'It's an absurd framing'

Climate alarmists‚ including President Joe Biden‚ have consistently said that America could look forward to worsening hurricanes and extreme weather‚ thanks to climate change. In fact‚ at COP28 in Dubai‚ there was talk about creating a fund to aid countries incurring damages from hurricanes due to climate change.    Don’t take the bait. Such inane arguments do nothing but generate clamor for raising money to solve a nonexistent problem. Just look at the data. For example‚ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data in Chart 1 depict the number of hurricanes hitting the U.S. mainland from 1851 through 2022. Hurricanes are categorized according to severity by the Saffir-Simpson Category Index at levels ranging from 1 (least severe‚ exceeding 74 mph winds) to 5 (most severe‚ exceeding 157 mph winds). As the chart illustrates‚ there has been significant variability in hurricanes since 1851‚ with no meaningful increase since preindustrial times.  Since the start of the 20th century‚ America has seen an average of 17 hurricanes per decade‚ with slightly more than five hurricanes per decade exceeding Category 3 levels.  That data also indicates that there were slightly more than  two hurricanes at or exceeding Category 4 levels (exceeding 130 mph winds) per decade and thus relatively rare. Myriad factors affect hurricanes‚ and the associated variation and unpredictability of such factors make it difficult to isolate trends. For example‚ oceanic temperature events such as El Nino and La Nina‚ as well longer-term cycles‚ such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)‚ may contribute greatly to the incidence and severity of hurricanes in particular localities.  When the Atlantic Ocean was cold in the 1960s to early 1990s (negative AMO)‚ Atlantic storms were much less frequent and landfalls were mostly limited to the Gulf Coast. On the other hand‚ when the Atlantic swung into its multidecadal warm mode in the late 1990s‚ the activity in the Atlantic Ocean more than doubled on average‚ and some hurricanes made landfall further north‚ as we had seen in the prior warm period from 1938 to 1960. A broader‚ global analysis can allow scientists to see beyond such seesaw effects.  Fortunately‚ good satellite technology to enable comprehensive observation of global—including oceanic—behavior has been available for the past several decades.  Chart 2 provides satellite-based data on global hurricane frequency from Colorado State University since 1980. As it illustrates‚ over the past four decades‚ there has been no clear global long-term trend in either the number of total hurricanes (maximum sustained winds of 64 knots or greater) or major hurricanes (Category 3+). During the 21st century‚ Isabel in 2003; Charley‚ Frances‚ Ivan and Jeanne in 2004; and Dennis‚ Katrina‚ Rita and Wilma in 2005 all made landfall. The year 2005 holds the record for five Category 4 and four Category 5 storms. At the time‚ some speculated this would be the new norm for the Atlantic hurricane season due to climate change. The National Academies of Sciences in the United States and the Royal Society in the United Kingdom were just two among many scientific organizations issuing statements about human-caused warming. The devastating 2005 hurricane season hardly seemed coincidental.  However‚ after the active 2005 season and before the landfall of two major storms on the U.S. in 2017‚ the U.S. went 4‚324 days (just short of 12 years) without a major hurricane landfall‚ exceeding the prior record eight-year lull in the 1860s. Obviously‚ no one ever wants to deal with hurricanes or extreme weather. The reality is‚ however‚ such events are inevitable‚ and we need to be able to adapt to them. But instead of advocating for damage-mitigation funds for a nonexistent increase in hurricanes‚ lawmakers should seek to promote‚ and not stifle‚ economic growth to enable Americans to have higher incomes. These types of positive efforts will be the best way to equip people to deal with these and other adverse events that may come their way. 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 Are Hurricanes Really Getting Worse or Is That Really Just Climate Alarmists’ Hot Air? