For over a decade, there has been a project proposal to build about 800 miles of transmission lines from Kansas through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to deliver wind-generated electricity to consumers. However, a recent August 8 ruling by an Illinois court halts the planned construction of lines in that state. This project, known as the Grain Belt Express, will need to be replicated about 110 more times across the U.S.—creating up to 91,000 miles of new transmission lines in total—if the Biden-Harris administration wants to reach its goal by 2035 for 100% clean electricity that is generated through “renewable” energy sources.   While natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants can be close to population centers, solar and wind farms are often in remote areas, thereby necessitating extensive transmission infrastructure to deliver electricity to populated areas. Putting this transmission line expansion into perspective, America has been building an average of 645 miles annually from the second half of the 2010s through today. At this rate, it would take nearly 141 years to build out the grid to meet the Biden-Harris policy goal. To maintain a reliable electrical grid, upgrading and building transmission lines are crucial. However, 91,000 miles of transmission lines will primarily transmit heavily subsidized solar and wind energy, placing upward pressure on electricity prices Renewable energy sources drive up electricity costs due to various reasons, including the additional cost for backup power generation and building the costly, extensive transmission infrastructure. As an example, California’s aggressive adoption of wind and solar caused residential electricity prices to surge nearly 170%, from about 12 cents to 33 cents per kilowatt hour between 2004 and 2024. Conversely, Florida, which expanded natural gas usage instead of renewable sources, saw a price increase of just 65% over the same period. Building such an extensive transmission infrastructure for renewables will cost over $220 billion—an expense that will be paid by individuals because companies will recoup these costs by passing them on to electricity users. This means power will become even more expensive, disproportionately hurting low-income families, farmers, and small businesses, who are already struggling in an economy with high food and energy prices. Transmission lines also decrease property values. A study published in the Journal of Real Estate Research found that vacant lots next to these lines sell for 45% less than lots without power lines nearby, and those within 1,000 feet are sold at a 18% discount than comparable lots farther away. Alternatively, underground transmission lines do not ruin the view but are at least eight times more expensive than overhead ones—costs that will be passed on to Americans’ electricity bills. The primary reason for the high projections in transmission lines is that they are needed to link wind and solar farms that are mainly in remote areas to population centers. For example, the Midwest and Southwest are ideal for wind and solar energy but are far from populated areas, necessitating transmission lines over long distances. However, such transmission infrastructure would not be needed if the grid were powered by a reliable mix of baseload energy sources—natural gas, nuclear, and coal power—that provide a steady and reliable supply of electricity to meet the grid’s minimum demand. Natural gas power plants are near population and industrial centers, reducing the need for extensive transmission lines. For example, the Ravenswood Generating Station is located about two miles away from the Empire State Building in New York City, the most populous metropolis in the U.S. For nuclear power plants, over one-third of the U.S. population lives or works within 50 miles of them. For example, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Maryland is about 45 miles away from the White House. Even if the Biden-Harris administration wanted to build new transmission lines, such projects take on average a decade to complete because of the slow government permitting process and local opposition. Therefore, the government has been trying to expedite the approval process for transmission lines, such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s recent rule on improving long-term regional transmission planning and the Department of Energy’s rule to slash the federal permitting process timeline by half. The recent bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 has also been introduced in Congress to address this issue. While a faster approval process will be beneficial for infrastructure development in any modern economy, the entire purpose of the government’s expediting actions has been to build the projected tens of thousands of miles of transmission lines that will enable “green” investors to reap a return on their costly investments—investments that raise the cost of electricity rather than lowering it. Residents end up paying twice—once through higher utility bills, and a second time by having to look at such ugly transmission lines. Instead, the U.S. should rely primarily on fossil fuels and nuclear energy, supplemented by various other energy sources. This mix of reliable energy sources will result in electricity that is resilient, reliable, and affordable—while also reducing the need for 91,000 more miles of unsightly, expensive transmission lines. The post 1 More Way the Administration’s ‘Green’ Electricity Plan Will Cost Consumers Big appeared first on The Daily Signal.