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Readers, Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.…

When Albert Einstein introduced his theory of general relativity in 1915, it changed the way we viewed the Universe. His gravitational model showed how Newtonian gravity, which had dominated astronomy and physics for more than three centuries, was merely an approximation of a more subtle and elegant model. Einstein showed us that gravity is not a mere force but is rather the foundation of cosmic structure. Gravity, Einstein said, defined the structure of space and time itself. But in the past century, we have learned far more about the cosmos than even Einstein could have imagined. Some of our observations, such as gravitational lensing clearly confirm general relativity, but others seem to poke holes in the model. The rotational motion of galaxies doesn’t match the predictions of gravity alone, leading astronomers to introduce dark matter. The expansion of the Universe is not steady but is accelerating, pointing to the presence of dark energy. For some astronomers, this points to the need for a new model. Something that can account for the motions of stars and galaxies without the need for those dark materials that remain undetected in the lab. The most popular alternatives focus on theories of modified gravity. The standard model of cosmology is known as the LCDM model. The L, for lambda, is the symbol used in general relativity to represent the rate of cosmic expansion and represents dark energy, while CDM stands for cold dark matter. This model describes an expanding Universe that began as a hot, dense state about 13.78 billion years ago. It is a Universe made up of about 5% regular matter, 25% dark matter, and 70% dark energy. It is currently the model best supported by observational evidence. Modified gravity models have a big hill to climb. To topple LCDM they have to account for everything it predicts as well as eliminate the need for dark matter and energy. Observations confirm the validity of general relativity and the standard model of cosmology. Credit: The DESI Collaboration. This year, that hill has become much steeper. In a series of publications released by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration, the standard cosmological model has been confirmed to be in complete agreement with Einstein’s model. The DESI survey mapped nearly six million galaxies across 11 billion years of cosmic time, allowing astronomers to see not just how galaxies cluster but how that clustering changes over time. It is the largest 3D map of the Universe made thus far. The LCDM model makes very stringent predictions of cosmic structure. If dark energy were a kind of repulsive force rather than an inherent property of spacetime, clustering would evolve differently than observed. If dark matter was an illusion of modified gravitational forces, the scale of galactic clustering would be different. This latest survey shows in explicit detail that modified gravity models don’t hold up. The results strongly constrain which modified gravity models are possible and rule out many of the models currently proposed. Based on these new results, the standard cosmological model of Einsteinian gravity, dark matter, and dark energy is the one that best fits the observed Universe. There are still mysteries that still need to be solved, most significantly the issue of the Hubble tension problem. Perhaps a novel modified gravity model will solve this mystery and finally topple Einstein, but for now, the wild-haired genius remains king of the hill. Reference: Adame, A. G., et al. “DESI 2024 II: Sample Definitions, Characteristics, and Two-point Clustering Statistics.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.12020 (2024). Reference: Adame, A. G., et al. “DESI 2024 V: Full-Shape Galaxy Clustering from Galaxies and Quasars.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.12021 (2024). Reference: Adame, A. G., et al. “DESI 2024 VII: Cosmological Constraints from the Full-Shape Modeling of Clustering Measurements.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.12022 (2024). The post Einstein Predicted How Gravity Should Work at the Largest Scales. And He Was Right appeared first on Universe Today.

We don't know where they're coming from.

The singer has offered an update on the eye infection that has caused damage to his vision. Continue reading…

