The day before Thanksgiving‚ the Biden administration announced a new emissions rule that will effectively force states to set greenhouse gas reduction targets in order to receive federal highway funding.The Biden administration’s Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration published a press release declaring that the finalized performance measure will provide a national framework for tracking and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The department noted that the new rule grants states the “flexibility to set their own targets for reduction.”Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg touted the new performance measures for its claimed flexibility.“Every state has its own unique climate challenges‚ and every state ought to have the data‚ funding‚ and flexibility it needs to meet those challenges head on‚” Buttigieg said. “This new performance measure will provide states with a clear and consistent framework to track carbon pollution and the flexibility to set their own climate targets—which we will also help them meet with more than $27 billion in federal funding through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.”The FHWA’s performance management measure will enable the department to “make more informed investment decisions‚” the press release added.Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt claimed that the administration does not expect states “to solve a problem this large on their own.” Bhatt noted that states will not receive penalties for missing their reduction targets.Critics of the new rule contend that it imposes the federal government’s emissions priorities on states by withholding funding. Republican West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito told the Daily Caller News Foundation‚ “Federal overreach to advance a misguided climate agenda has become a staple of the Biden administration.”“The final rule‚ which imposes the performance measure and the requirement to set greenhouse gas targets on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations (MPO)‚ is just one more example of these harmful regulations‚” Capito added.Republican North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer released a statement last week addressing the administration’s new rule. “As the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee‚ I was intimately involved in negotiating and passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The committee specifically debated whether to grant [the Department of Transportation] this authority‚ and the Committee’s unanimously-passed bill chose not to include this poison pill‚” Cramer stated‚ referring to the requirement for states to reduce emissions for federally funded highway projects.“Once again‚ the Biden bureaucracy is returning to their stale playbook of inventing illegal‚ punitive regulatory schemes‚” Cramer continued. “This final rule is contrary to congressional intent‚ usurps state authority by putting the federal government in the driver’s seat‚ and is fundamentally unworkable in rural states like North Dakota. I look forward to leading a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval overturning it.”A FHWA spokesperson told the DCNF that the timing of the announcement “is not unusual for a significant rulemaking‚ particularly one that received over 39‚000 comments.”“We prioritized making vast resources within the Biden-Harris administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law available to states ahead of asking states to set greenhouse gas emissions targets and measure their progress‚” the spokesperson said.The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is finally acknowledging some of the "unintended consequences" of Obamacare‚ according to the Wall Street Journal editorial board.Last week‚ Warren and Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) sent a letter to the Health and Human Services Department inspector general requesting an investigation into whether insurance companies are dodging the medical loss ratio‚ a key Obamacare rule‚ to consolidate control in the health care industry and generate sky-high profits.The MLR requires health insurers to spend 80-85% of revenues on medical care and improving the quality of care. The statutory requirement is a "de facto cap on profits‚" the WSJ noted‚ and the Obama administration promised it would benefit consumers.But the rule‚ according to WSJ‚ has inspired insurance companies to buy‚ merge‚ or affiliate with pharmacy benefit managers‚ pharmacies‚ and other key links in the health care supply chain. The result — vertical integration of the drug market and health care industry — has allowed insurers to dodge the MLR by shifting revenues to other businesses in their conglomerate.The result‚ Warren and Braun said‚ is that "[c]onsumers and taxpayers foot the bill for these games through higher insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs."The letter goes on to explain:Just a year after the MLR requirement was put in place‚ UnitedHealth Group formed Optum‚ which now includes a PBM and a specialty pharmacy‚ as well as over 70‚000 physicians. Today‚ UnitedHealth Group sends 25 percent of its medical claim revenue to its Optum subsidiaries – in other words‚ to itself. Similarly‚ in 2019‚ CVS Health sent 13 percent of its profits to its own providers and pharmacies.The calculation is simple. By owning every link in the chain‚ a conglomerate like UnitedHealth Group – which includes an insurer‚ a PBM‚ a pharmacy‚ and physician practices – can send inflated medical payments to its pharmacy. Then‚ by realizing those payments on the pharmacy side – the side that charges for care – rather than the insurance side‚ the insurance line of business appears to be in compliance with MLR requirements‚ while keeping more money for itself.The Wall Street Journal described Warren's complaints about the health care industry's exploitation of the MLR as her "Obamacare epiphany." "It's a familiar story: Big government intervention creates incentives and raises costs that help big business‚ and then politicians demand more government intervention to fix the distortions they caused‚" the board wrote. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A crew of would-be carjackers managed to pistol-whip their victim and take his keys Sunday night in Bethesda‚ Maryland but ran into a little problem when they tried to drive off in the vehicle.Apparently‚ they couldn't drive stick and gave up on their caper‚ WTTG-TV reported.What are the details?Officers were called to the 7200 block of Wisconsin Avenue around 11:55 p.m. after a report of an attempted carjacking‚ the station said.Authorities said the victim was in front of a business when three or four individuals approached him and demanded at gunpoint the keys to his vehicle‚ WTTG said.Investigators said the suspects pistol-whipped the man‚ who ran back into the business‚ the station said‚ adding that the victim told police shots were fired‚ but investigators said no shell casings were found.However‚ WTTG said the carjacking encountered a major roadblock when the suspects tried to drive away: they couldn't operate the SUV because it came equipped with a manual transmission.With that‚ the suspects fled the scene in a different vehicle‚ the station said‚ adding that the victim is recovering from his injuries.Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators‚ WTTG said. Man pistol-whipped by would-be carjackers foiled by SUV with stick shift in Bethesda‚ police say youtu.be Not the first timeSunday's incident was far from the first time crooks tried and failed to carjack vehicles because they didn't know how to drive stick. Just a few for-instances:Last month‚ a 23-year-old armed carjacking suspect in San Antonio‚ Texas‚ ditched the car he tried to steal because he couldn't drive stick‚ got into a getaway car‚ and then actually fired at the victim of the attempted carjacking — who happened to be carrying a gun‚ too‚ and shot back at the crook‚ grazing his head. Soon the mother of the wounded suspect called 911 for her son‚ who was later hospitalized — and then booked for aggravated robbery after investigators put two and two together.Back in March‚ two would-be carjackers in Germantown‚ Maryland — a little over half an hour from the Bethesda incident — came away empty-handed after realizing they couldn't operate the manual transmission vehicle.In October 2021‚ an MMA-trained man fought back against hapless carjackers in Stafford‚ Virginia‚ who still managed to get in his vehicle but couldn't drive away because the crook behind the wheel didn't drive stick. The trio got back into the car they arrived in and were eventually arrested after a dangerous high-speed chase.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Naraka Bladepoint is shaping up to be one of the most eye-catching battle royale games around‚ with its unique aesthetic and martial arts-inspired combat. While it isn't always flawless in execution‚ it's certainly the most stylish fast-based battle royale around. 24 Entertainment's latest announcement speaks to that appeal‚ as it reveals how a whopping 40 million players are slicing and dicing their way to the top in-game‚ marking a massive new milestone for Naraka. Continue reading Steam’s most stunning battle royale game hits massive new record MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best fantasy games‚ Best battle royale games‚ Free PC games

The anchors are believed to date from 800 to 480 B.C.E. and are expected to be recovered from the water soon. The post Two Ancient Stone Anchors Were Just Discovered Off The Coast Of Sicily appeared first on All That's Interesting.

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