TYB
>It goes much deeper than you all realize.
unfathomable depths.
https://www.youtube.com/@JohnDeSouzamedia
https://x.com/johnxdesouza
It happens, I gotcha
https://themarketswork.com/2018/11/07/questions-for-george-papadopoulos/
It is too big for the kun, open it in another tab and it looks bigger and better
"They Got A Gay Mafia" - Charleston White UNLEASHES On Democrats Gay Agenda For Kids
Jul 19, 2025
In this clip, Charleston White reacts to a viral video showing a Barnes & Noble kids’ section featuring LGBTQ+ books.
He criticizes what he calls “indoctrination” in schools, discusses cultural views on homosexuality in the Black community, and expresses concerns about societal changes affecting children and families.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyi1AKacJw
https://thenewamerican.com/us/immigration/dhs-illegal-with-67-arrests-bagged-in-sacramento-illegal-alien-sex-criminals-arrested/
https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press
DHS: Illegal With 67 Arrests Bagged in Sacramento; Illegal-alien Sex Criminals Arrested
July 18, 2025
During a raid at a Home Depot in Sacramento, California, yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents collared an illegal alien with 67 criminal arrests.
Agents also captured 10 other dangerous illegals, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. And they arrested a hate-ICE crackpot who thought slashing the tires on agency vehicles would strike a blow for freedom.
Elsewhere, agents arrested five illegal-alien sex fiends, an illegal-alien smuggler, and an escapee from the Delaney Hall illegal-alien detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.
Home Depot Home No More
Amusingly, NBC affiliate KCRA reported, someone called the cops when the ICE agents showed up to arrest the illegals.
“The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said it originally got an incomplete call at 7:47 a.m. about armed, masked men in the Home Depot parking lot at 4641 Florin Road,” the station reported.
“Deputies who responded were waved down by a woman who said her husband had been taken.”
Among the illegals arrested was upstanding cultural enricher Javier Dimas-Alcantara, “a serial criminal with convictions and charges spanning decades, including the following,” DHS reported:
Dimas-Alcantra has not only been “booked into jail 67 times,” said DHS spokesman Tricia McLaughlin, but also been convicted of myriad crimes.
“And yet, politicians like Gavin Newsom defend criminals who terrorize American communities and demonize law enforcement who defend those same communities,” she continued.
McLaughlin reminded illegals that they can self deport using the CBP Home app, collecting $1,000 and a free plane ticket home in the bargain.
Tire Slashed, Man Maced
The operation didn’t go off without a hitch. A bearded fellow slashed a tire on an ICE vehicle, which forced agents to leave the scene driving on the tire’s rim.
The hirsute activist attempted to flee, but ICE agents, video shows, tackled and pepper-sprayed him.
After the macing, his face took on the color of a steamed lobster. Other video shows the man’s wife screaming and breathing curses at the agents, calling them “traitors.”
KCRA identified the woman as Andrea Castillo and her husband, the tire-slash suspect, as Jose Castillo. Jose needed a hose B to wash the pepper spray out of his eyes.
“Federal agents ended up macing that man in his face, took him into custody, and took him away,” Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported, noting that the man “lunged” at agents:
His wife was yelling at agents the whole time, saying he is a U.S. citizen. Agents said, “Too bad, he slashed one of our tires.”
Citing the hate-ICE NorCal Resist, which KCRA called an “immigrant advocacy group,” the station reported that Castillo was released.
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Other Arrests
Also yesterday, in a “worse of the worst” news release, DHS detailed the criminal careers of several illegal aliens.
Agents deported illegal-alien child rapist Pedro Trejo Reyes of Mexico. He “entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 1990,” DHS reported:
While in the United States he was convicted of a DWI in 1995 and convicted again in Texas for repeatedly sexually assaulting his 12-year-old niece resulting in her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage in 2011.
Forensic DNA testing confirmed with over 99.9% certainty that Trejo Reyes fathered the unborn child.
A U.S. immigration judge approved Trejo Reyes’ order for removal in 2011, and ICE removed him to Mexico on July 17, 2025, after his 16 years of confinement.
Other “migrants” include these future astronauts:
• Honduran Edwin Jacobo Hernandez Mateo raped a teen under 14 years old. She also wound up pregnant. ICE arrested him yesterday.
• Mexican illegal Juan Gabriel Zamorano-Gutierrez, who was convicted of molesting a child in Ontario, California.
• Mexican Edmundo Vasquez-Gaxiola was “convicted of aggravated indecent assault after being accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl over the course of several years in York Springs, Pa.,” DHS reported. “According to a Pennsylvania State Police affidavit, the victim disclosed the abuse began when she was around 5 years old and continued until she was about 11.”
• Haitian Kelvin Civil induced a minor for sex and assaulted a police officer in Taunton, Massachusetts.
• Honduran Elmer Breve-Sanchez is an illegal-alien smuggler.
