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If we elect a student-loan deadbeat to our nation’s highest office — the nation’s first freeloader-in-chief — hold onto your wallet, and prepare for financial calamity.

The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday.

Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak was arrested for allegedly being drunk – and he slurred to cops “I want to eat my McDonald’s” moments before being taken into custody, police bodycam shows.

A Florida boater was sentenced to life in prison for killing his new drinking buddy in a drunken fight that began on his sailboat before spilling out onto the dock and tossing his body into the water.

The Super El Niño To Beat All Others?

The World Meteorological Organization predicts the sea surface temperature anomaly in the El Niño/La Niña indicator area in the Pacific Ocean to rise to an average of +2.9° Celsius in the August-September-October period.

As Statista's Katharina Buchholz reports, this would constitute the strongest El Niño since records started in 1950 and could lead to wet and stormy conditions across the entire southern part of the United States starting in the late fall. It could also mean more snowfall in regions that receive precipitation this way. In the Pacific Northwest, the El Niño phenomenon is conversely expected to lead to a dry winter. 

You will find more infographics at Statista

On a global scale, El Niño could cause very dry conditions in the Amazon, which experts fear is reaching a tipping point, droughts in vulnerable regions of Africa and more excess rainfall in parts of South America, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa.

There have been three episodes of very strong average El Niño temperature anomalies of +2° Celsius or more recorded since 1950 – in 1982 at +2.1° C between November and February, in 1997 at +2.4° C from November to January and in 2015 at +2.6° C, also for the November to January period.

This shows that this year's so-called Super El Niño is not only potentially stronger, but also starts earlier.

The WMO additionally said its expects ocean temps to rise further and to peak in November. For La Niña, episodes classified as strong (-1.5° C to -1.9° C) happened in 1973, 1988, 1999, 2000, 2008 and 2010.

During the last Super El Niño in 2015, the United States experienced a record cyclone season in the central Pacific (where Hawaii is located) and a 500-year drought in the Caribbean (including in Puerto Rico), while around the world, 2015 became the hottest year on record at the time and saw a devastating drought in Ethiopia and record-breaking wildfires in Indonesia.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/19/2026 - 04:15

Wyoming Republicans chose Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wy., on Tuesday as their nominee for US Senate in the race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis.

Judges are hearing her appeal relating to a lunch of beef Wellington pastries she prepared at her rural home in July 2023.

President Donald Trump’s 19-year-old granddaughter recently began her freshman year at the University of Miami.

The “Drivers License” singer’s kind gesture was revealed by student Jamie Causey in a TikTok video Tuesday.

The “Drivers License” singer’s kind gesture was revealed by student Jamie Causey in a TikTok video Tuesday.

The Case For Britain Backing Its North Sea Oil & Gas Industry

Authored by David Whitehouse, chief executive of Offshore Energies UK, via City AM,

• Jackdaw and Rosebank could strengthen UK energy security by increasing domestic oil and gas production while demand remains substantial.

• The projects are expected to support billions of pounds of investment, thousands of jobs, and a broad UK offshore supply chain.

• Continued North Sea production could reduce import dependence while preserving engineering skills and industrial capacity needed for offshore wind, hydrogen, and carbon capture.

Britain faces a simple choice. While we still need oil and gas, do we produce more of it here, supporting jobs, investment, energy security and lower production emissions, or do we import more from overseas, which costs more and involves higher emissions? That is the real question facing ministers as they consider Jackdaw and Rosebank.

With extreme weather becoming ever more visible, the need to tackle climate change is beyond doubt. The UK must scale up renewable and low-carbon energy, but people deserve honesty. Even on our path to net zero, Britain will need oil and gas for years to come.

Oil and gas still meet around 75 per cent of current UK energy needs, which is why the decisions facing ministers on Jackdaw and Rosebank are so important.

Jackdaw could provide more than six per cent of UK gas supply by this winter, equivalent to the gas needed to heat around 1.4m homes. Rosebank is another major opportunity to strengthen domestic production while demand remains.

The public consultation on Jackdaw and Rosebank has now closed.

The economic prize is significant. More than £3bn has already been invested in these projects, with total anticipated investment reaching £10.8bn. Over their producing lives, they could contribute £28.7bn to the UK economy and generate £1.4bn in tax revenues before the end of this Parliament.

For readers, this is not an abstract debate. It is about capital allocation, supply chains and whether the UK remains a credible place to invest.

More than 170 UK supply chain companies are already involved. Jackdaw and Rosebank together will support around 3,500 jobs at peak construction, around 880 long-term jobs during production and 125 apprenticeships. Those skills are not yesterday’s economy. They are the same engineering and technical capabilities needed for tomorrow’s energy system.

Industrial strategy

Some argue the fastest route to net zero is to stop new domestic oil and gas production, but if UK production falls faster than demand, Britain will not stop using oil and gas. It will import more. In the process, we hollow out our industrial strength, skilled workforce and supply chains needed to build our energy future.

Production emissions from Jackdaw and Rosebank could be around eight times lower than imported liquefied natural gas. Importing more energy means exporting jobs, investment and emissions accountability.

Approving Jackdaw and Rosebank would not solve every challenge facing the North Sea, but it would send an important signal. There is a £50bn pipeline of potential oil and gas investment that could be unlocked over the coming decade.

That means jobs, tax revenues and energy security. It also means sustaining the supply chain companies Britain will rely on for offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and the wider low-carbon economy.

