Book Reveals Trump Mocked Kari Lake's Intense Election Fraud Claims

  July 31, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Book Reveals Trump Mocked Kari Lake's Intense Election Fraud Claims

Trump in Exile: Meridith McGraw Chronicles Trump's Post-Presidency Moves

Meridith McGraw’s new book, *Trump in Exile*, offers an expansive portrait of Donald Trump’s actions since leaving office in January 2021. The book, set to be released in the US next week, delves into Trump’s life as he navigates the political landscape as a former president and current presidential nominee.

On Tuesday, Kari Lake secured the Republican nomination for the US Senate in Arizona, bolstered by Trump’s endorsement. However, McGraw reveals that Trump often mocked Lake for her fervent promotion of his election fraud claims.

“Lake’s dedication to discussing fraud in the 2020 election would sometimes even make Trump laugh,” McGraw writes. The Guardian has obtained an advance copy of the book.

According to McGraw, Trump advised other Republicans seeking his endorsement to emulate Lake’s approach.

“It doesn’t matter what you ask Kari Lake about,” McGraw quotes Trump as saying. “‘How’s your family?’ And she’s like, ‘The family’s fine but they’re never going to be great until we have free and fair elections.’”

Citing Trump’s “friends and donors,” McGraw adds: “One said, ‘You could ask her, how’s the weather? and she’ll turn it into the election. ‘Oh, the weather in Phoenix is OK, but you can never have great weather unless the election is fair.’”

McGraw also recounts a 2022 conversation between Trump and Blake Masters, then a US Senate candidate, recorded by a documentary crew.

“I heard you did great on the debate,” Trump said, “but had bad election answers. You’ve got a lot of support, and you have to stay with those people. If you want to get across the line, you’ve got to go stronger on that one thing. Look at Kari. Kari is winning with very little money, and if they say, ‘How is your family?’ she says, ‘The election was rigged and stolen.’ You’ll lose if you go soft. You’ll lose that base.”

Trump’s claims that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election through fraud have been debunked, yet they fueled the January 6 Capitol attack. Despite this, many Republican candidates continue to echo Trump’s falsehoods, with polls indicating a majority of Republican voters believe them.

McGraw describes Lake as “one of the loudest standard-bearers for the election denialism movement.” A former TV anchor, Lake ran for Arizona governor in 2022, heavily relying on Trump’s fraud claims from the 2020 election. After losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs, Lake refused to concede, maintaining that Hobbs won through fraud.

Now running for the US Senate, Lake will face Democrat Ruben Gallego in November, in a race that could influence control of the Senate. McGraw highlights how Trump’s endorsement has become a litmus test for candidates’ loyalty to his election fraud narrative, with Lake being a prime example of this phenomenon.

*Trump in Exile* covers a range of Trump’s political maneuvers since January 2021, from surviving a second impeachment to securing the Republican nomination for the 2024 election despite facing 88 criminal charges (34 resulting in conviction) and multiple civil lawsuits.

McGraw also examines the rise and fall of Trump’s potential rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. A notorious campaign ad depicted DeSantis eating chocolate pudding with his fingers, based on a story about a utensil-less flight. The ad became a viral hit, though DeSantis dismissed it as trivial.

McGraw reveals that Trump’s campaign staff deliberately used ridicule as a tactic against DeSantis, inspired by Saul Alinsky’s *Rules for Radicals*. This strategy aimed to undermine DeSantis’s public image and provoke a reaction.

As McGraw notes, such tactics often prove effective, as seen in Trump’s continued political influence.

Read More

Rep. Ciscomani Defeats Primary Challenge from Fellow Republican Ahead of Close Election

  July 31, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Rep. Ciscomani Defeats Primary Challenge from Fellow Republican Ahead of Close Election

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., successfully defended against a primary challenge from a fellow Republican on Tuesday, ahead of a closely contested election in November.

Ciscomani secured the GOP nomination for the 6th Congressional District, defeating Kathleen Winn, who finished third in the 2022 primary for the same seat. He will face Democrat Kristen Engel in November; Engel received over 49% of the vote against him in the 2022 election.

Ciscomani emphasized his bipartisan credentials and highlighted his ability to work with Democrats. In contrast, Winn argued that the district preferred a more conservative representative.

"We keep hearing this is a moderate district. I believe it's a conservative district," Winn said earlier this month, according to the Tucson Sentinel. She also accused Ciscomani of ignoring her during the campaign.

