Hawaii’s high court last week thumbed its nose at the U.S. Supreme Court’s Second Amendment jurisprudence‚ declaring that the right to bear arms in public clashes with the “Aloha spirit” and therefore doesn’t really apply in that state. That’s right. The Hawaii Supreme Court believes it can water down and reinterpret the federal Bill of Rights‚ because—well— “vibes.” In a legal world where state and lower courts routinely find new and absurd ways to dodge‚ duck‚ dip‚ dive‚ and pivot their way around the right to keep and bear arms‚ this opinion by the Hawaii Supreme Court stands apart as particularly ludicrous. The court argues that Hawaii’s pre-statehood history “does not include a society where armed people move about the community to possibly combat the deadly aims of others‚” as though this somehow determines the scope of federal constitutional rights that Hawaii‚ as a part of the United States‚ is bound not to violate. The court decries “a freewheeling right to carry guns in public” as “degrading other constitutional rights‚” ironically missing the point: The Second Amendment‚ properly understood‚ doesn’t degrade other unalienable or political rights‚ but rather gives us the “teeth” to enforce those rights adequately. The Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision doesn’t promote public safety‚ as it claims to do. Instead‚ it only encourages criminals by prohibiting ordinary‚ law-abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional right to carry a firearm to defend themselves against violent crime.   Almost every major study has found that Americans use their firearms in self-defense between 500‚000 and 3 million times annually‚ according to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021‚ the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the issue concluded that roughly 1.6 million defensive gun uses occur in the United States every year. For this reason‚ The Daily Signal publishes a monthly article highlighting some of the previous month’s many news stories on defensive gun use that you may have missed—or that might not have made it to the national spotlight in the first place. (Read other accounts here from past years.) The examples below represent only a small portion of the news stories on defensive gun use that we found in January. You may explore more using The Heritage Foundation’s interactive Defensive Gun Use Database.  (The Daily Signal is the multimedia news organization of The Heritage Foundation.) Jan. 1‚ Akron‚ Ohio: On New Year’s Day‚ a masked man entered a Taco Bell‚ robbed the restaurant at gunpoint‚ and shot at an employee. Another employee drew his own gun and returned fire‚ striking the robber in the chest and sending him fleeing. He later sought treatment at a hospital‚ where police arrested him and a suspected accomplice and impounded their vehicle. A police spokesperson praised the armed employee‚ noting that he may have “saved or prevented someone from being seriously injured or killed—himself or others.” Jan. 4‚ Chicago: Police said three burglars shattered the window of a convenience store and began stealing merchandise‚ only to be confronted by the female store owner. One shot at the merchant‚ a concealed carry permit holder who was also armed; she returned fire until the three intruders fled. The store owner‚ whose shop reportedly was hit by burglars four days earlier‚ wasn’t hurt. Jan. 7‚ Dalmatia‚ Pennsylvania: A man with a history of serious domestic violence followed several family members to another residence after they fled an altercation with him‚ police said. The man then shot through a door‚ fatally striking a family member‚ before forcing his way inside and threatening to kill everyone else. The man’s juvenile stepson grabbed a firearm inside the home and‚ while shielding relatives‚ shot and killed the intruder. Police credited the boy’s actions with “preventing death or serious bodily injury to the remaining individuals inside the home.” Jan. 8‚ Oakland‚ California: Police said an armed employee of a jewelry store engaged in a lengthy shootout with two masked robbers who came in with guns drawn and told employees not to move. Despite being outgunned by the robbers‚ who used “high capacity” magazines that are illegal in California‚ the employee continued firing in self-defense until they fled. No one inside the store was hurt. Jan. 11‚ Hutto‚ Texas:  Police said an elderly woman shot and killed a loose pit bull that had run into her home and viciously attacked her much smaller dog‚ which had been by her side while she underwent chemotherapy. The woman attempted to stop the pit bull with a broom and a small ax‚ then used her gun to defend herself and her pet‚ which survived. Jan. 12‚ Natchez‚ Mississippi: Three teenage escapees from a juvenile detention center attempted to break into a home while trying to evade a manhunt‚ police said‚ only to be confronted by an armed homeowner‚ who opened fire. The escaped juveniles ran for cover and soon were arrested by police. It was the second time in six months that the juveniles‚ charged with violent felonies‚ had broken out of the detention center‚ police said. The same juveniles were responsible for at least two carjackings and a shooting during their latest escape‚ investigators said. Jan. 14‚ Peoria‚ Illinois: A Facebook Marketplace transaction went awry for the buyers after the purported sellers lured them into a robbery setup‚ police said. Fortunately‚ one buyer was armed and had a valid concealed carry permit. He exchanged gunfire with the robbers‚ fatally shooting one. Neither victim was hurt‚ police said. Jan. 16‚ Atascocita‚ Texas: A woman fatally shot her estranged husband after he forced his way into her home at 1 a.m.