1593: Beast Train

ZELENSKY'S 'BAD MOMENT' - Seymour Hersh

Next Tuesday will be the anniversary of the Biden administration’s destruction of three of the four pipelines of Nord Stream 1 and 2. There is more I have to say about it, but it will have to wait. Why? Because the war between Russia and Ukraine, with the White House continuing to reject any talk of a ceasefire, is at a turning point.

There are significant elements in the American intelligence community, relying on field reports and technical intelligence, who believe that the demoralized Ukraine army has given up on the possibility of overcoming the heavily mined three-tier Russian defense lines and taking the war to Crimea and the four oblasts seized and annexed by Russia. The reality is that Volodymyr Zelensky’s battered army no longer has any chance of a victory.

The war continues, I have been told by an official with access to current intelligence, because Zelensky insists that it must. There is no discussion in his headquarters or in the Biden White House of a ceasefire and no interest in talks that could lead to an end to the slaughter. “It’s all lies,” the official said, speaking of the Ukrainian claims of incremental progress in the offensive that has suffered staggering losses, while gaining ground in a few scattered areas that the Ukrainian military measures in meters per week.

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“Yes,” the official said, “Putin did something stupid, no matter how provoked, by violating the UN charter and so did we”—meaning President Biden’s decision to wage a proxy war with Russia by funding Zelensky and his military. “And so now we have to paint him black, with the help of the media, in order to justify our mistake.” He was referring to a secret disinformation operation that was aimed at diminishing Putin, undertaken by the CIA in coordination with elements of British intelligence. The successful operation led major media outlets here and in London to report that the Russian president was suffering from varied illnesses that included blood disorders and a serious cancer. One oft-quoted story had Putin being treated by heavy doses of steroids. Not all were fooled. The Guardian skeptically reported in May of 2022 that the rumors “spanned the gamut: Vladimir Putin is suffering from cancer or Parkinson’s disease, say unconfirmed and unverified reports.” But many major news organizations took the bait. In June 2022, Newsweek splashed what it billed a major scoop, citing unnamed sources saying that Putin had undergone treatment two months earlier for advanced cancer: “Putin’s grip is strong but no longer absolute. The jockeying inside the Kremlin has never been more intense. . . . everyone sensing that the end is near.”

“There were some early Ukrainian penetrations in the opening days of the June offensive,” the official said, “at or near” the heavily trapped first of Russia’s three formidable concrete barriers of defense, “and the Russians retreated to sucker them in. And they all got killed.” After weeks of high casualties and little progress, along with horrific losses to tanks and armored vehicles, he said, major elements of the Ukrainian army, without declaring so, virtually canceled the offensive. The two villages that the Ukrainian army recently claimed as captured “are so tiny that they couldn’t fit between two Burma-Shave signs”—referring to billboards that seemed to be on every American highway after World War II.

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BOTG Report - Teaching in Australia

In the morning John and Adam.

If you choose to read this I wish to remain anonymous.

I only just listened to episode 1591 and in it you spoke of how students are being given a licence to misbehave based on policies that are tying the hands of school administrators. While I can't speak on what's happening in America, I can however provide some insight into what is happening in Queensland, Australia.

I am a head of department where part of my portfolio is dealing with misbehaving students. In the last 10 years there has been a tremendous shift away from suspensions and having "line in the sand" consequences, and instead a case by case assessment of individual behaviour and their "situation". This is all part of something referred to as "functional behaviour" where every misbehaving action serves a purpose and it is our jobs as educators to work out what the reason for that misbehaviour is, and fix it! If you even suggest that maybe what they want is to just misbehave, you are met with suggestions that you are insane and that "all children WANT to learn", they just have barriers that prevent them.

Part of this new paradigm is reframing everything as "positive". Instead of telling a student what they are doing wrong, you must instead tell them what they are doing right and the "hope" is that by doing this they will see the light and be like all the other good boys and girls. This of course does not work in high school settings. But most of this "research" that backs up this positive culture speak is conducted in primary schools - no one conducts research in high schools for obvious reasons.

All this has lead to schools signing up for a new program called "positive behaviour for learning" or PBL. I have been to many PBL professional learning and "sharing" sessions and it is just a group of people who were sick of teaching and would instead prefer to tell other teachers and schools how to do things because they can't. At the last session these PBL coordinators mentioned that the funding for their positions be lost as the teacher shortage we have is so dire (because of student misbehaviour) that they are now needed in the classroom instead of as "advisors". The look of terror on their faces was priceless.

Teachers are leaving the profession at an unsustainable rate. At my current school we have the maximum allocation of university students who have been given early permission to teach (while studying) and those that stay try to promote for their own self interest. Deputy Principals are meant to be the ones in charge of suspending students, but Head Office rings them up if they are suspending too much. Teachers become upset because they get no support from them and just have to put up with these trouble makers. Teachers stop giving consequences for misbehaving because it's just not worth the fight between students, their parents and the Deputies who don't like confrontation. Teachers get burnt out and leave, while deputies implement new procedures and policies, stack their resumes and leave. I'm my school alone, we have four Deputy Principals, two Heads of School and a Pincipal and in the last 18 months all of these have left expect one Deputy. A school with 1800 students cannot function with that sort of leadership. And unfortunately it is state wide if not country wide issue.

Students used to truant school to cause trouble or hangout with their friends. But now because they know they don't get in trouble at school and it keeps their parents off their backs because they are at school they all just cause trouble for their teachers. In Australia students can't leave until they are 16 and Youth unemployment data is always a concern for politicians so they do whatever they can to keep EVERY student in school for as long as possible to keep them off the books.

Happy to field any follow up questions about all things teaching in the land Down Under.

Thanks for all the work you both do.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson quietly signs $29 MILLION contract with security firm to build migrant camps | Daily Mail Online

The city's deal with the controversial Garda World firm, signed last week, includes at least six locations across the city, with zones holding between 200 and 1,400 asylum seekers. It also includes bedding, laundry, showers, three meals a day and security.

It comes as Chicago residents are becoming increasingly concerned about a surge of asylum seekers arriving on buses from southern states. Many of the migrants have been transported north from Republican border states in a bid to prove the Democrats' open arms policies are a disaster.

'I want to know if there is a capacity limit and what is that limit if there is one?' one city resident asked at a community event this week. 'And why can't we close the borders of Chicago or the state of Illinois in the first place? Why can't we close the border?'

Chicago has seen 13,000 migrants arrive in the city since August 2022, and the surge is expected to cost taxpayers $302 million by the end of the year.

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Increase in migration polarizes Slovakia ahead of elections - InfoMigrants

As more migrants on their way to Germany enter Slovakia from Hungary without authorization, Slovak authorities have increased border police patrols, among other measures. Populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico, the frontrunner in the upcoming parliamentary election, seeks to tap into public concerns about irregular migration.

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Migrants are raking in $3,000 a month as they work illegally as delivery drivers and send their kids to local schools while living in NYC's luxurious Roosevelt Hotel | Daily Mail Online

Asylum seekers in New York City have been raking as much as $3,000 a month working without work permits while living free-of-cost at The Roosevelt Hotel, where they get free food, bedding and even cleaning services.

The historic Manhattan tower, dubbed 'the new Ellis Island' by one city official - has become the registering point for the migrants who arrive by bus in the city after crossing the US-Mexico border in Texas. Many of them have been bused north by Republican governors fed up with what they say are open-arms policies by Democrats.

The hotel is among many in Manhattan that have been designated to house migrant families with children, who have started attending schools in midtown this Fall. The city is currently paying about $385 a night per migrant family that needs housing and feeding. According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, asylum seekers are costing the city roughly $10 million every day.

DailyMail.com spoke to asylum seekers outside the Roosevelt on Friday, just hours after several buses arrived, and learned many of the migrants living in the shelter have been working as delivery drivers illegally, using dozens of scooters without plates that have become a common sight outside the iconic location.

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Migrants must get at least three-star hotels, says Home Office contract

The Home Office is forcing some contractors to book hotels of “at least a minimum of three stars” to house small-boat migrants as costs soared to £8 million a day.

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, said she was “very concerned about hotels” and called their use “unacceptable”, telling Parliament this week: “It is totally unacceptable that too many towns and cities around the country now house the 45,000 asylum seekers who are in hotels… it is not right that the British taxpayer is forking out the cost.”

The most recent contract issued by Mrs Braverman’s department, seen by The Telegraph, lists “mandatory requirements” for all hotels booked, stating: “The location of the accommodation will be carried out at locations close to amenities and transport networks. Contracted venues should be at least a minimum of three stars.”

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Migration could be ‘dissolving force for EU’, says bloc’s top diplomat | European Union | The Guardian

Migration could be “a dissolving force for the European Union” due to deep cultural differences between European countries and their long-term inability to reach a common policy, the EU’s most senior diplomat has said.

Although Russia will try to fan the flames on migration inside Europe, Josep Borrell denied that the conflict in Ukraine was contributing to the crisis, which he described as a decades-old problem fuelled by wars and poverty in departure countries.

The EU’s external affairs commissioner said the bloc had performed miracles in the war, and that it was one of the key forces forging a new world order in which the global south deserved greater respect and power.

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Serbian police step up migration patrols on border with Hungary | Reuters

SUBOTICA, Serbia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Serbia has sent special forces to the border with Hungary as hundreds of migrants a day try to reach the European Union.

With Serbia on the main route for refugees from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, mainly coming through Turkey, the police have long been at the border.

But they have now sent in more heavily armed personnel after what an NGO said were turf wars among criminal gangs and a police chief said were conflicts among migrants.

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Warfare between migrant criminal gangs has brought an 'unprecedented' wave of violence to Sweden, police admit | Daily Mail Online

Sweden has been in the grip of a war between gangs fighting over arms and drug trafficking - involving firearms and explosive devices - for years, but now the country has seen a series of fatal shootings within just a week.

'There have recently been murders and explosions on an unprecedented scale,' police chief Anders Thornberg told a press conference.

He emphasised that the perpetrators were often from abroad, but he didn't mention any nationalities.

There have been several shootings in Sweden this week: four in the university city of Uppsala - two of them fatal - and two in Stockholm, where a 13-year-old teenager lost his life.

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AP is going after Rumble now

Sound waves power new advances in drug delivery and smart materials | ScienceDaily

Ultrasound has long been used at low frequencies -- around 10 kHz to 3 MHz -- to drive chemical reactions, a field known as "sonochemistry."

At these low frequencies, sonochemical reactions are driven by the violent implosion of air bubbles.

This process, known as cavitation, results in huge pressures and ultra-high temperatures -- like a tiny and extremely localised pressure cooker.

But it turns out that if you up the frequency, these reactions change completely.

When high frequency sound waves were transmitted into various materials and cells, the researchers saw behaviour that had never been observed with low-frequency ultrasound.

"We've seen self-ordering molecules that seem to orient themselves in the crystal along the direction of the sound waves," Yeo says.

"The sound wavelengths involved can be over 100,000 times larger than an individual molecule, so it's incredibly puzzling how something so tiny can be precisely manipulated with something so big.

"It's like driving a truck through a random scattering of Lego bricks, then finding those pieces stack nicely on top of each other -- it shouldn't happen!"

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Pentagon Built AI Program to Navigate Its Bloated Budget

Thanks to its bloat and political wrangling, the annual Department of Defense budget legislation includes hundreds of revisions and limitations telling the Pentagon what it can and cannot do. To make sense of all those provisions, the Pentagon created an AI program, codenamed GAMECHANGER.

“In my comptroller role, I am, of course, the most excited about applying GAME CHANGER to gain better visibility and understanding across our various budget exhibits,” said Gregory Little, the deputy comptroller of the Pentagon, shortly after the program’s creation last year.

“The fact that they have to go to such extraordinary measures to understand what their own policies are is an indictment of how they operate.”

“The fact that they have to go to such extraordinary measures to understand what their own policies are is an indictment of how they operate,” said William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and expert on the defense budget. “It’s kind of similar to the problem with the budget as a whole: They don’t make tough decisions, they just layer on more policies, more weapons systems, more spending. Between the Pentagon and Congress, they’re not really getting rid of old stuff, they’re just adding more.”

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[2305.17493] The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget

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Download a PDF of the paper titled The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget, by Ilia Shumailov and 5 other authors

Download PDF Abstract: Stable Diffusion revolutionised image creation from descriptive text. GPT-2, GPT-3(.5) and GPT-4 demonstrated astonishing performance across a variety of language tasks. ChatGPT introduced such language models to the general public. It is now clear that large language models (LLMs) are here to stay, and will bring about drastic change in the whole ecosystem of online text and images. In this paper we consider what the future might hold. What will happen to GPT-{n} once LLMs contribute much of the language found online? We find that use of model-generated content in training causes irreversible defects in the resulting models, where tails of the original content distribution disappear. We refer to this effect as Model Collapse and show that it can occur in Variational Autoencoders, Gaussian Mixture Models and LLMs. We build theoretical intuition behind the phenomenon and portray its ubiquity amongst all learned generative models. We demonstrate that it has to be taken seriously if we are to sustain the benefits of training from large-scale data scraped from the web. Indeed, the value of data collected about genuine human interactions with systems will be increasingly valuable in the presence of content generated by LLMs in data crawled from the Internet. Submission history From: Ilia Shumailov [

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[v1] Sat, 27 May 2023 15:10:41 UTC (1,773 KB)

[v2] Wed, 31 May 2023 10:39:26 UTC (1,847 KB)

Full-text links: Access Paper: Download a PDF of the paper titled The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget, by Ilia Shumailov and 5 other authors

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Radio Frequency-Activated Nanoliposomes for Controlled Combination Drug Delivery - PMC

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Journal List AAPS PharmSciTech v.16(6); 2015 Dec PMC4666254 As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, the contents by NLM or the National Institutes of Health.

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PMC Copyright Notice AAPS PharmSciTech. 2015 Dec; 16(6): 1335''1343.

Swapnil A. MalekarDepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Ashish L. SarodeDepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Alvin C. Bach, IIDepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Arijit BoseDepartment of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 495M Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Drive, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Geoffrey BothunDepartment of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 495M Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Drive, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

David R. WorthenDepartment of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 495M Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Drive, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Rhode Island, 495M Pharmacy Building, 7 Greenhouse Drive, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881 USA

Corresponding author.

Received 2015 Feb 27; Accepted 2015 Apr 12.

Copyright (C) American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists 2015

AbstractThis work was conducted in order to design, characterize, and evaluate stable liposomes containing the hydrophobic drug raloxifene HCl (RAL) and hydrophilic doxycycline HCl (DOX), two potentially synergistic agents for treating osteoporosis and other bone lesions, in conjunction with a radio frequency-induced, hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticle-dependent triggering mechanism for drug release. Both drugs were successfully incorporated into liposomes by lipid film hydration, although combination drug loading compromised liposome stability. Liposome stability was improved by reducing the drug load and by including Pluronics® (PL) in the formulations. DOX did not appear to interact with the phospholipid membranes comprising the liposomes, and its release was maximized in the presence of radio frequency (RF) heating. In contrast, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) analysis revealed that RAL developed strong interactions with the phospholipid membranes, most notably with lipid phosphate head groups, resulting in significant changes in membrane thermodynamics. Likewise, RAL release from liposomes was minimal, even in the presence of RF heating. These studies may offer useful insights into the design and optimization of multidrug containing liposomes. The effects of RAL on liposome characteristics and drug release performance underscore the importance of appropriate physical-chemical analysis in order to identify and characterize drug-lipid interactions that may profoundly affect liposome properties and performance early in the formulation development process.

KEY WORDS: controlled release, drug combination, liposomes, nanoparticles

INTRODUCTIONDrug therapy is routinely employed for palliating osteoporosis progression and for treating bone fractures in osteoporosis-weakened bones. Raloxifene HCl (RAL), a systemic selective estrogen receptor modulator that exerts tissue-specific estrogenic action on bone tissue, is approved for osteoporosis therapy, although its low oral bioavailability (ca. 2%) and untoward side effects, including hot flashes, cramping, teratogenicity, and potentially lethal blood clot formation, limit its utility as an orally administered systemic drug (1,2). Given these biopharmaceutical and therapeutic liabilities, alternative formulations, including transdermal nanopolymersomes, have been explored as alternative systems for RAL delivery (2,3). Doxycycline HCl (DOX), a tetracycline antibiotic with anti-rheumatic and anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits metalloproteinase activity and bone resorption and has been employed for the treatment of arthritis and for its bone healing properties, although its oral systemic use is often associated with nausea and skin disorders. DOX is contraindicated in pregnancy and lactation due to untoward effects on tooth and bone formation (4). Given their synergistic potential, controlled release RAL/DOX combination therapy targeted to affected skeletal tissues such as osteoporotic lesions and bone fractures may represent a novel and attractive option for localized bone therapy. Despite its therapeutic potential, RAL/DOX combination therapy has yet to be explored, and prototype formulations for their localized, controlled release have yet to be evaluated. Given the growing interest in intratrabecular and other modes of direct drug delivery to bone, the successful development of controlled release, combination, controlled release RAL/DOX formulations might be particularly useful for the treatment of isolated bone lesions (5,6).

Liposomes and other lipid-based vesicular systems may serve as useful drug delivery systems for various therapeutic agents (7). Hydrophilic agents may be encapsulated in the aqueous cores of the liposomes, while hydrophobic compounds may be incorporated into the lipid bilayers (3). The stability of liposomes is always a major concern, as poor stability may lead to vesicular aggregation and fusion, liposomal cargo leakage, degradation, and compromised product stability and drug release at desired target sites (8). Various attempts have been made to stabilize liposomes, such as including cholesterol in the lipid bilayers in order to increase bilayer rigidity, the use of phospholipids of high transition temperatures, polymerization of modified lipids, freeze-thawing, and the insertion of block copolymers (9''13). The stability of liposomes may be enhanced by steric hindrance of aggregation with the aid of poloxamer block copolymers (Pluronics® (PL)). As integral parts of liposomal membranes, PLs may enhance liposomal stability for an extended period of time (14,15).

Since the release of hydrophilic drugs encapsulated in the liposomal core is typically driven by passive diffusion, the insertion of stabilizing PL chains into the bilayers may hinder this process (16''18). The enhanced rigidity of the bilayer that could be imparted by the inclusion of hydrophobic drugs might likewise stabilize the systems and reduce the drug release rate. Moreover, the release of hydrophobic compounds embedded within the lipid bilayers could be compromised due to strong hydrophobic interactions that might develop between the drugs and the lipid chains. A high-frequency alternating current (AC) magnetic field has been reported to trigger drug release from liposomes and polymersomes with the use of super paramagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles (19''22). These SPIOs are biocompatible with minimal in vivo toxicity and have also been used as diagnostic agents (21,22). In this investigation, it was hypothesized that RAL and DOX could be successfully incorporated into sterically stabilized dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline (DPPC)-based liposomes produced with the aid of a triblock copolymer for stabilization in conjunction with the use of SPIO and radio frequency magnetic fields to trigger the release of the drugs. It was further hypothesized that DOX, a highly water soluble drug, would be encapsulated into the hydrophilic cores of the liposomes, whereas RAL, with much lower water solubility, would be localized in the lipid bilayers. Extensive characterization of the liposome formulations and their stability were performed, and both differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) studies were performed in order to better understand the notable and previously unreported effects of the incorporated drugs, in particular those imparted by RAL, on DPPC-based liposome stability, physical-chemical properties, and drug release.

MATERIALS AND METHODSMaterials1,2-Dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine monohydrate (DPPC) was purchased from Corden Pharma (CO, USA). Doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX) and raloxifene hydrochloride (RAL) were purchased from Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, PA). All Pluronic® polymers were purchased from BASF (Parsippany, NJ). Cellulose membranes (Spectra/Por, MW cutoff 3500 Da), used for dialysis and drug release tests, were obtained from Spectrum Laboratories, Inc. (Houston, TX). Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) tablets were purchased from MP Biomedicals (Solon, OH). SPIO maghemite nanoparticles (5 nm, 24 mg mL''1, or 187.9 mM Fe2O3) dispersed in chloroform were purchased from Ocean Nanotech (Springdale, AR). On the basis of the density of maghemite (4.9 g cm''3), 24 mg mL''1 is equivalent to 1.43'‰—'‰1017 particles per milliliter. All other reagents were purchased from Fisher Scientific and were of analytical grade.

Liposome PreparationVesicles were prepared at a 17-mM lipid concentration for all formulations. The vesicles were prepared in 4-mL batches by film rehydration (3 mL for dialysis and drug release studies and 1 mL for characterization) as described by Chen et al. (22). The samples were further diluted to a lipid concentration of 5.6 mM for TEM, 1 mM for dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential analysis, and 0.1 mM for nano-DSC analysis. When individual drugs were loaded into liposomes, their final concentration was maintained at 2 mM. When the two-drug combination was encapsulated, their concentrations were reduced to 0.5 mM, as higher two-drug concentrations resulted in vesicular aggregation and instability. The procedure was the same for all of the formulations except for the step in which various components were added for different formulations. DOX- containing liposomes were prepared by dissolving 50 mg of DPPC in 4 mL of chloroform. The chloroform was removed by rotary evaporation at 50°C (above the DPPC melting temperature) starting at 450 mbar for 30 min, then decreased to 300 mbar for 30 min, and finally 200 mbar for 30 min. This lipid film was kept under vacuum for 2 h at room temperature in order to remove traces of chloroform. The film was then rehydrated with a 2-mM solution of DOX dissolved in 137 mM PBS for 2 h at 50°C. RAL liposomes were analogously prepared. RAL and DPPC were dissolved in a 3:1 ratio of chloroform/methanol due to the insolubility of RAL in pure chloroform. The organic solvents were removed by rotary evaporation at 50°C (above the DPPC melting temperature) starting at 450 mbar for 30 min, then decreased to 300 mbar for 30 min, and finally 200 mbar for 30 min. This lipid film was kept under vacuum for 2 h at room temperature to remove traces of organic solvents. The film was then rehydrated with 137 mM PBS, and the final RAL concentration in the formulation was 2 mM. The magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), RAL, DOX, and Pluronic® containing liposomes were prepared in a similar way by adding the MNPs [lipid/MNP (L/N) ratios of 5000:1, 10,000:1, and 20,000:1] and P84 to the organic solvent mixture containing lipid and RAL, and following the film formation as described above using rotary evaporator, the film was rehydrated with 0.5 mM DOX in 137 mM PBS. The resulting aqueous dispersions were then sonicated for 1 h at room temperature using a bath sonicator. For the 31P-NMR studies, the vesicles were analogously prepared, with the aqueous phase containing 10% v/v D2O for a lock signal.

Cryogenic Transmission Electron MicroscopyCryogenic transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) samples were prepared at 37°C using a Vitrobot (FEI Company), a PC-controlled robot for sample vitrification. Quantifoil grids were used with 2-μm carbon holes on 200 square mesh copper grids (Electron Microscopy Sciences, Hatfield, PA). After immersing the grid into the sample, it was then removed, blotted to reduce film thickness, and vitrified in liquid ethane. Imaging was performed in a cooled microscopy stage (Model 915, Gatan Inc., Pleasanton, CA) at 200 kV using a JEOL JEM-2100F TEM (Peabody, MA).

Energy-Dispersive X-ray ScatteringEnergy-dispersive X-ray scattering (EDS) (Model INCAx-act, Oxford Instrument, K) was used to detect elemental iron from the magnetic nanoparticles within the iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded liposomes. EDS was conducted during cryogenic imaging with 158 s of live time and 92 s of dead time.

Phosphorus-31 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance SpectroscopyThe 31P-NMR spectra were acquired on an Agilent NMRS 500 NMR spectrometer operating at 202.3 MHz using a 5-mm OneNMR probe. The probe temperature was thermostated at 37°C for all experiments. Liposome formulations analyzed by NMR were prepared as previously described with the exception that 10% D2O was used as a solvent in order to provide a deuterium lock signal. NMR data were collected for 60 K scans with a 35.7-kHz sweep width using 131 K data points. Acquisition time was 1.3 s with a relaxation delay of 0.5 s. The data were processed with Mnova program V8.1 Mesterlab research SL. A line broadening of 50 Hz was applied to all spectra. All spectra were indirectly referenced to H3PO4 set to 0 ppm. Data were acquired without spinning.

Nanodifferential Scanning CalorimetryNanodifferential scanning calorimetry (nano-DSC) was performed using a TA Instruments Nano DSC (New Castle, DE, USA). Samples at a concentration of 0.1 mM lipid were degassed under vacuum for 30 min before loading into a 0.6-mL capillary cell. The cell was then pressurized with nitrogen to 1 atm and equilibrated at 25°C. The sample was scanned at 1°C min''1 over a range of 25 to 60°C.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (Employed for Drug Stability Confirmation and Quantification of Drug Release)The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system comprised a Hitachi LaChrome Elite equipped with a PDA detector and an automatic injector with a loop volume of 0.1 mL. For DOX quantification, an Agilent Zorbax SB C8 (5 μm, 4.6'‰—'‰250 mm) column was used. The mobile phase consisted of 0.02 M oxalic acid/methanol/acetonitrile (65/25/10) with a final pH of 2.5. The flow rate was 1 mL min''1 with an injection volume of 90 μL and a detection wavelength of 350 nm. The limit of detection of DOX using this method was 20 nM. The calibration curve in PBS had an R2'‰='‰0.9999. The column used for RAL quantification was a Luna 3 μm C18 (2) 150'‰—'‰4.6 mm with a mobile phase comprising 0.05 M ammonium acetate/acetonitrile (67/33) with a final pH of 4.0. The flow rate was 1 mL min''1 with an injection volume of 90 μL and a detection wavelength of 287 nm. The limit of detection was 20 nM, and the calibration curve in PBS had an R2'‰='‰0.9997. R2 value of 0.9997''9 over a range of 20 to 200,000 nM suggests accurate quantification of drug derived from corresponding HPLC chromatograms.

Dynamic Light ScatteringDLS measurements were performed using a Malvern Instruments Zetasizer Nano ZS with a backscattering detector angle of 173° and a 4-mW, 633-nm He-Ne laser (Worcestershire, UK). For size distribution studies, 1 mL of the liposome formulations was analyzed in an optical grade polystyrene cuvette at 37°C. Before analysis, the samples were stored at 37°C and then analyzed after 24 h.

Radio Frequency-Induced Drug ReleaseDrug-loaded liposomes containing magnetic nanoparticles were placed in a copper heating coil (three turns at 4.5 cm mean diameter) around a custom-designed polycarbonate container with a holder for SpectraPor dialysis tubing. Heating was conducted as a function of time and electromagnetic field strength using a 1-kW Hotshot (Ameritherm Inc., Scottsville, NY) operating up to 250 A and 281 kHz. Samples were collected from the drug dissolution media at serial time points during the drug release experiments, and drug concentrations as a function of time were then determined using HPLC.

Dialysis and Release StudiesThe dialysis experiments were conducted at room temperature (25'‰±'‰0.5°C) using 3.5-kDa tubular cellulose acetate membranes for 24 h in 137 mM PBS with constant stirring and replacement of the dissolution media (22). The dissolution media was collected and analyzed by HPLC for unencapsulated drug in order to calculate the drug loading capacity of the liposomes. Drug release studies were performed using the same dialysis tubing. The experiments were carried out in 137 mM PBS at 37'‰±'‰0.5°C and a pH of 7.4 with a stirring speed of 75 rpm using a 0.5-in. magnetic stirrer. Fresh media was replaced after the sampling was done at regular time intervals.

RESULTSMorphological Characterization of the VesiclesThe structural characteristics of the liposomes, including size and shape, were assessed upon the incorporation of P84, MNPs, DOX, and RAL and compared to bare DPPC liposome controls. In order to study the morphological characteristics and incorporation of MNPs into the bilayer, Cryo-TEM and EDS analyses of the liposomes were performed. The morphological characteristics of liposomal formulations containing DOX or RAL at 2-mM individual drug concentrations are shown in Fig. 1a, b . Both DOX- and RAL-containing liposomes were similar in shape, suggesting that the drugs alone did not influence liposomal morphology. The formulations containing both P84 and MNPs were also analyzed for their morphology and elemental composition (Fig. 2 ).

DOX and RAL release from DPPC liposomes carried out at 37°C and pH 7.4 in 137 mM PBS. 1.88 mM of DOX and 1.98 mM RAL were encapsulated after 20 h of dialysis which corresponds to encapsulation efficiency of 94.5 and 99.3% respectively. Cryo-TEM images of corresponding a DOX and b RAL containing liposomes indicating no difference in the morphology. Scale bar is 200 nm for the TEM images

Cryo-TEM images (a) and EDS scans (b) of liposomes containing DOX, RAL, and P84 which show absence of iron peak at 6.4 keV. Cryo-TEM images and EDS scans of liposomes containing DOX, RAL, P84, and MNPs before (c, d) and after (e, f) RF exposure. The L/N ratio was 10,000:1 for these formulations. Yellow arrows indicate the presence of MNPs in the bilayers. The round shape of liposomes was converted to angular showing the influence of RF heating on the bilayers. Scale bar is 200 nm

As expected, formulations that did not contain MNPs did not show any iron peak, as seen in Fig. 2b . Formulations containing MNPs (Fig. 2d ) depicted distinct iron peaks at 6.4 KeV. There was no evidence of the presence of MNPs or aggregates of MNPs outside of the liposomes. The EDS scans were taken in the specific areas of the grid that had liposomes and no prevalent iron oxide nanoparticles. This suggests that iron oxide nanoparticles were successfully incorporated into the bilayers.

Stability of LiposomesThe polydispersity indices (PDI) of the liposomal formulations were obtained from photon correlation spectroscopic analysis, giving a dimensionless number extrapolated from the autocorrelation function. The PDI of all of the liposome formulations assessed in the present study was below 0.3. The liposomal formulations were further characterized by DLS in order to estimate their stability at physiologic temperature (Fig. 3 ).

Hydrodynamic diameter of liposomal formulations indicating stability attained by P84

By taking into consideration the goal of multiple drug loading, when 2 mM of both DOX and RAL were loaded into analogous liposomal systems, large aggregates formed within a few hours. In order to prepare stable liposomes containing both drugs, their concentration was reduced from 2 to 0.5 mM each. The reduction in drug concentration did not improve liposomal stability. Since one goal of this study was to make stabilized nanoliposomes, poly (ethylene oxide)-poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide) triblock copolymers (PL) were incorporated into the bilayers in order to enhance vesicular stability. Pluronics® F-127 and F-108 have been shown to increase the mechanical stability of some lipid-based vesicular systems, such as dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine liposomes (23). Therefore, various grades of PLs were incorporated at different weight percentages into the liposomal bilayers in order to optimize the stability of liposomes containing 0.5 mM of both DOX and RAL (Table I ). Pluronic P84 was the only grade of this polymer that afforded increased stability in these systems.

