
Trump's bizarre whale rant is a bit much, even for him
Donald Trump has gone on a bizarre rant about offshore wind turbines, claiming they are driving whales “a little batty” and killing them “in numbers never seen before”. The former US President made the claim, which is rooted in a climate sceptic conspiracy theory, at a rally in South Carolina this week. There, he was taking aim at President Joe Biden’s regulations to impose speed limits on speed boats, vowing to overturn the rules on “day one” should he be voted in. Trump told the South Carolina crowd that the “Biden speed limit” would “demolish the charter fishing business, crush boat manufacturers and desecrate your cherished Low Country traditions.” That was when he got sidetracked by whales and wind turbines, or “windmills”, as he prefers to call them. “The windmills are driving them crazy. They’re driving the whales a little batty. And they are washing up on shore in levels never seen before.” It comes days after Trump praised Rishi Sunak for rolling back several key UK climate change promises. He congratulated the Prime Minister for “recognising this SCAM before it was too late”. As for this week's speech, it isn't the first time Trump has gone to war with wind turbines. In 2019, he suggested that wind turbines cause cancer, which is a lie. Months later, he attacked renewable energy again, suggesting that wind power doesn’t work when it’s not windy. This is also untrue. Wind-powered electricity supply isn’t affected by wind not blowing all the time because energy is stored for when it's needed. The US Department of Energy website even says that it's not a problem. At Trump's South Carolina rally, he was likely trying to appeal to a vocal community of misinformed protestors. In February, thousands of people gathered at New Jersey’s Point Pleasant beach to demand authorities pause offshore wind projects in response to recent whale deaths. Since 2023, 10 whales have washed ashore on the New York and New Jersey coastlines. Conspiracy theorists claim the noise created by wind turbines has been messing with the whales’ navigation systems. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has called the deaths “unusual mortality events”, and said there is no link between the wind turbines and whale deaths. “It’s just a cynical disinformation campaign,” Greenpeace oceans director John Hocevar told to USA Today. That’s hardly going to stop former President Trump though, is it? Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-09-26 19:57

Pokimane roasts Mizkif over controversial call with xQc, Asmongold and Trainwreckstv, Internet says 'none of these people are friends'
Pokimane brought up the call while discussing the AdrianahLee-CrazySlick sexual assault scandal with Mizkif
2023-07-08 18:23

'Insane levels of luck': Internet baffled over xQc's $1.2M win during 'Double Rainbow' gambling stream
In June 2022, xQc made headlines by amassing an astounding $2.47 million in winnings during a Twitch stream
2023-09-06 15:22

AI can help generate synthetic viruses and spark pandemics, warns former Google executive
Synthetic viruses could be generated through the misuse of artificial intelligence and potentially spark pandemics, a former Google executive and AI expert has warned. Google DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman expressed concern that the use of AI to engineer pathogens to cause more harm may lead to a scenario like a pandemic. “The darkest scenario is that people will experiment with pathogens, engineered synthetic pathogens that might end up accidentally or intentionally being more transmissible or more lethal,” he said in a recent episode of a podcast. Similar to how there are restrictions in place to prevent people from easily accessing pathogenic microbes like anthrax, Mr Suleyman has called for the means to restrict access to advanced AI technology and software that runs such models. “That’s where we need containment. We have to limit access to the tools and the know-how to carry out that kind of experimentation,” he said in The Diary of a CEO podcast. “We can’t let just anyone have access to them. We need to limit who can use the AI software, the cloud systems, and even some of the biological material,” the Google DeepMind co-founder said. “And of course on the biology side it means restricting access to some of the substances,” he said, adding that AI development needs to be approached with a “precautionary principle”. Mr Suleyman’s statements echo concerns raised in a recent study that even undergraduates with no relevant background in biology can detail suggestions for bio-weapons from AI systems. Researchers, including those from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found chatbots can suggest “four potential pandemic pathogens” within an hour and explain how they can be generated from synthetic DNA. The research found chatbots also “supplied the names of DNA synthesis companies unlikely to screen orders, identified detailed protocols and how to troubleshoot them, and recommended that anyone lacking the skills to perform reverse genetics engage a core facility or contract research organization”. Such large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, “will make pandemic-class agents widely accessible as soon as they are credibly identified, even to people with little or no laboratory training,” the study said. The study, whose authors included MIT bio risk expert Kevin Esvelt, called for “non-proliferation measures”. Such measures could include “pre-release evaluations of LLMs by third parties, curating training datasets to remove harmful concepts, and verifiably screening all DNA generated by synthesis providers or used by contract research organizations and robotic ‘cloud laboratories’ to engineer organisms or viruses”. Read More China’s ‘government-approved’ AI chatbot says Taiwan invasion is likely Government urged to address AI ‘risks’ to avoid ‘spooking’ public Scientists give verdict on Harvard professor’s claim of finding materials in sea from outside Solar System Google boss says he wants to make people ‘shrug’ Why is Elon Musk obsessed with the letter X? Elon Musk ‘borrowed $1bn from SpaceX’ at same time as Twitter acquisition
2023-09-07 15:48

5 Major Improvements Coming to Modern Warfare 3
Major improvements are coming to Modern Warfare 3, including slide cancelling, reload cancelling, the Ninja Perk, red dots, and more.
2023-08-10 02:51

How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership
Thinking about canceling your Amazon Prime membership? We can't say we blame you: There are
2023-06-29 04:57

Intersolar 2023: SolarEdge Unveils New Bi-Directional DC-Coupled Electric Vehicle Charger
MUNICH & MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 14, 2023--
2023-06-14 22:25

Matt Berry set to star in Minecraft film
Matt Berry is in talks to star with Jason Momoa in the 'Minecraft' film adaptation.
2023-05-24 19:21

Corent Announces Support for Azure Linux Container Host for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2023--
2023-05-24 04:23

MrBeast: Did the YouTuber get arrested for 'tax evasion'? Rumor debunked
Multiple pictures of MrBeast being arrested circulated online causing fans to doubt whether the YouTuber got arrested over 'tax evasion'
2023-05-27 13:15

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale at Amazon for 20% off
Save 20%: As of May 8, the Google Pixel Buds Pro are on sale at
2023-05-09 00:54

'90 Day Fiance' star Angela Deem brutally trolled over cryptic video, fans say 'nothing like a midlife crisis'
'90 Day Fiancé' star Angela Deem shares a new TikTok video
2023-06-26 11:15
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