Detainees Captured
Arrested yesterday in Los Angeles, Colombian illegal Andres Pineda-Mogollon was the last of four illegals who escaped Delaney Hall on June 12.
That is where Garden State Representative LaMonica McIver rumbled with ICE agents, which led to three charges of felony assault.
Pineda-Mogollon “overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration,” DHS reported:
On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for petit larceny.
On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.
The other captured illegals:
On June 13, Colombian Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, a burglar, “attempted to turn himself in to local authorities at the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station,” DHS explained.
They refused to accept the surrender because of “they do not work with ICE.” He turned himself in to ICE and the FBI in Milleville.
Also on June 13, ICE, the FBI, and Passaic, New Jersey, cops arrested Honduran Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez.
“During the arrest, Sandoval-Lopez kicked and threatened to kill the law enforcement officers,” DHS reported. His crimes include aggravated assault and illegally possessing a handgun.
Honduran Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes jumped the border in 2021. Wayne Township, New Jersey, cops collared him for assault and other crimes on May 3. DHS did not date the arrest.
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Extinct giant bird being brought back to life
Updated: Jul 19, 2025 / 02:31 AM CDT
The group that resurrected the dire wolf species is looking to reestablish a giant bird, native to New Zealand, with the backing of legendary filmmaker Peter Jackson.
The moa bird, which has been extinct for 600 years, could make a return to the world. The herbivore weighed 500 pounds and stood about 12 to 13 feet tall.
The flightless bird was sacred to the Maori people, the native populace of New Zealand. According to their oral traditions, they were a largely docile bird.
According to a study in Quaternary Science Reviews, they became extinct due to overhunting by humans.
“Peter Jackson was really excited about the work that we’re doing. He knew we were working on the mammoth, the Tasmanian tiger, and then the dodo, and he was very upset that we were not working on the moa,” Ben Lamm, who founded The Colossal Foundation, told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
“If we can ever bring back species that we as mankind had a role in their extinction, while also building technologies to help conservation, (we can) help to return something that’s sacred, back to the Maori people, the indigenous people of New Zealand, all while kind of inspiring kids. It kind of checked all of the boxes,” he added.
Lamm noted that Jackson “offered to accelerate the efforts with funding.”
The moa birds will be reintroduced into areas on the South Island of New Zealand allocated by the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre.
Lamm added that the moa birds will have the capacity to reproduce with themselves thanks to engineered additional genetic diversity that allows previously extinct animal populations to reproduce.
“Our goal is to build sustainable populations with enough genetic diversity that they can thrive on their own.”
The foundation “doesn’t have to make more for New Zealand, they can actually just build up their own flock over time,” he said.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/vargasreports/giant-new-zealand-bird-being-brought-back-to-life/
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
July 20, 2025
Lunar Nearside
About 1,300 images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft's wide angle camera were used to compose this spectacular view of a familiar face - the lunar nearside. But why is there a lunar nearside? The Moon rotates on its axis and orbits the Earth at the same rate, about once every 28 days. Tidally locked in this configuration, the synchronous rotation always keeps one side, the nearside, facing Earth. As a result, featured in remarkable detail in the full resolution mosaic, the smooth, dark, lunar maria (actually lava-flooded impact basins), and rugged highlands, are well-known to earthbound skygazers. To find your favorite mare or large crater, just follow this link or slide your cursor over the picture. The LRO images used to construct the mosaic were recorded over a two week period in December 2010.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
This Week in Orbit: Wildfires, Lightning, and Earth from Space in 4K | 15-minutes with music
July 20, 2025
Earth from space captured in real time.
Soar 400 km above Earth for a 15-minute journey around the planet, filmed in stunning 4K by Sen’s cameras aboard the International Space Station. 🌌
This week’s orbit brings views of our world in motion — from deserts to lightning storms and swirling wildfire smoke.
🌍 Highlights include:
• A 180° ISS spin maneuver at sunrise
• Salt flats, snowcapped volcanoes, and high-altitude lakes
• Wildfire smoke drifting over Istanbul, Nevada, and Australia
• Lightning dancing above the Yellow Sea near South Korea
• SpaceX Dragon and the Ax-4 deorbit captured in timelapse
🌏 This week’s journey covers 6 continents, with striking views of:
Santiago, Chile • Lake Titicaca • Lake Eyre • Abu Dhabi
Kuala Lumpur • Dubai • Phoenix • Sydney • Cape Cod
Agadir • Tangier • Istanbul • Charlotte • Seville • Singapore
Perth • Macau • Los Angeles • Darwin • Greece • and more
🛰️ Your window to Earth, brought to you by Sen.
https://www.sen.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beI-BJ9VlYw
NASA’s summer of discontent may be coming to an end
07/20/25 10:00 AM ET
NASA has had a difficult early summer, between a proposed budget that would eviscerate the space agency’s science programs and President Trump’s sudden withdrawal of billionaire private space traveler Jared Isaacman from the nomination to be administrator of NASA.