Table IVarious Grades of Pluronics® (PL) Used to Stabilize the Liposomes Along with their Individual Monomer Ratios of PEO/PPO

Pluronic gradeMonomer ratioF108PEO132-PPO50-PEO132F68PEO76-PPO30-PEO76F127PEO100-PPO65-PEO100P84PEO19-PPO39-PEO19Bilayer Phase CharacterizationThe change in the transition temperature of a vesicular lipid bilayer depends upon the presence of other chemical species and their subsequent interaction within the different domains of the vesicles. The interactions of DOX, RAL, and combinations thereof were thermally analyzed using nano-DSC (Fig. 4 ). For drug-free DPPC control liposomes, a transition of 8.43 Kcal mol''1 occurred at 42.96°C (Table II ). This transition is consistent with the conversion of the rippled gel phase to the liquid crystalline phase (24). Upon the addition of 2 mM RAL to the liposome formulation, a significant phase transition of 12.12 Kcal mol''1 at 49.24°C was observed. The addition of 0.5 mM RAL showed a transition of 10.98 Kcal mol''1 at 47.5°C. The inclusion of MNPs (L/N ratio of 10,000/1) decreased the Tm significantly to 39.03°C.

Nano-DSC thermographs of the liposomal formulations. RAL increased the Tm of the liposomal bilayer, whereas the Tm was reduced using MNPs and peak broadening was observed with P84. DOX and P84 did not have any effect on the Tm

Table IIEnthalpy, Entropy, and the Transition Temperatures of Liposomal Formulations Measured by Nano-DSC

FormulationÎ--H (Kcal/mol)Î--S [Kcal/(mol.K)]Tm (°C)Blank DPPC8.430.196342.96DPPC'‰+'‰2 mM DOX11.950.285641.86DPPC'‰+'‰2 mM RAL12.120.246349.24DPPC'‰+'‰P848.0500.192841.78DPPC'‰+'‰2 mM RAL'‰+'‰P8411.030.224849.08DPPC'‰+'‰0.5 mM DOX'‰+'‰0.5 mM RAL'‰+'‰P8412.620.275245.88DPPC'‰+'‰0.5 mM RAL'‰+'‰P8411.510.259044.45DPPC'‰+'‰0.5 mM RAL10.980.231247.50DPPC'‰+'‰0.5 mM DOX'‰+'‰0.5 mM RAL'‰+'‰P84'‰+'‰10,000:1 MNPs07.890.202439.03DPPC'‰+'‰0.5 mM DOX'‰+'‰0.5 mM RAL'‰+'‰P84'‰+'‰10,000:1 MNP's05.630.136441.28The effect of incorporating DOX, RAL, and P84 in DPPC liposomes was also examined by 31P-NMR, as shown in Fig. 5 . Blank DPPC liposomes displayed one single sharp peak, a spectrum characteristic of small, unilamellar vesicles (25). Upon the addition of either DOX or P84 to DPPC liposomes, neither a chemical shift nor a change in the shape of the NMR signal was detected. The presence of small, unilamellar vesicles was also confirmed with cryo-TEM imaging. Thus, it was concluded that neither DOX nor P84 affected the orientation or the environment of the phosphate head groups in the liposomal bilayers. In contrast, upon the incorporation of RAL, an additional resonance (indicated with black arrows) appears upfield of DPPC, which is indicative of increased exposure of the phosphate head groups at the surface of the membranes.

31P-NMR spectra after 60 K scans for liposomes containing (1) Blank DPPC, (2) DPPC and 2 mM DOX, and (3) DPPC and 300 μM P84, (4) DPPC and 2 mM RAL, and (5) DPPC with 0.5 mM RAL and DOX and 300 μM P84 dispersed in a 1:9 (D2O:H2O) solvent equilibrated at 37°C. No shielding effect was detected for DOX or P84 containing liposomes. Black arrows indicate the shift in the upward field due to shielding effect of the aromatic rings present in RAL

Drug ReleaseAn analysis of the release of drugs having different physiochemical properties from different components of liposomes was performed under physiological conditions with and without the use of an external magnetic field. Liposomal formulations were subjected to dialysis studies prior to drug release assessment in order to remove unentrapped RAL and DOX. The dialysis experiment was carried out until a constant drug concentration was obtained from assayed dialysate samples, indicating that equilibrium had been achieved and no unentrapped material was present in the formulation. At the end of the dialysis experiment, mass balance equations were used to calculate the encapsulation efficiency of the liposomal formulations. At a 17-mM DPPC concentration, 1.88 mM (94.56% theoretical) of DOX and 1.98 mM (99.35% theoretical) of RAL were successfully encapsulated. While performing individual drug release studies, it was observed that DOX entrapped in the hydrophilic core was released from the liposomes, most likely due to passive diffusion driven by a concentration gradient across the vesicular lipid bilayer. About 1200 nM of DOX was released after 24 h of dissolution. In contrast, RAL, localized within the lipid bilayers, showed minimal release after 24 h (Fig. 1 ). MNP-containing liposomes did not show any drug leakage in the absence of the application of an external magnetic field. However, when subjected to a 30-min exposure to an external electromagnetic field and then stored at 37°C, a release pattern was observed. As seen in Fig. 6 , the samples were collected at various time points (1, 3, 4, 20, 21, and 24 h). Before the collection of each sample, the formulations were subjected to 30 min of radio frequency (RF) exposure and stored at 37°C for another 30 min. DOX release was independent of time and observed only after exposure to RF radiation. No RAL release was noted, even under the influence of RF heating.

RF-induced release of DOX from liposomes at 37°C and at pH 7.4 in 137 mM PBS. Both DOX and RAL were encapsulated at 0.5-mM concentration. The lipid/MNP ratio was 10,000:1 that produced local hyperthermia and triggered the release of DOX. The red curve represents the drug release profile as a function of the RF heating cycle and the time points at which samples were collected in real time

DISCUSSIONDOX, a hydrophilic tertiary amine (pKa 9.3) with a high polar surface area that is primarily protonated and charged at physiologic pH, and RAL, a relatively hydrophobic drug with large domains of hydrophobicity including an aromatic heterocycle and an aliphatic chain, were incorporated into different compartments (hydrophilic core and lipid bilayers, respectively) of the liposomes. The chemical structures of each of the drugs are shown in Fig. 7 . DOX has a high aqueous solubility and permeability and hence belongs to biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) class I, whereas RAL belongs to BCS class II drugs which consist of low solubility/high permeability compounds and has a reported log P of 5.7 (26). This may partly explain the high affinity of RAL for the lipid bilayers as compared to DOX.

Chemical structures of DOX (left) and RAL (right)

The inclusion of DOX into DPPC vesicles did not significantly alter the Tm of the liposomes (Fig. 4 ). This suggests that DOX was not associated with the bilayers and was instead incorporated in the aqueous core or partly adsorbed onto the bilayer surface. Although the polypropylene oxide (PPO) moieties of P84 were hypothesized to be present in the bilayers (27), the inclusion of P84 did not affect the Tm of DPPC vesicles. However, peak broadening was detected, suggesting a decrease in the cooperativity of the phase transition, as has been reported with the addition of cholesterol (28). This peak broadening effect was only demonstrated in the presence of P84 and/or MNPs that are coated with hydrophobic oleic acid. This is attributed to inclusion of the PPO or oleic acid chains of the MNPs into the lipid bilayers. The RAL-induced shift to a higher Tm was directly proportional to the concentration of RAL included in the liposome formulations. The higher Tm suggests more thermodynamic and mechanical stability of the liposomes. Various studies have revealed that an increase in mechanical stability is associated with an increase in bilayer rigidity and, in turn, colloidal stability (29). Thus, RAL-containing liposomes were more stable than analogous, DOX-containing liposomes. The MNP-induced change in the Tm was inversely proportional to the concentration of MNPs incorporated into the vesicular systems (Tm'‰='‰41.28°C for L/N ratio of 20,000/1). This is perhaps due to the hydrophobic interaction of the oleic acid coating on the MNPs with the lipid chains in the vesicle bilayer, thereby forming a less rigid lipid bilayer. Although the apparent reduction in bilayer rigidity might theoretically have led to leaky liposomes, drug release studies did not show any leakage from the MNP-containing liposomes in the absence of radio frequency (RF)-induced heating (25,30).

31 P-NMR analysis revealed that the upfield resonance due to the addition of RAL was likely a result of additional shielding due to the rigid aromatic rings of RAL which oriented themselves in the lipid bilayers in the proximity of the phosphate head groups (Fig. 5 ). The magnitude of this shielding effect was directly proportional to the concentration of RAL incorporated into DPPC liposomes (31).

Due to stability issues when using a combination of DOX and RAL in the same liposomal system, the concentration of each drug was reduced to 1 mM. This system was still unstable, as was an analogous system containing 0.75 mM of each drug, perhaps due to the adsorption of protonated, positively charged DOX (pKa 9.3) near the surface phosphate head groups, thereby reducing electrostatic repulsion and leading to aggregation. The concentration of the drug combination used was further reduced to 0.5 mM each. This formulation still exhibited increased aggregation as compared to single-drug loaded liposomes. The reduction in drug concentration did not improve liposome stability, and since a goal of the project was to make stabilized nanoliposomes, PLs were added to the bilayers in order to enhance vesicular stability (14). Pluronics® F-127 and F-108 have been shown to increase the mechanical stability of lipid-based vesicular systems, such as dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine liposomes (23). Therefore, various grades of PLs were incorporated at different weight percent into the liposomal bilayers in order to stabilize the liposomes containing 0.5 mM of both DOX and RAL, respectively (Table I ). Among the four grades of PL that were assessed as liposome stabilizers, only P84 enhanced vesicular stability. Since P84 has the lowest hydrophilic/hydrophobic (PEO/PPO) ratio, the hydrophobic PPO chains of this particular polymer grade may have undergone the most pronounced insertion into the hydrophobic bilayers of the liposomes, thereby resulting in mechanical stabilization. With the increase in the hydrophilic moiety of the copolymer polyethylene oxide (PEO), there is the possibility of ''squeezing out'' of the copolymer from the lipid bilayers. With P84 at 1:10 (PL/DPPC) w/w ratio, the optimum amount of hydrophilic PEO chains on the surface and PPO chains inserted into the bilayers of each liposome likely improved vesicular stability due to steric hindrance (32).

This stable system was used for release studies, and no drug was detected in the dialysis or drug release media after 24 h, suggesting complete drug encapsulation. It might be noted that these liposomal formulations displayed minimal leakage of the entrapped material, suggesting the potential advantage of minimal toxicity in vivo when using analogous formulations to entrap potent or toxic drugs with a narrow therapeutic index. In the interest of developing useful drug delivery systems, and in light of the complete absence of drug release from these two-drug containing formulations, it was hypothesized that a trigger mechanism was needed so that the drugs would eventually be released from these liposomes. Accordingly, MNPs that could be subjected to an external electromagnetic field (due to their paramagnetic property), thereby inducing vibration and heating within the lipid bilayer, were successfully incorporated within the liposomal bilayers. Upon exposure to this external electromagnetic field, the MNPs would be expected to produce a local hyperthermia within the bilayers, thereby increasing the temperature above the Tm and triggering drug release. The rate and extent of DOX release from the liposomes triggered by its exposure to an electromagnetic field is shown in Fig. 6 . In contrast, electromagnetic irradiation had no effect on RAL release from lipid vesicles. RAL, being highly hydrophobic in nature and strongly interacting with the lipid bilayer as demonstrated by NMR and nano-DSC studies, did not show any release in vitro.

CONCLUSIONSIn the current investigation, two physicochemically disparate, therapeutically complementary drugs were successfully incorporated into liposomes. This type of combination drug carrier might be used in the treatment of various conditions that may require multiple drug administration in a controlled manner for a synergistic effect, thereby improving therapy. Poor stability is a common observation with liposomal systems, which has been addressed here by the use of PL-induced steric hindrance that maintained a homogenous particle size and improved formulation stability for an enhanced period of time. Notably, RAL had a pronounced effect on liposomal stability, which suggests the possibility of assessing RAL or related compounds for stabilizing otherwise unstable liposomes. Liposomal stabilization was limited by and highly dependent upon the concentration of the incorporated two-drug combination. The presence of PLs, MNPs, and RAL in the bilayers all had a pronounced effect on drug release. Under normal physiological conditions, minimum cargo leakage would be highly desirable as it might reduce systemic exposure and toxicity and promote drug targeting. Embedding MNPs in the bilayers may offer the advantage of controlling and triggering drug release with the aid of a physiologically compatible, noninvasive magnetic field. RAL, and perhaps related compounds, interacts avidly with phospholipid vesicles, thereby apparently conferring additional vesicle stability but compromising RAL release from these systems. The effects of RAL on liposome characteristics and drug release performance underscore the importance of appropriate physical-chemical analysis in order to identify and characterize drug-lipid interactions that may profoundly affect liposome characteristics and performance early in the formulation development process. Although beyond the scope of this work, additional studies that characterize these interactions and their effects may be useful for the design of controlled delivery systems for RAL and related compounds.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors would like to thank Dr. Richard Kingsley for performing the cryo-TEM imaging and EDS scans.

This material is based upon work conducted at a research facility at the University of Rhode Island supported in part by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Cooperative Agreement #EPS-1004057.

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Online Tone Generator - generate pure tones of any frequency

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You can damage your hearing or your speakers if you play tones at extreme volumes.People can't hear sounds < 20 Hz and > 10,000 Hz very well. If you turn up the volume on your device to compensate,you could expose yourself to harmful sound levels and your speakers to harmful currents.To be safe, note the volume level that allows you to listen to a 1,000 Hz tone without discomfort and do not stray too farabove this level, even if you can't hear much '' especially in the high range, where your hearing is the most fragile.

InstructionsTo play a constant tone, click Play or press Space.

To change the frequency, drag the slider or press '† '†' (arrow keys).To adjust the frequency by 1 Hz, use the buttons or press Shift'‰+'‰'† and Shift'‰+'‰'†'.To adjust the frequency by 0.01 Hz, press Ctrl'‰+'‰'† and Ctrl'‰+'‰'†';to adjust it by 0.001 Hz, press Ctrl'‰+ Shift +'‰'† and Ctrl'‰+'‰Shift+ '†'To halve/double the frequency (go down/up one octave), click —½ and —2 .

To change the wave type from a sine wave (pure tone) to a square/triangle/sawtooth wave, click the button.

You can mix tones by opening the Online Tone Generatorin several browser tabs.

What can I use this tone generator for?Tuning instruments, science experiments (what's the resonant frequency of this wineglass?), testing audio equipment(how low does my subwoofer go?), testing your hearing (what's the highest frequency you can hear? are there frequenciesyou can hear in only one ear?).

Tinnitus frequency matching.If you have pure-tone tinnitus, this online frequency generator can help you determine its frequency.Knowing your tinnitus frequency can enable you to better target masking sounds and frequency discrimination training.When you find a frequency that seems to match your tinnitus, make sure you check frequenciesone octave higher (frequency — 2) and one octave lower (frequency — ½), as it is easy to confusetones that are one octave apart.

Alzheimer's disease.Some scientists from MIT are seriously investigating the possibility that 40 Hz tonesmay reverse some of the molecular changes in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.Initial studies on transgenic mice showed promising results, but (as is often the case) early-stage human trials painta much murkier picture. Further studies are underway. Here's asummary of the research so far and a report from a user whotried 40 Hz therapy on his wife.(Note that this tone generator is not a medical device '' I don't guarantee anything!)

CommentsYou can leave comments here.

Support this siteIf you use the Online Tone Generator and find it helpful, please support it with a little bit of money.Here's the deal:My goal is to keep maintaining this site to make sure it stays compatible withcurrent browser versions. Unfortunately, this takes a non-trivial amount of time (for example, figuringout an obscure browser bug can take many hours of work), which is a problem becauseI have to make a living. Donations from awesome, good-looking users like you buy me time to keep things running.

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(2) ZELENSKY'S 'BAD MOMENT' - Seymour Hersh

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BAND OF BROTHERS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, US Climate Envoy John Kerry, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken listen as President Joe Biden addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday. / Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images. Next Tuesday will be the anniversary of the Biden administration's destruction of three of the four pipelines of Nord Stream 1 and 2. There is more I have to say about it, but it will have to wait. Why? Because the war between Russia and Ukraine, with the White House continuing to reject any talk of a ceasefire, is at a turning point.

Car-hating Sadiq Khan to hit millions of drivers with ANOTHER daily fee up to £17 on top of £12.50 Ulez and £15 C-charge | The Sun

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TAKING A TOLL

Published : 20:27, 23 Sep 2023 Updated : 20:46, 23 Sep 2023 CAR-HATING Sadiq Khan is preparing to hit millions of drivers with another daily fee of up to £17 on top of his £12.50 Ulez and £15 congestion charges.

London's Labour mayor has been given permission for new road tunnel signs introducing new fees for motorists across the capital.

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Drivers face being charged for the first time to use the busy Blackwall tunnel Credit: GettyMr Khan's Transport for London authority has drawn up new signs which reveal motorists face paying up to £8.50 per time to use the Blackwall and Silvertown tunnels from 2025 onwards.

It is currently free to drive through both the Blackwall and Rotherhithe tunnels, while the Dartford Crossing has a £2.50 toll.

The proposed new signs have now been approved by the Conservative government's transport secretary Mark Harper.

The existing two-lane Blackwall tunnels underneath the River Thames and linking north and south London are presently free to use.

The £1.2billion Silvertown tunnel beneath the river, connecting Silvertown in the east London borough of Newham with Greenwich south of the Thames, is scheduled to open in 2025.

Supporters say it should ease congestion along the Blackwall routes.

Documents published on the Department for Transport's website suggest the new tolls will be enforced between 6am and 10pm.

They suggest motorcyclists would be charged up to £3, car drivers £4 and those using other vehicles up to £8.50.

Motorists would likely be charged for each crossing rather than return journeys, the Evening Standard reported - meaning some motorists making trips back and forth would pay £17 per day.

The charges are expected to be paid online, rather than at physical toll booths.

A spokesperson for the Stop The Silvertown Tunnel campaign group said: "The proposed new toll on the Blackwall tunnel brings no benefits at all.

"It is there only to remove the new extra traffic congestion, pollution and CO2 emissions that will be generated by the mayor's own Silvertown tunnel."

TfL insisted no decision on fees had yet been finalised, describing the figures on the signs as "placeholders" to illustrate the design layout.

A spokesperson for the transport authority said: "In order to obtain necessary approvals for the new road signage required for the Silvertown tunnel, a submission for the potential signs has been made to the Department for Transport.

DRIVERS HIT TWICE ALREADY"No charges have been finalised yet and any times and costs within the submission are indicative to allow for approval to be obtained.

"The final charges will be made ahead of the Silvertown tunnel opening in 2025 once further modelling, including assessments on concessions, are completed."

The mooted new fees would come on top of the £15 daily congestion charge to drive in central London - first introduced for Labour's former London mayor Ken Livingstone at £5 in February 2003.

And Mr Khan last month extended across all of London's 32 boroughs the much-criticised ultra-low emission zone.

That means £12.50 daily charges for anyone driving vehicles deemed too environmentally-unfriendly.

Opponents say it will harshly penalise poorer families unable to afford more modern cars which hit stricter emissions standards.

Tradesmen needing vans to carry supplies also face higher costs which would potentially be passed on to customers' bills.

The Ulez was initially confined to central London when first introduced in April 2019.

It was then extended to all areas within the North Circular and South Circular roads in October 2021, covering 3.8million Londoners.

But now extra 5million people are living within the zone.

The £12.50 charges are most likely for pre-2015 diesels and pre-2006 petrol cars.

Anti-Ulez campaigners held a protest outside Mr Khan's south London home last month, parking a slogan-bearing caravan.

And vigilantes have also been damaging Ulez cameras and vans carrying them.

Homeowners just outside the new borders say they've been offered £100 per month by motorists to park on their driveways.

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Sadiq Khan has had signs imposing new fees on London drivers approved Credit: Getty 6

The proposed Transport for London road signs reveal possible charges Credit: Transport For London 6

New road plans are aimed at easing congestion through the Blackwall tunnel Credit: Getty 6

The new Silvertown tunnel crossing beneath the Thames is due to open in 2025 Credit: Transport For London 6

Protests have been held against Mr Khan's Ulez extension across London Credit: Alamy

'Alarming' rise in UK stillbirths and babies dying within weeks of being born reverses eight-year trend | Daily Mail Online

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:09

The number babies who are stillborn or dying in the first few weeks of life has risen in the UK, reversing an eight-year-long trend.

An annual report from researchers at Oxford and Leicester universities shows that there were 3.54 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2021, up from 3.33 in 2020.

A similar rise was seen for neonatal deaths '-- when a baby dies within 28 days of being born '-- from 1.53 per 1,000 live births in 2020 to 1.65 in 2021.

Premature births increased by 1.5 per cent.

Researchers said the figures put an end to the 'consistent reduction in UK rates since 2013', while charities warned that the figures paint 'an alarming picture of baby loss'.

Stillbirth rates increased among all gestational age groups, with a 12% jump in stillbirths among babies born between 28 and 31 weeks

The data was published by Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audit and Confidential Enquiries (MBRRACE-UK), which is jointly led by Oxford Population Health's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) and the University of Leicester's The Infant Mortality and Morbidity Studies (TIMMS).

It shows that 698,909 babies were born at 24 weeks '-- classed as extremely premature '-- or later in the UK in 2021, an increase of 1.5 per cent on 2020.

Stillbirth rates increased among all gestational age groups, with a 12 per cent jump in stillbirths among babies born between 28 and 31 weeks.

Babies born before 37 weeks accounted for 75 per cent of stillbirths and late foetal losses, as well as 73 per cent of neonatal deaths.

The most common causes of stillbirth were placental, congenital anomalies, cord and infection, with more than half (51.7 per cent) falling into these groups.

What is a stillbirth?A stillbirth occurs when a baby is born after 24 weeks of pregnancy. If a baby dies before 24 weeks of pregnancy, it is known as a pregnancy loss.

Not all stillbirths can be prevented, however, not smoking or drinking, as well as not sleeping on your back and attending all antenatal appointments can reduce the risk.

What are the signs?

Signs may include the baby not moving as much as normal.

Pregnant women should contact their doctor immediately if they notice a difference to their baby's movement.

What are the causes?

Stillbirths do not always have an obvious cause but may occur due to complications with the placenta or a birth defect.

They are also more likely to occur if women suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes or an infection that affects the baby, such as flu.

Stillbirths are more likely to occur if women are having twins or multiple pregnancies, are overweight, smoke, are over 35 or have a pre-existing condition, such as epilepsy.

What happens after a stillbirth?

If a baby has died, women may wait for their labour to start naturally or they may be induced if their health is at risk.

Bereavement support groups are available to parents who have suffered stillbirths.

Some find it helpful to name their baby or take pictures with them.

Source: NHS Choices

But there was a 'substantial proportion' of stillbirths where the cause of death was classified as unknown.

Some 77 per cent of neonatal deaths were down to congenital anomalies, extreme prematurity, neurological, cardio-respiratory and infection.

In 2019, the Government committed to halving the rate of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during birth by 2025.

But Robert Wilson, head of the Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit, said the MBRRACE-UK report 'makes it clear that inaction is costing babies' lives'.

'It paints an alarming picture of baby loss throughout the UK and the situation described in this report is simply unacceptable.

'This requires a comprehensive response from all levels of government that matches the urgency and scale of the issue.'

The figures also showed 'notable increases' in stillbirths among women from deprived areas or certain ethic backgrounds, indicating a 'widening of inequalities'.

Some 4.69 per 1,000 babies were stillborn among women in the most deprived groups compared to 2.37 per 1,000 in the least deprived groups.

Stillbirth rates were also higher among women of black (7.52 per 1,000) and Asian (5.15 per 1,000) ethnicities, compared to white women (3.30 per 1,000).

The Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit called for 'urgent action' to 'address the multiple drivers of inequality' in their Saving Babies' Lives progress report in May.

It called for measures to 'ensure that everyone is receiving care in line with nationally agreed standards, and a greater focus on learning lessons when babies die'.

Mr Wilson added: 'We keep hearing these heartbreaking statistics, but saving babies' lives and tackling inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss are still not the political priorities they deserve to be.'

Dr Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said 'disproportionate death rates' for black babies were 'alarming'.

He added: 'Urgent action is needed to address the stark challenges faced by mothers of black and ethnic minority newborns to significantly improve assessment and care practices.

'Black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth compared to white women, with women from Asian backgrounds facing twice the risk of maternal mortality.

'Frankly, these are unacceptable statistics '' mothers and babies are paying with their lives for the lack of action on ethnic inequalities.'

The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

Cost of living crisis blamed for babies being stillborn as expectant mothers can't afford transport to vital appointments, report warns | Daily Mail Online

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:08

Babies are being stillborn because expectant women cannot afford to attend appointments amid the cost of living crisis, a report warns.

Researchers are calling for new funding to help ensure mums-to-be do not miss important consultations and are able to properly care for themselves.

Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership and Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust reviewed a series of maternity safety incidents in the city.

Their analysis concluded that the 'current financial crisis is impacting on the ability of some women to attend essential antenatal appointments'.

And it found missing these appointments was a factor in a range of adverse events, including stillbirths.

A report has warned babies are being stillborn because mothers are unable afford attending vital health appointments in the cost of living crisis (stock image)

'Did not attend' rates have increased as more women do not have the money to pay for transport to hospital, while a 'lack of credit on phones prevented communication between women and maternity services, for example, making [them] unable to rearrange scans or appointments'.

The review, first reported by the Health Service Journal, identified wide spread 'digital poverty', including a woman with type 1 diabetes, who was unable to monitor her sugar levels over night as she only had one phone charger in her house.

Meanwhile, families with babies on a neonatal unit were going without food in order to cover the cost of visiting their tot.

The Bradford NHS has attempted several initiatives to tackle these problems, including partnering with food banks, supplying food at antenatal clinics. and introducing freephone numbers for key maternity services.

It has also worked to try to address travel costs, including unsuccessfully asking the local bus service First Bus to consider free fares.

Abbie Wild, the Best 1001 Days programme manager, told HSJ: 'Families were unable to afford their bus fare, or taxi fare, to come to essential appointments.

'For example, having a monitor for reduced foetal movements, or attending blood pressure reviews for a woman who has been identified as having raised pressure [both] of which are of serious concern.

'It became apparent that the process for claiming reimbursement [of travel costs] was quite complex, and involved producing evidence of benefit; attending the cashier's office at the main site of the hospital not within the maternity unit; having the knowledge that option existed; and having the money upfront.

'It is not readily available or easily navigated by many, especially families for whom English is not their first language.

'They may not have that money in their pocket to be able to pay up front; if they do and they're struggling to feed their family, they may prioritise buying a loaf of bread and a pint of milk over attending their maternity appointment.'

She said the team had asked local NHS organisations if they can fund pre-paid public transport vouchers instead of existing, more expensive and complex reimbursement schemes, but have been told it is not possible because of national budget restrictions.

They are now seeking a national policy to enable pre-paid travel for some or all expectant parents.

Ms Wild said: 'The logistics [of reallocating funding] mean the decision needs to come from higher up.

The money can't be moved around locally. 'It needs to be a national agenda and decision to make that change.

'I think there's quite an easy solution here to prevent poor outcomes by providing women during their pregnancy with free travel and it could save lives.'

A government spokesperson said: 'We are committed to ensuring all women, regardless of where they live, can access a high standard of care throughout their pregnancy.

'We recognise that people are struggling with the cost of living, which is why we have increased support for expectant mothers, through the statutory maternity pay and maternity allowance by 10.1 per cent.

'NHS England has published guidance for local maternity systems, supported by £6.8m, focusing on actions to reduce disparities and we have also set up a ''maternity disparities taskforce'' to explore and consider evidence-based interventions.'

The Department of Health and Social Care also highlighted other benefit payments available to some parents; money it has invested in bus services, including capping fares at £2 on some routes; and said NHSE was monitoring maternity outcome inequalities.

Record number of stillbirths is similar to that of 100 years ago | UK | News | Express.co.uk

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Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Entertainment Life & Style UK Politics Royal US World Science Weather Weird History Nature Sunday InYourArea Major concerns as number of stillbirths and babies born underweight surge.

Stillborn deaths on the rise (Image: Getty)

An increase in stillbirths and babies born underweight was seen during the Spanish Flu pandemic - 100 years before similar trends during Covid, reveals new research.

Two pandemics an entire century apart both led to increases in stillborn babies and those born low in weight, say scientists.

The Swiss team analysed data on births in Switzerland around the time of the Spanish Influenza pandemic in 1918-20 and found stillbirths and low birth weights increased both during and after the disease spread throughout the world.

They discovered the spread of the flu - also known as the Great Influenza pandemic - led to a rise in stillbirths and low birth weights in babies.

A similar pattern has also been observed since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020. The researchers said that though influences on neonatal health are multifactorial, their recent analysis suggests some consistencies across pandemics a whole century apart.

The new study, from the University of Zurich, was based on data collated on mothers and newborns at the Bern Maternity Hospital between two periods: between 1880 to 1900 and from 1914 to 1922.

The pandemic most commonly known by the misleading name of Spanish Flu raged between 1918 and 1920, breaking out towards the end of World War I.

READ MORE Midwife's warning on leaving house with young babies - as three-week old dies

CONCERNS: Experts say data is similar to that of 100 years ago (Image: Getty)

Though the earliest documented case of the disease was recorded in Kansas in the US Midwest, reportage of the disease first emerged in Spain.

Spanish flu led to the infection of up to a third of the world's population and the deaths of an estimated 50 to 100 million people.

Comparatively, the Covid pandemic, which forced the world to a grinding halt in 2020, is estimated to have attributed to the deaths of nearly seven million people worldwide.

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found the overall rate of babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy - preterm births - and stillbirths, when a baby is born dead after 24 weeks of pregnancy, decreased between the first (1880-1900) and the second (1914-22) datasets.

However, the researchers found low birth weight incidence significantly increased in 1918 and 1919, when the flu raged.Mothers heavily exposed to the flu during pregnancy - based on the dates of their pregnancies and infection rates at the time - were additionally found to have a higher risk of their babies being stillborn.

Although the researcher concluded that the data on influenza infection during pregnancy was too imprecise to be conclusive, they indicated there were some consistencies between the Spanish flu pandemic and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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They noticed similarities in patterns of increased stillbirths and low birth weights in pregnancies exposed to both the 1918 and the 2020 pandemic.