"My opponent is not acknowledging I exist," Winn stated.

Ciscomani, however, has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

"Congressman Juan Ciscomani is doing an incredible job representing the great people of Arizona’s 6th Congressional District," Trump said on Truth Social in May. "Juan is working hard to secure our border, defend our wonderful military and veterans, promote election integrity, and expand American jobs and the economy."

The Cook Political Report rates the district as a tossup with an R+3 rating. In the 2022 election, Ciscomani received 50.7% of the vote compared to Engel's 49.2%.

This race is among several closely watched contests in the swing state of Arizona, where the presidential race is also expected to be tight. Another high-profile race is the contest to succeed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who is not seeking another term. Arizona, a pivotal state, was won by Trump in 2016 and by President Biden in 2020.

SMH America YouTube Channle

Read More

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Allegedly Assassinated

  July 31, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Allegedly Assassinated

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was reportedly assassinated in Tehran, as announced by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Israel faced immediate accusations for the assassination, following its vow to target Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders in response to the group's October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and the abduction of approximately 250 people, according to the Associated Press.

Haniyeh was in Tehran for the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday. Details surrounding Haniyeh's death remain unclear, and an investigation is underway. Iranian state television analysts quickly pointed fingers at Israel for the assassination.

Israel has not commented on the incident, adhering to its usual practice of not publicly addressing operations conducted by its Mossad intelligence agency.

Read More

Donald Trump suggests he 'probably' will debate Kamala Harris but 'can also argue against it'

  July 30, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Donald Trump suggests he 'probably' will debate Kamala Harris but 'can also argue against it'

Donald Trump has recently shown hesitation about his previous commitment to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, questioning its value and stating he “probably” will debate but also suggesting there might be reasons not to.

In an interview aired on Fox News Channel Monday night, Trump seemed less certain about debating Harris, despite previously expressing eagerness to debate President Joe Biden, who is no longer in the race. Trump now questions the terms of the original debate agreement with Biden and suggested the September 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to another network, calling ABC “fake news.”

Last week, Trump told reporters he would "absolutely" commit to debating Harris, citing an obligation to do so. However, in the Monday interview with Laura Ingraham, he gave a less definitive answer. He mentioned wanting to debate but also noted that everyone already knows who he and Harris are. Eventually, he said, “The answer is yes, I'll probably end up debating,” but added that debates should be held before early voting starts and stated, “The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it."

Trump has previously skipped debates, including all the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates, citing reasons such as timing and venue.

In the same interview, Trump sought to clarify comments he made at a conservative event, where he told Christians they “won’t have to vote anymore” after his election. He urged Christians, who he claims don’t vote in high numbers, to vote this time, promising they wouldn’t need to vote again in four years as he would fix the country. This drew concern from Democrats and others, who noted Trump's use of authoritarian language and his behavior after losing the 2020 election.

When asked by Ingraham to explain his comments, Trump reiterated that Christians typically don’t vote and encouraged them to vote this time so he could fix the country, implying they wouldn't need to vote again. He reassured them that after November 5, they wouldn’t need to worry about voting anymore as the country would be fixed.

Trump made similar remarks last month at another Christian-focused event, urging Christians to participate in the election and stating they wouldn’t need to vote in four years.

Read More

South Korean Lawmakers Suggest Russian Involvement in Failed North Korean Satellite Launch

  July 29, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 South Korean Lawmakers Suggest Russian Involvement in Failed North Korean Satellite Launch

North Korea appears to have received assistance from Russia for its failed attempt in May to launch a reconnaissance satellite, South Korean lawmakers said on Monday, citing the country's spy agency. North Korea claimed it used a new "liquid oxygen and petroleum engine" in the satellite, which exploded minutes after lift-off.

However, Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) informed lawmakers that there were no signs of North Korea having developed such an engine, suggesting it might have come from Russia.

"Given that liquid oxygen and kerosene were used in the engine for the first time, they had likely received Russian support," Lee Seong-kweun, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after being briefed by the NIS. The agency also indicated that Moscow assisted with Pyongyang's successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite last November, two months after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's rare trip to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help him build satellites.

Putin reciprocated with a visit to Pyongyang in June, where the two sides signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" pact. Russia and North Korea have denied arms transactions but have pledged to intensify military cooperation.

Lee also mentioned that Kim's daughter, Ju Ae, was being trained to become the next leader, citing the NIS. While North Korea's state media has reported on her public activities, they have not discussed her political future.