Even so, there are signs that NASA’s fortunes may be looking up.
The space agency has a new administrator — sort of.
As Ars Technica reports, Trump has appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as interim NASA administrator, pending the nomination and confirmation of a permanent space agency head.
Duffy is said to have a “colorful background” since he was a cast member in a reality show called “Real World Boston.” But his four terms as a member of Congress constitute more relevant experience.
The careers of Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.), another former House member, and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), a former senator, demonstrate that political experience can be an advantage when dealing with Congress, which funds and sets the direction of NASA.
Duffy may be spread a little thin, having to run the Department of Transportation as well as NASA. It is also unclear what kind of power he will have to affect policy.
Duffy could confine himself to trying to enact the White House’s agenda, which involves draconian cuts to NASA’s science programs and focuses on human space exploration of the moon and Mars under the Artemis program.
On the other hand, someone who has ties to Congress and who can get Trump on the phone could make a good start in forming a space policy that is acceptable to both the White House and Congress.
Duffy as a bridge between two branches of government could be useful because Congress is in open revolt against the executive branch’s space agenda.
Senate appropriators are rejecting the cuts to NASA’s science programs and are developing a bill that more or less funds them.
The bill also reflects ideas advanced in the Big, Beautiful Bill in that it funds the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft past Artemis III and the Lunar Gateway.
The House appropriators are marking up a similar spending bill.
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies that funds NASA, made the reason pretty clear as to why the appropriators are sticking to the original Artemis plan for now.
“For NASA, the bill reflects an ambitious approach to space exploration, prioritizing the agency’s flagship program Artemis, and rejecting premature terminations of systems like SLS and Orion before commercial replacements are ready,” he said.
When and how those commercial replacements would be ready is not clear. Much will depend on how private sector launch systems and spacecraft evolve.
The SpaceX Starship is one of those launch systems that might become the center of a commercial Earth to moon transportation system. Unfortunately, recent tests of the Starship have resulted in spectacular failures.
The Blue Origin Blue Moon is another vehicle that could become part of a commercial lunar transportation system.
A smaller, cargo version of Blue Moon is slated to launch on a New Glenn rocket perhaps as early as 2025. The larger crewed version is likely years away from flying.
Progress on the Starship, Blue Moon and possibly other spacecraft will doubtless inform Congress’ attitude about going commercial to the moon in the future. One possible fly in the ointment is Duffy’s somewhat fraught relationship with Elon Musk.
While Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency did initiate hardware and software enhancements to the air traffic control system, Duffy clashed with Musk over an alleged attempt to fire air traffic controllers in the midst of a series of aircraft disasters.
The acrimony between the two men may be a feature rather than a bug so far as President Trump is concerned.
Trump withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator partly over alleged personal ties with his fellow billionaire.
Questions remain.
Can Duffy help to turn NASA, reeling from proposed budget cuts and a leadership vacuum, around? Can he make peace with Musk and continue the NASA-SpaceX partnership that has so profited both organizations?
Can Trump find a permanent NASA head in a timely fashion? Can the Senate confirm that nominee quickly? Can the White House and the Congress agree on a budget and a policy that makes sense for America’s space ambitions?
The answers to these questions should be forthcoming with all due speed.
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5408953-nasa-budget-cuts-congress-trump/
https://www.space.com/stargazing/discover-where-the-eagle-might-have-landed-how-to-find-apollo-11s-backup-sites-on-the-moon
Discover where the Eagle might have landed: How to find Apollo 11's backup sites on the moon
July 20, 2025
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong announced his historic arrival on the ancient lava plain of Mare Tranquillitatis with the following message to NASA: "Houston, Tranquility Base here, the Eagle has landed."
Armstrong's words, spoken less than seven hours before he and fellow NASA astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin took humanity's first steps on the surface of another world, marked a watershed moment in human history.
However, the now famous phrase could easily have been uttered from the opposite side of the lunar disk from Tranquility Base.
In February 1968, NASA's Apollo Site Selection Board revealed five potential landing sites for Apollo 11 — whittled down from a list of 30 — including two that were on the opposite side of the lunar disk from Tranquility base, in Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms).
Each of the 3-by-5-mile (5-by-8-kilometer) landing zones were subject to intensive orbital imaging and were ultimately selected based on a number of diverse criteria.
For example, each site had to be located within 5 degrees of the lunar equator in order to expend the least amount of fuel and have no large hills or deep craters along the lander's approach, which could have confused its landing radar.
Each site also had to have a slope of less than 2 degrees, with relatively few craters and excellent lighting during the selected landing windows.
Site 2 in the Sea of Tranquility was eventually selected as the prime landing site, while two of the remaining shortlisted zones were designated as contingency landing zones to be targeted should the launch of Apollo 11's gigantic Saturn V rocket be delayed.
Read on to discover the locations of the five landing zones considered as the setting for humanity's first steps on another world.