Not a Republican or a Democrat. In the wake of the heated 2024 presidential election, it seems that some on the left are still upset at anybody who voted for (or anybody they believe voted for) President Donald Trump. Trump defeated Kamala Harris in a landslide, winning all 9 of the swing states as well as the popular vote for the first time in his 3 runs for president, and it's set off a wave of meltdowns from folks who supported Kamala Harris. Over on social media, women are shaving their heads and vowing to withhold sex from men for the next four years, and on television shows like The View, they're having to read legal notices pretty much every single day because they can't but go overboard in their attacks on anyone who supported Trump. Totally normal stuff here. Well in the country music world, there are plenty of artists who were open about their support for both candidates. The legendary Willie Nelson endorsed Kamala Harris, along with The Chicks and Brothers Osborne who were open about their support for the Democrat nominee. On the Republican side, names like Jason Aldean, Kid Rock and John Rich were the most vocal of the Trump supporters, though many chose to sit it out altogether - or at least not make it known publicly who they were supporting. Jelly Roll was one of those who didn't say much about politics leading up to the election, but last weekend he set off a firestorm when he was seen smiling and greeting President Trump along with Kid Rock at UFC 309. https://twitter.com/BoLoudon/status/1857983446724849892 Of course simply saying hello to Trump doesn't mean that he's a Trump supporter, or that he voted for him in the election. But you know how the internet is today. Guilty by association, and anybody who doesn't give Trump the cold shoulder and shave their head in solidarity is a Nazi who voted to bring back concentration camps or whatever ridiculous narrative they're pushing these days. But Jelly Roll took to TikTok to clarify exactly who he voted for in the 2024 presidential election: Nobody. In fact, the country music superstar COULDN'T vote for either candidate. Jelly Roll (whose real name is Jason DeFord) was convicted of felony robbery way back in 2003, and as a felon in Tennessee he lost his right to vote. So he couldn't vote anyway. As Jelly responded in a (now-deleted) comment to a TikTok accusing him and his wife Bunnie Xo of being Trump voters: "I can't vote sir - at all. lol. Nor have I ever. Nor will I ever be allowed to vote. It's alright, you don't know me, but please don't lie about me." Of course Jelly has said in the past that because he lost his right to vote he has never considered himself a Democrat or a Republican. While testifying in front of Congress on the fentanyl epidemic, he spoke on his political stance: “I am a musician. I have no political alliance. I am neither Democrat nor Republican. In fact because of my past, my right to vote has been restricted, thus for I have never paid attention to a political race in my life." In Tennessee, a felony conviction automatically strips someone of their right to vote, and the only way to get it back is to either have the conviction expunged or receive a pardon from the governor. To have a conviction expunged, you can have no more than two felony convictions, and only certain offenses can be expunged. Unfortunately for Jelly Roll, because his conviction was for robbery, he's not eligible to have it expunged - so the only way he'll regain his right to vote is to receive a pardon from the Governor of Tennessee. And look, I think if there's anybody who deserves a pardon from Governor Bill Lee, it's Jelly Roll. The man has more than paid his debt to society, made up for his past crimes, and is using his platform to do a tremendous amount of good not only in his own community but everywhere he goes. Isn't that exactly the type of person that pardons should be used on? But for now, Jelly Roll is still a convicted felon. So no, he didn't vote for Trump in 2024 - or anybody else for that matter.

Kip Moore is letting us into some secrets surrounding his forthcoming record. It's no secret that Kip Moore has something cooking as he's been dropping new songs like hotcakes this fall. He started this batch of new music with  “Live Here To Work,” which he released in September, and “Learning As I Go,” which came out the following month. Last week, he kept the new music coming, releasing not one but two new singles, “Flowers in December,” which he penned with Erich Wigdahl, and “Wildfire,” which he wrote with Oscar Charles, Dan Couch, and Hank Born. Given the number of singles that Moore has dropped this year, fans are thinking that a new record is on the way, which would be his first album since he released his fifth studio album Damn Love in early 2023. However, he’s started a new chapter, now signed with Virgin Music Group, after leaving his longtime label, MCA Nashville, earlier this year. On the CMA Awards red carpet, Moore confirmed those speculations, revealing that a new record is coming early in 2025. When asked if he could disclose anything about the record, Moore noted that it's the most extensive record he's ever made. "It's going to have four sides. It's the biggest record I've ever made as far as the number of songs. Side A and B are completely different than side C and D. Side A and B is a journey that will make sense the minute you hear it, and side C and D is a collection of songs that are about to show you that I'm weaving into an entire other avenue that's coming... you might get two records in one year." @countrynow.com @Kip Moore ♬ original sound - CountryNow.com It sounds like 2025 will be THE year for new music from Kip Moore. Given the forthcoming record has four sides, it's hard to fathom that Moore is teasing another record that might come in 2025 after that. A four-sided record is practically a four-for-one deal, and then potentially another full project on top of that... Kip Moore fans are kicking their heels in excitement hearing that possibility. That's a helluva lot of new music, and I am here for it. Given the singles that Moore has released thus far, this project appears to be shaping up into something special. As for the record label change, Moore is making it seem like he has much more creative freedom over his music and how he wants to release it. The way that Moore speaks about the forthcoming project, you can see the excitement in his eyes. He speaks out each part of the record and the story he hopes it tells. I can't wait to see what is in store for this massive record. Fire up a few of his new songs while you're here. "Live Here To Work" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YEGaRAIWic "Flowers In December" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMLLrTikSYA Remaining The Nomad World Tour Dates: 12/05 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony 12/06 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony 12/07 – Philadelphia, PA @ TLA 12/12 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall 12/13 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston 12/14 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston

KJP Abruptly Ends Briefing After Confrontation About The Timing Of Kamala’s Vacation [WATCH]