Study leader Dr Kaspar Staub said: "Pandemics are increasingly reported to negatively influence pregnancy outcomes. "Our study is another example showing that the greatest pandemic of the last century was associated with higher risks of stillbirths and low birth weight.

"This urges us to better prepare for future pandemics to mitigate their effects on maternal and neonatal health." He added: "Our study shows that the factors influencing neonatal health were similar across the two datasets.

"The data on influenza infection during pregnancy were too imprecise in this source to be conclusive at the individual level.

"However, it appears that 'Spanish flu' infections were less associated with lower birth weight and more associated with an increased risk of stillbirth.

"If this trend is confirmed by further studies, it could indicate some consistency across pandemics, as similar patterns have recently been shown for Covid-19."

Writers Strike Latest: WGA Reviewing Deal That Studios Call ''Best & Final Offer'' '' Deadline

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 13:47

UPDATED, 6:02 PM: After a full day of negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP, the guild's lawyers are reviewing what the studios call their ''best and final offer.'' We understand that the WGA is going over deal points, and we should have more clarity on Sunday.

PREVIOUSLY, 1:22 PM: A deal in the latest negotiations between the WGA and studios CEOs to end the nearly five-month-long writers strike looks within sight.

During the meeting today at the AMPTP Sherman Oaks office, the parties appear to have essentially untangled their stalemate over AI, writing room staffing levels, and the last remaining matters of contention.

With Netflix's Ted Sarandos, Universal's Donna Langley, Disney's Bob Iger and Warner Bros Discovery's David Zaslav participating from afar, attorneys are now said to be deep-in working on final language for a three-year deal.

The lack of in-room attendance from the CEO Gang of Four comes after the group had been present in person for the past three days trying to seal the deal. As he has over the past couple of days, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made calls today to the top negotiators and execs to check in about where things stood and where they're going, we're told.

RELATED: Gavin Newsom Talks Hollywood Strikes In CNN Interview '' Watch

With deliberations starting around 10 a.m. as Ellen Stutzman led the WGA negotiating committee and AMPTP's Carol Lombardini on the other side of the table, today was always going to be about final details, sources say. To that end, lawyers took center stage for the most part to translate their employers' deal points into formal language.

''The intention was always to wrap this up by the weekend,'' an insider tells us. ''That was the desire on both sides of the table.''

It looks like a tentative agreement could be finalized before the end of the day if the WGA lawyers sign off on what their AMPTP counterparts hand over '' '' therefore not seeping over into the Yom Kippur holiday.

Once the language of the WGA deal is done, and the contract is ratified by membership, the next step for the AMPTP is to be making a deal with SAG-AFTRA '-- which will definitely have its own set of challenges. SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland and other leaders in the actors' union have been kept closely appraised by their fellow guild of the machinations of the back-and-forth between the WGA and the AMPTP over the past 96 hours, we're told.

Despite gripes in the room over press leaks, and last-minute asks by the WGA on Thursday night, several sources inform us that talks have not been contentious, and have just kept moving. One person with knowledge of the situation equated Thursday to ''an ant rolling a boulder up the hill.''

We have yet to hear the exact terms as to when writers can put pen to scripts for the studios, and producers can start sending out specs to agents. On the mind of many is getting the new TV season underway.

With the weekend box office reaching a new all-time low for 2023 this weekend at $49M '-- that's a problem largely stemming from actors unable to promote their movies due to the SAG-AFTRA walkout. One executive last night called the 2024 theatrical release calendar as ''not real,'' meaning given the ADR, and last minute shoots, and even uncompleted productions on several movies next year, we're bound to see more release date changes.

This is the 145th day of the WGA Strike. The longest was in 1988 at 154 days. SAG-AFTRA is on its 72nd day of the strike.

Economists have estimated that the dual strikes have spelled a $5 billion blow to the state of California.

Bezos and Gates Invest In Synchron - The Daily Upside

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Sign up for insightful business news.

The next billionaire battle royale will really get inside your head.

Brain-computer interface tech startup Synchron announced Thursday it raised $75 million in a new funding round including cash injections from Bezos Expeditions and Gates Frontier, investment vehicles for '-- you guessed it '-- Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. While Synchron is seen by many as a much smaller and less-capitalized rival to Elon Musk's Neuralink, it's clearly forging ahead with its own plan.

Not exactly brain surgeryThe science of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) stretches back to the 1960s and now the field is maturing rapidly, with companies jostling to prove their products represent real, viable, and commercial healthcare options for people living with various forms of paralysis. Synchron's USP is that its device can be inserted non-invasively via the jugular vein using a stent as opposed to literal brain surgery. Clearly, the company took the phrase ''go for the jugular'' rather literally.

Once inside a person's brain, the stentrode allows them to interact with computers using just their mind. One recipient of Syncron's tech, an Australian man with ALS, told Insider he uses it to pay his bills, do his online shopping, and turn the lights on and off in his house. With living proof of its usefulness, Synchron is starting to pull ahead of the competition:

It implanted the first-ever brain-computer interface into a US patient in July this year. CEO Tom Oxley told Bloomberg it's got a US-based study with six people underway, two of whom have already had their implants put in.Oxley said the next big hurdle the company wants to clear is an FDA pivotal trial, which if successful would mean the Switch would be eligible for Medicare and medical insurance.Brain trust: Bezos and Gates aren't the first Silicon Valley types to invest in Synchron, Neuralink's former president Max Hodak invested in the company earlier this year. Reuters reported in August that Musk himself approached Synchron in an effort to strike a deal '-- but nothing came of it. In another Reuters report this month, sources said Musk was getting frustrated with what he viewed as Neuralink's slow progress and told employees to imagine they had bombs strapped to their heads as a motivation tactic. Another shout-out for Elon, who continues to write the book on persuasive management style.

Operation Dropshot - Wikipedia

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 13:15

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

US Department of Defense codename

Operation Dropshot was the United States Department of Defense code name for a contingency plan for a possible nuclear and conventional war with the USSR and its allies in order to counter the anticipated Soviet takeover of Western Europe, the Near East and parts of Eastern Asia expected to begin about 1957. The plan was prepared in 1949 during the early stages of the Cold War and declassified during 1977. Although the scenario included the use of nuclear weapons, they were not expected to play a decisive role.

At the time, the US nuclear arsenal was limited in size, based mostly in the United States, and depended on bombers for delivery. Dropshot included mission profiles that would have used 300 nuclear bombs and 29,000 high-explosive bombs on 200 targets in 100 cities and towns to wipe out 85 percent of the Soviet Union's industrial potential at a single stroke. Between 75 and 100 of the 300 nuclear weapons were targeted to destroy Soviet combat aircraft on the ground.

The scenario was devised prior to the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and even included the note that the entire plan would be invalidated if rocketry became a cheap and effective means of delivering nuclear weapons. The documents were later declassified and published as Dropshot: The American Plan for World War III Against Russia in 1957.[1] Never approved, Dropshot was withdrawn in February 1951 and superseded by Reaper, a plan that anticipated a war in 1954.[2]

See also [ edit ] United States war plans (1945''1950)Plan TotalityOperation UnthinkableSeven Days to the River RhineBasic EncyclopediaReferences [ edit ] Sources [ edit ] Ross, Steven T. (1996). American War Plans, 1945-1950: Strategies for Defeating the Soviet Union. Frank Cass. "Dropshot - American Plan for War with the Soviet Union 1957". www.allworldwars.com . Retrieved 2020-10-01 . External links [ edit ] John J. Reilly, "World War III in 1957" via johnreilly.info, archived at Internet Archive, 2006George Hulett, "Cold War Warrior", Air Classics, 21 August 2004

sound - Can computer speakers emit ultrasound? - Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 22:09

From one paper that had concrete numbers, found by searching for what Ben Voigt suggested, the picture is pretty mixed. While the DAC of a modern sound card may well output 96kHz [at 192kHz sampling], don't hold your breath for the average laptop speakers to go very far above 25kHz at a discernible volume (by that meaning even if you use an ultrasound-capable microphone).

We're told that this T400 laptop had an "Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller" and that additionally,

Previously performed tests with a Lenovo T410 Laptop featuring the Conexant 20585 audio codec (with 192 kHz DAC / 96 kHz ADC) have shown very similar results.

But these are only a couple of computer (speaker) models.

Besides using speaker-generated ultrasound for covert communications, another interesting application is as an ultrasonic sonar; this is used to test if theuser is located (or not) in front of the computer [by exploiting the differences in reflected ultrasound]. A Ph.D thesis on this latter topicis more interesting for our question here because it sampled a couple thousand user machines for emission/reception of a 22 kHz sine wave signal; the recording was done in this case with whatever microphone the user had, so these figures are conservative as far just emission of this 22kHz tone is concerned.

The thesis also has a graph for white noise [which can measure multiple frequencies], but the author says he is not very confident in the results obtained that way due to aliasing.

The same issue of low ultrasonic frequency generation was studied for mobile phone speakers with the intent of using ultrasound to detect indoor positioning changes via trilateration. One interesting bit is that, depending on hardware, mobile phone speakers can behave badly (cause aliasing) if you try to emit some ultrasonic frequencies too loud:

If the volume is set too high, mobile phones will generate a lot of noise in a wide range of frequencies in the audible range when trying to generate one of the signals. For iPhone this happens only with 21.5 and 22 KHz, but for Hero and Navigator this happens at all tested frequencies. Only HTC G1 appeared to be almost completely immune to this problem. As the volume is decreased, this problem fades, and at some point disappears. For example with HTC Hero this happens at around 80% file volume at maximum device volume. With iPhone noise at 21.5 and 22 KHz disappears completely around 20% file volume and device volume maximum - 2.

The paper has some sprectrograms too for these phones (which I won't reproduce here because they have one graph per phone.) and more detailed discussion of noise and aliasing than what I've quoted above. The bottom line seems to be that while you can emit some ultrasound, depending on hardware, you may not get exactly the frequency you wanted/programmed and the output may be very noisy in some cases, including audible noise.

So for 22-25kHz (which are considered low ultrasonic frequencies) it seems to work well enough (as in loud enough) for the majority of machines/speakers you can find out there, although possibly with audible artifacts on some setups. For higher ultrasonic frequencies, who knows... The T400 laptop data suggests it's unlikely to work well/loud enough higher that 25kHz, but I couldn't find a study sampling more machines.I also found another ultrasonic sonar paper which used 40kHz as its chosen frequency; while it used regular 96 kHz sound-card hardware, it went for a specialized ultrasonic piezo speaker (the 400ST) at this frequency; my guess is that they would not have bothered with that if run-of-the-mill computer speakers were reliable/loud enough at this frequency.

Sound waves power new advances in drug delivery and smart materials | ScienceDaily

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 22:06

Researchers have revealed how high-frequency sound waves can be used to build new materials, make smart nanoparticles and even deliver drugs to the lungs for painless, needle-free vaccinations.

While sound waves have been part of science and medicine for decades -- ultrasound was first used for clinical imaging in 1942 and for driving chemical reactions in the 1980s -- the technologies have always relied on low frequencies.

Now researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have shown how high frequency sound waves could revolutionise the field of ultrasound-driven chemistry.

A new review published in Advanced Science reveals the bizarre effects of these sound waves on materials and cells, such as molecules that seem to spontaneously order themselves after being hit with the sonic equivalent of a semi-trailer.

The researchers also detail various exciting applications of their pioneering work, including:

Drug delivery to the lungs -- patented nebulisation technology that could deliver life-saving drugs and vaccines by inhalation, rather than through injections Drug-protecting nanoparticles -- encapsulating drugs in special nano-coatings to protect them from deterioration, control their release over time and ensure they precisely target the right places in the body like tumours or infections Breakthrough smart materials -- sustainable production of super-porous nanomaterials that can be used to store, separate, release, protect almost anything Nano-manufacturing 2D materials -- precise, cost-effective and fast exfoliation of atomically-thin quantum dots and nanosheetsLead researcher Distinguished Professor Leslie Yeo and his team have spent over a decade researching the interaction of sound waves at frequencies above 10 MHz with different materials.

But Yeo says they are only now starting to understand the range of strange phenomena they often observe in the lab.

"When we couple high-frequency sound waves into fluids, materials and cells, the effects are extraordinary," he says.

"We've harnessed the power of these sound waves to develop innovative biomedical technologies and to synthesise advanced materials.

"But our discoveries have also changed our fundamental understanding of ultrasound-driven chemistry -- and revealed how little we really know.

"Trying to explain the science of what we see and then applying that to solve practical problems is a big and exciting challenge."

Sonic waves: how to power chemistry with sound

The RMIT research team, which includes Dr Amgad Rezk, Dr Heba Ahmed and Dr Shwathy Ramesan, generates high-frequency sound waves on a microchip to precisely manipulate fluids or materials.

Ultrasound has long been used at low frequencies -- around 10 kHz to 3 MHz -- to drive chemical reactions, a field known as "sonochemistry."

At these low frequencies, sonochemical reactions are driven by the violent implosion of air bubbles.

This process, known as cavitation, results in huge pressures and ultra-high temperatures -- like a tiny and extremely localised pressure cooker.

But it turns out that if you up the frequency, these reactions change completely.

When high frequency sound waves were transmitted into various materials and cells, the researchers saw behaviour that had never been observed with low-frequency ultrasound.

"We've seen self-ordering molecules that seem to orient themselves in the crystal along the direction of the sound waves," Yeo says.

"The sound wavelengths involved can be over 100,000 times larger than an individual molecule, so it's incredibly puzzling how something so tiny can be precisely manipulated with something so big.

"It's like driving a truck through a random scattering of Lego bricks, then finding those pieces stack nicely on top of each other -- it shouldn't happen!"

Biomedical advances

While low-frequency cavitation can often destroy molecules and cells, they remain mostly intact under the high-frequency sound waves.

This makes them gentle enough to use in biomedical devices to manipulate biomolecules and cells without affecting their integrity -- the basis for the various drug delivery technologies patented by the RMIT research team.

One of these patented devices is a cheap, lightweight and portable advanced nebuliser that can precisely deliver large molecules such as DNA and antibodies, unlike existing nebulisers.

This opens the potential for painless, needle-free vaccinations and treatments.

The nebuliser uses high-frequency sound waves to excite the surface of the fluid or drug, generating a fine mist that can deliver larger biological molecules directly to the lungs.

The nebuliser technology can also be used to encapsulate a drug in protective polymer nanoparticles, in a one-step process bringing together nano-manufacturing and drug delivery.

In addition, the researchers have shown irradiating cells with the high-frequency sound waves allows therapeutic molecules to be inserted into the cells without damage, a technique that can be used in emerging cell-based therapies.

Smart materials

The team has used the sound waves to drive crystallisation for the sustainable production of metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.

Predicted to be the defining material of the 21st century, MOFs are ideal for sensing and trapping substances at minute concentrations, to purify water or air, and can also hold large amounts of energy, for making better batteries and energy storage devices.

While the conventional process for making a MOF can take hours or days and requires the use of harsh solvents or intensive energy processes, the RMIT team has developed a clean, sound wave-driven technique that can produce a customised MOF in minutes and can be easily scaled up for efficient mass production.

Sound waves can also be used for nano-manufacturing 2D materials, which are used in myriad applications from flexible electric circuits to solar cells.

Scaling up and pushing boundaries

The next steps for the RMIT team are focused on scaling up the technology.

At a low cost of just $US0.70 per device, the sound wave-generating microchips can be produced using the standard processes for mass fabrication of silicon chips for computers.

"This opens the possibility of producing industrial quantities of materials with these sound waves through massive parallelisation -- using thousands of our chips simultaneously," Yeo said.

The team at the Micro/Nanophysics Research Laboratory, in RMIT's School of Engineering, is one of just a few research groups in the world bringing together high-frequency sound waves, microfluidics and materials.

Yeo says the research challenges long-held physics theories, opening up a new field of "high frequency excitation" in parallel to sonochemistry.

"The classical theories established since the mid-1800s don't always explain the strange and sometimes contradictory behaviour we see -- we're pushing the boundaries of our understanding."

The research is supported through Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project grants.

US offers almost 500,000 Venezuelans legal status - BBC News

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Image source, Getty Images Image caption, US cities such as New York have been struggling to shelter thousands of migrants arriving from South America

Venezuelans seeking asylum in the US who are already living in the country will be allowed to work legally under new rules announced by the Biden administration.

About 472,000 people will be eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a period of 18 months.

It follows calls by Democrats to expand work access for newly-arrived migrants.

US cities have been grappling with large numbers fleeing economic and political turmoil in Venezuela.

People must have been living in the US on or before 31 July to be eligible for temporary deportation relief and access to work permits under TPS. If granted, they will be allowed to work while they wait for an asylum determination to be made.

Some 243,000 Venezuelans already have the status stemming from a 2021 policy that was renewed last year.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the expansion of protected status for Venezuelans was warranted due to the country's "increased instability and lack of safety".

"Temporary protected status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

"That is the situation that Venezuelans who arrived here on or before 31 July of this year find themselves in."

Those who have arrived after that date, Mr Mayorkas said, will "be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay".

New York Mayor Eric Adams had been calling on President Joe Biden to allow migrants to have access to employment.

The city has been struggling to shelter tens of thousands of migrants, many of them from Venezuela, in more than 200 hotels, shelters, tent cities and other facilities.

Mr Adams, a Democrat, blamed the federal and state government for not providing enough aid for the city to offer housing and other social services for new arrivals.

"Our administration and our partners across the city have led the calls to 'Let Them Work,' so I want to thank President Biden for hearing our entire coalition, including our hard-working congressional delegation, and taking this important step that will bring hope to the thousands of Venezuelan asylum seekers currently in our care who will now be immediately eligible for Temporary Protected Status," he said on Wednesday.

In a joint statement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries - both New York Democrats - said that the move is a "welcome step forward" that "will provide needed relief to New York's systems straining to support newly arrived immigrants".

"The decision will also substantially reduce the cost to New York taxpayers with respect to the sheltering of asylum seekers," the statement added.

New York's Governor, Kathy Hochul, said that while there's "more work to do", state officials are ready to "immediately" begin the process of "signing people up for work [and] getting them into jobs so they can become self-sufficient".

The number of migrants illegally crossing the US-Mexico border has rebounded in recent months, after a drop in May following the Biden administration's new stricter asylum rules.

Republican-led states have been transporting migrants to Democratic-run areas in protest at border policies.

They said the measure was designed to increase pressure on President Biden to do more to reduce the number of migrants crossing the southern US border.

The United Nations says more than seven million people have left Venezuela as the oil giant's economy has collapsed under President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.

'It's the new Ellis Island': Hundreds of migrants flood into NYC's Roosevelt Hotel as Big Apple becomes epicenter of the border crisis - and Mayor Eric Adams says he'll ask judge to SUSPEND right-to-shelter rules | Daily Mail Online

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Hundreds of migrants have flooded into New York City's The Roosevelt Hotel overnight to be processed and given shelter as the city continues baring the brunt of the asylum seeker crisis.

The historic Manhattan tower was dubbed 'the new Ellis Island' by one city official - but there is no view of Lady Liberty or the American flag as endless streams of migrants arrive from South America, Africa and the Middle East.

The Big Apple has taken at least 95,000 migrants so far in 2023 - and the Democratic politicians who first welcomed the influx are now pleading with people to stop flooding across the Southern border. Many of the migrants are transported north by Republican governors fed up with Joe Biden's disastrous open-arms policy.

'We're creating a new Ellis Island for New York City,' Dr. Ted Long, a public health official who is helping lead the city's response to the migrant crisis, told the New York Times.

But Dr Long's hopeful view isn't shared by all. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams is now seeking to axe the right-to-shelter mandate, which requires the city to provide a bed to anyone who asks for one.

Hundreds of migrants have flooded into New York City 's The Roosevelt Hotel overnight

The city has welcomed more than twice as many migrants than Los Angeles , Miami and Houston since Title 42 was lifted in May following the end of the pandemic

Senior Adams administration official, Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services told WNYC last night: 'We're back in court next week to really say, 'I don't think that the right to shelter as it was originally written should be applied to this humanitarian crisis in its present form.'

The city first tried to amend the law in May and has been locked in court-ordered negotiations with NY State and the Legal Aid Society, which represents homeless people.

Progressive Democrats and homeless advocates have vehemently opposed rolling back the right to shelter which is credited with slashing homelessness in the city.

It comes as thousands of additional migrants currently crossing the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, are expected to make their way to NYC, where they have a right to shelter that has forced mayor Eric Adams to use historic places as emergency housing.

Adams is facing a furious backlash after more than 110,000 migrants have flooded into the city since the spring of 2022. Many of the migrants have been transported north from Republican border states in a bid to prove the Democrats' open arms policies are a disaster.

The Roosevelt Hotel, Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among the hotels designated for housing migrants in Manhattan. Long lines of migrants, mostly men from Africa, are now often seen outside the storied locations.

The Big Apple has taken in more than double the amount of migrants than the next most-popular cities. Adams has pleaded for state and federal aid as it is estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12billion over the next three years.

Houston was listed as the destination for 15,416 people, while 15,329 documented that they were heading to Los Angeles County and 11,081 made their way to Miami-Dade County since May.

NTAs are issued to migrants who cross the border illegally and it summons them to appear in front of a judge who decides whether they will stay in America or be deported.

All migrants who are released back into the US legally to pursue an asylum claim are given the document.

The data was collected by the TRAC database and highlights how many people are crossing the border and where they are going.

Conservative Queens councilwoman Vickie Paladino addressed the situation on Wednesday, arguing the migrants crossing Eagle Pass will soon add to the crisis in New York City, where more than 113,000 asylum seekers have arrived since last Spring.

Thousands of additional migrants currently crossing the US-Mexico border at Eagle Pass, Texas, are expected to make their way to NYC, where they have a right to shelter

New York City's migrant crisis is expected to cost the city $4.7billion this year. Above is a list of some of the landmarks that have been turned into emergency shelters as officials struggle to house nearly 60,000 migrants in the city's care

'They'll be in New York in less than a week, most likely,' Paladino said on Wednesday. 'This is not normal, this is not okay, this is not humane, and we have absolutely no obligation to care for these people with housing, welfare, or anything else.'

Around 95,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the start of the year with over 60,000 still in the city's care across 210 sites. City officials have said they expect the number asylum seeker population to reach nearly 33,980 households this fiscal year.

The city is currently paying about $385 a night per migrant family that needs housing and feeding. According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, asylum seekers are costing the city roughly $10 million every day.

Despite mayor Adams' cries for help from the state and federal government, the city has not received aid to cover the extra costs, so the $4.7billion would come from the city's budget. That amount is equal to the budgets for the city's sanitation, fire and parks departments combined.

Adams has warned that the city's services will be affected by the incredible additional expenses on the budget. He has previously stated the city is planning on cutting services such as library hours, meals for senior citizens, and free, full-day care for three-year-olds.

The situation has already caused several demonstrations by furious New Yorkers.

Earlier this week, chaos erupted outside a Staten Island shelter for migrants as protesters tried to stop asylum seekers from moving in.

About 10 protesters were arrested on Tuesday outside a former Island Shores Assisted Living Facility in Midland Beach, where a crowd met migrants with chants including, 'Take them back, Take them back.'

Footage from the scene shows protesters banging on the bus windows as they tried to prevent the migrants from disembarking and entering the shelter.

New York City has taken in 95K migrants this YEAR - which is more than TWICE as many as LA, Miami, Houston since MAY | Daily Mail Online

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:49

New York City has taken in at least 95,000 migrants so far in 2023, shocking new figures show, as the Big Apple continues to buckle under the strain of new arrivals.

The city has welcomed more than twice as many migrants than Los Angeles , Miami and Houston since Title 42 was lifted in May following the end of the pandemic, according to data analysis by the New York Post .

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded for state and federal aid as it is estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12billion over the next three years.

A total of 41,277 people listed NYC as their destination when they crossed the border into the US, according to data from Syracuse University's TRAC immigration database seen by the Post.

They were handed Notices to Appear ( NTA ) in front of an immigration court in the city, which has a legal obligation to shelter those who arrive. In recent months migrants have become much more visible on the city's streets, with many taking to selling candy on the subway in a bid to bolster their incomes. New York City has taken in at least 95,000 migrants so far in 2023 despite its clear struggles dealing with the huge influx

A total of 41,277 people listed New York City as their destination when they crossed the border into the US, according to data from Syracuse University's TRAC immigration database

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded for state and federal aid as it is estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12billion over the next three years

The Big Apple has taken in more than double the amount of migrants than the next most-popular cities.

Houston - America's most racially-diverse city - was listed as the destination for 15,416 people.

Meanwhile, 15,329 documented that they were heading to Los Angeles County and 11,081 made their way to Miami-Dade County since May.

NTAs are issued to migrants who cross the border illegally and it summons them to appear in front of a judge who then decides whether to let them stay in the United States, or rules that they must be deported.

All migrants who are released back into the US legally to pursue an asylum claim are given the document.

The data was collected by the TRAC database and highlights how many people are crossing the border and where they are going.

Around 95,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the start of the year with over 60,000 still in the city's care across 210 sites.

It has been struggling to deal with the influx of migrants coming in since April 2022.

New York is a Right to Shelter state and is required to house the asylum seekers but shelters have filled up at an astronomical rate, leaving many to sleep on the sidewalks throughout Manhattan.

A variety of famous landmarks such as hotels have been turned into makeshift shelters and temporary housing as short-term solutions.

New York is a Right to Shelter state and is required to house the asylum seekers but shelters have filled up at an astronomical rate, leaving many to sleep on the sidewalks

A variety of famous landmarks such as hotels have been turned into makeshift shelters and temporary housing as short-term solutions

Mayor Adams has begged for funds to deal with the crisis and called on President Joe Biden to declare a state of emergency on August 9.

He urged the White House to accelerate a path to employment for asylum seekers to help with the issue.

Earlier this week New York Governor Kathy Hochul insisted the city was 'at capacity' and could not handle any more migrants.

She said: 'We have to get the word out, that when you come to New York, you're not going to have more hotel rooms, we don't have capacity.

'So we have to also message properly that we're at a limit - if you're going to leave your country, go somewhere else.'

Mayor Adams has claimed migrants have already cost the city $2billion and he is still urging the federal government to provide the city with funds.

But despite Biden being in the city for three days to visit the United Nations this week, he failed to meet him.

Migrants are pictured outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan - one of many coopted by the city to shelter the new arrivals

New York governor Kathy Hochul has warned that asylum seekers who arrive in New York City will not be housed in hotel rooms as they have been in the past

'This beautiful city that's the economic engine of the entire country is being saddled with a $2billion that we spent already, $5billion we're going to spend in this fiscal crisis, $12billion in the next two budgetary cycles,' Adams said on Tuesday.

'New York doesn't deserve this, the asylum seekers don't deserve this.

'And so while he's here, I think that they should really reflect on, New York City has done its part.'

The migrant crisis erupted after Title 42, a Covid law used to keep potential carriers of the virus from crossing border, was lifted by President Biden.

Under Title 42, migrants were returned over the border and denied the right to seek asylum.

US officials turned away migrants more than 2.8 million times. Families and children traveling alone were exempt.

Hochul wants to end NYC 'right to shelter' law as migrant crisis surges

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:44

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she supports nixing New York City's ''right to shelter'' law '' as the relentless influx of migrants pouring in only continues to cripple an already ''at capacity'' Big Apple.

The governor backed Mayor Eric Adams' push to suspend the decades-old mandate amid the escalating migrant crisis, telling CNN Wednesday the rule was never meant to ''house literally the entire world.''

''That is the right thing to do,'' Hochul said of rescinding the court-ordered mandate that requires the city to provide a bed for anyone who requests one.

''The original premise behind the right to shelter was, for starters, for homeless men on the streets, people experiencing aids that was [then] extended to families,'' she said.

''But never was it envisioned being an unlimited universal right, or obligation on the city, to house literally the entire world.''

The Adams administration is currently challenging the ''right to shelter'' rule in the state Supreme Court, arguing they need to turn some people away because the city's resources have already buckled with the arrival of more than 110,000 asylum seekers since spring 2022.

Hochul said she pressed President Biden for an extension to the temporary protected status of Venezuelan migrants in a conversation with him Tuesday night. Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/ShutterstockLegal Aid, however, has challenged the push, claiming, in part, that it would only result in more people sleeping on Gotham's streets.

As the saga draws out, Hochul on Wednesday urged newly arrived migrants to consider settling someplace else '' as the Biden administration cleared the way for Venezuelan asylum seekers to get expedited work permits.

Hochul told NY1 that granting temporary protected status and expediting work permits for thousands of Venezuelans who entered the US before July 31 was ''an important first step'' in getting expedited work status for all migrants.

Temporary protected status prevents migrants from being removed from the US and allows them to work in the country. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post''We have to let people know that if you're thinking of coming to New York, we are truly out of space,'' she said.

''The mayor has done an extraordinary job managing this crisis situation. We have been partners in helping him, but there must be other cities that do not have upwards of 125,000 people, over 60,000 in shelters, that can handle the volume easier in other states.''

About 41% of the migrants who have come to the Big Apple from the southern border are Venezuelans, according to City Hall data released last month.

Hochul said she had been pushing for more than a year to get Venezuelans the temporary protected status that allows them to work in the US.Hochul said she had been pushing for more than a year to get Venezuelans the temporary protected status that allows them to work in the US, and that now working migrants will begin to live independently instead of relying on the city's shelter system.

Expanding temporary protected status to migrants allows them to work within 30 days instead of 180, meaning they will be able to exit the shelters sooner.

Hochul said the state is committed to working with Mayor Eric Adams ''to ensure these people are connected to jobs as soon as they're able to work.''

The status protects eligible migrants from deportation. Getty Images''We have to have more workers, and this is going to be a very, very positive development for our state's economy, for these individuals and our desire to start not opening more shelters, but starting to shut down shelters,'' she added.

Following the Department of Homeland Security's announcement, Hochul unveiled a major initiative that will focus state resources and personnel to help eligible migrants file for work authorization and connect them to employers.

More than 70 staffers from 16 different state agencies will be assigned to the effort. Another 50 DHS employees have been promised to New York to process migrants' work authorization applications.

''We have to have more workers, and this is going to be a very, very positive development for our state's economy, for these individuals and our desire to start not opening more shelters, but starting to shut down shelters,'' she added.''It is critical that Venezuelans understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023, are not eligible for such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay,'' Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said.

He said the extension and expansion of the protected status was warranted ''due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning.''

