A row of about 20 Mancala game boards has been discovered in a Kenyan wildlife conservancy‚ suggesting local herders may have whittled their days away playing the popular strategy game thousands of years ago. The boards were found carved into a rock ledge‚ and while it’s impossible to determine their age‚ researchers say the discovery transforms our understanding of ancient life in East Africa.“People tend to look at early life as brutish‚ nasty‚ and short‚” explained Yale archaeologist Veronica Waweru in a statement. “But perhaps life was not all about survival‚” she adds‚ referring to the apparent popularity of Mancala back in the day.Still played across the world today‚ Mancala is a two-player strategy game in which participants attempt to capture as many of their opponent’s pieces as they can. The oldest known playing boards were found in a Neolithic dwelling in Jordan and have been dated to between 7‚500 and 8‚000 years ago.It’s thought that the game was later introduced to East Africa by Arabian traders‚ with Mancala boards from around 700 CE having been identified in Eritrea and Ethiopia.Waweru came across the row of game boards while visiting a site known for its prehistoric hand axes in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Nearby‚ archaeologists had previously discovered an ancient burial complex consisting of 19 stone cairns.Noticing a row of shallow pits carved into the rock‚ Waweru recognized that the indents were deep enough to hold a handful of stones and were a suitable shape and size for playing Mancala. “It’s a valley full of these game boards‚ like an ancient arcade‚” she says.“Given the erosion of some of the boards‚ I believe people were playing these games there a very long time ago‚” continues Waweru. However‚ because the rock into which the boards were carved is around 400 million years old‚ it’s not possible to say with any certainty how long ago the pits were made.What’s clear‚ though‚ is that some of the boards were touch-up or re-dug over time‚ suggesting that they were in use across a long period. “Was there some ritual going on there on a regular basis over long periods of time?” Waweru ponders.Despite a lack of solid evidence regarding the identity of the ancient Mancala players‚ Waweru speculates that the game boards were probably used by shepherds in the distant past. “Modern people in the region tend to play games like Mancala when they are out herding‚” she notes. “That’s probably what they were doing here.”The first herding societies appeared in the region around 5‚000 years ago‚ so the boards could potentially have been carved at any time since then.Overall‚ life for these prehistoric pastoralists appears to have been rather pleasant‚ with evidence suggesting that when they weren’t gaming‚ they enjoyed dining on grilled meat. According to Waweru‚ marks found on nearby rocks indicate that they were used for sharpening metal knives.“If they are sharpening knives there‚ they are probably feasting and performing butchery and barbecuing‚” she said.

New research is showing that the population of wolves living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) is genetically different from their counterparts outside of the region. Remarkably‚ the irradiated wolves appear to have developed protective mutations that increase their odds of surviving cancer. Populations of wolves‚ as well as other animals‚ have boomed in the CEZ of Ukraine since the area was abandoned following the infamous 1986 nuclear disaster. In the absence of people‚ wildlife has been allowed to thrive without disruption of human activity. However‚ to enjoy this freedom‚ animals must confront the glaring problem of radiation. After all‚ that is why humans left in the first place. To understand how these animals survive against the odds‚ Cara Love‚ an evolutionary biologist and ecotoxicologist at Princeton University‚ has been studying the wolves of Chernobyl for a decade. In 2014‚ Love and her colleagues headed to the CEZ and took blood samples from the wolves to understand their responses to cancer-causing radiation. Some were also fitted with radio collars to gather information on their locations and their exposure to radiation.“We get real-time measurements of where they are and how much [radiation] they are exposed to‚” Love said in a statement.The research showed that wolves in the CEZ are exposed to more than 11.28 millirem of radiation every single day for their entire lives – that’s over six times the legal limit for human workers.The researchers also noted that the wolves have altered immune systems‚ similar to patients undergoing radiation treatment for cancer. Furthermore‚ genetic analysis suggests that parts of the wolves’ genome have developed some resilience to cancer.Similar findings have been seen among the hundreds of semi-feral dogs that live in the CEZ. In 2023‚ scientists found the free-wheeling dogs of Chernobyl were genetically different from pet dogs living elsewhere in the world.Love’s discovery could have implications for human health too. Love hopes to use the findings to identify protective mutations that increase people’s odds of surviving cancer. Unfortunately‚ the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war with Russia have prevented Love and her collaborators from returning to the CEZ. There’s no telling if and when they will be able to return.“Our priority is for people and collaborators there to be as safe as possible‚” said Love.The new research was presented last month at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology’s Annual Meeting in Seattle‚ Washington.