The general lunar region containing each site can be found easily with the naked eye during the correct moon phases, but we've also included a more precise map for those observing the moon through a telescope.
A 6-inch scope will allow you to spot the larger craters needed to hone in on the locations of the candidate sites. Happy hunting!
Candidate Site 1 —Mare Tranquillitatis (34° East, 2°40" North)
The first shortlisted site for the Apollo 11 landing can be found on the southern shore of the Sea of Tranquility and is best viewed as the moon approaches its first quarter moon phase, or during the full moon, when the entirety of the lunar surface is lit from the perspective of Earth.
First, locate the dark expanse of the Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis) located slightly above the lunar equator in the eastern region of the lunar surface.
If you struggle, simply take a look at the graphic below! This lunar feature is an enormous basaltic plain, which formed billions of years ago when lava flows flooded gigantic impact basins, before hardening in the frigid space environment.
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The Sea of Tranquility is large enough to be seen easily with the unaided eye.
Using a telescope, you can also locate the prominent Maskelyne Crater (shown below) and draw an imaginary line east until you hit a brighter patch of terrain jutting up from the south.
Apollo 11's first candidate landing zone can be found in the patch of lunar mare bordering this outcrop to the east.
Candidate Site 2 —Tranquility Base (23°37" East, 0°45" North)
Tranquility Base, the site of Apollo 11's historic 1969 landing — can be found to the southwest of the Sea of Tranquility and, like its predecessor, is best viewed in the buildup to the first quarter and full moon phases.
For a closer look, first find the tightly clustered Ritter and Sabine craters on the western edge of the lunar sea. Next, draw an imaginary line three times the width of the Sabine Crater from the lower edge of the impact site leading to the right.
This will give you the approximate location of humanity's first footprints on another world.
Candidate Site 3 —Sinus Medii (1°20" West, 0°25" North)
Our third Apollo 11's landing site candidate is situated in the Sinus Medii region smack in the center of the Earth-facing lunar surface.
The region containing the landing zone is almost equidistant between the northern edge of Ptolemaeus, and the smaller Ukert crater to the north is best viewed during the weeks straddling a full moon.
Sinus Medii would have been the site of the Apollo 11 landing had the mission's Saturn V launch been delayed by just two days from its historic date of July 16, 1969 to July 18.
Candidate Sites 4 & 5 —Oceanus Procellarum (36°25" West, 3°30" South, 41°40" West, 1°40" North)
Oceanus Procellarum plays host to the final two Apollo 11 landing zones considered in the runup to the historic mission, which are best viewed during the moon's third quarter, or full moon phases.
Both can be found below the bright impact ejecta thrown out in the creation of the Kepler Crater to the north and to the right of the Flamsteep P formation.
Had the Apollo 11 Saturn V launch slipped to July 21 1969, then humanity's first steps on the moon would have been left in the regolith coating Oceanus Procellarum instead.
'Procellarum Base' just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it.
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https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/35884384/nasa-alien-mission-mars-astronauts/
MARS ATTACKS I was sacked by NASA for telling TRUTH about alien mission – now I fear Mars astronauts won’t come home alive
Updated: 11:25, 20 Jul 2025
A TOP scientist claims she was sacked by Nasa after raising concerns about alien life on Mars.
Catharine Conley, the agency’s Planetary Protection Officer from 2006 to 2017, also fears SpaceX astronauts won’t come home alive.
Conley first accused officials at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in California of failing to clean the Mars 2020 rover correctly before its launch.
Mars 2020 is Nasa's mission sent to search for samples of the Red Planet to bring home and test for evidence of past or current alien life.
The rover, Perseverance, is still crawling around the surface after landing in February 2021.
Its job is to obtain the samples which will then be collected by a future Mars Sample Return Mission.
But Conley feared any material eventually flown home could be contaminated - and the whole mission scuppered.
She claims she was suddenly removed from the position after speaking out - and suspects it was to silence her concerns.
Conley told The Sun: “Nasa decided they didn't want to do the kind of work that I had been doing.
“They didn't want to continue with the kinds of implementation that they had been doing historically.
“That was not something I thought was a good idea, so they decided they needed someone else for the job.
"This was basic planetary protection as it had been done for the prior 50 years or so."
Conley, who now works as a researcher, added: “The Mars 2020 rover was cleaned in a way that was not compatible with prior levels of cleanliness, in particular regarding the amount of contamination that was getting introduced into the samples that were being collected for return.
“I pointed out that having a 0.1% chance of contaminating any individual sample, when you have 40 samples in total, comes out to a 4 per cent chance of having Earth contamination in the samples you're looking at.
“That makes it fairly difficult to be confident that you can distinguish between Earth life and Mars life.
“That was not something that the people at headquarters management wanted to hear and they took the steps that they thought were appropriate.”
Conley claims she had been told of staff being careless when using gloves and protective equipment.