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris slammed Big Pharma for “inflating the price of life-saving medications” in a speech Thursday in Largo, Maryland. But Biden and Harris’ congressional campaigns received $9 million and $2 million, respectively, from 1990-2024. “Folks, this is a fight all of us have been fighting for a long time,” Biden said. “Thinking about Big Pharma, we pay more for prescription drugs, it’s not hyperbole, we pay more for prescription drugs than any advanced nation in the world.” Despite Biden and Harris’ strong anti-Big Pharma rhetoric, Biden was the top congressional recipient of donations from pharmaceuticals and health care products from 1990-2024, accepting more than $9 million. Harris has received the sixth-largest amount of Big Pharma donations out of Congress members, cashing in at $2,308,104, according to OpenSecrets. “We’re going to keep standing up to Big Pharma,” Biden said. “I fought too damn hard to yield now.We’re not backing down.” This was Harris and Biden’s first joint event since he exited the 2024 presidential race. Harris boasted her record of holding “bad actors accountable” and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. She said that as attorney general of California, she “took on pharmaceutical companies for deceptive marketing and illegally inflating the cost of drugs,” and “won billions of dollars as the United States fought to pass laws that would make health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.” The administration has finally addressed that Medicare was prohibited by law from negotiating lower drug prices, Harris said. Medicare and pharmaceutical companies have reached an agreement on lower drug prices for 10 drugs. The Biden-Harris administration says this will save American taxpayers are expected to save $6 billion on prescription drug costs.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, rolled out a three-year “demonstration project” to subsidize the elevated premiums and keep them low.  Critics say price-fixing drugs increases taxes and reduces patient access to medicine, including cancer drugs. The Biden camp describes the process of Medicare drug pricing as a process of “negotiation,” conjuring up the image of “give and take” of private sector contracting, but this is not accurate, health expert at The Heritage Foundation Robert Moffit writes. Rather, Biden is reviving government price controls. Any pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company that does not agree to the “maximum price” of a drug set by Medicare is subject to an excise tax. Government price-control regimes cause a cost shift from the controlled to the uncontrolled sector of the economy, Moffit says. If pharmaceutical research and development companies are forced to offer drugs below a market price in a huge program like Medicare, the companies have to stop their losses by increasing their prices in the private market serving younger, working families. While lower Medicare drug prices lower Medicare insurance premiums, those “savings” result in higher premium costs outside of Medicare. Biden, alternatively, said he would save the taxpayer money and lower the budget by hundreds of billions of dollars. “It’s all about health care,” Biden said. “It’s about lowering costs for families, about fairness and security.” Neither the Kamala Harris campaign nor the White House responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment. Robert Moffit contibuted to this report. The post Biden and Harris Slam Big Pharma Despite Receiving Over $11 Million From the Industry appeared first on The Daily Signal.

On the latest episode of “The Tony Kinnett Cast,” we cover the latest news from the biggest election in decades with the Harris/Walz campaign’s refusing to do multiple debates with former President Donald Trump, the economy’s shaky footing, and a new round of election data that no one is covering. With both sides blustering over a desire to debate the other, who will chicken out first? Saurabh Sharma of American Moment joins us to dig into that data, from on-the-ground registration numbers in the toughest of swing states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Georgia, to strategic shifts in both the Harris/Walz and Trump/Vance campaigns. If you’re looking for a cool, calm, and collected analysis that steers away from the clickbait to deliver some sure and steady footing in this election hurricane, you won’t want to miss this segment. Jerry Lopez, @IndySpanglish on X, stops by for another exciting installment of “Awful Tweets,” where we take the worst social media posts and roast them until golden brown. Submit posts for “Awful Tweets” here and add fuel to the dumpster fire! Catch the live radio show and livestream weeknights at 7 p.m. EDT on The Daily Signal’s YouTube, X, or Facebook. The post WATCH: A High-Stakes Game of Political Chicken appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Sharon van Rouwendaal from Netherlands won the 10km marathon swim at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Thursday, August 8. She dedicates the win to her beloved pet dog, Rio, who passed away in May of this year.

Is Baltimore Finally Restoring Tough School Grading Policies?