One of the deepest metal mines in Europe – the Pyhäsalmi Mine in central Finland – is to be turned into an enormous gravity battery capable of storing 2 megawatts of energy.As the planet moves towards renewable energy‚ we are faced with the problem of storage. The problem is that the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine at precisely the time when people want to consume their power. On particularly windy or sunny days‚ too much electricity can be generated‚ leading to a situation where consumers are paid to consume electricity rather than overload the grid. But power that isn't used becomes lost.It would be better‚ of course‚ if we could store that energy away for later use. Gravity batteries are one way of doing that.Despite the cool name‚ the idea behind gravity batteries is really simple. During times when energy sources are producing more energy than the demand‚ the excess energy is used to move weights (in the form of water or sometimes sand) upwards‚ turning it into potential energy. When the power supply is low‚ these objects can then be released‚ powering turbines as our good friend (and deadly enemy) gravity sends them towards the Earth. Though generally gravity batteries take the form of reservoirs‚ abandoned mines moving sand or other weights up when excess power is being produced have also been suggested. Scottish company Gravitricity created a system of winches and hoists that can be installed in such disused mineshafts. The company will install the system in the 1‚400-meter-deep (4‚600 feet) zinc and copper mine in Pyhäjärvi‚ Finland.“As the world generates more electricity from intermittent renewable energy sources‚ there is a growing need for technologies which can capture and store energy during periods of low demand and release it rapidly when required‚” Gravitricity co-founder Martin Wright said of the technology late last year.“Our GraviStore underground gravity energy storage uses the force of gravity to offer some of the best characteristics of lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro storage – at low cost‚ and without the need for any rare earth metals."

Oceans inside moons seem to be quite common among the satellites of the giant planets of the Solar System‚ and researchers believe they can add one more to the list: Mimas. The small Saturnian moon is popular for its cratered surface‚ one of which makes it look remarkably like Star Wars’ Death Star. But it seems that the surface hides a lot beneath it.The work builds on previous research that showed that Mimas has irregularities in its orbit. One suggestion was that it possessed an egg-shaped rocky core‚ causing the drift. Another possibility was an ocean buried deep within the moon‚ not affecting the surface much.New models suggest the latter scenario is the one that makes by far the most sense. The elongated core would have to be more like a pancake than an egg. The models suggest a liquid ocean may be found between 20 to 30 kilometers (12 to 19 miles) beneath the surface.“Mimas is a small moon‚ only about 400 kilometers [249 miles] in diameter‚ and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath‚" co-author Dr Nick Cooper‚ from Queen Mary University of London‚ said in a statement seen by IFLScience. "This discovery adds Mimas to an exclusive club of moons with internal oceans‚ including Enceladus and Europa‚ but with a unique difference: its ocean is remarkably young‚ estimated to be only 5 to 15 million years old."        The range of potential ages is slightly wider than that‚ depending on the model one uses. The oldest the ocean can be is 25 million years old. The youngest is just 2 million years old. No matter the exact age‚ the ocean is incredibly young. No other known ocean moon compares.“The existence of a recently formed liquid water ocean makes Mimas a prime candidate for study‚ for researchers investigating the origin of life‚” explains Dr Cooper.The analysis was possible thanks to data from the Cassini mission‚ an international collaboration between NASA‚ the European Space Agency‚ and the Italian Space Agency. It spent 13 years around Saturn‚ studying the planet‚ its rings‚ and its moons. It was purposely destroyed in 2017 to protect these moons from potential contamination from Earth. And almost seven years on‚ the data keeps leading to major discoveries.  “This has been a great team effort‚ with colleagues from five different institutions and three different countries coming together under the leadership of Dr Valéry Lainey to unlock another fascinating and unexpected feature of the Saturn system‚ using data from the Cassini mission‚” Dr Cooper stated.The study is published in the journal Nature.

