Sixty House Republicans Went to Eagle Pass‚ Texas and They Got an Eyeful of Illegal Aliens

The Biden 'Doom and Gloom' Tour is Kicking Off

Democrats Seek to Bar GOP Congressional Candidates From Ballot Also

An antibiotic belonging to an entirely new class of drugs has been discovered‚ and it has already shown promise against one of the greatest bacterial threats to human health. Clinical trials have begun‚ and if they go well‚ it could mean the addition of a much-needed new tool to our antimicrobial arsenal.The antibiotic‚ identified by Claudia Zampaloni‚ Patrizio Mattei‚ Konrad Bleicher‚ and colleagues‚ has been named zosurabalpin‚ and the excitement comes from experiments in the lab and in mice that show it can target a highly drug-resistant strain of a bacterium called Acinetobacter baumannii.The carbapenem-resistant strain of A. baumannii‚ nicknamed CRAB‚ has been identified as a priority 1 critical pathogen by the World Health Organization. The bug is impervious to nearly all antibiotics‚ and resistant individuals in a population can share their protective genes easily with the other bacteria around them.CRAB is of particular concern in healthcare settings. People most at risk of infection include those with indwelling medical devices like catheters‚ those who are in intensive care or who have to stay in hospital for a long time‚ and those recovering from surgical wounds. When someone does get infected with CRAB it’s extremely difficult to treat‚ which is why new drugs are so desperately needed.A. baumannii is a Gram-negative bacterium. Other notable examples of this class of bacteria include Pseudomonas aeruginosa and everyone’s favourite model organism‚ good old Escherichia coli. They’re notoriously difficult to kill‚ thanks to their outer membrane composed of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Many antibiotics can’t get through this protective shield – so‚ if you want to get at a Gram-negative‚ you really need to be targeting the LPS.Zosurabalpin does just that. As detailed in a second published paper‚ it stops LPS from reaching the outer membrane in the first place by messing with the transport mechanisms that move the LPS to the correct place in the bacterial cell.“Surprisingly‚ this new class of antibiotics binds both to the transport complex as well as the LPS itself‚ preventing its transport to the outer membrane‚” explained Kenneth Bradley‚ Global Head‚ Infectious Disease Discovery at Roche Pharma Research &; Early Development‚ in a statement.“Consequently‚ the LPS remains trapped in the inner membrane complex. Without the ability to transport LPS the bacteria die.”This means the new drug can get around the defenses that CRAB has developed to other medications‚ but the scientists caution that more research is needed to investigate whether the wily microbes might one day be able to develop resistance to zosurabalpin too.This discovery could potentially lead to novel treatments for other Gram-negative pathogens‚ which also target the LPS transport system. As just one example‚ P. aeruginosa led to an estimated 32‚600 hospital-acquired infections in 2017‚ and it too is becoming more difficult to treat. In a Nature News and Views article accompanying the recent studies‚ Morgan K. Gugger and Paul J. Hergenrother pointed out that it’s been over 50 years since the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new antibiotic for use against harmful Gram-negative bacteria.Clinical trials for zosurabalpin are already underway. The road from lab experiments to clinical use of a new drug can be very long‚ but there’s still some hope that this discovery could represent a turning point in the fight against one of the greatest challenges facing humankind today.The two studies are published in Nature‚ here and here.

The long-lost remains of an ancient mangrove forest that disappeared over 22 million years ago have been discovered on an island in the Panama Canal.Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute recently discovered 121 fossilized wood specimens in a stream on Barro Colorado Island in the middle of the human-made Panama Canal. The fossils were found to belong to a never-before-seen species of extinct mangrove called Sonneratioxylon barrocoloradoensis.Mangrove forests are a fascinating collective of plants that grow along the coast‚ typically found in warmer climates around the equator. Salty conditions will kill most plants‚ but these sea-dwelling trees have developed special adaptations to remove salt from the surrounding seawater‚ allowing them to tolerate the saline conditions.Radiometric dating indicates that the wood is around 22.79 million years old‚ meaning this mangrove forest thrived during the Aquitanian stage of the Early Miocene. Around this time‚ Earth’s continents looked very different and Panama was connected to North America through a long‚ narrow peninsula riddled with intense volcanic activity.By closely studying the remains‚ the researchers worked out that the average height of the trees was approximately 25 meters (82 feet)‚ with some specimens reaching up to 40 meters (131 feet). The team describes these plants as “megaflora” since they are significantly larger than today’s mangroves.It appears these giant plants were part of a colossal mangrove forest that thrived along the coast of the volcanic chain of central Panama in the Early Miocene. The good times didn’t last forever‚ though. During the early Miocene‚ the tectonic planets of South America and the Caribbean crashed together‚ sparking dramatic volcanic activity that radically changed the landscape of Panama. The dating and deposits found at the site affirm the theory that this forest was buried by a single lahar‚ a giant blanket of mud and volcanic material that slipped down the slope of the volcano and consumed the forest. Trapped without any oxygen‚ plus high silica concentrations‚ the wood was unable to decompose‚ allowing it to remain well-preserved for millions upon millions of years.Today‚ the fossilized remains around found at the top of a hill that became an artificial island when its surroundings were flooded during the construction of the Panama Canal at the start of the 20th century. Massive infrastructure developments like this can often destroy relics of the distant past‚ but the removal of sediment for the new expansion of the Panama Canal unearthed several significant discoveries of a fossilized nature. This included a collection of 20-million-year-old wood that helped to show one of the key events in planet Earth’s history.The new study is published in the journal Palaeogeography‚ Palaeoclimatology‚ Palaeoecology.