The status also protects eligible migrants from deportation.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson quietly signs $29 MILLION contract with security firm to build migrant camps | Daily Mail Online

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:35

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson has quietly signed a $29million contract with a security firm to build migrant base camps, as residents plead with the city's democratic leaders to stop letting asylum seekers in the state.

The city's deal with the controversial Garda World firm, signed last week, includes at least six locations across the city, with zones holding between 200 and 1,400 asylum seekers. It also includes bedding, laundry, showers, three meals a day and security.

It comes as Chicago residents are becoming increasingly concerned about a surge of asylum seekers arriving on buses from southern states. Many of the migrants have been transported north from Republican border states in a bid to prove the Democrats' open arms policies are a disaster.

'I want to know if there is a capacity limit and what is that limit if there is one?' one city resident asked at a community event this week. 'And why can't we close the borders of Chicago or the state of Illinois in the first place? Why can't we close the border?'

Chicago has seen 13,000 migrants arrive in the city since August 2022, and the surge is expected to cost taxpayers $302 million by the end of the year.

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson has quietly signed a $29million contract with a security firm to build migrant base camps. Chicago has seen 11,000 migrants arrive since August 2022

'I want to know if there is a capacity limit and what is that limit if there is one?' one city resident asked at a community event this week

Residents are now begging local politicians to ''close the borders of Chicago'' to stop illegals coming from Texas96% of this neighborhood voted for Biden pic.twitter.com/WRkBZ4k67K

'-- End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 18, 2023Alderman Ronnie Mosley put the blame on the federal government for letting asylum seekers in the country, and Texas, which he said 'is making the decision to send them to Chicago.'

The contract calls for the firm to handle 'emergency logistics management and operation services that will set up shelter '... and other necessary services (also called "a base camp" or "solution")'' for the new arrivals,' as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

The migrant backlash is the latest debacle for mayor Johnson, who took over from his disastrous predecessor Lori Lightfoot in May of this year. He is proving to be no more popular than her, with fury at his mansion tax, crushing taxes on businesses and proposals like city-run supermarkets.

Earlier this month Johnson announced he planned to move about 1,600 migrants currently living in police stations or at the O'Hare or Midway airport.

Garda World has faced backlash in the past over its projects in Denver, Texas and Florida. The company has previously offered migrant services, including detention. The firm was one of the finalists for governor Ron DeSantis' plans to relocate migrants to Democratic-led cities.

Meanwhile mayor Johnson defended the deal, arguing it's a way to house the migrants who have until now been staying at police stations and the airport.

'The first of Mayor Johnson's priorities is to replace the police stations with shelters forming a base camp,' Johnson's office said in a statement. 'Using this contract enables the City to stand up the base camps expeditiously, and more quickly move new arrivals from Chicago Police Department district stations as the weather begins to change.

'As with all City-run shelters, there will be a system in place for individuals to file grievances should any issues arise. The shelters are used in accordance with American Red Cross standards and will be equipped with HVAC systems and heated to a comfortable temperature during the cold weather.

'The base camps will be incorporated into the City's toolbox for temporary shelters and provide a safe, short-term space with access to immediate care and resources.'

A family from Venezuela outside the Chicago Police 12th District station

Mayor Johnson defended the deal with Garda World, arguing it's a way to house the migrants who have until now been staying at police stations and the airport

Hundreds of migrants are being hidden behind this black curtain at Chicago 's O'Hare Airport, where asylum seekers have reported inhumane living conditions with families left sleeping on the floor for up to 10 days

Chicago officials have said they will build tent shelters for migrants like the ones in New York City. Camps for migrants setup at Randall's Island in New York are seen above

The number of migrants who need shelter in Chicago has continued to increase in recent months, and city leaders have stated they will follow New York's lead in turning different locations around the city into shelters for migrants.

'We've identified multiple locations around the city that can be suitable to treat the family and individuals who are here by law, seeking asylum constitutionally and legally, to have a place that recognizes their dignity,' Johnson said.

Chicago officials have yet to specify which locations they are looking at, but they will reportedly be climate-controlled military-grade tents, according to alderwoman Maria Hadden.

The former Halsted Indoor Mall parking lot at 115th and Halsted Streets could be one of the locations for a planned tent camp, CBS Chicago reported. The space was supposed to be redeveloped into affordable housing but is currently sitting vacant

Last week, Chicago Democratic lawmakers traveled to New York City to 'bring back' lessons on how to deal with a migrant surge in the Windy City.

Furious New Yorkers heckled Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was leading their visit, outside the iconic Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, which has become the center of the migrant scandal in the Big Apple.

The lawmakers were forced to cut the press conference short as the crowd kept drowning out Ocasio-Cortez.

'Close the border! Close the border! Respect the constitution AOC! I am your constituent!' one man shouted over the congresswoman's speech into a megaphone.

As the migrant crisis continues to worsen in Chicago, mayor Johnson has also faced backlash over a proposed 'mansion tax' on sales of homes of more than $1 million, as his administration continues to push higher tax on households earning over $100,000.

The newly elected mayor wants to push a hike in taxes in order to fight homelessness in the city.

Johnson believes people that own properties worth $1 million in the third-largest city in the U.S. are 'rich, and should pay if they sell those homes.'

He also wants to create city-run grocery stores to promote 'equitable' access to food after half of the city's Walmart and Whole Foods stores closed.

Johnson's new moves are set to help 'repair past harms that have contributed to purposeful disinvestment and exclusion and lack of food access' in historically underserved communities.

Meanwhile, the Windy City has suffered an 86 per cent rise in motor vehicle theft rates over the last year - from 42,512 incidents reported in 2022 to 54,983 so far this year.

Overall, this figure has rocketed by 227 per cent since 2019, when 35,711 motor vehicle thefts were reported.

Murder rates have also risen by 19 per cent over the past four years under the disastrous reign of the last Chicago Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, while robberies are up 30 per cent.

Border Surge: 8,900 Migrants Arrested on One Day, With More on the Way - The New York Times

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:33

They come from Brazil, Burkina Faso, Uzbekistan, India and dozens of other countries, a moving global village of hundreds of thousands of people crossing the Rio Grande and slipping through gaps in the border wall at a pace of nearly 9,000 people a day, one of the highest rates of unlawful crossings in months.

Despite new border barriers and thickets of razor wire, risk of deportation and pleas for patience, a resurgent tide of men, women and children is not waiting. Driven by desperation, families and individuals are pushing across the southern border and past new efforts by the Biden administration to keep migrants waiting until they secure hard-to-get appointments to enter the nation with permission.

The influx is creating a humanitarian and political crisis that stretches from packed migrant processing facilities in border states to major American cities struggling to house and educate the new families. Though many get through, thousands are being sent back across the border or on flights to their home countries. But from Texas to California, more than two dozen migrants who have entered illegally in recent days said they could not afford to wait.

''If you don't take risks, you cannot win,'' said Daniel Soto, 35, who crossed with his mother on Tuesday after they sold their car, restaurant and house in Lima, Peru, betting their entire fortune of $25,000 on a weeklong journey to the border near Tijuana.

Surges in migration at the southern border, while motivated by poverty, violence and hunger, are also tied to weather patterns, policy changes and personal circumstances. The pace of unlawful crossings dropped sharply in the spring amid uncertainty surrounding the end of a pandemic-era measure that allowed the government to quickly deport migrants. But numbers rebounded over the summer, and are now nearly double the 4,900 unlawful crossings a day that were recorded in mid-April.

Image Maria Isabel Saez, center, learned after she was released in San Diego that her 18-year-old son had made it to a shelter in another city. Credit... Mark Abramson for The New York Times Image The Iris Avenue Transit Center in San Diego, where migrants were dropped off by border authorities because shelters had no room. Volunteers offered food, clean clothes, phone charging and other help in the parking lot. Credit... Mark Abramson for The New York Times Image Staff from Immigrant Defenders, a nonprofit group, and other organizations help arriving migrants arrange travel to their U.S. destinations from San Diego. Credit... Mark Abramson for The New York Times The Biden administration opened new pathways for entry, including an app to allow migrants to make appointments to cross into the United States in an orderly way, and started a program this summer to enable certain people to apply to immigrate at new processing centers in other countries. Around 1,500 migrants a day enter the country using the app, which is meant to help control and organize the flow of migrants into the country.

The Biden administration also allowed nearly 500,000 Venezuelan migrants who are already in the country to seek work permits and protection from deportation. The administration yielded to pressure from leaders in New York, where the recent arrival of more than 100,000 migrants in New York City has overwhelmed shelters and strained resources. Though the Biden program doesn't apply to new arrivals, it touched off debate about whether the action would encourage more people to migrate.

Yet those moves are not enough to meet the tremendous demand, and they cannot compete with the misinformation spread by smuggling networks '-- a multimillion-dollar industry '-- or the messages sent home from other migrants who made it into the United States.

Migrants like Mr. Soto and his mother are arriving on a tailwind of stories of friends and relatives who reached New York or Chicago months earlier. Many also believe false claims from smugglers and social media that migrants would definitely be able to remain in the United States if they could make it in.

''The smuggling organizations are spreading misinformation with a global reach that they couldn't do before,'' said John Modlin, the Border Patrol's Tucson sector chief, who is coordinating the response to border crossings in Arizona and California. ''In the past, at best, they could talk to the village they were in, or a small region. Through social media, they can hit people all around the world.''

Mr. Modlin said border agents are ''recovering bodies almost every day of people not making it.''

Thousands of migrants who do cross the border successfully are being deported shortly after they arrive, based on factors that include their home countries, available flights, and the discretion of border officials. But others file asylum claims when they face deportation in immigration court, and are allowed to remain in the United States while they wait for their cases to wind through immigration court, a process that can take years.

Some people will not show up for their court proceedings, and continue to live and work in the United States along with millions of other undocumented immigrants.

Some migrants who arrive using the government app are eligible for permission to stay in the country and work for two years, but may still eventually be ordered deported.

''It will work out,'' said Diego Santos, a 23-year-old Brazilian who was heading to Philadelphia after being released by border authorities in San Diego. Ahead of him lay the hope of construction work, but also deportation proceedings that he now has to fight.

''I'll do what I can to stay,'' he said.

As new arrivals swamp processing facilities and strain the capacity of shelters, the Border Patrol has begun dropping off many migrants outside churches, supermarkets and gas stations, transforming border cities into scenes of confusion and triage.

In San Diego, the Border Patrol released thousands of people in the last week near a hub for trolleys and buses, many of them with little money or idea where they were.

Mamadou Barry, 19, who had traveled from Guinea, carried paperwork from U.S. authorities saying he had ''failed to provide address'' of his final destination. Officials had scheduled his first deportation court hearing in Los Angeles. But he knew no one there, or anywhere.

In the border city of Nogales, Ariz., local officials and nonprofit groups have scrambled to arrange for buses to take newly released migrants to a shelter in Tucson, an hour's drive north. But one evening this week, immigration vans released 30 people in Nogales three hours after the day's last bus to Tucson had left.

''Where are we going to sleep?'' asked Liliana Quishpe, 44, who had arrived from Guatemala with her 17-year-old daughter. ''They just left us here.''

The surge shows little sign of ebbing, according to Brandon Judd, the head of the Border Patrol union, who said that 8,900 people were arrested on Wednesday and another 8,360 on Thursday.

Officials in Panama say that even more migrants are now on their way north. Already this year, some 381,000 people bound for the United States have crossed the Dari(C)n Gap '-- a treacherous jungle bottleneck between South and Central America '-- and there could be a surge in October, the most popular month for crossings there.

Image Migrants stand in line to board a bus in downtown Nogales, Ariz., after being dropped off by border patrol agents. The bus will take them to a shelter in Tucson. Credit... Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times Image A man who recently crossed into the U.S. looks at a map at a bus stop in downtown Nogales, Ariz. Credit... Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times Image Migrants in line for lunch at Casa Alitas, a shelter in Tucson, Ariz. Credit... Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times In interviews, many newly arrived migrants said they made plans to travel to the United States as soon as they had cobbled together the money to pay for the trip. Most did not plan to stay at the border, and with the aid of a network of nonprofit groups on the U.S. side, quickly set off for other cities where jobs, relatives or the promise of space in a shelter awaited them.

In Texas, Yosnavys Venta, a 23-year-old from Venezuela, said he spent six months in Mexico trying again and again to get an appointment using the new mobile app. Some who have used the app said they were able to secure appointments right away, others said they could not get one for months.

Mr. Venta finally gave up earlier this month and decided to take his chances in joining thousands of migrants who sloshed across the Rio Grande and into the overwhelmed city of Eagle Pass, Texas.

So many migrants have poured in to the city that on Thursday, the mayor authorized law enforcement officers to arrest people for trespassing if they clamber onto the banks of a city-owned riverside park. Mayor Rolando Salinas, a Democrat, said his small city can't sustain thousands of migrants coming into the community.

Gov. Katie Hobbs of Arizona, a Democrat, joined border law-enforcement officials and mayors in criticizing the Biden administration for what she called haphazard releases of migrants. ''Arizona is being overwhelmed,'' she said Friday.

Even places with more resources, like Pima County, Ariz., are struggling.

''It's been really hectic,'' said Mark Evans, a spokesman for Pima County, which runs buses that collect migrants from small border towns and take them to a large shelter in Tucson. ''We shouldn't be doing this. There's an entire federal agency designed to provide this kind of shelter, and that's FEMA.''

Blas Nu±ez-Neto, an assistant secretary of Homeland Security, said the influx of migrants from countries beyond Mexico and Central America had put ''an incredible amount of pressure'' on the system.

Image Johan Vargas, left, celebrates with his friend Leonardo Fermin after they made it across the Rio Grande to Eagle Pass, Texas. The two met at the Dari(C)n Gap while traveling from Venezuela toward the United States. Credit... Ver"nica G. Crdenas for The New York Times Image People try to decide where to cross to turn themselves in to federal agents in Eagle Pass, Texas. With the international bridge closed, the only option was to cross the river and pass through razor wire on the shore. Credit... Ver"nica G. Crdenas for The New York Times Image Migrants who turned themselves in waited to be processed by border agents in Eagle Pass, Texas. Credit... Ver"nica G. Crdenas for The New York Times The Biden administration has expanded the number of appointments available to migrants who use the mobile app, scheduling some 43,000 appointments a month.

Demand still far outstrips available slots, though, and many migrant families who are stranded in fetid, dangerous makeshift tent encampments along the Mexican side of the border have given up trying to use the app, preferring to brave a perilous crossing across the Rio Grande and often paying cartels that control the river.

''They are tired of waiting,'' said Juan Fierro Garcia, a pastor in the El Buen Samaritano migrant shelter, in Juarez, Mexico. ''They are more desperate.''

In Arizona, Walter Garcia, a 26-year-old firefighter from Guatemala, is among many migrants who barely even considered the legal route. Like many people making their way to the U.S., he had never heard of the new app.

His mother had managed to slip into the United States through the desert a year ago, so Mr. Garcia figured that he could do the same. He paid a smuggler $3,000 last week to take him to a gash in the border wall in Arizona, and on Wednesday, Mr. Garcia was freed from immigration custody and waiting at the Tucson airport for a flight to New Jersey to meet his mother.

''Two days in immigration, and we're out,'' he said. ''It was easy.''

Migrant shelters in Texas, Arizona and California say they are struggling to find cots and hotel rooms to house the hundreds of new families and single adults who arrive every day, and local governments have scrambled to keep up with the pace of migrants being released onto the streets.

Outside a community center in San Diego, Ender Pirela, a 23-year-old from Venezuela, recalled how he had almost given up waiting for an appointment to enter the United States.

Mr. Pirela's older brother had used the new app to enter six months ago, and ended up in Dallas. He worked at construction and saved $2,500 so that Ender could make the same journey.

Mr. Pirela said he and two traveling companions spent six weeks in Monterey, Mexico, where they were harassed and robbed and forced to sleep on the street when they ran out of money. Many other migrants, fearing for their safety, gave up waiting and crossed illegally, he said, but he waited.

''When our date arrived,'' Mr. Pirela said, ''there were tears everywhere.''

Reporting was contributed by Julie Turkewitz, Edgar Sandoval, J. David Goodman, Reyes Mata III and Rob D'Amico.

Miriam Jordan reports from the grassroots perspective on immigrants and their impact on the demographics, society and economy of the United States. Before joining The Times, she covered immigration at the Wall Street Journal and was a correspondent in Brazil, India, Hong Kong and Israel. More about Miriam Jordan

Jack Healy is a Phoenix-based national correspondent who focuses on the fast-changing politics and climate of the Southwest. He has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan and is a graduate of the University of Missouri's journalism school. More about Jack Healy

Migrants are raking in $3,000 a month as they work illegally as delivery drivers and send their kids to local schools while living in NYC's luxurious Roosevelt Hotel | Daily Mail Online

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:33

Asylum seekers in New York City have been raking as much as $3,000 a month working without work permits while living free-of-cost at The Roosevelt Hotel, where they get free food, bedding and even cleaning services.

The historic Manhattan tower, dubbed 'the new Ellis Island' by one city official - has become the registering point for the migrants who arrive by bus in the city after crossing the US-Mexico border in Texas. Many of them have been bused north by Republican governors fed up with what they say are open-arms policies by Democrats.

The hotel is among many in Manhattan that have been designated to house migrant families with children, who have started attending schools in midtown this Fall. The city is currently paying about $385 a night per migrant family that needs housing and feeding. According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, asylum seekers are costing the city roughly $10 million every day.

DailyMail.com spoke to asylum seekers outside the Roosevelt on Friday, just hours after several buses arrived, and learned many of the migrants living in the shelter have been working as delivery drivers illegally, using dozens of scooters without plates that have become a common sight outside the iconic location.

A 24-year-old Venezuelan man, who identified himself only as Jhon, said he and other men living in the shelter are making as much as $1,500 every two weeks by delivering food and other items - even though they don't have working driver's licenses.

A 24-year-old Venezuelan man, who identified himself only as Jhon, said he and other men living in the shelter are making as much as $1,500 every two weeks by delivering food

The migrants living in the shelter have been working as delivery drivers illegally, using dozens of scooters without plates that have become a common sight outside the iconic location

While many delivery apps like Uber Eats require drivers to submit a license before being able to pick up deliveries, the men outside the hotel told DailyMail.com they have ways of going around this, including using apps designed for bicycle deliveries.

Asylum seekers can't work while they wait for the government to consider their claim, which city officials have cited as a factor in the crisis, as migrants are allowed to be here legally but not to support themselves.

However, on Wednesday the Biden administration granted Temporary Protected Status to the nearly half a million Venezuelans waiting for asylum in the U.S. They will now be allowed to work in the country, as mayor Eric Adams had asked.

But many of the Venezuelans outside the shelter hadn't even heard that they could now apply for work permits under TPS, and the migrants at the Roosevelt have spent months in the city already. In that time came up with ways to make money - and given their living costs are covered by the city, they are able to keep all their earnings.

Moreover, the shelter is housing many families who are not Venezuelan and still don't have a claim to a work permit as they wait months and sometimes year for their asylum appointments.

The men told DailyMail.com that when they get caught driving illegally by police, their scooters are taken but they are not detained.

Melvin Pinto, 30, said the men get the money for the scooters by finding work at places like Home Depot and going house to house offering handymen services. Others have been selling empanadas or umbrellas on the streets.

When asked why they decided to come to New York City, Pinto said it was because of the support the city offers migrants.

'Honestly its because of the support they give us '... we don't have relatives here,' Pinto said. 'We're not lying about needing asylum, we're running from all the craziness in Venezuela, - and it's not just hunger, it's armed groups and corrupt police'... if there's no opportunity[at home] we're simply going to leave.'

Melvin Pinto, 30, said the men get the money for the scooters by finding work at places like Home Depot and going house to house offering handymen services

A scooter with what appears to be a foreign plate is seen outside The Roosevelt Hotel shelter

DailyMail.com spoke to asylum seekers outside the Roosevelt on Friday, just hours after several buses arrived

Another young Venezuelan said he had tried migrating to other South American countries first, but he preferred the US.

'I left Venezuela in 2018, I was in Ecuador and Colombia before, but its much better here,' the unnamed young man told DailyMail.com. 'You feel more safe and like there's a future.'

The young man told DailyMail.com he traveled to NYC on a bus paid by the city government of Denver, Colorado - one of the cities where Texas governor Greg Abbott has bused migrants as he tries to highlight liberal hypocrisy.

Like most of the men living at the shelter, Pinto's son has started gong to a nearby school, on third avenue.

'He's been accepted and it's all been normal at this school, but I did have to move him from the previous school because he had a problem with other kids bullying him for being from he was from,' Pinto said.

When asked about the conditions at the shelter, he added: 'They're good'... we can't complain '... there's a bathroom in each room'... we get food, towels, they even clean the room when you call.'

Indeed, many of the migrants said they chose NYC because of the city's right to shelter law, which Adams is now seeking to axe.

Senior Adams administration official, Anne Williams-Isom, the deputy mayor for health and human services told WNYC last night: 'We're back in court next week to really say, 'I don't think that the right to shelter as it was originally written should be applied to this humanitarian crisis in its present form.'

The city first tried to amend the law in May and has been locked in court-ordered negotiations with NY State and the Legal Aid Society, which represents homeless people.

Migrants can also often be seen getting haircuts outside the hotel

The Roosevelt Hotel (pictured), Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among those designated for housing migrants in Manhattan

New York City's migrant crisis is expected to cost the city $4.7billion this year. Above is a list of some of the landmarks that have been turned into emergency shelters as officials struggle to house nearly 60,000 migrants in the city's care

Progressive Democrats and homeless advocates have vehemently opposed rolling back the right to shelter which is credited with slashing homelessness in the city.

Adams is facing a furious backlash after more than 110,000 migrants have flooded into the city since the spring of 2022.

The Big Apple has taken in more than double the amount of migrants than the next most-popular cities. Adams has pleaded for state and federal aid as it is estimated the migrant crisis will cost the city $12billion over the next three years.

Houston was listed as the destination for 15,416 people, while 15,329 documented that they were heading to Los Angeles County and 11,081 made their way to Miami-Dade County since May.

Despite mayor Adams' cries for help from the state and federal government, the city has not received aid to cover the extra costs, so the $4.7billion would come from the city's budget. That amount is equal to the budgets for the city's sanitation, fire and parks departments combined.

Adams has warned that the city's services will be affected by the incredible additional expenses on the budget. He has previously stated the city is planning on cutting services such as library hours, meals for senior citizens, and free, full-day care for three-year-olds.

The situation has already caused several demonstrations by furious New Yorkers.

Earlier this week, chaos erupted outside a Staten Island shelter for migrants as protesters tried to stop asylum seekers from moving in.

About 10 protesters were arrested on Tuesday outside a former Island Shores Assisted Living Facility in Midland Beach, where a crowd met migrants with chants including, 'Take them back, Take them back.'

Footage from the scene shows protesters banging on the bus windows as they tried to prevent the migrants from disembarking and entering the shelter.

Migrants must get at least three-star hotels, says Home Office contract

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:32

The Home Office is forcing some contractors to book hotels of ''at least a minimum of three stars'' to house small-boat migrants as costs soared to £8 million a day.

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, said she was ''very concerned about hotels'' and called their use ''unacceptable'', telling Parliament this week: ''It is totally unacceptable that too many towns and cities around the country now house the 45,000 asylum seekers who are in hotels'... it is not right that the British taxpayer is forking out the cost.''

The most recent contract issued by Mrs Braverman's department, seen by The Telegraph, lists ''mandatory requirements'' for all hotels booked, stating: ''The location of the accommodation will be carried out at locations close to amenities and transport networks. Contracted venues should be at least a minimum of three stars.''

The Home Office has not disclosed how many hotels have been booked under the contract, which began in February, and said it was also using a separate agreement that had no star requirement.

Mrs Braverman has not disclosed the specifications during numerous debates on the issue in the House of Commons, where MPs have challenged the use of hotels in towns and seaside resorts.

A Home Office spokesman said that the vast majority of hotels used to house asylum seekers did not have a minimum star requirement and that the contract with the three star requirement was a ''contingency contract used minimally''.

He added that the use of hotels was a temporary solution.

Conservative grandee Sir John Hayes said small-boat migrants should ''expect a much more basic level of provision'' than three, four or five-star hotels.

''My constituents wouldn't expect any illegal immigrant to be housed in a place they couldn't afford to stay in themselves,'' he said.

''We need to provide safe and clean accommodation but it should be basic '' three-star is well above the level taxpayers would expect to be funding. In truth, we've got to move these people out of hotels altogether.''

Ministers have vowed to reduce costs by doubling up hotel rooms and converting barges and military bases into asylum accommodation.

But another senior Tory said spending had hit ''alarming'' levels, and added that many colleagues had no confidence in troubled efforts to house migrants in the Bibby Stockholm and disused RAF bases.

''It's pretty obvious that the Home Office has completely failed to get a grip on the use of the hotels,'' they added.

''The Home Secretary's rhetoric does not match the reality '' she says she's got a grip on this but the situation is out of control.''

When Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh accused the Government of ''wasting public money'' with delayed attempts to convert RAF Scampton into asylum accommodation on Monday, Mrs Braverman said: ''Ultimately, it is not right that we continue to house tens of thousands of migrants in hotels, in towns and cities across the country. That is why our work to roll out large sites is moving swiftly, and we propose to move asylum seekers on to them as soon as possible.''

A live contract seen by The Telegraph lists extensive requirements for asylum-seeker accommodation, and shows that higher standards are imposed for resettled Afghan refugees and unaccompanied children.

''The buyer's [Home Office's] forecasts indicate that our accommodation portfolio is going to come under significantly more pressure as asylum seekers will continue to illegally enter the country in small boats,'' read instructions issued to Australian firm Corporate Travel Management.

''To meet demand and fulfil our statutory obligations across asylum and resettlement schemes, the buyer is currently reliant upon the growing use of bridging accommodation to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees prior to their asylum decision being made/settled accommodation being sourced.''

The 34-page document lists requirements for safety checks, including fire and Legionella assessments, as well as specifications for food provision, support and security.

Several parts relating to costs, budget guidance and payment from the Government were redacted, citing ''commercial interests''.

The contract, which will run until February 2025, is separate to a wider asylum support framework that has no star requirement for hotels.

That agreement, signed in 2019, was drafted before hotels became routinely used to house small-boat migrants, and under the expectation they would live in houses, flats or hostels.

On Tuesday, the Home Office's annual report showed that the bill for asylum hotels had risen to £8 million a day, as safety issues and legal challenges hamper ministers' ambitions to accommodate migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge and military bases.

The report said: ''We must take action to address the unacceptable costs of housing migrants in hotels '... the minister for immigration has set out the measures we are taking to correct the injustice of the current situation.''

It claimed military bases would be ''scaled up over the coming months'', but a legal challenge brought by local councils will be heard at the High Court in October.

Three 'critical' risksThe Home Office listed three ''critical'' risks related to hotels, including suicides and self-harm by migrants, safety threats to unaccompanied children and ''financial consequences and severe reputational damage'' from a failing accommodation system.

Steve Smith MBE, chief executive of refugee charity Care4Calais, said: ''Some politicians may seek to demonise asylum seekers in hotels for political ends, but the fact is the UK Government is solely responsible for the use of asylum hotels.

''The number of hotels being used to accommodate asylum seekers, and the associated costs, started to increase at the point where the Government slowed down the processing of asylum claims.

''No one, especially the refugees that we work with, wants to use hotels to accommodate asylum seekers. They want to be part of the community and contribute to our economy and society.''

The Refugee Action charity said that despite the standards set in the document, many asylum seekers, including children, were ''forced to live in grotty buildings'' with crowded rooms, mould and ''inedible'' food.

Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: ''It would be more compassionate, just and cost-effective if ministers prioritised clearing the backlog of asylum claims and housed people in communities so they can get on with rebuilding their lives.''

A Home Office spokesman said: ''The vast majority of hotels used to house asylum seekers do not have a minimum star requirement and we remain committed to ending the use of expensive hotels. That is why we are moving people into alternative, cheaper accommodation, doubling up in hotel rooms, and clearing the legacy backlog.

''Through the Illegal Migration Act, this Government will also go further by ensuring that anyone arriving in the UK illegally is detained and swiftly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.''

Warfare between migrant criminal gangs has brought an 'unprecedented' wave of violence to Sweden, police admit | Daily Mail Online

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:31

Sweden had a series of fatal shootings within just a week as gang wars escalateBy Miriam Kuepper and Afp

Published: 14:09 EDT, 13 September 2023 | Updated: 14:10 EDT, 13 September 2023

Wars between gangs have brought an 'unprecedented' wave of violence to Sweden, the national police chief said today.

Sweden has been in the grip of a war between gangs fighting over arms and drug trafficking - involving firearms and explosive devices - for years, but now the country has seen a series of fatal shootings within just a week.

'There have recently been murders and explosions on an unprecedented scale,' police chief Anders Thornberg told a press conference.

He emphasised that the perpetrators were often from abroad, but he didn't mention any nationalities.

There have been several shootings in Sweden this week: four in the university city of Uppsala - two of them fatal - and two in Stockholm, where a 13-year-old teenager lost his life.

'There have recently been murders and explosions on an unprecedented scale,' police chief Anders Thornberg (pictured) told a press conference

Sweden has been in the grip of a war between gangs fighting over arms and drug trafficking - involving firearms and explosive devices - for years, but now the country has seen a series of fatal shootings within just a week (pictured: two previous shootings in Stockholm, one earlier this year and one in 2022)

'Several boys aged between 13 and 15 have been killed, the mother of a criminal was executed at home, and a young man in Uppsala was shot dead on his way to work', Thornberg said.

Last year, 90 explosions and 101 attempted explosive attacks were recorded, according to data from the Swedish police.

So far this year over 100 explosions have already been recorded.

The conflicts between these criminal gangs are costing innocent lives, said Thornberg.

'Citizens are afraid, insecurity is increasing. And this at a time when we have raised our terrorist alert level in the country'.

Several gang crimes have been foiled in recent days, he added, stressing the importance of preventive work.

'Several people have been arrested and weapons confiscated in Uppsala alone, where the situation is very serious', added Ulf Johansson, a police officer in the Uppsala region, which is 70 kilometres north of Stockholm.

In 2022, there were 391 shootings in Sweden, 62 of which were fatal, compared to 45 people killed by gunfire the previous year.

Migration could be 'dissolving force for EU', says bloc's top diplomat | European Union | The Guardian

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:31

Migration could be ''a dissolving force for the European Union'' due to deep cultural differences between European countries and their long-term inability to reach a common policy, the EU's most senior diplomat has said.

