It really seemed to be missing out, but with such great rings, you can’t have everything.

Boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.

“The study of the subseafloor biosphere for animal life has just begun,” the researchers write.

This will be key to a successful lunar base.

On her eponymous show on Friday afternoon, MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell devoted a segment to a global warming alarmist who blamed recent hurricane intensity on global warming and predicted much worse storms in the future. His name is Porter Fox. He's not a credentialed scientist. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction.  Even though there are sometimes as many as four hurricanes that make landfall in the U.S. in just one hurricane season, Mitchell hyped that there have been three in the last few weeks as she set up the segment: MITCHELL: So people from Florida to North Carolina are trying to recover from back to back hurricanes -- think of it -- in less than three weeks. Most climate scientists agree the storms are getting bigger, more powerful. The destruction is getting worse. Earth's warming oceans are not just supercharging storms with stronger winds and heavier rains, but also changing their paths, putting an increasing number of Americans up and down the East Coast at grave risk. With six more weeks left in 2024's hurricane season, scientists are warning that Milton may not be the last big storm that we see. As Fox the credentialed fiction writer came aboard as a guest, he argued that the number of hurricanes that have formed in recent years is a record from within the past 50 years, but it was not mentioned that, as previously documented by NewsBusters, if one just looks at hurricanes that have made landfall, there have been other periods of frequent hurricanes within the past 150 years. (And prior to the 1970's, the satellite technology did not exist to find all storms that stayed far out in the ocean.) PORTER FOX: You know, it's interesting that the number of storms predicted remains about the same, but what is not the same is the fact that you're seeing so many more major hurricanes. We had more major hurricanes in the last six years than we did in the 50 years prior. Every decade, a hurricane has an eight percent chance of -- more of it becoming a major hurricane.... And in the future, we're looking at a 20 percent spike in what will likely be what they're calling an ultra-intense category 5 storm and possibly called a category 6 someday soon happening here in the United States -- even bigger and more dangerous than anything that we have seen -- which is hard to imagine after the last three weeks.  The doomsaying duo then spoke of the possibility of more hurricanes depositing strong storm activity further inward. Fox warned: I mean, officials need to prepare by facing the reality that this amplification of storms is happening, it is not going to pause, and it will grow year over year, decade over decade. These storms of the future are going to last longer. Some of them will move slower, amplifying damage by many times. They will penetrate deep into the United States in the future as far west as New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri. We saw in Helene what happens when a hurricane penetrates 500 miles from the coast into North Carolina. He concluded by arguing against voting for global warming skeptics: Those inland regions are not prepared for hurricanes. I don't think they ever thought they were going to have to deal with that, but, as I found for the reporting in this book, that is our future, and that is what FEMA and the federal government really need to prepare for on top of Americans at large need to stop putting politicians in power who do not believe that climate change is real. They do not believe in this amplification of storms. And if they're not going to act, they certainly need to come to the aid of the victims that are really feeling the full brunt of this. Transcript follows: MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports October 11, 2024 12:51 p.m. Eastern ANDREA MITCHELL: So people from Florida to North Carolina are trying to recover from back to back hurricanes -- think of it -- in less than three weeks. Most climate scientists agree the storms are getting bigger, more powerful. The destruction is getting worse. Earth's warming oceans are not just supercharging storms with stronger winds and heavier rains, but also changing their paths, putting an increasing number of Americans up and down the East Coast at grave risk. With six more weeks left in 2024's hurricane season, scientists are warning that Milton may not be the last big storm that we see. Joining me now is Porter Fox. He's the author of Category Five: Superstorms and the Warming Oceans That Feed Them. So, Porter, thank you for being with us today. In your latest book, you explain how climate change is making storms more intense but not more frequent. Why is that? PORTER FOX, AUTHOR OF CATEGORY FIVE: You know, it's interesting that the number of storms predicted remains about the same, but what is not the same is the fact that you're seeing so many more major hurricanes. We had more major hurricanes in the last six years than we did in the 50 years prior. Every decade, a hurricane has an eight percent chance of -- more of it becoming a major hurricane. And in the future, we're looking at a 20 percent spike in what will likely be what they're calling an ultra-intense category 5 storm and possibly called a category 6 someday soon happening here in the United States -- even bigger and more dangerous than anything that we have seen -- which is hard to imagine after the last three weeks.  