Mysterious burst of gravitational waves hit Earth, baffling astronomers

From Fox News.com (Jan. 22, 2020):

A mysterious deep space event could have stretched and squeezed Earth last week.

Astronomers observed a split-second burst of gravitational waves on Jan. 14, but they can't figure out precisely where the burst came from.

These waves are disturbances in space-time that are generally caused by accelerated masses, such as black holes or neutron stars, colliding with each other.

However, astronomers are unsure because this particular burst didn't last very long. In addition, gravitational waves usually change in frequency over time, Andy Howell, a scientist at Los Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, told Live Science.

The burst still "seems a little too short for what we expect from the collapse of a massive star," he said. "On the other hand, we've never seen a star blowing up in gravitational waves before, so we don't really know what it would look like."

The scientist, who is also an adjunct faculty member in physics at the University of California Santa Barbara, suggested that the burst could be from two intermediate-mass black holes having merged.

Researchers are now pointing their telescopes to that same region to pinpoint the wave's source.

"The universe always surprises us," Howell added. "There could be totally new astronomical events out there that produce gravitational waves that we haven't really thought about." [source]

The universe will always be mysterious to mankind, but not to God.

Venezuela Frees 6 Americans After Trump Envoy Visits

From Newsmax.com (Jan. 31):

Six Americans detained in Venezuela in recent months were freed by the government of dictator Nicolás Maduro after he met Friday with a senior Trump administration official.

President Donald Trump and his envoy for special missions, Ric Grenell, announced the release of the six men on social media. Grenell posted on X a photo showing him and the men aboard an aircraft.

"We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American citizens," Grenell wrote. "They just spoke to @realDonaldTrump and they couldn't stop thanking him."

Grenell did not name the six men with him aboard the aircraft. They were dressed in light blue outfits like the ones used by Venezuela's prison system.

"Just been informed that we are bringing six hostages home from Venezuela," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Thank you to Ric Grenell and my entire staff. Great job!"

Grenell traveled to Caracas to demand that Maduro's government accept the unconditional return of Venezuelans deported from the U.S. or face consequences. He and Maduro met at the Miraflores presidential palace in one of the first known meetings by the second Trump administration with a government it considers hostile.

"Super emotional day. They didn’t know what was happening," Grenell said of the hostages, according to Newsmax. "They didn’t know where they were going. I got to greet them and say, 'Hi. I’m an American diplomat sent by Donald Trump and I’m here to take you home.' "

But Maduro, accused by the U.S. of stealing last year's presidential election, stressed the meeting had "zero agenda" and that he sought a "new beginning in bilateral relations" with the U.S., according to a statement from the government in Caracas.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier Friday that Grenell would demand Caracas allow repatriation flights for members of the Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan criminal gang Trump has designated a terrorist group.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, Trump's special envoy to Latin America, previewed Grenell's visit to Caracas in a conference call with journalists earlier Friday. He said Grenell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence during Trump's first term, was in Venezuela on a "very specific mission" that in no way detracts from the Trump administration's goal of restoring democracy in the South American nation.

"I would urge the Maduro government, the Maduro regime in Venezuela, to heed special envoy Ric Grenell's message," said Claver-Carone, a former top national security aide to Trump during his first administration. "Ultimately there will be consequences otherwise."

The visit comes less than a month after Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term despite credible evidence that he lost last year's election. The U.S. government, along with several other Western nations, does not recognize Maduro's claim to victory and instead points to tally sheets collected by the opposition coalition showing that its candidate, Edmundo González, won by a more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Venezuelan state television aired footage of Grenell and Maduro speaking in the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, the capital, and said the meeting had been requested by the U.S. government.

Signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump was asked if Grenell being filmed meeting with Maduro lent legitimacy to an administration that the Trump White House hasn't official recognized.

"No. We want to do something with Venezuela. I've been a very big opponent of Venezuela and Maduro," Trump said. "They've treated us not so good, but they've treated, more importantly, the Venezuelan people, very badly."

Trump added that Grenell is "meeting with a lot of different people, but we're for the people of Venezuela." [source]

Good to hear!  Happy for them! Glad they're back home.

More people freed:

• ‘President Trump Is A Hero’: Marc Fogel Welcomed At White House After Release From Russian Prison
• American Woman Faye Hall Freed From Taliban Detention In Afghanistan, Thanks Trump
• BEST WEEK EVER: Trump Frees Hot Ballerina After Winning Trade War, Making Showers Great Again (PHOTOS)
• American Freed After Two Years in Taliban Custody, State Department Says
• Forty-seven US hostages released in Trump's first 100 days: Sebastian Gorka

Secret Service Shoot Man Near White House After ‘Armed Confrontation’

From Daily Wire.com (Mar. 9):

WASHINGTON—United States Secret Service personnel shot an armed man near the White House early Sunday morning, the agency said.

The individual had parked his car near 17th and F Streets NW, close to an entrance to the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the Secret Service said. President Donald Trump is in Florida for the weekend, staying at Mar-A-Lago, and was not in the vicinity when the shooting occurred.

