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Explanation: This galaxy is not only pretty -- it's useful. A gorgeous spiral some 100 million light-years distant, NGC 1309 lies on the banks of the constellation of the River (Eridanus). NGC 1309 spans about 30,000 light-years, making it about one third the size of our larger Milky Way galaxy. Bluish clusters of young stars and dust lanes are seen to trace out NGC 1309's spiral arms as they wind around an older yellowish star population at its core. Not just another pretty face-on spiral galaxy, observations of NGC 1309's two recent supernovas and multiple Cepheid variable stars contribute to...

[Catholic Caucus] Did Pope Leo just warn the Amazon bishops away from heterodoxy?Leo appears to have warned the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon that the glory days they may have dreamt of under Francis are no more. In a key move, Pope Leo has written to the bishops’ conference of the Amazon as they meet for the first time in such numbers since the 2019 Amazon Synod.A telegram sent from Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to the head of the Amazon bishops’ conference conveys the thoughts and instructions of Pope Leo XIV to the relatively young group of bishops....

Three months after a large transgender pride flag appeared on Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, park officials have terminated one employee involved in hoisting the flag and placed two others on administrative leave. The unprecedented move sparked outrage among park staffers and community members, who described the actions as “a direct attack” by the Trump administration. The terminated employee is scientist SJ Joslin, a 35-year-old who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. Joslin ran the park’s Big Wall Bats Program and managed data on wildlife across the national park. On May 20, Joslin and her coworkers hung the transgender...

https://babylonbee.com/news/metropolis-sues-superman-for-reducing-crime METROPOLIS — A new scandal threatened to arise between governing officials and Earth's greatest superhero, as Metropolis sued Superman for being far too effective in reducing crime in the city. City leaders were outraged that the Last Son of Krytpon had the audacity to take it upon himself to stop criminals in the middle of committing their brazen acts of lawlessness and protect the innocent citizens who were put in harm's way. "This is literal fascism. Restoring law, order, and safety will never be acceptable here," said Metropolis Mayor Bradford Sackett. "The criminal element is a long-revered part of...

Six days after declaring the crime crisis in Washington, D.C., was “nonexistent,” The New York Times’ Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker is complaining that President Donald Trump isn’t fixing crime in Washington, D.C.On Aug. 11, Trump announced his administration would be taking back control of the nation’s capital after decades of government failure. Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, which gives his administration authority to take control of the city’s police department. Trump also declared a pubic safety emergency in the nation’s capital and instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy...

A geomagnetic storm promises to light up the sky across 15 U.S. states tonight—here’s where to go and how to catch the Northern Lights in all their glory. Tonight, a geomagnetic storm is expected to bring the awe-inspiring Northern Lights to parts of the United States, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicting active aurora displays across 15 states. The event is the latest in a series of heightened solar activities, thanks to the sun being in its “solar maximum,” a period of intense solar activity that leads to more frequent and vivid aurora displays. This forecast gives...

Arrests are going up and crime is going down as President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal agencies in the District of Columbia enters its second week. In a post on social media platform X, the union representing D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department noted that in the seven days since Trump’s announcement, robberies are down 46 percent from the week before. Amid an overall 8 percent decline in crime, the post noted that carjackings are down 83 percent, car thefts 21 percent, and violent crime is down 22 percent. “While federal assistance gives us a boost, we must repeal the misguided Comprehensive...

The hurdles to marrying clean tech and the defense industrial base are cultural more than technical.When Congress took an ax to clean energy incentives last month, support for battery production surprisingly emerged unscathed. The One Big Beautiful Bill left intact advanced manufacturing incentives born from the Inflation Reduction Act — along with hope for the bevy of resulting domestic battery factories still under construction.Those factories, however, were planning not only on supply-side incentives but also on demand that the new legislation reduced. With faster phaseouts of solar-farm and electric-vehicle incentives, two of the country’s largest battery consumers, our nascent battery...

Months after a disastrous visit to the White House, the Ukrainian president had a whole new look.New negotiation, new look. When President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived at the White House on Monday to meet with President Trump, he had swapped the military-style clothing that has been his de facto uniform since the war with Russia began in 2022, for a more statesmanlike ensemble: black field jacket, black shirt and black slacks.Was it an early sign he was ready to make some concessions?That may seem a ridiculous question. But Mr. Trump is someone who cares deeply about the ceremony and...

I often read on Free Republic that Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, is using a false narrative of an American desire to annex Canada as a method for gaining support in Canada against what was before Justin Trudeau's departure a near-certain change of government. My opinion is that there is indeed a real desire in corridors of power in Washington DC, a plan to annex Canada or force Canadian provinces one by one to choose the option of seeking statehood as their citizens come to the conclusion that Canada is incapable of meeting their economic basic needs. To some...