Park Sun-won, another member of the committee, stated that the NIS informed them that the recent indictment in the United States of Sue Mi Terry, a foreign policy expert who previously worked for the CIA and on the White House National Security Council, had no impact on intelligence cooperation between Washington and Seoul. Terry was indicted earlier this month on charges of working as an unregistered agent of South Korea's government in exchange for luxury goods and other gifts.

The indictment surprised many Seoul officials at a time when Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol have been ramping up security partnerships. "The NIS said they're working hard to learn a lesson from this," Park said. "But there are no major problems with intelligence cooperation between the two countries, and it is actually expanding."

Read More

Erica Ash, Star of ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ and ‘Real Husbands of Hollywood,’ Dies at 46

  July 29, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Erica Ash, Star of ‘Survivor’s Remorse’ and ‘Real Husbands of Hollywood,’ Dies at 46

Comedian, actor, singer, and model Erica Ash has passed away at the age of 46. She was best known for her roles on MadTV, the sitcom Survivor's Remorse, Rosie O'Donnell's The Big Gay Sketch Show, and Kevin Hart's series Real Husbands of Hollywood.

"After a long and courageous battle with cancer, she transitioned peacefully surrounded by her loved ones," reads a statement from her family, shared with NPR by Ash's publicist. "Erica was an amazing woman and talented entertainer who touched countless lives with her sharp wit, humor, and genuine zest for life. Her memory will live eternally in our hearts."

Ash began her career on stage, with credits including Baby It's You on Broadway, a Disney touring production of The Lion King, and the Off-Broadway show Soul Doctor.

As the daughter of a U.S. Army Captain/Chaplain and a math teacher, Ash moved frequently while growing up, including spending time in Germany. She graduated from Emory University with a pre-med degree but had been passionate about performing since childhood. After Emory, she moved to Japan, where she pursued a career as a model, singer, and actor.

Among the many performers who paid tribute to Ash, Siedah Garrett wrote, "Moved to tears at the passing of beautiful, talented & funny actor from Survivor’s Remorse... Erica generously worked with me on an original jailhouse skit I submitted to Netflix."

"Erica Ash was a light. Beautiful, funny, beyond talented," wrote Christopher Landon, who directed Ash in the movie We Have A Ghost. "I was blessed to work with her and call her my friend. My heart goes out to her family and friends right now."

Read More

Is It Feasible for Donald Trump to Establish an Iron Dome for America?

  July 29, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Is It Feasible for Donald Trump to Establish an Iron Dome for America?

In a word, no. The former president and current candidate is still peddling the same old missile defense fallacy.

“We will replenish our military and build an Iron Dome missile defense system to ensure that no enemy can strike our homeland,” Donald Trump promised at the recent Republican Party convention. “Israel has an Iron Dome. They have a missile defense system,” he said. “Why should other countries have this, and we don’t?”

Firstly, it is technically impossible to build a system that can protect the United States from ballistic missile attacks.

It's not for lack of trying. Since President Ronald Reagan announced his ambitious Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983, the country has allocated more than $415 billion to top military contractors, employing tens of thousands of workers and the best scientists for this effort. However, nothing has worked.

All we have to show for the effort is a basic system of 44 ground-based interceptors deployed in Alaska and California. Under ideal test conditions, they have been able to hit a target only half of the time. The program is essentially on hold while a new interceptor is designed.

Trump might suggest that we can simply deploy a U.S.-built version of Israel’s Iron Dome. Since that system works fairly well, why not build an American version?

Because the Iron Dome is designed to intercept short-range rockets, not intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each Iron Dome system can defend an area of roughly 150 square miles. To cover the 3.7 million square miles of the continental United States, we would need to deploy more than 24,700 Iron Dome batteries. At $100 million per battery, this would cost approximately $2.47 trillion.

Even if it costs $2.5 trillion, it might be worth it if the system could truly defend the country. But it can’t. The Iron Dome is designed to intercept relatively primitive rockets and mortars that travel under 44 miles. It is suitable for defending San Diego from rockets launched from Tijuana, 35 miles away. But the system couldn’t even protect Mar-a-Lago from missiles fired from the Bahamas, 80 miles away.

Long-range missiles pose a fundamentally different, more complex threat than short-range missiles.

After decades of effort, we now have systems that can reliably intercept short- and medium-range missiles that travel tens or even hundreds of miles. These missiles are relatively slow, large, and hot targets. They travel mostly through the atmosphere, preventing them from deploying any kind of decoys against the interceptors.