MITCHELL: In a new op-ed you wrote for the New York Times that it's not just residents of the southeastern U.S. at risk for these intensifying storms -- the dense urban cities -- cities in the Northeast like D.C. and New York City, Boston -- are increasingly vulnerable also. So we all remember super storm Sandy, of course, a number of years ago which hit our area, but how can officials prepare for what might be to come? FOX: I mean, officials need to prepare by facing the reality that this amplification of storms is happening, it is not going to pause, and it will grow year over year, decade over decade. These storms of the future are going to last longer. Some of them will move slower, amplifying damage by many times. They will penetrate deep into the United States in the future as far west as New Mexico, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri. We saw in Helene what happens when a hurricane penetrates 500 miles from the coast into North Carolina. And the damage there was more than at the landfall site in Florida. Those inland regions are not prepared for hurricanes. I don't think they ever thought they were going to have to deal with that, but, as I found for the reporting in this book, that is our future, and that is what FEMA and the federal government really need to prepare for on top of Americans at large need to stop putting politicians in power who do not believe that climate change is real. They do not believe in this amplification of storms. And if they're not going to act, they certainly need to come to the aid of the victims that are really feeling the full brunt of this. MITCHELL: Porter Fox, thank you so much. Really, really interesting stuff. We appreciate it.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel and CBS’s Stephen Colbert were the only late night comedy hosts to be on the air on Monday after the news cycle gifted them a Kamala Harris plagiarism scandal. However, like their straight news colleagues, they ignored such a comedy gold mine and instead chose to gush over Harris’s medical records and use them as another opportunity to bash Donald Trump. Colbert went first on The Late Show and he marveled at how, “This weekend, Harris released her latest medical report, which states that she's ‘in excellent health.’ It's great that just the words ‘excellent health’ kinda feel like a dig at Donald Trump. They should follow that up with ‘Can walk up stairs’ and ‘Is potty trained.’”     After reading from Harris’s physician, Colbert added, “According to the doctor, Harris works out daily and eats healthy. Okay, but politicians are supposed to be relatable to Americans. We do not eat healthy.” He then teed up a clip of Harris at a recent rally attacking Trump for not realizing his medical records, “He refuses to release his medical records. I've done it. Every other presidential camp, every other presidential candidate in modern era has done it. [jump cut] One must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what's going on?” Colbert replied, “Yeah, probably. Or, hear me out, it is possible he can't find a doctor willing to do the exam. ‘Okay, Mr. Trump, now if you'll just open the gown and close it up! Close it up! Close it up! He's good! He's fine. What do I sign? What do I sign? Get him out of here. Get him out of here.’”     Over at Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the eponymous host echoed Colbert, “To the White House doctor, the vice president is in ‘Excellent health.’ Other than seasonal allergies, mild nearsightedness, and hives. Gee, I wonder what could be giving her hives.” Kimmel continued, “Trump has not released his medical report. He has not released his medical report. He’s not released his tax returns, his health care plan. He hasn't released his sports bra for months. But he was up at 1:12 AM posting, ‘I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on cognitive stamina and agility.’ The guy who's up in the middle of the night reading tweets about himself wants to give someone else a cognitive test. Pretty sure we all watched her ace that test, when she handed you your tangerine ass in that debate.” Meanwhile, Harris keeps struggling, and Colbert and Kimmel view it as their jobs to help drag her campaign across the finish line even if that means passing up on great comedic material. Here are transcripts for the October 14-taped shows: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 10/14/2024 11:37 PM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: This weekend, Harris released her latest medical report, which states that she's "in excellent health." It's great that just the words "excellent health" kinda feel like a dig at Donald Trump. They should follow that up with "Can walk up stairs" and "Is potty trained."  According to a letter from Harris's physician, “She possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency, to include those as chief executive, head of state, and commander in chief." Yeah, yeah. That's impressive. That's a hell of a doctor's note. After my last physical, Dr. Shaker just wrote, "Can continue to host The Late Show (maybe sit down for monologue?)"  According, not a bad idea. According to the doctor, Harris works out daily and eats healthy. Okay, but politicians are supposed to be relatable to Americans. We do not eat healthy. Has she forgotten the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence? "Love that chicken from Popeyes!"  You know he did. You know he did. Oh, you know who hasn't released his medical records? Donald Trump. Which Harris pointed out—do you really want to see his X-rays? Harris pointed it out at a rally yesterday. KAMALA HARRIS: He refuses to release his medical records. I've done it. Every other presidential camp, every other presidential candidate in modern era has done it. [jump cut] One must question, are they afraid that people will see that he is too weak and unstable to lead America? Is that what's going on? COLBERT: Yeah, probably. Or, hear me out, it is possible he can't find a doctor willing to do the exam. "Okay, Mr. Trump, now if you'll just open the gown and close it up! Close it up! Close it up! He's good! He's fine. What do I sign? What do I sign? Get him out of here. Get him out of here." *** ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live! 10/15/2024 12:13 AM ET JIMMY KIMMEL: This is not a healthy individual. You know, Kamala Harris released her medical information over the weekend. According to the White House doctor, the vice president is in "Excellent health." Other than seasonal allergies, mild nearsightedness, and hives. Gee, I wonder what could be giving her hives.  Trump has not released his medical report. He has not released his medical report. He’s not released his tax returns, his health care plan. He hasn't released his sports bra for months. But he was up at 1:12 AM posting, "I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on cognitive stamina and agility." The guy who's up in the middle of the night reading tweets about himself wants to give someone else a cognitive test. Pretty sure we all watched her ace that test, when she handed you your tangerine ass in that debate.

