The Finals has been one of the surprise hits in gaming lately‚ and the battle royale has been a blast since its surprise full release during the 2023 Game Awards. Naturally‚ some of us are going to want to see what the game has to offer‚ alongside all the in-game achievements we’re going to be able to earn. Read on to learn all about them. The Finals: All Achievements and Trophies Listed The Finals‚ on the one hand‚ is all about high-octane action and seeing if you have what it takes to become the arena champion. However‚ like other titles‚ the game bolsters an extensive list of achievements for to earn. Some might take a few attempts. Regardless‚ below are all the achievements and trophies players can earn while playing The Finals. Asset Protection: Eliminate an opponent trying to steal your cashout‚ 10 times. Attending Physician: Revive teammates 50 times. Blast Caster: Place an Explosive Mine on a carriable and get an eliminati...

Biden: You Suck

In 1812‚ Friedrich Mohs created a scale to measure the hardness of substances. There were problems with the scale‚ which have inspired other scientists to invent alternatives. Nevertheless‚ these have issues of their own‚ and the Mohs scale continues to be the most widely used. It is‚ however‚ sometimes misinterpreted‚ so time to explain what it does‚ and doesn’t‚ say.Origins of the Mohs scalePeople have been comparing the hardness of substances by seeing whether they will leave a mark since ancient times. The oldest recorded example was by Theophrastus in around 300 BCE‚ in his treatise On Stones. However‚ Mohs put the idea on a more mathematical‚ post-Enlightenment‚ footing.Mohs’ scale was apparently simple. He defined a substance’s hardness by its ability to scratch others‚ and not be scratched by them. Therefore‚ the hardest substance‚ which he allocated a value of 10‚ was the one that could scratch anything else‚ without in turn being scratched. Not surprisingly‚ this value was awarded to diamonds. It turns out not all diamonds are equally hard‚ so a Mohs value of 10 is now given to Type IIa diamonds‚ the hardest type of the gem.From there‚ Mohs picked nine other familiar solids‚ assigning each of them a natural number. In order from one these were: talc‚ gypsum‚ calcite‚ fluorite‚ apatite‚ orthoclase feldspar‚ quartz‚ topaz‚ and corundum.The Mohs hardness scale.Image credit: Philip Brayne for IFLScienceSince then‚ other substances have been added using decimals. This guide‚ for example‚ slots in such relevant items as nails‚ both steel and finger.What it lacksThe downside of Mohs’ scale is that by placing each of his starting items equally far apart‚ Mohs hid the real differences. For example‚ although gypsum‚ calcite‚ and fluorite are in the right order‚ the gap between calcite and fluorite is a fair bit smaller than between gypsum and calcite‚ whether measured linearly or logarithmically. Yet on the Mohs scale‚ the separations are equal. Amber might have been a better choice than gypsum for a somewhat evenly spaced scale.There’s also an enormous gap in the true hardness of diamond and corundum; diamond is almost four times as hard on measures of absolute hardness. Mohs’ wasn’t to blame for these faults – he lacked the technology to measure hardness more precisely‚ and was not familiar with many of the substances closer to diamond on the scale.There are also substances that probably exceed diamonds on the hardness scale‚ and should be assigned numbers greater than 10‚ although it turns out establishing this is not exactly easy. Why we use itNevertheless‚ Mohs’ scale is still used‚ unlike many products of 19th-century science‚ which are largely now seen as historical curiosities that served as stepping stones to better modern versions.The reason is that it’s highly practical to use the Mohs scale in the field‚ where more precise equipment is unavailable. If you find a mineral you don’t recognize it’s unlikely you will have a diamond anvil at hand to measure its absolute resistance to pressure. It’s easy‚ however‚ to carry a sample of Mohs’ original items‚ or cheaper counterparts‚ and test which ones will scratch the stone in question. Such an easy measure of approximate Mohs hardness can help identify your find. If your discovery turns out to contain valuable minerals‚ which can only be accessed by griding it down‚ knowing the Mohs number tells processors what it will take to grind it down – which can also give a fair idea of the cost.These turn out to be more widely relevant concerns than how much force must be applied to a diamond indenter to deform a substance‚ the measure used by the Vickers scale. MisuseThe Mohs scale is often misused by people seeking to “prove” that ancient civilizations lacked the tools to create their surviving monuments. Once that conclusion is reached‚ those making these claims announce the true builders must either be aliens using laser cutters‚ or some superior lost civilization‚ who curiously always seem to be represented as white.A particularly popular version is that the Egyptians only had copper tools‚ yet left a legacy in limestone and granite‚ which are much further up the scale. Since a material lower on the scale can’t scratch‚ let alone engrave‚ one with a higher number‚ the argument goes‚ it must have been aliens.However‚ as a number of videos have demonstrated‚ Egyptian tools can be used to replicate all sorts of incisions in stones with much harder Mohs values.

