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Scientists analyzing data gathered by Kepler, which NASA retired in November 2018, just found a hidden gem: an Earth-size world that may be capable of supporting life as we know it. The exoplanet, Kepler-1649c, circles a red dwarf star that lies 300 light-years from Earth, a new study reports. Kepler-1649c completes one orbit every 19.5 Earth days, putting the alien planet in its host star's "habitable zone," the just-right range of distances where liquid water could exist on a world's surface. (Because red dwarfs are so dim, their habitable zones lie quite close.) "This intriguing, distant world gives us even...

Trump Primary numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire for un-opposed primaries are "record breaking." So who are all these voters going to participate and cast a pointless vote? I am thinking many of these voters might be "new" Trump supporters and former democrat voters. This primary voting has been advertised and pushed on democrat voters. I don't know if there is anyway to test this, but it might be an alternate explanation. It seems to be a good indicator of what is to come in November, one way or another.

WASHINGTON After 18 months of Donald Trump's "America First" presidency, European leaders meeting with him next week fear the United States may change its traditional course and begin to bring American troops home from the continent. It comes as nations, especially in Eastern Europe, are lobbying the United States to increase the number of troops on the continent as they worry about combating an increasingly aggressive Russia. Trump has talked about bringing U.S. troops home from around the globe since he was on the campaign trail espousing a strategy he dubbed "America First” but he has yet to act. "They...

Remember Paris? It was not even two years ago that the celebrated climate accords were signed — defining two degrees of global warming as a must-meet target and rallying all the world’s nations to meet it — and the returns are already dispiritingly grim. This week, the International Energy Agency announced that carbon emissions grew 1.7 percent in 2017, after an ambiguous couple of years optimists hoped represented a leveling off, or peak; instead, we’re climbing again. Even before the new spike, not a single major industrial nation was on track to fulfill the commitments it made in the Paris...

Amazon said Thursday it narrowed the list of potential sites for its second headquarters to 20 locations. Amazon said it will spend $5 billion in the place where it builds its second headquarters and will employ 50,000 there. The company previously said it was looking at metropolitan areas with 1 million people and a stable, business-friendly environment. The remaining 20 places are: Atlanta Austin, Texas Boston Chicago Columbus, Ohio Dallas Denver Indianapolis Los Angeles Miami Montgomery County, Md. Nashville, Tenn. Newark, N.J. New York City Northern Virginia Philadelphia Pittsburgh Raleigh, N.C. Toronto Washington, D.C.

Just saw on Today show. Matt Lauer Fired!!!

With yesterday's elections, the speculation of voter turnout for 2016 has started. On another thread, a question was posted postulating that election results in certain areas might improve democrat voter turnout. I have been contemplating this and would like feedback on some thoughts and theories. Reagan's landslide came after Carter. Many democrats voted for Reagan because, among other things, Carter was a dissaster by most objective measurements. I knew folks (lifelong democrats) that, to this day, don't want to talk about whether or not they voted for Carter. But a lot of democrats simply didn't show up to vote. Ambivalence...

Here is a (hopefully) simple explanation of what happened today and what can be expected. The "filibuster" was Cruze's only chance to make a statement. The vote today was to start debate on the House CR bill. It passed (as was expected). In the next step of the process, Harry Reid will introduce an amendment that strips out the language de-funding Obamacare. This will happen during debate this week. There will be another vote on Friday or Saturday to accept the "Senate Version" of the CR (Continuing Resolution Budget Bill). We will have to filibuster that (a real filibuster) to...

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) sustained a marathon talking attack on President Obama’s health-care law overnight and well into Wednesday morning — a feat of stamina that likely will complicate House GOP efforts to pass a funding bill aimed at averting a looming government shutdown. The freshman senator took the floor Tuesday afternoon promising to speak “until I am no longer able to stand,” and proceeded to do just that, with occasional assistance from a handful of Republican colleagues. To most Americans, it looked like a traditional filibuster, fixed in the popular imagination by Jimmy Stewart’s performance in “Mr. Smith Goes...

"Daddy why do they Hate Us?" "Sweetie, they hate us because we allow you to go to school. They hate us because your Mother drives a vehicle, in public without a scarf over her head...." This was how the conversation started with my daughter last evening as we studied for Social Studies test about American Indians and watched some 9/11 tribute on TV. I was explaining the cultural divide that caused the violence between colonists/Americans and native Indians. Native Indians didn't have written language. They couldn't read and had many different spoken languages. They constantly fought with other tribes over...

Millions of illegal immigrants are getting a bigger tax refund than you. Eyewitness News shows a massive tax loophole that provides billions of dollars in tax credits to undocumented workers and, in many cases, people who have never stepped foot in the United States. And you are paying for it! Each spring, at tax preparation offices all across the nation, many illegal immigrants are now eagerly filing tax returns to take advantage of a tax loophole, using their ITIN numbers to get huge refunds from the IRS. The loophole is called the Additional Child Tax Credit. It's a fully-refundable credit...

America has elected a body of "Career Politicians." But what does that mean? Sure they all have grandious plans for having their name in history books. They enjoy power and fame. They like the spotlight and attention. The perks and bennys aint bad either. But what has it done to our country? It's a rhetorical question really. Better: What should the elected leaders of our nation be? The typical politician today sets his/her sights on politics somewhere before starting college. They must attend Harvard or Yale. They must get a law degree. They must be academic. It's super great if...

Israelis urge U.S. to stop Iran's nuke goals By David R. Sands THE WASHINGTON TIMES September 30, 2005 The United States and its allies must act to stop Iran's nuclear programs -- by force if necessary -- because conventional diplomacy will not work, three senior Israeli lawmakers from across the political spectrum warned yesterday. As a last resort, they said, Israel itself would act unilaterally to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. Iran will not be deterred "by anything short of a threat of force," said Arieh Eldad, a member of Israel's right-wing National Union Party, part of a delegation...

TOKYO — Japan will slap 15 percent levies on U.S. steel imports (search) starting Sept. 1 in retaliation for American steel industry protection measures, the trade ministry said Monday, turning up the heat on a long-festering dispute between the world's two largest economies. The tariffs, which could rise as high as $51 million, will target ballbearings, airplane parts and other steel products, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said. Japan has long demanded the repeal of duties imposed by the United States on Japanese steel products under the so-called Byrd amendment (search), an antidumping law ruled illegal by the...