Many of World's Coral Reefs Turn White in Global Bleaching;54 Countries Have Had Bleaching Reefs as Climate Change Warms Ocean Waters

 Along coastlines from Australia to Kenya to Mexico, many of the world's colorful coral reefs have turned a ghostly white in what scientists said this week amounted to the fourth global bleaching event in the last three decades, the Reuters website reports today (April 17, 2024). 

At least 54 countries and territories have experienced mass bleaching among their reefs since February 2023 as climate change warms the ocean's surface waters, according to the U.S.National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch, the world's top coral reef monitoring body. 

Bleaching is triggered by water temperature anomalities that cause corals to expel the colorful algae living in their tissues. Without the algaes'  help in delivering nutrients to the corale, the corals cannot survive.

"More than 54% of the reef areas in the global ocean are experiencing bleaching--level heat stress," Coral Reef Watch coordinator Derek Manzello said. 

Announcement of the latest global bleaching event was made jointly by NOAA and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global intergovernmental conservation partnership. For an event to be deemed global, significant bleaching must occur in all three ocean basins --  the Atlantic, Pacific. and Indian -- within a 365--day period. 

Poll: Large No. of Young Adults Say Bible Has Positive Effects on Them; Youngest Adults Show Signs of Interest, Curiosity, Transformative Interaction

 The American Bible Society released the first installment of its State of the Bible USA2024 report on April 11, the Christian Post website reports today (April 15, 2024). 

Itrs new poll reveals that the share of young adults who think the Bible has had a transformative effect on their lives has increased, even as a majority of them remain "Scripture Disengaged."

American Bible Society Chief Program Offfcer and Editor--in--Chief of the State of the Bible series John Farquhar Plake, said, "Our youngest adults show signs of interest, curiosiy, and transformative interaction with it, and added, "If  this trend continues, we have good reason for hope." 

Iran Hits Israel with over 100 Attack Drones; Pushes Middle East to Brink of Regional War

Iran has launched a wide--scale aerial assault against Israel in an unprecedented revenge mission, threatening to push the Middle East to the brink of a regional war, the CBN website reports today (April 13, 2024). 

Israel reports the  islamic regime in Tehran has unleashed more than 100 attack drones as well as ballistic missiles, Rocket sirens and booms could be heard across the entire country, including Jerusalem. It is unclear if the booms are an incoming attack or the sound of interceptions in the air. 

U.S. officials say the U.S. military has shot down iranian drones headed for Israel. Britain's Royal Air Force jets "will intercept any airborne attacks within range of our existing missions, as required," the country's Ministry of Defense says. 

Israeli Defense Foreign Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says in a video statement that Israeli fighter jetsa are in the air ready to counter any attack.

Iran's mission to the United Nations says in a post on X it has "concluded" its attack on Israel and warned the US. to stay out of the conflict. "Iran's military action was in response to the zionist regime's aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus," the post says. 

Investigative Journalism Is under Attack; by the Mainstream Media

The reputation for legacy media outlets, the wire services, networks,and old school broadsheets has plunged in recent years, the WND website reports today (April 12, 2024).But now a respected investigative journalist, Catherine Herridge --who used to work for CBS and documented the Hunter Biden laptop scandal-- is  charging the network with an offense even more  extremei: "Journalistic rape."

The New York Post reports the claim came about because, she told the House Judiciary Committee, and the network fired her, then seized her files. 

"When my records were seized, I felt it was journalistic rape,"Herridge  explained. "When the network of Walter Cronkite seizes your reporting files, including confidential source information, that is an attack on investigative journalism," she said.  

Biden Admin. Proposes a New Student Loan Relief Plan; Over 25M Borrowers Could Get Loan Balances Forgiven

 Another student loan relief plan is being proposed by the Biden asdministration, the CNET website reports today (April 11, 2024).

If it is implemented, more than 25 million borrowers could get their remaining loan balances forgiven as early as this fall. 

The plan proposes two major changes :

1. Canceling student debt for borrowers who first entered repayment 20 or more years ago. 

2. Wiping out up to $20,000 in unpaid interest on loans that have entered repayment , regardless of income. Lower-- and middle--income borrowers could be eligible for even more. 

The administration's newest plan announced  on April 8, avoids the more sweeping forgiveness of last year's proposal, which was set to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans for all borrowers before it was blocked by the Supreme Court in June. 

US Sen.Warren: Israel Is Guilty of Genocide;Says ICJ toFind Israel Guilty of Its Gaza Strip Actions

A U.S. Democratic senator, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Mass., said on April 6, 2024 that she thinks the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will find that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, in a speech in a Boston mosque, the WIN website reports.  

"For me, it is more important to say what Israel is doing is wrong. And it is wrong to starve chilldren within a civilian population in order to try to bend to your will. It is wrong to drop 2,000--pound bombs in density--populated civilian areas," Sen. Warren  said. 

Israel and World Judaism Are in a Time of Crisis; ADL's Emeritus Director Fights Antisemitism

As the National Director of the Anti--Defamation League (ADL) from 1987 to 2015, Abraham Foxman, is a world--renowned leader of antisemitism, the Jerusalem Post website reports today (April 9, 2024).

Foxman, who currently serves as ADL"s Emeritus Director, is a world--renown leader in fighting antisemitism. 

He is also an expert in what motivates the hatred and how such bigotry and discrimination manifested and evolved over the years.