Structures key to oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria have been found in 1.75-billion-year-old fossil cells‚ three times the age of the previous record. Although Earth’s atmosphere became rich in oxygen before this‚ the discovery could help piece together the history of one of the most important developments in our planet’s history.Oxygen is the currency in which complex organisms trade: whether producing it via photosynthesis or using it for energy via respiration. Oxygen is so reactive that it would not stay in the atmosphere‚ or dissolve in the oceans‚ for long without constant replenishment. For that‚ we can thank simpler forms of life‚ but the details are hazy.The identification of fossils of the cyanobacteria Navifusa majensis from the McDermott Formation in Australia’s Northern Territory could make that picture a little clearer. If the fossils are indeed thylakoid-bearing cyanobacteria‚ as their discoverers claim‚ they are 1.2 billion years older than the previous oldest discovery. The same researchers also claim to have found approximately one billion-year-old photosynthesizers across the planet in Canada‚ which would have been easily record-setting without the Australian discovery.We know that Earth was transformed by what is called the Great Oxidization Event (GOE)‚ when oxygen levels in the atmosphere‚ and dissolved in the oceans‚ rose to allow new forms of life. The timing of the GOE is heavily debated‚ but estimates of 2.4 billion years ago comfortably exceed any signs of the responsible organisms. Today‚ cyanobacteria produce some of the world’s oxygen independently. The rest is made by plastids‚ descendants of free-living cyanobacteria that have formed symbiotic relationships with plants or algae and now do the oxygen production within leaf or frond cells.It is likely cyanobacteria were responsible for the GOE‚ but that’s not something we can be certain of on the evidence available. Stromatolites are known to have been photosynthesizing much earlier‚ and perhaps some other lifeform produced the GOE's oxygen‚ only to be a victim of its own success. Understanding the evolution of photosynthesizing organisms could fill in one of the big gaps in our knowledge of the planet.The oldest accepted evidence of cyanobacteria dates to between 1.85 and 2.02 billion years ago. However‚ these fossils‚ identified as Eoentophysalis belcherensis‚ lack the thylakoid membranes where photosynthesis occurs. These membranes are thought to have evolved between 2.0 and 2.7 billion years ago‚ based on molecular clocks; that’s a wide uncertainty. Some fossil evidence to narrow it down would be appreciated.In the search for such evidence‚ researchers at the University of Liège looked for specimens of cyanobacteria with thylakoids that could beat previous records. Their newly announced discoveries from Canada’s Grassy Bay Formation would have been impressive enough‚ but the Australian find really pushes the timeline back. Cyanobacteria from the Democratic Republic of the Congo of similar age to the Canadian specimens lack the membranes.Microorganisms seldom fossilize well and are easy to overlook when they do. Identifying membranes within them is an even bigger challenge‚ as these are often crushed or destroyed by heat. However‚ the authors of the paper write; “Thylakoids represent direct ultrastructural evidence for oxygenic photosynthesis metabolism. Thylakoid membranes are dense‚ mostly galactolipid‚ protein-containing bilayers in which photosynthesis occurs in photosynthetic organisms.”This is what the team claims to have found in the fossils. “It cannot be something else‚ actually. This arrangement is very unique to cyanobacteria with thylakoids‚” study author Dr Emmanuelle Javaux told Science News. Examples of thylakoids are widespread over the last 150 million years of the fossil record‚ and have been previously reported in what are thought to be algal aggregates from 550 million years ago and cyanobacterial mats fifty million years older again.The newly announced specimens are all similar looking‚ although the Canadians somewhat exceed the Australian samples’ 57–177 µm length and 17–40 µm width. The crucial membranes are just 10-20 nm thick. The Australian specimens are thought to have been deposited in shallow marine environments that‚ ironically‚ were lacking in oxygen.The paper is published open access in the journal Nature. 