The hand-wringing in the media has begun. They’re worried Kamala Harris is losing.  It’s not because she responds to interviewer questions with blithering word salads or that she admits she offers no real change from the current administration. Of course the real reason she might lose — in the minds of leftist journalists — is because America is sexist!  The following are just a few examples of journalists making a pre-election loss case that it wasn’t Harris’s incompetence or leftist policies that the country rejected - rather it’s because  America is too “misogynistic” to vote for a woman:   Harris Has to “Elevate” Herself Above America’s Sexist Views      “What weighs Kamala Harris down are two things that are obvious….This is a woman of color in a society that has….elevated white men historically, consistently, presently, and they believe in the future as well….Those two things really can have an impact on how the electorate sees her and the viability of a woman in office, a woman at the helm, talking about global politics. People will say, ‘What would another country feel about a woman leader because there’s never been one.’ And so those two things don’t give her wings, they give her anchors. It’s her job to elevate it.”— CNN anchor Laura Coates on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, October 11.    “Sexism” Is a Component This Campaign, Trump Has Only Beat Women “There is a sexism component to this race. There was a sexism component to the Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump race. Right? If Trump wins, he will have only ever beaten women. I can’t give you a number, but sexism is in the mix here, but it’s not black men specifically, I think it’s men.”— Senior Staff Editor New York Times Opinion David Swerdlick on Barack Obama being critical of black men not supporting Kamala Harris as aired on CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip, October 11.    Male Voters Picking Trump, Who is In “Cognitive Decline,” Over Harris Because of “Sexism”      “He’s [Donald Trump] flailing….His pitch is literally at this point, pick the white guy or the black girl, and he’s asking people who are the most racist of this country to support him….I thought it was interesting when former President Obama said basically, like, ‘Hey, men, male voters, I don’t care if you think women are weak. You need to reconsider what you think about Kamala Harris and really focus on the facts because this is not a joke.’...Those are not only the folks who are not only not voting, but if they do vote, they are most likely, according to polls, going to vote for someone like Donald Trump because of mis and disinformation and because of sexism, as we know. With the idea that women are just not as strong as men as leaders and this idea that even though Donald Trump is clearly suffering cognitive decline and does not have the mental acuity to be president.”  — Washington Post opinion editor/former Axios reporter Alexi McCammond on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, October 10.   Trump and His Supporters Fear a President Harris Will End “White Patriarchy”       “So nobody’s ready to write the epigraph for the Trump years, but I do think, you know, it’s a powerful suggestion, right?....That Kamala Harris is the future and that Donald Trump is the past. And indeed, that demographic reality lies at the core of so much of Donald Trump’s power over his audience, right? The idea that a multicultural, inclusive America is actually the road we’re heading down, and that the sort of white patriarchal society that allowed Donald Trump to profiteer as much as he has is going into the rear view, right? That’s a powerful, distressing idea if you are part of the white patriarchy like Donald Trump….That Trumpism and MAGAism are the things of yesterday, veering their heads for one last gasp.”— MSNBC host Alex Wagner on night two of MSNBC’s live coverage of the Democratic National Convention, August 20.    GOP’s “Misogynist” “Scare Tactic”  “For years it’s been a Republican scare tactic. A vote to reelect President Joe Biden, the GOP often charges, is really a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s an attack line sometimes tinged with racist and misogynist undertones and often macabre imagery. But after Biden’s dismal performance at last week’s presidential debate, which has sparked Democratic calls for him to step aside, what was once dismissed as a far-right conspiracy — Harris replacing Biden — could now have a chance of coming to pass. And Republicans, including Donald Trump, are ramping up their attacks.”— National political reporter Jill Colvin in a July 5 AP story.   The Daily Show Mocks: Conservatives Believe If You Vote For a Woman “Your Penis Evaporates”      Host Jordan Klepper: “But while an improving economy is a boost to Kamala Harris, she’s got another big problem on her hands.”...Clip of MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki: “Among men, Trump has a sizable lead. He’s beating Harris by 12 points.”...Klepper: “There’s a reason why America has the same number of female presidents as the Taliban. There’s a certain type of person who thinks that voting for a woman makes you less of a man. And that type of person is on TV.”...Clip of Fox News host Jesse Watters: “I don’t see why any man would vote Democrat. That person has mommy issues or they’re just trying to be accepted by other women.”...Klepper: “Exactly! Republicans are the party of real men. Real, tough men who are strong, and love America, and won’t back down, and hate Democrat-run cities because there’s so many scary people there!...‘Oh, god, mommy, the streets are dirty and there are immigrants! Please, please send Donald Trump to help me, mommy! I’m so scared!’ That’s how a real man feels! But that’s what right-wingers believe. If you’re a man who votes for a woman, your penis evaporates.”— Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, October 10.