“Earlier on Saturday, local police shared information about a suicidal individual who may be traveling to Washington DC from Indiana,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “Around midnight, members of the Secret Service encountered the individual’s parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets NW. They also saw an individual on foot matching the description nearby.”

“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel.”

Secret Service shot the man, who was transported to an “area hospital.” The statement said the man’s condition is unknown, and that “there were no reported injuries to the Secret Service Personnel.”

The Metropolitan Police Department, which is investigating the matter, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire. The matter is being specifically handled by MPD’s “Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team,” which investigates law enforcement officer involved shootings in Washington, D.C. [source]

Glad the secret service was able to stop the guy.

Excerpts from “2025 Mandate for Leadership” Part 3

Until it is privatized, TSA should be treated asa national security provider, and its workforce should be deunionized immediately. TSA could privatize the screening function by expanding the current Screening Partnership Program (SPP) to all airports. TSA would turn screening operations over to airports that would choose security contractors that meet TSA regulations and would oversee and test airports for compliance. Alternatively, it could adopt a Canadian-style system, turning over screening operations to a new government corporation that contracts screening service to private contractors.

……….

The ODNI [Office of the Director of National Intelligence] and CIA should fire or refer for prosecution any employee who is suspected of leaking information, and penalties should include the removal of pension benefits for those who are found guilty.

…………

An incoming conservative President can right the ship and return the IC [Intelligence Community] governance model to first principles by using a limited but empowered leadership and coordination design to serve the nation’s intelligence and national security needs while reclaiming the public trust with fiscal responsibility, political neutrality, personnel accountability, technological prowess, and necessary human capital needed to counter the immense nation-state and asymmetrical threats facing our country.

…………

For the sake of American children, Congress should shutter it and return control of education to the states.

………..

[T]he Secretary of Education should insist that the department serve parents and American ideals, not advocates whose message is that children can choose their own sex, that America is “systemically racist,” that math itself is racist, and that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ideal of a colorblind society should be rejected in favor of reinstating a color-conscious society.

Source: "Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership" [pdf]

Scientists Discover 4 Distinct Patterns of Aging

From Live Science.com (Jan. 16, 2020):

Some people's hearts stay strong well into their 60s, but their kidneys begin to fail. Others may have the kidneys of a 30-year-old but fall victim to constant infection.

Now, scientists may be one step closer to understanding why the aging process varies so drastically between people.

Even within a single person, aging unfolds at different rates in different tissues, sometimes striking the liver before the heart or kidney, for example. People fall into distinct categories depending on which of their biological systems ages fastest, and someday, doctors could use this information to recommend specific lifestyle changes and design personalized medical treatments, according to a new study, published Jan. 13 in the journal Nature Medicine.

What's your "ageotype"?

The research team behind the study sorted 43 people into aging categories, or "ageotypes," based on biological samples collected over the course of two years. The samples included blood, inflammatory substances, microbes, genetic material, proteins and by-products of metabolic processes. By tracking how the samples changed over time, the team identified about 600 so-called markers of aging — values that predict the functional capacity of a tissue and essentially estimate its "biological age."

So far, the team has identified four distinct ageotypes: Immune, kidney, liver and metabolic. Some people fit squarely in one category, but others may meet the criteria for all four, depending on how their biological systems hold up with age. 

"Now, it's going to be a lot more than just four categories," said senior author Michael Snyder, a professor and the chair of genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine in California. For instance, one participant in the study appeared to be a cardiovascular ager, meaning their cardiac muscle accumulates wear-and-tear at a greater rate than other parts of their body. "If we [surveyed] 1,000 people, I'm sure we'll find other cardio agers and that category will become better defined." And with more research, even more patterns of aging may emerge, Snyder added.

In the past, scientists have hunted for markers of aging in enormous datasets for large populations, Snyder, told Live Science. Researchers pinpointed markers of aging by comparing data from young people to that of older people, but for individuals, that kind of data captures only a specific moment in time. It cannot reveal how a given person might change as they age, Snyder said.    

In a clinical setting, that means population-based markers might not be the best measure to determine how a patient is aging, or what combination of medical treatments might suit them best, he added.

"Population-based decisions are crude at best," Synder said. They won't necessarily hold up for you, per se."

By tracking specific people through time, Snyder and his co-authors hoped to learn how aging markers differ between individuals. Their study participants ranged in age from 29 to 75 and provided at least five biological samples over the course of two years. Even within that relatively short time frame, several patterns of aging emerged.

For example, immunological agers accumulated more markers of inflammation through time, while metabolic agers accrued more sugar in their blood, indicating that their bodies were metabolizing glucose less efficiently. Similar to scores on a personality test, each individual's aging "profile" included a combination of traits, mixed and matched from different ageotypes. [read more]

IRS to hire 3,700 new employees to audit the wealthy

From Washington Times.com (Sept. 15, 2023):

The IRS said Friday it has launched a nationwide search to recruit 3,700 new employees that the tax agency said it wants to use to expand audits on the country’s wealthiest taxpayers.