She also claimed to have been told of staff bringing equipment into assembly rooms that was not properly cleaned, along with an “attitude of skepticism I encountered regularly at JPL”.
Nasa states on its website that Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover remains an active mission.
It landed in February 2021 as part of Nasa’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) campaign.
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In January the agency said it was hoping to announce plans for the returning of samples in the second half of 2026.
But that has been thrown into doubt following Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to Nasa, with MSR a casualty.
China is preparing to press ahead with their own plans to return Mars samples.
It has scheduled the Tianwen-3 Mars mission for launch in 2028, collecting and bringing samples back by 2031.
But Conley still fears the same problem.
She said: “The concerns are similar. I've been looking at some of the reports that have come out about the Chinese proposed missions, and they're saying all the right things to the extent that I can obtain information.
“But it is difficult to follow up on what they are actually saying they're doing.
“I certainly had experience within my duties at Nasa of engineers saying one thing and doing something else.
“So it's difficult to know. But if other space agencies are not doing anything more than Nasa did, then I would be surprised if their contamination levels are low enough that you could detect the Mars signal underneath the background from Earth.”
Despite the cuts, Trump has proposed no savings on Nasa’s plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.
But Conley fears that doing so without a sample return mission means a gaping hole in knowledge for what astronauts will encounter.
She also questions if astronauts will be allowed home if they fall sick.
Conley added: “Not doing a robotic sample return means we don't have detailed information about what kinds of materials the astronauts are likely to encounter, and possibly bring back to Earth, which could be quite problematic if there is something hazardous in Mars regolith, even if it's not biological.
“A question that didn't get answered during Apollo and certainly hasn't been addressed since is: if astronauts get sick after contacting Mars and we can't figure out why, should they be allowed to return?
“The fundamental problem, from my perspective, is overconfidence in thinking that we already know everything we need to know about what could happen, when we don't."
Conley also warned of Elon Musk’s plans to send a manned crew to Mars through his company, SpaceX.
She added: “SpaceX say they're planning to launch humans to Mars, but I have serious doubts about whether anyone would be alive when the spacecraft gets there since SpaceX doesn't seem to be developing long-term life support systems along with their rockets.
“Musk has made numerous claims about when he'll land humans on Mars that are distinctly implausible, at least if he wants the humans to be alive when they get there.
“Nasa is much more likely to be careful about preserving astronaut health but, ironically, seems not similarly concerned about protecting the Earth from possible Mars contamination.”
The Sun has approached Nasa for a response to Conley’s allegations.
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'Fighting dragons' light up little-known constellation in the Southern sky
July 20, 2025
From a cat's paw to a cosmic tadpole, humans love to see figures of animals in the night sky — but the "'Fighting Dragons of Ara" has to be one of the most dramatic.
Astronomers using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile have unveiled a mesmerizing new image that evokes a mythical duel of two celestial beasts.
The striking image appears to show two dragon heads emerging from dense clouds of cosmic dust, seemingly locked in an eternal standoff.
Their glowing, sinuous forms are shaped by powerful stellar winds emitted from bright young stars born within the nebula, most of which are only a few million years old.
The mesmerizing shapes created by the interplay of radiation and dust are officially known as NGC 6188.
It's an emission nebula, which forms when the intense radiation of stars energizes gas, causing it to emit light, according to NASA.
It's in the little-known constellation Ara and is observable only from the Southern Hemisphere, where it's found just under the tail of Scorpius, "the scorpion."
NGC 6188 is close to the edge of a massive molecular cloud, where stars form.
The red in NGC 6188 comes from ionized hydrogen being illuminated by 27 very bright stars, which are barely a few million years old — newborns, on a cosmic scale — giving the image incredible depth.
Ultraviolet radiation in the stellar winds coming from these stars have ignited, sculpted and shaped the gas and dust into the dragons' heads.
According to NASA, this ultraviolet radiation floods the gas with so much energy that it strips electrons from the hydrogen atoms in the nebula.
This is called ionization. As the atoms recombine, they emit energy in the form of photons, which makes the nebula's gas glow.
DECam is mounted on the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation's Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile.
https://www.livescience.com/space/astronomy/fighting-dragons-light-up-little-known-constellation-in-the-southern-sky-space-photo-of-the-week
Pope Leo XIV prays by name for Gaza parish strike victims, renews plea for ceasefire
Jul 20, 2025 / 08:46 am (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed by name for the victims of a deadly Israeli strike on the only Catholic parish in Gaza, decrying the “barbarism of the war” as he renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire.
“I express my profound sadness regarding last Thursday’s attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which as you know killed three Christians and gravely wounded others,” the pope said in his Angelus address from the papal estate at Castel Gandolfo, about 16 miles southeast of Rome.
He named the dead — Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud — and said, “I am especially close to their families and all the parishioners.”
The July 17 strike on the parish compound also wounded nine others, including the local parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
The church had been serving as a shelter for more than 600 people since the conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.