The diversity of humanity’s languages is dying. In the wake of cultural globalization and global trade‚ our languages are becoming increasingly homogenized. Today‚ almost half of the world’s population speaks one of only the top eight most-spoken languages. Nevertheless‚ some 7‚000 languages are still currently spoken and signed‚ many of which are unbelievably unique and wonderfully weird. Dig deeper into the past and you'll find even more examples of fascinating language systems that have fallen into extinction or obscurity.BasqueThe Basque language is one of the most unique languages still spoken today in Europe. Also known as Euskara‚ the language is spoken in the Basque Country‚ a region on the western edge of the Pyrenees mountains between the borders of France and Spain. It’s considered to be an extremely unique language as it emerged from a completely separate branch of the family tree from every other language currently used on Earth. From English and Spanish to Hindu and Russian‚ the overwhelming majority of Europe and significant portions of Asia speak Indo-European languages. However‚ Basque comes from a separate branch on the family tree. While its age is not certain‚ the language’s origins lie in a time before Indo-European languages had conquered much of Europe. Against all the odds‚ Basque managed to survive the linguistic invasion and remain relatively unchanged. Out of a population of around 2.2 million in the Basque Country‚ approximately one-third can speak the language today. Most of the population tends to speak French or Spanish in everyday interactions. However‚ to the average Spanish or French speaker‚ the language is almost totally unintelligible.PirahãPirahã is an indigenous language spoken along the Maici River in the Amazon region of Brazil that often attracts the attention of linguists. It has just eight consonants and three vowels‚ which is incredibly little compared to other languages. It’s partially unusual because the tone of voice is just as important as the consonants and vowel sounds in their words. There are several other tonal languages‚ such as Vietnamese and Chinese‚ but Pirahã takes it to a whole other level. As just one example‚ the word for friend and enemy is the same‚ but the tone of the spoken word dictates how it is interpreted. It also has no words for colors or numbers. Instead of saying something like “seven” they would describe it in a way that loosely translates to something like “a somewhat larger amount”.Silbo GomeroSilbo Gomero is a whistling language used by some inhabitants of La Gomera in Spain’s Canary Islands. It originated as a way for people to communicate over vast distances across the island’s deep ravines and narrow valleys‚ since the sound travels much further (and with less effort) than shouting. It’s far-traveling sound also means it’s a useful tool for public communication. Users will place their fingers in their mouths to let out short‚ sharp‚ and vaguely melodic whistling sounds. It might sound simplistic‚ but skilled “speakers” can communicate a surprising amount of information with these noises. Silbo Gomero is only used in specific contexts and no one would consider it their mother tongue. However‚ it’s estimated that around 20‚000 people on the island of La Gomera can understand parts of the language.                                    Taa (Xóõ)Taa (Xóõ) is one of the handful of African languages that use clicking sounds. However‚ it’s arguably the most complex of all‚ encompassing 160 different phonemes (units of sound in a specified language)‚ 110 of them made from clicking sounds. For context‚ the average number of distinctive speech sounds in the world’s languages is about 25 to 30.Today‚ it’s an exceptionally obscure language‚ spoken by just 3‚000 people or so in parts of Botswana and Namibia. PormpuraawPormpuraaw is a language spoken by an Indigenous community native to an area within modern-day Queensland‚ Australia.It’s a fascinating language simply because it doesn’t have terms that relate to “left” or “right” at all. Instead‚ they use “north”‚ “south”‚ “east”‚ and “west". Research has indicated stories told by the Pormpuraaw using