Although Russia will try to fan the flames on migration inside Europe, Josep Borrell denied that the conflict in Ukraine was contributing to the crisis, which he described as a decades-old problem fuelled by wars and poverty in departure countries.

The EU's external affairs commissioner said the bloc had performed miracles in the war, and that it was one of the key forces forging a new world order in which the global south deserved greater respect and power.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Guardian reflecting on how the EU had been changed by the war and where the bloc fits in this new world order, he said European countries had been forced to wake from a siesta on defence spending, in which they had lived under the American nuclear umbrella.

Josep Borrell during a recent UN security council emergency meeting to discuss the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Photograph: Michael M Santiago/Getty ImagesHe called for greater defence cooperation and quicker decisions on the supply of weapons to Ukraine and defended the faltering counteroffensive, saying the country was one-third mined and it would have been suicidal for Ukraine to have mounted a full-frontal counterattack.

At a subsequent lecture at the New York University Law School, he said the UN security council had been proved ''completely useless in recent years due to its divisions'' and called for an overhaul of political and financial institutions to revive a multilateralism that ''is outdated and running out of steam''.

In recent days Italy's far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who came to power on the back of controversial rhetoric about the rise of migration, said she would not allow her country to become ''Europe's refugee camp'' after 11,000 people arrived on the island of Lampedusa in a matter of days.

Borrell said nationalism was on the rise in Europe but this was more about migration than Euroscepticism. ''Brexit actually was feared to be an epidemic. And it has not been,'' he said. ''It has been a vaccine. No one wants to follow the British leaving the European Union.

''Migration is a bigger divide for the European Union. And it could be a dissolving force for the European Union.'' Despite establishing a shared common external border, ''we have not been able until now to agree on a common migration policy'', he said.

He attributed this to deep cultural and political differences inside the EU: ''There are some members of the European Union that are Japanese-style '' we don't want to mix. We don't want migrants. We don't want to accept people from outside. We want our purity.''

He said other countries, such as Spain, have a long history of accepting migrants. ''The paradox is that Europe needs migrants because we have so low demographic growth. If we want to survive from a labour point of view, we need migrants.''

People arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa this week. Photograph: Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty ImagesBorrell insisted in the interview that the war in Ukraine was not fuelling the current rows over migration. ''The issue is that migration pressure has been increasing, mainly due to wars '' not the war against Ukraine '... It is the Syrian war, the Libyan war, the military coups in Sahel.

''We are living in a circle of instability from Gibraltar to the Caucasus and this happened before the Ukrainian war and will continue after the Ukrainian war. Migration in Africa is not being caused by the war against Ukraine. The root causes of migration in Africa are lack of development, economic growth and bad governance.''

He said European efforts to cooperate with some African countries had been made more difficult by the existence of military regimes. He described the Wagner group, the Russian mercenary outfit, as ''the praetorian guard of the African dictators''.

Asked if he believed Russia would try to fan the flames of migration, Borrell said ''Putin will try everything''. He added: ''Putin believes that democracies are weak, fragile, they get tired and time is running on his side, because sooner or later we will get exhausted.

''And this is a political battle as much as a military battle. It has to be explained with arguments. Certainly, nobody likes to pay more for the electricity bills. I believe in democracy as a pedagogical exercise, and I believe that people understand the reasons.''

But he also acknowledged the harsh choices Europe faced in curbing migration by reaching deals with countries such as Tunisia, pointing out it was his duty to defend not just European values but at the same time European interests. ''The life of the diplomat is full of uncomfortable choices '... Foreign policy is working for the values and the interests of the European Union. And these require, in some cases, difficult choices trying all the time to respect international law and human rights.''

Ukraine and the EU Flags of Ukraine and EU rise in front of the Nato emblem in central Kyiv. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/ReutersIncreasingly a target for personal criticism by the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, Borrell was at the heart of the decision to persuade EU states to supply arms to Kyiv as Russian troops crossed the border '' indeed he says it is the proudest moment of his career.

The former Spanish foreign minister cuts an unusual figure, since he seems as much a geopolitical commentator as a practitioner. He insists the public mood in Europe is not fracturing on Ukraine.

Asked if the disputes between some eastern European countries and Ukraine over grain exports are a harbinger of the conflicts that might arise if the country joins the EU, he said: ''Everybody knows, it's going to be difficult, because Ukraine, first of all, is at war and is being destroyed, literally. Second, it had to do a lot of reforms even before the war. And third, at this moment, Ukraine being a member of the European Union, it would be the only country that would be a net beneficiary.''

As a result, Ukraine and the EU will need to undertake a long reform process, including in his mind greater use of majority voting.

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Either way, Borrell said, Ukraine's membership meant the end of what he described as a ''sleeping siesta'' about EU enlargement. ''For years and years there has been a kind of stalemate and nothing happened. Ukraine has created a new dynamic.

''We are herbivores in a world of carnivores. It is a power politics world, yet we still have in mind that through trade and preaching the rule of law we can have influence on the world. We must still preach the rule of law but we have to be aware there are some leaders that need to be dealt with in a different way.''

He said the EU was still a long way from having the defence capacity it needed. ''I am not Donald Trump saying you have to spend 2% of GDP on defence, but it is in our hands to build a common foreign and defence policy.''

The war, he said, ''had required a live exercise working out the capacities Europe has, what it can provide, what Ukraine can use, where there are duplications, where there are the loopholes''.

Borrell said the EU had achieved miracles and acted at the speed of light in comparison with the past. But he added: ''Some decisions have been discussed for quite a long time. Do we have to provide tanks? This has been a long discussion, and at the end, we provide tanks. Do we have to provide Patriot anti-aircraft missiles? There has been a long discussion and at the end we did it. Do we have to provide air force capacities? This was discussed just at the beginning of the war. Now we are training pilots for the F 16. Certainly, a war is a war, and if you want to supply arms to someone who is at war and is receiving heavy attacks, the quicker the better.''

Though he thinks quicker decisions might have saved lives, he pointed out that the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive had been slowed by problems beyond arms supplies. ''Russia has built a long string of fortifications,'' he said. ''In some cases 25km deep, or wide. And it's clear that you cannot launch a frontal attack against that, it would be suicide. They have been mining the whole land.''

A new world order? From left: the president of Brazil, Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, the president of China, Xi Jinping, South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi, and Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, pose for a photo during the 2023 Brics summit in Johannesburg. Photograph: ReutersBorrell predicted the war in Ukraine, and the eventual outcome, would be one of the three driving forces creating a new world order, alongside competition between China and the US, and the rise of the global south.

He admitted he was no fan of the term ''global south'' to describe such a heterogeneous group of people but that an entity existed that ''consider themselves part of an alternative to the western models''. He said it was critical to ''try to avoid the alliance of China plus Russia, plus parts of the global south.

''The people of the global south want to be recognised because 40, 50 years ago, when the world order was built, some of these countries did not exist. Either they were colonies or so poor they did not have a vote.

''So now they are independent countries and they have been growing economically, demographically, and they want to have a say.''

He added: ''Understandably these countries are hedging. One day they look at Russia , another at China. At the UN they vote against the war in Ukraine but many of them do not have this feeling of moral indignation that we have.''

''There is no clear hegemon in the world but instead a growing number of actors.'' The paradox, he said, was that this growth in actors had not been accompanied by a stronger multilateralism.

''We have multi-polarity without multilateralism. I am an engineer by training and I know when there are more poles in the game you need more rules in the game. But we have more poles and less rules and that is why the world is so unstable, because the powers are confronting one another, and either they create blockages or a landslide.

''Look at all these countries, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, India '' you cannot ignore this new reality. In 20 years, at the current trend, there will be three big countries in the world, China, India and the US. Each of these powers will be a $50tn economy, and the EU will be much less, about $30tn.

''For Europe this represents a huge long-term challenge. Europeans have to be prepared to be part of the new world in which we will be a smaller part of the population, certainly, and also in proportion to the size of the world economy. It means that we have to look for political influence, technological capacity and unity. Unity is the key word. Europeans have to be more united.''

Serbian police step up migration patrols on border with Hungary | Reuters

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:30

[1/4] Serbian gendarmerie officers stand by migrants who are to be searched, close to the Serbia-Hungary border, near the city of Subotica, Serbia September 12, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica Acquire Licensing Rights

SUBOTICA, Serbia, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Serbia has sent special forces to the border with Hungary as hundreds of migrants a day try to reach the European Union.

With Serbia on the main route for refugees from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, mainly coming through Turkey, the police have long been at the border.

But they have now sent in more heavily armed personnel after what an NGO said were turf wars among criminal gangs and a police chief said were conflicts among migrants.

On Tuesday, police said they detained 371 migrants along the border. Two men were detained in a tent, and dozens including a family with two children were gathered in a field, Reuters footage showed.

They also detained several people found up trees who they suspected of acting as scouts keeping a look-out for other migrants, Dragan Vasiljevic, deputy director of the Serbian police, told Reuters.

Migrants in the area typically try to use ladders to clear the border or cut the fence.

"Bearing in mind developments in recent days when there was a conflict and some people sustained injuries, a big police action was conducted," Vasiljevic said.

"We have found some weapons, notably four automatic rifles. For the first time we have found a number of migrants hiding in the trees."

According to numbers from Serbian NGO the Centre for Asylum Seekers, some 1,500 migrants attempt to cross into Hungary every day - many handing over cash to people smugglers.

"What our field workers see is that they all cross the border eventually and move on (to the EU). The question is only how much they will have to pay for that," Rados Djurovic, from the Centre for Asylum Seekers, told Reuters.

"We have seen a rising number of armed incidents involving migrants," Djurovic said adding that the incidents involved various criminal groups "fighting for territory".

According to official figures, there are some 3,326 migrants in government reception centres, but may are not accommodated in the centres and can be seen on the streets of the capital Belgrade and also along the 175 km border with Hungary.

Reporting by Branko Filipovic in Subotica and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade; Editing by Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Increase in migration polarizes Slovakia ahead of elections - InfoMigrants

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As more migrants on their way to Germany enter Slovakia from Hungary without authorization, Slovak authorities have increased border police patrols, among other measures. Populist former Prime Minister Robert Fico, the frontrunner in the upcoming parliamentary election, seeks to tap into public concerns about irregular migration.

Residents of the border village of Chl'aba say large groups of migrants have been arriving at their municipality in southern Slovakia every day in the past few weeks after wading through a local river or crossing a railway bridge from neighboring Hungary.

According to the residents, the migrants mostly come at night but don't stay long as their final destination is usually Germany. Still, their presence has caused concerns and calls for tighter border controls in Slovakia as it prepares for parliamentary elections due on Saturday (September 30).

"They don't want to live or work here, they are in transit, they rush through as they can," 70-year-old Jozsef Barta told news agency Reuters.

While admitting he knew of no criminal action committed by migrants, he added: "People are scared to walk in the street."

It's mostly rural communities like Chl'aba in the south of the country that have noticed the increase in the number of migrants, many of whom sleep rough in parks and other public facilities.

Renata Gregusova, manager of a grocery store popular among migrants, said the migrants usually ask locals to call the police and sit down until the police van picks them up and takes them to a detention center. Once arrived, they can get their entry to the European Union registered.

"Somehow this [flow] should be limited ... They should be checked to find out whether they were really forced to flee their country," Gregusova told Reuters.

Majority wants stricter migration rulesThe election is being held early after Slovakia's center-right coalition collapsed and a caretaker government with Prime Minister Ludovit Odor at the helm took over in May. A rise in migrants crossing into Slovakia after traveling across neighboring Hungary as well as the war in neighboring Ukraine have polarized the country of 5.5 million in the run-up to the vote.

Against this backdrop, Odor sent up to 500 soldiers to the border with Hungary earlier this month to assist border police patrol the border and maintain order.

The government also agreed to help those communities by sending buses to take migrants to other places in the country in a bid to alleviate the burden on police departments there. It has also pledged to improve services for refugees and migrants like food supplies and hygiene facilities.

Slovakia with the border village of Chl'aba (red marker) as well as surrounding countries | Source: Google MapsLast weekend, Odor visited the border crossing at Chl'aba, located some 40 kilometers north of the Hungarian capital Budapest. Chl'aba reportedly has the second highest migrant detention rate with around 2,000 this year.

The number of migrants who have been detained in Slovakia has increased ninefold to more than 27,000 so far this year compared to a year ago, according to the country's interior ministry.

According to Reuters, the caretaker prime minister said police were trying to increase a sense of security in the local villages. At the same time, the government maintains it is virtually impossible to seal the 655-kilometer border with Hungary.

Nonetheless, Odor's course of action in the migration debate doesn't seem broadly popular: Roughly three out of four Slovaks want the next government to tighten rules against irregular migration, a poll by the AKO agency from earlier this month found.

Slovakia, a 'worthwhile' diversion for migrants?Slovakia's left-wing SMER opposition party led by former prime minister Robert Fico recently urged Slovakia's caretaker government to suspend Europe's Schengen 'open border' rules and reinstate passport checks on the Hungarian border to halt the increasing numbers of migrants crossing from Hungary to Western Europe, Reuters reported.

At a news conference on Tuesday (September 19), Fico claimed the government lets in every migrant who arrives in Slovakia irregularly.

"We know nothing about them, they have no documents, they make up names, dates of birth, but the government allows them to stay here," said Fico, whose party has been campaigning on an anti-immigrant, anti-American and pro-Russian platform.

Despite dozens of senior officials, police officers, judges, prosecutors, politicians and business people convicted of corruption and other crimes being linked to SMER, opinion polls indicate that Fico's party currently has a roughly 3% lead on its main rival, the liberal Progresivne Slovensko (Progressive Slovakia). However, Reuters reported that no party is expected to win an overall parliamentary majority.

According to Reuters, there appears to be a link between an increase in activity on the so-called Balkan route into western Europe and the Slovak law that allows Syrians and Afghans -- deemed to be refugees fleeing war -- to register.

This makes it reportedly much harder to deport them from the EU; as a result, they then typically leave their detention centers and continue westwards via Slovakia and the Czech Republic to Germany.

According to Marian Cehelnik, an NGO worker who deals with migration, this "makes it worthwhile for migrants to divert from their standard route and make a stop in Slovakia," despite it being "an administrative issue" for Slovak authorities.

Also read: EU asylum reform ignores volatility of escape routes, experts say

No effective deterrent in sightBoth Slovakia and Hungary, its neighbor to the south, are seen as transit countries for migrants and refugees who hope to reach more affluent parts of Europe.

Most migrants who come through Slovakia are young men from the Middle East and Afghanistan and mostly get there via the so-called Balkan route: They enter Hungary from Serbia despite a steel fence that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had built after the 2015 migration crisis that saw more than one million people lodging asylum requests in 2015/16 in Germany alone.

Migrants cross the Slovakia-Hungarian border near Vyskovce Nad Iplom, Slovakia on September 6, 2023 | Photo: Robert Nemeti/Anadolu/picture-allianceAccording to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, close to 15,000 migrants and refugees are estimated to have transited through the Western Balkans between January and July 2023.

Hungarian police data also showed a jump in unauthorized border crossings on Hungary's southern border with Serbia in the past weeks, from where they head for Slovakia or Austria.

"Despite Hungary's efforts, there are migrants who evade border defense and cross Hungary's territory on their way to other countries of Europe," Reuters cited a spokesperson for the Hungarian government.

Among Hungary's methods to prevent migrants from entering via non-EU country Serbia are pushbacks -- an illegal practice Hungary has been extensively criticized for. According to Reuters, however, many migrants make it through the fence with the help of smuggling gangs who then bring them across Hungary to the border with Slovakia.

Neither Slovak police patrols helping their Hungarian colleagues to catch the smugglers, nor the Czech Republic -- an EU member state like Slovakia -- reinforcing its 250-kilometer border with Slovakia a year ago with additional security checks has proven an effective deterrent.

Orban's government, citing overcrowded prisons and a lack of financial help from the EU, has released more than 1,500 foreign nationals convicted of people smuggling since April.

Read more: The EU's migration dilemma: Is sealing borders the solution?

This piece is partly based on a Reuters feature

Italy's Meloni gets tough on migrants '' POLITICO

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ROME '-- Italy's right-wing government has launched a crackdown on immigration, passing measures to give authorities power to detain migrants for as long as 18 months, and ordering the construction of new centers to house them.

The hard-line reforms follow a surge in arrivals by boat this month, with more than 10,000 people landing on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, a number greater than its usual resident population.

Lampedusa, just over 100km off the coast of Tunisia, is the gateway to Europe for many migrants seeking a new life.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to power a year ago promising to curb immigration but arrivals have almost doubled in 2023, year on year, according to government data.

On Monday, the Rome cabinet passed measures to increase the length of time illegal migrants can be held from three to 18 months, according to an official in the prime minister's office. Ministers also approved the construction of new detention centers intended to hold all those who arrive without a visa until they are deemed to have a right to asylum or are repatriated.

''We will have all the necessary time not just to do the necessary checks but also to proceed with the repatriation for those without the right to international protection,'' Meloni said. The battle against immigration is ''an epochal battle for Italy and Europe,'' she said.

On Friday in a video message she said that coups, natural disasters, grain war and jihadism, as well as an economic crisis in Tunisia, had contributed to ''unsustainable immigration pressure'' on Italy. The conditions ''could cause tens of millions of people to seek a better life in Europe, she claimed. ''Evidently, though, Italy and Europe cannot take in this enormous mass of people.''

She said she wanted to ''send a message'' to would-be migrants. ''It does not make sense to trust traffickers, because they will take a lot of money, put you on a boat that is unfit for the journey and once you get here you will be detained and sent back.''

The Lampedusa crisis provided the perfect excuse for Meloni to appease her base with the crackdown on migration.

The new measures are intended to work in combination with a plan to fight trafficking with increased surveillance, and a European naval mission to block departures announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday during a visit to the island with Meloni.

The leader of the opposition democrats, Elly Schlein, called the increase in detention times ''a hateful choice.'' In a letter to La Repubblica she said such measures in the past had not helped increase repatriations. She called for ''safe and legal'' ways to reach Europe.

Repatriation efforts have not been successful in the past. Between 2014 and 2020, only around 20 percent of those who subjected to a repatriation order left the country, according to the OpenPolis think-tank.

Germany has 'reached limit' of its migrant intake, says country's president Frank-Walter Steinmeier

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Germany's president has warned that the country has ''reached the limit'' of the number of migrants it can take in.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that the fact a third of all migrants who reach the EU come to Germany means that the country has ''like Italy, reached the limit of what it can bear''.

Talking to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Wednesday, Mr Steinmeier said that he ''took seriously the calls for help from local government'' and added that ''stronger controls and surveillance on Europe's external borders'' were necessary.

The role of president, while not one with policy-shaping power, comes with considerable political influence in Germany.

German presidents are often former ministers, expected to act as the country's highest moral voice and give their opinions on the most fundamental issues of the day.

Mr Steinmeier, a member of the centre-Left Social Democrats who twice served as Angela Merkel's foreign minister, most famously used a speech shortly before the Russian invasion to call on Vladimir Putin to ''release the rope around Ukraine's neck''.

His intervention on the migrant issue comes after his predecessor, Joachim Gauck, gave a much-discussed interview at the weekend in which he called for refugee policies which ''seem inhumane''.

Mr Gauck, who was president from 2012 until 2017, lamented a ''loss of control'' at the EU's external borders, saying that Germany ''doesn't need migration into our welfare system''.

Raising concernsBoth men advocated for open borders when Germany took in more than a million migrants in 2015 and 2016.

More than 200,000 people have applied for asylum in Germany so far this year, setting it on course to record the largest influx of migrants in a calendar year since 2016.

Local governments, which carry the costs of housing and schooling refugees, have for months been claiming that the national government has left them to foot the bill for its failure to manage who arrives in the country.

In one case reported this week, a 15-year-old Syrian without a driving licence was caught busing 27 migrants across the border from the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, violent crime carried out by migrants is once again raising concerns about foreign political conflicts being imported into Germany.

At the weekend, dozens of police officers were injured in Stuttgart in a fight between rival factions of refugees from Eritrea.

Germany's initial enthusiasm for taking in refugees was knocked in 2016 after mass sexual assaults were reported at New Year in Cologne, with refugees often the suspects.

Since then there have been repeated incidents of stabbings and violence by asylum seekers.

The far-Right Alternative for Germany party, which has been surging in polling in recent months, has focused on the issue of crime, accusing the government of allowing violence to carry on ''without consequences''.

Following layoffs, Boston University announces 'inquiry' into Ibram Kendi's Antiracist Center - The Boston Globe

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The complaints, a BU spokesperson said, ''focused on the center's culture and its grant management practices.'' The inquiry announced Wednesday represents a broadening of a previous ''examination'' of the center's grant management practices, according to the spokesperson, Rachel Lapal Cavallario.

Kendi ''takes strong exception to the allegations made in recent complaints and media reports,'' she said.

Since its announced launch in June 2020, just days after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the center has raised tens of millions of dollars from tech entrepreneurs, Boston-area corporations, and thousands of small donors.

At the time, Kendi, the author of the bestselling 2019 book ''How to Be an Antiracist,'' said the center would ''solve these intractable racial problems of our time.''

The money was meant to finance a range of ambitious projects: a database to track racial disparities nationwide, a graduate degree program, a media enterprise, and research teams studying the effects of systemic racism on health and society.

Some of these projects have come to fruition, including The Emancipator, a digital publication launched with the Boston Globe's opinion staff in 2021. The publication's operations shifted to BU in March, although it continues to be hosted on the Globe's website.

But others have not, including the Racial Data Tracker, which one former staffer described as a ''centerpiece'' of the organization's goals.

Lapal Cavallario said Wednesday that the center ''has been developing'' the Racial Data Tracker. She referred follow-up questions to the center itself, which did not respond.

She also provided a list of the center's achievements, including: funding for numerous research projects, collaboration in a project launched by journalists at the Atlantic magazine (where Kendi is a contributing writer) to track racial disparities in COVID data, and organizing two ''policy convenings'' on antibigotry and data collection related to race and ethnicity.

''Boston University and Dr. Kendi believe strongly in the center's mission,'' Lapal Cavallario said. ''We look forward to working with him as we conduct our assessment.''

BU's announcement of the inquiry came hours after the Globe sent the university extensive questions about the center's operations.

In interviews with the Globe this week, current and former employees described a dysfunctional work environment that made it difficult to achieve the center's lofty goals.

The organization ''was just being mismanaged on a really fundamental level,'' said Phillipe Copeland, a professor in BU's School of Social Work who also worked for the center as assistant director of narrative.

Although most decision-making authority rested with Kendi, Copeland said he found it difficult to schedule meetings with him. Other staffers described paralysis in the organization because Kendi declined to delegate authority and was not often available.

Copeland resigned from the center in June.

Kendi has completed a number of personal projects since 2020, including a graphic novel focused on the history of racist ideas, a podcast called ''Be Antiracist,'' and a five-episode TV show scheduled to debut Wednesday on ESPN+.

In recent months, Kendi had been on leave from the center, according to BU.

He returned last week and, in a series of Zoom meetings, told approximately 20 of the center's staffers that they would be laid off, according to Spencer Piston, a BU professor and leader in the center's policy office.

The layoffs ''were initiated by Dr. Kendi'' and represented a strategic pivot, not a response to any financial difficulty, Lapal Cavallario said. The center will now pursue a fellowship model ''rather than its current research-based approach,'' she said.

The layoffs surprised some staffers.

''I don't know where the money is,'' said Saida Grundy, a BU professor who worked at the center from fall 2020 to spring 2021.

In December 2021, Grundy sent an email to BU provost Jean Morrison alleging dysfunction in the organization and a ''pattern of amassing grants without any commitment to producing the research obligated'' by them.

Lapal Cavallario said Wednesday that BU had ''received some complaints from individuals questioning whether the center was following its funding guidelines. We are currently looking into those complaints.''

The center, she said, ''would disagree with a characterization of it not having produced important work insofar as antiracism is concerned.''

Mike Damiano can be reached at mike.damiano@globe.com. Hilary Burns can be reached at hilary.burns@globe.com. Follow her @Hilarysburns.

NYC concerned about lawsuits after release of post-9/11 memos about toxic air at Ground Zero

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New York City will release a treasure trove of memos about what the city knew about the toxic air at the World Trade Center site '-- only if federal lawmakers can help protect the city from lawsuits after the documents are made public, the Daily News has learned.

City attorneys met with Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Carolyn Maloney's (D-N.Y.) staffers earlier this month, at the invitation of Mayor Adams, to talk about releasing the secret 9/11-related documents that have been under lock and key since planes destroyed the twin towers, congressional sources said.

The municipal attorneys said they might release the undisclosed material, but only if the lawmakers met three eyebrow-raising demands: Let the city keep $300 million remaining in a federally funded litigation account, fund a new lawsuit protection plan, and pass a federal law shielding the city from any further responsibility, the sources said.

The mayor's office confirmed the broad outlines of what was said at the meeting, and that the city is concerned it could face liability.

Emergency crews search for survivors in the still-smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center the day after terrorists crashed two hijacked airliners into the twin towers in September 2001.Neither Nadler nor Maloney were willing to discuss what occurred behind closed doors.

But Maloney repeated her argument for pulling back the veil of secrecy surrounding the horror, heroism, and still-hidden failings that unfolded around the terrorism that reshaped New York and the nation.

''It has been almost 21 years since these attacks, and people deserve the truth about what the city knew in the aftermath,'' Maloney said. ''I hope that Mayor Adams, a 9/11 responder himself, will overrule his lawyers and let this critical information come to light for all that have been affected since that tragic day.''

Some 2,753 people, including first responders and downtown workers, died on Sept. 11, 2001, with thousands more getting sick and dying '-- a sobering reminder that the toxic dust that clouded the air and filled the survivors' lungs is still wreaking havoc.

More than 112,000 people are enrolled in the federally-run World Trade Center Health Program. Tens of thousands have been diagnosed with various cancers, and respiratory disorders like asthma, COPD and post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to Andrew Carboy, a private attorney as well as other lawyers involved with Sept. 11 litigation, the city never turned over paperwork in what's known as a privilege log that details all the items a defendant believes are exempt from disclosure.

Carboy claims the city would not turn over detailed plans drawn up '-- and never carried out '-- to prepare the Fire Department to respond to a skyscraper collapse with respirator masks. He also remembers a news report about a memo that was not disclosed. It warned of 10,000 New Yorkers getting ill from exposure.

''It causes people who follow the issue to start speculating, 'Oh my gosh, what terrible thing are they hiding?''' said Carboy, who has represented thousands of people in the aftermath of 9/11.

What Carboy found especially odd is that New York City should already be protected from most liability.

First, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani got an amendment to one of the rescue measures passed by Congress at the time to cap the city's liability at $350 million. That law remains in effect. Second, Congress created what's known as a captive insurance fund to protect contractors and the city, and funded it with $1 billion. It still holds the $300 million the city lawyers want to keep. Third, Congress created the Victim Compensation Fund, fully funded through 2090. It guarantees substantial payouts for people harmed by 9/11, as long as they don't sue.

The mayor's office contended a new liability shield only makes sense. It would both protect the $300 million left from the Feds, and eliminate the already reduced threat under the $350 million cap on damages.

''From my view, the city is protected. Their liability is capped,'' said Carboy. ''What are they worried about?''

One source familiar with the meeting said the city lawyers admitted they've only faced a handful of cases since all of that federal legislation was passed.

Carboy could imagine Adams, who was an NYPD lieutenant at the time of the attacks and worked at Ground Zero, taking a closer look at the situation and overruling the bureaucrats.

''Rather than come clean, you have a mayor who was a first responder, who served at that site, and you're denying that mayor '-- who's here for four years, eight years at the most '-- you're denying him and these other New Yorkers who served the real story about what happened,'' Carboy said.

The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget

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[Submitted on 27 May 2023 (

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Download a PDF of the paper titled The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget, by Ilia Shumailov and 5 other authors

Download PDF Abstract: Stable Diffusion revolutionised image creation from descriptive text. GPT-2, GPT-3(.5) and GPT-4 demonstrated astonishing performance across a variety of language tasks. ChatGPT introduced such language models to the general public. It is now clear that large language models (LLMs) are here to stay, and will bring about drastic change in the whole ecosystem of online text and images. In this paper we consider what the future might hold. What will happen to GPT-{n} once LLMs contribute much of the language found online? We find that use of model-generated content in training causes irreversible defects in the resulting models, where tails of the original content distribution disappear. We refer to this effect as Model Collapse and show that it can occur in Variational Autoencoders, Gaussian Mixture Models and LLMs. We build theoretical intuition behind the phenomenon and portray its ubiquity amongst all learned generative models. We demonstrate that it has to be taken seriously if we are to sustain the benefits of training from large-scale data scraped from the web. Indeed, the value of data collected about genuine human interactions with systems will be increasingly valuable in the presence of content generated by LLMs in data crawled from the Internet. Submission history From: Ilia Shumailov [

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[v2] Wed, 31 May 2023 10:39:26 UTC (1,847 KB)

Full-text links: Access Paper: Download a PDF of the paper titled The Curse of Recursion: Training on Generated Data Makes Models Forget, by Ilia Shumailov and 5 other authors

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Read: Sen. Bob Menendez indictment | CNN Politics

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In or about June 2022, federal agents executed search warrants on the New Jersey home and the safe deposit box of ROBERT MENENDEZ and NADINE MENENDEZ, a/k/a "Nadine Arslanian," the defendants. In conducting these court-authorized searches, agents found certain of the fruits of MENENDEZ's and NADINE MENENDEZ's corrupt bribery agreement with WAEL HANA, a/k/a "Will Hana," JOSE URIBE, and FRED DAIBES, the defendants, including cash, gold, the luxury vehicle, and home furnishings. \

US District Court Southern District of New York CNN '--

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years. Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting ''hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes'' in exchange for the senator's influence, according to the newly unsealed federal indictment.

The government alleges the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a ''low-or-no-show job'' and a luxury vehicle.

Read the indictment here:

Why Are Watermelons Exploding or Foaming?

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:32

Watermelons can offer a nice explosion of flavor in your mouth, but they shouldn't be spontaneously combusting.

Oddly enough, that's exactly what some fans of the popular fruit are worried about following several consumer reports of foaming watermelons this summer.

Emily Durbin, a Florida resident, posted about one such ominous-looking fruit this week on a Facebook group ''Mommy Needs A Recipe!''

Durbin shared a photo of a sizeable watermelon perched on her kitchen counter with white foam oozing out of it.

''We bought this watermelon YESTERDAY at Walmart. My husband left for work around 6 am & when I walked in the kitchen around 9 am, this is what I walked into. The white stuff was a foamy bubbly substance. The yellow juice was chunky & thick. The odor was absolutely FOUL. It reminded me of vomit,'' she wrote in the post.