Geologists have unearthed new evidence that the Pacific Ocean plate is wracked with colossal faults‚ caused by the plate slowly drifting westward and plunging into the Earth’s mantle. The researchers believe their findings‚ if accurate‚ have the potential to redefine what we previously understood about how our planet works. From our human perspective‚ Earth seems like a solid‚ immutable object. However‚ the planet’s geological structure is in a constant (albeit very‚ very slow) state of change. Try to visualize Earth's crust as puzzle pieces that float on a hot‚ gooey layer. The pieces of the jigsaw are tectonic plates: vast slabs of solid rock that slowly drift on top of the molten mantle. Oceanic plates are plates that are primarily under the ocean‚ while continental plates form continent land masses.It’s currently assumed that the oceanic plates are largely rigid and only change shape near subduction zones along the plate boundaries. However‚ this new study suggests that isn’t necessarily the case. Their discovery of fault damage at the center of the Pacific Ocean plate – including cracks that are thousands of meters deep and hundreds of kilometers long – indicates that the oceanic plates are not as rigid and strong as once thought. “We knew that geological deformations like faults happen on the continental plate interiors far from plate boundaries‚ but we didn't know the same thing was happening to ocean plates‚” Erkan Gün‚ first study author from the University of Toronto‚ said in a statement.“What we're doing is refining plate tectonics — the theory that describes how our planet works — and showing those plates really aren't as pristine as we previously thought‚" added Professor Russell Pysklywec‚ also from the University of Toronto.To reach these findings‚ the team used supercomputer models and existing data to study four plateaus in the western Pacific Ocean — covering a vast area roughly between Japan‚ Hawaii‚ New Zealand‚ and Australia.The researchers say the Pacific Ocean plate being pulled westward is a bit like a tablecloth being pulled from a table. As the sheet is being tugged‚ certain patches of weaker cloth are more prone to tearing. These weak spots are the plateaus where the extensive fault damage has been located.More work is needed before this theory is confirmed. These researchers hope their study will bring attention to the plateaus and inspire researchers to collect more data.“The theory’s not carved in stone and we’re still finding new things. Now we know this fault damage is tearing apart the centre of an ocean plate — and this could be linked to seismic activity and volcanism‚” explained Pysklywec. “A new finding like this overturns what we’ve understood and taught about the active Earth. And it shows that there are still radical mysteries about even the grand operation of our evolving planet‚” he concludes.The new study is published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Back in December 2020‚ Chang’e-5 flew to the Moon‚ landed‚ collected rocks‚ and brought them back to Earth. This was the first collection of lunar material in 45 years and it is delivering fascinating insights into the composition and history of the Moon.The samples have once again confirmed the presence of water on the Moon as well as finding rust in the surface rocks. The latest work looked at high-pressure minerals‚ those formed as a consequence of asteroid or cometary impacts. As we can see with our naked eye‚ the Moon is covered in craters but in samples collected during the Apollo years and by the Soviets‚ these minerals are lacking.In the sample‚ the team discovered a new phosphate mineral they are calling Changesite-(Y)‚ the first new lunar mineral from the sample collected by the Chinese probe. They believed it formed late in the crystallization stage of basalts found in the region where Chang’e-5 landed. It is transparent and colorless and it is made of column-shaped crystals.If this discovery was not exciting enough‚ the team found two known shock minerals: stishovite and seifertite. These are silica polymorphs and have the same composition as the regular quartz you might have seen around‚ but they have a dramatically different crystalline structure due to their formation at high pressures and temperatures."Although the lunar surface is covered by tens of thousands of impact craters‚ high-pressure minerals are uncommon in lunar samples‚" author Wei Du‚ from the Chinese Academy of Sciences‚ said in a press statement. "One of the possible explanations for this is that most high-pressure minerals are unstable at high temperatures. Therefore‚ those formed during impact could have experienced a retrograde process."A specific sample gave them important insights into this process. They found both stishovite and seifertite in the same sample‚ and these minerals only exist together at higher pressures. For this reason‚ the team suggested that maybe the minerals change shape from one to the other in changing conditions.They believe that a third identified silica polymorph (α-cristobalite) is the original product from which both shock minerals are formed."In other words‚ seifertite could form from α-cristobalite during the compressing process‚ and some of the sample transformed to stishovite during the subsequent temperature-increasing process‚" said Du.The samples are believed to have come from the Aristarchus crater not too far from Oceanus Procellarum where the probe landed. The ejecta from the collision landed where Chang’e-5 found them.A paper describing the results is published in the journal Matter and Radiation at Extremes.

In a heartwarming tale of unexpected friendship‚ a stray cat began joining a dog’s daily walks‚ weaving a story of companionship that transcends species. This intriguing narrative unfolds as a stray cat starts to follow a dog and her owner during their routine strolls. Initially met with curiosity‚ the dog‚ named Coconut‚ quickly warms up... The post Stray cat keeps joining dog on daily walks and then mom figures out what he really wants appeared first on Animal Channel.