a flow of time that seems very unfamiliar to us: time flows from left to right when one is facing south‚ from right to left when one is facing north‚ toward the body when one is facing east‚ and away from the body when one is facing west.EsperantoEsperanto was first developed in the late 19th century in an attempt to create a universal second language for international communication. The language is designed to be neutral and easy-to-learn‚ encompassing vocabulary that is primarily derived from numerous European languages.Some basic Esperanto words are “saluton‚” which means “hello”‚ and “dankon”‚ which means thank you. The constructed language garnered a fair amount of interest in the 20th century‚ but it ultimately didn’t catch on. Today‚ fewer than 2 million people speak it‚ but it’s largely faded from public consciousness.                                   Nüshu Nüshu was a language used exclusively by women. It was developed some 400 years ago by ethnic Yao women in Jiangyong county of southern China as a means to communicate with each other without men understanding. Loosely translated to “women's writing” in today's Chinese‚ it's the world's only script designed and used exclusively by women.“Women used their own script to tell stories‚ to comfort each other‚ to sing out sorrow and to express admiration. In the process‚ a paradise was built‚” explains Zhao Liming‚ a professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing who has studied Nüshu for decades.“The content of Nüshu works comes from women’s everyday lives – marriage‚ family‚ social interactions‚ anecdotes‚ songs and riddles. These are rich in folk custom and are important for the study of linguistics‚ grammatology‚ archaeology‚ anthropology‚ and other human and social sciences‚” added Zhao.It fell into extinction in the 20th century‚ but there are attempts to revive the lost language. Mixtec (Chalcatongo)Computational linguists used data from the World Atlas of Language Structures to find out which languages had the largest number of features that differed most from other languages. Coming in at number one was Mixtec (Chalcatongo) spoken by just 6‚000 individuals from the Mixtecs Indigenous people of modern-day Mexico.One of its most peculiar features is that it doesn’t have any way to distinguish between questions and statements. For instance‚ statements like “Are you well?” and “You are well” sound exactly the same.The Incas' Talking KnotsAlthough not technically a language‚ Quipu is sometimes considered to be a writing system and deserves a mention in any article about fascinating linguistic systems. It involves a series of color-coded cords that a tied in knots at certain points to signify numerical information. Also known as Talking Knots‚ it was used by the Inca people to store and communicate huge amounts of information in the absence of written records. It was primarily to document numbers‚ a bit like an abacus‚ for the purposes of tax records‚ population censuses‚ and military organization. However‚ some argue that Quipu might have also been used to encode long-lost stories‚ myths and songs too.An example of Quipu "Talking Knots" at a museum in Cusco‚ Peru.Image credit: Pi3.124 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Last but not least: EnglishEnglish is one of the most widely spoken languages on the planet‚ but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s not unusual or easy to learn. It’s said that “spelling bee” competitions don’t tend to exist in non-English speaking countries‚ simply because their words have a straightforward correspondence to the way people pronounce the words.  English has 44 phonemes‚ way more than the average of 25 to 30. It also features a bunch of unusual consonant sounds as well. For instance‚ the “th” sounds heard in the words “bath” and “bathe” are found in fewer than 10 percent of the world’s languages.On top of that‚ English is filled with grammatical quirks. For instance‚ the sentence “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo” makes sense. This is because buffalo can mean three things: the hoofed animal‚ the city in New York‚ and to confuse or intimidate someone.  