‚ armed with a handgun‚ police said. Just hours earlier‚ the local prosecutor’s office had declined to file criminal charges against the man for similarly threatening actions the previous day. Jan. 21‚ Fruita‚ Colorado: A homeowner used her handgun to defend herself against an intruder‚ police said. The intruder fled. No one was hurt. Jan. 22‚ Carroll County‚ Mississippi: A man drove his truck into a residence through a living room wall and then menaced the family inside with a knife‚ police said. A woman and her three children hid in a closet‚ praying and reciting Scripture. When the man opened the closet while holding the knife‚ the mother shot him in the arm. He fled‚ but responding police officers spotted his vehicle and arrested him. The man was out on felony bond for a weapons-related offense; he now faces four counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary. Jan. 23‚ Argenta‚ Illinois: Two fugitives fled from police in a stolen car‚ crashed‚ and tried to break into nearby homes‚ investigators said. Both were held at gunpoint by two homeowners until police arrived. They face many criminal charges‚ including possessing a stolen vehicle‚ aggravated fleeing and evading‚ and obstructing a peace officer. Jan. 25‚ Philadelphia: A teenager pointed a gun at another driver during a road rage incident‚ police said. That driver‚ who had a concealed carry permit‚ drew his own gun and shot the teen several times in self-defense‚ critically wounding him. Jan. 27‚ Dothan‚ Alabama: A robber threatened a woman with a gun and snatched her purse‚ police said. The woman‚ a lawful gun owner‚ drew her own firearm and fired one round at the thief‚ who dropped her purse and fled. Jan. 29‚ Wilmington‚ Delaware: An armed resident shot and wounded an intruder in self-defense‚ police said. The intruder‚ charged with first-degree burglary and criminal mischief‚ reportedly was wanted on unrelated criminal charges in Tennessee. Regardless of what the Hawaii Supreme Court claims‚ these examples demonstrate that the Second Amendment continues to play a vital role in preserving—not degrading—Americans’ rights to life and liberty. The “spirit of Aloha” doesn’t protect innocent citizens from criminal violence any more than it frees the Hawaii Supreme Court to unilaterally reinterpret the meaning of the Second Amendment. And anti-gun zealots’ insistence that ordinary Americans are safer when unarmed doesn’t negate the natural right of self-defense. 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 14 Defensive Gun Uses That Show Armed Citizens Promote Public Safety appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: The Department of Justice must comply with lawmakers’ requests for data on how it is prosecuting Americans under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act‚ Congressman Chip Roy said in a letter sent Friday. The Texas Republican‚ who has introduced legislation that would repeal the FACE Act‚ called on the DOJ in October 2022 to disclose FACE Act prosecution data‚ but the DOJ did not release this data. During a December hearing‚ DOJ’s Kristen Clarke told Roy that she would ensure that he received the requested data‚ and yet the DOJ has still not released the data in question. Roy‚ who chairs the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government‚ warned that “DOJ’s failure to produce FACE Act prosecution data is particularly troubling in light of the apparent disparity between prosecutions targeting pro-life protestors and pro-abortion attacks on places of worship and pregnancy resource centers.” “DOJ’s refusal to comply with this request hampers the Committee’s constitutional duty to conduct oversight over the Department and the Civil Rights Division‚” he said in the letter‚ first obtained by The Daily Signal. “DOJ must return to its core mission of protecting all Americans‚ not simply those that it favors.” 2024-02-16-Roy-to-AG-Clarke-re-FACE-ActDownload The congressman requests data including how many FACE Act cases the DOJ has brought since the law was enacted in 1994‚ how many FACE Act cases have been filed due to incidents or attacks at abortion providers‚ how many FACE Act cases have been filed due to incidents or attacks at pregnancy resource centers and places of religious worship‚ and any policies or procedures that the DOJ has implemented concerning the filing and prosecution of charges under FACE. The FACE Act protects not only abortion clinics but also pregnancy centers and houses of worship‚ but the Biden DOJ has largely used it to prosecute pro-life individuals. The Center for Investigative Reporting received a list of FACE Act cases filed by DOJ since 1994 in May 2022‚ Roy said. The congressman’s October 2022 letter requested that same information. Yet the DOJ continues to fail to provide it. “The Civil Rights Division continues to use the FACE Act to unfairly target pro-life advocates‚” Roy wrote. “On January 30‚ 2024‚ six pro-life advocates were found guilty of violating the FACE Act and they now face up ten and a half years in prison‚ three years of supervised release‚ and fines of up to $260‚000.” “These prosecutions come after DOJ conducted an aggressive raid on the home of pro-life advocate Mark Houck to arrest him on an overzealous FACE Act charge stemming from Mr. Houck’s earlier encounter with a belligerent abortion activist who attacked his young son‚” he added. “A Pennsylvania jury rightly acquitted in January 2023.” Mark Houck and his wife‚ Ryan-Marie Houck‚ told The Daily Signal that they were targeted by the Biden DOJ in an effort to intimidate‚ silence‚ and scare the family for their pro-life work—praying outside abortion clinics for the women headed inside to abort their unborn babies.  