Chaotic scenes played out in New York City's Harlem neighborhood on Wednesday after anti-Israel protesters clashed with police officers in an attempt to disrupt a Democrat fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign.The violence and disruption comes less than a week before the Democratic National Convention takes place in Chicago, where anti-Israel protesters are promising to cause havoc when the event happens due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.The fundraiser for Harris featured Mayor Eric Adams, multiple city council members, and DNC delegates. Harris was not in attendance.'We will not allow people to come here and destroy this city.'Within Our Lifetime, a far-left group, organized the protest, calling for followers to show up to "SOUND THE ALARM FOR GAZA" and to bring noisemakers such as drums, safety alarms, rape whistles, and blow horns. — (@) While protesters were heated but peaceful during the fundraiser, things got out of hand when the crowd followed attendees to nearby bars and restaurants to harass them. After the protesters went into the establishments, New York City police moved in to push the crowd away. The attendees started to argue with the protesters who were able to enter the bar.Multiple arrests were made by police, as protesters set off smoke bombs and ran away.Within Our Lifetime released a statement accusing the police of attacking its members following the event's conclusion."Dems want you to believe they support us. They are just waiting for you to look away before cracking down on our movement and continuing the genocide in Palestine," WOL said. — (@) Concerns are high that similar scenes could play out near the United Center in Chicago next week on a much larger scale. As Blaze News previously reported, the official March on the DNC is predicting over 20,000 people at its protests, while the leaders of four Muslim organizations say they’re expecting up to 100,000 demonstrators.Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling made it clear his department will not tolerate any violence: "We will not allow people to come here and destroy this city.""We're not going to allow you to riot. Protesting and rioting are two different things," Snelling continued. "The moment that starts, we are going to intervene. I am not going to wait until [it's] out of control and then try to bring it back in."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Elon Musk's live interview with former President Donald Trump caused leftists around the world to panic. Not only did media reports ignore Musk’s claim of a DDoS attack, but they instead mocked X over the “technical problems” at the beginning of the interview. A European Union official then threatened X with more lawsuits if he didn’t censor Trump, and U.S. journalists as well as the White House suggested that Musk should face consequences for spreading “misinformation.” “As a very large online platform, you have the legal obligation to ensure X’s compliance with EU laws, and in particular the Digital Services Act in the EU,” the official wrote in a letter to Musk. These critics of Musk’s interview are either blissfully unaware that the tech billionaire invited Kamala Harris to do a similar interview — or they simply don’t care. Harris declined the opportunity. Glenn Beck is horrified, calling the response “V for Vendetta, or 1984 kind of stuff.” “They’re saying that he should not be running this interview because it’s too risky. Now, let me ask you something, America, when has speech become too risky? What was it Donald Trump said yesterday that was so scary,” Glenn says. “These people are trying to shut down your access to any other point of view. You’ll notice they don’t say anything when Democrats say elections are stolen and the Republicans are going to steal this one now,” he continues. While Trump had alluded to election fraud, he was discussing it in the context of using paper ballots, which help greatly to prevent election fraud. “This is absolutely unrecognizable to me in the West. It is making Saudi Arabia look like a kind of open place,” Glenn adds. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

When a young man committed suicide last year after falling victim to a financially motivated sextortion plot, his grief-stricken father went on a crusade to help the FBI track down the scamming suspects on another continent.The FBI defines financially motivated sextortion as: "When predators pose as someone else online to coerce victims into taking and sending sexually explicit photos and videos — and then immediately demand payment or threaten to release the photo to the victim’s family and friends."Within days of his son's suicide, the father discovered "suspicious banking transactions" to an unknown phone number from his son's Zelle account. In 2023, a young Pennsylvania man fell victim to a financially motivated sextortion scheme. He allegedly believed he had met a girl online on Instagram, Google, and Snapchat. He reportedly sent the girl sexually explicit images of himself, according to USA Today. But two men from Nigeria purportedly posed as a girl to financially extort the young man. The Nigerian men in a text message reportedly threatened to release the compromising material and "ruin" the victim's "career" if he did