Reliably intercepting long-range missiles that travel thousands of miles and are fast, small, and cold as they speed through outer space has proved impossible, particularly if the adversary deploys countermeasures like decoys, chaff, and jammers. The interceptors can’t see the target, and even when the warhead enters the atmosphere, stripping away the decoys deployed in space, it is traveling so fast (around 4 miles per second) and is so small that it is an extraordinarily difficult target. Adding to the difficulty, adversaries can overwhelm defensive systems with more warheads than there are interceptors, presenting insurmountable problems.

Ronald Reagan sought to solve this dilemma by deploying laser weapons in space. These, theoretically, could overcome the built-in advantage the offense enjoys. It was a fantasy. The American Physical Society—the country’s premier association of physicists—concluded in 1987 that it would take decades to determine whether such technologies were even feasible.

This sent the program away from “Star Wars” laser weapons back to kinetic-kill weapons. After several years of pursuing impractical “Brilliant Pebbles” schemes that would house thousands of interceptor rockets in huge space “garages,” the program was forced to go back to ground-based systems, even with their inherent limitations.

Has the technology improved? Trump thinks so. “Ronald Reagan wanted this many years ago, but we really didn’t have the technology many years ago. Remember, they called it starship, spaceship, anything to mock him,” he said at the convention. “But now we have unbelievable technology. And why should other countries have this, and we don’t? No, no, we’re going to build an Iron Dome over our country, and we’re going to be sure that nothing can come and harm our people.”

While short-range directed energy weapons are now feasible, scientists are nowhere close to achieving the kinds of power, beam control, and precision tracking required for space weapons. Nor have engineers overcome the substantial cost, maintenance, and operational difficulties of putting dozens or hundreds of weapons in space. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Washington, warned in a comment on Trump’s 2019 Missile Defense Review, “A space-based interceptor layer…has been studied repeatedly and found to be technologically challenging and prohibitively expensive.”

Even with the science and technology against him, Trump believes so strongly in this vision that he has made it the one defense plank in the new Republican Party platform other than “strengthen our military.” There are 20 points in the official GOP agenda. Number eight is: “PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY — ALL MADE IN AMERICA.” (All caps in the original.)

Similarly, Project 2025 calls for making missile defense “a top priority.” It treats the problem as if it were just a lack of political will, arguing that we must “abandon the existing policy of not defending the homeland against Russian and Chinese ballistic missiles.” It returns to the “Star Wars” vision: “Invest in future advanced missile defense technologies like directed energy or space-based missile defense that could defend against more numerous missile threats.”

In 1994, Rep. Newt Gingrich had a similar defense plank in his 10-point “Contract for America”: to deploy a national missile defense system. Then, too, Republican leaders arrived at their strategy by listening to conservative activists. The Heritage Foundation—the group behind today’s Project 2025—assembled a report that called for ending “the Clinton Administration's policy of intentionally leaving American cities and territory open to missile attack.” The report argued that for a few billion dollars, America could develop and deploy “affordable, effective ballistic missile defenses.” All that was lacking, the report stated, was “a proper understanding of missile defenses and the political will to build them.”

It was complete nonsense. A Republican White House and a Republican Congress spent billions but got nowhere with the scheme. Thirty years later, Donald Trump is trying to pull the same fast one, relying on the same group to sell the snake oil. It may be rhetorically appealing—Gingrich did capture the House—but it is utterly without scientific merit or strategic sense.

Let’s hope the American people have learned from the follies of the past.

Read More

Edmond Couple Rescued Alive After 36 Hours Lost at Sea While Scuba Diving

  July 28, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Edmond Couple Rescued Alive After 36 Hours Lost at Sea While Scuba Diving

A miraculous rescue of an Edmond couple occurred around 1 a.m. on Friday in the Gulf of Mexico. The couple, who had disappeared while scuba diving off the coast of Texas, was found alive after 36 hours at sea, bringing immense relief to their worried loved ones.

The search lasted approximately 36 hours and ended with joyous news for the Maker family. Nathan and Kim Maker were discovered safe in the ocean, miles offshore.

“It’s a miracle,” said Charles Owen, the uncle of Nathan Maker. 

A new video from a Coast Guard aircraft showed two figures about 20 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico early Friday morning. Those figures were confirmed to be Nathan and Kim Maker of Edmond.