In November‚ the Houck’s sued the Biden administration for “malicious and retaliatory prosecution.” Since 2022‚ the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division has charged dozens of pro-life individuals with FACE Act violations. In 2023‚ the DOJ charged four individuals with FACE Act violations related to attacks on pregnancy centers in Florida‚ though pro-abortion vandals have attacked at least 88 pregnancy centers and 218 churches since the leak of the draft opinion indicating that Roe v. Wade would be overturned‚ according to CatholicVote. Clarke has openly supported abortion and condemned pro-life pregnancy centers‚ which offer aid to women who are pregnant and need help. In the past‚ Clarke called pro-life pregnancy care centers “predatory” and “fake clinics‚” and claimed they are part of a “coordinated strategy to tear down Roe‚” as The Washington Free Beacon’s Chuck Ross reported. Pro-abortion groups described her as “exactly the accomplished civil rights attorney who will bolster civil rights enforcement and ensure equal justice for all‚” when President Joe Biden nominated her for the Civil Rights Division position in 2021. 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 EXCLUSIVE: DOJ Hiding Data on FACE Prosecutions‚ Congressman Says appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Ukrainian and Israeli wars are similar and yet also different conflicts—but in more ways than we can imagine. Ukraine was invaded by a huge Russian state‚ with a population three-and-a-half times greater‚ a gross national product 10 times larger‚ and an area 30 times its size. Hamas‚ by contrast‚ is a terrorist clique of about 50‚000 to 70‚000 gunmen and terrorist kingpins who run Gaza. It is dwarfed by the Israeli population (20 times larger)‚ economy (27 times greater)‚ and area (60 times larger). Both Russia and Hamas started the wars. Russia was convinced it would easily crush the smaller neighbor. Hamas hoped to spark a pan-Islamic jihad against the Jewish state. Most of Europe‚ the United States‚ and the West understandably supported arming Ukraine to repel Vladimir Putin‘s Russian aggression. By contrast‚ such support for democratic Israel was strangely mixed. In many elite political‚ academic and media circles‚ Israel is criticized for its massive retaliation after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The Western attitude toward the two wars grows even more inconsistent‚ if not incoherent. There are constant calls for Israel to be “proportionate” in Gaza following the massacres of nearly 1‚200 Jews‚ the vast majority civilians. But Westerners understandably seek to give Ukraine more and better arms than Russia to ensure a disproportionate response necessary to win the war. Israel is faulted for collateral damage from its efforts to destroy Hamas—even though terrorists are burrowed in and beneath hospitals‚ mosques and schools. Israeli hostages are used as human shields to protect Hamas gunmen. No matter. Israel is expected to text or drop leaflets warning Gazan civilians to keep clear of impending air attacks‚ despite Hamas launching 7‚000 rockets with no such warnings into civilian centers in Israel. On Oct. 7‚ Hamas—along with some Gazan civilians—tortured‚ decapitated‚ raped and killed hundreds of Israeli civilians to start the war. By contrast‚ no one in the West asks the Ukrainians to warn surrounding civilian populations in occupied Ukraine or inside Russia to keep clear of their intended targets. To do so‚ apparently‚ would lessen the surprise effect of Ukrainian attacks. The West has relentlessly hammered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his supposedly right-wing government and its “disproportionate” retaliation in Gaza. He is closely watched by his American patrons for any sign of absolutist rule or failure to create an inclusive wartime Cabinet representative of a wide diversity of Israeli political figures. Yet‚ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not only suspended elections during the war‚ but also declared martial law over his entire country. Instead of facing Western censure‚ Zelenskyy remains a rock star in the West. Few seem bothered that he suspended most political parties‚ blurring the higher-ground difference between autocratic Russia and a supposedly democratic Ukraine. Note that Israel‚ like the United States during World War II‚ has not declared martial law. Instead‚ it has formed a bipartisan coalition government with members of the opposition. The U.S. keeps lecturing Israel to restrain its response to avoid a wider regional war in the Middle East. It fears Israeli retaliation for Oct. 7 is apparently more incendiary than Hamas’ unprovoked invasions and killing of Israelis. Yet‚ supplying