A.F. Branco Cartoon – When it comes to possible nominees for FBI Director, Kash is king. He’s behind Trump and MAGA 100 percent, and he’s familiar with how Washington works and how deceitful the swamp creatures can be. The FBI needs an overhaul, and he’s just the guy who can do it. Kash Patel Releases Statement on FBI Nomination, Vows to “Return The FBI to Its Rightful Mission: Protecting The American People” By Jordan Conradson – The Gateway Pundit – Dec 01, 2024 Trump’s FBI Director nominee, Kash Patel, pledged to “restore integrity, accountability, and equal justice to our justice system” in a statement Saturday night after he was tapped to lead the FBI under President Trump. The Gateway Pundit reported earlier that Trump announced Patel’s nomination for FBI director. Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday evening, “This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border.” This is incredible news. Kash Patel has been one of the leading voices against the Deep State’s weaponization of government, corruption, and conspiracies, including Russiagate, the… READ MORE   DONATE to A.F. Branco Cartoons – Tips accepted and appreciated – $1.00 – $5.00 – $25.00 – $50.00 – it all helps to fund this website and keep the cartoons coming. Also Venmo @AFBranco – THANK YOU! A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country in various news outlets, including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, and President Trump.

The annual list honours “inspiring and influential women from around the world”

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The far-left group behind a massive Supreme Court case on child gender transitions is sending a trans-identifying lawyer to Washington, D.C., this week to defend transitioning children. Chase Strangio is a woman who identifies as a transgender man, and the co-director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT & HIV Project. She has undergone transgender medical treatments herself, which she has documented on her social media, and argues that children should also be able to access so-called gender-affirming care. “Every aspect of gender-affirming care that has transformed my life,” Strangio told CNN, “I’m keenly aware that I want to preserve the ability for other people to access that care.” “For me it is not about a genderless society,” she argued in another interview. “It is about challenging our assumptions about a fixed binary gender and exposing instead what gendered systems do to organize and reinforce power. I think we all have a role to play in being more critical about the operation of gender – not to make everything genderless but to make gender a site of play, reconstruction and reimagination.” When the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti on December 4, Strangio will be the one presenting on behalf of the ACLU. The case deals with Tennessee’s law banning irreversible gender transition procedures for children — and it promises to be one of the most significant the court has looked at this term. If the court rules for Tennessee, children across the United States will be protected from these irreversible procedures. Already, lawmakers throughout the country have enacted more than 24 laws protecting children from “gender-affirming care” and the activist doctors who push these procedures. In the past, Strangio has challenged Trump’s actions against trans-identifying service members in the military, and another case, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC, which the ACLU boasts, “resulted in a landmark 6-3 ruling from the Supreme Court finding the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on sex discrimination in employment extended to discrimination against LGBTQ workers.” The ACLU has advertised that Strangio will be the first openly trans-identifying individual to argue a case before the Supreme Court, describing Strangio as “our nation’s leading legal expert on the rights of transgender people, bar none.” “It’s hard to see the challengers’ feeble equal protection theory having sway with the Court, so it’s not surprising that they would prefer to focus on historic firsts over the actual merits of their case,” Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino told The Daily Wire. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME) Strangio didn’t respond to requests for comment from The Daily Wire, nor did the ACLU. Earlier this year, after Manhattan Institute Fellow Leor Sapir reported that Strangio had angered the ACLU by disrespecting LGBTQ leaders and acting without concern for the interests of specifically gay activists, Strangio deleted her X account. Her presence before the Supreme Court may pose a challenge to some of the justices, given the debate surrounding preferred pronouns for people who identify as transgender. The ACLU and legacy media outlets, for example, use “he/him” pronouns to describe Strangio, though she is a biological woman. Given the high-profile, controversial nature of the case, it is likely the justices will want to avoid references to Strangio’s gender altogether. “To me, a feminist is someone who works to name and destabilize the ways in which systems of gender operate to inequitably distribute survival opportunities for different individuals and groups,” Strangio said in a recent interview with “Feminist.” It is unclear why the website interviewed Strangio, who identifies as a man. “Critical to this project is recognizing that gender does not just operate on individuals but is inextricable from systems of governance.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Feminist (@feminist) Strangio also argues that young people have been “cut off from the medical care they need,” referring to transgender surgeries, hormones, and puberty blockers, “leaving them and their loving parents scrambling.” “Cutting off this care is not an option for people so families are moving out of their homes, splitting up so one parent can take a trans child out of state, and even making plans to leave the United States to better protect their trans adolescent children,” she argued, referring to parents seeking to help their minor children undergo irreversible surgeries or begin taking hormones that may destroy their fertility, increase mental health issues, cause cardiovascular side effects, and more.