A survey of researchers working in artificial intelligence (AI) has shown that the industry as a whole thinks the rate of progress is speeding up and could benefit humanity in all sorts of ways‚ while many have concerns about potential downsides to our race towards more advanced AI. The survey‚ which has not yet been peer-reviewed‚ asked 2‚778 AI researchers an array of questions on AI topics‚ including how bad or good high-level machine intelligence (HLMI) will be for humanity. Participants were asked to rate the percentage likelihood that future AI advances will cause "human extinction or similarly permanent and severe disempowerment of the human species". The mean prediction put the odds at 5 percent‚ while a question asking the chances of this same thing happening within a 100-year timescale produced the same mean prediction."Depending on how we asked‚ between 41.2 percent and 51.4 percent of respondents estimated a greater than 10 percent chance of human extinction or severe disempowerment‚" the team added in their study. "This is comparable to‚ but somewhat higher than‚ the proportion of respondents — 38 percent — who assigned at least 10 percent to 'extremely bad' outcomes '(e.g. human extinction)' in the question asking 'How good or bad for humans will High-Level Machine Intelligence be?'."The survey had the advantage of comparison with the results of the same survey conducted in 2022. Overall‚ participants believed that progress towards certain milestones‚ such as AI automating all jobs or writing a New York Times bestselling fiction novel‚ would come at earlier points than they did back in 2022. Then‚ the average prediction for the year that AI would write a bestseller was after 2050. In the latest survey‚ perhaps due to excitement around chatbot progress in the last year‚ it was slightly before 2030. Other language-based tasks saw similar changes to their predicted timescale. Tasks such as driving a truck and competing in human marathons were predicted to take place further into the 2030s‚ though those predictions have been moved forward slightly too."While the range of views on how long it will take for milestones to be feasible can be broad‚ this year’s survey saw a general shift towards earlier expectations‚" the team explained. "Over the fourteen months since the last survey‚ a similar participant pool expected human-level performance 13 to 48 years sooner on average (depending on how the question was phrased)‚ and 21 out of 32 shorter term milestones are now expected earlier.""In general‚ there were a wide range of views about expected social consequences of advanced AI‚ and most people put some weight on both extremely good outcomes and extremely bad outcomes‚" they concluded. "While the optimistic scenarios reflect AI’s potential to revolutionize various aspects of work and life‚ the pessimistic predictions — particularly those involving extinction-level risks — serve as a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in AI development and deployment."The survey results are available as a pre-print published on the AI Impacts website.

On Wednesday’s The Lead‚ CNN host Jake Tapper questioned Speaker Mike Johnson for eleven minutes on the border‚ persistently pressing him to compromise with Senate Democrats. After that was over‚ he turned to political analysts: former Bushie Doug Heye and former Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield. Heye said Biden’s knows he’s in trouble: “They see the same polling that we do‚ that Biden's numbers on the border are terrible‚ and they're really bad with Hispanics as well‚ a key demographic that he needs to do very well with.” What Tapper said next‚ to Bedingfield‚ was mystifying: TAPPER: I know that the position of the Biden White House‚ which he used to belong to‚ is that‚ boy‚ they've done more on the conservative side of things than any Democratic president in recent history‚ keeping the COVID era rules in for as long as they could‚ in their view. You know‚ tightening up asylum laws to the point that they're being sued‚ and this is‚ you know‚ with a -- with a very important Latino base. The idea that Biden’s done anything identifiably “conservative” on the border is Fake News. Illegal immigration surged from the first months of his presidency. Being to the right of Obama on immigration is noteworthy? Obama's border numbers weren't this high. Tapper didn’t ask Heye a challenging question at the top‚ but it’s stranger for him to offer the recently decamped Biden aide a preposterous summary of Biden talking points.  He could have at least started with Heye's point and asked her about the bad polls and the historically high surge in illegal immigration. Instead‚ the guy who mounted a high horse about Fox struggling with Facts is repeating the notion that Biden’s so “conservative” on this!? We’re in that unintentionally hilarious territory where liberal media outlets used to tout “the chief inflation-fighter of the Carter White House.” That sounds like a positive?  This allowed Bedingfield to declare Republicans have a "vulnerability" if they refuse to compromise with her old boss Biden. Tapper could have at the very least asked her how Biden threads the needle between his own party's radical left -- which doesn't want border control‚ which wants to cut all the razor wire holding anyone back -- and the majority of Americans who want some reasonable attempt to stem the tide.