a Ukrainian proxy to attack Russia‚ sometimes on the Black Sea or inside Russia‚ appears a far more dangerous gambit. Hamas’ allies lack the 6‚000 nuclear weapons of Russia and it has no allies comparable to those now aligning with Moscow‚ such as China and North Korea. Western media and politicians correctly discount Russian propaganda emanating from Moscow‚ especially its unsubstantiated claims of relative Russian and Ukrainian casualties or Ukrainian setbacks or atrocities. Yet many of these same Westerners oddly take Hamas’ casualty totals at face value. They have been gullible enough even to swallow Hamas’ lies that the Islamic jihad rocket that hit a Gazan hospital was an Israeli bomb. By any fair standard‚ Hamas has proven to be no more honest‚ and perhaps far more inaccurate‚ than even Russian state-controlled media. So‚ what accounts for these strange disconnects in Western attitudes toward these two wars? It certainly has nothing to do with consistently siding against those who started the war‚ or standing always with the more democratic power—or even logically against the side that is more likely to commit atrocities. The answers seem as obvious as they are disturbing. Many in the West have a bias against the Jewish state‚ as antisemitism rebounds in Europe and the U.S. Popular Western culture often romanticizes Hamas killers as “freedom fighters” and demonizes collectively the Russian people as stereotyped Hollywood villains. Middle East oil money and massive immigration into Western countries dwarf the influence of an ailing Russia. Left-wing politicians in Europe and the U.S. court their growing Muslim constituents and have no worry about a commensurate Russian lobby. And so the disconnect grows into absurdity. 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 Elites’ Strange Disconnect Between Israel and Ukraine appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The psychiatrist who led efforts in 2017 demanding a 25th Amendment ouster of then-President Donald Trump said she does not have the same concerns about President Joe Biden‚ despite a Justice Department report last week that said Biden has “diminished faculties.”  Bandy X. Lee‚ a forensic psychiatrist who edited the 2017 book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President‚” told The Daily Signal and the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project that Biden’s case is different. Asked about special counsel Robert Hur’s report‚ she said‚ “Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging.” But she concluded‚ “The 25th Amendment question‚ therefore‚ is even more relevant to Trump‚ as long as he wishes to be president again‚ but neither appropriate nor relevant for Biden at this time.” (Her full comment can be found below.) The 25th Amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members to determine whether a president should be temporarily removed from office if he is deemed unfit to serve. It would require two-thirds majorities of both houses of Congress to permanently remove the president under the amendment.  The report Hur released on Feb. 8 said Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency when he was a private citizen” at his home and office. However‚ Hur said he would not seek charges because Biden would appear to a jury to be an “elderly man with a poor memory” and because his “diminished faculties” make it less likely he intentionally violated the law. The Hur report says Biden “did not remember when he was vice president‚ forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended … and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began.” The report also stated: “He did not remember‚ even within several years‚ when his son Beau died.” After the report‚ several Republican lawmakers called for using the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office‚ just as several Democrats pushed for using the amendment to remove Trump from the presidency.  “Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging‚ from early-to-middle adulthood onward‚” Lee‚ who taught at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Law School for 17 years before working at Columbia University and Harvard Medical School‚ told The Daily Signal.  “While it may seem dramatic or concerning to the public‚ very high levels of cognitive decline can be present without affecting fitness for duty‚ as long as self-awareness is unaffected‚” Lee said. Image of Bandy X. Lee’s Twitter profile page. There is a difference between cognitive decline and “malignant narcissism‚” she argued. Lee stated:  There are no indications in Joe Biden that he may be unfit‚ although I and my colleagues have recommended fitness-for-duty evaluations for all presidents and presidential candidates‚ to be renewed on a yearly basis.   