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The most recent report on abortion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out and‚ as usual‚ it’s grim. The number of abortions rose from 620‚327 in 2020 to 625‚978 in 2021. The key drivers in this depressing increase are a greater use of dangerous chemical abortion pills and weakened safety protocols governing the use of such pills. We can expect to see some big changes next year‚ when the CDC releases numbers for 2022 numbers (as some states already have done). Why? Last summer‚ the Supreme Court righted a grave wrong and overturned Roe v. Wade and abortion on demand with its ruling in the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. More than a dozen states quickly enacted strong pro-life laws protecting women and unborn children. Knowing that 2022 data will reflect post-Roe policy changes at the state level‚ it could be tempting to write off the 2021 numbers as “old news.” But that would be a mistake. Abortion pills aren’t just the key driver behind the rise in abortions in recent years. The pills are also among the biggest threats to pro-life progress in post-Roe America. Let’s dive into the data. Some important caveats: The numbers don’t show the whole picture because there’s no national reporting standard. Each state collects data a little differently‚ and reporting isn’t mandatory (California‚ New York‚ New Hampshire‚ and New Jersey don’t report anything at all). However‚ the CDC data is still helpful in seeing overall trends. At first glance‚ you can see the decline in the total number of abortions in the past two decades: 857‚475 in 2000 but dropping to 625‚978 in 2021. For many years‚ the number of abortions went down each year. But after hitting a low in 2017‚ the number has been ticking up again. Chemical abortion is largely to blame. Let’s take a closer look. Abortion pills were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in fall 2000. In 2001‚ chemical abortions were a mere 3% of all abortions. But in 2021‚ that number skyrocketed to 56% of abortions. From 2001 to 2016‚ there was a steady increase in the percentage of abortions that were chemical in nature. After that‚ though‚ the percentage of chemical abortions began climbing fast. There’s a simple reason for this: lax safety rules. Under the original FDA approval‚ abortion pills could be taken as late as 49 days of gestation‚ or seven weeks. The pills also had to be prescribed by a physician and dispensed in person‚ and multiple in-person visits for examination and follow-up were required. In 2016‚ the FDA updated these longstanding safety protocols. Pills could be taken up as late as 70 days of gestation (10 weeks)‚ health care practitioners other than physicians could prescribe them‚ and although the pills had to be dispensed in person‚ later in-person follow-ups no longer were required. These changes made dangerous abortion pills far more accessible. Then‚ in early 2021‚ under the guise of containing the spread of COVID-19‚ the Food and Drug Administration dropped the rule that these dangerous drugs must be dispensed in person. Suddenly‚ the pills could be shipped through the mail. Later in 2021‚ the FDA announced that it would make this change permanent and set up a process for retail pharmacies‚ such as Walgreens and CVS‚ to distribute abortion pills too. The 2021 data doesn’t fully reflect those latest changes‚ but we’ll see what happens when the CDC’s 2022 data comes out next year. Importantly‚ that data will reflect the post-Roe landscape in which a dozen states moved to fully protect life. We can hope for some good news. One study finds that 32‚000 lives have been saved so far since the high court’s ruling. But pro-abortion states‚ the abortion industry‚ and its allies in the Biden administration will rely on abortion pills to undermine the pro-life state laws. How can pro-life states fight back? They must enforce existing laws to prevent do-it-yourself mail-order abortion pills. Federal policymakers also must work to protect women and unborn children from these dangerous drugs. They have a chance to do so not just through a stand-alone bill to nullify the FDA changes‚ but through the appropriations process. While we wait for more recent numbers‚ the CDC’s 2021 abortion data should remind us of the stakes. These abortion numbers represent thousands of irreplaceable human beings whose lives were violently ended by abortion. Building a culture of life requires changing laws‚ but it also requires changing hearts and minds. Let’s hope that the babies who get to celebrate a birthday thanks to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision can help do just that. 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 CDC’s Latest Abortion Numbers: A Sobering Reminder of Monumental Task Ahead appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Now We're 'Talking' to Whales and Possibly Aliens

Media‚ Suddenly: Say‚ Did You Know Biden Is Old‚ Unpopular‚ and Corrupt?

The Army is facing a major recruitment shortfall‚ projecting it will sign up just 50‚000 new soldiers in 2023 — 15‚000 fewer than its target of 65‚000‚ according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail. The Navy and Air Force are confronting similar grim outlooks‚ expecting to miss their enrollment goals by 10‚000 and 10 percent‚ respectively.… The post US Army Facing ‘TikTok Mutiny’ as Soft Recruits Can’t Handle Basic Soldiering appeared first on The Federalist Papers.

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