X owner Elon Musk repeatedly blasted President Joe Biden’s administration for encouraging “illegal immigration” to benefit Democrats while leftist media outlets went out of their way to make excuses for the president. In a Feb. 2 post on X‚ Musk pointed out Biden’s “Simple‚ yet effective‚” two-pronged strategy to advance his anti-American agenda by exploiting illegal immigration. He accused Biden of attempting to  “get as many illegals in the country as possible” and to “[l]egalize them to create a permanent [Democrat] majority – a one-party state.” He added‚ “That is why they are encouraging so much illegal immigration.” Musk continued to hammer this point over the next few days arguing that Biden was “rolling out the red carpet” for illegal immigrants.  Musk also went after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as his impeachment moved through the U.S. House of Representatives‚ on Feb. 3. “Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas issued written guidance making it clear that…Illegal presence alone is not grounds for deportation‚” Musk wrote before adding‚ “Criminal charges‚ convictions or gang membership alone are not enough for deportation. You basically have to be a convicted axe murderer to be deported! That’s because every deportation is a lost vote.” Two days later the X CEO responded to a clip of The Daily Wire host Matt Walsh bashing Biden for refusing to do his job on the border. “Rather than secure the borders‚ this administration and many states are rolling out the red carpet!‚” Musk said. Exactly. Rather than secure the borders‚ this administration and many states are rolling out the red carpet!https://t.co/FUA1TxWVMY https://t.co/6xkeY6eoHi — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 5‚ 2024 While Musk criticizes the Biden Administration on X for violating his constitutional obligations to secure the border‚ media outlets like NBC and ABC have done everything to downplay Biden and company’s culpability for the humanitarian crisis. One of Biden’s first acts as president was to end the national emergency at our southern border that former President Donald Trump declared in 2019. Biden also declared in the same proclamation that “no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.”  Recently‚ ABC and NBC have been busy running cover for Mayorkas in the midst of his impeachment proceedings. ABC’s Good Morning America co-anchor George Stephanopoulos and others repeatedly gave voice to liberal talking points during the Jan. 31 edition of his show. For example‚ Stephanopoulos told viewers that‚ “there’s a “push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border despite no evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors.” NBC’s​​​​​​​ Today co-host Savannah Guthrie fretted that impeaching Mayorkas might jeopardize border legislation backed by President Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).  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 they stop running cover for the Biden Administration’s disastrous border policies

MSNBC’s Joy Reid is out with a new book on Medgar Evers‚ a civil rights activist who was assassinated in 1963‚ and his wife‚ Myrlie. Her book tour took her to CBS and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday‚ where she would compare her favorite politicians‚ such as Liz Cheney‚ Adam Kinzinger‚ and the Tennessee Three‚ to Evers by noting their “courage.” Colbert asked‚ “I'm curious what you learned in your research for this book that is applicable to our country and the divisions that we have today.”     Reid replied‚ “I would say what I learned was about courage and I think that is the other theme in this book. You think about today who are afraid to stand up to a former reality TV show star president because of a tweet. And yes‚ indeed people do face death threats if you speak against him‚ but a lot of the people who were facing those death threats can afford 24-hour security because they're wealthy people.” Getting to some examples‚ Reid continued‚ “You know‚ these are people who went into the battle for civil rights with no resources‚ no support‚ and so I think about today the political courage of people who I deeply disagree with. Your Toby Keith segment really moves me because this is the thing: I disagree with Adam Kinzinger‚ I disagree with Liz Cheney vehemently on their politics‚ but that’s political courage to stand up to your party‚ to stand up for your country.” Reid can claim she still has profound differences with Kinzinger and Cheney‚ but for all the talk about how their beef with the Trump-era GOP is about election denialism and January 6‚ Kinzinger specifically has started to sound more and more liberal on actual issues. Reid also wasn’t going to pick any Democrats who “stand up” to the radical segment of the party. Instead she picked the radical segment‚ “The Tennessee three. These 20 something-year-old state senators and Ms. Glory Johnson‚ their 60 something-year-old friend who came together and said‚ ‘We're going to stand up against the Speaker of the Tennessee House.’ Those small acts of courage are what can save our democracy and to have courage‚ you have to love something‚ right?” Courage means being willing to face the consequences of your actions because you did what you thought was right. The expelled Democrats—who were fighting for gun control‚ not civil rights—didn’t have much to lose as they quickly re-won their seats. Still‚ Reid declared‚ “If there's a fire in your home‚ you're going to run to save your kids because you love them and in order to really have courage‚ you have to access that love and so‚ I think that's what I learned‚ is that there was so much courage back then and the people today‚ we have so much more‚ so many more resources. We need to have a little courage to save this democracy.” And courage apparently means “do whatever Joy Reid tells you to do.” Here is a transcript for the February 6-taped show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 2/7/2024 12:17 AM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: We have to go here just a second‚ but I'm curious‚ I'm curious what you learned in your research for this book that is applicable to our country and the divisions that we have today.  JOY REID: I would say what I learned was about courage and I think that is the other theme in this book. You think about today who are afraid to stand up to a former reality TV show star president because of a tweet. And yes‚ indeed people do face death threats if you speak against him‚ but a lot of the people who were facing those death threats can afford 24-hour security because they're wealthy people.  This was a man who had no money‚ he wasn't even making enough money to sometimes afford his insurance premiums and he was a former insurance salesman.  You know‚ these are people who went into the battle for civil rights with no resources‚ no support‚ and so I think about today the political courage of people who I deeply disagree with. Your Toby Keith segment really moves me because this is the thing: I disagree with Adam Kinzinger. I disagree with Liz Cheney vehemently on their politics‚ but that’s political courage to stand up to your party‚ to stand up for your country.  The Tennessee three. These 20 something-year-old state senators and Ms. Glory Johnson‚ their 60 something-year-old friend who came together and  said "we're going to stand up against the Speaker of the Tennessee House." Those small acts of courage are what can save our democracy and to have courage you have to love something‚ right? If-- you love your kids‚ right? If there's a fire in your home‚ you're going to run to save your kids because you love them and in order to really have courage you have to access that love and so‚ I think that's what I learned‚ is that there was so much courage back then and the people today‚ we have so much more‚ so many more resources. We need to have a little courage to save this democracy. 

With it having been six days since the last White House press briefing‚ there was litany of topics Tuesday for the ever-inept Karine Jean-Pierre and‚ needless to say‚ she dealt with them using her trademark dodges and inability to grasp the English language.  Unsurprisingly‚ Fox’s Peter Doocy‚ Fox Business’s Edward Lawrence and New York Post’s Steven Nelson challenged Jean-Pierre while others like the taxpayer-funded Voice of America and Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya came from the left. Doocy Time started with a reality check about the administration’s kvetching about the failed border deal means little since Democrats controlled Congress and the White House for two years. In response‚ Jean-Pierre showed a delusion akin to something from Vice President Kamala Harris: DOOCY TIME: “So you guys talk a lot‚ including today‚ about how the border wouldn’t to be such a big deal if Congress would have just passed the immigration bill on day one. Who was in charge of Congress on day one?” KJP: “So‚ it’s been three years. It’s been three — three whole… pic.twitter.com/TDDPlkaQnc — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 6‚ 2024 Doocy’s second topic was President Biden’s latest sign of possible cognitive decline: “[H]ow is President Biden ever going to convince the three quarters of voters were worried about his physical and mental health that he is okay‚ even though in Las Vegas‚ he told the story about recently talking to a French President who died in 1996?” A disgusted Jean-Pierre shot back that she was “not even going to go down that rabbit hole with you‚ sir.” Doocy clapped back‚ repeatedly shouting at her and demanding an explanation for “what is the rabbit hole”. While trying to call on ABC’s Selina Wang‚ Jean-Pierre seemed to argue there’s nothing wrong with Biden since he’s (A) alive and (B) recently traveled to four different states. As for Wang‚ one of her questions was a softball invitation to trash The Wall Street Journal for an op-ed pointing out the rampant support of killing Jews and radical Islam in Dearborn Michigan: WATCH -- ABC White House correspondent Selina Wang invites KJP to attack the free press -- in this case‚ the @WSJOpinion section -- as “dangerous” for writing about Dearborn‚ Michigan being a hot bed of anti-Semitics‚ terrorist supporters‚ and radical Islam. KJP: “Um — so‚ look‚… pic.twitter.com/1VJIETcAbh — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 6‚ 2024 A few moments later‚ Bloomberg’s Justin Sink called out the White House for what’s scheduled to be another foreign leader visit to the White House (the German chancellor) without a traditional press conference and Biden skipping a Super Bowl interview as proof of him avoiding the media. Jean-Pierre’s answer was a trip as she bumbled‚ fumbled‚ and stumbled her way