Many celebrities have chosen to work with Donald Trump in the past, but that hasn’t stopped them from suddenly deciding he’s our country's greatest threat. One of those celebrities is Whoopi Goldberg, and at a recent rally, Trump called her out not just for her past association with him, but how “filthy” she really is. “I’ve hired Whoopi to work for me as a comedian, before this stuff, and a long time ago,” Trump said. “I’m not particularly shy about what I hear. Her mouth was so foul, she was so filthy, dirty, disgusting. Half the place left. I said I’d never hire her again.” Whoopi was not happy with Trump’s statement, but her response on “The View” didn’t prove him wrong. Rather, she agreed. “As it turns out I was filthy. I was filthy. And stand on that fact. I have always been filthy, and you knew that when you hired me,” Whoopi said in her response, to laughter from the crowd. Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” has noticed that this is a talent of Trump’s. “Trump has a way of getting people to expose themselves for exactly who they are,” Rubin says, adding, “He’ll have her being like ‘Yeah, I am nasty and filthy and I do chop my genitals off’ and it really is his superpower at this point.” Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations, free speech, and big ideas with Dave Rubin, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

The leaders in charge of a Massachusetts town are in a panic after a local resident decided to shine a pro-Trump message onto the town water tower.On Friday, people began to notice a "Trump 2024" sign being projected onto the water tower located at 228 High St. in Hanson, a Boston-area town of about 11,000 residents. To counteract the illuminated message, members of the Highway Department have projected a spotlight onto the water tower but have thus far managed only to dim the Trump image.'This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars.'Hanson Town administrator Lisa Green issued a statement, insisting that the main problem with the image is that it "misleads the public into believing that this activity is sanctioned by or condoned by the Town."Green reiterated that the town "does not endorse candidates for any office from any political party."The town then prepared to send an official cease-and-desist letter to the resident or residents suspected of shining the image. The town also began assessing a fine of $100 per day to help recoup some of the cost of blasting the spotlight atop it. Those fines have since been accruing, officials said."This individual’s actions have the potential to cost a significant amount of taxpayer dollars, including attorney fees, overtime to pay Highway Department workers to turn the spotlight on and off each day, and the potential for having to rent or purchase stronger lighting equipment. The $100 per day fine will likely not cover these expenses," Green said."Further measures are being considered at this time," her statement added.Hanson officials have declined to name the resident responsible for the image, which can be seen here.They also insist that they respect residents' right to support any candidate of their choosing. "The Town of Hanson respects the free speech rights of all residents, and the right of all residents to express their political views, but not on Town property or in a manner that makes it appear that the Town of Hanson is endorsing any political candidate," Green's statement said.At least two Hanson locals have expressed some appreciation for the political stunt, even if they also understand why leaders have attempted to intervene."I thought it was ingenious and laughed and got a kick out of it," said Patrick Croghan, who lives across the street from the water tower, "but I can understand the town not wanting it up there, 100 percent, just because it is a political thing.""The town has to ensure that we are following the state laws, and I believe somebody has a right to put a Trump sign anywhere they want or a Walz/Harris," added Lisa Carson.As of Friday night, the image was still visible. Whether the culprit continues to shine the light is unclear, though the accruing fines and a report that WHDH knocked on the door "at the home where the projection has been coming from" on Monday morning both indicate that the image on the water tower remains.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

What frustrates you the most in Cities Skylines 2? For some players, it’s getting taxes absolutely right. In other cases, optimizing garbage collection and building the perfect road network are a constant bane. Obviously you want a challenge in a strategy game, but there’s also something to be said for sitting back and just admiring your creation, those reflective moments in Civilization 6 or Age of Empires where you just bask in the majesty of what you’ve made. Take that feeling and combine it with Night City from Cyberpunk 2077 - eliminate all the headaches from CS2, and indulge, fully, in the joys of architecture and urban design. This is Dystopika, a unique city builder that you have to play, especially now it’s had a huge update. Continue reading Dystopika is 2024’s most underrated city builder, and it just got a huge update