Trump is King!

A great, but odd, love story has come to an end.

Walnut, a white-naped crane and internet celebrity, has died at the age of 42. She is survived by eight chicks, the loving staff at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and by Chris Crowe – a human zookeeper whom Walnut regarded as her proxy mate for nearly 20 years.

“Walnut was a unique individual with a vivacious personality,” Crowe said in a statement released by the zoo. “I'll always be grateful for her bond with me.”

The tale dates back to the bird's 2004 arrival at the institute's campus in Front Royal, Virginia.

The chick of two wild cranes who had been brought to the US illegally and were later rescued by the International Crane Foundation, Walnut was hand-raised by people and bonded with her human caretakers. That preference continued when she came to the institute – she showed no interest in breeding and even attacked male crane suitors.

But white-naped cranes are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Fewer than 5,300 remain in their native habitats in Mongolia, Siberia, Korea, Japan and China due to habitat loss, pollution, nest predation and poaching.

As the offspring of two wild-caught cranes, Walnut's genes were not represented in US zoos. So convincing Walnut to breed was regarded as a priority.

Crowe, according to a zoo statement, won her over by “observing and mimicking” the institute's male white-naped cranes' actions during breeding season.

Videos show Crowe offering Walnut food as well as grass and leaves for nest-building materials. When he flaps his arms in front of her, the majestic tall bird flaps excitedly in response and dances in a half-circle with her head bobbing. Once Crowe had gained her trust, he was able to artificially inseminate her using sperm from a male crane.

The unique arrangement was very successful and Walnut laid fertilized eggs that eventually hatched eight chicks. The fertilized eggs were given to other white-napped crane pairs who tended to them as their own. Of the eight white-napped cranes currently living at the institute, one is Walnut's chick and another is her grand-chick.

At 42, Walnut nearly tripled the median life expectancy of 15 years for white-naped cranes in human care. She was born in Wisconsin in the summer of 1981 and named after a local restaurant's popular walnut pie dessert.

Earlier this month, keepers noticed that Walnut wasn't eating or drinking, even her favorite treats, frozen-thawed mice, peanuts and mealworms, couldn't spark her appetite. The bird declined and, surrounded by an animal care team, died peacefully, an autopsy revealing the cause of death to be renal failure.

“She was always confident in expressing herself, an eager and excellent dancer, and stoic in the face of life's challenges,” Crowe said. “Walnut's extraordinary story has helped bring attention to her vulnerable species' plight. I hope everyone who was touched by her story understands that her species' survival depends on our ability and desire to protect wetland habitats.”

Built for BHC

Total rightoid victory coming?

All of those people whining on Reddit and Twitter - literally wall-to-wall whining by slavs on Twitter and Redditors for 2 months straight - about Republicans abandoning Ukraine, when this was obviously just a delay to help fix the US border, not just spend everything rescuing some slav one.

TLDR:

• $118.2 billion overall in funds for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

• would establish a new asylum process at the border to deliver fast case resolutions and swift deportations for migrants who don't qualify. It also would set a higher bar for those claims and establish new limits on the number of immigrants claiming asylum to prevent the system from getting overwhelmed

WSJ article:

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/border-deal-to-cut-illegal-immigration-is-released-after-months-of-talks-26a66211

https://archive.is/8JtuK#selection-5630.0-5630.1

WASHINGTON—The Senate released Sunday the long-awaited details of a sprawling bipartisan bill designed to both sharply cut down on illegal border crossings and bolster embattled allies Ukraine and Israel, giving proponents just days to build support for the package and overcome growing hostility from some Republicans.

The deal, which took months to negotiate and is set to get an initial vote in the Senate as soon as Wednesday, would establish a new asylum process at the border to deliver fast case resolutions and swift deportations for migrants who don't qualify. It also would set a higher bar for those claims and establish new limits on the number of immigrants claiming asylum to prevent the system from getting overwhelmed.

On the spending side, the bill will provide $118.2 billion overall in funds for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as for U.S. border changes and humanitarian aid in war zones. About half—around $60 billion—is related to Ukraine, with $14.1 billion for Israel security assistance and about $20 billion to implement the new border policies.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) called the release of the deal a “monumental step towards strengthening America's national security abroad and along our borders.”

Migrants seeking asylum line up as they await processing in a makeshift campsite after crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S. this month. Photo: Gregory Bull/Associated Press

The release of the deal text marks a critical step in trying to pass the complex measure overhauling border law and reasserting America's strength overseas. Curtailing illegal immigration has long been a top GOP priority, but it has increasingly become a concern of Democrats too, with border arrests surging to record levels and mayors of large cities pleading for federal help. The deal's provisions largely reflect Republican priorities, and exclude longtime Democratic demands such as a pathway to citizenship for so-called Dreamers brought to the country as children.

The bill faces an uphill fight to passage, given the decades of partisan wrangling over the issue and the approach of the fall elections.

President Biden, who is running for re-election, has thrown his support behind the emerging deal, saying he would embrace new powers to shut down the border if needed. Still, the prospects for the bill are uncertain. Even though Republicans initially pushed for the talks, former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner for the 2024 nomination, has blasted the prospect of any compromise. Some congressional Republicans including Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) have indicated they would be unlikely to support the emerging deal but wanted to see the actual text rather than relying on leaks and rumors.

The bill's first test will come in the Democratic-run Senate this week. While most Democrats in the 51-49 chamber are expected to support the proposal, Senate Republicans have indicated that they would only provide the votes to clear the required 60-vote hurdle to proceed if more than half the Senate GOP conference—or 25 members—commit to voting “yes.” If it does pass the Senate, it heads to the House, where Johnson said Saturday he has no plans to quickly take up the bill, instead giving priority to a separate measure that includes funding for Israel but nothing else.

You are loved. You are seen. You are heard.

Our government will always support your right to be who you are.

Let’s #killthisbill pic.twitter.com/KXQvOvJmbq

— Randy Boissonnault 🏳️‍🌈 (@R_Boissonnault) February 3, 2024

AshkiLibs CLUTCHING the pearls in this one too

https://old.reddit.com/r/Jewish/comments/1ahr2me/senior_bbc_three_employee_who_called_jews_nazi

!bongs

How did you surpass Swedistan in the speed run to becoming a leftoid mohhamedanoid state?