the earliest known fossils of Homo erectus‚ a pivotal character in the story of human evolution. On top of that‚ the remains indicate that this wildly successful species also lived in high-altitude mountains‚ drastically changing what we assumed about human evolution and migration. The jawbone of an infant hominin was discovered in 1981 among the highlands of Ethiopia at the Melka Kunture complex‚ a cluster of prehistoric sites at an altitude of over 2‚000 meters (6‚561 feet) above sea level.The species of this individual became the subject of heated academic debate‚ but a new study has affirmed that it belonged to H. erectus‚ just as some have previously speculated. The fossil dates to around 2 million years old‚ which is incredibly old for this species. They only fell into extinction less than 120‚000 years ago‚ meaning they were on Earth for around 1.9 million years.All of this illuminates part of human evolution that wasn’t known before‚ namely that H. erectus dwelled at high altitudes. Two million years ago‚ this human relative had migrated out of the lowland savanna environments of East Africa and into the high-altitude regions of the Ethiopian highlands.The site of the discovery‚ known as the Garba IV site‚ also contains two styles of prehistoric stone tools: Oldowan and Acheulean. The tools were found at different layers of the site that date to different periods‚ indicating H. erectus was first producing Oldowan technology and then moved onto Acheulean technology. The mastery of both these tool-making technologies shows that H. erectus had an impressive potential to adapt its behavior. However‚ this is not to say that scientists ever assumed this species wasn't very smart.H. erectus‚ whose name means "upright man" was one of the early known members of the Homo (human) genus. Owing to its lengthy tenure on Earth‚ the extinct species is considered to be one of the most successful species of human ever to walk the planet. They also had a massive range across the planet‚ with remains of the species being found across Africa and much of Eurasia‚ as far-flung as Western Europe and Southeast Asia. The new study is published in the journal Science.

Earth has received a record-breaking laser-beamed message from far beyond the Moon for the first time‚ an achievement that could transform how spacecraft communicate. If NASA can get a message from its spacecraft from 16 million kilometers (10 million miles) away‚ your beau has no excuse for leaving you on read.In the farthest-ever demonstration of this type of optical communication‚ the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) traveling on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft beamed a near-infrared laser encoded with test data from its position around 16 million kilometers (10 million miles) away – which is around 40 times farther than the Moon is from Earth – to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in California.The DSOC is a two-year tech demonstration riding along on Psyche as it makes its way to its prime target‚ asteroid Psyche. The demo achieved “first light” on November 14‚ according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)‚ which manages both missions‚ thanks to an incredibly precise maneuver that saw its laser transceiver lock onto JPL’s powerful uplink laser beacon at its Table Mountain Observatory‚ which allowed the DSOC’s transceiver to aim its downlink laser at Caltech’s observatory 130 kilometers (100 miles) away.   “Achieving first light is one of many critical DSOC milestones in the coming months‚ paving the way toward higher-data-rate communications capable of sending scientific information‚ high-definition imagery‚ and streaming video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars‚” Trudy Kortes‚ director of Technology Demonstrations at NASA HQ‚ said in a statement.Optical communications have been used to send messages from Earth orbit before‚ but this is the farthest distance yet by laser beams. In a laser beam‚ the beam of photons is moving in the same direction at the same wavelength. Laser communication can transmit vast amounts of data at unprecedented speeds by packing data into the oscillations of these light waves‚ encoding an optical signal that can carry messages to a receiver via infrared (invisible to humans) beams.NASA usually uses radio waves to communicate with missions farther than the Moon‚ and both use electromagnetic waves to transmit data‚ but the advantage of laser beams is that much more data can be packed into much tighter waves. According to NASA‚ the DSOC tech demo aims to show transmission rates 10-100 times greater than current top radio communication systems.Allowing the transmission of more data will allow future missions to carry much higher-resolution science instruments as well as allow for faster communications on potential deep space missions – video live streams from the surface of Mars‚ for example. “Optical communication is a boon for scientists and researchers who always want more from their space missions‚ and will enable human exploration of deep space‚” said Dr Jason Mitchell‚ director of the Advanced Communications and Navigation Technologies Division within NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. “More data means more discoveries.”However‚ there are some challenges to test out first. The farther the distance optical communication has to travel‚ the more difficult it gets‚ as it requires pinpoint precision to point the laser beam. Also‚ the photons' signal will get fainter‚ taking longer to reach their destination‚ eventually creating lag times in communication. During the test on November 14‚ the photons took around 50 seconds to travel from Psyche to Earth. By the time Psyche reaches its farthest distance‚ it will take around 20 minutes for them to travel back – this is long enough for both Earth and the spacecraft to have moved‚ so the lasers on both need to adjust for this change of position.So far‚ the record-breaking technology demonstration has been very successful. “[The] test was the first to fully incorporate the ground assets and flight transceiver‚ requiring the DSOC and Psyche operations teams to work in tandem‚” said Meera Srinivasan‚ operations lead for DSOC at JPL. “It was a formidable challenge‚ and we have a lot more work to do‚ but for a short time‚ we were able to transmit‚ receive‚ and decode some data.”Or‚ as Abi Biswas‚ project technologist for DSOC at JPL put it: “[We] were able to exchange ‘bits of light’ from and to deep space.” Exchanging bits of light to and from deep space could be the game-changing future of how we communicate in space exploration.An earlier version of this article was published in November 2023.