In 1969‚ the US had a brief and crunchy moral panic. People‚ including senators‚ believed that members of the public were injecting themselves with peanut butter to get high.The panic‚ according to website The Museum of Hoaxes‚ began at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in October 1969. At the meeting‚ two government experts working for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics claimed that the youth had been injecting peanut butter and mayonnaise to get high‚ thanks to a book circulating amongst them that told them it would give them "a little trip".According to the duo‚ the fad had already caused several deaths. The panic‚ as is customary‚ spread in the media‚ and it wasn't too long before other officials claimed that they knew of deaths in their own communities. Then talk of injecting Skippy (smooth‚ of course‚ only the most hardened users go crunchy) made it to the Senate."When you find out a person gets a big kick out of injecting peanut butter in his veins‚ what do you do?" Senator Fong asked Dr Stanley F Yolles‚ who replied‚ "I think the only kick they get out of peanut butter is the final kick. It is a very dangerous practice‚ to say the least; it causes death if injected in any large quantity."After being asked to comment on what the Bureau does in cases like that‚ Yolles replied that they do not get involved with individual cases‚ but wanted to warn the public of the dangers of such things."But we are not using scare tactics; we are trying to give out straight factual information‚" Yolles said‚ still talking about the idea of people shooting up a tub of Smucker's‚ "because we have had experience over the years with mis-information deliberately set out to scare people about using various substances and this has not worked." "It has backfired on us; today there is a large proportion of the population‚ especially the young people‚ who just don't believe what we are telling them anymore. It is of great concern to public health people when they try to get across some of the dangers of using some of these drugs and the audience to which they are directing their remarks don't believe them because of all the misinformation that has been handed out in the last 25 years."In the initial phase of the panic‚ it was reported that the peanut butter was mixed with mayo‚ though later stories dispensed with the mayonnaise part. Nobody knew who the idea came from (largely because it wasn't real) and it was presumed that some pioneer had simply decided to inject themselves with the spreads to see what happened. One idea people had for how it could get you high is that it deprived the brain of oxygen‚ but again this was presented without evidence. There are no reports in the medical literature of people injecting peanut butter and mayo to date‚ neither combined nor individually. Whatever started this rumor‚ it is unlikely to be an actual case of someone doing it.A more likely‚ though not confirmed‚ theory is that government drug experts had taken some drug slang a little too literally. Mayo began being used as slang for cocaine in the 1940s‚ and later heroin. Perhaps someone misunderstood this‚ because there are no legitimate records – repeated rumor does not count – of anybody shooting up a jar of Hellman's.[H/T: Hoaxes.org]

Many of us spend our lives chasing the wrong narratives‚ only to realize what really matters when faced with our own mortality. Unfortunately‚ by this point‚ it’s too late to start over‚ which is why many people end their days heavy with regret.Of course‚ no two people share the same life history and it’s impossible to predict exactly which events‚ actions‚ or tendencies an individual will feel most remorseful about when their time’s up. Having said that‚ the small amount of academic literature on this topic suggests that there are certain themes that tend to trigger the strongest pangs of conscience when death comes a-knocking.For instance‚ in a 2011 study involving hospice patients receiving end-of-life care‚ those with the least regrets were those who felt they had maximized their personal relationships. This is exemplified by the testimony of one participant‚ who said: “I don’t have no regrets. I always took care of my wife and family and I always‚ we always went on vacation two or three times a year. And I feel good now. I don’t have no regrets.”The same study found that the greatest source of death anxiety was the inability to witness one’s grandchildren or other loved ones growing up‚ highlighting how the simple things suddenly take priority when the mortal hourglass runs low.And while very little additional research has been conducted on this subject‚ author and palliative nurse Bonnie Ware’s poignant book entitled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying confirms the importance of personal relationships. “It all comes down to love and relationships in the end‚” she writes. “That is all that remains in the final weeks‚ love and relationships.”According to Ware‚ the top regret expressed by dying patients is the failure to be true to themselves‚ instead living the life that others expected of them. “Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made‚ or not made‚” she explains.This is followed by a regret about working too much‚ with the result being that people often spent less time with their partner or kids than they would have liked. Number three on the list was the regret of having suppressed one’s feelings in order to avoid upsetting others.“As a result‚ they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming‚” says Ware‚ who even claims the "bitterness and resentment” this aroused may have been the cause of some patients’ illnesses.Sorrow over not having stayed in touch with old friends was the fourth most common regret‚ while the final item on the list relates to a failure to allow oneself to be fully happy. “Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice‚” writes Ware.“Fear of change had them pretending to others‚ and to their selves‚ that they were content. When deep within‚ they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”The key to a regret-free life‚ then‚ may be to put your friends and family first‚ have the courage to be your true self‚ and lose your inhibitions about being silly. All of these may seem easier said than done‚ but as Ware points out‚ “when you are on your deathbed‚ what others think of you is a long way from your mind.” “How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again‚ long before you are dying.”