not make a $1,000 blackmail payment to them, according to court documents."The extortion scheme that targeted [the victim] is consistent with a trend of foreign-based organized groups targeting victims in the United States in various sextortion schemes," FBI Special Agent Jennifer Zenszer wrote.The victim, identified only as J.S. in court documents, reportedly told the suspects in a text message, "I don't even think I have enough for it." Three minutes after sending that message in January 2023, J.S. died by suicide, federal officials said.Following his son's tragic death, the father was determined to locate the suspects who allegedly drove his son to take his own life. Within days of his son's suicide, the father discovered "suspicious banking transactions" to an unknown phone number from his son's Zelle account. The father forwarded the information to the FBI — which used the phone number to track down an email address with the name "Antonia Diaz." The phone number was linked to several other email addresses using different variations of the name "Antonia Diaz," according to Fox News. Court documents say FBI agents twice issued subpoenas to Google and connected the email addresses to a phone number in Nigeria.In March 2023, the father logged into his son's Snapchat account and saw that J.S. had been receiving messages from a user under the name of "Alice." The father messaged the user, who then demanded money.A Pennsylvania district court judge subpoenaed Snapchat for information regarding the "Alice" account. Authorities said the Snapchat account was linked to another phone number based in Nigeria. "J.S.’s father later reviewed J.S.’s Apple iPhone, and observed that notifications of emails from ALICEDAVE660@GMAIL.COM appeared repeatedly," court documents said. "J.S.’s father emailed that address using his own email account, identifying himself as J.S.’s father and requesting a phone call. ALICEDAVE660@GMAIL.COM refused to speak with J.S.’s father by phone, and instead directed via iMessage that J.S. ‘reply me if he doesn’t want trouble.’"The father then sent screenshots of the communication from the emails from "Alice" to law enforcement. Days later, an undercover FBI agent sent a friend request to "Alice" on Snapchat. The agent posed as a friend of J.S., and the alleged scammer attempted another blackmail scheme but provided bank account usernames, believing the person would send more money.Law enforcement named two suspects — both from Nigeria — in the sextortion scheme: Imoleayo Samuel Aina, 26, and Samuel Olasunkanmi Abiodun, 24.Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced that Aina had been charged with cyberstalking, interstate threat to injure reputation, and receiving proceeds of extortion. Aina and Abiodun are both charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.If convicted of all the charges against them, Aina faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison, and Abiodun faces a maximum possible imprisonment sentence of 40 years.The suspects were arrested in Nigeria, and the FBI took custody of them on July 31.On Aug. 2, Aina and Abiodun appeared in federal magistrate court in Philadelphia before U.S. Magistrate Elizabeth T. Hey.According to the FBI, financially motivated sextortion victims are typically males between the ages of 14 and 17, and the schemes can lead to victim suicide. From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion schemes involved at least 12,600 victims — mostly boys — and led to at least 20 suicides.There was a 20% spike in reports of financially motivated sextortion in the six-month period from October 2022 to March 2023 compared to the same time period the previous year.The FBI noted that financially motivated sextortion criminals usually are located outside the United States and known to operate out of West African countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast or Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines.Blaze News previously reported about a 16-year-old Mississippi boy who committed suicide after getting entangled in a sextortion plot in 2023.In 2022, a 17-year-old Michigan boy committed suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scheme that three Nigerian men orchestrated.South Carolina state lawmaker Rep. Brandon Guffey (R) lost his 17-year-old son, Gavin Guffey, to a suicide in 2022 due to a sextortion scheme. "The most important thing for [victims] to realize is to remember that they are a victim of a crime," Guffey told Fox News. "They are not the cause of this happening. They are not in trouble because they sent an image. And then I always recommend to not delete the messages. Instead, screenshot them and go offline. Disconnect your account because they will continue to harass you."Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office said, "The FBI has seen a horrific increase in reports of financial sextortion schemes. Protecting children is one of the highest priorities of the FBI. We need parents and caregivers to work with us to prevent this crime before it happens and help children come forward if it does."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

SHOCKER! Harris Agrees to Debates but Not the One Hosted by FOX

Victim of Coup Calls Vice President Harris an 'Incredible Partner' at Rally