CNN/PBS anchor Christiane Amanpour may claim to be truthful and not neutral‚ but when Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib joined her on her Wednesday show to blame Israel for the twin bombings in Iran that killed 84 people at the tomb of Qasem Soleimani. Amanpour simply noted that was “your opinion‚” but since the program aired‚ ISIS has taken credit for the attacks‚ which was always the most obvious possibility. Amanpour began by asking about the Israeli strike on Hamas’s Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut‚ “So‚ the question is‚ will Lebanon or Hezbollah‚ do you think‚ respond? And the leader of Hezbollah‚ Hassan Nasrallah‚ has been having a long speech this afternoon in which basically he said that it was blatant Israeli aggression and quote‚ ‘If the enemy decides to wage war against Lebanon‚ our combat will have no limits.’ What do you think is going to happen?”     Bou Habib gave a long reply that boiled down “we don't want any escalation in the war.” However‚ towards the end of his remarks he added‚ “So‚ a regional war is bad for everybody. And if Israel is going to continue that and if it is -- Israel like what happened today in Iran is Israeli -- is made in Israel‚ because there are in the Arab mind‚ there are two countries that can do it‚ either the United States or Israel. And of course‚ it is Israel in this case. So‚ if it's going to continue like that‚ I'm afraid. That we are really approaching a regional war‚ which everybody in the region would regret having it.” Putting aside the comical error that Iran is Persian‚ not Arab‚ when Israel works in Iran it targets specific individuals who pose a threat to it‚ it does not seek to conduct mass casualty attacks. Amanpour surely knows this‚ yet she lamely replied‚ “So‚ that's your opinion about who did that in Iran. They are saying that it's a terrorist attack. And we will wait to see if there are any further details.” While Israel does not wage mass casualty attacks in cemeteries‚ ISIS does have a history of conducting such large scale attacks in Tehran. Again‚ as a journalist who focuses heavily on international affairs and who has Iranian ancestry‚ Amanpour should know this. She surely also knows that two bad guys can fight each other‚ like Hitler and Stalin‚ and Soleimani led Iran’s efforts against ISIS which makes his tomb a logical site for an ISIS attack. If ever there was a time to be truthful and not neutral‚ this was it and Amanpour failed. Here is a transcript for the January 3 show: PBS Amanpour and Company 1/3/2024 CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Can I ask you this? You know‚ the Israelis have not publicly confirmed it‚ but the U.S. has‚ you know‚ told CNN that they believe that this is what happened. And‚ you know‚ the Israeli government spokesperson‚ the adviser to the prime minister‚ has indicated that this was an attack on Hamas‚ not an attack on Lebanon and not an attack on Hezbollah. So‚ the question is‚ will Lebanon or Hezbollah‚ do you think‚ respond? And the leader of Hezbollah‚ Hassan Nasrallah‚ has been having a long speech this afternoon in which basically he said that it was blatant Israeli aggression and quote‚ "If the enemy decides to wage war against Lebanon‚ our combat will have no limits." What do you think is going to happen? ABDALLAH BOU HABIB: I'd hope and pray that there wouldn't be any response and that Israel would not do it again‚ because whether they said it or not‚ it came first on their news items‚ you know‚ from different TVs‚ Israeli TVs‚ that they did it. And then there was a statement‚ don't say that. So‚ anyway‚ what we want is that we don't want any escalation in the war. We don't want what's happening in the south to be spread to over Lebanon. We don't like a regional war because it's dangerous to everybody. Dangerous to Lebanon‚ dangerous to Israel‚ and to the countries surrounding Israel‚ whether it is Syria‚ which kept itself a little bit as a government outside of the war and whether also Jordan‚ you know‚ because you have Palestinians all over and you have people that they ideologically differ with Israel that will join the Palestinians in the -- in this battle. So‚ a regional war is bad for everybody. And if Israel is going to continue that and if it is -- Israel like what happened today in Iran is Israeli -- is made in Israel‚ because there are in the Arab mind‚ there are two countries that can do it‚ either the United States or Israel. And of course‚ it is Israel in this case. So‚ if it's going to continue like that‚ I'm afraid. That we are really approaching a regional war‚ which everybody in the region would regret having it. AMANPOUR: So‚ that's your opinion about who did that in Iran. BOU HABIB: That's true. AMANPOUR: They are saying that it's a terrorist attack. BOU HABIB: Yes. AMANPOUR: And we will wait to see if there are any further details.