Much less important positions have this requirement‚ and military officers‚ especially those handling nuclear weapons‚ must undergo rigorous psychological testing before they even assume their positions. That the commander of nuclear weapons is not required to undergo screening is a glaring omission. My colleagues and I were consulted for the 25th Amendment for Donald Trump when he was president‚ because he displayed verbal aggression‚ boasted of sexual assaults‚ taunted nations with nuclear powers‚ and demonstrated an attraction to violence. The state legislatures ratified the 25th Amendment in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy four years earlier. Lawmakers crafted the amendment to address the concern about what to do while the president was still alive but experiencing a health crisis. The 25th Amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretaries to determine whether a president is physically or mentally unfit to carry out the duties of the office. The vice president would become the acting president on a temporary basis. Congress could remove the president from office permanently with a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. That would be an even higher bar to reach than for impeachment‚ because the latter requires only a simple majority in the House.  Trump announced in 2020 that he took a cognitive test. Neither Trump nor Biden were evaluated by psychology professionals for mental fitness‚ however. Making a determination about either could violate the “Goldwater Rule‚” which prevents psychologists from offering a “professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.” The American Psychiatric Association adopted the rule after a group of partisan Democratic psychology professionals declared that 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was “psychologically unfit to be president.”  Lee said that she and her colleagues who contributed to the book conducted an analysis of Trump based on the findings of the 2019 report issued by special counsel Robert Mueller.  “Dangerousness makes one automatically unfit‚” Lee told The Daily Signal. “A panel of top mental health experts actually performed a full fitness test when the data became available through the Mueller report‚ and he failed every criterion for fitness for any job‚ not just president.” “As these results show‚ mental capacity is not always possible to determine through casual observation by an untrained eye‚” she added. “The 25th Amendment question‚ therefore‚ is even more relevant to Trump‚ as long as he wishes to be president again‚ but neither appropriate nor relevant for Biden at this time.” Brandy X. Lee made a similar statement on Feb. 13‚ stating on her X account that she agreed with a New York Times opinion article that discussed Biden’s cognitive decline. Specifically‚ she noted‚ “This neuroscientist is saying what I have been all along: ‘rather than focusing on candidates’ ages per se‚ we should consider whether they have the capabilities to do the job…. And that should be informed by science‚ not politics.”  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 Psychiatrist Who Called Trump Presidency ‘Dangerous’ Unconcerned About Biden or Special Counsel’s Report appeared first on The Daily Signal.

U.N. Relief Chief: ‘Hamas is Not a Terrorist Group’

One Za’abeel‚ a double-skyscraper that adorns Dubai's busy skyline‚ is set to take the title of the world's longest cantilever building. In layman's terms‚ a cantilever is a structure that sticks out horizontally beyond its vertical support‚ creating an overhanging section without the need for columns or supports‚ appearing as if it's defying gravity.One Za’abeel consists of two towers: a commercial tower measuring 300 meters (984 feet) tall with 68 stories and an adjacent residential tower measuring 235 meters (770 feet) tall with 59 stories.Its defining feature is a 230-meter (754-foot) long structure linking the two towers‚ suspended horizontally at 100 meters (328 feet) above ground level. According to the building’s website‚ the structure is “currently attempting to break the record for the Guinness World Records title for ‘Longest Cantilevered Building’ in the world.”As per Guinness World Records‚ the tallest cantilevered building is New York's Central Park Tower‚ a 472-meter (1‚550-foot) residential skyscraper with a cantilevered section that extends 8.5 meters (228 feet). While the total height of One Za’abeel is shorter‚ its cantilevered section is significantly longer‚ sticking out for a whopping 66 meters (216 feet). Homeowners and tenants started to move into the multi-purpose building in late 2023.Image credit: Arnold O. A. Pinto/Shutterstock.comAltogether‚ One Za'abeel contains 26‚000 square meters (279‚861 square feet) of "premium" office spaces‚ a SIRO hotel‚ dozens of serviced apartments‚ and 264 "ultra-luxurious" residential units. Homeowners and tenants started to move into the multi-purpose building in late 2023. Along with connecting the two skyscrapers‚ the cantilever “sky bridge” contains eight luxury restaurants and the longest rooftop infinity pool in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Constructing the horizontal "link" was a bold feat of engineering. Groundbreaking of One Za’abeel took place in September 2017‚ while the towers started to be erected in 2019. The 8‚500-tonne cantilever structure was lifted into place in September 2020 in one of the heaviest single lifts in the region and now weighs up to 23‚000 tonnes.“The lifting process was incredible. The initial lift on August 18 [2020] was a mere 10 centimeters [3.9 inches] to check for cable stretching and the building’s reaction to the strain... A further 1-meter [3.2-foot] lift took place a week later‚ followed by the main event‚ three days later – the final 100-meter [328 feet] lift into place‚” said Dr Fadi Jabri‚ an executive officer for Nikken Sekkei‚ the Japanese studio that helped design the structure‚ according to Arab News.