through a proclamation that Biden does “engag[e] with the press”. But Sink wasn’t having it and noted Biden “trails his predecessor in terms of” both “engagements” and sit-down interviews. Speaking to Sink and The Journal’s Catherine Lucey moments later‚ Jean-Pierre actually said she wouldn’t “deny the — the numbers” because Biden has instead “communicate[d] in non-traditional ways” and things like TV coverage of Super Bowl should remain focused on the game. Leftist hack Anita Powell of taxpayer-funded Voice of America went the other way with this question from the left (and a lengthy Jean-Pierre answer) insinuating black Americans dislike Israel: “What is the administration’s message to black voters who are already disillusioned over slow progress on racial justice‚ and we’re now upset over the situation in Gaza?” Al-Arabiya’s Nadia Charters followed up‚ kvetching that Arab and black voters are upset with Biden because they feel that‚ by supporting Israel‚ he’s disregarding a belief in “justice and equality and human rights.” Back to real questions‚ FBN’s Edward Lawrence had a question about the recent rash of major corporations laying off workers and then this stinging rebuke to Bidenomics: “The New York Federal Reserve just released a report today saying that Americans have $1.13 trillion in credit card debt‚ which is now another record. Is there an affordability crisis?” Jean-Pierre dismissed these struggles‚ maintaining “the data has been very clear here that wages are going up” and “consumers are spending a lot more”. Nelson wrapped the briefing and‚ after one about Tucker Carlson’s interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin‚ he seemed to trigger Jean-Pierre as he wondered whether Biden admitting there’s a crisis at the border gives legs to the notion that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas lied by having previously said the border was secure (click “expand”): NELSON: President Biden said today that the immigration system is broken and that he intends to drive home the message that‚ “the only reason the border is not secure his Donald Trump in his MAGA Republican friends.” Secretary Mayorkas repeatedly said that the border is secure and that’s one of the reasons House Republicans are trying to impeach him. Did President Biden just confirm that my Mayorkas gave Congress false information when he said that the border was secure? JEAN-PIERRE: Can I — I actually want to go back to your question? It’s a ridiculous premise and a ridiculous statement that was made about this administration. So‚ I just want to be very about — about — NELSON: [Inaudible] are saying. JEAN-PIERRE: — yes. I just want to be very‚ very clear. It’s just ridiculous. Um‚ so — going to Secretary Mayorkas for a second‚ to your second question‚ we believe what House Republicans are doing‚ and I’ve said this many times — nothing new here — it’s shameless. It’s baseless. There’s no merit for it and‚ as I have been talking about this bipartisan agreement that came together with Republicans and Democrats over the last two months — two months‚ Secretary Mayorkas was involved. He was part of that and what they’re doing is‚ you know‚ it’s all politics here. Politics. And‚ as the President said‚ our immigration system is broken and he’s repeatedly asked repeatedly asked Congress for resources to take more action and secure the border. The administration‚ as I just mentioned‚ including Secretary Mayorkas‚ negotiated in good faith with Congress‚ and we believe that that bipartisan legislation should be passed‚ should be moved forward. But what House Republicans continue — want to do is choosing to play politics instead of doing their jobs. That’s what House Republicans are doing‚ and it’s really shameful‚ as I just started saying‚ and they should focus — they should focus on‚ um‚ what multiple — and here’s the thing‚ multiple House Republicans have said this too — that — that there’s no impeachable offenses committed here. That’s what some of their colleagues have said. Just yesterday‚ Republican Congressman Ken Buck wrote an op-ed saying that “weaponizing impeachment undermines both the Constitution and the seriousness that an impeachment ought to have. That is — one of their colleagues said this. So‚ we really shouldn’t even be talking about this. We really shouldn’t. It is a political play. It is a political ploy. And we encourage these House Republicans to drop these stunts that do nothing to address the serious issues and serious concerns that the American people have‚ including immigration systems‚ including the border — NELSON: [Inaudible] mention it‚ though‚ with the President saying today that the border is not secure and Secretary Mayorkas saying under oath to Congress that it is. JEAN-PIERRE: Here’s what I will say: Secretary Mayorkas has done everything‚ um‚ that he can do‚ uh‚ and to deal with what’s going on at the border. And to deal with a broken immigration — to the point where he was part of this negotiation process that we saw the Senate — the Senate go through. The President has confidence in the secretary and I think that’s what matters. To see the relevant transcript from the February 6 briefing (including even more questions‚ such as one about East Palestine‚ one about the Texas border fight‚ two from Real Clear Politics’s Philip Wegmann‚ and then another anti-Israel question from Charters)‚ click here.