“We’d practically given up hope,” Owen admitted.

Owen recounted receiving a call from the Coast Guard around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, informing them that the couple had disappeared earlier that morning while scuba diving with a group.

“There was a storm moving in, and as the divers surfaced to prepare to get back on the boat, a swell engulfed all of them,” Owen explained.

Despite their extensive diving experience and safety precautions, Nathan and Kim were swept away by the storm.

The search covered 1,656 square miles and lasted roughly 36 hours. Just as the search was nearing its end, a plane on its final pass spotted Nathan and Kim using their diving flashlights to signal SOS.

The Coast Guard swiftly dispatched boats to rescue the couple.

“We are grateful for everyone’s concerns and prayers,” Owen said. “This miracle was performed by the Coast Guard at God’s direction.”

Both Nathan and Kim were found to be very dehydrated, suffering from jellyfish stings, and had to swim periodically to maintain their body temperatures. Kim also had an infection, and Nathan was near a diabetic coma. They are currently in stable condition in the hospital.

Owen hopes they can return home sometime tomorrow or early next week.

Read More

Scientists Uncover 'Dark Oxygen' Production by Seabed Metals in Groundbreaking Study

  July 27, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Scientists Uncover 'Dark Oxygen' Production by Seabed Metals in Groundbreaking Study

An international team of scientists has discovered that oxygen is being produced by potato-shaped metallic nodules thousands of feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

The findings, published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, challenge the scientific consensus on how oxygen is produced and could potentially lead to a radical rethink of the origins of complex life on Earth.

In addition to its implications for ocean science, the research raises new concerns about the risks of deep-sea mining.

Led by Professor Andrew Sweetman of the U.K.’s Scottish Association for Marine Science, the team found that oxygen is being produced in complete darkness approximately 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) below the ocean’s surface.

Previously, it was believed that only living organisms like plants and algae could generate the planet’s oxygen through photosynthesis, a process that requires sunlight.

“For aerobic life to begin on the planet, there had to be oxygen, and our understanding has been that Earth’s oxygen supply began with photosynthetic organisms,” Sweetman said.

“But we now know that oxygen is produced in the deep sea, where there is no light. This discovery prompts us to revisit questions like: where could aerobic life have begun?”

“Dark oxygen” was discovered during ship-based fieldwork in the Pacific Ocean. The team sampled the seabed of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an abyssal plain between Hawaii and Mexico, to assess the possible impacts of deep-sea mining.

Researchers analyzed multiple nodules and found many carried a “very high” electric charge, which they said could lead to the splitting of seawater into hydrogen and oxygen through seawater electrolysis.

“Through this discovery, we have generated many unanswered questions, and we need to think carefully about how we mine these nodules, which are effectively batteries in a rock,” Sweetman said.

He added that further research into “dark oxygen” production is necessary.

 Deep-Sea Mining

The study was partly funded by Canadian deep-sea mining firm The Metals Co., which aims to begin mining in an area of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone by late 2025.

In a statement to CNBC, The Metals Co. criticized the study’s findings and said it would publish a rebuttal in due course.

The controversial practice of deep-sea mining involves using heavy machinery to remove valuable minerals and metals—such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese—that are found in polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor. These minerals are used in electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels.

Scientists have warned that the full environmental impacts of deep-sea mining are difficult to predict.

Environmental campaign groups argue that the practice cannot be done sustainably and will inevitably lead to ecosystem destruction and species extinction.

“The discovery that a process associated with polymetallic nodules is producing oxygen, in an area targeted by the deep-sea mining industry, supports the urgent need for a moratorium,” said Sofia Tsenikli, deep-sea mining global campaign lead for the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, a nongovernmental environmental group.

“This research highlights how much we still have to discover and learn about the deep sea and raises more questions about how deep-sea mining could impact deep-sea life and processes,” Tsenikli said Monday.

Read More

Hydrothermal Explosion Damages Yellowstone National Park Area

  July 26, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Hydrothermal Explosion Damages Yellowstone National Park Area

A hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park caused damage to a boardwalk and propelled debris several stories into the air on Tuesday morning in the Biscuit Basin area, northwest of Old Faithful, according to Michael Poland, the scientist-in-charge at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

The explosion, which Poland described as "small," occurred around 10 a.m. about 2.1 miles northwest of Old Faithful, likely in the Black Diamond Pool in Biscuit Basin.