The climate crisis and the warming of the planet is having a devastating effect on the natural world and the animal species that live in it. While polar bears have been found to be at greater risk of starvation due to a lack of sea ice‚ another species is facing the opposite problem‚ being put in greater danger of predation as their behavior changes to beat temperature extremes.Alpine ibexes (Capra ibex) living in two protected areas within the Gran Paradiso National Park in the Italian Alps were studied‚ as they are a cold-adapted species known to be sensitive to the effects of global warming. Typically the ibexes feed on grasses and vegetation at lower altitudes of the mountains during the day‚ spending the night away from their main predator of wolves (Canis lupus) high up on the mountainside. However increasing daily temperatures have meant more time on the mountain and a switch to feeding during the cooler nighttime. While this might sound like a sensible solution it has one big problem: the wolves.The 47 ibex were tracked using motion-sensing tracking collars between 2006 and 2019. During warmer days the ibex become less active during the day and more active at night. This put the ibex at greater risk of predation by wolves in the open grassy areas lower down the mountain‚ where they are less protected.This species also exhibits a high level of sexual dimorphism‚ meaning the males and females of the species look very different. These differences‚ such as the males having horns while the females have less fat‚ alter their risk factors for the dangers of both overheating and predation. The team found more nocturnal activity in response to higher daily temperatures‚ even when the females had kids.Given that the ibex has typically been a diurnal species‚ their eyesight is also more compromised by feeding at night‚ making them further vulnerable to wolf attacks. The team found that the goats were more active during nights that were brighter thanks to the Moon‚ meaning they were better able to detect predators and the benefits of foraging at night outweighed the risks. As climate change continues to raise temperatures in this region‚ the ibex are likely to continue this behavior and put their survival at even greater risk. The study is published in Proceedings of The Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Inside our planet‚ there are the remains of another world. No‚ we are not peddling some conspiracy theory like the hollow Earth. We are talking about the remains of Theia‚ the Mars-sized object that‚ billions of years ago‚ hit our planet and led to the formation of the Moon. Its remains were simply incorporated with our planet but not completely. This is the bold idea that has acquired more and more evidence in recent years.The impact between Earth and Theia may have literally left a big mark on our planet. There are two peculiar structures buried deep in the mantle‚ surrounding the Earth’s core. They are known as Large Low-Velocity Provinces (LLVPs). These anomalous formations are located beneath the African Tectonic plate and the Pacific tectonic plate. They are believed to have sunk as they are denser than the surrounding mantle material. Their density depends on their chemical composition. Researchers used seismic waves as a sonogram of the Earth’s interior and found these denser regions. They believe they have more iron than the rest of the mantle and that’s where the connection came from. Dr Qian Yuan from Caltech was listening to a seminar given by Professor Mikhail Zolotov in 2019‚ when Zolotov explained the Gaia hypothesis and commented that the Moon is rich in iron like‚ presumably‚ Theia was."Right after Mikhail had said that no one knows where the impactor is now‚ I had a 'eureka moment' and realized that the iron-rich impactor could have transformed into mantle blobs‚" Dr Yuan said in a statement.Detailed simulations showed that the scenario is a sound hypothesis. An impact with Theia would not completely devastate the planet‚ and much of the energy and material would remain in the upper mantle. There the "Theia blobs" coalesced and eventually sank to the bottom near the mantle-core boundary. The team compares this to lava lamp wax. If the lower mantle had been hotter‚ the LLVPs would have not existed‚ as the material would have mixed better. The team is now investigating what consequence having these structures in the middle of the mantle during the formative years of our planet might have had on Earth’s geology. Our world is quite unique‚ geologically‚ compared to the other ones in the Solar System."A logical consequence of the idea that the LLVPs are remnants of Theia is that they are very ancient‚" Dr Paul Asimow said. "It makes sense‚ therefore‚ to investigate next what consequences they had for Earth's earliest evolution‚ such as the onset of subduction before conditions were suitable for modern-style plate tectonics‚ the formation of the first continents‚ and the origin of the very oldest surviving terrestrial minerals."A paper describing the results is published in the journal Nature.