A Canadian judge ruled Friday that junkies cannot be prevented from shooting up in playgrounds and in other children's areas. According to Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson of the British Columbia Supreme Court‚ forbidding junkies to do so would impose "irreparable" harm. After all‚ reasoned the judge‚ "public consumption and consuming drugs in the company of others is oftentimes the safest" — apparently even if the company sought is that of strangers' children. What's the background? The Trudeau government decriminalized hard drugs in British Columbia last year in concert with the province's socialist NDP regime as part of a pilot program set to run until 2026. The program provides junkies in the province — 2‚300 of whom overdosed in 2021 — with an exemption from federal law to possess up to 2.5 grams of various illicit substances including fentanyl‚ heroin‚ cocaine‚ meth‚ and ecstasy. Of course‚ this initiative immediately proved problematic for all the obvious reasons. Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson‚ vice president of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police‚ noted law enforcement officials "heard feedback from our communities about the need to ensure police have appropriate tools to address areas of concern‚ which prompted the BC Association of Chiefs of Police to advocate Health Canada to add additional exceptions to the exemption." The "areas of concern" were largely those frequented by children. B.C.'s socialist premier‚ David Eby‚ also acknowledged there had been significant concerns that decriminalization had led to a spike in the use of illicit drugs in schoolyards‚ reported North Shore News. The province ultimately pressed the federal government for an amendment to the decriminalization policy to ensure that junkies couldn't abuse their newfound liberty within 49 feet of playgrounds‚ spray pools‚ wading pools‚ and skate parks. B.C. indicated in September that it had received approval to allow police to enforce federal drug law in "child-focused spaces." "We requested this amendment from Health Canada to ensure that families feel safe in their community while continuing to use every tool available to fight the toxic-drug crisis and save lives‚" said Jennifer Whiteside‚ B.C's NDP minister of mental health and addictions. The resultant provincial legislation‚ Bill 34‚ would enable police to tell junkies to stop consuming an illegal substance or to relocate to another place. Noncompliance could be punished with a maximum fine of $2‚000 and/or a prison term of up to six months. Protecting playground junkies Activists figured that that notwithstanding the roughly 364‚764 square miles whereupon junkies could shoot up in B.C.‚ it was essential that the province's playgrounds in particular remained for them a viable option. The Harm Reduction Nurses Association challenged Bill 34 in November‚ alleging it violated sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms‚ including the "rights of People Who Use Drugs ('PWUD')‚ the ... rights of the plaintiff and its members‚ and the ... rights of Indigenous people." The group said in a statement‚ "Bill 34 will drive drug use further into the shadows and put the lives of our clients and community at risk‚" adding that keeping junkies off of children's playgrounds would "disproportionately target and harm Indigenous peoples in BC." Caitlin Shane‚ a lawyer for the Harm Reduction Nurses Association‚ told the Tyee‚ "The vast majority of communities in B.C. don't have places to safely use drugs‚ and when you ban people from using in public when you know there is nowhere else for them to go further pushes people into the margins and towards isolated drug use." Corey Ranger‚ head of the HRNA‚ said Bill 34 was a "reactive‚ regressive‚ not evidence-based‚ not based in harm reduction" law that "poses immense amounts of harm for those already at higher risk of death." The HRNA activists‚ like Shane‚ appear to presume it a forgone conclusion that society must accept that junkies need to continue using. Court keeps crack on the jungle gym Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson‚ appointed to his role by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper‚ acknowledged in his Dec. 29 ruling that "the social harms associated with public illegal drug use range from the loss of public space due to open drug use‚ to discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia‚ to drug-related criminal activity and decreases in real and perceived public safety." Hinskson also indicated that he accepted "that the attendant public safety risks are particularly concerning given that many of the restricted areas and places in the Act are frequented by seniors‚ people with disabilities‚ and families with young children." Despite noting these downsides and the government's indication that the HRNA's "evidence [was] composed almost entirely of affidavits prepared by administrators of public interest groups that are replete with anecdotal evidence‚ unsubstantiated conclusory statements‚ layers of unattributed hearsay‚ ... and policy recommendations‚" Hinskon nevertheless concluded both that the legislation "will cause irreparable harm" and that its suspension "can be properly characterized as a substantial public benefit." It appears Hinkson was swayed in part by the argument that shooting up in the company of others‚ in this case in front of families and children‚ "is oftentimes the safest‚ healthiest‚ and/or only available option for an individual." The National Post indicated that Hinkson intimated restrictions on where junkies could use drugs amounted to a violation of "the right to life‚ liberty and security of the person‚" though the court did not explicitly say so. The court indicated the province can pursue other legislative and policy alternatives should Bill 34 ultimately be struck down. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) repeatedly fact-checked CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Wednesday for shifting blame from President Joe Biden on the border crisis.Biden visiting the borderJohnson and dozens of House Republicans visited the southern border on Wednesday to witness the crisis firsthand. In his interview with Tapper‚ Johnson insisted that Biden visit the border — and that's when the defenses began."I think he went last year. I think he went last year‚ just FYI‚" Tapper claimed."Well‚ he went for a photo-op‚" Johnson corrected. "He should come and spend a couple days like we have to be with the people here on the ground who are fighting this war on the border. That's effectively what it is."National security concernsNext‚ the speaker commented on the number of immigrants who have entered the U.S. under Biden — at least 7 million — and why that is a national security concern: hundreds of them were on the terrorist watchlist. Tapper responded with more defensive rhetoric."There aren't hundreds of known terrorists getting into the country. There are people whose identity have been flagged on a certain database. I just don't want people out there thinking that 200 members of Hamas have flown into the country and we don't even know about it‚" Tapper said. "I'm not saying that it's not serious‚ I'm just saying these aren't necessarily terrorists.""That's the terrorist watchlist‚ Jake. It takes quite a bit to make that list‚ OK‚" Johnson fired back. "These are dangerous people who are coming to the country."That was the melody of the entire interview.In response to Johnson's concern about terrorists and criminals‚ Tapper claimed such individuals enter the U.S. under Republican administrations‚ too.Policy reformWhen the interview shifted to immigration reform‚ Tapper claimed "it always comes down to the House Republicans and what they're willing to accept‚" ignoring Johnson's observations of how Biden is failing Americans on immigration."We can seal the border. We could do it overnight. The president has the existing authority under existing federal law to do that‚ and he refuses to do it‚" Johnson said."The argument is that there is only so much a president can do‚ even Donald Trump could not seal the border‚" Tapper rebutted‚ claiming‚ "It's really up to Congress."Supplemental packageFinally‚ Tapper asked Johnson about a $14 billion supplemental spending package for the border. He claimed Border Patrol agents want the funding to make "their job a little easier for the next month.""No‚ actually‚ they don't‚" Johnson corrected. "I just quoted to the deputy chief of U.S. Border Patrol. And he said he doesn't need more buckets. In other words‚ he doesn't need more personnel to handle the flow. He needs to turn the flow off. That's what we're talking about."This is not about sending more money down here. It's about changing the policy‚ and the White House seems not to understand that‚" the speaker explained.Tapper‚ predictably‚ responded that "even President Trump couldn't turn the faucet off.""Well‚ he turned the flow down‚" Johnson shot back‚ having made several references to Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy and his decision to end "catch and release." Tapper presses House Speaker Mike Johnson on border policy www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Billionaire Chip Wilson‚ the founder of athletic wear brand Lululemon‚ believes DEI programs are actively harming the company he founded.Diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion programs have exploded in recent years‚ specifically in business‚ government‚ and academia. The stated goal of the initiatives is good: promoting fairness for everyone. But the way the programs are administered is controversial‚ particularly because they often promote woke‚ progressive ideologies to remedy perceived societal disparities. In the fashion industry‚ DEI initiatives promote men and women of all colors‚ shapes‚ and sizes. But this is a massive branding problem for Lululemon‚ Wilson told Forbes in an interview.Bashing the "whole diversity and inclusion thing‚" Wilson said that many of the people Lululemon now feature in brand ads look "unhealthy‚" "sickly‚" and "not inspirational." The problem‚ Wilson diagnosed‚ is Lululemon is not exclusive enough."They're trying to become like the Gap: everything to everybody‚" Wilson explained. "And I think the definition of a brand is that you're not everything to everybody‚" he explained. "You've got to be clear that you don’t want certain customers coming in."Forbes claimed that Wilson's "rant" against DEI initiatives proves "why Wilson isn't the person to run a 21st century retailer." But the business wisdom contained within his remarks is common‚ accepted knowledge among entrepreneurs: successful businesses do not try to be everything to everyone all the time. Instead‚ they carve out a unique niche and reliably deliver high-quality products and solutions. Lululemon founder Chip Wilson (Taehoon Kim/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Wilson is no stranger to controversial remarks about inclusion.In 2013‚ he stepped down as chairman of the board of directors of Lululemon after saying that "some women's bodies just don't actually work" in Lululemon's famous yoga pants.In response to Wilson's comments to Forbes‚ Lululemon distanced itself from its former CEO and defended the company's DEI programs."Chip Wilson does not speak for Lululemon‚ and his comments do not reflect our company views or beliefs‚" a Lululemon spokesperson said. "We have made considerable progress since launching our Inclusion‚ Diversity‚ Equity and Action (IDEA) function‚ and we are proud of the goals we have achieved." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!