There is a region of the North Atlantic Ocean that is unusual – it’s a sea that has no coastlines. The Sargasso Sea is characterized by its unique boundaries defined by ocean currents rather than land. It’s also a sea characterized by its natural‚ and unfortunately unnatural‚ accumulations of algae and detritus.The Sargasso Sea: An ocean of its ownThe Sargasso Sea is enclosed by four currents: the North Atlantic Current to the north; the Canary Current to the east; the North Atlantic Equatorial Current to the south; and the Antilles Current to the west. These currents‚ which are known as ocean gyres – a large system of circular ocean currents formed by global winds and the Earth’s rotation - effectively trap the body of water within them.The ocean’s name comes from its special seaweed that exists within its waters. Sargassum‚ as it is called‚ is a brownish-yellowish mass of floating macroalgae that forms a unique marine environment. In fact‚ the presence of this floating mass within the sea has earned it the title of a “golden floating rainforest”‚ which is a habitat‚ foraging and spawning ground‚ and a corridor for migration.For example‚ endangered European eels migrate to this distant sea to breed‚ and various species of whale‚ such as sperm and humpbacks‚ migrate through it during their transoceanic journeys. Sargassum has been known about for a long time. It was actually referenced by Columbus during his expedition diaries from 1492. His encounter with the floating mass‚ so the story goes‚ caused considerable fears among his crew. Their ship‚ the Santa María‚ became stranded in the ocean for three days due to windless conditions (doldrums). The crew became concerned when they saw the seaweed‚ usually a sign of land‚ which they worried would entangle them and drag them underwater. This story apparently helped secure the Sargasso Sea's reputation as a potentially hazardous and mysterious place. This reputation was not helped by its association with the dreaded Bermuda Triangle‚ which exists within the southwestern area of this unusual sea. Despite its importance for marine life‚ the Sargasso Sea is under threat from human activity (of course). Not only do ships cause damage to the environment with a mix of noise and chemical pollutants‚ but the currents that isolate it also drag huge accumulations of plastics and other human debris into the waters. Because of the circulating motions of the oceanic gyres‚ plastic swirls into the Sargasso Sea‚ where it has formed a massive island known as the North Atlantic Garbage patch‚ which is estimated to be hundreds of kilometers in size and to have a density of 200‚000 pieces of trash per square kilometer.Although there are various organizations committed to protecting this unique sea‚ cleanup efforts are hindered by the substantial challenges associated with marine plastics. Unfortunately‚ this means that plastic will likely remain a significant threat to life in this area. 

How smart are dolphins? Dolphins are considered the second most intelligent species after humans. Surprisingly‚ they surpass primates in cognitive abilities with their high brain-to-body weight ratio‚ enabling sophisticated problem-solving and abstract comprehension. These magical sea creatures demonstrate remarkable adaptability‚ self-awareness (a rare trait among animals)‚ and mirror self-recognition. Dolphins are known for tool usage‚... The post Woman wakeboarding in the Sea of Cortez becomes flanked by countless sea creatures appeared first on Animal Channel.