“Sadly, this act adds to the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza,” Leo said.
“I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.”
“I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.”
Thursday’s attack drew swift condemnation from Church leaders. On the same day, Pope Leo sent a telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin lamenting the loss of life and injuries caused by the military attack and calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The following day, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III entered Gaza to offer spiritual, moral, and material comfort.
According to Caritas Jerusalem, two of the victims were outside the main parish building — which had been repurposed into a shelter — when the explosion occurred.
Salameh, 60, the parish caretaker, was in the courtyard, and Ayyad, 84, was sitting inside a Caritas psychosocial support tent when shrapnel and falling debris struck them.
Both later died at Al-Mamadani Hospital due to what Caritas called a “severe shortage of medical resources and blood units in Gaza.”
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged responsibility, stating that “fragments from a shell fired during operational activity in the area hit the church mistakenly.”
Pope Leo XIV also spoke on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the strike, urging the reactivation of peace negotiations.
He reiterated his concern for the humanitarian situation of the population in Gaza, “whose heartbreaking price is being paid, in particular, by children, the elderly, and the sick,” a statement from the Vatican said.
After praying for the Gaza victims during his Angelus address, Pope Leo XIV offered a message of solidarity to all Christians in the region.
“To our beloved Middle Eastern Christians, I say: I deeply sympathize with your feeling that you can do little in the face of this grave situation,” he said.
“You are in the heart of the pope and of the whole Church. Thank you for your witness of faith.”
He entrusted them to the Virgin Mary, “woman of the Levant, dawn of the new Sun that has risen in history,” and prayed that she “protect you always and accompany the world towards dawns of peace.”
Sunday marked the second time Pope Leo has led the Angelus prayer from Castel Gandolfo during his two-week summer retreat. Earlier in the day, the pope offered a Mass for local Catholics in the nearby Cathedral Basilica of Saint Pancras in Albano.
He ended his Angelus address by greeting pilgrims in the courtyard, including students and staff from the nearby Catholic Institute of Technology and a group of Catholic scouts on a Jubilee pilgrimage destined for the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, whom Pope Leo is expected to canonize in September as the first millennial Catholic saint. The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will return to Vatican City on Tuesday.
https://ewtn.co.uk/article-pope-leo-xiv-prays-by-name-for-gaza-parish-strike-victims-renews-plea-for-ceasefire/
Zelensky wants personal meeting with Putin
20 Jul, 2025 00:56
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has once again called for a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying this is the only way to secure a lasting peace.
Moscow considers this pointless until the countries’ delegations find some common ground.
Putin offered in May to resume direct negotiations – from the point at which Ukraine unilaterally abandoned talks in 2022. However, Zelensky challenged him to come and meet in Istanbul personally.
Ukraine eventually agreed to send a delegation amid reported pressure from Washington, and since then the sides have held two rounds of talks, resulting in prisoner exchanges but no breakthrough toward ending the conflict.
The talks stalled in June after Kiev dismissed Moscow’s peace proposals. It later declared the process “exhausted” and indicated it had only taken part to avoid appearing dismissive of US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic initiative.
On Saturday, Zelensky stated that the “pace of negotiations must be increased,” offering to hold a new round of talks next week – and once again demanded a personal meeting with Putin.
“A meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure a lasting peace,” he said, adding: “Ukraine is ready.”
Zelensky’s presidential term expired last year, but he has cited martial law, which he imposed, as grounds for remaining in office.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently accused the Ukrainian actor-turned-politician of pushing for a personal meeting with Putin to reaffirm his political legitimacy, claiming he “is insanely afraid of being forgotten, of becoming unnecessary for the West.”
Despite Zelensky’s dubious legal status, Putin previously said he is open to a potential meeting – but questioned Zelensky’s authority to sign binding agreements.
“I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky. That’s not the issue,” the Russian president stated in June. “The question is different: Who will sign the documents?”
According to Moscow, legal authority in Ukraine now resides with the parliament, not with Zelensky.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian lawmakers once again extended martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, with just a single dissenting vote.
https://www.rt.com/russia/621707-zelensky-wants-putin-meeting/
Kiev targets Moscow in another drone raid
19 Jul, 2025 23:32
Ukraine has launched a major drone raid on Moscow and surrounding areas, with more than a dozen UAVs shot down just hours after Kiev claimed it was ready for another round of talks with Russia.
Air defenses intercepted at least 15 drones en route to the Russian capital as of 2:30am Sunday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.
He reported “no significant damage or casualties” on the ground, adding that emergency services were responding at the debris crash sites.
The Defense Ministry said at least 19 drones were intercepted overnight in Moscow Region.
In total, 97 drones were downed from 11:30pm Saturday to 7:00am Sunday – including 38 over Bryansk, 11 over Kaluga, eight over Tula, and five over Oryol Regions.
At least one residential high-rise was reportedly damaged in Zelenograd, a district on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow.