Commissioner Danny Werfel said the agency is looking for high-grade revenue agents, making about $125,000 a year, who can handle the kinds of complex audits required for high-income returns.

“These new employees will be focused on higher-income and complex tax areas like partnerships, not average taxpayers making less than $400,000,” Mr. Werfel said.

The IRS is on a hiring spree after Congress last year approved tens of billions of dollars of new money for the agency over the next decade. The goal is to collect enough from taxpayers to pay for some of President Biden’s plans to address climate change.

The IRS previously hired new customer service employees, trying to fix an agency that in recent years failed to answer most taxpayer phone calls and, when it did pick up the phone, often left people on hold for up to half an hour.

After some progress this last tax season on those yardsticks, the agency is turning to the enforcement side of the ledger.

The IRS said the new hires, in addition to averaging $125,000 in salary, can get an additional $50,000 in other benefits such as student loan repayment plans, $5,000 for child care and $3,600 for mass transit expenses. The agency also said employees can telecommute.

Audits have dropped across the board, though the largest drop has been for high-income filers.

Those making $10 million or more per year were audited at a rate of just 39 per 1,000 returns in 2019, down from 212 per 1,000 returns in 2010.

The Biden administration believes the federal coffers are missing out on hundreds of billions of dollars in unpaid taxes each year, and hopes increased enforcement will collect some of that cash and spur others to pay what they owe on their own.

Mr. Werfel earlier this week announced a new “equity” approach to tax enforcement, with a new emphasis on the wealthy even as the IRS tries to reduce audit rates of low-income filers who claim the earned income tax credit. [source]

Is this audit just for everyone or just the wealthy that happens to be republican or MAGA supporters?

Top 5 moments from Trump's address to joint session of Congress

From Fox News.com (Mar. 5):

President Donald Trump addressed both chambers of Congress Tuesday evening in an expansive speech that lasted more than 90 minutes, as he took a victory lap for his accomplishments thus far and previewed his vision for the future.

The speech marked Trump's first address before Congress since he reclaimed the Oval Office in January. Though similar to a State of the Union Speech, Trump's address did not carry the same official title as he has not been in office a full year.

Fox News Digital compiled the top five moments from Trump's address, including Democratic protests, chants of "USA, USA, USA" and Trump revealing that a top terrorist has been apprehended.

1.  Trump sets speech record while declaring ‘America is back’

Trump spoke for about an hour and 40 minutes, notching the longest address a president has delivered before a joint session of Congress, according to the American Presidency Project at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The longest speech on record previously was held by former President Bill Clinton, when he spoke for one hour and 28 minutes during his State of the Union Address in 2000.

……….

2.  Sergeant-at-Arms escorts Rep. Al Green out, Democrats protest with signs

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson ordered the sergeant at arms to remove Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green after he repeatedly shouted during Trump's opening remarks.

"Members are engaging in willful and continuing breach of decorum, and the chair is prepared to direct the sergeant at arms to restore order to the joint session," Johnson warned as a handful of Democrats disrupted Trump.

"Mr. Green, take your seat," he said, as Green continued shouting and shaking his cane at Trump.

……………….

3.  Trump honors young women killed by illegal immigrants

Trump honored the lives of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray — who both were brutally killed by illegal immigrants under the Biden administration — including naming an animal refuge after Nungaray.

"Alexis, I promised that we would always remember your daughter, your magnificent daughter," Trump said while directing his attention to Jocelyn Nungaray's mom, Alexis. "And earlier tonight I signed an order keeping my word to you. One thing I have learned about Jocelyn is that she loved animals so much. She loved nature. Across Galveston Bay, from where Jocelyn lived in Houston, you will find a magnificent National Wildlife Refuge. A pristine, peaceful, 34,000-acre sanctuary for all of God's creatures on the edge of the Gulf of America."

The 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually assaulted and murdered by strangulation when two illegal immigrants in their 20s allegedly lured the young girl under a bridge before killing her in June 2024.

……….

4.  Trump reveals top terrorist behind Abbey Gate attack apprehended

Trump revealed during his speech that the top terrorist suspect behind the 2021 Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members has been apprehended and headed towards the "swift sword of American justice."

"Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity," Trump revealed during his speech before a joint Congress. "And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice."

…………….

5.  13-year-old cancer survivor earns standing ovation as he becomes Secret Service agent

DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who survived cancer, stole the show Tuesday evening when the president introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service.

"Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police," Trump told the crowd. "His name is DJ Daniel is 13 years old, and he has always dreamed of becoming a police officer. But in 2018, D.J. was diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago." [read more]

A great speech. The Dems with their bingo protest paddles and signs and not standing up and clapping for President Trump's guests were childish. ☹️ They should be ashamed of themselves but they probably aren't.

An article and video about the speech:

• House Censures Al Green for Disrupting Trump Address to Congress
• Democrats Exposed Their Own HATE During Trump’s Speech [video]