U.S. Tax Court judge had tentatively set a Dec. 1 trial, and the petitioners are facing opposition from Trump's IRS, largely on the basis of procedural and administrative law. Future filings and a possible trial may disclose more facts about the Clinton Foundation that have not yet been tested as true or false. ============================================================== AU.S. Tax Court judge has tentatively scheduled a Dec. 1 trial allowing two whistleblowers to show they were wrongly denied an award for identifying alleged tax irregularities inside Bill and Hillary Clinton’s foundation, but the case is meeting resistance from an unexpected source: the Trump administration....

President Donald Trump presented Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky with a large map showing the 20% of the country under Russian control. During the Oval Office meeting on Monday, a large map depicting the current battlefield status of the war was presented to Zelensky. The eastern part of the map was shaded in pink to represent the nearly 20% of the country under control by Putin's forces after the nearly four-year war. The map may play a roll in pressuring Zelensky to consider transferring territory in order to seal a peace agreement. Zelensky arrived to the White House for historic talks...

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Democrats ended a two-week walkout Monday that stalled Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts as part of a national partisan brawl over President Donald Trump’s desire to reshape U.S. House maps to his advantage. Their return to the Texas Capitol will allow the Republican-run Legislature to proceed as California Democrats separately advance a countereffort to redraw their congressional boundaries in retaliation. The tit-for-tat puts the nation’s two most populous states at the center of an expanding fight over control of Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The battle also has rallied Democrats nationally after...

SummaryTrump warns states to comply with coming executive order Trump also targets voting machines The move would disproportionately impact Democratic voters WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Monday to issue an executive order to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, a move likely to disproportionately favor his Republican Party and spark legal challenges by some states.Democratic voters typically use mail-in ballots more than Republicans, who more often vote in person.Trump's pledge is his latest effort to reshape the midterm election battlefield to his party's advantage. He...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the White House today wearing a novelty bikini t-shirt which some are calling inappropriate. This was the first time Zelenskyy had been a guest at the White House since February, when he angered some officials by refusing to dress up for the occasion. But that all changed today when Zelenskyy wore his favorite novelty shirt. "Look at me, I'm a bikini model," Zelenskyy said as he greeted President Trump. "I am the sexy womans for you. You like? I don't evens exercise." According to sources, President Trump was not happy with...

Francis Gary Powers was on a CIA spying mission over Soviet Russia when his U-2 plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile. "I looked up, looked out, and just everything was orange, everywhere," Powers recalled. "I don't know whether it was the reflection in the canopy itself or just the whole sky. And I can remember saying to myself, 'By God, I've had it now.'" In fact, Powers managed to parachute to safety, but his troubles were far from over. Having been arrested and interrogated by the KGB, he was put on trial in Moscow, where his family could only...

Key Points * Google and Kairos Power will deploy an advanced nuclear reactor to help power the tech company’s data centers on the Tennessee Valley Authority grid. * The Hermes 2 reactor developed by Kairos will dispatch 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 36,000 homes. * TVA will purchase the electricity from the reactor, making it the first utility in the U.S. to sign an offtake agreement with an advanced nuclear plant. =============================================================== Alphabet’s Google and Kairos Power will deploy an advanced nuclear plant connected to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s electric grid by 2030, the companies announced Monday....

HALF the Hamtramck, Michigan City Council Members Charged for committing election fraud..

From Fiat Everything to Real EverythingThe infrastructure is now visible to those willing to see it. The systematic replacement of natural systems with artificial ones has reached into every domain—money, food, health, education, information. What began as isolated changes has revealed itself as a coordinated operation: the complete substitution of reality with decree, ownership with access, competence with credentials.The mathematical engineering of ownership out of reach becomes clear—from 52% of 30-year-olds owning homes in 1950 to a projected 13% by 2025. Extraction was rebranded as liberation—the subscription economy that converts your $3,000 monthly into someone else’s equity while you build...

The House Oversight Committee withdrew its subpoena for Robert Mueller due to health issues that prevent him from testifying. Robert Mueller, former FBI Director who was tapped as special counsel to investigate President Trump’s 2016 ‘collusion’ with Russia is reportedly in a memory-care facility. The news of Mueller’s health decline comes as House Oversight Chairman James Comer issued subpoenas for those involved in the Russiagate hoax. Earlier this month Comer announced the Committee issued subpoenas to a who’s who of political elites and deep state operatives. The sweeping list includes former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,...