Poland stated that no injuries had been reported as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Videos posted online by witnesses showed people on the boardwalk near the explosion site and footage of the aftermath revealed debris scattered across the area and a damaged boardwalk.

For safety reasons, the parking lot and boardwalks in Biscuit Basin are temporarily closed. Yellowstone National Park geologists are investigating the explosion but have indicated that data shows no unusual volcanic activity.

“Monitoring data show no changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect activity within the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity,” Poland said in a statement. “Hydrothermal explosions like today’s are not a sign of impending volcanic eruptions, and they are not caused by magma rising toward the surface.”

He explained that these explosions occur when water rapidly turns to steam underground and are “relatively common” in Yellowstone National Park.

There was a similar explosion in Biscuit Bay in May 2009 and a smaller one in Norris Geyser Basin on April 15. Porkchop Geyser in Norris Geyser Basin exploded in 1989.

Hydrothermal explosions can send boiling water, steam, mud, and rock into the air, sometimes reaching heights of up to 1.2 miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A 2018 report stated that large hydrothermal explosions occur on average every 700 years. At least 25 craters in the park are over 328 feet wide.

“Although large hydrothermal explosions are rare events on a human time scale, the potential for additional future events of this sort in Yellowstone National Park is not insignificant,” the report noted. “Based on the occurrence of large hydrothermal explosion events over the past 16,000 years, an explosion large enough to create a 100-meter (328-ft) wide crater might be expected every few hundred years.”

The National Park Service reported that Black Diamond Pool erupted with black, murky water following an earthquake in July 2006 and experienced “several explosive eruptions” in the subsequent days, though eruptions have been “infrequent” since then. Its average temperature is 148.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yellowstone National Park's public affairs office directed inquiries to the news release from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and indicated that no further information was available early Tuesday afternoon.

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory stated it would provide more information as it becomes available.

Read More

Two Prominent Mexican Cartel Leaders Turn Themselves In to U.S. Authorities

  July 25, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Two Prominent Mexican Cartel Leaders Turn Themselves In to U.S. Authorities

One of the world's most notorious drug lords, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, has been arrested by U.S. federal agents in El Paso, Texas. Zambada, 76, co-founded the crime syndicate with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who is currently imprisoned in the U.S. Guzman's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was also arrested alongside Zambada on Thursday, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

In February, Zambada was charged by U.S. prosecutors with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, a potent drug implicated in the U.S. opioid crisis. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the significance of the arrests, stating that the two men lead "one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world." Garland underscored the Justice Department's commitment to holding every cartel leader, member, and associate accountable for their role in the fentanyl epidemic.

American prosecutors assert that the Sinaloa cartel is the primary supplier of drugs to the U.S. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had offered a reward of up to $15 million for Zambada's capture. During El Chapo's 2019 trial, his lawyers claimed that Zambada bribed the Mexican government to live openly without fear of prosecution. Zambada is also known to own several legitimate businesses in Mexico, including a large milk company, a bus line, a hotel, and various real estate assets.

In addition to fentanyl charges, Zambada faces numerous other charges in the U.S., including drug trafficking, murder, kidnapping, money laundering, and organized crime. Fentanyl is cited as the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. In May, Zambada's nephew, Eliseo Imperial Castro (known as "Cheyo Antrax"), was killed in an ambush in Mexico while also wanted by U.S. authorities.

Zambada's arrest marks a significant moment in the fight against drug trafficking, as he is regarded as one of the world's most influential drug lords. Having evaded capture for decades, his arrest has shocked many in Mexico. While details of the arrests remain unclear, it appears the two men flew into the United States.

President Joe Biden's administration is likely to herald this operation as one of the DEA's most significant achievements in years. Zambada co-founded the Sinaloa cartel after the collapse of the Guadalajara cartel in the late 1980s. Despite El Chapo being the public face of the organization, many believed El Mayo was its true leader. Zambada's innovative strategies included forging early links with Colombian cartels to flood the U.S. with cocaine heroin, and later fentanyl.

His leadership of the Sinaloa cartel has withstood changing political climates in both Mexico and the U.S., as well as ongoing anti-drug offensives and rival cartel threats. Despite his extraordinary resilience, Zambada's reign appears to have ended in El Paso, Texas, a city heavily affected by the influx of fentanyl smuggled in by his organization.

Read More

Power Outage Affects Thousands in Western Montana

  July 25, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Power Outage Affects Thousands in Western Montana

Severe thunderstorms have left over 10,000 customers in the Missoula area without power, as reported by the Northwestern Energy outage map.