When Durbin picked up the fruit to toss it in the trash, she said she felt ''rumbling on the inside'' but was perplexed because the watermelon hadn't been around ''any heat sources.'' Durbin did not respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com.

Many Facebook users commented on Durbin's post to say they had also experienced an exploding watermelon in recent weeks.

''My melon was on the counter and it must have already been bad when I got it and the next day I came down to an awful smell and rotten melon everywhere it was disgusting and anytime I get something I cut it up right away now,'' one wrote.

Another left the following comment: ''This happened to me once. It wasn't leaking yet but when I cut into it it literally exploded. The biggest bang I've ever heard and scared the crap out of me.''

Earlier this month, Maine's Bangor Daily News published a story about exploding watermelons, detailing another incident involving a watermelon that Maine resident Julie Raines purchased.

So, yes, foaming fruit is trending, but why? And should we be concerned? TODAY.com consulted several food safety experts to get to the root of the bizarre phenomenon. Here's what we found out.

A foaming watermelon, which is, apparently, a thing. Shutterstock What causes watermelons to foam and explode? Keith Schneider, Ph.D, professor in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida, tells TODAY.com this isn't the first time he's heard of foaming or exploding watermelons.

''This is probably due to the heat. The fruit, if slightly damaged, can begin fermenting. If enough fermentation occurs, which produces gas, enough internal pressure may build up for the watermelon to crack or pop,'' Schneider says.

He explains that ''excessive summer heat'' can wreak havoc on the quality of some produce, calling it an ''unexpected consequence of climate change.''

As part of the fermentation process, if certain microorganisms are introduced into the watermelon, they convert sugar into alcohol.

''It's the same process that happens in beer and wine making. The offshoot of this process is CO2 gas. The thing that puts the bubbles in your beer,'' Schneider says.

Eventually, an explosion can take place, especially ''if the wound heals over and pressure is allowed to build up,'' he explains.

Even if these watermelons aren't actually fermenting, Dr. Steve Reiners, a professor of horticulture in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell, says a ''bacterial or fungal/mold disease has gotten into the fruit.''

''Normally the inside of the fruit is protected by the rind but there are a few diseases that may find their way inside soon after the flower experiences fruit set (bees bringing pollen to the flowers),'' the professor explains. ''Sometimes the part of the fruit where the flower was attached does not close entirely, and a small passage allows the disease to enter. It's likely worse in rainy conditions.''

The fruit will usually not explode in this scenario, Reiners says, unless the entry hole is ''entirely plugged up.''

''More typically you will see the melon oozing out the bottom,'' he says. ''When I have had melon trials in the past, it's not unusual for me to pick up a couple of fruit to weigh and have the entire inside of the fruit flow out on my boot.''

Are foaming watermelons safe to eat?Foaming watermelons are neat to look at '-- and great fodder for social media '-- but they're not exactly good to eat.

''The watermelon is undergoing decay, so it's best to bring it back to the store and get a replacement or just toss it,'' Schneider said.

Reiners also recommends letting your sense of smell guide you in these scenarios.

''Basically, our noses are pretty good at telling us what is safe to eat and if a fruit smells bad, it's rotting. Trust your nose,'' he says.

Luckily, you don't typically have to worry about plant diseases causing humans to get sick, but Reiners adds that a ''soft rot bacteria'' could make you ''a bit uncomfortable,'' so it's best not to eat it.

''Plus, if the fruit has a small hole, it is possible that human pathogens could enter, especially if heavy rains have moved water from areas where animals are present. Growers are always careful to keep fruits and veggies as safe as possible but occasionally, and very rarely, a potential human pathogen like E. coli or salmonella could enter,'' he says.

In 2011, Food Safety News reported on a recall of Del Monte melons due to salmonella exposure.

''While other pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7 and Listeria can find their way into many crops, Salmonella seems to be the bacterial pathogen of greatest concern with melons. Salmonellosis can be a severe illness and the infection leads to complications with reactive arthritis and other chronic diseases in about 15 percent of cases," the outlet wrote at the time.

How should you store watermelons? Hoping to avoid your own foaming fruit incident? Proper food storage practices can help. Here are a few tips:

Leave watermelon out of direct sunlight to extend the shelf life. Leave the entire watermelon in the fridge until it's ready to eat. Store leftovers in the fridge once you cut into the watermelon.''A watermelon is basically sugar water and if kept at room temperature, the fruit will respire and use oxygen and the internal sugars to 'breathe.' So a warm fruit will lose sugar more quickly and be less sweet. Kept in the fridge, you can store for a week to 10 days,'' Reiners says.

Chrissy Callahan Chrissy Callahan covers a range of topics for TODAY.com, including fashion, beauty, pop culture and food. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, watching bad reality TV and consuming copious amounts of cookie dough.

Serbian Performance Artist Claims Zelenskyy Invited Her to Become Ukraine's Ambassador | The Epoch Times

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:22

Marina Abramovic said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had requested her help in rebuilding schools in Ukraine.

Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic said Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had "invited" her to become an ambassador for rebuilding schools in the war-hit country.

Ms. Abramovic, a 76-year-old born in Yugoslavia, said in an interview with the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai that she was "the first artist to support the Ukraine war against Russia and to give my voice."

"I have been invited by Zelensky to be an ambassador of Ukraine, to help the children affected by rebuilding schools and such," Ms. Abramovic said in the interview, the Telegraph

reported on Sept. 22.

"I have also been invited to be a board member of the Babyn Yar organization to continue to protect the memorial," she added, referring to a holocaust memorial center dedicated to Jews murdered by Nazis in Ukraine.

Ms. Abramovic is known for her performances "characterized by endurance and pain" according to her profile on

art21.org, along with "universal themes of life and death are recurring motifs, often enhanced by the use of symbolic visual elements or props such as crystals, bones, knives, tables, and pentagrams."

In 2021, she installed "The Crystal Wall of Crying," a stand-alone thick wall made of coal with large quartz crystals sticking out of it, in Kyiv to remember Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

She described the artwork as a "wall for healing," which was a symbolic extension of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

"You come here and you look that this is a park. There are so many trees, so much nature, it is so much life. You know, people come here to sit in the sun, little children are playing, but all of this, you know, is one part of reality," she said.

"But another part of reality - you know that something terrible, terrible happened at the same time. And that kind of memory can't leave you. So you have this mix of feeling beauty and heaviness and past which is there all the time."

Ms. Abramovic became the first woman to have a solo

retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in the United Kingdom, running from Sept. 23, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2024. BBC

reported that visitors will enter the exhibition by passing between two nude models.

Born in Belgrade in 1946, Ms. Abramovic studied fine arts in her hometown and Zagreb before she moved to Amsterdam in 1976. Her performances include the 1988 "The Great Wall Walk," in which she and German artist Ulay walked from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China before meeting in an embrace.

At the 2010 retrospective of her work held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Ms. Abramovic performed her "The Artist is Present," in which she spent 716 hours sitting still while thousands of museumgoers took turns sitting in front of her and sharing one another's gaze.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Zelensky asks Marina Abramović to be ambassador for Ukraine

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:19

Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Marina Abramović, the performance artist, to be an ambassador for Ukraine.

'ŒMs Abramović, a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion, said the Ukrainian president had asked for her help in rebuilding schools.

'ŒThe 76-year-old Serbian is holding her first solo exhibition in the UK and is the first female artist to have a major show in the Main Galleries of the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

'ŒVisitors to the exhibition must squeeze between two nude models to enter the show, or opt to bypass what one journalist dubbed the ''naked gates''.

'Œ''I was the first artist to support the Ukraine war against Russia and to give my voice. It is definitely a repetition of history,'' she said in an interview with the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai.

Marina Abramovic supported the Ukraine war against Russia Credit : Shutterstock/ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE'Œ''I have been invited by Zelensky to be an ambassador of Ukraine, to help the children affected by rebuilding schools and such.''

'ŒShe added: ''I have also been invited to be a board member of the Babyn Yar organisation to continue to protect the memorial.''

'ŒThe Holocaust memorial centre to Jews murdered by Nazis in Ukraine was damaged by Russian missile attacks in March last year.

'ŒMs Abramović installed her work Crystal Wall of Crying at the memorial centre in Kyiv four months before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

'ŒThe wall, 40 metres long and three metres high, is made of coal and has large quartz crystals sticking out of it. Visitors can touch the installation, which mirrors the western wall in Jerusalem.

Four Crosses is set up at the Royal Academy of Arts Credit : AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS'ŒIt was not damaged in the missile strike, which killed five people and damaged a building.

'Œ''Making the Crystal Wall of Crying was just the first step in dealing with new history and figuring out how to help heal our increasingly divided world,'' Ms Abramović said.

The artist posted a video online days after Putin launched his unprovoked war. In it she spoke about being born in the former Yugoslavia, which was once invaded by the Soviet Union, and called Ukrainians ''proud, strong and dignified''.

''I have full solidarity with [the Ukrainian people] on this impossible day,'' she said in the video. An attack on Ukraine is an attack on all of us. It's an attack on humanity and has to be stopped.''

Shortly after the invasion, Ms Abramović restaged one of her most famous performances, The Artist is Present, to raise money for Ukraine.

'ŒMs Abramović's artwork in Kyiv was not damaged in a missile strike that killed five people Credit : AFP/JOEL SAGETShe was asked how she reconciled the transcendent nature of her work with the cruel realities of the modern world.

''I think true change only comes by changing yourself. By changing yourself you can change thousands and you can change the world,'' she said.

''Gandhi was one example in history who made a revolution without dropping a single drop of blood.''

Ms Abramović is just one of several celebrities to be recruited to help Kyiv's public relations battle to ensure continued support for its struggle.

Mark Hamill, the actor who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars films, has raised funds to buy reconnaissance drones for front-line Ukrainian troops.

'I Didn't Actually Want To Go This Thin': Sharon Osbourne Debuts Frail Figure After Using Ozempic | The Daily Caller

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:09

Sharon Osbourne debuted her severely slimmed-down figure Wednesday on ''Piers Morgan Uncensored,'' and spoke candidly of her use of the weight-loss drug Ozempic.

The former co-host of ''The Talk'' said she didn't intend to lose as much weight as she did, and admitted that husband Ozzy Osbourne teases her about her frail-looking frame. In spite of the criticism, she said this was a good solution for her, although she cautioned fans about the dangers of the drug.

''You can't stay on it forever, firstly,'' Osbourne said. ''I've lost over 42 pounds now, and it's just enough.''

Osbourne admitted she is currently too thin, but said she had no control over the amount of weight she was shedding when she was on the drug.

''It's just time to stop, I didn't actually want to go this thin but it just happened,'' she told Morgan. ''I'll probably put it all on again soon!''

She lost the weight over the course of roughly four months, and was honest about the fact that the process left her feeling ill.

Morgan asked her to describe what it felt like to use Ozempic '-- a drug that is intended for use by diabetics.

''At first, I mean, you feel nauseous,'' she said. ''You don't throw up physically but you've got that feeling.''

''I was about two, three weeks where I felt nauseous the whole time,'' Osbourne added.

She then spoke about the side effects of the drug.

''I would get very thirsty, and you don't want to eat, that's it,'' she said.

Osbourne went on to address the health issues and overall negative impact the drug could have on youth. ''I keep saying you've got to keep this stuff away from younger people because they will go berserk on it, and that's not right,'' she said. (RELATED: 'I Looked Like A F*cking Cyclops': Sharon Osbourne Opens Up About Botched Plastic Surgery)

She then joked about how Ozzie would poke fun at her for becoming so thin.

''Ozzie's having a go at me 'cause he says I look like Mrs. Reagan,'' she told Morgan. ''He calls me Nancy Reagan all the time so it's just time to stop.''

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson switches to Republican Party | The Texas Tribune

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:44

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Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a longtime Democrat, is now a Republican '-- turning Dallas into the largest city in the country with a GOP mayor.

''Today I am changing my party affiliation,'' Johnson wrote in an op-ed published Friday in The Wall Street Journal. ''Next spring, I will be voting in the Republican primary. When my career in elected office ends in 2027 on the inauguration of my successor as mayor, I will leave office as a Republican.''

Johnson served in the Texas Legislature for nine years as a Democrat before he was elected as Dallas mayor in 2019. Though the mayor's position is technically nonpartisan, Johnson joins Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker as one of two Republican mayors to lead a major Texas city.

Johnson did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Johnson's switch came as little shock to Dallas political observers, who said he has been signaling for some time his leaning toward the GOP '-- and his distancing from Democrats.

"This is one of the worst kept secrets in the world of politics," said Vinny Minchillo, a Dallas-area Republican consultant. "This has been coming down for a long time."

State Rep. John Bryant, a Dallas Democrat, took to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to quip about Johnson's announcement.

''Switching parties? I didn't know he was a Democrat,'' Bryant wrote.

In his op-ed, Johnson made the case for how his vision for Dallas aligns with the GOP, noting his support for law enforcement, low property taxes and fostering a business-friendly environment.

Over the course of his mayoral tenure, Johnson has enthusiastically backed anti-crime initiatives and developed a strong bond with Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia. He won reelection without opposition in May after sewing up the city's business donor class, who often lean Republican, as well as the Dallas Police Association, the city's police union.

''Mayors and other local elected officials have failed to make public safety a priority or to exercise fiscal restraint,'' Johnson wrote in the op-ed. ''Most of these local leaders are proud Democrats who view cities as laboratories for liberalism rather than as havens for opportunity and free enterprise.''

After his reelection this year, Johnson invited Texas' two Republican U.S. senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, to attend his inauguration '-- which some observers complained improperly injected partisanship into a nonpartisan space.

Earlier this week, Johnson, along with four other Dallas council members, voted against the city's $4.8 billion budget because he believed it did not sufficiently cut the city's property tax rate. Cutting property taxes is a darling issue for the state's top Republicans.

''Too often, local tax dollars are spent on policies that exacerbate homelessness, coddle criminals and make it harder for ordinary people to make a living,'' Johnson wrote in the op-ed. ''And too many local Democrats insist on virtue signaling '-- proposing half-baked government programs that aim to solve every single societal ill '-- and on finding new ways to thumb their noses at Republicans at the state or federal level. Enough. This makes for good headlines, but not for safer, stronger, more vibrant cities.''

Johnson's party switch immediately makes him one of the most prominent Black Republicans in the country, a list that also includes South Carolina senator and presidential candidate Tim Scott and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Black voters still vote overwhelmingly Democratic, though the GOP has made gains among Black men in recent years.

Dallas is solidly Democratic, however. Dallas County went heavily for Joe Biden over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, with Biden carrying the county by more than 30 percentage points. Some local politicians said Johnson's decision puts him out of step with the city's voters.

''I don't believe that it sets the tone for where the priorities are,'' Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua said. ''In fact, that's why I believe it would have been nice for voters to have the opportunity of knowing that party affiliation prior to going to the ballot box in May.''

Politicos interpreted Johnson's switch as a precursor to a potential bid for statewide office '-- which Democrats have been locked out of for decades.

"You've got to be a Democrat to win in Dallas," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. "You've got to be a Republican to win in Texas."

Johnson's party switch is a further indictment of the state of the Democratic Party in Texas, said Minchillo, the GOP strategist.

"This is certainly a smart move for his career," Minchillo said. "If you want to stay in Texas politics, you want to have the 'R' by your name."

Johnson didn't mention his party switch as he spoke for about an hour during a Texas Tribune panel event Friday morning in Austin. Johnson noted the nonpartisan nature of his office and said he wants to see a more conservative approach to how Dallas spends its money, arguing that it's currently inefficient and the city could cut plenty of welfare programs that he believes only a minuscule amount of people use. Polling shows that most Dallasites want lower taxes, he said.

''I don't even know what these services are that some people are referring to that they're just so essential to poor people in the city,'' he said. ''I don't know what they're using.''

Texas Republicans were quick to embrace Johnson as one of their own.

"Texas is getting more Red every day," Gov. Greg Abbott wrote on X. "He's pro law enforcement & won't tolerate leftist agendas."

''To my friend and former colleague, welcome to the Republican Party!'' Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, said on X. ''Mayor [Johnson] is absolutely right. Conservative policies are the key to safe, thriving, and successful cities. His leadership is a shining example of that. Great news.''

The Texas Democratic Party's top officials, meanwhile, responded to the news with pure venom.

"In a city that deserves dedicated leadership, Mayor Johnson has been an ineffective and truant mayor, not only disconnected from Democratic values, but unable to even be an effective messenger for conservative local policy," Gilberto Hinojosa and Shay Wyrick Cathey, Texas Democratic Party chair and vice-chair, wrote in a joint statement. "This feeble excuse for democratic representation will fit right in with Republicans '-- and we are grateful that he can no longer tarnish the brand and values of the Texas Democratic Party."

Democrats took Johnson's announcement as a betrayal '-- though perhaps not an unexpected one.

''It's really unfortunate to see Mayor Johnson switch parties but also to turn his back on the electorate that's gotten him this far in his political career,'' said Kardal Coleman, chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party. ''This is no surprise to us. It's the worst kept secret in Texas politics, but he's choosing his personal ambitions over the good of the whole of Texas.''

In an interview with Tribune co-founder Evan Smith on Friday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he was ''disappointed that Eric feels as though he has to leave a thriving ship to get on a sinking one.''

''But sometimes people make decisions for various reasons. So I respect his personal decision,'' he said. ''But I will tell you when we look at San Antonio, and Austin and Houston, all across the state of Texas, I think you will find that mayors and Democratic mayors are doing an exceptional job across this country.''

Emily Foxhall contributed to this story.

As The Texas Tribune's signature event of the year, The Texas Tribune Festival brings Texans closer to politics, policy and the day's news from Texas and beyond. Browse on-demand recordings and catch up on the biggest headlines from Festival events at the Tribune's Festival news page.

Features Podcast Mirror - High Performance Feed Mirror service

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:02

Podcast Mirror: A Modern Podcast Feed SolutionThe Podcast Mirror feed can be used as your primary podcast feed when submitting to podcast directories, such as Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon Blubrry, and more. Shows that are hosted by podcast hosts who do not keep up with modern advances in podcasting or are hosted on platforms that underperform in the delivery of the RSS feed. With feed lengths extending into 100's of episodes, you need a service that can deliver that media file quickly. Sign up Today

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Features required for Apple Podcasts:HEAD and Byte Range requestsSSL certificate from one of the top-tier SSL vendorsHTTP/2, HTTP/1.1, and HTTP/1.0 supportedComplete Apple network range white-listed SecuritySecure SSL (https://) podcast feeds utilize the latest technologies, including HTTP/2, paired with our top-tier certificate, supported by all applications and web browsers.

Secure HTTPS Included: Secure websites and feeds are now required for some applications and services. We keep you covered by providing your podcast feed via HTTPS://.SSL Certificate: Supported by all podcast apps and clients, including Apple Podcasts.''Encrypt All The Things'': Supports this Google link initiative.Prevents red X: No longer see the X over a padlock in URL bar browsers. PerformanceFeeds are hosted on our Content Delivery Network (CDN), with hundreds of distribution centers located worldwide, improving loading times and compression for lightning-fast delivery.

Verified: Each feed update is verified. If there is an error, we don't update the mirror copy so your subscribers are not disrupted.HTTP/2 and IPv6: The service supports the latest technology. But have no fear. We still support older HTTP/1.1, HTTP/1.0 protocols, and IPv4 for complete backward ability.99.99% Uptime: Failover is baked-in. Podcast feeds are cloned across multiple data centers in different parts of the country. Each data center has a 99.99% guarantee, so we made the redundancy . . . well, positively redundant.Feed Updates: We poll your master feed every 15 minutes for updates.Manual Refresh: Your Podcast Mirror feed updates in 60 seconds. QualityWe only want to provide the best, so we've ensured that all the parts come together for a quality user experience.

Smart Caching: Website caching can cause episode delays and random issues for some subscribers. Our caching is explicitly designed for podcast feeds and is always cleared when new updates are found in your feed.Leave the Traffic to Us: Don't worry! The traffic scaling is built-in. No matter your podcast's traffic, your mirrored feed will remain online 24/7.Features that Work: Other feed services will offer subscriber metrics; however, this data is flawed. Most listeners use cloud-based apps where one service pulls the podcast feed for many users. This simple service does not provide such features that '' don't work. WebsitesThere are no limitations on where you can host your website. Podcast Mirror works around the quirks, such as the lack of Apple Podcasts support, blocked HEAD requests, and unsupported SSL certificates. Rest assured, your podcast feed will not be affected.

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Apple PodcastsPodcast Apps (all)SpotifyAndroidEmailRSSPodcasting 2.0 FeaturesMany Podcast hosts are non-certified when implementing Podcasting 2.0 features featured in new podcasting apps that engage your audience and bring new features to the podcasting space. Podcast Mirror by Blubrry podcasting is replicating features that Blubrry podcast hosting and PowerPress users have enjoyed for over a year. Podcats Mirror allows you to have a subset of these new features here at Podcast Mirror. See our full write-up and documentation.

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GUID '' Provides a unique Identifier for every PodcastValue4Value '' A new mindset on earning Time, Treasure, or Talent for your showDonate '' Link your Paypal, Patreon, etc.Medium '' Podcasting is not limited to podcasts, think music, audiobooks, etc.Credit- Give credit where credit is due, like the movies in your RSS feedTXT '' A way to validate your podcast ownership with third partiesPodPing '' The fastest way to get your podcast episodes updated on all platformsLIT '' Going Live with your Podcast? Why not go live in a Podcast app. See PodcastApps.com SupportFeeds are viewable from most browsers to provide a seamless podcast experience from the web browser. Mobile and desktop support is available.

Easily found (and played) episodesVisible podcast artworkSubscribe buttons includedTechnical SupportPodcast Mirror Support by Blubrry Podcasting.

Who is Caroline Dinenage? - by Nik Jewell

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:00

With the ink still drying on the Online Safety Bill , the chair of the Culture, Sport and Media Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, has written to Rumble (and a similar letter to TikTok):

This is, it is fair to say, one organ of the state presuming guilt and demanding summary punishment through demonetisation. At what point do considerations set in of whether Brand can receive a fair trial in the courts, should he be charged, when legacy media and, apparently, the government have already declared him guilty? I am no legal expert, but is it impossible for a potential future lawyer to make this argument on his behalf, enhancing the risk that the (alleged) victim(s) will not receive justice?

Rumble has told Dinenage to stuff her letter up her arse (metaphorically):

Twitter has reacted with derision at government overreach. Still, I fear that this indicates that the government will be heading for serial confrontations with Rumble, on whose content and creators The Guardian has already rolled out a hit piece .

Who, though, is Dame Caroline Dinenage? Before her current role, she was the Minister of State for Digital and Culture in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from February 2020 until September 2021. She was an architect of the Online Safety Bill, including its notorious 'legal but harmful' provisions, which had to be removed by Michelle Donelan last November to ensure passage through the lower and upper Houses. One wonders if Dinenage mistakenly thinks the provisions remain in place.

Probably not a big deal, but given her praise of YouTube in her letter, it is worth mentioning this morsel from the UK Parliament's Register of Interests (courtesy of David Atherton of The European Conservative, who dug this out and posted it on Twitter):

More worthy of consideration, certainly, is the identity of her husband, Baron Mark Lancaster MP. Lancaster was Deputy Commander of the 77th Brigade from June 2018 to July 2020. The actions during the pandemic of the 77th, long written off as a conspiracy theory online, were revealed in Big Brother Watch' s fine report earlier this year: ' Ministry of Truth; The secretive government units spying on your speech '.

It is evident that Dinenage is up to her armpits in the 'war on misinformation'. This is grist to the mill of those whom she targets. Those people, that is, whose 'conspiracy theories' about the pandemic daily look increasingly like 'conspiracy facts' (lab leaks, lockdown harms, vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety, etc.); those who question the mono-narrative of legacy media.

Risking a hostage to fortune at the time, I had only made one comment online on the Russell Brand affair before today, after his outing himself, but prior to the Channel 4 documentary and story in The Times:

''I've never had much time for Brand; I don't find him remotely funny, rather irritating, in fact. I've watched a few of his interviews with people I'm interested in, where he usually turns off the babble and listens.

Nevertheless, many others do like him; he's got over 11 million followers on Twitter, well over 6 million on YouTube, and well over a million on Rumble. He spends his time challenging the mono-narrative. This paints a target on his back.

Lo and behold, arch-establishment defender of the progressive elites, Channel 4, and arch-establishment defender of the technocratic centre, the ToL, are apparently going to launch a full-scale assault on him later today.

Now, it's entirely possible he is guilty of sexual offences; Twitter tells me that such allegations may have swirled around him for years, so we have to wait and see what they have. However, I am slightly puzzled as to why, if there is clear evidence, he has not been arrested and questioned and/or prosecuted for them in the past.

Something seems very off when Channel 4 go to the length of making a 90-minute programme about him to air their allegations. Why have they not gone straight to the police/CPS? Maybe they will, or the police will take an interest after making what I anticipate will be a full-on hatchet job and personality attack to undermine his message and poison public sentiment towards him.

Meanwhile, Epstein's clients walk around, untroubled by any significant legacy media investigations. Strange, that.''

I stand by those words today. I despair at all those blind loyalists who think there is nothing to see here and that this is all a fabrication by the state and corporate media. These are serious allegations, which may be appropriately evidenced, and to in any way demean his alleged victims is despicable. He is a narcissist and serial 'Shagger of the Year', but I don't know if he is guilty, nor do you.

Nevertheless, I have never seen such a ferocious feeding frenzy by legacy media. They don't help themselves by their lack of objectivity or failure to display any presumption of innocence. Brand has already been tried and convicted by them (the relationship between trial by media and trial by law has been at the centre of debate for days, and I won't bore you by rehearsing it here). Part of this onslaught has been the accusation that Brand knew this was coming and has been developing an anti-establishment cult to protect himself. If ever there was a conspiracy theory, then this is one, and it is being created by legacy media journalists.

The actions of YouTube in demonetising him, and now an organ of the state seeking his demonetisation elsewhere, don't help the case that this is all nothing other than regular journalism either. If ever you wanted to do something that would fuel those who believe that this is all a deep-state operation to crush online dissent, then Dame Caroline Dinenage has done it here.

Pentagon Built AI Program to Navigate Its Bloated Budget

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 14:13

As tech luminaries like Elon Musk issue solemn warnings about artificial intelligence's threat of ''civilizational destruction,'' the U.S. military is using it for a decidedly more mundane purpose: understanding its sprawling $816.7 billion budget and figuring out its own policies.

Thanks to its bloat and political wrangling, the annual Department of Defense budget legislation includes hundreds of revisions and limitations telling the Pentagon what it can and cannot do. To make sense of all those provisions, the Pentagon created an AI program, codenamed GAMECHANGER.

''In my comptroller role, I am, of course, the most excited about applying GAMECHANGER to gain better visibility and understanding across our various budget exhibits,'' said Gregory Little, the deputy comptroller of the Pentagon, shortly after the program's creation last year.

''The fact that they have to go to such extraordinary measures to understand what their own policies are is an indictment of how they operate.''''The fact that they have to go to such extraordinary measures to understand what their own policies are is an indictment of how they operate,'' said William Hartung, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and expert on the defense budget. ''It's kind of similar to the problem with the budget as a whole: They don't make tough decisions, they just layer on more policies, more weapons systems, more spending. Between the Pentagon and Congress, they're not really getting rid of old stuff, they're just adding more.''

House Republicans reportedly aim to pass their defense budget later this week. They had planned to vote on an $826 billion proposal last week before the far-right Freedom Caucus blocked the proposal, demanding cuts to non-defense spending.

''The fact that the Pentagon developed an AI program to navigate its own policies should be a stark wake-up call for lawmakers who throw more money at the department than it even asks for nearly every year,'' said Julia Gledhill, an analyst at the Project on Government Oversight's Center for Defense Information. ''It's unsurprising, though: The DOD couldn't adequately account for 61 percent of its $3.5 trillion in assets in the most recent audit, and those are physical!''

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.

Military brass use GAMECHANGER to help them navigate what the Defense Department itself points to as an absurd amount of ''tedious'' policies. The program contains over 15,000 policy documents governing how the Pentagon operates, according to its GitHub entry.

''Did you know that if you read all the Department of Defense's policies, it would be the equivalent of reading through 'War and Peace' more than 100 times?'' a press release about GAMECHANGER from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the military's spy wing, says. ''For most people, policy is a tedious and [elusive] concept, making the idea of understanding and synthesizing tens of thousands of policy requirements a daunting task. But in the midst of the chaos that is the policy world, one DIA officer and a team at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security saw an opportunity.''

The press release went on to decry the Pentagon's ''mountain of policies and requirements.''

As unusual as it is for the military to publicly air its contempt for its own sprawling bureaucracy, members of Congress have been similarly harsh. In its portrayal of U.S. military policy '-- which it also had a hand in creating '-- the Senate Armed Services Committee called rules governing the department ''byzantine'' and ''labyrinthine.''

''The committee notes that the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center developed an artificial intelligence-enabled tool, GAMECHANGER, to make sense of the byzantine and labyrinthine ecosystem of Department guidance,'' the committee said in a report for National Defense Authorization Act '-- the law that appropriates cash for the Pentagon budget '-- for fiscal year 2023. (Amid the critique of the Pentagon's bloated bureaucracy, the NDAA would later become law, authorizing $802.4 billion in funding for the defense budget.)

Though announced in February of last year, GAMECHANGER has received scant media attention. The military's Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, a subdivision of the U.S. Air Force created in 2018, developed the program. Upon its completion, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center transferred ownership of it to the office of the Defense Department comptroller, which handles budgetary and fiscal matters for the Pentagon.

Shortly after its release, GAMECHANGER was already used by over 6,000 Defense Department users conducting over 100,000 queries, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Described as a natural language processing application '-- a broad term in computer science generally referring the use of machine learning to allow computers to interpret human speech and writing '-- GAMECHANGER is just one of a vast suite of AI programs bankrolled by the Pentagon in recent months.

The Pentagon is currently funding 686 such AI projects, according to the National Academy of Sciences, a nonprofit that frequently conducts research into the government. The figure does not include the Department of Defense's classified efforts.

Before it was formally released, GAMECHANGER was granted an award by the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources agency for civil servants.

''GAMECHANGER is an ironic name: They're patting themselves on the back for, in the best case, figuring out what they've said in the past, which is pretty modest,'' said Hartung, the Quincy Institute defense budget expert. ''It's more a problem of how they make policy and not a problem of how to surf through it.''