Can you believe that Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour started all the way back in March 2023? That is well over a year ago! So many exciting moments have happened in that time. This includes the very start of a tradition that has no extended well beyond the Swiftie community — the trading of friendship bracelets! With only a few shows left, the folks in Toronto wanted to go all out when Taylor Swift arrived for her many shows there… including the horses! In Toronto, the police are sometimes accompanied by horses. They’re apart of the city’s Mounted Unit, and they operate out of an office called the Horse Palace. Amazing, right? Well, these sweet horses only got more adorable when the Eras Tour arrived. To celebrate the occasion, two of them wore horse-sized friendship bracelets. See for yourself in the video below! @britalexander #theerastour #toronto #theerastourtoronto #policehorses #friendshipbracelets #debuttaylorsversion #reputationtaylorsversion ♬ shake it off – If you can’t tell, one of the friendship bracelets reads “Debut TV” while the other says “Reputation TV.” These are two of Swift’s albums, of course, but these two were chosen for a very special reason. They are the only two albums the superstar has left to re-record! In Honor of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto, Police Ride Horses That Are Wearing Friendship Bracelets THE HORSES ARE WEARING REP AND DEBUT TV FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS #Tayronto #TSTheErasTourToronto pic.twitter.com/frKWNcx9o2— faith (@dontblamemary29) November 14, 2024 Needless to say, Swifties from all around the world have come to love these two horses. Who, by the way, are named BlueJay and Bunny! In fact, fans were quick to share photos of BlueJay and Bunny as they were spotted galloping around the concert venue. “I feel like all horses are automatically Swifties,” an insightful fan points out in response to seeing BlueJay and Bunny. “I don’t have any evidence to back that up, just a theory, but I think it’s a good one.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here! The post Police Horses Accessorize Accordingly For Working Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour appeared first on InspireMore.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Insects, the often-overlooked building blocks of our ecosystems, are disappearing at an alarming rate. “Of all the mass extinctions we have experienced in the past, the one affecting insects is happening a thousand times faster,” cautions Maxim Larrivée, director of the Montreal Insectarium. The stakes could hardly be higher. Insects pollinate crops, break down organic materials, and provide the foundation for food webs. Nonetheless, habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides have pushed many species to their limits. Tracking this rapid decline is practically impossible with current methods, leaving governments and conservationists scrambling for answers. Antenna, a cutting-edge project in Canada, is using artificial intelligence (AI) to address this challenge head-on. Researchers want to understand and reverse insect losses by integrating AI with innovative data collection methods. Turning science fiction into reality Some of the most exciting work is taking place under the roof of Montreal’s Insectarium, where researchers are keeping track of thousands of butterflies, ants, and praying mantises in a controlled environment. Outside the lab, solar-powered camera traps deployed from the Canadian Arctic to Panama’s rainforests take insect photographs every 10 seconds. The sheer amount of data collected is extraordinary. “Innovations like high-resolution cameras, low-cost sensors, and AI models could double the amount of biodiversity information collected over the last 150 years in just two to five years,” Larrivée exclaimed, excited by the prospects. “Even for us, it sounds like science fiction.” Cracking the biodiversity code There are an estimated 10 million insect species on Earth, of which only a million have been researched, leaving an immense quantity of biodiversity unknown. David Rolnick, a biodiversity expert at the Quebec AI Institute, is developing AI models to bridge the gap. “When we went to Panama and tested our sensor systems in the rainforest, within a week we found 300 new species,” Rolnick revealed. “And that is just the tip of the iceberg.” The project’s present focus is on moths, a diverse group of approximately 160,000 species that are visually identifiable and have a low food chain position. “This is the next frontier for biodiversity monitoring,” Rolnick said, noting that artificial intelligence could help discover new species, analyze population trends, and even identify agricultural pests. Data for action Antenna’s ultimate goal is to use this vast amount of data to inform conservation policy. Researchers want to restore insect populations and the ecosystems they support by developing tools to assist governments and environmentalists in making decisions. However, the endeavor is not only about scientific advances. Public education is also a focus. Visitors to the Insectarium can use an app to identify butterfly species in real-time, which combines artificial intelligence with hands-on learning. For Larrivée, the link between knowledge and action is clear: “If we don’t know nature, we can’t ask citizens to change their behavior.” Balancing hope and caution Despite its potential, the application of AI in conservation is not without criticism. Camille Clement, a French tourist visiting the Insectarium, expressed a common concern: “I support using AI to protect ecology, provided we use it meticulously.” This warning note rings true as researchers broaden their goals, including hopes to utilize their models in deep-sea