CBS’s The Late Show host Stephen Colbert and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show temp host Jordan Klepper were the only late night hosts to discuss Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis’s testimony on their Thursday shows and they were not happy with her for endangering the case against Donald Trump. Colbert noted that there are completing claims on when Willis began her relationship with Nathan Wade‚ whom she hired as a special prosecutor on the case in a potential conflict of interest‚ “Now‚ I don't know who's telling the truth here yet‚ but I will say exchanging business cards isn't exactly a meet cute. The movie's not called When Harry Networked with Sally. Now‚ at one point‚ Willis had had enough and really laid into opposing counsel.”     He then played a clip of Willis being upset at the whole idea that she did anything wrong‚ “You’re confused‚ you think I’m on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial‚ no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.” Colbert’s audience loved the clip of Willis fighting back‚ but Colbert himself was not so sure: Damn straight. Yeah. That’s right. That’s right. Here’s the thing. Yes‚ it’s true Donald Trump and his associates are on trial in this‚ one of the most important cases in the history of our republic. So‚ and‚ I've just got one follow-up question here‚ given that if you are removed from the prosecution‚ it could delay this trial until after the election: how good was this sex? Good enough to risk democracy over? Because I've never had sex that good. You know what feels really good? Donald Trump going to prison. That‚ that my friends‚ is what they call a real happy ending.  Over at The Daily Show‚ Klepper responded to the same clip of Willis‚ “Yes‚ thank you! Donald Trump is the one on trial. Which is why you should have been more careful. This is possibly the most important trial in the country right now‚ and it could be completely derailed‚ not because of the evidence or the facts‚ but because two people got horny. So maybe the first thing we need is some new HR training.”     Correspondent Desi Lydic was then shown in a satirical HR instructional video rebuking Willis and Wade‚ "Hello. If you are watching this video‚ you’re one of the 200‚000 prosecutors currently working on a Donald Trump case. There's been some confusion lately over whether you should hire a person you are [bleep] to prosecute the most important case in the nation. So we wanted to just take a moment to clarify: don't. Don't do that. Remember‚ there are over 330 million other Americans. You can have sex with any of them or hire them as a prosecutor‚ but not both.” Lydic concluded with some additional advice for the two “idiots”: Don't bribe the judge. Don't bribe the defendant. Don't burn down the courtroom. Don't join ISIS. Don't hire ISIS. Don't try to sell the judge drugs. Don't hire a stripper cop to be the bailiff. No‚ under any circumstances‚ toilet cams. Don't slurp up the defendant’s bathwater. Don't recruit the jury into a multi-level marketing scheme. Don't sell tickets to the trial on StubHub. And finally don't steal the judge's organs and sell them on the black market. By following these simple rules‚ you can maintain your integrity and not legally speaking‚ [bleep] this up‚ you idiots! Thank you and good luck in court. If Colbert and The Daily Show think Willis had a bad day‚ she’s going to need that luck. Here are transcripts for the February 15 shows: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2/15/2024 11:45 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Now‚ I don't know who's telling the truth here yet‚ but I will say exchanging business cards isn't exactly a meet cute. The movie's not called When Harry Networked with Sally. Now‚ at one point‚ Willis had had enough and really laid into opposing counsel. FANI WILLIS: You’re confused‚ you think I’m on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial. COLBERT: Damn straight. Yeah. That’s right. That’s right. Here’s the thing. Yes‚ it’s true Donald Trump and his associates are on trial in this‚ one of the most important cases in the history of our republic. So‚ and‚ I've just got one follow-up question here‚ given that if you are removed from the prosecution‚ it could delay this trial until after the election: how good was this sex? Good enough to risk democracy over? Because I've never had sex that good. You know what feels really good? Donald Trump going to prison. That‚ that my friends‚ is what they call a real happy ending.  *** Comedy Central The Daily Show 2/15/2024 11:08 PM ET JORDAN KLEPPER: Yes‚ thank you! Donald Trump is the one on trial. Which is why you should have been more careful. This is possibly the most important trial in the country right now‚ and it could be completely derailed‚ not because of the evidence or the facts‚ but because two people got horny. So maybe the first thing we need is some new HR training.  DESI LYDIC: Hello. If you are watching this video‚ you’re one of the 200‚000 prosecutors currently working on a Donald Trump case. There's been some confusion lately over whether you should hire a person you are [bleep] to prosecute the most important case in the nation. So we wanted to just take a moment to clarify: don't. Don't do that.  Remember‚ there are over 330 million other Americans. You can have sex with any of them or hire them as a prosecutor‚ but not both. It should be pretty obvious. While we are at it‚ here are some other obvious things to avoid that I can't believe I have to say out loud.  Don't bribe the judge. Don't bribe the defendant. Don't burn down the courtroom. Don't join ISIS. Don't hire ISIS. Don't try to sell the judge drugs. Don't hire a stripper cop to be the bailiff. No‚ under any circumstances‚ toilet cams. Don't slurp up the defendant’s bathwater. Don't recruit the jury into a multi-level marketing scheme. Don't sell tickets to the trial on StubHub. And finally don't steal the judge's organs and sell them on the black market. By following these simple rules‚ you can maintain your integrity and not legally speaking‚ [bleep] this up‚ you idiots! Thank you and good luck in court.

Leftist billionaire George Soros has reportedly acquired a massive stake in America’s second-largest radio company‚ igniting concerns about potential influence ahead of the 2024 election. Soros Fund Management purchased $400 million of bankrupt radio company Audacy’s debt or about a 40% stake in the company‚ the New York Post reporters Josh Kosman and Ariel Zilber unveiled on Wednesday. According to the Post‚ citing bankruptcy filings‚ Audacy is “the No. 2 US radio broadcaster behind iHeartMedia with stations including New York’s WFAN and 1010 WINS‚ as well as Los Angeles-based KROQ.” Notably‚ Audacy features or streams at least 16 powerful 50‚000-watt radio stations‚ which means that their coverage is especially widespread.  The Soros purchase may implicate the following 50‚000-watt radio stations‚ as described by RadioStation.info: WVEE Atlanta‚ WZRH New Orleans‚ WFUN St. Louis‚ 1010 WINS New York‚ 1020 KDKA Pittsburgh‚ 830 WCCO Minneapolis‚ KCBS 740 San Francisco‚ WWL New Orleans‚ KYW Philadelphia‚ 1120 KMOX St. Louis‚ KNX News Los Angeles‚ WCBS New York‚ Talk Radio 1210 WPHT Philadelphia‚ 92-9 The Game Atlanta‚ 105.3 The Fan Dallas and 670 The Score Chicago. Additionally‚ Audacy has a deal with CBS News Radio that greatly expands Audacy’s reach.   A source described the Soros purchase as “scary” in statements to the Post. “One insider close to the situation‚ noting that he was a Republican‚ said he believed it was possible Soros was buying the stake to exert influence on public opinion in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election‚” the Post reported. Soros’s reported purchase is only the leftist billionaire’s latest media venture. As previously reported by MRC Business‚ Soros “gave $131‚111‚250 to journalism and media organizations around the globe” to push leftist positions on a range of issues between 2016 and 2020 alone.  Soros has also donated massive amounts of money to the International Fact-Checking Network‚ which coordinates with a vast network of fact-checkers‚ including The Associated Press‚ FactCheck.org‚ The Dispatch‚ The Washington Post and PolitiFact. Specifically‚ Soros gave $492‚000 to the IFCN between 2017 and 2019. Beyond this‚ Soros has ties to 34 legacy and leftist media personalities‚ detailed extensively in a Media Research Center report “George Soros: Propaganda Powerhouse.” Conservatives are under attack! Contact ABC News (818) 460-7477‚ CBS News (212) 975-3247 and NBC News (212) 664-6192 and demand they report on Soros’ ties to American and global media.