The Biden Department of Justice made good Wednesday on its threat to sue Texas for attempting to protect American sovereignty amidst an unprecedented flood of illegal aliens over the southern border. The lawsuit comes one day after the Biden administration requested that the Supreme Court allow federal agents to remove some of the Lone Star State's more effective border defenses. The complaint‚ filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas‚ claims the efforts of the Republican-led state to do what the Biden administration appears unwilling or unable to do as it regards the border "through [Senate Bill 4]‚ intrude on the federal government's exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens‚ frustrate the United States' immigration operations and proceedings‚ and interfere with U.S. foreign relations." What's the background? SB4 was ratified by Gov. Greg Abbott on Dec. 18 and goes into effect in March 5. It is one of a handful of new tools Republicans furnished Texas with last month to address record-high monthly illegal border crossings. The over 300‚000 illegal aliens who stole into the nation in December not only set an all-time monthly record‚ according to CBS News‚ but possibly pushed the number of reported illegal entries under President Joe Biden's watch past 7 million. Should the DOJ's intervention fail‚ SB4 will make illegal entry into the Lone Star State a class B misdemeanor as well as allow for foreign nationals who refuse to leave the country to be charged with a second-degree felony‚ which carries prison time of up to 20 years. Under the law‚ illegal aliens found in Texas "at any time" who have previously been convicted of two or more misdemeanors involving drugs‚ crimes against a person‚ or both would be charged with a third-degree felony. Leftist groups like the ACLU‚ long supportive of flouting federal immigration law‚ beat the Biden DOJ to the punch‚ alleging Texas would be usurping federal authority by enacting SB4. The Mexican regime also condemned Texas over the legislation‚ stating on Nov. 15 that "the Government of Mexico categorically rejects any measure that allows state or local authorities to detain and return Mexican or foreign nationals to Mexican territory." The Biden White House joined other leftist outfits and the foreign power in criticizing Texas. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called SB4 "an extreme law that will not and does not make the communities in Texas safer." "And it is incredibly unfortunate. But this is what we see from particular Republicans trying to dehumanize a group of people who are coming here or some of them trying to migrate here‚" continued Jean-Pierre. "And — and they're putting them in harm’s way. They're putting them in harm's way." The Biden DOJ threatened Abbott in a Dec. 28 letter that it was planning to "bring a lawsuit to enforce the supremacy of federal law and to enjoining the operation of SB4." It followed through on Wednesday. DOJ's fight to ax law criminalizing illegal immigration The lawsuit filed Wednesday "on behalf of the United States‚ including the Justice Department‚ the Department of Homeland Security‚ and the Department of State‚" claims that "Texas's SB 4 is preempted by federal law and thus violates the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. That conclusion is strongly reinforced by the Foreign Commerce Clause." While acknowledging that improper entry into the U.S. is already a crime‚ the DOJ cited the Supreme Court's 2012 ruling in Arizona v. United States‚ stressing "'the removal process' must be 'entrusted to the discretion of the Federal Government‚' in part because a 'decision on removability . . . touch[es] on foreign relations and must be made with one voice.'" In addition to warning that SB4 might "undermine U.S. efforts to convince governments worldwide to implement or strengthen their international protection systems and uphold their respective non-refoulement obligations‚" the complaint suggested the law would "also impede the federal government's ability to take appropriate enforcement actions and assess a noncitizen' national-security and public-safety risks." The DOJ requested that the court declare SB4 invalid and permanently enjoin Texas from enforcing the law. "Texas cannot disregard the United States Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent‚" Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton said in a statement. "We have brought this action to ensure that Texas adheres to the framework adopted by Congress and the Constitution for regulation of immigration." "Under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution and longstanding Supreme Court precedent‚ states cannot adopt immigration laws that interfere with the framework enacted by Congress‚" said departing Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. "The Justice Department will continue to fulfill its responsibility to uphold the Constitution and enforce federal law." Abbott responded Wednesday evening‚ writing‚ "Biden sued me today because I signed a law making it illegal for an illegal immigrant to enter or attempt to enter Texas directly from a foreign nation. I like my chances." "Texas is the only government in America trying to stop illegal immigration‚" added the Republican governor. Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze told CBS News in late December‚ "Texas is prepared to take this fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect Texans and Americans from President Biden's open border policies." "President Biden's deliberate and dangerous inaction at our southern border has left Texas to fend for itself‚" continued Eze. "Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law last week to help stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas as the President refuses to enforce federal immigration law." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!