If the government wants a serious industrial strategy that supports growth, it should back the North Sea during the transition. The alternative is higher import dependence, weaker domestic capability and less influence over the emissions linked to the energy we consume.

The UK should be ambitious about renewables. It should also be practical about the energy system we have today. Backing North Sea oil and gas production while demand remains is not a retreat from net zero. It is a responsible way to get there.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/19/2026 - 03:30

Dear Abby advises someone who has been harassed about a video she doesn't know about, and someone who wants to bring on extra help for their mom so they can travel, before it is too late, but their mother refuses.

Germany Opens New Drone Security Center Amid Fears Of Russian Hybrid Warfare

European officials have for years been warning about what they allege is heightened Russian hybrid and sabotage warfare targeting Europe and its airspace in connection with the long-running Ukraine war.

They've been further sounding the alarm in the wake of this month's drone incident near a runway at Leipzig Airport. Reports say a drone carrying explosives was found at this location, which remains one of Europe's largest cargo hubs, and is also used for NATO logistics.

An optical tracking system for drones and small aerial objects, via dpa

A NATO spokesperson later specified with the explosive-laden drone, which was equipped with a detonator, appeared to have been targeting an aircraft belonging to the Ukrainian cargo carrier Antonov Airlines.

This close call incident came in the wake of a series of mystery drone incidents which in some cases paused operations at commercial aviation hubs in northern Europe. While some episodes could have been the result of hobby drones or else local pranks or false alarms, EU officials have still long suspected Russian-linked nefarious actors.

Now Germany in particular is stepping up anti-drone security and monitoring measures, by establishing its first major drone security research center.

The new Drone Security Technology Center is part of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), and officially opened Tuesday in the town of Cochsted, which is famous for its aviation history. The center will focus on research and technology for detecting hostile or unknown drone activity, protecting critical infrastructure from such incursions.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced, "Together with the DLR we are creating, with the new technology center, a facility that is unique nationwide, where innovative technologies for drone security are researched, developed and tested in real-life laboratories."

He described the new drone threat facing Germany and Europe more broadly as part of the "shadow war of the 21st century".

Leipzig-Halle airport is a big logistics hub for NATO and Ukraine. An attack with an armed drone on a Ukrainian cargo plane there was less hybrid warfare than warfare, full stop https://t.co/GG98Q1Zbkx

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 17, 2026

"Within the growing network of future test-field activities, the National Test Centre plays an integrative role as a trailblazer for future research and development of new UAS technologies within the DLR and for external partners," the center's website states.

The facility will further provide rare opportunity for drones and counter-drone technology to be tested in 'real-world conditions' and in multiple scenarios and settings, officials have described.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/19/2026 - 02:45

An Ohio mother of three was killed after a massive tree came crashing down on her SUV as she drove along a highway over the weekend, authorities said.

"We scored on them, and they got mad."

Florida put to death its 13th prisoner Tuesday evening as the state leads the way in most executions across the US.

Krumholtz ranted that he has put his career on hold after becoming fed up with the way actors are treated and fearing he could go “broke.”

Krumholtz ranted that he has put his career on hold after becoming fed up with the way actors are treated and fearing he could go “broke.”

Alexander Vindman Suffers Double-Digit Loss To Socialist Angie Nixon In Florida Senate Primary

Alexander Vindman - a central Russiagate figure who flipped out when Donald Trump asked Ukraine to investigate Biden family corruption - and who was offered the job of Ukraine's Minister of Defense three times two months before the infamous 'perfect' Trump-Zelensky call - was just beaten out of a Florida Senate seat by Democratic Socialist Angie Nixon, 44-56 in Tuesday night's primary.

Vindman and Nixon - a state Rep., were vying to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody (R) in November. Meanwhile, Alexander's twin brother Eugene Vindman is a current US Rep. from Virginia. 

Nixon, a recent convert to the Democratic Socialists of America and a vocal critic of Israel, was expected to lose to Vindman - a Jewish immigrant born in Ukraine, who raised over $16.3 million for his campaign. Nixon brought in $975,000 and achieved a double-digit victory.

Screenshot: NY Times

"We showed the world what organized people can accomplish," Nixon told supporters Tuesday night. "And we showed the world what people of Florida are all about. Medicare for all. Universal child care. Real, affordable housing. Fully funded public education. And an end to senseless wars."

The DSCC also responded to Nixon's victory, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and DSCC Chair Kristen Gillibrand, D-NY, saying in a joint statement.: "Angie Nixon has dedicated her career to fighting for Florida. A lifelong native of Jacksonville and a former union organizer, Angie’s dedication to put working families first runs deep - and now, she’s running to take that fight to the Senate."

During the campaign, Nixon slammed Vindman for being a recent Florida resident.

In 2023 she introduced a resolution in the state House calling for "de-escalation and ceasefire in the state of Israel and occupied Palestine," and said last week that she would have supported a congressional resolution in July that would have stripped Israel of $3.3 billion in military aid. 

"I would have voted in support of that, because we cannot continue to send money to countries that are violating international law, that are violating human rights, that are actively destroying," she told WMNF radio in Tampa. "Throughout my adult career, I have fought for the safety and the well-being and the humanity of all people. And me stating this does not make me antisemitic at all."

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/19/2026 - 01:27

The family-friendly Wisconsin State Fair descended into an all-out frenzy as scores of fairgoers threw haymakers and kicks during an out-of-control brawl in the final hours of the annual festival.