The Missoula Electric Co-Op's outage map shows 4,884 customers affected.

Additionally, the Ravalli County Electric outage map indicates that 2,736 people in the Ravalli County area are currently without power.

Read More

Sleep Disturbances Heighten Risk of COVID-19 Infection

  July 25, 2024    Buddieizreal

---

 Sleep Disturbances Heighten Risk of COVID-19 Infection

Sleep Disturbances and Increased COVID-19 Vulnerability: New Insights from a Meta-Analysis

Individuals with preexisting sleep disturbances, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, and abnormal sleep duration, show a significantly higher susceptibility to COVID-19, as well as increased risks of hospitalization, mortality, and long COVID, according to a new analysis of data from over 8 million people.

Despite being common in the general population, sleep disturbances are often overlooked as a COVID-19 risk factor, wrote Dr. Jiawei Zhou and colleagues from The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. Previous research has predominantly focused on how COVID-19 affects sleep rather than how sleep disturbances influence COVID-19 outcomes, with most studies concentrating only on OSA.

In a meta-analysis published in eClinicalMedicine, part of  The Lancet Discovery Science, the researchers reviewed 48 observational studies published between October 27, 2023, and May 8, 2024, involving 8,664,026 adults. These studies examined the relationship between COVID-19 and various sleep disturbances, including OSA, insomnia, abnormal sleep duration, and night shift work.

The primary outcomes assessed were COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, mortality, and long COVID. The presence of preexisting sleep disturbances was linked to a significantly increased risk for each of these outcomes, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.12 for susceptibility, 1.25 for hospitalization, 1.45 for mortality, and 1.36 for long COVID.

Subgroup analyses revealed that the association between preexisting sleep disturbances and increased susceptibility and hospitalization was stronger in younger adults (under 60 years) than in older adults (60 years and older). However, the risk of death was higher in older adults with sleep disturbances (OR 2.07) compared to younger adults (OR 1.22). Men with sleep disturbances faced a higher risk of COVID-19 mortality than women.

Preexisting sleep disturbances were significantly associated with long COVID, especially when long COVID was defined as symptoms lasting three or more months compared to those lasting one month (P = .029).

The analysis also found specific sleep disturbances had distinct impacts on COVID-19 outcomes. OSA was linked to all four primary outcomes, while abnormal sleep duration was associated with increased risk for COVID-19 susceptibility, hospitalization, and long COVID. Night shift work was associated with higher susceptibility and hospitalization risk, and insomnia was linked to long COVID.

The exact mechanisms behind these associations remain uncertain, but the researchers suggest that persistent sleep deprivation may contribute to elevated levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, promoting a compromised immune response and a persistent inflammatory state.

"Overall, compromised innate and adaptive immune functions combined with persistent inflammation may explain the higher risk of susceptibility, severity, and longer recovery time in patients with sleep disturbances. Early intervention for sleep disturbances could mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19," the researchers noted.

However, the findings have limitations, including the observational nature of the studies and the heterogeneity of outcomes. The researchers call for randomized, controlled trials to further examine the effects of interventions for sleep disturbances on COVID-19 prevention and progression.

This study is the first to examine multiple types of sleep disturbances and their potential impacts on the full clinical course of COVID-19, highlighting the need for early evaluation and intervention for those with sleep disturbances to reduce both short-term and long-term effects of the disease.

 Addressing Sleep Issues Early

While the results of this study are not unexpected, "meta-analyses are valuable to identify potential signals in published data that suggest the need for new studies," said Dr. Arun Chatterjee, professor of pulmonary, critical care, allergy, and immunologic diseases at Wake Forest University, who was not involved in the meta-analysis.

"Lack of sleep, whether acute or chronic, affects immune function by reducing lymphocyte proliferation, lowering immune globulin levels, increasing inflammatory markers, shortening telomeres, and generally impairing the immune system," Chatterjee explained.

The main takeaway is that adequate sleep is crucial for overall health, Chatterjee emphasized. "Sleep disruption affects health across various systems. Incorporating annual sleep wellness and screening into healthcare visits could be beneficial," he suggested.

More research is needed to fully understand the impact of sleep disruption on immune status and other physiological and mental health systems, Chatterjee concluded.

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases of Liaoning Province. The researchers and Dr. Chatterjee disclosed no financial conflicts of interest.

Read More