'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM, Caesars | Reuters

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:42

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - About a year ago, the U.S. security firm Palo Alto Networks began to hear from a flurry of companies that had been hacked in ways that weren't the norm for cybercriminals.

Native English-speaking hackers would call up a target company's information technology helpdesk posing as an employee, and seek login details by pretending to have lost theirs. They had all the employee information needed to sound convincing. And once they got access, they'd quickly find their way into the company's most sensitive repositories to steal that data for extortion.

Ransomware attacks are not new, but this group was extraordinarily skilled at social engineering and bypassing multi-factor authentication, said Wendi Whitmore, senior vice president for the security firm Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 threat intelligence team, which has responded to several intrusions tied to the group.

"They are much more sophisticated than many cybercriminal actors. They appear to be disciplined and organized in their attacks," she said. "And that's something we typically see more frequently with nation-state actors, versus cyber criminals."

Known in the security industry variously as Scattered Spider, Muddled Libra, and UNC3944, these hackers were thrust into the limelight earlier this month for breaching the systems of two of the world's largest gambling companies - MGM Resorts (MGM.N) and Caesars Entertainment Ltd (CZR.O).

Behind the scenes, it has hit many more companies, according to analysts tracking the intrusions - and cybersecurity specialists expect the attacks to continue.

The FBI is investigating the MGM and Caesars breaches, and the companies did not comment on who may be behind them.

From Canada to Japan, the security firm CrowdStrike has tracked 52 attacks globally by the group since March 2022, most of them in the United States, said Adam Meyers, senior vice president of threat intelligence at the company. Google-owned intelligence firm Mandiant, has logged more than 100 intrusions by it in the last two years.

Nearly every industry, from telecommunications to finance, hospitality, and media, has been hit. Reuters was not able to determine how much money the hackers may have extorted.

But it's not just the scale or the breadth of attacks that make this group stand out. They're extremely good at what they do and "ruthless" in their interactions with victims, said Kevin Mandia, Mandiant's founder.

The speed at which they breach and exfiltrate data from company systems can overwhelm security response teams, and they have left threatening notes for staff of victim organizations on their systems, and contacted them by text and email in the past, Mandiant found.

In some cases - Mandia did not say which ones - hackers tied to Scattered Spider placed bogus emergency calls to summon heavily armed police units to the homes of executives of targeted companies.

The technique, called SWATing, "is something that's utterly dreadful to live through as a victim," he said. "I don't even think these intrusions are about money. I think they're about power, influence and notoriety. That makes it harder to respond to."

Reuters couldn't immediately reach the hacking group for comment.

17-22 YEAR OLDSThere's little detail on Scattered Spider's location or identity. Based on the criminals' chats with victims and clues gleaned from breach investigations, CrowdStrike's Meyers said they are largely 17-22 years-olds. Mandiant estimates they're mainly from Western countries, but it's unclear how many people are involved.

Before calling helpdesks, the hackers acquire employee information including passwords by social engineering, especially 'SIM swapping' - a technique where they trick a telecom company's customer service representative to reassign a specific phone number from one device to another, analysts say.

They also appear to make the effort to study how large organizations work, including their vendors and contractors, to find individuals with privileged access they can target, according to analysts.

That's something David Bradbury, chief security officer of the identity management firm Okta, saw first-hand last month, when he discovered multiple Okta customers '' including MGM '' breached by Scattered Spider. Okta provides identity services such as multi-factor authentication used to help users securely access online applications and websites.

"The threat actors have clearly taken our courses that we provide online, they've clearly studied our product and how it works," Bradbury said. "This is stuff we haven't seen before."

A larger group named ALPHV said last week it was behind the MGM hack, and analysts believe it provided the software and attack tools for the operation to be carried out by Scattered Spider.

Such collaborations are typical for cybercriminals, said Okta's Bradbury. ALPHV, which according to Mandiant is a "ransomware-as-a-service", would provide services such as a helpdesk, webpage and branding, and in turn get a cut of whatever Scattered Spider would make from the hack.

While many ransomware attacks go unpublicised, the MGM hack was a vivid example of the real-world impact of such incidents. It caused chaos in Las Vegas, as gaming machines stalled and hotel systems were disrupted.

Ransomware gangs often function like large organizations, and continue to evolve their methods to adapt to the latest security measures organizations use.

"In some ways this is just like the age-old game of cat and mouse," said Whitmore, who compared Scattered Spider to Lapsus$, another group behind previous hacks into Okta and the technology giant Microsoft. The British police last year arrested seven people between the ages of 16 and 21 following those hacks.

Reporting by Zeba Siddiqui in San Francisco and Raphael Satter in New York; Editing by Chris Sanders and Claudia Parsons

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Reporter covering cybersecurity, surveillance, and disinformation for Reuters. Work has included investigations into state-sponsored espionage, deepfake-driven propaganda, and mercenary hacking.

Jimmy Kimmel tests positive for Covid, cancels 'Strike Force Three' live show with Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert | CNN

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:40

CNN '--

The upcoming ''Strike Force Three'' live show has been canceled because Jimmy Kimmel has Covid, and the show cannot go on.

''Well, Las Vegas, I got Covid, and sadly, we need to cancel this weekend's Strike Force Three show. I could never live with myself if I got my hometown friends sick,'' Kimmel wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.

He added, ''Thanks to all who purchased tickets, everyone will get full refunds and we will try to reschedule if possible.''

The ''Jimmy Kimmel Live'' star, Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert were set to appear at the Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas on Saturday to record a live episode of their podcast ''Strike Force Five.''

Kimmel, Fallon and Colbert, along with fellow late night hosts Seth Meyers and John Oliver, joined forces for the limited podcast, which premiered last month, while their respective shows have been airing reruns since the writers' strike began in May.

Meyers and Oliver were not scheduled to appear during this weekend's live show.

Proceeds generated by the podcast will go to out-of-work staff from the hosts' programs '' ''Jimmy Kimmel Live,'' ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,'' ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,'' ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'' and ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.''

''Strike Force Five'' has since released six episodes since its August 30 premiere, and features ''once-private chats'' held between the late-night hosts, discussions about the ongoing writers' and actors' strikes and the five hosts answering fan questions.

The ''Strike Force Three'' live show on Saturday would have served as the podcast's first live show since it began.

Chicago Signs Nearly $30 Million Contract To Build Giant Winterized Tent Camps For Migrants | The Daily Wire

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:39

The city of Chicago has signed a $29.4 million contract with a private security firm to move newly arrived illegal migrants to massive winterized camps with tents.

Chicago officials inked the one-year deal with GardaWorld Federal Services on September 12. The firm will be responsible for building, staffing, and operating the huge tents, which must be able to house between 250 and 1,400 migrants.

Chicago is facing a migrant crisis and is struggling to find long-term solutions. The country's third-largest city has seen an influx of about 13,500 migrants recently and has already spent at least $250 million on the issue.

Mayor Brandon Johnson detailed his plan for massive migrant tents earlier this month.

The tents will reportedly have ''yurt'' structures that would fit 12 cots each and have fire extinguishers and portable restrooms, according to the contract. Makeshift kitchens would be set up nearby. The tents will also reportedly have laundry, three meals a day, security, all-day child care, and transportation to doctor's appointments.

The purpose of the contract is ''to allow the City to purchase from the State Contract temporary housing solutions and related services '... to provide critical services to asylum seekers,'' the contract states.

The timeline of building the tents and their locations are still unclear, but the mayor's press secretary, Ronnie Reese, said the goal is to have the tents ready before the cold weather.

''It's got to be done pretty quickly if it's gonna get done before the weather breaks,'' Reese told the Chicago Sun-Times . ''The goal is to decompress the police stations as soon as possible. We know that's not sustainable.''

In recent months, the newly arrived migrants have been sheltering in Chicago's police stations and the city's two airports.

Johnson has faced pushback from members of the city council over the migrant tent plan.

The mayor asked all 50 city council members to find two acres in their wards for a large tent that could house 200 migrants.

''I've looked in my ward. I just don't have any available space. I have one of the most dense wards in the city,'' said Alderman Brian Hopkins, whose ward includes parts of downtown, ABC7 reported.

Another council member, Alderman David Moore, said several vacant lots on the South Side should be set up for Chicago residents, not new migrants.

''I'm a believer in help your people first, help yourselves first, help your community first. And then, reach out and help others,'' Moore said.

The migrant situation has also angered Chicago residents, particularly those on the South Side, who have complained about the city's money being spent on migrants rather than on their communities.

In the meantime, Chicago leaders have been begging the federal government for help with the migrant crisis.

''Let me state this clearly: the city of Chicago cannot go on welcoming new arrivals safely and capably without significant support and immigration policy changes,'' Johnson said in late August.

The federal government has already given Chicago and Illinois at least $8.5 million for the migrant crisis.

Chicago is not the only major city battling a migrant crisis.

New York City is struggling to metabolize about 113,000 migrants who have streamed into the city since last summer. New York also set up tent shelters for migrants last year but ran into issues including flooding in one of those shelters.

(4) WHEN THE INTELLIGENCE IS INCONVENIENT - Seymour Hersh

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 04:27

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba enjoy a happy meal last week in Kiev. / Photo by Brendan Smialowski / POOL / AFP. On Sunday Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Jonathan Karl of ABC's This Week that he remained ''very confident in Ukraine's ultimate success'' in the ongoing war with Russia. He depicted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to escalate its attacks inside Russia as ''their decision, not ours.''

Blinken's wrong-headed confidence and his acceptance of a significant escalation in the Ukraine war defies belief, given the reality on the ground today in the war. But it also could be based on insanely optimistic assessments supplied by the Defense Intelligence Agency. The DIA's assessments, as I have reported, are now the intelligence of choice inside the White House.

As a journalist who has written about national security matters for many decades, how can I explain a process that is clearly contrary to the best interests of the people of the United States and its leadership?

Elon Musk, a 'bike crash' and the ever-anxious mob - The Washington Post

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 03:57

Not for the first time, Elon Musk has proved a willing vector for misinformation that unleashes an online attack on a perceived foe.

The news media was that foe over the weekend, when Musk promoted the idea that the Las Vegas Review-Journal had underplayed the heinous killing of a White former police chief. He suggested the coverage '-- specifically, a headline that initially labeled the event a ''bike crash'' '-- was symptomatic of the media's tendencies regarding race, replying ''1000%'' to a post commenting that, ''The media seems to under report wrong to white males.''

According to the Review-Journal's executive editor, this led to an onslaught the likes of which he has never seen in his three decades in journalism.

The weekend's episode, spurred not just by Musk but by the far-right influencers with which he has increasingly aligned, rests on a basic misrepresentation of the timeline and facts about the killing.

Yet Musk has an itchy Twitter finger, with consequences. His actions reflect a growing tendency on the American political right, embraced by Donald Trump, to fuel thinly constructed conspiracy theories that animate people. In many cases, these people have shown a willingness to lodge ugly attacks and threats to keep others in line. Mitt Romney recently reinforced this idea when he reflected on the post-Jan. 6 period, saying that Republicans toed Trump's line out of literal fear for their livelihoods. Romney is hardly the first to gesture in this direction.

To recap the events in Las Vegas: Over the weekend, video emerged of the act that killed the 64-year-old retired police chief, Andreas Probst. The video was apparently shot by one of two people traveling in a stolen car. In the video, the driver appears to deliberately mow down Probst, who was riding his bicycle close to the curb on the right side of the road. The driver never stops, but the person shooting the video points the camera to the fatal scene behind him. Both people in the car have since been arrested. Police haven't released details about them because they are minors. But plenty of online commenters deduced that the two men in the car were Black.

You begin to see the narrative that would quickly form '-- the idea that the media slow-rolled the murder of a White man by Black assailants.

Soon, users on Musk's platform, including right-wing influences like Laura Loomer and Jordan Peterson, cast a spotlight on a Review-Journal headline that had described Probst as dying in a ''bike crash.''

'''Bike crash' is another term for 'murdered by two black criminals,''' Loomer wrote Saturday night while sharing a screenshot of the headline. ''Shame on @reviewjournal.'' (Police have not disclosed the race of the men in the car.)

Peterson promoted a similar post with the words ''bike crash'' in quotes.

Musk early Sunday morning reposted the same post Peterson had shared, asking ''where is the media outrage? Now you begin to understand the lie.'' Musk didn't explicitly refer to the race of the assailants, but he has previously focused on supposedly under-covered Black crime.

Cropped out of the screenshots of the Review-Journal story, though, was an important detail: the date. The story '-- an obituary of Probst '-- was published Aug. 18, nearly a month earlier, and long before video of the apparently deliberate act emerged.

That video would first come to the attention of detectives on Aug. 29, according to the Review-Journal's later reporting, and lead to charges of murder, as the Review-Journal reported Aug. 31.

Even after the date of the supposedly offending article was pointed out, some of the newspaper's critics continued to press their point about White victims. They argued that the Aug. 18 headline was still misleading, regardless of when the video emerged. The newspaper had reported on Aug. 14 that this was a hit and run, they argue, so on Aug. 18 it was still minimizing what had happened.

(The newspaper over the weekend changed the words ''bike crash'' in the Aug. 18 story to ''hit-and-run'' hoping to, in the words of executive editor Glenn Cook, ''calm the mob.'')

But there is little question that the heinousness of the act and the racial juxtaposition are what piqued people's attention, and as of Aug. 18 the public had no real knowledge of either one of those things. Indeed, Cook notes in an editorial denouncing the onslaught of ugliness that the headline hadn't generated ''a single concern among our local readers'' before this weekend.

That quickly changed, Cook said. He said users zeroed in on the reporter who wrote the Aug. 18 obituary and has covered Probst's killing, Sabrina Schnur.

''They filled Twitter/X with comments and tags that ranged from anti-Semitic to death wishes for her and her dog,'' Cook wrote. ''She had more than 700 notifications of malevolence as of Sunday, and they're still coming.''

Musk didn't start the backlash, but the Review-Journal says he put it on steroids.

Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren took exception to the ''bike crash'' headline at 7:08 p.m. Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Loomer lodged her post at 9:02 p.m. Peterson's repost came at 10:06 p.m. Those three posts have since combined for more than 3 million views, according to X data. Musk's post in the early morning hours the next day has registered more than 72 million.

Schnur told The Washington Post that many of the comments came Saturday, but Musk's post Sunday spurred the most vitriol.

''The more hateful, directed personal attacks came Sunday,'' after Musk's post, she said. ''Those people didn't want to hear facts or argue over the story. They wanted a representative of the media to hate, and the comments were sexist, racist (about the passenger and victim's skin colors), anti-Semitic and just more ruthless about me personally.''

Cook added that Musk's post ''significantly escalated the volume of posts, comments, messages, but also the tone. I mean, there's no question in our minds that this would not have been as bad as it was if he had not sent that tweet.''

The post Musk shared soon included a Community Note (a feature that allows X users to add context), pointing to how the ''bike crash'' headline long predated the emergence of the video. It's not clear when the note was appended, and Community Notes hasn't responded to a Post request.

But the website lists the note as having been submitted hours before Musk promoted the post, and users began referencing a Community Note on the post within about an hour of Musk reposting it.

The point isn't that Musk or anyone else explicitly summoned the mob. None of the above did. (Neither Musk, Loomer nor Peterson responded to a request for comment.) It's that it was a predictable consequence given everything we know about the proliferation of ugliness on his platform since he took over. Given that '-- and especially given Musk's reach '-- caution would seem to be the watchword.

Musk's ability to stoke the ire of mobs has been clear for years. This is hardly the first time he's invited his devoted followers to assume the worst about his foes. In 2019, it was calling a diver involved in rescuing boys from an underwater cave in Thailand a ''pedo guy.'' Last year, it was surfacing a fringe website's report suggesting that Paul Pelosi's assault had resulted from ''a dispute with a male prostitute.'' (Musk later apologized for this one.) Later in the year, it was suggesting that a former high-ranking Twitter employee wanted to sexualize children.

Each, like the Review-Journal flap, fits with a predominant narrative on the right, whether it's the establishment media's supposedly soft approach to Black crime, the deviance of the political left, or the purported epidemic of child sex abuse. And each narrative has the predictable consequence of taking hold among a portion of the country that has shown a predilection for thinly constructed claims about its foes. Musk, after all, isn't the only one who distrusts the mainstream media and neglects to do the most basic research.

But it comes at a cost for those on the wrong side.

VIDEO - Covid expert warns NEW pandemic is coming and claims millions more will die

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:51

A new pandemic could strike at any moment, the woman responsible for the UK's Covid vaccination rollout has warned.

Dame Kate Bingham, who has responsible for procuring the jabs used to inoculate the population against the last health crisis, has urged governments around the world to prepare for an unknown disease to suddenly rear its head.

Writing in a national newspaper this morning, she said the world may need to once again provide mass vaccinations.

"The next major pandemic is coming. It's already on the horizon, and could be far worse '-- killing millions more people '-- than the last one," she wrote.

WATCH: WHO warns 'we must prepare' for next pandemic Dame Kate Bingham said the exact form of the new virus is still unknown

PA

She warned in the Daily Mail: "To combat Disease X '-- as the World Health Organisation ominously calls it '-- we will once again need vaccines to be engineered and delivered in record time.

"But, as things stand, there is absolutely no guarantee that will happen.

"By contrast, we may well look back at the Covid-19 crisis as a walk in the park '-- and of course it was nothing of the kind."

While admitting that there was no known virus that was of particular concern at present, Bingham said that it was the very fact that the next threat was unknown that should concern governments the most.

"So far, scientists are aware of 25 virus families, each of them comprising hundreds or thousands of different viruses, any of which could evolve to cause a pandemic," she said.

"Worse still, they estimate there could be more than one million undiscovered viruses which may be able to jump from one species to another, mutate dramatically and kill millions of human beings."

In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the UK Government set up the UK Health Security Agency which is responsible for public health protection and infectious disease capability.

It is tasked with "protecting every member of every community from the impact of infectious diseases, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents and other health threats".

VIDEO - Are ''far-right" groups infiltrating community protests in the UK? - BBC News - YouTube

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:14

VIDEO - Dr. McCullough Testifies the Truth About COVID-19, mRNA Shots, and the WHO Before the European Parliament

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:12

Esteemed cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough unleashed an array of truth bombs during his presentation to the European Parliament on September 13, 2023, in a session specifically focused on the World Health Organization and the global management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here are some key takeaways from Dr. McCullough's presentation:

' There were two main waves of harm: the first being the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak affecting mainly vulnerable populations, and the second being injuries related to COVID-19 vaccinations.

' The WHO is part of a complex biopharmaceutical syndicate involving organizations like the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. He accuses them of adversely impacting the pandemic response.

' Dr. Anthony Fauci and others concealed the lab-engineered origins of the virus in Wuhan, China.

' The only effective ways to prevent hospitalization and death are through early treatment and acquiring natural immunity. Dr. McCullough criticized organizations like the WHO for obstructing such early treatment options.

' mRNA "vaccines" introduce a potentially harmful genetic code into the human body, leading to multiple diseases, including myocarditis.

' COVID-19 vaccines are "not safe for human use."

' It's time to pull out from the World Health Organization.

'Dr. McCullough also outlined how the COVID "vaccines" injure and kill:'Cardiovascular Disease' "We've seen cardiac arrest now two years after these shots."

' Myocarditis (heart inflammation)

' Acceleration of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

' Heart attacks

' Posterior orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)

' Aortic dissection

' Atrial fibrillation

' Cardiac arrest in the absence of myocarditis

Neurologic Disease

' Stroke (both ischemic and hemorrhagic) ' Guillain''Barr(C) syndrome (can cause ascending paralysis leading to death) ' Small fiber neuropathy (numbness and tingling)

Blood Clots

' "The spike protein is the most thrombogenic protein we've ever seen in human medicine."

' Unusually large and resistant blood clots

' Blood clots that are not dissolving with conventional treatments

Immunologic Abnormalities

' Vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia

' Multisystem inflammatory disorder

While the "vaccines" pose risks, steps can be taken to mitigate further harm. Check out Dr. McCullough's expert insights on how to recover post-vaccination in the link below:

First-Ever Spike Detox Protocol Appears in US Medical Journal: Here's How You Can Get Better

VIDEO - Meanwhile in Canada.... - YouTube

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:07

VIDEO - 911 call released from military pilot who ejected from F-35 fighter jet l GMA - YouTube

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 14:01

VIDEO - Travis Kelce Sells Out To Pfizer With COVID Vaccine Ad, Turns Off Comments '' OutKick

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Sun, 24 Sep 2023 13:50

Et tu, Kelce?

Travis Kelce has officially sold out to Big Pharma '-- recording an ad for Pfizer that encourages Americans to get their COVID booster and their flu shot at the same time.

Two things at once?!

The eight-time Pro Bowler posted the video on his Instagram account and promptly turned off the comments. Because he knows exactly what people are going to say about it.

For shame, Travis. If you're going to take money for promoting the experimental jab, own it.

First of all, this is the lamest ad in the history of professional football. Even worse than that time Carson Palmer sold hot dogs.

Who thought this was a good idea?OK, maybe not that bad.

Now, Travis Kelce is not shy about chasing that bag '-- because he learned his lesson early in his career. Earning just over a million in his first year with the Kansas City Chiefs, the tight end burned all of it on new cars, sneakers, a Rolex and a high-end apartment.

Lucky for him, though, he's good at football, and he's got a personality. So in addition to the $57.25 million contract extension he signed in 2020, the 33 year old takes home around $5 million every year just by endorsing brands like Nike, Tide, T-Mobile, Old Spice, Walgreens, McDonald's, Papa John's, Sleep Number and Dick's Sporting Goods.

He's also an entrepreneur who owns multiple businesses.

So Kelce isn't hurting for cash. Which is exactly why it's so annoying that he sold out to Pfizer to peddle an ineffective and (potentially) dangerous vaccine. But don't just take it from me. Social media is not happy with Taylor Swift's new boyfriend, either.

3 things at once if you count the myocarditis

'-- HeyoWhatUp (@realHeyoWhatUp) September 23, 2023 Sellout.

'-- RodgerK (@TruthWins52) September 23, 2023 I'm so sad ab this

'-- Byezer🇺🇸 (@byezer3) September 23, 2023 "I'm your bitch." -Travis Kelce pic.twitter.com/9I43Lhzpwp

'-- ES 🇺🇸 (@Simply4Truth_) September 23, 2023 Who is Travis Kelce, you ask? #Chiefs #Pfizer #NFL pic.twitter.com/ap2IvIilj8

'-- PJM (@PJM75TWEETS) September 23, 2023On a completely related note, Travis Kelce also did an ad for Bud Light last month. So I'm expecting a Joe Biden-sponsored TikTok video next.

Anything for the dolla, dolla bill, y'all.

covid 19 vaccineCOVID vaccinePfizerTravis Kelce

Written by Amber Harding Amber is a Midwestern transplant living in Murfreesboro, TN. She spends most of her time taking pictures of her dog, explaining why real-life situations are exactly like "this one time on South Park," and being disappointed by the Tennessee Volunteers.

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VIDEO - Eric Adams slams Joe Biden again over New York City's migrant crisis - as the president REFUSES to meet mayor while in town for the UN Assembly | Daily Mail Online

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:51

Eric Adams has lashed out at Joe Biden for snubbing him during his visit to the city - pointedly saying the president 'knows where I am.'

Biden arrived in New York City on Sunday night for the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

He will remain in the city until Wednesday, but is not expected to meet the mayor - who has been strongly critical of his handling of the migrant crisis.

Adams has frequently demanded Biden do more to stem the flow of arrivals - with more than 113,000 arriving in the city since spring 2022.

He has been tearing into the migrant crisis crippling NYC - which he warned will 'destroy' the city without urgent action.

Eric Adams is seen on Tuesday promoting a new trash system designed to reduce the rat problem. He was asked if he was going to meet Joe Biden - who is in New York for the UN General Assembly - and replied that Biden knew where to find him if he wanted to speak

Joe Biden is seen on Tuesday addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations

Migrants are pictured outside the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan - one of many coopted by the city to shelter the new arrivals

Migrants were seen sleeping outside The Roosevelt Hotel which has reached capacity since being turned into a designated center for asylum seekers

Adams, the mayor of the largest city in the U.S., has admitted that he and Biden, both Democrats, have not spoken since the beginning of the year.

'President Biden's coming to the city,' said Adams on Tuesday, speaking at an event designed to improve New York's trash collection and reduce the rat population.

'I am hoping that he understands this beautiful city that's the economic engine of the entire country is been saddled with a $2 billion that we spent already, $5 billion we're going to spend in this fiscal crisis, $12 billion in the next two budgetary cycles.

'New York doesn't deserve this, the asylum seekers don't deserve this.'

Adams suggested that Biden should take the time to meet him.

'So while he's here, I think that they should really reflect on: New York City has done its part,' he said.

He said Biden's team could easily arrange a meeting.

Biden on Tuesday morning met the president of Brazil, Lula, and Israel's leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Adams's schedule included meetings with the mayor of Montreal and Kansas City, Missouri.

He then addressed the Atlantic Council Global Citizens Dinner and the Africa-America Institute's 70th Anniversary Gala.

Adam's team tweeted photos of him meeting the president of Sierra Leone, prime minister of Sweden, and mayor of Seoul.

'Once we know what I'm going to do, we release a public schedule,' said Adams.

'I'm very public. Everybody knows where I am. You guys know where I am all the time. We release if we're going to be with the President or not.'

Adams says that New York City is struggling to cope, and has ordered agencies to slash their budgets by 5 percent, and possibly 15 percent in the future, in order to pay for the response to the new arrivals.

The Roosevelt Hotel (pictured), Paul Hotel and Paramount Hotel are among the hotels designated for housing migrants in Manhattan

A bus carrying the migrants from Texas arrives at the Port Authority bus station of New York on May 3

Asylum seekers, denied a hotel room, line the side walk of the Roosevelt Hotel

The city is currently paying about $385 a night per migrant family that needs housing and feeding, pictured here are migrant children seen playing outside of Roosevelt Hotel

Despite Adams' cries for help from the state and federal government, the city has not received aid to cover the extra costs, so the $4.7billion would come from the city's budget.

That amount is equal to the budgets for the city's sanitation, fire and parks departments combined.

As the school year kicked off, some schools were forced to turn away students as the classrooms overflowed.

City officials have said they expect the number asylum seeker population to reach nearly 33,980 households this fiscal year.

The city is currently paying about $385 a night per migrant family that needs housing and feeding.

According to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, asylum seekers are costing the city roughly $10 million every day.

Adams recently admitted the crisis is threatening to 'destroy' the Big Apple - but he blasted a lack of federal support, a 'broken' nationwide immigration system and Republicans bussing refugees from their own states into the city

The migration situation in the Big Apple has been described as a humanitarian crisis by officials, and it costs more than $9 million per day for housing, food and support

In March, city officials launched a 24-hour center to handle the numbers, and created a new agency to help coordinate efforts.

Mayor Eric Adams has warned the crisis will cost the Big Apple $12 billion over next three years

An exasperated Adams demanded that the federal government step in to help the city avert a budgetary crisis as expenses mount '-- now projected at $12.2 billion by the end of next year.

'It started with a madman down in Texas deciding he wanted to bus people up to New York City,' he said, referencing Texas governor Gregg Abbot's busing of migrants to the city.

Adams continued: '110,000 migrants we have to feed, clothe, house... we have to educate their children, wash their laundry sheets... give them everything they need.'

Indeed, many of the migrants have been bused in from southern states like Texas and Florida as the conservatives governors of these states look to put some of the migration pressure on progressive governments.

They are not undocumented but do not have work permits, as they must wait months to receive them after applying for asylum.

Experts say this is one of the main issues, as the migrants can't work and become independent enough to find their own housing.

Adams warned that the city's services will be affected by the additional strain on the budget.

He has previously stated the city is planning on cutting services such as library hours, meals for senior citizens, and free, full-day care for three-year-olds.

Speaking to furious residents at a town hall meeting, he admitted he doesn't see a solution to the problem as he slammed the lack of help from Joe Biden.

'Let me tell you something, New Yorkers. Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don't see an ending to this,' he conceded.

'This issue will destroy New York City. Destroy New York City.'

VIDEO - Hochul: Biden admin announcement 'an important first step'

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:44

Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the Biden administration's announcement that it was granting Temporary Protective Status to '-- and expediting work permits for '-- hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country is ''an important first step'' for her goal to get expedited work status for all migrants.

In an interview with NY1's Cheryl Wills Wednesday evening, Hochul said she, Mayor Eric Adams, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and the New York delegation had been pushing to expedite permits for migrants as far back as last summer.

"We have all been working so hard to persuade the White House that these individuals who came to this country and are living in New York City shelters don't have to. They came here to work," she said.

The governor said expanding Temporary Protective Status to migrants allows them to work within 30 days instead of within 180 days, and would also enable the state to clear out shelters.

"And also serves the purpose of meeting this demand from Republicans in every corner in New York for more workers. So this is an important step," she added.

Hochul said the state is committed to work with Adams "to ensure these people are connected to jobs as soon as they're able to work."

''We have to have more workers, and this is going to be a very, very positive development for our state's economy, for these individuals and our desire to start not opening more shelters, but starting to shut down shelters,'' she added.

Hochul pointed out that the federal government's order only applies to migrants who arrived before July 31.

She said that New York is ''at capacity'' and suggested that any migrants who arrived after that date, or continue to arrive, look to settle elsewhere.

"We have to let people know that if you're thinking of coming to New York, we are truly out of space," she said. ''The mayor has done an extraordinary job managing this crisis situation. We have been partners in helping him, but there must be other cities that do not have upwards of 125,000 people, over 60,000 in shelters, that can handle the volume easier in other states.''

Hochul also announced new state efforts to address the asylum seeker and migrant influx in the state.

She directed the New York State Department of Labor to connect employers to newly eligible asylum seekers who are in the process of receiving work authorizations, according to a press release issued Wednesday night.

The state Department of Labor also created a new process for migrants with work authorization to register for assistance, the release said.

VIDEO - Migrant crisis: Rudy Giuliani's horror at watching Democrats' policies turn his beloved New York into 'third world city'

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:41

Ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has voiced his horror at Democrat migrant policies turning the Big Apple into a "third world city".

Giuliani, 79, sat down with GB News to discuss how the migrant crisis was impacting New York City and the United States as a whole.

The prosecutor-turned-politician, who addressed a separate migrant crisis during his time at Gracie Mansion, blamed both President Joe Biden and New York Mayor Eric Adams for the debacle.

''The mayor over-promises and under-delivers by saying 'I'm going to make New York City the great immigrant city of the world'," he said.