The explosion shattered windows, and at least two cars caught fire on the ground, according to videos shared on Telegram.
Moscow’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports suspended operations as a precaution during the air raid, and resumed flights after 4am.
Kiev has intensified attempted drone attacks on Moscow over the past week, according to Sobyanin, who has reported similar nightly raids since Wednesday.
Ukraine has conducted UAV raids deep into Russian territory for months, often striking residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure.
The Russian government has denounced the strikes as “terrorist attacks” that deliberately target civilians.
The raid comes just hours after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky proposed a third round of talks with Russia in Istanbul next week.
At their most recent meeting in June, the Russian delegation offered a conditional ceasefire, saying Moscow would agree to a truce if Kiev took meaningful steps to deescalate, including suspending Western military aid deliveries.
Kiev rejected the offer.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kiev is seeking an unconditional pause in the fighting to rearm and regroup its forces.
Moscow has warned that it will not tolerate the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, even under the guise of peacekeepers.
https://www.rt.com/russia/621706-ukraine-drone-raid-moscow/
Russian drone attacks Sumy territorial community, child injured
20.07.2025
During the day, a Russian strike UAV attacked the Sumy territorial community, causing damage, affecting the power supply system, and injuring a child.
This was reported by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov, on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
“About an hour ago, a Russian strike UAV attacked the Sumy community. A hit was recorded in the Zarichnyi District of the regional center,” Hryhorov wrote.
According to him, the windows of a residential building, a car, and the power grid were damaged. Some houses were left without electricity.
Preliminarily, there were no injuries, but the parents of a 7-year-old boy who was near the explosion site and complained of feeling unwell sought medical attention.
The area is still being checked out, and the consequences of the enemy attack are being taken care of.
It was reported that over the past day, Russian troops fired almost 70 times on 33 settlements in 13 communities in the Sumy Region.
In the Svesa territorial community, one person (born in 1947) was killed in a UAV attack, and in the Shostka community, two civilians (born in 1968 and 1977) were injured.
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4016956-russian-drone-attacks-sumy-territorial-community-child-injured.html
Russia May Launch 2,000 Drones at Once in Massive Attack on Ukraine, German General Warns
July 20, 2025, 1:46 pm
Russia may be preparing to launch up to 2,000 drones simultaneously against Ukraine, which would pose a serious challenge to Ukraine’s air defense systems, said General Christian Freuding, head of the Situation Center for Ukraine at Germany’s Ministry of Defense.
According to him, Russia is rapidly expanding its drone production to enable large-scale use in the war.
Freuding noted that traditional air defense methods, such as intercepting Shahed drones with expensive Patriot missiles, are not cost-effective.
One such drone costs between €30,000 and €50,000, while a single Patriot missile costs over €5 million.
He emphasized the need to develop economically viable countermeasures, ideally costing €2,000–4,000 per unit, to effectively respond to Russia’s mass drone attacks.
As another tactical response, Freuding suggested striking rear targets in Russia, including military airfields, aircraft, and defense industry facilities.
The general also drew attention to China’s policy shift, stating that Beijing has completely halted the export of drone components to Ukraine and redirected those supplies to Russia.
This move has effectively pushed Ukraine out of the drone technology market, further weakening its defense capabilities.
“Right now, the situation is that China is effectively exporting solely to Russia, while Ukraine has been shut out of this market,” Freuding said.
Russia regularly uses Shahed-136 (Geran-2), FPV, and kamikaze drones to target residential buildings, hospitals, schools, power stations, ports, and other civilian infrastructure.
These strikes violate international humanitarian law, as attacking objects with no military value constitutes a war crime.
Drones are often used at night to maximize psychological pressure and exhaust the civilian population.
On July 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is planning to launch 700 to 1,000 drones daily.
However, Ukraine already has a solution in development—interceptor drones that could be mass-produced with sufficient funding.
“If our partners support us, we will intercept everything with interceptor drones… And once we solve the issue with Patriot systems, the ballistic missile threat will be gone as well,” Zelensky said.
Earlier, on June 21, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported that the maximum number of drones Russia can currently deploy in a single night is around 500.
According to HUR, Russia is producing up to 170 Shahed-type drones and decoys daily. By the end of the year, daily drone production could increase to 190 units.
As of June 15, Russia had stockpiled approximately 6,000 strike drones—mainly Geran-2 (Shahed-136) and Harpy-A1 types—as well as more than 6,000 Gerbera decoy drones, signaling preparations for massive drone strikes against Ukraine.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/56632
Why Won't Congress Investigate the Epstein Case? | Rep. Eric Burlison
Jul 19, 2025
After weeks of right-wing infighting, President Donald Trump on Thursday evening ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony relating to the Jeffrey Epstein case in which the deceased mysterious billionaire was accused of sexually abusing scores of underaged girls.
The president’s post on Truth Social carried a begrudging tone:
Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval.