exploration and agricultural pest management. The stakes are enormous, and accuracy will be required to translate AI’s potential into real-world results. A bright light amid a darkening crisis The world is witnessing its largest extinction event since the dinosaurs, and insects are at the forefront. However, projects like Antenna provide a ray of optimism. Researchers are developing the tools necessary to rescue the natural environment by using AI to document and analyze it. As Larrivée stated, “This is about turning the tide.”The post Canadian project addresses global insect crisis first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The adage “trust your gut” may be truer than we realize, particularly when it comes to stroke rehabilitation. Scientists at Texas A&M University have discovered an unexpected link between gut health and brain function, suggesting how addressing the stomach may be the key to improving long-term stroke results. “Stroke is one of the leading causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Farida Sohrabji, Head of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and the study’s lead author. “There are acute, immediate consequences of stroke, but the long-term impacts on quality of life—for both patients and caregivers—are significant.” This new study adds to the growing body of data that a healthy gut means a healthier brain, demonstrating how the gut-brain axis can be used to mitigate cognitive impairment after a stroke. What happens to the gut following a stroke? When someone has a stroke, the apparent symptoms such as slurred speech, facial drooping, and limb weakness require quick attention. However, what happens inside the body is just as concerning. “What we’ve found is that minutes after a stroke occurs, normal gut anatomy is completely disrupted,” Sohrabji says. A stroke damages the intestinal wall, rendering it “leaky.” This opening allows gut bacteria to enter the bloodstream and potentially disrupt the body’s functions, including the brain. Even if these bacteria do not reach the brain, they can cause widespread inflammation, which exacerbates brain damage and raises the risk of long-term cognitive impairment. “If you just repair the brain, you will see short-term effects but not long-term improvement,” Sohrabji says. “The gut remains leaky, causing inflammation and constantly impacting brain function.” A hormonal breakthrough Enter insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a hormone that has shown promise in stroke rehabilitation. In their most recent investigation, the researchers looked into whether providing IGF-1 could reduce the long-term effects of stroke, focusing on the link between the gut and the brain. The findings were remarkable. When administered intravenously, IGF-1 greatly reduced brain damage in the short term and enhanced sensory-motor skills, but had little effect on long-term cognitive impairment. However, when IGF-1 was injected directly into the gut, the results were reversed: cognitive impairment was significantly decreased over time, with no immediate advantages to brain tissue. This surprising observation indicates that IGF-1’s benefits are mediated by its effects on the immune system and the stomach. “When delivered to the gut, IGF-1 was not detected in the brain,” the researchers wrote. Instead, it appears to interact with peripheral immune organs, influencing immune cell synthesis in ways that shield the brain from further deterioration. The big picture: gut health as a recovery tool The findings emphasize an important point: recovery from stroke may be as dependent on gut health as direct brain therapies. “The current study strongly implicates the gut as a direct or intermediary target for long-term benefit for stroke outcomes,” the study’s authors stated. Their findings contribute to a growing consensus that increasing gut health could revolutionize the treatment of brain ailments. However, IGF-1 isn’t the only option being investigated. Sohrabji’s team is also looking at the use of intestinal stem cell transplants to repair a stroke-damaged gut. In a second investigation, they discovered that transplanting healthy intestinal stem cells restored the gut lining while also reducing brain damage and preserving cognitive performance. “What was a pleasant surprise to us was that in the process [of repairing the gut], stroke outcomes improved,” Sohrabji pointed out. The future of holistic stroke treatments This study marks a paradigm shift in how we see stroke recovery. Physical and occupational therapy have traditionally been the primary therapeutic options to address external symptoms. Scientists are now investigating how the gut-brain connection may create new avenues for long-term rehabilitation. “This study adds to the growing literature that recovery from acute neural injury is possible through improving gut health,” according to the researchers. “And reciprocally, that gut health can impact neurological function.” The consequences are immense. Beyond stroke, this technique could help to develop treatments for other neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, in which inflammation and gut health are important. Trusting your gut The gut-brain axis is no longer just a curiosity; it is emerging as a critical component of neurological health. For the millions of people who have strokes each year, gut-health treatments may bring not only relief but also promise a fuller, healthier recovery. Source study: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity— Intestinal epithelial stem cell transplants as a novel therapy for cerebrovascular strokeThe post How gut health could revolutionize stroke recovery first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

It most definitely will not be a second Tunguska Event.