WATCHNOW: Rudy Giuliani sits down with GB News "Now people are comparing it to a third world city. It isn't but compared to what it used to be, it's a disaster.''

When asked about how the situation compared to his work in the 1990s, Giuliani added: ''The numbers are not unprecedented. The nature and type of illegal immigrant is and the mayor doesn't seem to understand that at all because he hasn't been down to the border. He's refused requests by the Governor of Texas to go and look at it.''

However, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre previously claimed Biden has "done more" to secure the southern border and deal with the immigration "than anybody else."

She added: "The President has done what he can from here, from the federal government, from the White House to put forth and manage our border in a safe and humane way to respect the dignity of every human, as he says all the time, and making sure that our communities are safe."

The number of undocumented immigrant crossings at the southwest border for fiscal year 2022 topped 2.76 million.

Biden has come under fire from both Republican and Democrat officials following certain decisions on the US-Mexico border, with Grand Old Party Governor Greg Abbott calling in Texas' National Guard in recent days.

The 46th President was dealt yet another blow when Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson defected from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

Texas governor loses it with Biden and deploys National Guard as US President 'cuts razor wire at border'Train laden with migrants barrels towards US border as they ignore 'do not come' warningUS migrants spark mass exodus from New York as residents flee from rising cost of crisisAn image of the Texas National Guard on the US-Mexico borderREUTERSAddressing Biden's hand in the migrant crisis, Giuliani argued: "He is letting down the people of America. New York is his strongest bastion of support, maybe Los Angeles. He came here the other day, and I watched him drive through the streets. He drove right by my radio station. Not a single person applauded him.

"This would be like Trump driving through Texas, Trump driving through Mississippi, Trump driving through Alabama or Trump driving through Nebraska. These are places where Trump gets 80 per cent of the vote. Any Democrat, just put up the word Democrat, and people will yell, and scream and kiss you.

"These people are angry at him, and they know it's him, he can't escape it. Largely because they've lied so much. [Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro] Mayorkas has done him a terrible disservice by saying things like 'the border is secure' and then right behind him you see people coming over the border.''

However, Giuliani was much more concerned about the type of illegal immigrants arriving in the United States than the scale of the problem.

"This is not the same immigrant of the 1980s or 1990s," he said.

"First of all, they are not all Mexican. In fact, the most recent group were Venezuelan. Second, we have little to nothing to do with vetting. Biden has gotten out of that business. In fact, we escort them in which is a total desecration of border control. But they are vetted. They are vetted by the Mexican cartels."

He also suggested undocumented migrants crossing the US-Mexican border were aiding Islamic extremist groups.

''Mexican organised criminals," Giuliani explained, "specialise in human trafficking, bringing fentanyl into the United States and also assisting, they have for 25 years, Isis.

Demonstrators attend a protest against the opening of a shelter center for recently arrived migrants to New York in the Staten Island borough of New York City

REUTERS

"Isis wants to get a couple of terrorists in. They give the Sinaloa cartel big money. The Sinaloa cartel creates a diversion. All the border control go that way and they get 30 Isis in that way.

"Last year we're finding many more Isis, Islamic extremist terrorists in the United States than any time before September 11. This September 11, I would say, was the first one where it was more dangerous than before September 11. That's to do with Biden's open border."

Fears about jihadists entering the US via the Mexican border were ramped up after the FBI launched an investigation into a people smuggler with ties to Isis.

The Center for Immigration Studies think tank claimed Border Patrol apprehended 98 watch-listed terrorists at the southern border in the last fiscal year.

During a House Homeland Security Committee hearing in March, Mayorkas also confirmed: "A known or suspected terrorist '-- KST is the acronym that we use '-- individuals who match that profile, have tried to cross the border, the land border, have tried to travel by air into the United States, not only this year but last year, the year prior and so on and so forth."

However, the Cato Institute stressed: "Zero people have been killed or injured in attacks on US soil committed by terrorists who illegally crossed the Southwest border. From 1975 through the end of 2020, only nine people convicted of planning a terrorist attack entered the United States illegally '' some of them on ships, airplanes, and walking across the border."

Despite ambiguity about the threat of extremism, Giuliani also argued Beijing was benefitting from American woes, claiming: "You could consider China as at war with the United States.

Migrants travel on a train with the intention of reaching the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

REUTERS

"Last year they killed 70,000 of us with drugs, with fentanyl, but they never had to shoot anybody and they didn't get shot back at but 70,000 Americans are dead and China made billions. It's a great deal for China and it's a great deal for the Islamic extremist terrorists. They are the two big financiers of the Mexican cartels.''

The United States''China Economic and Security Review Commission revealed mass quantities of fentanyl are being produced in China.

The Justice Department also arrested two individuals and unsealed three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals.

Treasury officials later sanctioned fentanyl companies based in both China and Mexico.

Mexican President Andr(C)s Manuel L"pez Obrador even claimed to have proof of Chinese fentanyl smuggling earlier this year.

But Beijing consistently denies any wrongdoing, adding: "We urge the US to stop shifting the blame, stop smearing and attacking China, immediately lift all sanctions on Chinese counter-narcotics law enforcement institutions, stop using fentanyl-related issues as a pretext to sanction, indict or offer awards to hunt Chinese companies or nationals."

VIDEO - NYC shelters set to dump thousands of migrants to discourage new arrivals - POLITICO

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:39

The decision was made, in part, out of concerns that New York's shelter guarantee was becoming a magnet for migrants, according to two people familiar with City Hall's thinking.

''The sense is that people didn't fully understand just how accommodating New York City was to migrants until now, from a lot of these areas, and now it's a big reason that people are coming here,'' said one of the people, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. ''But if the understanding is you're not guaranteed a place to stay, that affects the flow.''

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul '-- who has been at odds with the mayor over how to respond to the situation '-- is also echoing that concern.

''Never was it envisioned that this would be an unlimited universal right or obligation on the city to have to house literally [the] entire world,'' Hochul told reporters on Wednesday. ''We want to make sure that no families end up on the streets. We don't want anything to happen to our children, but we also have to let the world know that there have to be limits to this.''

The move by Adams marks a critical new moment in the year-long immigration crisis in New York, where the arrival of more than 100,000 migrants since spring 2022 has stretched the shelters beyond their capacity and forced the city to house people in tents.

Now, with many about to face the end of their stays, migrants will be thrust into one of the most expensive places in the world.

With more than 60,000 migrants in the city's care, Mayor Eric Adams has decided to stop sheltering single adults after two months, and thousands will start being evicted this Saturday.|Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

What they'll find is a city of extremes '-- where even the middle class can struggle to make ends meet, where the median rent is a record $4,400 a month in Manhattan, where scarce apartments can prompt fierce bidding wars and where billionaires spend tens, even hundreds, of millions of dollars on glitzy second homes high atop the skyline.

Housing and immigrant advocates say many of the migrants evicted from shelters will have no choice but to sleep on the street.

''Directives like this that are not fully thought-out and are entirely short-sighted will have really dangerous, harmful repercussions, including street homelessness,'' said Council Member Shahana Hanif, chair of the body's immigration committee.

The problem illustrates the intersection of two of the most pressing crises facing New York: The flood of migrants that has strained the city's budget and social services and a decades-in-the-making housing shortage that has driven up the cost of living to stunning new heights.

New York has for centuries been a haven for immigrants fleeing persecution, political instability and economic hardship.

Critics say the 60-day shelter limit flies in the face of that ethos and violates the long-time mandate that the city provide a bed to anyone in need, which dates back to 1981. The city has handed out more than 10,800 60-day notices so far. Meanwhile, the administration wrote to a judge in May seeking to suspend the ''right to shelter'' amid the migrant influx; those discussions are ongoing in court.

''The simple fact is that the right to shelter is what prevents New York City '-- and the entire surrounding region '-- from seeing the mass tent encampments now common in many other American cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco,'' the Legal Aid Society and the Coalition for the Homeless, advocacy groups who serve in a watchdog role over the shelter mandate, said in a statement Thursday.

But pushing people out of shelters '-- potentially creating images of hundreds or even thousands of people sleeping outdoors '-- might help emphasize a point Adams has repeated for months: The city's capacity for new arrivals is already far past its breaking point and requires more state and federal help.

Adams has pleaded for more help from President Joe Biden and Hochul, criticizing both publicly in a departure from his previously close relationship with the fellow Democrats.

Some help came late Wednesday: the Biden administration agreed to extend temporary protection status to migrants from Venezuela. But Adams said Thursday it would affect less than 10,000 out of the roughly 60,000 migrants in the city's care. There are hundreds more arriving each day, officials say.

''We cannot continue to be left nearly entirely alone to solve a national crisis that the state and federal governments have refused to take meaningful action on,'' City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said in a statement, noting the administration has opened 200 emergency shelters and spent more than $2 billion on the crisis to date.

Late Friday, Adams announced he would further restrict shelter stays for new arrivals to just 30 days. Additionally, if migrants who have hit the 60-day mark are unable to find other accommodations and return to the intake center, they will face a 30-day limit on their new shelter placements, paired with intensified casework services, his office said in a statement.

Families with children are exempt from the policy, though the city has considered expanding it to that population, one person with knowledge of the discussions said.

Adams has pleaded for more help from President Joe Biden and Gov. Kathy Hochul, criticizing both publicly in a departure from his previously close relationship with the fellow Democrats.|Craig Ruttle/AP Photo

Adams has sought to limit the number of people coming to New York in more explicit ways. The city earlier this year printed flyers to hand out at the southern border discouraging migrants from coming to New York '-- citing, in part, the high cost of living.

''Let me be clear: We do not want anyone sleeping on our streets,'' Zachary Iscol, Adams' emergency management commissioner, said at a City Council hearing last month. ''We should not underestimate the abilities, the resourcefulness, the agency of the people in our care.''

''A lot of them, I think, given 60 days, will find another place; they will be able to get out on their own feet.''

If migrants can't find housing before the 60 days are up, they can reapply for a slot in shelter, city officials said.

A mayoral spokesperson said the city is hoping it will be able to accommodate anyone who needs a new bed, but noted the shelter system is already past its limit. One official said last month getting a new bed would be ''based on our ability to provide at that point.''

The spokesperson said that out of the 113,300 migrants who have come to the city since spring 2022, about 53,000 have moved out of the city's care.

Most migrants currently lack work authorization, and while many came with plans to formally seek asylum, there's a shortage of immigration lawyers to help people through the complex and lengthy application process. That has meant some of them have missed key deadlines in the process that could limit their legal options and leave them undocumented.

At least anecdotally, migrants seem to be finding at least some work under the table. But for many, it's not enough to survive on their own '-- particularly in New York City, where rents have skyrocketed since the Covid-19 pandemic.

A survey of 766 asylum-seekers by Make the Road, an immigration advocacy group, released in June found 97 percent were living in shelters, and 93 percent of those in shelters had not been able to move out because they did not have enough income.

''It's been extremely, extremely difficult trying to find a job,'' Yormeris, 34, a migrant from Venezuela who didn't want to give her last name, said through an interpreter. She's living at the Roosevelt Hotel with her husband and 8-year-old daughter.

A dentist back home, she hasn't yet gotten permission to work in the U.S., and said while she is thankful she has a shelter placement, she feels stuck.

For the most part, the migrants don't qualify for city-funded housing vouchers, or federal programs like public housing or Section 8, another housing subsidy.

Advocates working closely with asylum-seekers say, unlike past waves of immigration, many newcomers don't have the sort of community or support network that could help them get on their feet.

''A lot of folks have no family or friends here that they can link up with,'' said Theodore Moore, vice president of policy at the New York Immigration Coalition. ''They're coming here strictly because they're trying to find a better life for their families.''

While New York City has set up shelter across the five boroughs for migrants, officials said they are still running out of space and resources to help the more than 100,000 who have arrived since 2022.|Mary Altaffer/AP Photo

The strain on the system due to the migrant influx has led the city and state to set up tent cities on unused government land all across the five boroughs to keep up with the rush of new arrivals.

Meanwhile, the citywide apartment vacancy rate for units below $1,500 was a mere 1 percent, according to the most recent New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey.

Call it a perfect storm of troubles for the city.

''It's kind of a worst case scenario for someone arriving, and on top of an already record shelter population,'' said Howard Slatkin, executive director of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council, a research and advocacy group.

There were already about 45,000 New Yorkers in homeless shelters before the migrant crisis began; there are now more than 100,000.

One shelter provider, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said of about 150 migrant families in their facilities, just 20 have successfully exited the shelters '-- and half of them simply left the state.

Some advocates have pushed to expand city housing vouchers to people regardless of documentation status, arguing such a move would end up saving the city money on emergency shelter costs. But the mayor's office noted that, as of this summer, there were still 20,000 families with vouchers who have been unable to find housing.

The city is so vexed, Adams has moved hundreds of migrants to the suburbs and upstate '-- creating a separate firestorm in local communities.

Still, Moore at the Immigrant Coalition said he's seen success stories of migrants leaving shelters and noted most people are remaining in the city.

He also noted that the high cost of living has never stopped people from wanting to live in the melting pot.

''New York has been an expensive city for its entire existence '-- that does not deter people from wanting to be here,'' Moore said.

VIDEO - Company building tents for Chicago migrants faces scrutiny '' NBC Chicago

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:36

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's latest plan to potentially house thousands of migrants who have been bussed to the city is facing fresh scrutiny on numerous fronts.

The mayor's administration is planning to enter into a $29 million contract with Garda World to construct tents for the purposes of sheltering migrants, a decision made without debate in the City Council.

That decision did not sit well even with allies of the mayor, including Ald. Andre Vasquez, who is Johnson's point person on migrant issues on the City Council.

''I do recognize that an executive branch has the latitude to be agile in a moment of crisis, so I get why some of this stuff moves quickly, but clearly we all have questions,'' he said.

Some of those questions surround the company's role in the crisis. Garda World is not only contracted to build the tents, but has also been responsible for bussing migrants to the city, a conflict that has raised eyebrows, including those of Ald. Ray Lopez.

''I don't think we know enough about any of this situation, least of all who we are getting in bed with to address the migrant situation,'' Lopez said. ''Just finding out that we're paying the same company responsible for shipping them here, to now be in charge of taking care of them, is like having the fireman both set the fire and extinguish it at the same time.''

Questions also arose due to the company's failure to secure a contract in Denver, which pulled out of the deal due to ''concerns (that grew) about the international company's history of alleged abuses and mistreatment, as well as its lack of experience in sheltering migrants,'' according to a statement.

Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Johnson's chief of staff, says that Garda World is a ''preferred state contractor,'' and that they underwent training on operations and procedures in the aftermath of that decision by the city of Denver.

''The state is good with it. We understand what those concerns were and how they were addressed, then we are good to be proceeding as well,'' she said.

According to terms of the contract, Garda will be responsible for providing security, three meals a day, daily child care, van transports to school and doctors' appointments, and laundry services.

The tents are supposed to be capable of withstanding colder temperatures, maintaining 70-degree temperatures even when the mercury outside is 40 degrees, but Lopez expressed skepticism that the solution will stand up to Chicago's winters.

''The fact that we're spending $29 million on a tent city solution that probably won't even function in subzero weather, Chicago style, is just amazing to me,'' he said.

As of Thursday morning, there are a total of 8,307 migrants in city shelters, with nearly 2,000 awaiting placement.

The city has received more than 14,000 migrants since Aug. 2022, with hundreds of buses arriving in the city from states like Texas and Florida.

VIDEO - Watch Albanian trafficking gangs boast about their exploits | UK | News | Express.co.uk

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:34

People traffickers have been caught boasting to an undercover Express.co.uk team about running deadly small boat migrant boat crossings from the UK.

Our new mini-documentary contains secretly recorded conversations with Albanian people smugglers who detailed the brutal lengths they go to earn money.

Featuring exclusive clips from smugglers' adverts posted on social media, our report found that, far from hiding their illegal activities, gangsters were happy to schedule a call and discuss ways of deceiving the authorities.

The investigation into Albanian gangs was prompted by a massive rise in people from the Balkan nation in the UK on small boats, a trend facilitated in part by criminal networks from the country moving into the smuggling trade.

''Depending on how you look at it, one to two per cent of the entire adult male of Albania has travelled to the UK by small boat,'' UK Border Force Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, Dan O'Mahoney, told MPs last year.

READ MORE I went undercover to expose Albanian trafficking gangs - they're here in Britain

Numbers of migrants making the treacherous Channel crossing from Albania have skyrocketed (Image: Getty)

''The rise has been exponential. We think that is, in the main, due to the fact Albanian criminal gangs have gained a foothold in the north of France and they have begun facilitating very large numbers of migrants.''

Posing as an Albanian family seeking to have their relatives transported to England, we easily made contact with several traffickers advertising small boat trips on different social media platforms.

Don't miss... Albanian gangs using home of EU as pick-up point to smuggle migrants into UK [ANALYSIS] Albanian migrants offered 'TikTok Black Friday' Channel crossing deals [REVEAL] Albanian arrested in London over Channel crossings [INSIGHT]

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The lengths these criminals were willing to go to was shocking. One of the accounts we made contact with was willing to smuggle unaccompanied children into Britain, offering a £500 discount to traffic a fifteen-year-old boy whose family did not want him to risk the trip.

But the most disturbing finding was the location where these networks were based. All of those who made contact did so from telephone numbers registered in the UK and one discussed picking up cash in the UK.

VIDEO - French interior minister urges Europe to be 'firm' in face of migrant arrivals | Euronews

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:26

French Interior Minister G(C)rald Darmanin was welcomed by his Italian counterpart Matteo Piantedosi in Rome to "help Italy to secure its borders", following the influx of migrants to Lampedusa.

French Interior Minister G(C)rald Darmanin arrived in Rome on Monday evening, where he delivered a message of "firmness" in the face of clandestine crossings of the Mediterranean, following the influx of migrants to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

ADVERTISEMENT"At the request of the President (Emmanuel Macron) I'm going to Rome" to offer Italy help in "holding its external border", the main gateway to Europe from North Africa, Darmanin said on Monday.

Between Monday and Wednesday, some 8,500 people - more than the entire population of Lampedusa - arrived on 199 boats, according to the UN migration agency.

This situation has put the island's reception capacity under severe strain, generated a political shockwave in Italy and reopened the thorny question of European solidarity in terms of reception and distribution of asylum seekers, and to support the countries on the front line of these arrivals.

"There can be no message given to people who come to our (European) soil that they will be welcomed no matter what," G(C)rald Darmanin stressed, however, intent on showing "firmness".

"We must apply European rules", he added: France will be able to "welcome" people persecuted "for political reasons". But in "60%" of cases, they "come from countries like C´te d'Ivoire, Guinea, Gambia", where "there is no humanitarian issue".

New measures in Italy"We must protect the European Union's external borders and, above all, immediately look at asylum applications and, when they are not eligible, send them back to their country", he said.

This was a message aimed at Italy's right-wing and far-right government, whose leader Giorgia Meloni on Sunday criticized its European partners for failing to show solidarity with Italy, which has taken in almost 130,000 people since the start of the year, almost double the number in 2022 over the same period.

In Paris, it is noted that Rome has not yet requested the distribution of migrants, and Meloni is being persuaded to examine asylum applications in Italy while putting pressure on the Tunisians to better control departures.

Without waiting for a European response, the Italian government on Monday approved new measures designed to stem the flow of arrivals, notably by creating more detention centers for migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected, and increasing the maximum duration of such confinement from four to eighteen months.

On Sunday, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen presented an emergency plan for Lampedusa.

This ten-point aid plan, designed to deal with the emergency migratory flows towards Italy, provides for a better distribution of asylum seekers between European countries, as well as facilitating returns.

ADVERTISEMENTIt is supposed to combine a firm stance against smugglers with the facilitation of legal entry into Europe for asylum-seekers.

'Rehashing old recipes'Italy's European partners, the first country to enter the EU on this migratory route, must do their part, said the President of the European Commission on Sunday.

"The answer must be found in cooperation between Europeans" and "between Europeans and Tunisia", agreed French diplomatic chief Catherine Colonna at the United Nations on Monday.

In a joint statement, more than 80 associations, including sea rescue NGOs, deplored "old recipes that the European Union has been rehashing for decades, and which have all failed."

"For her part, Marine Le Pen, president of the Rassemblement National (RN) group in the French National Assembly, blasted the European Union on TF1, calling for "a legal wall" to be erected against immigration.

ADVERTISEMENTIn France, the authorities are anticipating a massive influx of migrants at the Italian border, following recent arrivals, and are looking to set up a "space" with a hundred additional detention places at the border police headquarters in Menton.

The central Mediterranean is the world's most dangerous maritime migration route, with over 2,000 migrants killed since the beginning of the year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

VIDEO - Cameron: State multiculturalism has failed - YouTube

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 21:25

VIDEO - Poland, France, Germany and Italy are all claiming that they cannot take any more immigrants - YouTube

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VIDEO - What AI "model collapse" is and how to fix it - Marketplace

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:52

Chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT have become pretty good at generating text that looks like it was written by a real person. That's because they're trained on words and sentences that actual humans wrote, scraped from blogs and news websites.

But research now shows when you feed that AI-generated text back into the models to train a new chatbot, after a while, it sort of stops making sense. It's a phenomenon AI researchers are calling ''model collapse.''

Marketplace's Lily Jamali spoke to Clive Thompson, author of the book ''Coders'' and contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and Wired, about what could be a growing problem as more AI-generated stuff lands on the web.

The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Clive Thompson: The problem with AI output right now is that it's really good, but it's sometimes just a little off. Like, you're talking to ChatGPT and it's 99% of the way there, but it's still 1% inhuman in a kind of a weird way. So what model collapse is is those little inhuman things getting compounded and rolled up because the AI is being trained on a previous one, so it's kind of learning that weirdness, and then it starts turning into a little snowball.

Lily Jamali: It starts to get really bad, right?

Thompson: If you do it over several generations, the first generation is kind of making sense and the second one is starting to say odd words. An analogy might be if you were to take a photo of the ''Mona Lisa'' or a picture of King Kong on top of the Empire State Building, and you were to photocopy it, and then photocopy the photocopy, and then photocopy the photocopy again, eventually, it starts to sort of look really weird, because the photocopy is 99% accurate. But that 1% inaccuracy will change maybe the contrast or the color, make it a little too white, little too black. And then after the 100th time, you've got a really weird-looking picture. And that's a little bit like what happens with model collapse.

Jamali: Walk me through how researchers discovered this phenomenon of AI model collapse. What was their process?

Thompson: The researchers were interested in the situation right now where there's people using ChatGPT and similar chatbots to create prose and then they're posting that to the internet. They thought if OpenAI is scraping stuff off the internet to train its next models, what's going to happen if they if they start encountering a lot of AI-written prose when they're scraping it? So, they tried to recreate that scenario themselves. They used the same techniques that OpenAI or Meta or another company will use to create a language model and they fed it data. They said, ''Here's a bunch of data. Ninety percent of it is human prose and the other 10% is machine-generated prose.'' They would use that data to build a model, and then they would use it to generate prose. And then they could see what would happen if they did that over several generations, sort of rolling the snowball three or four iterations, and they could see how progressively unglued it got.

Jamali: The researchers include this series of text paragraphs that show the degradation of text output over generations of AI models, and they start by inputting this paragraph about the construction of church towers in the 14th century. Nine generations of output later, the model spits out what is essentially gibberish. It says, ''In addition to being home to some of the world's largest populations of black @-@ tailed jackrabbits, white @-@ tailed jackrabbits, blue @-@ tailed jackrabbits, red @-@ tailed jackrabbits, yellow @-'' There are some @ signs sprinkled throughout the text. Very weird. What is going on there?

Thompson: Basically, that is the ninth generation of researchers taking the output of a model and feeding it to a new model to train it. So, it's a robot being trained on what a previous robot says. Essentially, all those little errors have compounded over and over again, until by that ninth generation, the bot is just completely collapsed. It is no longer remotely answering the question or the prompt about a church tower. In the output from earlier generations, if you were to look back, you could see it could still talk about churches. By the seventh generation, it's got the word architecture in there at least, but it's vague. The ninth one is just babbling about jackrabbits. That's kind of like the 15th or 20th photocopy of the ''Mona Lisa,'' with all the errors beginning to emerge.

Jamali: What are the implications of model collapse?

Thompson: The implications are that maybe all of these language models are, over the next few years, going to start to become worse and worse and worse. That's one possibility. If model collapse is really a serious problem, and OpenAI and Google and Microsoft and everyone just keeps on scraping the internet and feeding it to train their models, they could get much worse models, and we could be using models that answer even more unpredictably than they do now.

I doubt that's the way it's going to go, because I think all these people that create these models are going to see this happening and get very worried about it. They're either going to not release a new model that's even more deranged than existing models, or they'll probably try and find some way to cope with it or fix it. For example, they could pay humans just to write new prose for them. Like, ''I need a billion more lines of stuff, please just write stuff, write anything so that we can feed it to the model.'' That's one thing they could do.

The other thing is they could maybe try to save shards of the older training datasets and use them to sort of freshen things up. There's a lot of different AI techniques you can use, and I think they're going to have to lean into discovering new ones to cope with this over the next five to 10 years.

Jamali: What do you think model collapse says about the relationship between these language models and human expression?

Thompson: I think model collapse really draws a bead on the incredible value of real human communication, whether that's an email or a blog post or a tweet. What this shows is that if you want to make a really good AI, you need real prose written by real humans, and there's clearly some sort of lightning in a bottle that we have that the artificial intelligence systems don't yet have. Or maybe they'll never have, we don't know. That's what model collapse really shows us.

The future of this podcast starts with you.Every day, the ''Marketplace Tech'' team demystifies the digital economy with stories that explore more than just Big Tech. We're committed to covering topics that matter to you and the world around us, diving deep into how technology intersects with climate change, inequity, and disinformation.

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VIDEO - Sen. Bob Menendez and wife indicted on bribery charges; DOJ seizes gold bars and $500,000 | CNN Politics

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Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:38

CNN '--

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged on Friday with corruption-related offenses for the second time in 10 years.

Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, are accused of accepting ''hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes'' in exchange for the senator's influence, according to the newly unsealed federal indictment.

Prosecutors allege the bribes included gold, cash, home mortgage payments, compensation for a ''low-or-no-show job'' and a luxury vehicle.

This is the second set of corruption charges levied against Menendez by the Justice Department in a decade. He previously fought off conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud related to alleged personal favors.

Menendez is up for reelection next year. He has been in the Senate since 2006.

Senate Democratic Caucus rules will force Menendez to step aside as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, but he can still serve on the panel.

Menendez slammed the indictment in a statement.

''For years, forces behind the scenes have repeatedly attempted to silence my voice and dig my political grave. Since this investigation was leaked nearly a year ago, there has been an active smear campaign of anonymous sources and innuendos to create an air of impropriety where none exists,'' he said.

''The excesses of these prosecutors is apparent,'' he added. ''They have misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office. On top of that, not content with making false claims against me, they have attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had before she and I even met.''

Menendez also previously set up a legal defense fund. Beginning in April, his wife sold gold bars worth as much as $400,000, according to the senator's most recent financial disclosure form.

Menendez is charged with three alleged crimes, including being on the receiving end of a bribery conspiracy. The conspiracy counts also charge his wife Nadine, and three people described as New Jersey associates and businessmen, Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes.

A lawyer for Nadine Menendez said she denies any wrongdoing and would fight the federal indictment.

Bob Menendez and the other defendants will appear in court at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

The group is accused of coordinating to use Menendez's power as a US senator to benefit them personally and to benefit Egypt.

In the indictment, prosecutors accuse Menendez of trying to sway the president's choice of the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey to benefit one of the business associates and to pressure the Department of Agriculture to protect a business monopoly another contact had from Egypt.

The Department of Agriculture in 2019 had contacted Egypt to object to it giving Menendez's contact, Hana, monopoly rights related to supplying halal meat to the US.

Yet Hana met Menendez in his office along with others, including an Egyptian intelligence official, in May 2019, asking for help fending off the US agency's opposition. The group went to a Washington, DC, steakhouse for dinner that evening, the indictment said.

Two days later, Menendez allegedly called an Agriculture Department official, asking them to stop opposing Hana's venture.

''When Official-1 attempted to explain why the monopoly was detrimental to U.S. interests, MENENDEZ reiterated his demand, in sum and substance, that the USDA stop interfering with IS EG Halal's monopoly. Official-1 did not accede to MENENDEZ's demand, but IS EG Halal nevertheless kept its monopoly,'' the indictment said.

Searches turned up $500,000 in cash and more According to the indictment, searches of Menendez' home and safe deposit box that federal agents conducted in 2022 turned up nearly $500,000 in cash, including in envelopes inside jackets emblazoned with Menendez's name.

Prosecutors say some of the envelopes had the fingerprints or DNA of one of the business contacts from whom the senator is accused of taking bribes.

The federal investigators who searched Menendez's home also found a ''luxury vehicle paid for by [Jose] Uribe parked in the garage,'' as well as home furnishings from other business contacts and gold bars.

Menendez was charged by federal prosecutors from the US attorney's office in New Jersey in 2015 with conspiracy, bribery, and honest services fraud relating to allegedly abusing the power of his office.

Prosecutors said the senator accepted more than $600,000 in political contributions, a luxurious hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris, and free rides on a private jet from a wealthy ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors.

The corruption trial of Menendez ended in a mistrial in November 2017 after the jury reported it was deadlocked. Both men denied all of the charges. Following the mistrial, a federal judge acquitted them of several of the charges in 2018. The Justice Department dropped the remaining charges against Menendez.

Melgen was convicted on dozens of counts of health care fraud and sentenced to 17 years in a separate case, but his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump in 2021.

After his mistrial was announced in 2017, a defiant Menendez issued a warning at a news conference.

''To those who were digging my political grave so that they could jump into my seat, I know who you are, and I won't forget you,'' he said at the time.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

VIDEO - Open Forum, Part 2 | September 23, 2023 | C-SPAN.org

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September 23, 2023 | Part Of Washington Journal 09/23/2023 Washington Journal2023-09-23T08:52:08-04:00 https://ximage.c-spanvideo.org/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJwaWN0dXJlcy5jLXNwYW52aWRlby5vcmciLCJrZXkiOiJGaWxlc1wvMTYyXC8wMDFcLzE2OTU0NzM4MDdfMDAxLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciIsImhlaWdodCI6NTA2fX19 Viewers commented on the top news story of the week.Viewers commented on the top news story of the week.

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VIDEO - Canada pledges $482M for Ukraine during Zelenskyy's visit - YouTube

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VIDEO - Kosovo swarmed by fake euro coins - YouTube

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