This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!
Minutes later, Bondi took to X and said, “we are ready to move the court tomorrow to unseal the grand jury transcripts.”
However, a judge will determine what is ultimately unsealed, and the review process might take some time.
Those on the right pushing for more transparency regarding the Epstein case cheered the move as a step in the right direction, but it’s unlikely to end the Epstein saga because the grand jury testimony makes up only a fraction of what the government currently has on Epstein and some questions remain about the case that likely needs further investigation.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., has been pushing for radical transparency regarding the Epstein case.
As a member of the House Oversight Committee, he could be one of the major players if Congress decides to conduct its own fact-finding missions into the Epstein case.
He joined “The Signal Sitdown” for a special episode about the lingering questions regarding the Epstein case, what questions remain to be answered, and what the Trump administration and Congress can do to give the American people answers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbqNWoKMaz4
Ukraine unleashes flight chaos at Moscow's four airports with fourth consecutive night of drones
Updated: 10:56 EDT, 20 July 2025
Ukraine unleashed chaos at Moscow's four airports overnight with drone strikes on the city for the fourth successive day.
Hundreds of passenger planes had to be diverted as waves of unmanned flying bombs converged on the Russian capital.
Footage showed explosions as Russian air defences attacked incoming unmanned planes in Zelenograd, a district 23 miles northwest of the Kremlin.
Russia's defence ministry claimed to have downed 93 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 19 that were approaching Moscow.
But during the chaos, authorities were twice forced close airspace over Moscow.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency diverted some 134 planes to alternate airports amid the mayhem, saying it was 'necessary to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights'.
Frustrated passengers - including tourists on summer vacations - were hit by delays, diverted flights and numerous cancellations in an apparent new tactic by Ukraine to paralyse air travel in Vladimir Putin's capital.
Many bedded down at the airports amid the chaos as airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky were all affected.
State airline Aeroflot announced it had been forced to adjust its flight schedule due to restrictions imposed at Sheremetyevo Airport, as travellers waited for information.
Regional airports at Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, and Yaroslavl were also disrupted. Cars were burning and a residential building hit after Russian air defences downed a kamikaze drone in Zelenograd, a district in northern Moscow.
Debris sparked fires that damaged buildings and set vehicles alight, according to The Kyiv Post reported.
The chaos in Moscow's airports, the city where the vast majority of the nation's elite lives, will be seen as a strategic success by Ukraine.
The nation stepped up assaults inside Russia since Donald Trump reportedly told Ukrainian president Volodymr Zelensky it was time to make Russians feel 'the pain' of war.
And although Russian officials claimed success in intercepting the majority of drones, the repeated closures of Moscow's airspace suggest Ukraine is successfully placing pressure on the capital.
The targeting of not just military assets but the daily functioning of civilian infrastructure will put further pressure on Putin's regime.
Meanwhile more travel disruption was caused by anti-Putin partisan group Atesh setting fire to a relay cabinet responsible for a strategic rail link in Tula region.
This caused 'serious disruptions in railway communication, critically impacting the timely delivery of ammunition, weapons, and dual-use components from Tula [defence] factories'.
Earlier, a video showed Ukraine striking the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, amid reports a military base was hit at or close to a regional clinical trauma hospital.
And one person died in a drone attack on Ukrainian-controlled Sloviansk in Donetsk region.
However, Putin's war machine, continues its indiscriminate campaign of terror against Ukrainian civilians.
It was seen pummelling Ukraine's Sumy border region with heavy bombs. One strike hit Shostka, 27 miles from the frontier between Ukraine and Russia.
A 78-year-old woman died in the region as Putin's forces continued to attack civilians with drones. Russia also hit Zaporizhzhia region, wounding a woman aged 69.
Putin's forces released footage of the launch of a hypersonic aeroballistic missile from the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal complex from a MiG-31K warplane.
A Russian Shahed [Geran-2] drone was seen exploding close to a Yak-52 aircraft, which was performing the function of an interceptor.
This came as the Putin regime has announced it will defy demands from Donald Trump for a peace deal by intensifying strikes on Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky demanded face to face talks with Putin to end the war.
'The pace of negotiations must be increased. Everything must be done to achieve a ceasefire,' he said.
'And the Russian side must stop hiding from decisions. 'Prisoner exchanges. Return of children. End to the killings.
'And a meeting at the level of leaders is needed to truly ensure peace – a really lasting one. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting.'
But German general Christian Fröding has warned Putin is preparing to swarm 2,000 drones at Ukraine, launching them simultaneously and aiming to overwhelm its air defences.
The Bundeswehr commander blamed China for surging key drone parts to Russia, while depriving Ukraine of them.
'The current situation is such that China is effectively exporting exclusively to Russia, while Ukraine is excluded from this market,' he said.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14922671/Ukraine-unleashes-flight-chaos-Moscows-four-airports-fourth-consecutive-night-drones.html